At the Supreme Grand Commander's room.
Umi and Balut lowered their hands at the same time.
Francis slowly stepped forward, standing beside Balut.
Balut continued staring directly at Umi without blinking.
"Such a pity… I still haven't seen the strength of Mr. Grand Commander yet."
After saying that, Balut and Francis turned their backs and slowly walked out.
Even as he left, Balut's gaze never left Umi.
The door slammed shut.
Only after the two Guardians had left did Umi step closer to Odin.
He carefully examined Odin's arm.
The old arm was bruised, clearly marked by the grip.
"Supreme Grand Commander, please go to Stella and have this treated immediately."
Odin chuckled.
"I'm fine… these wounds are nothing."
Umi remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly.
"No… I'm just afraid… if Ares finds out, he might cause serious trouble."
Odin shook his head.
"No. He may be stubborn, but he can still think… my grandson wouldn't act like that."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"On the contrary… the one who might act recklessly… is Grand Commander Prometheus."
At the North Gate.
Raindor and Ganso sat down on the ground.
"So annoying… being chained to this guy…"
Ganso pushed Raindor away.
Raindor immediately pinched Ganso's cheek back.
"And whose fault is that? You were the one kicking me in your sleep!"
Napoleta leaned against the wall, standing beside Paul.
Nearby, Perrie quietly wiped the iron shackle on his wrist.
Suddenly—
The wall behind them began to shake.
Napoleta quickly stepped aside.
"What is that?"
Raindor and Ganso pushed themselves up.
A brick on the wall sank inward and disappeared.
A deep hole appeared.
From within it, a metallic arm suddenly thrust out.
"It's Commander Tetsutaro!"
The elite soldiers immediately stood straight and saluted.
The metal arm gripped the wall and pulled hard to the side.
The wall slowly expanded open.
Tetsutaro appeared, revealing his upper body from behind it.
"Greetings, Commander Tetsutaro!"
Everyone called out in unison.
Tetsutaro raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
"I'm certain Rascha-Xena won't allow you to leave Heavenfield."
He placed his hand on the wall.
Bricks began shifting, falling into a gap below.
Soon, the entire section of the wall vanished, revealing a room inside.
"I'll open a path for you. Don't worry… Rascha-Xena won't know about it."
Just as Tetsutaro was about to turn back, Raindor called out.
"Tetsutaro! Grand Commander Umi Tsukigami hasn't arrived yet!"
Tetsutaro shook his head and pointed downward.
"He's already here."
Immediately, the ground beneath them trembled.
It sank and split into two, revealing a deep tunnel.
From below, a stone platform slowly rose.
Grand Commander Umi Tsukigami stood upon it.
Tetsutaro turned and walked back inside.
"Hurry up. Once the mission is complete, return at this exact time."
The platform stopped.
Everyone immediately stood straight.
"Greetings, Grand Commander Umi Tsukigami!"
Raindor and Ganso also stood at attention, though their chained legs made it look awkward.
Umi looked down.
"Raindor, Ganso… what happened to your legs?"
Raindor scratched his head.
"Well… last night…"
Ganso angrily pinched his ear.
Umi raised a hand to stop them.
"Wait a moment."
A faint chill escaped from the corner of Umi's mouth.
He raised his hand and pointed at the lock beneath their feet.
"Stay still."
The surrounding air instantly turned freezing cold.
"So cold… what's happening?"
Napoleta rubbed his hands together.
The lock was gradually covered in ice, cracking sounds echoing.
CRACK!
It shattered and fell to the ground.
"Finally!"
Raindor and Ganso jumped in joy.
Umi turned and walked into the room behind the wall.
Inside, Tetsutaro was already gone.
Only massive pipes and giant gears remained, endlessly rotating.
Tetsutaro's voice echoed.
"The door will open in 30 seconds."
Umi looked up.
"Tetsutaro, can you hear me?"
"Yes. What is it?"
Umi paused briefly.
"When you meet Ares… do not let him see the Supreme Grand Commander Odin."
Tetsutaro froze.
"Why?"
"Odin is injured. If Ares sees him… something bad will definitely happen."
In a dark room filled with blue screens and streams of data.
Tetsutaro sat before a control panel.
"Odin… is injured?"
He muttered.
Suddenly, the door behind him opened.
A tall figure stepped in.
"Hello, Tetsutaro."
It was Grand Commander Ares.
"I just heard… Umi saying something about Odin. Is that right?"
Tetsutaro quickly shook his head.
"No… you must have misheard."
Ares walked closer and sat beside him.
"Last time… someone infiltrated his room and tried to assassinate him… and I couldn't do anything."
Back at the gate, Umi heard every word clearly.
"This time… he's injured again… I won't let it slide."
Umi remained silent.
The door in the mechanical room began to tremble.
It slowly opened.
"Let's go."
Umi turned and signaled the others.
They moved up a long staircase.
At the top, a horizontal hatch slowly opened.
A surge of water poured down.
"Huh… is it raining?"
The hatch fully opened.
The sound of rain roared violently as it poured inside.
The wind howled fiercely, blasting into the passage.
The sky outside was pitch black.
Rain fell like it was tearing the world apart.
One by one, they stepped outside, struggling against the violent wind.
Umi stepped out first, enduring the raging storm.
He silently observed, waiting for everyone to exit.
Once the last person stepped out, the massive hatch slowly closed.
BOOM.
The ground sealed shut as if the path had never existed.
Only then did Umi raise one hand high, using the other to shield his ear.
The wind roared past, nearly throwing everyone off balance.
Rain poured down relentlessly.
Umi took a deep breath, then shouted:
"Move! Head to the North!"