A thunderous shockwave rippled through the stronghold, setting the very walls trembling. The prison sirens wailed—a shrill, ear-piercing alarm that drowned out the low, distant rumble of collapsing stone. Screams echoed next, quickly followed by the roar of unleashed spells and the clash of steel.
War had found its way into the very heart of the stronghold.
Inside the deepest levels of the prison, the warden stood pale-faced, his expression a mask of dread. He turned sharply toward the exit, his voice sharp with urgency. "They're inside… I must hold the gate."
Ery seized the mont.
"Their goal must be to free the other supre being!" Ery shouted, "You have to release this one—he's not like them. He can help us."
He was referring to Rosin Karat's. Unlike the other one, a captured barbarian warlord, this supre figure was a traveler from another realm—an unknown variable, but not yet proven to be a threat.
The warden wasn't convinced.
His gaze hardened. "And you think I should release one monster to stop another?" He raised a hand, and with a swift movent, severed part of the Soul Hex Chain. The slithering tal wrapped tighter around Ery's limbs and anchored him to the wall, draining even more of his spirit energy.
"I won't take the risk," the warden barked. "Guard him. Repair the seal."
He turned to one of the janitors—his expression stern—and then rushed away with the rest of his squad, vanishing down the corridor toward the source of the invasion.
Ery gritted his teeth. The Soul Hex Chains were rciless. He could feel the artifact sapping his energy with every heartbeat, like cold fangs latched onto his soul. Still, he stayed calm, watching as the janitor began channeling spells to reconstruct the barrier seal.
Ti was running out.
He cast his divine sense outward—and what he found was worse than expected. The enemy had shattered the Leviathan statue, the final guardian construct of the outer keep. The main courtyard had fallen. They were storming the central keep. Within minutes, the prison has beco one of their main targets.
Ery clenched his jaw and roared inwardly.
He had to break free.
He focused on his internal energy, summoning every reserve of strength he had left.
[Immortal Gate – Stage 9]
Power surged through his muscles as he pushed back against the chains, the tension in his arms causing his veins to bulge. But the artifact was too strong—it wasn't just physical. The chain drank his spirit energy, neutralizing his efforts before they could build montum.
"You think a level one like you can break the warden's chain?" The janitor sneered, not even looking up from the array. "Keep dreaming."
Ery didn't respond. He couldn't waste breath. He dove deeper—past the pain, past the chains, into the swirling abyss within him. He sought out the primal energy… the beast… one that could give him overwhelming power.
However, with Khaos being silent, calling on it was like shouting into the void. Still, he pushed.
Sweat rolled down his brow. His body trembled.
Then—he felt it.
A small crack of power opened.
[You have reached 5% integration.]
It wasn't enough to break free—only enough to shift the janitor's attention. The man's eyes narrowed.
"Stop resisting. I said, Stop!" He growled, drawing his blade and stepping closer. His voice trembled, not just with anger but fear—the battle outside was intensifying. Magic tremors rocked the prison floor.
Ery's eyes t the janitor's.
"I'm on your side. Let help you stop this."
"Hah! You alchemists think you're so important! Stop, or I will cut you down!"
The janitor's sword rose—but then, the room trembled.
A spatial distortion shimred in the air like a ripple through water. A void split open beside them, and two figures erged from the rift like shadows bleeding into light.
First ca a cosmic expert in a dark cloak. Ery was startled to recognize him—it was Veyarel himself. His aura radiated like a black sun—cold, oppressive, and deadly. And behind him… the childlike barbarian.
The janitor froze in place—paralyzed by fear. His mouth opened to shout, but before he could form a word, the child blurred forward.
A crack echoed like thunder.
The janitor's head was ripped clean from his shoulders, torn apart with such force that bone and blood sprayed across the room.
Blood speckled Ery's face.
The monstrous child-barbarian stood amidst the blood-soaked chamber, the janitor's severed head still clutched in one clawed hand, blood dripping onto the cold stone floor.
He turned toward Ery, eyes gleaming with eerie delight. His grin stretched impossibly wide, revealing jagged teeth far too many for a child's mouth.
"Well now…" he purred, tilting his head like a curious beast, "what about you? What should I do with you?"
Ery didn't flinch; he has the perfect answer.
"Wait… I'm on your side," he said quickly. "I ca to free the one inside that chamber. The supre being—we're allies."
Bound as he was, Ery's words seed believable. But that grin returned.
"You?" The barbarian scoffed. "You're weak. Level one. No value. Just die!" He raised a hand—claws gleaming, magic crackling.
But Vayerel stepped in front of him.
The cold voice sliced through the mont like a dagger of ice.
"I might need him... anything to help break this door apart!"
The monstrous child hissed like an angry animal. "No, we free my warlord first. That was the plan."
Vayerel didn't move. "My master is behind that seal."
A crackle of tension sparked between the two, thick enough to taste in the air. The child's grin turned to a snarl.
The childlike barbarian's smile had vanished.
Without a word, he reached into a pouch tied at his side—and pulled out a curious item. It looked like a crude bone flute.
Then he blew.
The sound that ca out wasn't a lody. It was a shrill, piercing wail that resonated not just in the ears, but deep within the bones.
Vayerel froze the mont the sound touched him.
His shadowed form trembled slightly, shoulders locking into place. His eyes flickered. For a second, they flashed with defiance. Then the light behind them dimd.
He lowered his head.
"Yes... I will... I follow your command."
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