Chapter 369 369. Through the Door

Inside the Dungeon, Deep Underwater. Route to Kim Dukedom, The Luminous Sea. Eastern Continent.

BAM!

“It’s a good thing the piled bodies of these Krakens are making it difficult for the rest of them to rush us. It gives the ship a brief respite from an all-out barrage,” John commented, gazing up at the high vaulted ceiling.

The iron grapple anchor was launched toward the roof of the cavern with high velocity, only to lose its grip and clatter back down a few seconds later. Amid the deafening, reverberating thuds of cannon fire, the artillery crew tried several more times until the heavy tines finally wedged deep enough into the sandstone ceiling to sustain a full grown man's weight.

“Please think this through, Vice-Captain...” Knight Kalahad pleaded, handing Vice-Captain John the belay harness with deep concern etched across his face. “I could go... in your place...”

A rogue Kraken sneaked up near the hull's flank, but it was swiftly eliminated with a single point-blank cannon blast directly to its core. The booming explosion resounded violently through the chamber.

“You simply don’t have as much experience in high-stakes negotiation or command, Kalahad,” Vice-Captain John replied with a gentle smile, taking the belay gear and securely hooking it to his belt. “Just make sure to fire on the ceiling, collapse the archway, and destroy the door if I don’t return in exactly two hours.”

He began climbing the taut iron chain slowly, hand over hand. Below him, the immigrants and remaining knights all looked up, a complex mix of fear and hope shining in their eyes. Some were quietly praying to the Goddesses, while others formed organized groups alongside the ship’s crew to help calm the panicking crowd.

A few elderly folks began telling stories to the young children to distract them from the horrors outside. It was a poignant display of human resilience and community, unfolding directly beneath the continuous thundering of cannon fire and the shrieks of dying magical beasts.

Seeing this unified spirit, John smiled faintly as he reached the halfway point. He paused for a breath, gazing up at the strange, fleshy threshold, his mind briefly flashing back to the image of his pregnant wife.

With renewed determination, he reached the high ceiling and hauled himself onto the narrow stone ledge right beside the portal. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he stared into the swirling darkness of the door and muttered softly, “If I die, I die... but I will save these people.”

Without a second of hesitation, he jumped inside.

Ravenna’s Bedroom, New Lord’s Castle. Kim City, Kim Island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire.

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“Who is this single individual you are planning to send down inside that adapted wine barrel or something?” Alice asked, folding her arms tightly across her chest the moment Ravenna stepped into the private chamber.

Walking into her room as the heavy oak door swung shut behind them, Ravenna unbuttoned her collar and answered nonchalantly, “Obviously... it’s me.”

“Are you completely out of your mind?!” Alice’s voice spiked with sudden fury as she shoved her spectacles up the bridge of her nose. “You will be hundreds of meters deep in the open ocean! What if the prototype fails?! What if anything goes wrong?! And how on earth do you expect to single-handedly save over a thousand people trapped at the bottom of the sea?!”

“I will be perfectly fine... Remember that I can freely enter the Origin Domain, and I can even bring others inside with me,” Ravenna replied calmly, unfastening her dress in front of the tall vanity mirror to change into her nighttime wear.

Alice grabbed Ravenna’s shoulder, forcefully turning her around to face her, and shook her head in sheer exasperation. “Stop being so recklessly stubborn!”

Pressing her hand against her own ribs right over where her new Apostle’s mark had freshly manifested beneath her clothes, Alice continued, “Even so... let’s say the pressure container ruptures while you are descending! The deep-sea water pressure will crush you in an instant!”

“I can just enter the Origin domain-”

“Then what?!” Alice interrupted before Ravenna could even finish her sentence. “When you leave the domain, you will still end up exiting back into the exact same spot underwater! You can’t fool me, you re-appear in the exact physical location where you originally entered the domain!”

She placed both hands on Ravenna’s shoulders, staring dead into her jet-black eyes with intense emotion. “Just because you were able to bestow an Apostle’s mark on me and Nille doesn’t magically make you a god, Ravenna... You are still just a human.”

“Alice... please, calm down...” Ravenna patted her back gently, stepping away to slide on her sheer silk nightgown. She added softly, “If I don’t personally take this risk, every single soul on that ship will die. You don’t want Katrina’s unborn child to grow up without a father, do you?”

“And what about you, then?!” Alice retorted sharply, reaching over to assist her with fastening the delicate back buttons of the nightgown. “If you die down there, this entire thing crumbles into dust! What about Marie?! What about the future of the entire Kim Dukedom?! Everything here centers around your existence. Every single thing we’ve built collapses if you don’t return... It’s not just about your personal sense of worry anymore!”

“I get it. I really do,” Ravenna replied with a soft, weary smile. Sitting down on the edge of the large bed, she swung her legs up onto the mattress. “I will need you inside the Origin Domain while I make the descent... Since either myself or someone holding an assigned role must physically remain within the domain so the invited guests aren't forcefully expelled.”

She paused, fluffing her pillow, and added, “Ah... check up on Nillie, will you? He hasn’t said a single word about his mark.”

Ravenna let out a long, exhausted yawn, pulling the covers up over her waist. “I am completely drained, so I would really like to sleep now.”

“Fine... I will ask Laila or Rexford to keep you company so you can get a proper night’s rest,” Alice sighed, turning toward the bedroom door.

As her hand rested on the brass door handle, Alice paused, her shoulders trembling slightly as she whispered a final, barely audible plea to the empty doorway. “I already lost the real Ravenna once... Don’t you dare die on me now.”