After the space stopped changing, the castle had, for the first time, a path that could be remembered.
Lin Yuan followed his senses and found the main entrance. The circular hall was separated from the exit by seven corridors, four staircases, and twelve doors, a distance that was nearly half the size of a town.
Normally, he could reach the destination by simply folding the paper a few times.
However, the Space Lockdown covers the entire desolate valley. If he were to open just one of the passages, the castle could potentially re-establish its coordinates through that gap.
This True Magic not only locked the castle, but also temporarily restricted his most common mode of transportation.
"Those who can walk, stand in the middle. Hand the wounded over to us." Mira bent down and carried an unconscious investigator on her back, then tucked two children under her arms. "Stay close, and don't touch any doors in the way."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door next to him suddenly shook violently, as if something was hitting it from the other side.
The existence of a fixed road does not mean that the castle has given up resistance.
As the procession passed through the third corridor, the walls on both sides simultaneously cracked open. More than a dozen armored puppets rushed out from hidden compartments, their spears crisscrossing as they thrust at the crowd.
Mira placed the two children behind her back, and the demonic arm swept forward.
The four puppets at the front collided instantly. The remaining puppets tried to bypass her, but Lin Yuan had already drawn her Boundary-Severing Blade from the other side of the group.
The black-silver blade, the length of a medium sword, did not slash wildly, but instead thrust continuously along the shortest gaps between the spears. The magical connections between the spearhead, wrist, and the puppet's chest were severed one after another, and metal parts fell to the ground.
The last doll lunged at us from behind.
Lin Yuan didn't turn around. The Boundary-Severing Blade shrank into a short blade, its barbs jutting against his ribs, and accurately pierced through the gaps in the armor. The magic inside the puppet dimmed, keeping it in place with its sword-raised posture.
Mira glanced at the parts on the ground. "You just learned this yesterday?"
The day before yesterday.
" Erza taught quite well."
Why can't I learn faster?
"Because you still don't walk like a swordsman."
Lin Yuan glanced down at his feet and decided to discuss the matter after the mission was over.
Half an hour later, the group finally arrived at the main gate.
Lin Yuan placed his hand on the door panel to confirm that the outer connection was indeed fixed to the desolate valley before slowly pushing it open. The setting sun shone through the crack in the door into the dimly lit corridor, and the Magic Council mages and rescue personnel guarding outside immediately rushed up.
The 23 missing persons were taken away one by one.
The investigation team leader was the last to cross the threshold, turning back to ask, "Aren't you coming out?"
Another dull thud echoed from deep within the ancient castle.
The black and silver patterns covering the wall shimmered.
"The core is still struggling," Lin Yuan said. "I cannot lift the blockade until it is dismantled."
After the main gate closed, the two followed the path with the strongest tremors downwards. With no one to protect, Mira simply smashed through two stone gates blocking her way and reached the bottom of the castle.
There was no dungeon, only a bell room that was even more spacious than the rotunda.
A massive black bell, riddled with gears, hangs in the center. Hundreds of silver chains extend outward from the bell, disappearing into the surrounding walls. Each chain corresponds to a section of space within the castle.
A six-armed doll stands beneath the clock.
It was as tall as three people, with six hands holding a longsword, a battle axe, and a heavy hammer. The moment Lin Yuan and Mira stepped into the clock chamber, a red light shone on the puppet's chest, and the heavy hammer slammed directly into the ground.
boom!
Mira caught the hammer head-on, and large sections of the stone slab beneath her feet shattered.
"This one is mine!"
With a burst of strength from her arms, she shoved the heavy hammer and the puppet aside.
Lin Yuan didn't try to snatch it; he rushed straight towards the giant bell.
The silver chains tightened. The space throughout the castle began to collide with the seal, and immense pressure fell on Lin Yuan through the black and silver magic. While maintaining the seal, he condensed the Boundary-Severing Blade, and with a horizontal slash, the three chains snapped.
The six-armed puppet leaped over Mira, its long sword aimed at Lin Yuan's back.
Mira grabbed the armor plates on its back, and its demonic wings unfurled with a roar, dragging its massive body off the ground.
Look at your clock!
Lin Yuan had already sheathed his sword.
Erza once said that after a sword is swung, one must know where it should return to.
The Boundary-Severing Blade retracted from a longsword into a medium-sized sword, no longer chasing after the swaying chains with indiscriminate slashes. Lin Yuan stepped forward, the blade striking only the moment the chains were tautest.
Once, twice, three times.
Each sword strike severed the connection along the shortest path before immediately returning to its source. The silver chains fell one after another, and large sections of the magical patterns on the surface of the giant bell went out.
The six-armed puppet struggled frantically, and three weapons slammed down on Mira simultaneously. Instead of retreating, Mira advanced, Take Over all her magic into her arms and lifting the puppet above her head.
" Lin Yuan!"
She threw the doll at the black bell as if it were a boulder.
The last few chains were taut from the impact of the massive body.
The Boundary-Severing Blade in Lin Yuan's hand unfolded into a long sword.
The black-silver blade traced a clean arc.
All the chains broke simultaneously.
The six-armed puppet crashed into the giant bell, the metallic roar shaking the entire castle. The bell's face split open from the center, and the rapidly rotating internal core lost its support, slamming heavily into the base.
The black and silver patterns covering the ancient castle are still visible.
The rooms, roads, and doors no longer struggled.
Mira stepped over the scattered metal parts and walked to Lin Yuan's side. "Is it over?"
Lin Yuan sensed it for a moment, then nodded.
In the distance, the main gate of the castle was reopened by rescue workers.
This time, outside the door was still a desolate valley bathed in the setting sun.