Chapter 636: No Door Borrowed

The spiral staircase ascended through the hollow interior of the ancient watchtower, echoing with the frantic rhythm of fleeing footsteps above them.

Dust sifted down from the curved masonry ceiling, illuminated by the faint azure shimmer of spatial wards locking across the landing arches.

Nari vaulted over the lower steps with effortless poise, her lynx tail flicking behind her as she maintained her pursuit.

Her feline senses tracked the frantic breathing and scuffing footsteps of the rehearsal keeper climbing two levels above.

"You can run all you want, but you are not leaving through the sky," she muttered under her breath.

She reached the third landing, where a shimmering distortion hovered within an arched alcove in the masonry.

The keeper attempted to activate an emergency spatial relay, hoping to dissolve into raw teleportation mana.

Nari flared her four Wings, channeling the absolute spatial restriction of her signature divine technique.

"No Exit," she whispered, tapping the heel of her boot-free foot against the edge of the alcove.

A brilliant network of silver runes rippled through the air, snapping shut around the spatial aperture like an iron vise.

The glowing distortion flickered violently and collapsed into inert gray smoke, shutting down the planar escape route completely.

Farther up the spiral tower, a muffled curse echoed from the landing above as the keeper realized his shortcut failed.

"Damn beastkin witch!" the keeper shouted in panic, abandoning the sealed alcove and bolting for the physical stairs.

Nari held her feet still until the sixty-second lock expired, then surged up the steps after the keeper.

Her divine ability possessed a strict, honest rule: No Exit locked planar pathways, but left physical doorways untouched.

The keeper understood that limitation well, sprinting toward the upper parapet while its barred gate delayed his escape.

She rounded the final bend of the stairs, catching sight of the fleeing man just twenty paces ahead of her.

The keeper wore a bronze breastplate and held a short spear in his right hand, clutching the leather portfolio under his arm.

Hearing her swift approach, he halted abruptly on the narrow landing, spinning around with a desperate thrust of his spear.

"Stay back... or I burn the deployment charts!" he threatened, brandishing an incendiary talisman in his left hand.

Nari did not slow down for even a fraction of a second, dropping low to slide beneath the whistling spearhead.

Her twin curved daggers flashed in the dim stairwell light, deflecting the spear haft toward the outer railing.

The weapon jammed firmly between two iron balusters, trapping the keeper’s spear arm against the curved wall.

Before he could ignite the talisman, Nari kicked upward with lethal precision, striking his wrist with the tip of her foot.

The incendiary parchment flew from his numbed fingers, fluttering harmlessly down the central shaft of the stairwell.

"Game over, keeper," she purred, pressing the cold flat of her dagger against the side of his neck.

"Drop the portfolio and step away from the railing... or I show you how sharp divine lynx claws really are."

The keeper slumped against the masonry, all the fight draining out of him as he released his grip on the leather folder.

"Take them," he gasped, sliding down to sit on the step with his hands raised above his head.

"The Incarnation already began moving its core forces... having those maps will not save your army from the storm."

"We will let our summoner worry about the storm," she retorted, securing the leather portfolio under her arm.

She bound his hands with a sturdy length of utility cord, making sure the knots were secure before pushing him downward.

[ System notification: Subsidiary route keeper subdued! ]

[ Qualifying route interception completed! ]

[ Divine summon Nari gains: +4,000,000 EXP! ]

[ Nari current status: 4 Wings, 4,000,000 / 37,500,000 EXP! ]

A gentle current of celestial energy washed through her meridians, solidifying the four radiant Wings resting against her back.

Nari grinned with satisfaction, marching her captive down the spiral steps toward the lower courtyard where the team assembled.

The reinforced portal swung open to reveal the bright mountain daylight, washing over the courtyard where Hajin and the others stood waiting.

Mountain wind rushed into the stuffy stairwell, carrying the familiar scents of woodsmoke, roasted trail rations, and pine needles.

Rumi was already standing beside the central pavilion, cleaning her claws while watching the tower doorway with an eager grin.

"Look who finally decided to come back down from the attic," she teased, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Did you take a nap up there, or did that slow human actually make you sweat?"

"I caught him before he could sing a single note, sister," Nari answered proudly, tossing the leather portfolio onto the table.

"And I did it without needing anyone to hold my hand or crack the stairs for me!"

Ferra and Hajin walked over to the table, unrolling the captured charts alongside the exterior maps Rumi secured yesterday.

The summoner carefully aligned the grid markers of both documents, watching the intersecting lines snap into sharp relief.

"Look at this seam," Hajin pointed out, tracing the contour of the canyon where the two independent surveys overlapped.

"The exterior patrol schedules from Rumi and the interior deployment routes from Nari pinpoint the exact staging zone."

"The Incarnation is consolidating its vanguard at the eastern viaduct span... right above the secondary sluice gate."

"Which gives us forty-eight hours to prepare the ground and dictate the entire tempo of the battle," Juna added with a nod.

"Both of you did extraordinary work," Hajin praised, turning toward the twins with a genuine, affectionate smile.

Hearing his sincere praise, Rumi and Nari beamed with uncontrollable delight, their lynx ears twitching in synchronized happiness.

Before anyone could say another word, the twins bounded forward and wrapped themselves around Hajin’s waist.

Rumi held up the recovered maps between them while Nari hooked an arm around Hajin and demanded her promised berries.

"We told you we would bring home the best maps in the kingdom, summoner!" the elder twin chirped, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.

"You have to promise to buy us those candied mountain berries when we get back to the city!" Nari demanded with a soft giggle.

"I promise, as many candied berries as both of you can carry," Hajin laughed, patting their heads with fond warmth.

Loccy pouted in theatrical jealousy from across the table, waving a wooden spoon in protest.

"Hey, no fair monopolizing the summoner!" the girl complained. "I helped secure the wagon teamsters too!"

The whole courtyard filled with cheerful laughter, washing away the lingering tension of the subterranean dungeon crawl.

Above the mountain camp, the celestial broadcast interface was flooded with an endless cascade of golden superchats.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "The twins are purring around Hajin’s arms after bringing back those maps. My heart cannot take it!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "Nari’s solo fight was so crisp and clean, she locked down that keeper with zero outside help!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "Four million EXP earned through pure skill and positioning, Nari at 4M / 37.5M is rising fast!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Both twins securing separate maps that fit together like jigsaw pieces... peak tactical synergy!" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "Hajin is walking out to challenge the Incarnation. Which ground did he choose?" ]

Hajin smiled down at the purring sisters, feeling the unbreakable bonds of loyalty and trust that bound their household together.

The maps were verified, the target was fixed, and the final confrontation at the grand viaduct awaited their command.