Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

[lordanl]

Beyond the fire door, a rocky environment was visible, featuring a sort of enormous pit dug into the earth, filled with blood and a large number of corpses hanging by their necks, dripping blood. The corpses were completely naked, allowing a view of twisted runes carved into their bodies with knives—a torture forever etched in the expressions of terror and absolute despair on their faces.

Meanwhile, around the pit lay a great heap of corpses, some naked and marked with runes, others in shattered armor, all dripping blood that was channeled into the pit through grooves carved into the ground. But the strangest thing of all was a sort of statue floating right in the center of the lake, surrounded by hanging corpses.

The statue appeared to be a Virelian, deformed to the point of resembling a demon. In addition to the typical wings and tail, it had enormous, twisted goat horns on its head, twisted hands that looked like claws, and strange carved runes that emitted a reddish glow. The strange statue held in its claws an odd bottle made of what seemed to be red jade.

The bottle was positioned so that its mouth was just below the point where the statue's twisted horns met, leaving a small gap. In that small space, as the reddish runes carved into the horns pulsed at regular intervals, a small droplet of deep, dark red blood condensed and fell into the bottle.

Witnessing the devastating scene, the entire group, including Erik, was completely stunned, staring at the horror beyond the portal with expressions of disbelief. But at that moment, Tomás snapped out of it, gripped his sword tightly, mobilized his mana, and asked solemnly while looking at Erik.

"Leader! Do we advance or retreat?!"

Thanks to the shout, Erik regained his composure, his expression quickly turning sharp. In that instant, he looked at Zoe and ordered seriously.

"Everyone, on guard! Zoe, deploy the scouting spheres. I'll send in the golems!"

""Understood!""

The group replied in unison. Zoe quickly pulled out a crystal tablet and several True Copper spheres completely covered in runes, which followed the golems as they began marching toward the portal. Soon, six golems crossed the portal along with several scouting spheres, and images of the place along with a real-time map began to appear on Zoe's holographic screen.

Several minutes passed during which, beyond bodies, the scouting spheres found nothing unusual, so Zoe had them accelerate to map the entire area. At that point, Ethan and Chen exchanged glances and nodded. Then, Chen turned to look at Erik and commented in a serious tone.

"Erik, it's likely there's a formation on the other side. It would be good if we partially dismantled the formations here to send spare flags to better study the place and establish a defensive formation on the other side."

"Do it, but leave a capture formation active here." Erik nodded and ordered in a serious tone. Ethan and Chen nodded in response before getting to work.

"Are those hunters?"

While Chen and Ethan worked hurriedly, Christine asked while pointing at one of the images sent by the scouting spheres, drawing everyone's attention. In the image, what appeared to be two bodies dressed entirely in black could be seen on the ground, but unlike the others, these seemed more asleep than dead.

"I'll move a scouting sphere closer." Zoe soon commented seriously and manipulated the holographic screen. One of the images soon showed a more detailed view.

Indeed, two unconscious hunters could be seen on the ground, causing everyone to look at each other in confusion. It was then that Elara commented, full of bewilderment.

"They don't seem to be part of the sacrifice… Why are they like this?"

"They might be puppets." Tomás commented in a serious tone while staring fixedly at the pair of bodies, leading Erik to look and ask.

"Puppets?"

Tomás nodded at Erik's question, and as everyone looked at him curiously, he began to explain seriously.

"Yes, some Virelians are capable of breeding soul-linked insects that can take control of a living creature. Although they are normally much slower and weaker in a fight than a normal person, as long as they don't fight, it's very difficult to detect them without specialized artifacts or a Sage-level expert examining them closely. That's why they've caused significant casualties on the frontiers.

"Those insects are so incredible that infected people behave exactly the same, preventing even close acquaintances from suspecting anything. However, they have a grave flaw. Once the breeder dies, the insects die with him and take the lives of the infected with them. Therefore, those 'breeders' generally hide very well in the rear lines and are hard to see under normal circumstances."

"So we kill the breeder…" Erik commented seriously, to which Tomás nodded with a solemn expression.

"That's most likely."

"Is the formation ready?" Erik quickly turned to look at Ethan and Chen and asked seriously. In response, Ethan answered while operating his crystal tablet at full speed.

"One more minute. There's an active formation on the other side, and we need to bypass it to deploy ours."

"Prepare yourselves, we're going in." Erik nodded and ordered seriously. The other youths quickly tightened their grips on their weapons and mobilized their mana.

""Done!""

Soon, Ethan and Chen exclaimed simultaneously before taking their positions. At that moment, Zoe handed the complete map to Erik, who, after reviewing it quickly, ordered firmly.

"Let's go!"

With golems at the front, the group crossed the portal in an elongated formation. Soon it was Erik's turn; he entered after Tomás, who positioned himself right in front of him for protection. On the other side, the knights and golems had already formed a defensive semicircle with the golems on the front line. But upon crossing the portal, Erik could sense a strange Myst outside the lamp's light field.

Similar to the dark corridor, the Myst felt strange and 'sticky,' but in a different, more repulsive way. If the Myst in the corridor reminded Erik of rotten food, the Myst in the cave directly reminded him of a corpse in its final stages of decomposition. So disgusting that even though he felt his control over that Myst was total—as in his normal state outside the ruin—he didn't bother trying to control it.

But, though he didn't bother, the Myst around him moved on its own, vibrating at high speed, then began to swirl around him rapidly. Soon, all the Myst within the gas lamp's field of light followed suit, turning into a sort of vortex that somehow 'sucked' the cave's Myst into the field of light.

Sensing the movement of the Myst, everyone turned to look at Erik in surprise. But before they could ask, in the corner of their vision, they saw a change in the statue floating above the blood pool. The glow of the statue's runes began to fluctuate violently as the statue trembled. After a few seconds, the statue cracked all over, releasing an unpleasant cracking sound.

Due to the cracks, the statue's claws crumbled, causing the strange red jade bottle to begin falling toward the blood pool. But before it could fall, a hand made of crystalline Myst appeared just in time to catch it. At that moment, Elara couldn't help but ask with a confused and curious expression.

"What did you do, Erik?"

"Would you believe me if I said I have no idea?"

Erik couldn't help but reply with a somewhat helpless smile as he looked at the red jade bottle. Elara looked at Erik's expression for a few moments before nodding and replying with a somewhat similar expression.

"I believe you."

"It seems you somehow interrupted the ritual. I've seen similar things before, but it's the first time I've seen the statue." Tomás commented seriously, to which Erik asked curiously.

"Do you know what all this is for?"

"Not really, but a scene like this isn't rare in heretic cult bases. They use rituals like this to cast curses, enhance their powers, or I've even heard rumors they can improve their talent with rituals like this." Tomás responded seriously, leaving Erik deep in thought. At that moment, Zoe asked, somewhat confused.

"But why is this place so unprotected? Could it be they only had those 'puppets' guarding it?"

"It's possible this was a place only the Virelian could be. I've never seen a statue like that, so it's likely the hunters weren't capable of achieving their goals with a typical ritual and needed it, forcing them to ally with the Virelian, who must have made demands like this." Tomás commented with a hand on his chin. Erik, emerging from his thoughts, commented while looking around.

"That's most likely. If the Virelian's goal was to move in secret to take the treasures and awaken the basilisk to kill us all, then this place is perfect. From what we can see on the map, this cave only has one entrance sealed with a stone and has a portal ready for use. So, I imagine that thing must have made up excuses to be alone and move without drawing attention."

"That makes sense… But given the number of corpses here, they must have some kind of schedule for deliveries. The question is, when will that be?" Elara asked while looking toward the distant entrance.

"Huh?" At that moment, Erik let out a small exclamation as he turned to look at a corner. This powerfully caught Christine's attention, who quickly asked.

"What is it, Erik?"

"A presence suddenly appeared in my Mystical Awareness. There's someone alive here."

Erik responded seriously, his gaze fixed on the same corner. Hearing Erik, the direct disciples quickly extended their Ethereal Projections to examine the area, soon opening their eyes in surprise.

"There really is someone…" Tomás commented with surprise. Zoe added with a somewhat ironic smile while looking at Erik.

"And quite an unexpected someone at that…"

"Hm? Who is it?" Erik asked curiously, seeing Elara, Chen, and Zoe with strange expressions, as he simultaneously extended his mana.

Quickly, Erik could sense who was still alive beneath several corpses. It was a young man at the Revealed level with typical Lotus Union features. His robe was half-destroyed, he was covered in wounds, his face was smeared with blood, and his hair was completely singed. The young man was clutching a small jade tag tightly in his hands with his eyes closed, apparently unconscious.

"Who is that…?" Upon 'seeing' the young man, Erik couldn't help but look at Zoe and ask, genuinely confused. At that moment, Chen couldn't help but comment somewhat helplessly.

"It's Xiao Tianji."

"Who's that?" Erik couldn't help but look at Chen and ask, even more confused. This caused Chen to palm his forehead in exasperation and reply.

"The person you faced off against before entering the ruin…" Chen wanted to finish his words, but seeing Erik seemed to be remembering without being very sure, he quickly added to make it clear.

"The one who mocked you for not having a surname."

"Oh!"

Hearing Chen, Erik let out a small exclamation of realization, prompting a small sigh from Chen. Elara and Zoe suppressed their smiles, as the situation wasn't appropriate, but this allowed them to release some of the tension the strange place had caused them. At that moment, Erik commented while studying the young man again.

"No wonder I didn't recognize him. He lost all his 'scholarly' aura…"

"Yeah… Life takes many turns. Despite the threats he made against you, look how he ended up…"

Christine commented in a heavy voice while examining the unconscious youth, who looked more like a war refugee than a proud young master of the prestigious Xiao family. She was perfectly aware that had it not been for her luck in meeting Tomás's group and later Erik, her situation would have been worse—so much so that even imagining it terrified her and made her unable to look at the hanging corpses.

"Well, putting that aside, the guy is just pretending to be asleep. Let's bring him here; he must have important information." Erik commented in a calm tone while looking in Xiao Tianji's direction.

In that instant, the unconscious youth's eyes snapped open, and he forcefully mobilized his mana in an attempt to escape. But before he could fully rise, a gleaming sword appeared at his neck, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and look up to meet Tomás's calm expression. Looking directly into Xiao Tianji's eyes, Tomás commented in a firm tone.

"You'd better stay still. Our leader has questions for you."

***

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[lordanl]

Before he could even think of a solution, Xiao Tianji found himself on his knees on the floor in front of the star-haired youth, who was looking at him curiously. But, even though the situation was critical, Xiao Tianji couldn't help but stare at the group of 16 youths, two wolves, and one spirit around him in complete stupefaction.

He truly couldn't understand how, in the middle of all that hell, that group could appear unscathed, without visible wounds, fresh as daisies, and with complete, elegant, and functional gear.

"Well, you are Xiao Tianji, aren't you?"

As he was lost in bitter thoughts, Xiao Tianji suddenly heard the calm voice of the starry-haired youth, which made him look him in the eyes with a conflicted expression. He could still remember how, before entering the ruins, he had argued with that youth and threatened him without revealing his name.

But as a twist of fate, he, the proud Revealed-level, was now kneeling before him as nothing more than a prisoner, while the humble Ascended-level looked down at him with a calm smile.

"Answer."

At that moment, Xiao Tianji felt an icy edge against his throat, which made him lift his gaze. There he found a beautiful young woman with blue eyes and black hair dressed in elegant, feminine full plate armor, holding a katana and looking at him with cold eyes as she ordered in a dry voice.

"Yes, it's me." Knowing he had no chance to resist, Xiao Tianji let out a heavy sigh and spoke in a calm voice while analyzing the star-haired youth.

The youth was wearing an elegant black suit with a vest, along with two dark machetes on the left side of his hip. Meanwhile, above him floated what seemed to be an ancient gas lamp, stable in the air, and by his sides, a huge crystal core and a red jade bottle could be seen floating inside prismatic crystalline barriers.

"Perfect. Then I need you to tell us a bit of your story inside these ruins, but in particular, I need you to explain how you ended up here. Don't worry, if your information satisfies us, we might take you with us when we leave this place."

Erik asked while looking the youth from the Lotus Union up and down. Xiao Tianji looked at the ceiling as different emotions passed through his eyes, but after a moment, he clenched his teeth, filled with hatred and helplessness, and began to speak.

"… After passing through the entrance, I appeared a few meters from a garden entrance and was immediately attacked by at least 20 Revealed-level individuals dressed entirely in black. But thanks to the treasures I had, I was easily able to face them and managed to kill almost all of them before some strange golden chains appeared and rendered almost all my artifacts useless.

"Seizing the momentum, I managed to catch the ones still alive by surprise and kill them all, but since I didn't know if those men had reinforcements, I quickly took their weapons and storage bags and entered the garden. In the garden, I easily managed to finish off some beasts and gather food, and soon even ended up meeting other members of my Xiao family and the Lotus Union.

"From there, we began exploring the garden, searching for opportunities, soon gathering a group of almost 40 people, among whom were individuals from all factions. But no matter how much we searched, we only managed to find some mediocre herbs, no treasures, so we expanded the search while trying to locate and secure an exit."

As he spoke, Xiao Tianji furrowed his brow, and his words began to be tinged with pain, fear, and deep hatred. At that point, he looked directly into Erik's green eyes and continued with clenched teeth.

"But that was our first major mistake. At the first exit we discovered, we encountered an Illuminated-level who decimated a large part of our group, forcing us to flee in different directions. But it wasn't enough; that son of a bitch managed to capture most and killed the rest, and only I and six other people managed to escape in the chaos… Damned Stellar Empire, if I get out of here alive, I swear I will exterminate them all and bathe in their blood!"

Xiao Tianji added, filled with infinite hatred, releasing murderous intent full of madness, which led Erik to ask, surprised.

"The Illuminated-level was from the Stellar Empire? How do you know?"

"Because I managed to destroy the mask he wore during the fight and saw his damned eyes! Those damned eyes shone like your damn hair!"

Xiao Tianji shouted, filled with madness, while looking at Erik with hatred. But his words caused a stir among Erik and the others, who looked at each other in disbelief. Especially Erik, after all, he himself had dismissed the possibility of the Stellar Empire being involved, and now it turned out not only were they involved, they were the ones behind the hunters.

"How dare they do this…?" Erik couldn't help but murmur in disbelief. At that moment, Xiao Tianji screamed while looking at Erik with bloodshot eyes.

"You're with them, aren't you?! That's why you're all so fine! They set a trap for us! You son of a bitch!! You'll pay for this, I swear!! Even if I die here, you'll never have a day of pe--"

But suddenly, Xiao Tianji's words were cut short when the tip of Zoe's katana entered his mouth, almost touching his throat. Feeling the cold metal and Zoe's undisguised murderous intent, Xiao Tianji immediately fell silent, and a hint of rationality seemed to return to him. He then looked solemnly into Erik's calm green eyes, who seemed to have fallen into deep thought.

"Why do you think the Stellar Empire did all this?" Ignoring the madman, Ethan looked at his companions and asked in a serious tone. Christine brought her hand to her chin and commented while deep in thought.

"It's truly impossible to know. An empire in name only shouldn't have the capability nor the guts to ally with a Virelian, much less set a trap like this…"

"Maybe they're desperate…" At that moment, Tomás commented in a thoughtful tone, with a hand on his chin.

"What do you mean?"

Zoe turned to look at the young man and asked, somewhat curious, as she really didn't know much about what was happening outside the Order. Tomás looked back at Zoe and explained seriously.

"On my travels with the Bikereas, I heard comments that the Stellar Empire was in a difficult situation. Rumors spread that their greatest combat force, a Peak Arcane-level, was on the verge of death, and suddenly the prices of many of their exports went up, especially Eldora Wood. Also, they started searching for alchemists and doctors everywhere, which basically confirmed it.

"Furthermore, many long-time suppliers and clients of businesses parallel to Eldora Wood stopped working with them, and many others began pressuring them to reveal the secret of its production. I also heard that even our Arcane Order was rubbing salt in the wound; many private companies sent armored ships to pick up large numbers of migrants to open a new development zone.

"Basically, they are one bad day away from collapsing and being torn apart by their own allies seeking the secrets of Eldora Wood. Something they had managed to keep until now by relying on the formations left by their Master-level ancestor on the main planet and their Peak Arcane-level, a combination that barely allowed them to defend against a Master-level, and their generous offerings to House Solaris."

Hearing Tomás, everyone present began to reflect. At that moment, Elara shook her head and commented, confused.

"They might be desperate, but not enough to do something like this; they're literally committing suicide, and it's not like they're facing total extermination. In the worst-case scenario, if their Peak Arcane-level died, by handing over the secrets of Eldora Wood to House Solaris, they could still obtain protection for a good while, and the others would lose interest in them. They shouldn't get involved in something like this… There must be something more."

"A person accustomed to wealth can do crazy things to avoid losing it. Moreover, the level of power and influence the Peak Arcane-level has over the empire is unknown. Perhaps, being on the verge of death, he decided to risk it all and use heretical arts to survive." Chen commented, equally thoughtful, but Zoe shook her head and said.

"Although that's possible, they still wouldn't need to get involved in this madness. In the past, many rulers performed sacrifices of their own population and family to try to advance or extend their lives. Therefore, even if the Peak Arcane-level attempted heretical arts, he would first use his own people; it's less risky than provoking the Legendary-levels who could wipe them out with a mere breath."

"And what if he already tried and it wasn't enough? It's common for heretical cultists to seek geniuses for their sacrifices; maybe after trying and failing, he decided to get into this to obtain the blood of geniuses from across the galaxy." Christine commented seriously, which made the others reflect, not very convinced. But at that moment, Erik spoke seriously while looking at Xiao Tianji.

"It's pointless to try to infer their motivations in this moment; we haven't even seen that Illuminated-level for ourselves, and even if he really is from the Stellar Empire, that doesn't change anything right now. With or without starry eyes, he's still an Illuminated-level we must be careful of. Now it's more important to use our time and gather more information."

"That's true."

Elara nodded seriously. At that moment, Erik looked at Zoe and nodded to her, so the beautiful young woman pulled her katana out of the now calmer Xiao Tianji's mouth. As the disheveled young man stared at him, Erik asked seriously.

"Let's continue where we left off. You said you managed to escape. What happened after that? How did you get to this place?"

"…" Xiao Tianji stared at Erik with deep eyes, but seeing Tomás bring his hand to the sword at his waist, he began to speak.

"After that, we got as far away as possible from that exit and hid in a cave to try to recover. Then we started moving actively to avoid being found while hunting. But suddenly, a roar resonated, and the world turned upside down as pillars of light rose to the sky. Before we knew it, we ended up in a temple connecting to this cave, surrounded by demonic cultivators along with more youths from other factions.

"There, one of the demonic cultivators revealed Illuminated-level power and began a massacre, which I only survived because I hid in the chaos and used the only treasure the chains didn't manage to destroy. A treasure my father found in some ruins; it basically allows hiding any trace of one's presence, making it easy to play dead, and they brought me here with the other corpses."

"Are you saying there's an Illuminated-level demonic cultivator outside?" Tomás asked gravely, to which Xiao Tianji nodded solemnly.

"Yes, behind the stone covering the entrance, there's a long ascending tunnel that leads to a huge temple where there are at least 50 Revealed-level cultivators and one Illuminated-level. Furthermore, although I didn't dare look much, I could see a Virelian also of Illuminated level, who was the one who engraved the runes on the bodies and managed the whole ritual.

"But for some reason, the demonic cultivators don't dare enter here. Also, a while ago, the Virelian suddenly activated that portal and crossed through. But because of the two individuals dressed in black at the entrance, I didn't dare move until just recently when they suddenly fell unconscious.

"Then I tried to find an exit, taking advantage of the situation, but I found nothing. And when I saw the portal activate again, I hid, thinking he had returned. When I saw the Golems and then you all, I was so surprised I ended up losing control of my mana, and my artifact failed to hide me…"

"Could it be they haven't detected us because of the formation you mentioned?" Erik turned to look at Ethan and Chen and asked seriously. Chen quickly responded with seriousness.

"Almost certainly. If the Virelian's goal was to move without raising suspicion, he would definitely include means to hide what happens here from the Illuminated-level outside."

"I see…" Erik nodded, then looked at Xiao Tianji and asked seriously.

"Do you know of any means of communication they have, or does someone come to check, or anything like that?"

Xiao Tianji shook his head, then explained seriously while staring intently at Erik.

"There might be one, but I'm not sure. When delivering the corpses, the Revealed-levels left us at the entrance and performed some hand signals before leaving. Since then, I haven't seen them again. It was the two dressed in black who opened the cave, brought us in, and here the Virelian chose a few bodies to hang and replace the ones that were there before."

"I see…"

(How do we take advantage of this? Do we set a trap for the Illuminated-level or go back through the portal and keep trying to activate the exit…?)

Hearing Xiao Tianji, Erik couldn't help but murmur to himself while turning to look at the door with deep eyes. But at that instant, Erik couldn't help but open his eyes in disbelief and turn to look at the hanging corpses while murmuring.

"You've got to be kidding me… Are they zombies or what?"

"Zombies?" Hearing Erik, Tomás turned and asked, confused. To this, Erik nodded and commented in a serious voice while staring intently at the hanging corpses.

"They are 'reviving.'"

***

You can support me on patreon.com/lordanl and get up to 24 advanced chapters.

 

[lordanl]

"Reviving?!"

Elara exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Erik, quickly turning to look at the hanging corpses, which showed no apparent change. They remained still, frozen with expressions of terror and pain. Erik nodded and explained in a serious tone while creating several Myst hands around the 'corpses.'

"Although it's subtle, their 'presence' appeared in my Mystic Awareness, and it's 'growing' little by little, as if they are somehow reviving…"

As he spoke, Erik drew a horizontal line in the air with his fingers, causing a swift, invisible flying slash to shoot towards the ropes holding the corpses, easily cutting them. Surprised, Tomás turned to look at Erik and commented with a hint of disbelief as the Myst hands caught the 'corpses.'

"Will Projection…?"

"Yes, Erik has mastered Blade Qi." Zoe commented with a somewhat strange smile, a mix of seriousness and a hint of pride. Tomás couldn't help but mutter, full of incredulity.

"What a monster…"

While the strongest youth of his generation seemed to be reconsidering life's injustices, Erik and Elara began to carefully analyze the rune-covered 'corpses' now floating before them, held by the Myst hands. As she took a cloth from her storage pouch to cover the three naked girls, Zoe stepped in front of the corpses and asked seriously.

"Are they really 'reviving'? I don't sense anything, not even with Ethereal Projection."

"Their hearts have stopped and they aren't breathing, but their 'presences' are getting stronger. It's strange." Erik commented thoughtfully, stepping forward and then starting to circle the corpses with a hand on his chin. Elara, doing something similar to Erik, commented while placing a finger under the nose of one 'corpse.'

"That's impossible. At our level, we are still mortal. We can't survive without a heart or oxygen. There must be some trick…"

"I once read about something similar. It's known as the Corporeal Prison Curse." At that moment, Chen stepped forward and commented in a serious tone, drawing the attention of everyone present, before continuing to explain.

"As I recall, the Corporeal Prison Curse induces a state of false death where a mortal's metabolism slows down so much that unless a very intensive check is done, they will appear dead. But, although the body enters this state of suspended animation, the mind does not, so they are still capable of feeling and hearing everything. It's one of the worst tortures."

"They're still conscious?!" Frank couldn't help but exclaim with disbelief and a touch of panic, holding Lirio tighter, a sentiment shared by all present. Chen nodded solemnly and explained.

"According to what I read, yes. Those who fall victim to that curse are conscious the entire time and can't even 'sleep' or anything like that. However, whether these people are actually victims of that curse or not, I have no way of knowing… I really only read about it in passing, and I don't even know if such a curse can be dispelled."

"Interesting…" Erik commented thoughtfully, looking at all the corpses in the place, before turning to see the expressions of his companions.

Although everyone looked uncomfortable and even a little scared, Erik could see that each and every one of them understood his intentions, to the point where they nodded seriously at him; even Hiyori glanced at him for a moment to nod. At that moment, Erik turned back to his companions and spoke seriously.

"Although we don't know if they are alive or dead, it's still not a good idea to let the enemy achieve their objectives. Therefore, we are going to recover all these bodies. Any objections?"

Erik made a small pause to look at his companions, who remained silent with no intention of refuting, so he soon looked at Chen and Ethan and began giving instructions.

"Chen, Ethan, after deploying a formation to contain Xiao Tianji, I need you to return through the portal first and deploy a healing formation similar to the one you used to stabilize me. Although we don't know if they're still alive, we don't lose much by trying, so it's best to do it."

""Understood!""

Ethan and Chen quickly announced in unison. Immediately, Erik turned to look at the rest and instructed seriously.

"Meanwhile, I need the other direct disciples to gather with me. And Frank, I'll put you in charge of coordinating the recovery and transport of the bodies. You can use the golems to help, but keep in mind for now we've only figured out how to give them basic instructions. Also, we don't know much about curses and such, so avoid direct contact."

"Understood, boss!" Frank quickly responded seriously. Erik nodded and then manipulated the core a little.

Shortly after, Frank directed the golems and the other youths to recover the bodies, while Erik sat at the head of a long table made of solidified Myst, accompanied by Elara, Zoe, Tomás, and Christine. Looking at everyone seriously, Erik announced calmly.

"This is too good an opportunity to waste. Although we don't know exactly how much time we have, we are in enemy territory undetected, so we need to leave some 'surprises' for them."

Upon hearing Erik, small smiles formed on the faces of all present, and they soon began sharing ideas, which Erik started jotting down in a notebook after discussing them a bit.

…
…
…

After a while, Erik was left alone at the table while the others worked, preparing traps for those who would come after them and moving the corpses, while he himself studied the giant core. Something had powerfully caught his attention, and he wanted to investigate it: the difference between the various 'portal pits.'

For some reason, the pit they found in the strange labyrinth had fire, just like the ones the initial exploration team had used to exit the ruins. But the one in the basilisk cave and the current one in this cave were different. They didn't have fire, just a strange dark liquid matter inside.

But, although they were different, they were equally functional, as they had used the one in the cave, and it was very likely the Virelian had used the one in the basilisk cave. This strange difference inevitably made Erik curious, wondering if it meant something. So, with determination, he entered what he believed was the 'portal' map and began analyzing it.

At the same time, Erik took out a small crystal tablet from his storage bag. Activating it, it displayed a rough, incomplete map of the ruin, which Zoe had drawn using data from the initial exploration group and what they themselves had discovered. With both maps active, Erik superimposed them and then made a couple of adjustments to align them, using as reference the points marked as the locations of the exits discovered by the pioneer group.

After several adjustments, Erik finally managed to match two portals with those marked on the map, and he began studying the positions of the others. Luckily, one of the portals matched fairly closely with the estimated position of the geometric labyrinth Zoe had drawn, which gave him more confidence in the alignment. But immediately, something jumped out at him.

The two portals he had positioned to match the 'exits' had a slightly different glow from the others, but they were quite similar to each other. This was difficult to perceive before due to how corrupted and unclear the map appeared. The only somewhat clear thing on that map of lights was precisely the light of the portal they had activated to reach the cave, which was a slightly different color, which is why they activated it first.

But while studying the map, paying special attention to the subtle differences he found with the two 'exit' portals, Erik immediately noticed that if he set aside the portal they had activated. The light points could be grouped into three groups. Although he still didn't understand the reason for the difference, it was there. The problem was they didn't know exactly where the basilisk island was, and the one they activated was different from all the others, so he didn't have many references.

(Wait! It's highly likely the Virelian didn't have a core and still managed to activate the portals, even figuring out how to find the basilisk. Was it pure luck, or did he know something I don't…? In any case, whatever it was, I should have some advantage because the core seems quite special, so I should be able to discover how he did it.)

While reflecting without getting anywhere, Erik suddenly looked at the ring on his finger and had a revelation. He quickly closed his eyes, immersing himself completely in the Myst, increasing his perception, while simultaneously sending his mana into the ring.

Although nothing strange happened at first, as Erik tried different things following the model Elara had calculated, a kind of network of interconnected points suddenly appeared in his mind, like a chaotic network graph. With this image in his head, Erik began mobilizing his mana and the Myst while trying to understand the convoluted graph, as it was quite confusing.

But within the confusing graph, there were points that seemed slightly larger than the others, and two that seemed special. One was significantly larger than the rest, and the other seemed to pulse slowly, albeit somewhat subtly and arrhythmically, like a damaged warning signal. But at that instant, Erik noticed the largest point of all moved abruptly, almost vibrating, and almost immediately, another did the same, as if they were connected.

At the same time, Erik felt the Myst move slightly, so he opened his eyes just in time to see a golem passing through the portal holding several bodies. Feeling a sudden revelation, Erik quickly placed his hand on the core and then performed exactly the same steps as before.

At that moment, instead of the graph image forming in his mind, it formed directly on the holographic map. Soon, the disorganized graph began to take shape and then matched almost exactly with the light points. Erik focused his gaze on the pulsing point, which matched perfectly with an opaque light point that, upon closer inspection, seemed slightly set apart, as if subtly isolated.

Without a word, Erik waited with contained excitement for another person to pass through the portal. Finally, another golem passed through the portal carrying bodies, at which moment the point on the bigger graph—the one matching the differently colored point—moved, followed by the one he believed was the portal of the strange square anthill.

"I think I figured out how to use this thing…"

Erik couldn't help but comment with a smile as he looked at the map. He then closed his eyes and concentrated completely, wanting to somehow mark the anthill portal. After trying things for a while, Erik finally felt a change, so he quickly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the map. There, indeed, the light point of the Anthill changed color, which put an even bigger smile on his face.

"Did you discover something?"

At that instant, Erik heard a voice nearby, which made him turn, finding Elara looking at him and the map with curiosity. Without losing a second, Erik gave her a summary of his discoveries, causing Elara's beautiful green eyes to shine brightly as she concluded with a huge smile on her face.

"You found the exit!"

"It's still not certain. For now, I'm only about 80% sure I can find portals identical to the ones the preliminary exploration group used to get out of here. Whether they are usable exits remains to be seen." Erik commented with a small smile. At that moment, Elara couldn't contain herself and leaped to hug Erik.

"Thank you, Erik, thank you. I owe you my life… If it weren't for you, I'd probably be another one of those bodies…"

With tears in her eyes, Elara clung to Erik and thanked him, which inevitably drew the attention of everyone present and led Zoe, Tomás, and Christine to approach.

"It's still early to thank me. You can do it after we get out of here…" Erik consoled the beautiful young woman in a calm voice. At that moment, Christine couldn't help but ask, full of hope and anticipation.

"Did you really figure out how to get us out of here?!"

Upon hearing the question, Erik again explained a summary of his discoveries while helping Elara sit in a Myst chair. This caused Christine's eyes to well up, and she jumped to hug Erik, pressing her sensual body against his without restraint.

Visibly uncomfortable, Erik looked at the weeping Christine, who seemed to have much to say but no words to express it. At that moment, Zoe grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away forcefully. While Christine tried to complain and cry at the same time, Zoe looked at Erik and asked with a smile full of pride, as if she weren't the least bit surprised, while giving a subtle smile to the proud fox spirit.

"So, is our next step to reach an exit? Or will we try to go to other places using the portals?"

***

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[lordanl]

"That's a great question, but there's something that troubles me about these exit portals..." Erik remarked in a thoughtful tone while looking at the map, which prompted Elara to ask seriously after also looking at the map.

"You're worried about their locations?"

"Yes, they seem to be organized in groups of 3 at different cardinal positions… Doesn't that seem a bit strange to you?" Erik commented in a reflective tone, to which Tomás nodded before replying in a similar tone.

"It certainly is strange… Do you think they might lead to different places?"

"That's a possibility." Erik nodded and began pointing to the known portals while explaining.

"Up to now, we don't have the slightest clue how these people managed to deceive the Master-levels guarding the entrance, and even more so, the Legend-levels. Because, even though the Virelians are powerful, if they had the capability to fool us like that, they would have defeated us a long time ago.

"Therefore, I've come up with a small hypothesis to explain why the Legend-levels discovered nothing: the entrance we used is not the only entrance. It's possible these 'hunters' knew of another entrance, and the one we used actually hadn't been touched by them, so there would be no traces of them to discover."

"You mean it's possible that if we use other exits, we might end up appearing right in the lion's den?" Tomás asked solemnly, to which Erik nodded gravely.

"Exactly. It seems like too much of a coincidence that precisely the two exits used by the pioneer group are clustered in the same sector… I feel there's something more to all this…"

"That makes a lot of sense…" Zoe commented seriously, at which point Christine asked in a worried voice.

"So do we have to use the same exits? They're most likely very well guarded…"

"It certainly is quite risky, but I think it's worth the risk to go for the third one." Erik said seriously, then pointed to the third exit on the map and explained gravely.

"Although those exits are grouped, they aren't precisely close to each other, so, since the third exit wasn't discovered by the preliminary exploration group, it would be logical to assume it has less security. And if we add to that the fact that with the basilisk awake, it's not feasible to send reinforcements, I think we have good chances of being able to fight our way through."

"I think it's the best course of action." Zoe nodded seriously, then added while looking at the others.

"In the situation we're in, we can't risk appearing somewhere different from where our masters and families expect us. Without our means of protection, even if we didn't appear in the lair of those 'hunters,' we'd still be in great danger. We have no way to communicate, and there are many who hold grudges against our elders, not to mention the ambitious ones who might try to capture us."

"Yes, here the most we have to worry about for now are Illuminated-levels, and we have ways to defend ourselves against them. Outside, a random Sage-level would leave us defenseless." Tomás nodded seriously, to which all the others nodded gravely. At that moment, Christine commented in a thoughtful tone.

"Since that's the case, why don't we try to earn more merit?"

"What do you mean?" Zoe asked with a slightly furrowed brow, to which Christine replied with a small smile.

"Very simple. Since we don't know if the exits are active or not, or if we could activate them prematurely, and thanks to Erik we have the ease of moving throughout the ruins, we could try to search for more survivors or ritual sites like this one. If we leave here with more survivors, or at least their bodies, it would be great merit not only with the Order, but the other factions would end up owing us a great favor."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea…" Tomás whispered softly, then looked at Erik and explained seriously.

"Putting aside the merits and favors, reducing humanity's losses in this catastrophe is of vital importance. Creating such a large vacuum of talent could give ideas to the different races surrounding us, and things could get complicated on the borders…"

"Certainly, although humanity's real combat power wouldn't be reduced, something like this happening to us is a great show of weakness that others, especially the Virelians, will definitely take advantage of. It's necessary to reduce the losses as much as we can." Elara commented in an equally serious tone, to which Zoe nodded and added, looking at Erik.

"It's true. Although before we had no choice but to focus on saving ourselves, now that we have the means, we can't just stand by. We have to step forward and prevent this catastrophe from spreading beyond these ruins."

Hearing his companions, Erik brought a hand to his chin and began to reflect deeply. The possibility of a full-scale war breaking out due to what had happened was not small. After all, although the most hostile race against them were the Virelians, they were still surrounded by different ambitious races that wouldn't miss the chance to take a bite out of their resources.

Furthermore, although humanity was among the strong in their galactic neighborhood, the difference wasn't that great. If two or three races united to attack their borders, it could put them in a real bind. But even more important than that, if that were to happen, Erik was sure his masters would be deployed to the borders just like years ago. So, if he didn't do something, he would indirectly end up putting them in danger.

After a few moments, Erik reached a decision. He lifted his head to look at his companions and the golems, along with the others, and commented in a serious tone.

"You're right. We have to do our part. Let's finish up quickly here and return to the 'anthill.' We'll discuss our action plan in depth."

""Understood."" The group replied in unison and went to work with serious expressions and an accelerated pace.

…
…
…

Within the containment formation, Xiao Tianji watched with an expression full of doubt, suspicion, and bitterness as that group worked in an orderly and efficient manner under the orders of that star-haired youth. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand how they could be so well-off—uninjured and apparently full of resources and, above all, potions, many potions that they drank as if they were soft drinks.

While he had traveled through the garden with his large group, although they had managed to face some hunters and demonic cultivators and obtained equipment, some potions, and pills, they were never that well-off. In his group, only the leaders, the strongest, could have artifacts taken from enemies and some potions or pills. The weakest had to make do with their useless armor or improvised leather protection and the like. Potions weren't something they could enjoy.

Therefore, the suspicion that these people had something to do with those hunters or knew something from the beginning wouldn't leave his mind, because otherwise it made no sense. He was no ordinary person; he was the most outstanding genius of the Xiao family's younger generation, widely known as a future Master-level. Furthermore, he was convinced his performance had been worthy of his talents.

He had formed a strong and organized group that managed to survive in the garden with ease; he simply had bad luck and ended up encountering an Illuminated-level. But he couldn't be blamed for that. After all, no one over 300 years old was supposed to be able to enter the ruins, something confirmed by the Legend-levels, and he was one of the most powerful in the galaxy in that age range.

After all, at most, below three hundred years, an outstanding genius could barely ascend to the Illuminated level, and someone like that couldn't defeat them in such an overwhelming manner. That star-eyed bastard had to be at least an Illuminated-Expert level, and there were only two people in all of human history who achieved such power before 300 years of age: Eleonora Silverwood and Sigrún Eldurdóttir, the greatest geniuses in human history.

Currently, only he and Tomás Arismendi were on the verge of advancing to the Illuminated level before 300 years, but it would still take them a couple of decades to achieve it. Therefore, his confidence wasn't unfounded; he simply never imagined the Legend-levels could be deceived in that way, and he paid a grave price for it.

…

While Xiao Tianji was deep in thought, two enormous shadows suddenly covered him, making him lift his head. There, Xiao Tianji found a young man with long black hair and green tips, accompanied by four golems. Sensing that the young man was barely at the Ascended level, Xiao Tianji couldn't help but show a hint of disdain, at which moment Frank commented in a calm voice.

"We're going to leave here. You can be escorted peacefully by the golems to follow us, or you can stay here and wait for the hunters to come in."

"For a mere Ascended to speak to me that way." Xiao Tianji said in a cold voice, to which Frank shrugged and turned around while commenting indifferently.

"So you prefer to stay here. I understand."

Xiao Tianji couldn't help but open his eyes in surprise, watching Frank leave without looking back, soon followed by the golems, heading towards the portal through which almost everyone had already left. With his heart racing, Xiao Tianji clenched his teeth, knowing he was just playing tough and they really wouldn't dare leave him there. But seeing that Ascended bastard was about to go through the portal, he quickly commented in a voice full of frustration and rage.

"The formations won't let me move."

"Oh, you should have said so from the beginning."

Frank stopped a few meters from the portal and looked at Xiao Tianji while commenting with a calm smile, then took out a small, milky-white tablet. At the same time, the Golems turned towards Xiao Tianji and grabbed him by the shoulders, at which point the tablet in Frank's hand glowed softly.

With the tablet's glow, several layers of light domes became visible around Xiao Tianji, who soon found himself bound hand and foot by dark chains. At that moment, the Golems lifted him by the shoulders and carried him to go through the portal. Upon crossing the portal, Xiao Tianji couldn't help but open his eyes in disbelief upon seeing the gigantic, well-lit hall filled with formations everywhere and a long table of Myst where all the leaders were gathered.

(What is this place…?)

…

As Xiao Tianji was led to a newly deployed formation, Erik, seated at the head of the solidified Myst table, finished noting something on his notebook and took a cup of tea served by Zoe. After taking a bite of a cookie, Erik looked at his companions and commented in a serious tone.

"So our action plan in summary will be as follows. We'll avoid places near the location where the Illuminated-level that Ethan was following was, and we'll send golems and scouting spheres in rapid succession to different portals before closing them. Once they identify survivors or corpses, we'll make decisions on whether to act or not. Also, we'll start accumulating golems from other floors to use as a vanguard against the third exit portal. Any objections?"

"I have more of a question." Ethan asked in a serious tone, so Erik nodded with equal seriousness.

"Go ahead."

"Are we going to treat all survivors like that guy from the Lotus Union?" Ethan asked seriously, to which Erik replied after a sip of tea.

"Not necessarily. The guy was openly hostile and doesn't seem mentally stable; moreover, he's a bit suspicious. I studied the jade slip he had a bit, and it doesn't seem like anything special. Although it's true it allows one to hide from the Mystical Awareness, it's hard to believe something like that could deceive an Illuminated-level.

"Even without his 'presence,' he was still breathing and his heart was beating when we checked, so any mana user could tell he was alive by checking with Ethereal Projection or simply by touch. The guy is still hiding something from us, and it's better to be cautious. Right now, we can't afford mistakes."

"Erik is right. I also studied the jade slip, and it shouldn't have allowed him to deceive two Illuminated levels as he claims he did." Christine commented seriously, to which Chen nodded and added solemnly.

"I can vouch that what they say about the jade slip is true. Disciple Laverne and I also examined it since it was an artifact of the Zazen Discipline, and we share the same opinion."

Seeing Zoe nod at Chen's words, the others inevitably turned to look at Xiao Tianji within the formation with serious and pensive expressions. But at that moment, Erik placed his teacup on the table and commented in a serious tone.

"Well, let's move. Everyone already knows their role and what to do. We have to move quickly."

***

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[lordanl]

"We're running out of food…"

In the midst of a cave connected to a half-destroyed temple, a young man with short ashen-blond hair, tattoos of the Aegis system's runes, and wounds all over his body couldn't help but comment in a grave tone as he looked at his companions. Eight youths from different factions, with varying degrees of injuries—four from the Boreal League, two from the Meridian Federation, and two from the Arcane Order—exchanged solemn glances.

"What are the chances of us going out to find food and coming back alive?"

One of the youths from the Arcane Order asked in a heavy voice, looking at the sealed cave entrance, to which the others shook their heads gravely, but no one answered. The reason they had sealed the cave was the hell unfolding outside the temple. From the half-destroyed temple, they could see a colossal serpent moving slowly through the garden in the distance, and wherever the serpent passed, everything lost its vitality and withered away into piles of ash.

"Let's face it, we have no other choice. We brought them here and preserved them because we knew this might happen…" One of the youths from the Boreal League commented with an ashen expression, looking at six black-clad corpses piled and frozen in a corner of the cave.

"There has to be another way…"

A youth from the Meridian Federation muttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched, visibly reluctant. Another youth from the Boreal League, a dark-haired one, shook his head and replied in a heavy tone, laden with defeat.

"There isn't. We all know it. It's 'that' or starve."

A heavy sigh escaped from the depths of the youths. At that moment, the ashen-blond-haired youth, the strongest in the group, looked at the cave ceiling and spoke with a resigned voice.

"If we avoid moving and only take the bare minimum, the food we have should last us another week. But that would mean losing practically all our combat potential, which would be a death sentence in this situation. Whether we like it or not, after three days, we have to do it."

"…"

A heavy silence fell over the cave as everyone present began to reflect deeply. But just then, one of the youths from the Boreal League, who held a twisted wooden staff, turned to look at the strange well with black water in the cave. It seemed to show subtle ripples.

"Something's odd with the well!"

Noticing this, the youth focused his gaze on the well, tightened his grip on his staff, and announced loudly. This caused all the youths to jump from their spots, grip their weapons tightly, and focus their full attention on the strange well.

After the pillars of light had appeared and they had suddenly found themselves in that strange temple along with the others and the now-dead, frozen 'hunters,' the group had explored the place and discovered the cave and the well. Initially, they had excitedly thought it was an exit, but after entering the well and trying various things, they realized it was utterly useless; even the water was a mere illusion.

This had led them to believe it was a damaged exit or something similar, but now that idea seemed completely wrong. After all, as the seconds passed, the ripples in the illusion of dark liquid in the well became more pronounced until, after a few seconds, the liquid rose to form a strange door.

"Prepare to attack with everything at my signal!"

The ashen-blond-haired youth announced in a grave voice as the axe in his hand and his runic tattoos began to glow brightly. But just as his words ended, they all saw copper spheres fly out of the door at high speed and position themselves in various spots, followed by several dark Golems that looked like balls with legs. They agilely jumped through the door, and the door slammed shut.

"Atta—" The ashen-blond youth tried to give the attack order, but just before he could, a soft female voice echoed throughout the cave.

"This is Zoe Laverne of the Arcane Order. Do not attack the Golems; they are programmed to respond lethally to any attack."

""Direct Disciple Laverne!""

The youths from the Arcane Order announced in unison, filled with hope, as they looked at the 12 Golems, which quickly adopted a defensive formation but showed no intent to attack. At that moment, while the ashen-blond youth analyzed the Golems with high alert, ready to attack, Zoe's voice resonated once more.

"This is a pre-recorded message for all youths from the different factions. Currently, thanks to our leader, Direct Disciple Erik, we have managed to take control of the golems and portals and are conducting initial reconnaissance of various locations. If you have any urgent needs, please write them in a visible place in Galactic language. We will try to provide assistance as quickly as possible. More instructions will follow, but be assured, we will do everything possible to get as many people out of these ruins as we can."

Once the pre-recorded message ended, the cave fell into heavy silence again. The ashen-blond youth looked at the Golems cautiously. But after a few minutes, the excited youths from the Arcane Order glanced at each other, then nodded. One of them turned to look at the leader of their small group and announced, full of hope.

"Revealed Alvar, Direct Disciple Laverne is the granddaughter and disciple of Master-level Ryoma Sakuraba, a recognized genius and brave soul. And Direct Disciple Erik is the shared disciple of the two youngest Master-levels in history. We are willing to vouch for their words."

Hearing the youth, Alvar, the blond, tattooed young man, shook his head and spoke in a serious tone, with no intention of lowering his axe.

"Although I am aware of Ascended Laverne's and Ascended Erik's reputations, we cannot be sure if it is really them. This could well be a trap."

Upon hearing Alvar, one of the youths from the Meridian Federation, holding a sword in his right hand, commented seriously.

"I don't think they need to set a trap for us. I've faced those Golems before; they are extremely resistant to magic and very tough, so one alone is comparable to a fifth- or sixth-rank Revealed, and now they seem more agile and stronger. If they wanted to do something to us, those Golems would be more than enough; they don't need extra plans."

"Even so, we can't let our guard down." One of the youths from the Boreal League commented seriously, to which Alvar nodded in agreement. At that moment, the other youth from the Arcane Order, who hadn't spoken, said in a serious tone.

"Direct Disciple Laverne said we could write our urgent needs to receive assistance. We have nothing to lose by trying."

"…Let's try it. But don't let your guard down." Alvar nodded to the Arcane Order youth after a few seconds, tightening his grip on his axe.

Using his improvised staff, the Arcane Order youth mobilized his mana to deform the stone on the ground and write that they needed food and healing potions. Once the message was written, Alvar nodded to one of the youths from the Boreal League, who conjured a rune over the message, causing it to glow.

Gradually, time passed with no apparent change, visibly diminishing the enthusiasm of the youths, especially the two from the Arcane Order. But just as they were about to lose all hope and were growing tired of maintaining high alert against the spheres and Golems, the illusory black liquid in the well began to fluctuate and soon formed the door again.

Through the door came a Golem carrying two leather bags with embroidered runes, along with two rune-covered spheres slightly larger than the previous ones—one copper and one silver. The moment the Golem passed through the door, it slammed shut again, giving no one a chance to do anything.

While doubt and hope swirled in the hearts of all present, the new copper sphere glowed subtly. Soon a low-quality bluish hologram materialized in front of it, showing a beautiful young woman with short hair dressed in light mage armor.

"This is Elara Belmonte, Direct Disciple of the Arcane Order. The hologram you are seeing is an experimental communication system developed to avoid the golden chains. Due to urgency and limitations, the communication has delays and some errors, so please keep that in mind.

"Currently, we are providing assistance to surviving groups based on their requests while we are attempting to recover the bodies of those who fell to the 'hunters.' The Golem before you has a rudimentary storage bag with your requests, though please note our resources are limited, so it's not much.

"Those belonging to the Arcane Order may step forward and place your hand on the silver sphere the Golem is holding and emit your identity proof. If recognized, you will receive assistance immediately. Meanwhile, since we have no way to verify the identities of anyone outside our faction, in places without Arcane Order members, you will have to answer some questions before receiving aid."

Hearing Elara's message, the youths looked at each other. Alvar then turned to look at the pair from the Arcane Order and nodded solemnly. The two Arcane Order youths glanced at each other, then at the hologram of the famous Direct Disciple Belmonte, before taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

"Direct Disciple Belmonte, I am Alphonse McLister, disciple of Arcane-level Pierre Laurent."

The first youth, visibly nervous, placed his hand on the silver sphere and emitted a small, complex, almost illusory rune, which disappeared as the silver sphere emitted a hologram that simply read [Approved]. At the same time, the Golems opened their defensive formation to let the youth through. He let out a sigh and, somewhat nervously, entered the center of the formation.

"I am Tobias Becker, disciple of Sage-level Lukas Schneider." Soon, the second youth performed the same procedure, though this time he emitted a tiny magical circle, with the same effect.

Soon, the pair of youths were under the protection of the Golems. The Golem then took one of the leather bags it was carrying and handed it to them, leaving the pair slightly confused. Cautiously, Alphonse, the stronger of the two, studied the bag for a few seconds before reaching in and using his mana to 'see' what was inside. He found equipment, weapons, food packaged as wartime supplies, and at least a dozen potions.

With great excitement, Alphonse pulled two healing potions from the bag, drank one in one go after handing the other to Tobias, who quickly did the same. Under the cautious and somewhat envious gazes of the others, Alphonse and Tobias recovered almost completely from their injuries and quickly began distributing weapons, equipment, and food among themselves. At that moment, Elara's voice echoed again.

"To expedite the process, I will cut communication in locations with Arcane Order members. You, compatriots, will be responsible for distributing the assistance and maintaining order until further instructions. I trust all of you; demonstrate the values of our Arcane Order and rise to the occasion.

"If we do not contain this tragedy, the consequences will be disastrous later, and the other species in our galactic neighborhood will not miss the opportunity to attack us if we show weakness. Therefore, we must now be united as a species and save as many as we can."

""Understood, Direct Disciple Belmonte!""

The two Arcane Order youths replied in unison, filled with pride and a sense of duty. Instantly, Elara's hologram vanished. Immediately after donning the fully functional equipment—setting aside the armor taken from the 'hunters,' as it was worse—the Order youths quickly took the second bag and began distributing the food and potions inside, one potion each.

"…Your Arcane Order is truly impressive."

While receiving his food and healing potion from Alphonse, a youth from the Boreal League couldn't help but comment in a somewhat bitter tone. Alphonse also couldn't help but show a proud smile but quickly replied seriously.

"We are all part of the human race. Now we must be united and overcome this crisis together. We cannot form divisions or harbor separatist thoughts at this time."

"You're right. We must do everything we can to get out of here alive."

The youth nodded seriously, soon drank the recovery potion, and was almost completely healed. Soon, everyone, now recovered and with full stomachs, focused on recuperating and reaching their peak condition.

***

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[lordanl]

In the midst of the dark cave, the group led by Alvar spent several days recovering, finally managing to reach their full potential. During those days, they had received food twice, but without further instructions. In those days, the group also dared to open the cave to look outside, finding that although the half-destroyed temple remained the same, the surroundings had turned into a lifeless desert.

This inevitably made everyone uneasy about their next steps. After all, they now depended entirely on the food sent through the portals, which closed quickly, as if fearing someone might try to slip through. A valid fear, since the idea was on everyone's mind. It's just that, upon seeing the youths of the Arcane Order surrounded by terrifying Golems, they thought twice.

But restlessness and fear were beginning to take root in everyone's minds, which generated doubts. This was especially the case for Alvar, who, although he was still the nominal leader of the team, the power had now completely passed to the youths of the Arcane Order, which inevitably made him feel uncomfortable.

This led Alvar to look at the youths of the Arcane Order with increasing suspicion. But fortunately, before his ideas fully took shape, the hologram finally appeared once more. Under the expectant gaze of all the present youths, Elara's figure appeared before them again and announced seriously.

"Things on our side have finally been organized. From now on, the portals will begin to open, and the Golems will escort you inside. Youths of the Arcane Order and designated leaders, when the portal opens at your positions, guide everyone inside the portals. We will be waiting for you on this side."

""Understood, Direct Disciple Belmonte!""

The pair of youths replied in unison, and soon the hologram disappeared. At that moment, Alphonse turned to look at his companion and commented seriously.

"Following the instructions of Direct Disciple Belmonte, we will cross through the portals in order. As an act of good faith, we will enter in two groups, one led by my fellow disciple and the other by me."

"…"

Upon hearing Alphonse, the others turned to look at Alvar. At that moment, one of the sorcerers from the Boreal League approached the young leader and whispered seriously.

"Should we follow them? It could be a trap."

"..." Alvar fell silent for a few moments but quickly shook his head and commented seriously while looking at Alphonse.

"We will follow your arrangements."

"Perfect." Alphonse nodded, satisfied. At that moment, the sorcerer from the Boreal League nodded and stepped back.

After a few hours, the illusory water in the well began to fluctuate, and the door finally opened. At that moment, the Golems, which had been immobile until now, moved to create a corridor towards the portal. With great efficiency, the youths split into two groups led by Alphonse and Tobias and headed for the portal, with Tobias's group in front.

…

Upon passing through the portal, Alvar suddenly found himself inside what seemed to be a square metallic fortress completely covered with densely carved runes. The interior, however, was fully illuminated, and for some reason, Alvar felt a strange heaviness in his body that he didn't know was there fade away.

But Alvar could not calm down. Instead, he tightly gripped the handle of his axe upon seeing the famous Tomás Arismendi before him, who was possibly the strongest person of the young generation. Furthermore, he was not alone; alongside the famous Tomás were six other fully armed youths, three mages and three knights, along with a small squad of 15 Golems.

"Welcome. Before we proceed further, we need to ask you some questions."

Tomás commented in a calm tone while looking at the newcomers. At that moment, Alphonse and Tobias quickly stepped forward and spoke with serious tones.

"Reporting to Direct Disciple Arismendi, Revealed-level, Alphonse McLister."

"Reporting to Direct Disciple Arismendi, Ascended-level, Tobias Becker."

"Welcome, follow me." Tomás nodded calmly while looking behind him, where several arranged chairs could be seen.

Soon, the entire group sat in the center. At that moment, Tomás began asking them their names, families, specific power levels, and more. The group of youths began answering the questions one by one, but suddenly, a strange purple smoke started emanating from the body of one of the youths from the Meridian Federation, surprising everyone, including the person in question.

But instead of being surprised, Tomás narrowed his eyes dangerously. In the blink of an eye, the youth releasing the strange purple smoke was on the floor, with Tomás standing over him, placing a foot on his neck and the tip of his sword in front of his face. With a cold voice full of killing intent, Tomás asked while staring into the eyes of the youth on the floor.

"You have two seconds to answer. Why are you under a blood curse?"

"No, you're wrong, I'm not—"

The youth, visibly panicked, tried to explain, but before he could finish, a subtle light shone from Tomás's sword, and the youth could see one of his fingers falling off, causing jets of blood to spurt out. With a cold voice, Tomás asked again while bringing his sword even closer to the youth's face.

"Wrong answer. The next one is your entire arm."

"…"

The youth fell silent, staring fixedly at Tomás, but now his expression was completely different. On his face, there was no longer panic, but a calmness and coldness capable of chilling bones, making him seem like a totally different person. This change caused all his companions, who had intended to intervene, to freeze in their places as a sinister premonition enveloped them.

"An infiltrator, isn't that right?"

Tomás commented with a cold smile, to which the youth remained completely silent, staring at Tomás with an expression devoid of any emotion. Having confirmed his suspicions, Tomás took from his storage bag a small metallic disc with carved runes forming different geometric patterns on the corners and channeled his mana into one of them.

At that moment, several dark chains formed out of nowhere, completely trapping the youth on the floor. Tomás turned to look at one of the Bikereas knights present and ordered in a calm voice.

"Take him away."

"Understood."

The youth quickly nodded, and soon two Golems moved to take the youth and head towards what seemed to be the door of the metal fortress. Meanwhile, Tomás turned to look at the stunned youths and commented in a serious tone.

"As you could see, this person was a hunter who infiltrated among you. Now you can proceed to the next room."

"All that questioning was to buy time, wasn't it? Whatever you used to detect the curse takes time to act." Alvar asked in a serious tone while looking at Tomás, who nodded calmly while sheathing his sword.

"You are very perceptive. You are right. We know the hunters have a curse that prevents them from mentioning anything about their motives, origins, and such, so we are using it to detect them. This makes three."

"I never noticed anything strange about him…"

The only youth from the Meridian Federation couldn't help but murmur in disbelief, to which the others, including the two youths from the Arcane Order, couldn't help but nod with heavy expressions. At that moment, Tomás commented in a calm voice, looking at the portal that was beginning to fluctuate slightly.

"Let's save the talk for later. I need to receive the next group."

Soon, Alvar and his group were guided by two Golems to go through a different door than the one used for the youth who had been taken away with the infiltrator. Soon, the group found themselves in a new room, equally made completely of metal, where they could see a young man with short black hair and red tips surrounded by two other warriors and two mages, plus nearly 30 Golems. He spoke in a serious tone the moment they entered.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Direct Disciple Ethan Williams of the Arcane Order. I'm going to need you to remove all your equipment and deposit it in the boxes the Golems will give you. It's simply a routine check. If everything goes well, you can proceed."

""Greetings, Direct Disciple Williams!"" Alphonse and Tobias quickly greeted in unison and began removing all their equipment while Golems approached holding metallic boxes and cloth screens.

Although Alvar couldn't help but frown, upon remembering how someone had infiltrated among them without raising suspicion, he nodded to his other companions and began removing his equipment. Once all the equipment was in the boxes, leaving everyone almost naked, Ethan took a strange, thick metal ring full of runes that had a strange medallion inside.

Soon, the runes on the metal ring began to glow softly, causing the medallion to vibrate. Soon, the metallic boxes with runes began to glow one by one, all soon shining. With a nod, Ethan deactivated the metal ring and looked at the youths, then commented in a calm voice.

"You are clean. You may proceed."

Soon, Alvar and the others put their equipment back on and were guided to a new door, where they found a reception area attended by a youth from the Lotus Union behind a wooden table. He was accompanied by more Golems and a Fox Spirit in a corner. The youth was writing things frantically in several notebooks. When everyone entered, the youth rose from his place and took some wooden tablets with engraved runes, then commented in a serious tone.

"Hello, everyone. I am Chen Ming of the Jade Lotus Union. You can now proceed to the designated cabins where you will find… If you have any questions, save them for the moment. Soon, we will have a meeting with the leader of our team, Direct Disciple Erik, and you can ask your questions there."

Soon, everyone received wooden tablets and were guided by the Golems to climb metal stairs, where they found different rooms with numbers guarded by Golems. In the rooms, groups of six three-tier wooden bunks with white sheets could be seen.

After passing through several rooms, in which they could see youths from different factions, the group reached their designated room. They entered and sat on the beds while the Golems left.

…
…
…

In the workshop of Erik's portable shelter, Christine, Frank, and Erik himself were frantically carving runes into different magical artifacts when Zoe entered the workshop and headed straight for him. Seeing Zoe arrive, Erik stopped his hands and turned to look at her. At that moment, Zoe handed him a large number of sheets she was holding and began to report while Erik reviewed the documents.

"Erik, your idea of using formations and the gas lamp to detect possible infiltrators was a complete success. We managed to identify 4 confirmed infiltrators and two suspects. One claims he has a curse because it's a family rule, and the other says he is an assistant to an artisan who signed a somewhat special contract.

"On the other hand, thanks to the communication medallion you managed to modify, we detected one person with an identical medallion and another with a perfectly functional communication talisman. They are currently detained and awaiting interrogation.

"Meanwhile, we have so far managed to rescue 157 youths who were divided into 21 groups that passed the two checks and are now in quarantine in the cabins. At the same time, the Golems managed to take down 23 'hunters' and 12 demonic cultivators, recovering 36 bodies of youths from the different factions."

"With the nearly 80 bodies we found in the cave, that's over 100 'dead'…" Christine couldn't help but stop what she was doing and comment in a heavy voice. For his part, Erik, still reading the documents, commented, slightly surprised.

"The survival rate is higher than I expected… If we assume the suspects are innocent, that's 161 survivors confirmed."

"A mortality rate like that is terrible, Erik. Those who entered these ruins are not just anyone; they are the best of the best of the young generation of the galaxy. Even a 30% mortality rate would be considered catastrophic. If we can't get rid of the Illuminated levels, the mortality rate could exceed 50% or even 60%…" Zoe commented in a solemn tone, to which Erik nodded seriously.

"You're right. Under normal circumstances, with all our defensive means, the mortality rate should be very low. But for now, let's be glad we managed to rescue a good part of the youths who entered these ruins, and with some luck, there might be some more alive in the places we avoided."

"That is also true. Our actions prevented the worst possible scenario for humanity. Many were on the brink of death or starvation when we found them."

Zoe nodded with a smile, looking at Erik full of pride, since the reason all this was possible was thanks to him. His ideas and skills were what not only allowed them to survive but also gave them the means to save others. For his part, Erik nodded thoughtfully and soon commented in a serious tone.

"But since the situation is like this, we have to start preparing to attack the third exit. The time has come to leave this hell."

***

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