36. The 72-Year Lightning and the Hidden Path
The Lightning that appears once every 72 years was racing toward them.
“But… Is this an earthquake?”
Maru groaned as he struggled to stand up.
“It’s because of the precession, Maru… How often do you need to study before it sticks in your brain? All knowledge passes through your head, like a paycheck through a bank account. The Earth shakes very subtly; people can’t feel it at all… But this is a special site… It’s been magnified. Right now, we’re directly experiencing Earth’s precession. Is this the coexistence of magic and science?…”
Suri tried hard to regain his balance.
“Wh… What’s that?”
Sabi’s face turned pale.
“That’s… a shield… It seems to be blocking the Lightning… It’s faster than the Lightning… What do we do… Suri…”
Maru was terrified.
“I can’t believe the Nova Emperor can go this far… Amazing… A Lightning Shield? Quite innovative… But the Nova Emperor has underestimated us. Especially me. Ugh, I’m angry… My pride is wounded…”
Marblem was fuming, not knowing what to do.
The Lightning Shield was faster than the Lightning.
It arrived before the once-in-72-year Lightning and enveloped Malta’s atmosphere.
Malta shook wildly, tilting slightly.
Suddenly, the densely packed constellations in the sky began to spin rapidly.
The entire sky was whirling.
Constellations from thousands of years appeared and disappeared in succession.
“I feel like I have Ménière’s disease…”
Maru collapsed onto the ground.
The sky, spinning dizzyingly at full speed, came to a halt.
And then, a single star appeared.
It was Sirius.
Sirius stood tall at the very top, like the first star.
It was the light of a magnificent star that overwhelmed the surrounding stars.
All the megalithic temples turned their directions and looked up at Sirius as if in worship.
At that moment, the once-in-72-year Lightning, which had originated from the place of prophecy, appeared again.
It was clear that it had been halted somewhere.
The once-in-72-years Lightning surged forward once more without hesitation.
“Crack…”
It was the sound of the sky shattering.
The cracking sound shook Malta as well.
The three children covered their ears with their hands.
It was the sound of the once-in-72-years Lightning bouncing off the Lightning Shield.
The Lightning shattered into pieces and scattered as fragments of light.
Suddenly, the sky began to turn dark red.
Malta Island stopped shaking.
The megalithic temples worshiping Sirius spewed out sand and simply collapsed.
As the megalithic temples crumbled, trenches appeared on the island’s surface.
“Look at that—a path leading into the sea has been revealed… There was something else we didn’t know about. The entire island had trenches… How did we not know this all along?… They’re wheel tracks. Trenches stretching for dozens of kilometers… It’s like a train track… A track… Ah… The tram… That tram… The tram’s track connects like this… Remember we wondered where the tram’s final stop was?…”
The faces of the three children turned utterly pale.
“Cartwheel tracks… The tram’s path… The tram was transporting something… And this path is connected under the sea… Do you see?… The path disappears into the sea?”
“…Look at that shield…”
Marblem was realizing the power of the shield.
The shield covering Malta Island had thin edges. Still, it became thicker toward the center and grew larger over time.
Its surface was extremely smooth, reflecting everything like a mirror.
At the shield’s center was a convex dome, the core part that focused and controlled energy.
A handle was on the back of the shield, and an invisible, powerful energy was holding that handle.
The shield was absorbing the shattered energy of the once-in-72-years Lightning.
“It’s getting hotter and hotter; maybe they’re trying to steam us to death… Is this Genghis Khan? Using such a despicable tactic of steaming and boiling people in a cauldron…”
Maru’s face was drenched in sweat.
The air was gradually heating up since the shield had formed a barrier.
The sea around the island was violently turbulent.
The collision between the lightning energy and the shield transmitted vibrations to the sea surface, creating gigantic waves.
These waves struck the island’s coastline, reaching heights of tens of meters.
Strange light patterns appeared on the sea surface, caused by the energy projected onto the water from the shield’s mirror-like surface.
“It’s the Nova Emperor’s imperial army…”Bottom of Form
[To be continued…]
** Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily is excited to publish the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. This new captivating series follows a trio of young adventurers on their quest to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations, including the Maya and Inca. In an exciting development, Netflix is currently adapting the novel’s storyline into a film.
The ‘Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years’ is the latest novel authored by Jeeyoon Ha, who created the “Pangaea series.” Ha’s debut novel, “The Pangaea: Finding Xibalba,” was selected by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2022 as part of their initiative to support the global export of fantasy literature.
Readers can eagerly anticipate the online publication of two installments each month, with new chapters appearing bi-weekly, offering a regular escape into this magical realm. *Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
