As they exited the alley, what reached their ears was a sharp whistle-like sound followed by a furious shout.
"The humans have escaped!"
"Call the Danseongdae! Summon the Danseongdae!"
Danseongdae.
The name meant "those who sever even the sacred." According to what Rankellon had explained, they were the ones who maintained order in the Primordial Lands.
It was easier to think of them as a city guard, but once caught by the Danseongdae, torture was a given, and summary executions weren't rare either.
Their shouts and screams only made the group more anxious, and their steps grew heavier with tension.
The broad avenue they had entered earlier.
And at its end stood a towering structure that seemed to touch the sky.
The path itself was straightforward.
Just a straight line to the end—but no one could claim that moving forward was easy.
Already, those at the end of the road were visible—clad in uniform attire.
The large swords, tridents, and maces in their hands gleamed coldly under the starlight, as if they had been waiting for a day like this.
'So those are the Danseongdae.'
Isaac re-sheathed the sword he had drawn at his waist. This was no longer training—it was the real thing.
He would have to use every weapon at his disposal, and his Iaido was one of his most powerful tools.
Just as he was about to step forward—
"What are you doing—!"
A man like a steel wall stepped ahead.
Uldren Caldias.
The spear in his hands may have seemed worn and humble for a man of his skill, yet—
A commanding aura burst forth with him at its center.
There was no hesitation, no doubt.
As the Danseongdae charged in, his spear crushed the forehead of the first enemy and was swiftly withdrawn.
Before the next one could strike, Uldren's spear flew once more.
Even if only for a short while, he alone gave off the intimidating presence of someone fending off a horde of transcendents.
As Uldren's fierce energy surged like a beast breaking free from Malidan's wall, the other northern soldiers quickly joined in to support him.
'Disciplined, and skilled.'
Isaac was impressed as he watched them.
The soldiers from the North were already worthy of being called battle-hardened heroes.
But now they moved like warriors adept in battle against the Transcendents—something he had only seen in his past life.
It was clear, from their systematic combat tactics, just how fiercely they must've fought the Transcendents in the Abyssal Realm to survive.
But the problem was—this time, they weren't defending. They had to break through.
The avenue was both wide and long.
At first, the Danseongdae looked startled by the fierce resistance, but before long, they focused on slowing down their advance with minimal engagement.
"They're trying to buy time,"
Isaac said, slashing through a gap in the enemy with his Iaido as he approached Uldren.
Uldren nodded slowly with a grim hum.
"Means someone's coming."
There was no need to voice who.
This was the Primordial Land.
If this place housed the Primordial Transcendents, then what was coming was obvious.
Arandel had slain five of those Transcendents.
But here, they had no idea how many might come.
At least five?
If double-digit numbers of Transcendents were to charge at them—
It was dizzying to imagine. No matter how hard they resisted, defeat would be inevitable.
That's why they had to break through the line—
"Isaac—!"
As Isaac's thoughts grew heavier, Sharen approached from behind. In her eyes was a mischievous glint that didn't match the tension of the moment.
The look said she had a plan to get them out of this.
"I'll handle it! Just wait a bit!"
"…Sharen?"
"I'll be right back!"
"Sharen! Wait—!"
And with that, Sharen dashed off in the opposite direction from the group.
Using her stored-up red force without restraint, she shot forward—leaving Isaac's voice ringing hollow behind her.
Even as he called out, Sharen didn't stop.
'Ah, seriously…'
He had no idea what she was planning, but all he could do was hope she'd return safely, as Isaac turned his gaze forward once more.
Smoke rose intermittently from nearby, and strange disturbances erupted here and there.
Even the Danseongdae blocking their path began to glance in that direction.
It seemed like Liana was using the Transcendents from the village she came with to stir up some commotion.
An tense night.
The silver star shining atop the high tower stood out more than ever.
Are we heading toward the tower, or are we following the star?
[Child chasing the stars.]
Swallowing the words like a bitter pill, Isaac simply pressed forward.
***
"Huh? What's going on?"
Despite the late hour, the commotion startled Nureumdol, who quickly turned his head.
He was talking with his fellow stonefolk, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, near the stone wall.
While listening to their hardships and reminiscing about old times, Nureumdol tried to hide his mixed emotions and tilted his head.
"It's, it's really loud, isn't it? Did something happen?"
Some of the stonefolk around him, who were awake, replied indifferently.
"There are a lot of incidents around here."
"Food is scarce, and life is rough. Even if we try to encourage each other, we end up fighting."
"Transcendents weren't like this in the past. Something's changed."
Various conversations flowed among the stonefolk.
Normally, they kept silent and numbed their thoughts to avoid remembering their situation.
But talking with a fellow stonefolk after such a long time served as a little breath of fresh air.
However, at the same time, they feared the deep emptiness and unchanging reality that would return once he left again.
"How did you manage to gain the favor of the Transcendents, Nureumdol?"
"Yeah. They see us as nothing but bricks. They grab us and shove us into walls without a second thought."
To the Transcendents, they were nothing more than convenient tools.
They had heard it wasn't always like that in the past.
But that was just history. Now, they were simply prey and predator in a harsh environment.
"Ah, well, that's because—"
Nureumdol was about to explain how he met them.
At first, he was scared and afraid.
Honestly, he still was.
But how should he put it?
[Wanna taste some sorcery?!]
It felt like a child playing a prank?
It was scary, sure, but he had the feeling that they wouldn't cut off all his limbs and turn him into a brick like the others.
Just as he was about to explain how he met them—
"Hey! There you are! I'm so glad you're still here!"
A cheerful voice called from behind.
It was Sharen, waving her greatsword as she ran over.
"Ah, I-I was just about to head back!"
Though he had gotten permission to come, it seemed he had stayed out longer than expected, so Nureumdol apologized right away.
But Sharen shook her head.
"No! I need your help!"
"…Huh? My help?"
"Yeah! We need to break through a path!"
Nureumdol blinked in confusion.
Then, glancing sideways at the distant commotion, he asked,
"Is, is that us fighting over there…?"
"We're fighting! We're trying to escape and get to the human world! So help us!"
"Me?! That's impossible! No! I can't! I-I'm just a rock!"
What in the world was she asking him to do?
Nureumdol looked close to tears as he shook his head frantically.
He was grateful they didn't cut off his limbs and turn him into a brick, but that didn't mean he wanted to be involved in a Transcendent battle.
He had never fought before, not even once.
"Why not?! Help me out! If you do, in the name of Helmut—!"
Sharen placed a hand on her chest and paused, briefly lost in thought.
As if unsure how to phrase it, she licked her lips while the stonefolk around her turned their eyes toward her.
"In the name of Helmut! I'll get you a spot in our Rose Garden! How about that?!"
"The Rose Garden?"
"Yup! Our Helmut has a huge garden! Well, it's not as grand as it used to be… but I'll beg my sister and get you a spot!"
What was she even talking about?
Helmut? A garden?
At that moment, a voice came from one of the stonefolk—one noticeably old and weathered.
"You are…"
How long had his eyes been closed? The heavy lids opened, revealing sticky eyes and a weathered voice.
The surrounding stonefolk turned their gaze toward him in surprise.
"You're a human, aren't you?"
At the question, Sharen hesitated once again.
Then, flustered, she cried out.
"I-I'm a Transcendent, you know?! D-Do you want a taste of my sorcery?!"
"Roses do not bloom in the Abyss Realm, and Helmut is a family in the Human Realm, is it not?"
"Oh..."
How did he know that?
Sharen sniffled, surprised at how much this stone wall knew.
"Help meee!"
And she just resorted to throwing a tantrum.
She couldn't persuade people with cool words like Isaac, or overwhelm them with sheer pressure like Liana.
This was Sharen Helmut's way—and surprisingly, the stone walls found it quite refreshing.
"Please help meee! I told Isaac I could do it!"
The years spent trapped here, forcibly embedded into walls—
It had been so long since anyone had begged them for help like this.
"…Nurumdol, you should help her."
"Yeah, do it."
"She's cute."
As the stone walls muttered like uncles, Nurumdol flustered and shouted:
"B-but I could *die*! If the Transcendents notice me, I'm *done for*!"
Nurumdol's voice wavered.
But Sharen thumped her chest and declared:
"Don't worry! I'll take you to our estate too, okay?! I'll even tell our gardener to fix you up properly so you fit in!"
Nurumdol was so baffled he stopped crying. But the stone walls nudged him.
"Staying here just means ending up like us."
"What if they really leave? What do you think will happen to you? Think you can get out of here?"
"Nurumdol, this is your chance. Give those bastards who did this to us a taste of their own medicine."
"Ohhh..."
Sharen was impressed.
She never thought the stone walls would side with her.
Nurumdol didn't want to do it.
He was timid by nature and hated fighting.
But what they said wasn't entirely wrong.
Whether they succeeded and escaped, or failed and died, the moment he stepped into this land, it seemed his fate was to become a stone wall too.
So—
"Ugh, fine! I don't care anymore! J-Just make sure you protect me, okay?! Got it?!"
"Sweet! That's the spirit, Nurumdol—no, Jjangdol! You're the best!"
The compliments weren't all that bad, so Nurumdol grinned awkwardly and asked:
"S-So, what do I need to do?"
"Uh, go over there and lie down."
"…Excuse me?"
"I said, lie down."
***
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
A strange rumbling echoed in the ears of the group busily blasting their way through the main road.
Had a Primordial Transcendent finally appeared?
If so, what a flashy entrance.
Isaac muttered to himself and braced for battle.
But amusingly, the sound was coming not from ahead—but from behind.
And then—
"Out of the waaayyy! Mooove out of the waaayyy!"
Sharen's voice tore across the night sky.
Turning their heads, they saw—
"What the hell is that?"
A massive boulder was barreling down the main road at terrifying speed.
Crimson sparks of energy surged along its surface, accelerating it even more.
"M-Move! Get to the side!"
At Silverna and Isaac's shout, even the northern soldiers and the Danseongdae stepped aside in confusion.
And so—
It rolled.
And rolled.
It kept rolling.
Then finally, at the end of the road, toward the entrance of the tower—
KRAAAASH!
It slammed violently into it.