Naruto, thoroughly hooked by Asama Sandayū's teaser, immediately leaned forward, ears practically standing on end as he waited to hear the legend of the Rainbow Hero.
Seeing his reaction, Sandayū first stroked his chin and put on the air of a man lost in old memories before finally beginning.
"To tell this legend properly, it actually does have some connection to that traitor Kazahana Doto. Back then, he was completely obsessed with building the Phantom Demon Palace. To satisfy his own ambitions, he spared no expense, draining the Land of Snow of manpower and resources."
"We simply couldn't understand what the Phantom Demon Emperor was, or why it had driven Kazahana Doto so mad that he was willing to neglect state affairs, waste the nation's wealth, and even drag the Land of Snow to the brink of ruin for its sake. So we began searching everywhere for ancient texts scattered throughout the country. Even if there was only the faintest clue, we wanted to trace the origin of the Phantom Demon Emperor."
"These records came in all kinds of forms. Some were bamboo slips hidden away in shrine lofts, some were fragmentary scrolls written on animal hide, and others were handwritten copies passed down from villager to villager for generations..."
"We read through them page by page, piecing together scattered fragments of information bit by bit. In the end, although we still failed to find any record of the Phantom Demon Emperor, we unexpectedly uncovered this legend of the Rainbow Hero."
The moment he said that, Naruto leaned in even closer. Even Sasuke, who had been sitting with a cold face against the wall of the carriage and speaking very little, pricked up his ears slightly. Sakura also set down the ninja pouch she had been organizing and turned to look at Sandayū, curiosity written all over her face.
And seeing that all three of them were now fully focused, Sandayū finally began telling the ancient tale in earnest.
"This legend dates back more than twelve thousand years. In those days, the world had not yet formed the order it has now. One night, a meteor larger than a mountain peak tore across the black sky and came crashing down upon the earth."
"The moment it struck the ground, mountains and rivers trembled. Dust and smoke filled the world for three days and three nights. Then, from the shattered fragments of that meteor, a fearsome demon god awakened."
"With a mere raise of its hand, it could summon world-destroying thunder from the heavens. Golden lightning would descend, and wherever it struck, towns were instantly reduced to scorched wasteland, rivers evaporated into white mist, and even solid rock was blasted into powder."
"More terrifying still, it brought with it a demonic tree. That tree could root itself in the earth and devour the life force of all things. Whether grasses and trees or birds and beasts, nothing could escape having its vitality drained away."
"In just half a year, vast tracts of land turned from green to barren. Once-lively villages became silent ruins. Wails of despair echoed between heaven and earth, and the entire world fell into a terror unlike anything it had ever known."
"Man... that sounds awful!"
"It was far worse than just awful."
At Naruto's exclamation, Sandayū shook his head, his tone carrying the weight of long-buried sorrow.
"According to the old texts, nine out of every ten households were left empty. In many villages, only a handful of elderly survivors remained alive. Calling it utter devastation would not be the slightest exaggeration."
Then his tone shifted, and he continued.
"Of course, even in those days, the continent was not entirely without beings capable of standing against the demon god. Among them was one deity revered by the people as the God of Gems. That god chose to extend a hand of aid to humanity, which was already on the brink of extinction."
"Though bound by some ancient rule and unable to directly fight the demon god, the God of Gems instead scattered seven jewels across the world, each one symbolizing one of humanity's seven great virtues."
"They were: the Ruby of Mercy, the Yellow Gem of Courage, the Amethyst of Loyalty, the Amber of Justice, the Blue Cobalt of Wisdom, the Emerald of Faith, and the final jewel, the Jade of Equality."
"And when those seven jewels fell into the world, a hero bearing the hopes of all humankind was born."
"He gathered together those people who had been barely clinging to life in despair, and with the light of the jewels, he drove away the fear in their hearts and rekindled their fighting spirit."
"After that, the hero led his followers in battle from the eastern plains to the western highlands, reclaiming one town and one stretch of land after another from the demon god and its savage minions. He even personally cut down the demonic tree that fed on the life force of all things, robbing the demon god of one of its greatest supports."
"In the end, step by step, the hero drove the demon god all the way into a frozen world covered in perpetual snow and ice, a place so bleak that even sunlight could barely reach it."
"To cut off the hero's pursuit once and for all, the demon god exhausted its remaining strength in that frozen world and raised a towering Snow Divine Peak that reached toward the heavens, hoping to use that natural barrier to shut the hero out and buy itself a few more desperate days of survival."
"But the hero's determination to destroy the demon god was harder than the ice of the Snow Divine Peak itself. Even knowing he had no way to cross such an impossible barrier, he never once thought of giving up. Instead, he searched for another solution."
"And after thinking day and night, he finally came up with the simplest answer—and the one that required the greatest perseverance. He called upon all those who followed him to work together, and with nothing but crude tools, they began carving into the heart of the Snow Divine Peak little by little. Day after day, year after year, they slowly opened a passage through it by sheer effort."
"And that tunnel—carved out through the sweat and endurance of countless people—is the very tunnel we are traveling through now."
"Whoa... so the tunnel we're in right now has a legend that amazing behind it?"
Naruto nodded vigorously, his face full of excitement. Before Sandayū could continue, he hurriedly pressed on:
"So what happened after that? Once the hero opened the tunnel, he must've fought the demon god, right? Did he win? Was the demon god completely destroyed?"
"Naruto! Can't you just sit still and let Mr. Sandayū finish the story first?" Sakura snapped, unable to hold back any longer, and bonked him lightly on the head.
Watching the two of them bicker—one wide-eyed and impatient, the other exasperated—Sandayū couldn't help but laugh. Once the carriage had quieted down again, he finally spoke the last part of the legend.
"After that, with the protection of the Snow Divine Peak gone, the demon god was soon utterly defeated by the hero. Later, the hero sealed both it and its lair, Paradise Lost, beneath a bottomless glacier."
"When the battle was finally over, in order to ensure that no future generation would ever break the seal and let the demon god loose upon the world again, the hero and the warriors who had willingly followed him chose to remain in that frozen world."
"Together, they built fortresses strong enough to withstand the blizzards, cultivated crops and livestock able to endure the cold, and developed technology suited to extreme climates. Little by little, through trial and labor, they transformed that snowbound world into a land where people could live in peace."
"And as the years passed, over the span of more than ten thousand years, that land gradually grew and prospered—until at last it became the Land of Snow we know today."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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