Chapter 252 - Ancient Ruins

"Is this the place?"

[Yes. That's correct.]

The day after receiving Egostic's message.

Whether it was tension or something else, she couldn't quite identify the emotion as she fell asleep, but she woke up in the morning to his contact.

And so, after putting on her hero suit, she came to this place that resembled ruins, just as he had instructed.

"...So, there's a villain underground here?"

[Yes. And a terrifying one at that.]

Stardus touched her ear unconsciously as she listened to his voice. They were communicating through a wireless earpiece-like device that Egostic had given her along with a communicator.

What he wanted was for her to deal with a villain hiding underground here.

[To be precise, it's more of a killing machine than a villain... Anyway, you'll understand when you see it.]

That was his explanation.

It was too powerful for him to handle alone, so he needed Stardus's help.

...I guess even his Ego-squad teammates can't handle it? That's what Stardus thought.

"Alright. So where exactly is it?"

[You're almost there. Let me see... Yes, around there.]

A ruin somewhere in Gyeonggi Province, not Seoul.

According to the location, it was supposed to be a forest, but it had become as barren as a desert, probably because a villain had gone on a rampage and burned everything down. There was so much sand-like material everywhere that it really looked like a desert.

[Around here... there should be a magic circle nearby. Can you see it?]

"A magic circle?"

[Yes. I marked it in advance.]

"Wait a moment..."

As she muttered this, she soon discovered a purple magic circle drawn in front of a large yellow rock on one side of the ruins.

"Found it."

[Yes, well done. Now, punch that rock with all your might.]

"The rock? ...Alright. Wait a second."

After taking a deep breath, she struck the rock with her fist as he instructed.

Then.

BOOM!

"...?!"

Though she had only hit the rock, there was a tremendous sound and shockwave as if she had exploded the ground. As she was startled—

"Huh...?"

With a feeling like invisible glass shattering.

Behind the rock that had crumbled to dust, a tunnel-like passage appeared.

"Is this it?"

[Yes, that's right. That creature should be inside.]

"...Got it."

Before entering, she took a deep breath.

When she first received Egostic's contact, her emotions had been fluctuating, but she was a professional.

Upon hearing that there was a villain threatening people here, she had maintained her composure ever since.

She was always cool-headed when facing enemies.

As she was calming herself before entering, Egostic's voice suddenly came through her earpiece.

[...Aren't you worried?]

"About what?"

[...I'm a villain, and you're a hero. This could be a trap I've set up to deal with you. You don't even know where this place is or what it's for.]

Just before she entered the underground passage, he spoke as if trying to scare her.

...However, his words seemed more like advice and concern.

Stardus smiled slightly and said to Egostic:

"...If you wanted to get rid of me, you've had plenty of opportunities before. Would you really do it now?"

[Still...]

"I trust you."

She stated firmly.

Yes. How could she not trust Egostic? How many times had he saved her life? Whenever she was in danger, he always rushed to her side, grinning and telling her everything would be alright, rescuing her.

She had no such worries at all.

His voice hesitated momentarily at her words of trust.

Just before she entered, he spoke again in a concerned tone.

[...That's fine for me, but you don't trust other villains like this, right? Most villains are evil. Almost everything they say is deception or a trap. You know you shouldn't just go somewhere because they tell you to, right?]

Apparently, he thought she would blindly trust other villains and follow them around.

...As if that would happen.

She was an experienced hero who naturally suspected and guarded against villains' words.

But.

She smiled slightly.

And whispered into her earpiece, just loud enough for Egostic to hear:

"I don't do this with others."

"It's because it's you, Egostic. That's why I trust you and go in."

Got it?

[......]

He fell silent at her words, seemingly at a loss for words.

And hearing his silence, she smiled slightly.

Then Stardus stepped into the underground without hesitation.

***

"Wow..."

Inside the underground.

After walking through the dark tunnel for some time.

White marble began to appear around her, and soon she entered a large open space big enough to hold dozens of people.

More precisely, a place that looked like a temple.

"...Where is this?"

This place that looked like an ancient ruin.

Yellow lamps emitted a soft light, illuminating unidentified symbols and geometric shapes drawn on the walls. In this underground temple that seemed buried in the ground and faded with time.

She spoke in a bewildered voice.

[This is a temple. More specifically, it could be called the Temple of the Sun God.]

"A temple? Wait..."

She muttered as she looked around.

Indeed, it did look like a temple. There were objects that seemed like they would be used in rituals, and geometric drawings on the walls.

However, this place, which appeared to have been buried in yellowish sand and abandoned for centuries, was enormous.

It looked as if it had been eroded for at least 1,000 years. To be precise, it resembled Egyptian or European architecture rather than Korean.

"...How has a ruin of this scale remained undiscovered until now?"

She muttered.

Egostic, who was listening through the communicator, answered as if it were obvious:

[As you saw earlier, it was constantly hidden by a barrier.]

He answered as if it were obvious.

...Why on earth was there an ancient temple with a barrier buried underground? And in Korea of all places. How did Egostic know about this?

Of course, she didn't expect him to answer if she asked, but she decided to move forward for now.

"So where exactly is this place?"

As she walked through the yellowish temple, she asked grumblingly. Couldn't he at least tell her what this place was for?

Surprisingly, Egostic answered willingly.

[This is an ancient temple of the Sun God. More precisely, it's a temple that the Sun God prepared in advance. It was probably built very long ago, around the time when supernatural abilities first began to manifest in this world.]

He spoke as if telling an old story.

However, Stardus couldn't quite understand what he was talking about. Sun God? Supernatural abilities? Was he talking about some myth?

[Well, this doesn't concern you, a star light. For now, just know that the creature below this temple of the Sun God is evil.]

Knight of the Sun God.

-That's how Egostic explained it.

A weapon of sunlight that has existed since ancient times, moving only for destruction. A disaster that would burn the Republic of Korea when awakened, difficult to defeat if not now.

"...So basically, I just need to defeat it, right?"

She asked, suppressing her confusion.

...She had many questions—why there was a random ruin in Korea related to the Sun God, why there was a killing machine underneath it, and how Egostic knew all this.

But for now, she decided to deal with the immediate threat before thinking about anything else.

Whatever it was, if Egostic warned her this much, there must be something to it.

So she calmly descended through this strange ruin.

Meanwhile, Egostic continued his explanation in preparation for the upcoming battle.

[Ms. Stardus, try tapping the earpiece communicator in your ear.]

"This?"

Following his instructions, she tapped the round earpiece with her hand.

Then.

"...?"

Suddenly, a hologram glass-like object projected from the communicator, floating in front of her eyes.

Like a hologram glass from a sci-fi movie.

Through the hologram, something began to appear in her field of vision.

[It worked... This is the next-generation hero support device I created. It widens your field of vision somewhat, and if you're attacked, a red light will flash on the right side like in a game if the attack comes from the right, and enemy targets will automatically appear.]

Plus, I can also see what you see.

-He added.

"...It's pretty cool. But is this really necessary?"

As she curiously watched it while opening and closing her fist in front of her eyes, Egostic replied as if nodding his head:

[Yes, Ms. Stardus. The enemy you're about to face is no pushover. You can never defeat it without knowing the exact strategy and its attack patterns.]

[So this time, you need to follow my instructions. I'll direct you and tell you what to do. Where to hit and how to dodge.]

He spoke in a serious voice.

Hearing that voice, she realized how important this matter was to him.

...And that his concern for her was also mixed in.

Therefore, Stardus could only nod and reply as if telling him not to worry.

"Alright. I'll do as you say. So what do I need to do?"

[Yes. Soon...]

As they discussed the strategy, she walked down the stairs at the end of the ruin.

And beyond, past a huge yellowish door engraved with strange characters and spells, she could finally see it.

"...So this is it."

A massive cathedral-like space that could hold hundreds of people.

Stained glass windows on the walls emitted a strange light that shouldn't exist underground, softly illuminating the place.

[...There it is, the Knight of the Sun God.]

In the center, in what looked like a large coffin.

'.....'

Something that looked like a giant knight in silver full plate armor.

It lay quietly inside with its hands crossed over its chest.

"...What now?"

She whispered to Egostic, bringing her ear close to the communicator.

He calmly replied, as if it were obvious:

[It will probably wake up if we hit it. Try hitting it with all your might.]

-The first strike wins, right?

"....."

Is this really okay?

She hesitated for a moment as she looked at the quietly lying knight, but then she made up her mind and clenched her fist.

...Well, it should show some reaction if I hit it.

So Stardus raised her fist.