Midir stared at the spot where his attack had dissipated, feeling a sense of doubt creeping into his mind. He knew that while his previous strike hadn’t used his full power, the sheer resilience of the barrier protecting this gate far exceeded his expectations.
The barrier seemed to be a unique existence outside the laws of nature, capable of ignoring all conventional power and logic.
Judging by the previous collision, even if he exhausted every ounce of his strength to strike it, the result likely wouldn't be any different.
He had thought the massive barrier covering the Valley of Ice was already a pinnacle of its kind, but this one guarding the gate far surpassed anything a mortal could touch, both in structure and intensity.
“Is it because of the element type? Ice didn't work... and Aila tried fire earlier... The God of Light... could it be light? Or perhaps a different property altogether?”
Midir murmured as he walked forward slowly, his voice echoing through the desolate ruins. He began trying to analyze the mysteries of this enigmatic barrier from various angles.
With every step he took, the surrounding elements responded to his call, converging in the air into a kaleidoscopic torrent before transforming into spells of varying powers that surged toward the gate one after another.
However, after several minutes of continuous attempts, the barrier remained unchanged. Without realizing it, the two had arrived right in front of it, staring at the gate through the invisible wall as if looking at merchandise in a shop window.
After Midir tried once more to coat the barrier with the Power of Creation only to receive no response, he finally stopped, feeling helpless.
Seeing that he had finally ceased his attempts, Aila lightly clenched her fist and rapped on the invisible barrier, producing a dull thud. She then let out a long sigh and spoke earnestly.
“See? I told you, this isn't something mortals can easily break. If it were that simple, it wouldn't be called a masterpiece of the gods. We should focus our energy on looking for other clues.”
“But...” Midir was still unwilling to give up. He looked up suspiciously. In his perception, that strange sense of calling definitely came from somewhere higher up, but the ceiling of these ruins was empty, showing no signs of anything unusual.
“Could I really be wrong? Then I suppose we’ll have to do as Aila says and conduct a thorough search of this place,” Midir thought, shaking his head as he tapped the barrier before him with his knuckle.
But just as the two turned around, intending to try their luck in the ruins, a faint cracking sound came from behind them.
In the outside world, such a sound would have been nearly imperceptible, but in this unnervingly silent environment, the slight noise immediately caught their attention.
They spun around quickly and saw a nearly invisible crack quietly appearing in mid-air. The starting point of the crack was exactly where Midir had just tapped his finger.
This sight caused a ridiculous and unbelievable thought to surface in both of their minds at the same time.
“No way...”
The barrier that had been indestructible just moments ago had actually cracked from a gentle tap. It was undoubtedly difficult to believe.
Midir looked down at his palm. Taking a deep breath, he pressed both hands onto the crack floating in the air.
He gradually applied pressure. In the next second, a hand-shaped crack appeared before him, rapidly expanding like a growing spiderweb.
As the cracks grew larger under his touch, the barrier soon became precarious.
Amidst a series of crisp snapping sounds, the hemispherical barrier that could withstand all manner of attacks was now covered in fractures. It looked like a breaking eggshell, ready to collapse at any moment.
Ultimately, the barrier couldn't hold on for long. After only a few breaths, it could no longer maintain its form and shattered into fragments in mid-air.
“How did you do that? We tried for so long without any effect! How did it suddenly... this is too amazing!” Aila exclaimed in a low voice.
She never imagined that the legendary Divine Barrier, which no one was supposedly able to crack, would shatter so easily before her eyes. She even reached out and waved her hands through the air several times; the lack of resistance confirmed that this was no illusion.
Midir was equally bewildered. He slowly withdrew his hands and shook his head. “If I said I didn't actually do anything special, would you believe me?”
“But... that doesn't make sense! We tried so many methods, yet it just broke like that. Could it be that previous attacks had already brought it to the brink of collapse, and your tap just happened to be the final straw?”
“I don't understand why either... but the fact is, it’s open. What do you think? Want to go in and take a look?” Midir asked, his gaze shifting to the silent stone gate ten meters away.
“Of course! We’ve already come this far, how could we not look? Does this mean we’re the first humans to enter the Sky City since the Age of Gods? This is definitely something worth commemorating,” Aila agreed immediately, her blue eyes filled with excitement.
As they discussed it, a low grinding sound suddenly erupted from the massive stone gate that had been sealed for countless years. Under their watchful eyes, it slowly swung outward, as if an invisible hand were pushing it open.
Seeing the gate move, the two immediately entered a defensive stance to guard against any unpredictable danger that might emerge from behind it.
However, once the stone gate was fully open, no terrifying creature appeared. There was only a layer of undulating, watery light shimmering in the doorway, glowing with a strange brilliance.
The two looked at each other. Though they had their doubts, they couldn't suppress their curiosity and slowly approached the gate.
Aila even grew bold enough to use her newly forged short sword to lightly touch the light. Where the tip of the blade met the surface, it only triggered delicate ripples without activating any defense mechanisms, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Is this a portal? But there are no spatial fluctuations. What exactly is the principle behind it?” Seeing that the gate was safe, Midir gathered his courage and reached his right hand into the light.
Midir’s hand passed through the watery light effortlessly, instantly vanishing from their sight. Yet, he felt no abnormality or discomfort, as if the layer of water were nothing more than an illusory dream.
“It looks like there’s a whole other world behind this. Aila, shall we go in together?” Midir turned to ask.
“Since you say it’s fine, then it’s definitely fine. Let’s go on the count of three!” Aila replied with a cheerful smile.
“Alright. Three... two... one... go!”
As Midir’s firm countdown ended, the two took a deep breath simultaneously and charged into the gate without hesitation, stirring up layers of fine ripples.
As the ripples in the doorway gradually vanished, everything returned to silence. The massive gate then slowly closed, as if no one had ever been there.
The moment the gate shut tight, a dazzling golden light suddenly flared across its surface before quickly sinking into the majestic Crown Peak below, adding a touch of mystery to the silent scene.
In just a few breaths, a brilliant light soared from the center of the continent. Crown Peak was like an awakened giant, releasing spectacular annular rings of light that pierced straight into the heavens.
The rings expanded rapidly, their light so intense that it pierced through the thick clouds that had perpetually shrouded the Valley of Ice, spreading across the sky.
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