Without warning, the ground began to shake and churn.

The group that had just come off the treasure ship "Silver" suddenly became serious.

“…… Is this here going to collapse? ”

Orpheus stroked the strings with some uneasiness.

He looked at Lucia, the centaur, "Can you take a look, Lulu?" ”

"I'll try it......"

Lucia tread her hooves a little uneasily, and stretched out her white, slender hands—her nails were sharp, white, and bright, like pieces of jade.

As she combed through something in the void, her expression became more and more solemn.

"It's okay, it's not going to collapse."

She took a deep breath, "But you still have to be careful......"

And at this time, the second wave of shock swept in.

It was like an invisible roar—this time the ground didn't move, and the ancient, low, stone buildings around it didn't do any damage. But they stumbled backwards...... It was as if he had been pushed hard by something, and his body was instantly submerged in the cold chill.

It was a power of hatred.

Elle's face changed.

"I'm sorry!"

She hurriedly shouted.

Celicia frowned slightly, and just wanted to reach out and grab her, but it was still a step too late—

I saw four rainbow-colored bands of light suddenly burst out from behind Elle—like strangely shaped wings, like tentacles, and even like the tentacles of some indescribable thing.

The moment the band of light emerged, her body was covered in colored light streams, and her whole person turned into a huge illusory human form.

A strong aura of curse erupted from her, forming a colorful halo visible to the naked eye. A halo of light covers her, forming a Kolachi-esque twisted figure—like a witch in an enchantment.

Just looking at her made Celicia's head fall back as if it had been hit hard. Offie felt a less intense vertigo.

The Centaurs, who are extremely sensceptive, are even more pronounced.

She screamed, stumbling back, blood spilling from her mouth and nose, and blood seeping from between her fingernails.

In the next moment, the rainbow-colored storm formed by the curse surged wildly, pushing them away in an instant.

The huge figure in the style of Kolaki disappeared into view like a thin piece of origami paper.

Like the wake of a jet plane, many rainbow bands of light remain in the air at distorted angles, illuminating the dim and dull underground.

"That's ......"

Orpheus looked in shock in the direction where Elle had gone: "God? ”

It's as shocking as the furry puppet next to you that suddenly turns into a giant lion......

“…… I saw it, it was the half-body of the god of bones and betrayal. ”

When Elle revealed her true form, the thread of her fate suddenly became clear.

Lucia, the centaur who can look directly at fate, said with a complicated expression: "Do you remember the story she told before she came here? ”

According to the rules of the Silver Brigade, anyone who wants to borrow "silver" to get to their destination must tell a story about why they are going there, and if the story doesn't sound so boring, they will be willing to take the other person for a ride.

And the story that Elle is telling...... It was her father who abandoned her without warning, and Elle was going to chase after her to find out. Recently, she found out that her father was preparing to travel to the ruined Duchy of Mourning.

Why was such a lovely girl abandoned?

And her father, if he has to go to the Duchy of Mourning Song, which is already about to be forgotten?

This did make Celicia a little intrigued.

Her request was to "watch the whole thing until it was over" to make sure she wasn't deceived. And in compensation, they can help Elle to a certain extent.

…… Now look back.

Elle's father, I'm afraid it's the skeleton man......

- The Skeleton Duke went to the Duchy of Mourning Song, which is too reasonable.

Isn't it normal for people to go back to their hometown to visit relatives?

“…… So what do we do now? ”

"Lily", who was wearing a mask, couldn't help but say, "Do you really want to go and see it?" ”

Everyone looked at each other.

And on the other side.

When the Skeleton Princess's idol of the Bone Lady was buried and destroyed along with the tomb behind her.

There was a terrible tremor around them—like a giant beast waking up underground, like a machine roaring, and everything around it rumbled and trembled.

The skeleton man, who had just attacked the statue of the Buried Mother-in-law, quietly looked up at the sky.

Or rather, look at the rock formations...... and cities above rock formations.

"People call my country 'Mourning Song', or the Land of Giants. But how many people still remember its real name? ”

The old and deep voice of the skeleton man sounded: "Oblivion...... That is, betrayal. ”

The roar around them became more and more intense, and even gradually buried the sound of the skeleton. There's even a loud squeak — like the sound of a huge truck crashing and drifting and dragging on the ground.

And the voice of the skeleton was still calmly heard in the loud noise.

"Its real name is the Principality of Eternal Life. But that doesn't mean that all people have permanent life...... Rather, the ruler of the principality is called the 'Eternal Duke', just like the ancestor of the Grand Duke of Winter, the 'Frost Whispering Duke'.

"As I said, giants are a race that bears down on 'life and death'. And this open-mindedness comes from the preparations they made in order to reach the 'inevitable death'...... This 'mortal death' is the end of the giant's philosophy.

"But there's a catch...... Ordinary giants can indeed prepare themselves in advance in order to pursue a quieter, more complete, and more pure death. Cut off the karma, forget the old love, and die nameless in the corner where no one is silent and forgotten by everyone.

"—but I can't."

The skeleton's voice was almost drowned out in the noise.

Nothing had changed around - the ground hadn't collapsed, the tombs hadn't cracked, and the ceilings were intact. But the noise around is getting louder and louder...... There are even falling and breaking sounds.

It was like the sound of huge iron and wooden boxes falling from above, cracking or shattering on the ground.

At this time, the voice of the skeleton man gradually became louder.

"Why are we called the Eternal Father? For I and other rulers have been imprisoned in this pure white armor for generations—from generation to generation, and we have only one name. That is, the [Eternal Father].

"No one knows how many generations I am the Eternal Father, and no one knows when the last generation of the Eternal Born Father died or where I am buried. People don't care about these ......

"They pretend that their archduke is the one who lives forever, and everyone is playing it—even though they already know that there is no such thing as eternal life, and that no mortal can live forever. Because of this, they do not need to worry about the successor, the continuation of the decree, the continuation of friendship, and the oblivion. All that needs to be remembered can be pushed to the [Eternal Father].

"All deaths worth remembering are remembered by their archdukes; And they can easily forget everything and usher in a free and unburdened death. ”

The so-called [Eternal Principality] is the living tombstone of the Eternal Principality.

It records the causes and conditions of all people, and records the relationships of all people...... The only being that is not allowed to die or let go. not a person, but just a being, a symbol,

The skeleton said fairly, "But my people don't know a thing until they die...... Of course, maybe they don't care about it either.

"That is...... inheritance of [Eternal Life Gong] has long been over.

"My reign lasted for more than four hundred years, and the life span of giants was one hundred and fifty years. That's because...... In the twenty-fourth year of my reign, I have transformed myself into an undead. That was the initial betrayal. ”

The voice of the skeleton man gradually became distant and indistinct: "The so-called funeral song, who is it for?"

"—yes, the mourning song sings for me."

Finally, the space began to shatter.

It's not the glass that's broken...... It's like the budding of seeds, or the hatching of chicks.

Something that can't be seen directly, leaks out.

The rainbow-colored, distorted "angels" that came from afar did not hesitate to attack the skeleton male.

A stream of rainbow light emerged from the tip of the "four wings", focusing on the skeleton like a laser beam from Tanji.

"—Stop, Father!"

Elle's echoing voice rang out, a sharp and indistinct baby voice and a melodious girl's voice in the air at the same time.

But the laser beam didn't get close to the skeleton, and was stopped by something transparent, water-like outside of his body.

And the moment Elle came into contact with the skeleton, the surrounding space suddenly boiled.

The distorted brilliance on Elle's body spread into the surrounding air in an instant.

The tomb is transformed into a house full of life, and the dim underground world becomes a sunset-like light. The dust on the ground turned to grass, and among the empty tombs, giants appeared.

It's just that all of this is like a painting - fragmented.

"You noticed it, but it was too late. You've been fooled. ”

The skeleton said fairly: "The meaning of your existence is to be betrayed again......

"This is the last betrayal, Elle."