Chapter 189: Crimson-Runed Lions

Crimson-Runed Lions

"Not this door," he whispered. "The one where they take the children."?

The child’s words had barely faded when a low growl rolled through the darkness.

Lothe turned toward the broken wall.

Two crimson eyes appeared beyond it.

Then two more.

Five enormous beasts emerged from the passage, their dark-red fur bristling along their shoulders and backs. Faint crimson markings ran across their flanks. Their claws scraped against the stone as they advanced.

The child recoiled.

"Protect him!" Rowan ordered.

The beasts charged.

[INSPECT]

[Target: Crimson-Runed Lion Beast]

[Classification: Incomplete]

[Weaknesses: Unknown]

Rowan swept his staff across the chamber. A burst of pale-blue Qi struck the leading beast in the chest, slowing its charge. Another leapt over it, claws aimed at Rowan.

He caught the attack on his staff.

CLANG!

The impact jolted his arms. Caelan moved in from the side, cutting at the beast’s foreleg with a flash of blue sword Qi. Nyren followed, her Frostveil Sword sweeping toward its shoulder. Ice spread across the fur, forcing the beast to veer away from Rowan.

At the same time, Oren’s power suged out as his hands forms complex hand seals.

[Astral Will Scripture — Second Form: Thoughts Multiplication!]

Four mental projections appeared around him. They moved in different directions, drawing one beast’s attention from several angles. One feinted toward its face while another attacked its rear leg. Oren followed with a thrust at its throat.

The beast jerked away. His blade caught its neck, but it didn’t fall.

Its crimson markings flared.

A thin red mist rose from its wound.

Oren’s movements slowed. His breathing grew heavier.

Seana felt it too.

"Something is draining our strength!"

A beast broke through the fighting and charged toward her and the child. Seana stepped in front of him. Nine crimson pearls appeared around her, circling the two of them. A faint red barrier formed between the child and the beast.

Three pearls shot forward, striking the creature’s forehead, shoulder, and chest. Its charge faltered. Seana drew her Blood Moon Sword and cut across its throat.

The beast collapsed. Its markings continued to glow.

The mist thickened.

Seana’s arms began to feel heavy. She circulated her Crimson Blood Qi, drawing in ambient Spiritual Qi to replenish some of what she had spent.

Another beast was already approaching.

"Little Fox!" she called.

Lothe was facing one of his own.

The beast lunged, jaws wide. Lothe shifted aside, letting its teeth snap shut where he had been. He thrust his spear beneath its jaw.

Rift Thrust!

Purple spatial Qi gathered around the spearhead. The weapon pierced the beast’s throat. Lothe withdrew it before the creature crashed against the wall.

Stone cracked under its weight.

Lothe turned as another beast came at him from the side. He stepped diagonally, let its claws pass, then guided its forelimb away with the spear shaft. The beast lost its balance. Lothe thrust toward its ribs.

It roared and struck back.

Lothe crossed his spear before his chest.

BOOM!

The blow drove him backward. Before the beast could follow, Nyren’s Frostveil Sword swept between them. Ice spread over its forelegs, slowing it. Caelan cut at its flank, forcing it to turn away from Lothe.

"Don’t let them surround you!" Caelan called.

"I’m trying not to!" Oren replied.

His projections kept one beast occupied while the real Oren attacked its weakened leg. When the creature stumbled, Oren struck toward its neck. It collapsed, but its markings flared brighter.

The drain continued.

Darian held his barrier between the beasts and the child. A lion slammed into it, and the surface rippled.

"Whatever those markings are doing, we’re tiring too quickly!" he called. "Don’t waste strength trying to overpower them!"

Another impact hit the barrier. Cracks spread across it.

"Caelan, left side!" Darian shouted.

Caelan turned and struck the approaching beast’s shoulder, knocking it away from the barrier. Darian adjusted his formation. The cracks stopped spreading, though he looked strained.

Rowan’s staff swept through the chamber, striking two beasts and forcing them back from the child.

"Hold your positions!"

He moved between the child and the pack, meeting each attack with short, controlled strikes. His technique remained precise, but his breathing had grown heavier.

The beasts kept pressing.

——————————

Lothe watched the lion in front of him while trying to understand the drain.

The red mist rose from the beasts’ wounds, and the markings on their bodies brightened. But the weakening didn’t seem consistent. Some injuries produced a faint change; others were followed by a sudden loss of strength.

The beasts were connected to it somehow. That much seemed likely.

But were they the source?

The drain had begun before any of them fell. It had also continued when Lothe wasn’t fighting directly.

He thrust at the next beast’s eye. It jerked its head aside. Lothe changed the angle, struck its foreleg, and used its momentum to throw it off balance.

As it stumbled, he drove the spear toward its throat.

The beast hit the floor. Its crimson markings flashed.

Lothe’s vision blurred. His legs weakened for a moment, and he caught himself with a sharp breath.

It isn’t just happening when they’re injured.

He looked around the chamber.

Nyren was keeping a beast away from Oren. Oren’s projections attacked from different angles. Caelan targeted exposed joints. Darian maintained the barrier. Seana protected the child with her pearls. Rowan stood between the boy and the pack.

Everyone was fighting. Everyone was tiring.

And the child remained at the center of their decisions.

"Please!" the boy cried. "We have to find the others! They took them away! You promised you’d help me!"

Rowan’s expression tightened. "I will."

He struck a beast’s jaw with his staff, forcing it aside.

"I will find them."

The boy clutched at Rowan’s clothes.

Lothe’s gaze moved from the child to the beasts, then to the crimson mist.

A possibility began to form.

The beasts had appeared after the child pointed toward the passage. The drain had intensified during the fight, and the boy’s pleas kept the group focused on moving deeper into the facility.

But that didn’t prove the child was involved. He might be frightened and telling the truth. The beasts might be protecting the chamber—or simply hunting them.

Lothe had no clear evidence connecting the boy, the beasts, and the loss of vitality.

He wouldn’t decide on a culprit based on timing alone.

His attention shifted to Rowan. The elder had taken charge of the investigation from the beginning. He also had much to gain if the mission succeeded: recognition from the Joint Council and greater standing within the Glacial Spirit Sect.

That didn’t make Rowan responsible. It only meant Lothe had to keep watching everyone—including his own allies.

A beast lunged at Seana’s barrier. The nine crimson pearls spun faster, holding it back.

Lothe tightened his grip on the spear.

Whatever was causing the drain, they needed to understand it before the beasts wore them down.

Also, Rowan’s compassion was genuine. He had repeatedly placed himself in danger to protect the child, even when it complicated the investigation.

He wasn’t simply doing his duty. He was emotionally invested.

Lothe considered the others.

Nyren and Oren were investigating the disappearances. They were determined to complete their assignment, but they had no personal connection to this particular child.

Caelan and Darian wanted answers and would protect an innocent victim, but their attachment had only begun after finding him. They are mainly following orders.

Seana’s concern came from compassion. She couldn’t stand by while a child suffered.

He had joined the investigation because Seana was involved.

But Rowan’s attachment felt different.

The elder constantly positioned himself between the boy and danger. Even when the beasts attacked from different directions, he kept the child within reach. Lothe also remembered how quickly Rowan had chosen to withdraw from the previous chamber rather than continue investigating with the boy present.

The decision had been reasonable.

But it had also revealed how deeply the child’s safety affected him.

Lothe looked at the boy.

He appeared frightened. His voice trembled, and his movements seemed natural.

That was precisely why Lothe refused to trust appearances.

As an Array Master, he knew deception did not always make things look strange. Sometimes, the best illusion was one that made every detail seem reasonable.

But he lacked proof.

He needed to test his suspicion.

A roar shook the chamber.

One of the Crimson-Runed Lion Beasts lunged at him.

Lothe turned and swept his spear across its jaw, redirecting the attack. He stepped through the opening and drove the spear into its shoulder.

Purple spatial Qi erupted.

The beast crashed sideways.

The strange drain struck again, and Lothe’s strength dropped sharply.

His jaw tightened.

He couldn’t continue fighting like this. Neither could the others.

His gaze settled on Rowan, who was still guarding the child.

If the situation was exploiting emotional attachment, Rowan was the most likely anchor.

It was only a theory.

But another minute of observation could cost them their lives.

Lothe made his decision.

He didn’t explain himself. He didn’t warn Rowan or ask Oren to move.

He simply vanished.

[Void Step]

Purple spatial Qi flashed.

Lothe reappeared beside the child, his spear already thrusting toward the boy’s chest.

Seana’s eyes widened. Nyren turned sharply. Oren’s sword stopped halfway through a strike. Caelan and Darian both hesitated.

Lothe’s spear was inches from the child.

CLANG!?