Chapter 130: The Ancient Gateway
Chapter 130: Chapter 130: The Ancient Gateway
Chapter 130: The Ancient Gateway
The heavy silence inside the ruined VIP carriage was deafening.
Reina hid her flushed face in her knees. Aegon stared at the metal floor, his ears burning red. Lucien remained frozen on his back, his hand still awkwardly reaching toward Nyx.
Draven stood in the doorway, staring at the absolute mess of teenage hormones.
Before the Captain could demand an explanation, heavy footsteps echoed from the back of the carriage.
Bram pushed past the frozen students. Natalie followed closely behind him, her bow lowered, offering an apologetic grimace.
"The tension in the room was just a bit heated right now, Captain," Bram said, rubbing the back of his neck with a massive, titan-stone hand.
"I think everyone’s adrenaline just spiked from the fall. We ask for your understanding."
Draven looked at the giant meat-shield. He looked back at the blushing couples.
"I do not care about your personal entanglements," Draven stated coldly, dismissing the awkwardness entirely.
"Grab your weapons and get out of the carriage. We are standing at the bottom of the Miasma Gorge. Nothing stays alive down here for long without getting caught in a monster’s jaws."
The squad scrambled. Aegon grabbed his Blood Fire Spear, refusing to make eye contact with Reina. Lucien snatched his Thunder Rapier and rushed out the door.
As Draven stepped out into the toxic, pitch-black fog of the canyon, a sudden, familiar voice echoed directly inside his mind.
’Master.’
It was Neville Hennesy.
The original protagonist of the novel. The Golden Boy. And currently, Draven’s absolute soul-bound slave.
’Report,’ Draven replied telepathically, keeping his face perfectly neutral.
’Lord Commander Helion just broadcasted the Capital Elder’s token to the entire globe,’ Neville’s voice echoed through the soul bond.
’He declared Bastion Seven an independent state. The High Council is in utter chaos. The Human Civil War has officially broken out. My father, Helion, and Sirius Statanham are locking down the city.’
’That was fast! We just fell down and they are already here! Bloody Monsters!’ Draven ordered.
’Maintain the peace on the home front! Do not break your cover.’
’Understood, Master.’
The telepathic link closed. Draven had placed Neville in Bastion Seven exactly for this purpose. The Golden Boy was the perfect informant.
Strike Team Zero gathered in a circle outside the wrecked train car. The heavy gray Miasma swirled around their boots. Aegon, Bram, Cole, Lucien, Lyra, Reina, Natalie, Estella, and Nyx stood at the ready.
"Where exactly are we?" Aegon asked, scanning the dark cliffs towering thousands of feet above them.
"We are exactly where we need to be," Draven answered. "The Warlord Tomb is here."
Bram tightened his grip on his heavy shield. "Who is getting the legacy this time, Captain?"
"Nyx," Draven said, looking at the shadow assassin. "This is a tomb belonging to the Phantom-Weavers. It is the most compatible legacy for your class on this planet."
Nyx gripped her obsidian daggers. "What happened to the Executioner? The man in the crimson robes."
"He ran away," Draven replied smoothly. "He watched the carriage fall into the pit. He thinks we are dead. In fact, everyone in the entire world currently thinks we are dead."
Cole’s jaw dropped. "Wait... what do you mean we are dead?"
"We are on the most classified secret mission of Bastion Seven," Draven revealed, his voice cutting through the toxic wind.
"Our ’deaths’ were the catalyst. Because we died, Lord Commander Helion just officially separated Bastion Seven from the Capital. He announced independence. The Human Civil War has begun."
The squad stood in absolute, stunned silence. Estella gasped. Lyra covered her mouth.
"You staged this," Lucien realized, his eyes wide. "You faked our deaths to start a war."
"I faked our deaths to take you off the High Council’s radar," Draven corrected sharply.
"Our job right now is to claim this legacy. Then, we spend the next month moving underground to Bastion Six. Once we arrive, our mission is to protect the Lord Commander of the Subterranean City from being assassinated by the Cult."
Draven stepped forward, his pitch-black eyes locking onto every single student.
"You all felt it today," Draven continued, his tone turning merciless.
"You felt how weak you are without your powers. The Embryo of the Void rendered you completely helpless. We cannot afford to be shortsighted anymore. If you want to be useful to humanity, you all need to awaken the Seed of Valor within the next ten months. That means reaching Level 100."
"Level 100?" Natalie whispered, her grip trembling on her bow. "In ten months?"
"What do we need to do right now, Captain?" Aegon asked, his blood-fire igniting in the dark.
"Your job is to help Nyx secure her legacy," Draven commanded.
"But this valley is a breeding ground. The monsters in this pit easily surpass Level 100. They are just like that Level 130 Magma-Plated Behemoth or whatever it was, I killed in the sector where we found the Miasma Cleansing Tower blueprints. That beast was too weak for me to remember, but a beast like that will slaughter you."
Draven pointed into the swirling gray fog.
"This pit has infinite waves of beasts," Draven warned.
"They are drawn to the Warlord Tomb. While Nyx undergoes her trial inside, the rest of you will take turns fighting day and night. We will not sleep until we have eradicated every single monster in this canyon."
Nyx walked toward the towering rock face of the canyon wall.
She felt a strange, pulling sensation in her chest. Her shadows actively writhed and reached toward the stone. It was not a physical door. It was a secret path hidden entirely within the cliff, locked away by ancient spatial magic.
The stone sensed her potential.
RUUUMBLE.
Glowing purple runes ignited across the jagged rock. The canyon wall violently split open, revealing a massive, ancient stone gateway leading into pitch-black depths.
The moment the seal broke, the gorge erupted.
ROOOOOAR!
The sound was apocalyptic. Hundreds of massive, terrifying roars echoed through the toxic fog. The ground shook violently as an endless sea of mutated, high-level Miasma beasts charged toward the glowing gateway.
"Get in formation!" Draven roared, drawing his dark blade.
"These beasts will never stop! You fight until your bones break, and then you fight some more! Welcome to the Abyss!"