Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 151: Dangerous Deal (Part 5)

Canis: "Let me make this clear. Without my information, if you try to approach the secret, you'll almost certainly die. But if you work with me, you might survive. In short, I'm using your lives as collateral for this deal."

Amy: "That..."

Amy shot up from her seat.

Amy: "Do you really think that kind of threat will work? This isn't proof. You're just trying to scare us. What kind of life-and-death situation could there be in a place even the Freeman organization has been to?"

Canis: "I told you. The autonomous region itself isn't particularly dangerous. Even if you take the second route, nothing will change. But to access the secret, you must pass through the trial gate. And Shirone."

Canis turned to Shirone.

Canis: "I also know what you're trying to do in the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. You're planning to unlock the Immortal Function, aren't you?"

As their friends' gazes focused on him, Shirone, who had been silent for a moment, finally spoke.

Shirone: "Yes. Looking back, the structure of that place was unique. If it was just testing a warrior's power, there wouldn't be a need for eight gates of the labyrinth. So I thought, maybe the Angel's Eye isn't judging physical strength."

Canis nodded.

Canis: "For now, that's the only method we can hope for."

Shirone: "Huh? You're not even sure?"

Canis: "I told you, it's fifty-fifty. But I did suspect it was related to the Immortal Function."

Having heard enough, Amy quietly sat back down.

Amy: "Let's summarize. You want to borrow Shirone's Immortal Function. If he passes the trial gate, you'll increase our chances of survival in return. How about it?"

Canis: "Fine. But there's a condition. I'll go through the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice alone. You guys use the pass to enter the autonomous region first. No problem with that, right?"

After hearing that their lives were at stake, Shirone couldn't drag his friends into this.

Amy, Rian, and Tess objected, but Shirone's stubbornness didn't waver.

Even Canis, who had dealt with his personality to the point of exhaustion, reluctantly agreed.

Canis: "Fine. For now, passing is the priority."

After leaving the tavern, the group split into two.

Amy's group joined Canis's group, while Shirone planned to enter the altar alone.

Amy: "Shirone, don't push yourself too hard. You absolutely must not recklessly unlock the Immortal Function."

She was more worried about that than the ruins' secrets.

Shirone: "Yeah. If it doesn't work out, I'll just give up. You be careful too. Even with the pass, the smuggling route is illegal. Unexpected things could happen."

Amy: "As for us..."

Amy checked her party members.

Rian, with his physical strength; Tess, with her agility; Canis, with his dark magic; and Arin, with her mental abilities.

Amy: "I don't think anything major will happen."

Seemingly thinking the same, Shirone chuckled.

Shirone: "See you later."

As Shirone headed toward the altar, Amy's group turned in the opposite direction.

Canis, who had been walking at the back, turned around.

Canis: "What are you doing? Let's go."

Arin was still standing in place, staring at where Shirone had disappeared.

Feeling something was off, Canis approached her.

Canis: "What's wrong?"

Arin: "Hey, Canis... Is Shirone blond?"

Canis: "Huh?"

The way Arin perceived things was different from ordinary humans.

She couldn't associate specific forms with names, so she couldn't even distinguish what the true form of something was.

Therefore, she had never seen blond hair before, and yet she was asking if Shirone was blond. It was definitely unusual.

Canis: "Yeah, he's blond. What does he look like to you?"

Arin: "..."

Arin turned away without answering.

Canis: "It's not that strange. Let's just go."

As she walked ahead, lost in her own thoughts, Canis shrugged and followed.

At some point, she suddenly realized something and quickly turned around.

Arin (internally): So that's it. Shirone is...

Shirone was no longer there, but Arin stared at the spot for a long time.

Arriving at the entrance of the western altar, Shirone approached a native and recited the password.

Shirone: "Kertia, ro hoima. Akrasia, withmia benzen."

The native activated the mechanism.

As Shirone stepped into the dark entrance, a spiral staircase lit by torches appeared.

Though he had been here before, the atmosphere felt completely different now that he was alone.

At the end of the stairs, the familiar passage awaited, and the natives said something as they guided him.

He couldn't understand their words, but he could guess the content from experience and context.

Since they were likely explaining the ritual rules, there was no need for further communication.

Crossing the iron gate marked the end of the journey.

The eight floating spheres, known as the Angel's Eyes, awaited him.

The guards had changed, but the man with the white tattoo was the same as before.

White-Tattooed Man: "Are you ready to take the test?"

White-Tattooed Man: "This is the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice. The eight eyes of the angel will judge you. To enter Kergo, you must pass through the labyrinth's gates."

Just from hearing his voice, Shirone could tell it was the same explanation as before.

Still, Shirone waited until the explanation was over before stepping onto the altar.

Shirone (internally): Should I try what I couldn't do last time? It doesn't matter how many attempts I make.

He planned to attack the labyrinth's gates with a laser before unlocking the Immortal Function.

He felt at ease knowing no one was around.

Having decided to go all out, Shirone's body began to glow with a red light.

Guards: "Whoa..."

Seeing the ominous light, the guards looked slightly frightened, unlike before.

Only the white-tattooed man remained expressionless.

Shirone (internally): Here goes!

Shirone began accumulating energy in the labyrinth's gates.

Perhaps because of the continuous impact, the numbers appeared slower than before.

After a few seconds, the number 200 appeared. Then, it began to rise rapidly, changing by the second.

400 to 782. 1,311 to 2,643. It soared past 4,874 and reached 6,822.

Shirone: "Ugh!"

Seeing hope, Shirone clenched his fists and poured all his energy into the attack.

But at that moment, the numbers reset and began rising again from 72.

Shirone (internally): There's a time limit.

Feeling disappointed, Shirone didn't release the magic and pushed harder.

This was also an experiment to understand the rules.

After two cycles, the highest score was 6,822.

Shirone: "Phew."

As he released the magic, the spheres emitted a red light, signaling failure throughout the room.

Shirone (internally): As expected... it was too much.

The laser had clearly been effective, but the labyrinth had anticipated energy accumulation tricks and imposed restrictions.

What frustrated him the most was that, despite achieving his personal best, he still didn't pass.

Shirone (internally): Just how many points do they want?

Canis's warning that they might lose their lives began to sink in.

Just how far had the principal anticipated things when he allowed the exploration of the ruins?

The white-tattooed man spoke in a solemn voice.

White-Tattooed Man: "Will you leave, or will you stay? If you wish to prove your strength, pass through the labyrinth's gates."

Shirone straightened his back with determination.

The laser had failed, but he still had one attempt left.

Shirone: "I'll try again."

The man remained silent, arms crossed.

Taking it as permission, Shirone positioned himself at the center of the altar.

Immortal Function.

If this didn't work, there was no other way.

Regardless of what Canis knew, Shirone couldn't give up when his friends' lives were at stake.

Expanding his Spirit Zone, Shirone enveloped all eight gates of the labyrinth in a defensive formation.

Shirone (internally): This should be enough.

After steadying his mind for the final step, Shirone opened his eyes wide and unlocked the Immortal Function.

Shirone: "Huh!"

Then, something unbelievable happened.

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His mental energy began to flow uncontrollably, being sucked into the labyrinth's gates.

Shirone (internally): This... this can't be...

The absorption rate was staggering.

Under normal circumstances, his Spirit Zone would have shriveled instantly, but an equal amount of power surged in from the infinite realm, barely maintaining the balance.

If anything, that terrified Shirone even more.

Loss of control.

It felt as if his very existence was disappearing, becoming nothing more than a boundary between this side and that.

Shirone (internally): No! I have to regain control!

If this continued, his consciousness would completely dissolve, just like before.

Back then, the labyrinth had helped him reconstruct himself, but such luck wouldn't come twice.

Shirone: "Ugh!"

Shirone pulled his Spirit Zone taut, reinforcing the defensive frame to its limit.

He felt a solid sense of support, but the mental outflow was so strong that the form remained unchanged.

Shirone (internally): Hold on. Just hold on.

With unbreakable mental strength, Shirone held on, unable to think of anything else.

The immense flow of events happening now made me wish for it to end quickly. All I had was the instinct to hope it wouldn't scatter away like this.

Shirone: "Uaaaaah!"

At the moment he let out a roar, as if vomiting his very life force, the eight Maze of Time spheres shone brilliantly.

Eight beams of light shot toward Shirone, forming a white sphere of light around him.

The sphere of light grew larger and larger. And finally, when it completely enveloped the altar...

Shirone: "Huuuuh!"

Shirone shuddered from an intense sense of deprivation.

It felt similar to when he first unlocked the Immortal Function.

Natives: "Oh, ohhhhh!"

The natives shouted in astonishment as they watched Shirone, bathed in light.

Shirone was now floating up to the ceiling.

Shirone: "...."

What was he seeing?

Though his eyelids didn't even blink, his pupils kept shaking from the overwhelming shock.

The man with the white tattoo trembled.

White-Tattooed Man (internally): "Has he arrived?"

The Maze of Time, which absorbed the mental energy of the Immortal Function, conveyed information through that power.

He didn't know what kind of information it was, but it was undoubtedly a scene or event that could only be revealed when the eight spheres had absorbed power to their limits.

The natives shouted at the top of their lungs.

Natives: "Ra! Anke! Ra!"

Simultaneously, a blinding light exploded, filling the altar room.

The natives turned their heads and tightly shut their eyes.

And when the light disappeared, Shirone was back on the altar, breathing heavily.

Shirone: "Huff! Huff!"

Everything was still chaotic. He couldn't even tell where he was.

Shirone (internally): "What is this? What's going on?"

What had he seen? Did such a place truly exist?

Shirone (internally): "An illusion? Or real? I have no idea. What does this have to do with the Immortal Function?"

Feeling a presence, Shirone quickly turned his head.

The natives, gathered around the altar, knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.

Shirone: "Why... why are you all doing this?"

Shirone waved his hands, but the natives remained like statues, maintaining their submissive posture.

The white-tattooed man raised his head.

White-Tattooed Man: "Please convey the will of Ra, Divine Messenger."