After climbing for two hours, the two of them stood at the edge of a cliff.
A deep valley lay below, shrouded in fog too thick to see the bottom.
But the oppressive presence rising from the valley floor was unmistakable, as though something were stirring down there.
A few of Ponzu's bees flew out of her hat, circled above the mouth of the valley, then returned to land on her hand, their wings trembling nonstop.
"They're scared," Ponzu said. "They don't dare go down."
Odin stared into the valley. The Nen surrounding him was vibrating as though it were about to explode.
"Wait here," he said. "I'll go down and take a look."
"I'm coming with you."
"No," Odin said. "It's dangerous down there."
Ponzu wanted to say something, but after seeing the look in Odin's eyes, she finally nodded.
Odin walked to the edge of the cliff and glanced down.
The fog was too thick to see the bottom.
He activated the Rabbit Talisman.
The world slowed down.
He ran down the cliff.
The howl of the wind stretched out beside his ears. Fog swept past him, cold and damp, carrying the raw scent of stone.
Three seconds later, his feet touched solid ground.
He stood on the valley floor and looked up.
The fog above was too thick for him to see the top.
Down where he stood, however, there was no fog at all. Even the air was thin, as though something had forced it away.
He turned toward the depths of the valley.
Several dozen meters ahead lay a massive sinkhole.
Its opening looked to be over a hundred meters across, with exposed rock around the rim glowing an eerie blue.
That chaotic energy surged out of the sinkhole, sweeping across the valley floor like