The sandstorms in the Dolor Desert were more intense than Higashino Makoto had anticipated.
He stood atop a sand dune, his dark eyes gazing at the towering column of Tatsumaki before him, his pupils reflecting the churning clouds and flashing lightning.
Ainz stood beside him without saying a word, but Higashino Makoto could sense that he was thinking.
Let's test the waters first.
Higashino Makoto took out a scroll from his backpack, and a golden light appeared in his palm.
That was a fifth-tier wind-attribute summoning spell.
The light condensed in the air, transforming into a giant eagle with a wingspan of over five meters. Its feathers were a translucent blue, and its eyes were deep green, gleaming with Wisdom.
"Go in."
The giant eagle spread its wings and flew towards the Tatsumaki.
It moved very fast, its blue silhouette appearing and disappearing in the yellow sand.
Higashino Makoto closed his eyes and used magic to imbue his summoned creature with his senses, attempting to see through its eyes what was happening inside the storm.
My vision was shaking violently.
Yellow sand, gale-force winds, thunder and lightning--
Everything is spinning.
The giant eagle struggled through the storm, its feathers crackling as the sand and wind whipped against it.
It flew deeper and deeper, and the visibility around it decreased.
Then, my view was cut off.
It didn't gradually blur, but suddenly stopped, like a lamp being abruptly extinguished.
Higashino Makoto opened his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly.
"How about it?"
Ainz asked.
"They went in about 300 meters, and then lost contact."
Higashino Makoto spoke calmly.
"It's not so much that they were destroyed, but rather that the connection was severed. There's some kind of interference within the storm that seems to be disrupting the magical link."
Ainz's crimson eyes flickered.
"Try again."
Higashino Makoto nodded and took out another scroll.
This time it's earth-based summoning magic--
"Summon Rock Giant".
The surface of the dune began to tremble, and yellow sand surged in from all directions, coalescing into a three-meter-tall rock giant.
Its body is made of sand, with a faint yellow glow flowing across its surface, and its eyes are two dark brown gems.
"Go in."
The rock giant strode heavily toward the Tatsumaki.
It was much slower than the giant eagle, but every step it took was as steady as a mountain.
Higashino Makoto closed his eyes again, focusing his perception on the rock giant.
The field of vision is more stable than before.
The rock giant's body is heavy, so wind and sand have little effect on it.
It moved forward step by step, through the outer storms, and into the deeper areas.
One hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters...
Even after reaching the location where the giant eagle lost contact, the rock giant continued.
Four hundred meters, five hundred meters.
Higashino Makoto saw more than that.
Inside the storm, runes flowed across the walls; they were not man-made but naturally formed, like the patterns of the earth itself.
The runes were flashing with a dim light, and with each flash, an invisible force swept across the surrounding space.
600 meters.
The rock giant's body began to tremble.
It wasn't blown by the wind, but rather influenced by that invisible force.
Its steps became heavy, and its movements became sluggish, as if something was suppressing it.
700 meters.
My view was cut off again.
Higashino Makoto opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in his dark eyes.
"We've gone in 700 meters. There are runes inside the storm that can suppress summoned creatures. It's a bit like some special dungeons in YGGDRASIL, with abilities that can significantly weaken summoned creatures or separate teammates who go in."
Ainz remained silent for a moment.
"Need a higher-level summon?"
"Ainz, can you summon Primal Earth Elemental or Primal Air Elemental? If so, try one last time."
Ainz thought for a moment and nodded.
"Summon the Primal Earth Elemental"
Watching the Primal Earth Elemental enter the storm, Higashino Makoto did not disturb it.
After a while, Ainz opened his eyes again.
"Primal Earth Elemental didn't work. Although I broke through the storm's barrier, the Primal Earth Elemental lost contact with me the moment I entered."
Higashino Makoto frowned slightly, then relaxed.
The more complex the mechanism, the more likely it is that there are indeed good things here.
"So it seems this is indeed a mechanic in the YGGDRASIL game; the higher the level of the summoned creature, the stronger the suppression it may experience."
In games, mechanics are mechanics.
That power wasn't directed at the weak, but at outsiders, namely the players.
No matter how strong you are, if you are not part of that world, you will be suppressed.
"However, this makes it even more likely that the Sand Scepter is inside."
Ainz was also somewhat uneasy, but also excited.
"What should we do then? Going in directly is too risky. Who knows if we can use teleportation magic to retreat from inside?"
Higashino Makoto thought for a moment and took out a doll from his backpack.
That was a spare Grem he had prepared beforehand; it was only level 50, but the materials were rather special.
The core component uses items brought from the Seed of the World Tree ruins, which are the original core fragments of several guardian bosses.
"Huginn."
A raven flew out from the tattoo near his ear and landed on the doll's shoulder.
Its golden eyes gleamed with Wisdom, and its feathers the Unassailable in the wind and sand.
"Grown ups."
Possession.
"Yes."
Huginn's body transformed into a black light and merged into the puppet's body.
The doll's eyes lit up, no longer empty gems, but a deep, spiritual gold.
It moved its limbs, the movements fluid and natural, just like a real person.
"This time it should work."
Higashino Makoto imbued Huginn with his senses, then controlled the puppet to step forward.
The puppet's steps were light and steady, unlike the previous summoned creatures.
It passed through wind and sand, through lightning, and through the oppressive forces of the invisible.
One hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters...
There was no interruption.
Four hundred meters, five hundred meters, six hundred meters...
It remains stable.
700 meters, 800 meters, 900 meters...
The puppet is still moving forward.
Higashino Makoto's heart skipped a beat.
It was a success.
One kilometer.
The doll passed through the last wind wall and entered the eye of the storm.
My vision suddenly opened up.
Higashino Makoto was stunned.
The interior of the storm's eye is a stark contrast to the raging chaos outside.
A deathly stillness.
There was no wind, no sand, and no lightning.
There was only a heavy silence, as if time itself had frozen.
The sky was a deep purple, without sun or clouds, only a uniform, unsettlingly dim light.
The earth was grayish-yellow, covered with a thick layer of sand and dust, but beneath the dust, the outlines of stone slabs could be vaguely seen.
That was a city.
A massive city buried by yellow sand for thousands of years.
The ruins stretched outwards from the eye of the storm, seemingly without end.
The architectural style was ancient and unfamiliar, unlike anything Higashino Makoto had ever seen in this world.
The walls were covered with runes, just like those inside the storm, but simpler yet denser.
Streets crisscross, squares, temples, towers—
Everything is still there, but everything has decayed.
The stone pillars are broken, the dome has collapsed, and the statues are weathered.
Those once magnificent buildings are now just skeletons, casting long shadows under the deep purple sky.
"Dee Gewers..."
Higashino Makoto murmured the name.
A once-great Baharuth Empire, a civilization that, according to legend, was buried by yellow sand overnight.
As the legend says, it was sleeping here.
In the eye of the storm, in the cracks of time, it slept for thousands of years.
"Higashino, what did you see?"
Ainz's voice came from beside my ear.
"The city, a vast urban ruin."
Higashino Makoto's voice remained relatively calm as he used a magic scroll that shared vision, allowing Ainz to also see the scene inside.