As the words left his mouth, it felt as though they no longer belonged to him.
They had become a whole unto themselves, born from his lips and reaching out to influence the world.
Beneath his feet lay a huge, mysterious symbol. The instant the spell left his mouth, it resonated with the symbol.
That resonance made the spell spoken by Han Su and Xu Ji heavier and more powerful, carrying it far away.
Yet this "far" did not mean a greater distance in space.
It was more like a sound on the sea. The sound did not travel farther across the surface, but the ritual pattern beneath their feet imbued it with a mysterious meaning and sent it deeper into the sea.
And so, waves began to rise.
It was as if a power capable of piercing through multiple layers of space had begun to stir a distant resonance.
It started calling—or perhaps luring—something.
But the call had gone out on the first try, and still there had been no response. It seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
Han Su did not lose heart. It was obvious that the Ghost Truck, which had left the Disaster Management Bureau helpless, would not be easy to summon. He immediately prepared to recite the spell a second time with Xu Ji. But just as he was about to speak, his mind suddenly churned.
A sound like metal scraping, shrouded in a vague sense of mystery and strangeness, crashed through his mind.
"Bronze... world... reflection... echo..."
"..."
The voice came out of nowhere, striking Han Su with such force that his head throbbed. He stopped reciting the spell.
It was the voice from inside the Ancient Castle. It had pursued him ever since he left the castle, following him all the way