Ending Maker

Chapter 136: Temple of Life (3)

Chapter 136: Temple of Life (3)

Sorry for the late chapter. I had to help my mom file taxes online for my aunt’s business, so it took quite some time since they were not familiar with online filing and stuff. Anyway, the next two chapters might be delayed because they are long. The chapters are always long when that person is involved, hahaha.

Terms used in this chapter:

CAD – abbreviation for computer-aided design. It is the use of computer software to design and document a product or project’s design process. Engineers and architects are some of the people who use CAD for their projects. Those who studied it usually get a certificate for it.

Most of the playable characters in Legend of Heroes 1 were young people at the peak of their youth.

But like what the word ‘most’ meant, there was one old man who was above the average age, and that was Necromancer Velkian.

‘Everyone was in their 20s, but he alone was in the 70s…’

He was a skinny and temperamental old man with gray hair.

So there were a lot of theories that the reason he did not appear in Legend of Heroes 2 was because he naturally died from old age.

The second episode took place 10 years after the first episode, so he would have been an old man in his 80s who was nearing 90.

But Jude didn’t believe in that theory.

Because Velkian in his 70s boasted a strength that was comparable to Kamael who was in his 20s.

He was an old man who perfectly fit the words ‘hale and hearty.’

‘Because he is a necromancer.’

The necromancers of Pleiades had a deep connection with the power of life.

The Death magic they used was developed from Life magic, so one could say that they were also life attribute wizards.

‘A scholar who absolutely did not want to die.’

Even in the first episode, he was a scholar who loudly grumbled about extending his life, so he must have lived his life looking for ways to prolong it.

‘He was a man who would even be willing to become a Lich if it was possible.’

Velkian was unlike a necromancer- no, perhaps it was because he was a necromancer that he had such a strong obsession with life.

“So you think that it was Velkian who entered the Temple of Life within those four months?”

“Yes, probably. It’s very highly likely that it was him.”

Jude laid out the reasons on why he thought so, and Cordelia nodded her head several times.

“Hmm, I see. Anyway, if Velkian wanted the Tiara of Life, did that mean he also knew what was inside the Temple of Life?”

Cordelia’s words made Jude’s eyes open wide.

“Wow, my princess is smart!”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Cordelia immediately cussed, but he could see from her face that she looked happy.

In any case, Cordelia said as she crossed her arms.

“Hmm… So you want Velkian to come to us? Velkian wants the Tiara of Life.”

“Yes, and maybe because of that-”

“We can save Velkian’s life?”

“Bingo.”

They did not yet know how Velkian died, but it might be possible to avoid the event that caused his death if they completely changed where he went in the future.

“The problem is how to tell Velkian that we have the Tiara of Life.”

“Huh? That’s easy.”

“It’s easy?”

“I mean, we can just write a letter and put it in the box, right? If we write something like: Oh, we beat you to it? Neener neener, aww…are you mad? – wouldn’t Velkian come to us right away because of his personality?”

It was Cordelia’s knee-jerk idea, but Jude reacted to something else.

“B-beat you to it…”

Neener neener, aww…are you mad?

Cordelia was embarrassed at Jude’s stare and cleared her throat, but she continued to be brazen.

“It can’t be helped because we need him to get angry.”

“Yes, yes, if you insist.”

“Hey, moving on, we can solve the problem if we write a letter, right?”

“Yes…perhaps it’s better than spreading rumors that we have the Tiara of Life.”

The Tiara of Life was a treasure coveted by even those who did not use life attribute magic.

There was also a possibility that treasure hoarders would gather besides Velkian.

“But for now, let’s hide your real name and write down an alias. Something like: Come to the capital and find Phantom Thief Pink Bomb.”

“Wait, Pink Bomb?”

“Yes, Pink Bomb.”

Jude flashed a smile, and Cordelia also smiled, though she gathered mana in both her hands.

“Anyway, I’ll write the letter. You set up some traps.”

“So that others won’t get it?”

“Yes, because someone other than Velkian might come here.”

Because there was also the possibility that contrary to Jude’s expectations, Velkian had nothing to do with the Tiara of Life in the first place.

‘That’s why we’ll use an alias.’

Bringing Velkian to the capital was the important part.

Jude began writing words in an ancient language on a scroll that he had taken out from his pocket.

“You’re even using some secret code?”

“Because I want Velkian to be the only one to recognize it as much as possible.”

And it would be impossible for Cordelia to understand what he wrote.

“Are you doing something suspicious?”

“Hey, that’s not true.”

Jude strongly wrote the alias ‘Phantom Thief Pink Bomb’ in the ancient language before he turned to Cordelia.

“How’s the trap?”

“Oh, I’m almost done.”

Cordelia was infusing divine power into the box while in her angel form, but somehow, she unconsciously had a wide- no, a suspicious smile.

‘Why?’

Jude felt uneasy, but he didn’t try to make eye contact with Cordelia.

Because she might figure out what he wrote in the letter.

“Okay, let’s put it inside.”

“Ahem, ahem, I’ll put it in then.”

When Jude put in the letter he wrote, Cordelia sealed the box and placed it on the altar.

“Okay, problem solved.”

“The only thing left is to hope that Velkian finds it as soon as possible…”

From now up to 4 months in the future.

The events in the royal capital would fully take place a month and a half in the future, so it would be fortunate for them if they got Velkian’s help during the incident in the royal capital.

“It’ll be fine.”

Cordelia said with a wide smile, and Jude unknowingly nodded his head.

She had no basis for that, but Jude thought that it would really be fine when Cordelia said it.

“Then, let’s get back to our goal. The Sphere of Life is on the 3rd floor, right?”

“Yes, probably. And if my guess is correct…”

Jude’s words suddenly trailed off in the end as he began drawing something on the temple floor.

“Is that a map of the temple?”

“Yes, according to my calculations, the Sphere of Life is around here…so it must be right below.”

At Jude’s words, Cordelia looked at him in amazement.

She was no longer surprised that he memorized the map, but it was a different story that he could determine the location by connecting the maps and then visualizing them in three dimensions.

“Does your mind have a CAD?”

“Oh, you know about CAD?”

“Yes, I have a certificate.”

When Cordelia spoke with a smile, it was Jude who widely opened his eyes this time.

“What, are you a woman from a vocational high school? Or an engineering college?”

“Hey, why are you trying to probe on a woman’s secret?”

Cordelia shrugged and grinned, and Jude stroked his chin while having a surprised face.

Perhaps she likes explosions because she’s from a vocational high school or an engineering college?

If vocational high school and engineering students from all over the country heard his thoughts, they would have called it nonsense. But in any case, Jude was happy that he learned something new about Cordelia, and Cordelia was pleased with the fact that she surprised Jude.

“Anyway, let’s dig a hole.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia took out the detonating cord from her waist and began to arrange it on the floor.

Naturally, it was in the shape of a star again.

“Star Explosion…”

“That’s not its name, okay?”

But Cordelia didn’t give it a different name. She then snapped her fingers and an explosion followed.

Detonating cords were originally used for construction, so it was possible to destroy the floor in their desired shape by controlling the direction of the explosion.

“Good, I’ll finish this.”

Although it was broken to some extent, the floor was not completely destroyed. So when Jude used the Black Dragon’s Ascent to open the floor, a round hole opened with a boom.

“As I thought, clearing a dungeon without making any effort is the best.”

Jude strongly agreed with Cordelia before he opened his arms.

“Why?”

“We need to jump, so let me carry you, Princess.”

“You can go alone, Milord.”

Cordelia coldly spoke and used magic on herself before jumping down the hole, and the disappointed Jude followed her as he jumped into the hole.

Thud.

Jude gently landed even though the ceiling reached a dozen meters high, and he looked up and saw Cordelia who was coming down with magic.

“Come this way.”

“Just get out of my way before I step on you.”

Cordelia safely landed next to Jude who had his arms wide open, and she looked around.

A half-destroyed temple and a broken statue of the goddess.

Just like what they saw in the game.

“It’s the Sphere of Life.”

Jude nodded at Cordelia’s words as he began to walk.

There was an altar in the center of the room like that in the 2nd floor, and a stone statue of a beautiful goddess stood there while holding the Sphere of Life.

“I don’t think there are any active guardians here just like in the game.”

They saw broken Guardian Golems scattered all over the temple.

‘As expected, it’s the signs of a battle.’

A battle had occurred against the demons on the 3rd floor of the Temple of Life.

There were signs of destruction on the walls and floor, and the bones of saints who lost their lives while fighting against the demons lied around the floor. The entrance was blocked by a pillar that collapsed.

‘It seems like the theory that the demon followers infiltrated the temple and summoned a demon on the 3rd floor was true.’

This place was known as the last temple of the Church of Life, which began to decline after losing its goddess, Aerith.

The remaining divine items were kept here in the last temple.

During the time when the power of the denomination was strong, there were many divine items that were much more powerful than the Sphere of Life or the Tiara of Life, but there were no more divine items that exceeded the Sphere of Life at the time before the denomination collapsed.

‘Is this the last relic they risked their life to protect…’

Jude stared at the statue of the goddess where the Sphere of Life was placed, and Cordelia slowly walked towards the stone statue.

“I’ll use it for good. That is…for world peace…”

Cordelia bowed her head to the statue and said that before her hand reached out to the Sphere of Life.

The Sphere of Life was a blue spherical marble a little bigger than a clenched fist, and it was placed inside a round casing that was in the arms of the goddess statue. The Sphere of Life began to glow at the moment when Cordelia’s hand touched it.

‘Someday, I hope it will be passed on to someone.’

The low voice of a man.

Perhaps it was the final words left behind by the last saint of the Church of Life.

‘May the blessing of the goddess be with you…’

The voice was scattered, and so was the light that filled her eyes.

Cordelia was surrounded by a powerful force of life instead of being engulfed in divine flames, and she took a deep breath.

Because she felt the emotions of the saints who fought until the end to protect the Sphere of Life so that it would be used by someone for the world and not for the demons.

“Thank you. Thank you very much.”

It was like the dwarves who trapped the White Snake in Frost Anvil.

Ancestral heroes who sacrificed themselves for future generations.

Cordelia thanked all of them once again before she slowly opened her eyes and faced Jude.

“The Sphere of Life.”

A divine item of the goddess of life that gave its user a strong life energy and regenerative power.

Jude took the Sphere of Life from Cordelia, and he deeply breathed before sitting down in front of the statue.

“I’ll begin now.”

“Okay.”

As Cordelia took a step back, Jude arranged his posture and held the Sphere of Life with both hands in front of his lower abdomen.

Jude’s plan was to open the fifth door by absorbing the enormous life energy within the Sphere of Life.

‘I’ve leveled up enough already.’

His body could now withstand the opening of the fifth door of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

What he only lacked now was an immense amount of life energy to open the door in one go.

‘For a perfect happy ending.’

Jude whispered to the goddess statue just like what Cordelia did, and he immediately closed his eyes as he began to recite the mnemonic chant of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

Nine heavens and nine worlds.

As Jude himself presumed, Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors was not an ordinary martial art.

A divine art close to magic that led humans born with a mortal fate to a higher level of transcendence.

When he closed his eyes and recited the mnemonic chant, a small light appeared in the completely dark world.

The white light spread as it created a world of black and white, and he saw a woman standing in that world.

Female sage.

Perhaps she was the Ninth Heaven’s female sage of legends, since it was called the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

If not, she might have been the person from ancient times who helped defeat the overlords of hell together with the heroes of legends.

Jude gazed at the woman, and the woman stared at him too.

Because the world was made up of only black and white, the woman’s face was white while her long hair that touched the floor was black.

Jude stepped towards the woman.

And at the same time, the immense life energy in the Sphere of Life began to flow towards Jude.

The energy didn’t just flow to Jude.

It was the woman who made it flow to him.

She reached out to Jude, and Jude approached the woman and touched her hand.

‘Nine worlds.’

And the nine doors that connected to those nine worlds.

The black and white world fell apart.

The sky became white and the earth became black.

Huge black doors appeared in the air then.

One, two, three, four.

Four doors that had already been built and a fifth door that was being newly built.

‘You shouldn’t stop building doors. This is still not enough.’

Said the woman.

Jude was able to see the woman’s face clearly for the first time.

‘The true meaning of the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors. What the nine doors that are connected to nine worlds mean.’

But that was it.

The immense life energy swallowed up Jude’s soul and body, and Jude could no longer continue his thoughts.

Guiding the flowing energy to build the fifth door was not easy.

‘I hope we can meet again.’

The woman’s voice gradually disappeared.

The world of black and white fell apart again.

A white door was built in that world of black.

Jude stretched out his hand. He opened the fifth door.

***

Cordelia opened her eyes.

Jude’s entire body shook, and the energy released from the Sphere of Life swirled around him.

Jude’s eyes shone.

Eventually, the body of Jude who was sitting on the floor had floated into the air.

The opening of the fifth door.

Cordelia vaguely felt it.

She was able to perceive the changes that occurred in Jude’s soul and body.

But she somehow felt scared.

She felt like Jude was going far away, to a place where she couldn’t reach him even if she reached out to him.

Why?

What’s going on?

Jude let out a roar. The energy of life fluctuated even more.

Cracks of light began to spread all over Jude’s body.

“Jude!”

She was scared.

She was going crazy because she didn’t know if it was going right or if something was wrong.

Can I touch him?

Should I leave him alone like this?

Shouldn’t I do something?

And it was at that moment.

Cordelia hurriedly looked behind her.

She could sense it.

The vibrations that were transmitted through the floor. The unique scent that came in with the wind.

The monsters on the 3rd floor.

The monsters were heading towards them.

The monsters gathered because they either felt the life energy released by Jude or heard Jude’s roar.

At the cracks on the fallen pillar in the entrance.

Black and grotesque spider-like monsters poked their heads out. The Acid Slime that filled the ceiling of the 2nd floor then melted the pillar and flooded in.

She also heard continuous stomping sounds.

Cordelia thought of the monsters on the 3rd floor and realized that the sounds were the footsteps of the Living Heavy Armors, the main enemies in the 3rd floor.

Cordelia quickly transformed into a witch. She concentrated her mana on both of her hands and looked in front, but at the same time, she flinched when she heard Jude roar behind her again.

She had to protect Jude first.

She had to monitor Jude’s condition at the same time.

But how?

How can I stop the monsters and monitor Jude at the same time!

“Kiaaa!”

Several spider-like monsters that were slightly larger than a human rushed towards her as they screamed. Cordelia threw a ball of fire that she held in her hands.

And right after that.

At the moment when the monsters and the ball of fire were about to collide.

Booooooom-!

A pillar of light filled Cordelia’s sight.

It came from the ceiling and devoured the spider-like monsters as it destroyed them. The ball of fire Cordelia made was also destroyed and vanished.

A huge pillar of life.

It wasn’t magic.

Life energy.

A tremendous amount of life energy.

So Cordelia figured it out.

She unconsciously shouted in joy.

“May the muscles always be with you!”

“You haven’t forgotten what’s important, girl.”

She heard the voice above her head.

The person who made the pillar of light that pierced not only the ceiling of the 3rd floor, but also of the 1st and 2nd floor ceilings, had done it all with one punch.

He was the only person who could solve all the current problems, not only the monsters but Jude’s condition too.

“May the muscles always be with you.”

Iron Man Landius.

The master of Jude and the strongest man on the continent.

He finally appeared.