Ery was startled by Vic’s sudden declaration, the young man swiftly drawn his sword and struck the ground. The blade carved a glowing mark across the marble floor.
"Retreat behind this line for safety!" he shouted.
No one moved at first. The hall still trembled from the Colossus’s steps. But before Ery could respond, the elderly Volkov formation master suddenly raised his voice. "Retreat! Behind the line!"
Whether it was understanding or fear that drove the command, it didn’t matter. The Volkov firing squad obeyed imdiately, pulling back as the formation master followed.
Eventually, the Nova Roma magus followed suit, and this imdiately caught the attention of both Julian and Dravic.
"What is the aning of this?!" Dravic shouted, his voice echoing through the trembling hall.
Vic took a deep breath before answering. "The reason that giant can still move without cores is because of the runes within this hall. Its movent is tied to this space. It cannot cross this line."
Both faction leaders were montarily speechless. Julian turned toward Ery, while Dravic looked to his formation master. Neither seed willing to argue against Vic’s reasoning—it made sense, and the Colossus’s movents supported the claim.
However, the sounds of clashing tal and divine energy still filled the chamber. Casiel and Vashka were still locked in combat with the colossal construct, their attacks striking in bursts of radiant fla and molten light.
Dravic slamd his molten hamr into the floor. "So what!! That thing still blocks the path forward! How can we shut it down!!" He roared.
Vic tensed at the outburst but didn’t back down. He pointed across the hall, toward the far wall where the Colossus had erged. "The control runes are over there," he said firmly, then turned to Ery. "Senior, can you take there?"
Ery’s lips curved into a faint smile, imdiately understanding his intention. Without a word, he placed a hand on Vic’s shoulder. A shimr of spatial distortion enveloped them, and in the next instant, both vanished from sight.
"Spatial magic?!" the elderly formation master exclaid in surprise.
In a blink, Ery and Vic reappeared across the hall where the giant first stood before awaken.
The Colossus reacted instantly, its head twisting toward them.
Vic didn’t hesitate. His hands moved rapidly through the air, tracing intricate gestures as glowing runes began to surface along the walls. Lines of golden symbols pulsed with divine energy, responding to his touch.
"Senior," he said, voice tense but focused, "I’m going to deactivate them. I’ll need a minute or two."
Ery chuckled lightly, lowering his stance as twilight energy began to surge around him. "Sure,"
Both Casiel and Vashka were still locked in combat with the Colossus—its massive fra towering above. The two grand magus fought fiercely, divine light and cosmic string weaving in desperate synchrony, but even their combined might could only restrain the giant, never halt it.
Ery stepped forward. The air rippled as he pressed his hand to the ground.
From the stone beneath them, shadows erupted. Tendrils of dark luminescence spiraled upward, growing into an imnse wall of Twilight Vines. It expanded like a living fortress, layers of spirit-infused roots wrapping around the Colossus’s arms, binding its legs, forcing its advance to a crawl. The vines groaned under the pressure, glowing veins of starlight flickering along their length as they absorbed the brute’s trendous power.
The Colossus roared, its golden runes flaring violently, waves of heat rolling off its tal skin. The vines hissed and sizzled, yet held their ground.
Behind him, Vic was still working furiously. His fingers danced across the carved wall, tracing ancient runes faster than the eye could follow. Sparks flared under his hands as layer after layer of formation patterns resisted his every command.
A minute passed. Nothing.
Two minutes, and sweat began to trickle down his temples, his jaw tight with frustration.
The ground trembled as the Colossus surged forward again, straining against Ery’s vines. Cracks split through the living wall. The feedback lashed through Ery’s arms like knives of lightning.
Almost five minutes passed, Ery gritted his teeth and spoke inwardly.
’VIA, assist him"
[Command acknowledged]
[Initiating pattern decryption... crosslinking Naecint sequence]
[Synchronization.]
In the next mont, Vic froze. His eyes widened as a rush of clarity flooded his senses. The patterns of the runes—once chaotic and impenetrable—suddenly aligned. His hands moved faster now, with each motion, more of the wall’s light dimd. He traced the last symbol, pressed his palm against it, and shouted,
"Its Done!"
The runes flared once, then went dark.
A heavy silence followed, then a deep chanical groan filled the chamber.
The golden light running through the Colossus’s fra flickered violently, then went out altogether. Its joints froze. Its chest dimd. The towering giant swayed for a mont, then crashed to its knees with an earthshaking boom.
The magus waited in tense silence, weapons raised, until the faint hum of power faded completely.
Then ca the realization.
It was over.
All began to advance toward Ery and Vic, the formation master approached first, eyes studying the extinguished runes. "Are you... a formation master?" he asked, voice laced with intrigue. "How did you manage to decipher that so quickly?"
Vic hesitated, then forced a humble smile. "I’ve studied the Naecint language a little... the rest was just luck."
The man frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced. Breaking such an intricate formation in minutes was beyond luck.
Ery, standing a few paces behind, quietly understood the truth. Vic might have read the runes—but breaking it required much deeper comprehension. It was VIA’s flawless calculation that had completed the task.
Still, Ery said nothing. Letting Vic take the credit would be advantageous for their current situation as he could remain hidden. He only hoped the young man’s head wouldn’t grow too big.
While they were discussing this, Dravic and Julian were arguing over who would take possession of the inactive golems. Julian decisively used his first-choice advantage to claim the giant, and the discussion quickly grew heated when Dravic brought up the loss of his elder. Still, Julian insisted.
The Colossus possessed power comparable to that of a Three-Cosmos Grand Magus—an asset of imnse value to any faction. Despite its current limitations, it was constructed from a mountain of tier-seven materials. Even if it couldn’t be reactivated, its body could still be dismantled and forged into dozens of high-grade weapons and armors.
In the end, the frustrated Volkov faction compromised, taking the remains of the destroyed bronze and silver golems instead.
Lady Vashka was visibly unhappy, but Dravic managed to calm her down.
Ery watched their exchange silently. The alliance between the two factions was already strained; they hadn’t even reached the main vault yet, and tension was already brewing.
When the argunt ended, Julian approached Vic with a polite smile. "You have quite the talent here," he said to Ery, his tone cordial but his eyes calculating. Knowing Vic could read the ancient runes made him all the more valuable.
Once both sides finished salvaging materials, the scouts returned with a report. Ahead of the hall was a junction leading to three marked passages
Armory, Workshop, and Vault.
Everyone exchanged cautious looks, uncertain which path to take next.
User Comments
0 comments from readers