Chapter 548: Sentinel of the Sun

Adam moved the instant the guardians closed in.

He twisted aside as the spear-wielding statue thrust its weapon toward him, the massive spearhead cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. Its reach was absurd. Even after Adam retreated several steps, the weapon continued to pursue him, forcing him to keep moving before it could pin him against the chamber wall.

Azrynn released her first arrow.

The projectile streaked across the chamber, wrapped in purple runes, and struck the guardian’s shoulder. A burst of energy erupted on impact, scattering fragments of stone and dust. Yet when the smoke cleared, the statue remained almost completely unharmed. A faint mark was all the arrow had managed to leave behind.

"Seriously?" Adam muttered.

He lunged forward, his body blurring as he closed the distance. His fist slammed into the spear guardian’s torso with enough force to send a shockwave through the chamber.

The impact reverberated through the stone.

But the guardian barely moved.

Adam’s expression tightened. He followed up with a barrage of strikes, targeting its joints and chest, only to discover that its stone body was far more durable than it appeared. Each blow landed with a heavy thud, yet none seemed capable of inflicting meaningful damage.

"Adam, its movements!" Azrynn called from behind him. "I’ll try to restrict them!"

Her next arrows struck the guardian’s legs. Purple runes spread across its stone limbs, briefly slowing its movements. Adam seized the opportunity and unleashed an Eclipse Prismatic Beam.

The dazzling beam swept across the guardian’s body, engulfing it in brilliant light. The chamber trembled beneath the force of the attack, and dust poured from the ceiling.

When the light faded, the guardian was still standing.

Not even a crack.

Adam stared at it for a moment.

"Okay. That’s annoying."

He tried another attack, then another. His strongest techniques struck the statue with devastating force, but the results remained disappointingly similar. The guardian’s stone body seemed almost impervious to direct damage.

Meanwhile, the second guardian had turned its attention toward Azrynn.

The sword-wielding statue raised its massive weapon and brought it down.

Azrynn immediately leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. The sword crashed into the floor, producing an explosion of stone and dust. The ground beneath it shattered, leaving behind a crater several meters wide.

The impact was so powerful that the shockwave nearly knocked her off balance.

"Azrynn!" Adam shouted.

"I’m fine!" she replied, quickly regaining her footing. "But that sword is heavier than it looks!"

The guardian pulled its weapon free from the crater and swung again. Azrynn dodged to the side, sending another rune-enhanced arrow toward its arm. The projectile struck, but the guardian continued its attack as though it had barely noticed.

Adam’s eyes narrowed.

The spear guardian was difficult to approach because of its overwhelming reach, while the sword guardian possessed enough strength to turn the chamber floor into rubble with a single swing.

Neither seemed vulnerable to conventional attacks.

He needed to figure out what was keeping them moving.

Adam summoned his Soul Reaper’s Scythe. The weapon materialized in his hand, its dark blade gleaming faintly as he turned toward the spear guardian.

The statue thrust its weapon forward once more.

Adam stepped into its path and swung his scythe, catching the spear’s shaft and forcing it away from his body. The impact sent a tremor through his arms, but he managed to redirect the attack before the spearhead could reach him.

The guardian immediately pulled back and thrust again.

Adam blocked it a second time.

The weapon’s reach was still a problem. Every time he attempted to close the distance, the statue forced him back with another sweeping thrust. Its movements were stiff and mechanical, yet the speed of its attacks was surprisingly precise.

"Azrynn!" Adam called while keeping the spear at bay. "Have you noticed anything strange about them?"

"I’m trying!" she answered, loosing another arrow. "But their bodies are too hard. I can’t get through!"

Adam gritted his teeth as the spear slammed against his scythe once more.

The impact forced him back several steps, his feet grinding against the cracked stone floor.

"Hey, Sylphy!" he shouted. "How about being useful for once instead of standing there doing nothing?!"

The tiny wind spirit flinched.

"I-I’m not doing nothing!"

"Then start doing something!"

Sylphy huffed in annoyance, but the sight of the two towering guardians quickly extinguished her usual arrogance. She glanced around the chamber, her eyes darting between the altar, the inscriptions, and the statues.

"Wait... There has to be something! These guardians are part of the puzzle!"

"Wonderful deduction!" Adam called sarcastically as he narrowly dodged another spear thrust. "Now find the answer before they turn us into decorations!"

Sylphy hurriedly began examining the chamber, flying around the altar and inspecting the carvings along its base. She muttered to herself, trying to recall what she had forgotten.

Meanwhile, Adam decided to change his approach.

He channeled Pure Mana through his scythe. A pale, concentrated glow spread along the weapon’s dark blade, gathering around its edge until the air itself seemed to vibrate with power.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

He stepped forward and swung.

The scythe struck the spear guardian’s torso with a tremendous impact. Pure Mana erupted across its stone surface, sending fragments flying and leaving a deep gash in its chest.

For the first time, Adam heard something other than the dull sound of stone.

A crack.

His eyes sharpened.

’So it can be damaged.’

He followed up immediately, striking the same spot again. Another sharp crack echoed through the chamber, and a section of the guardian’s chest crumbled away.

But before Adam could capitalize on the damage, the broken fragments began to move.

They floated back toward the statue, drawn by an unseen force. The cracks sealed themselves, and the shattered stone reformed as though the attack had never happened.

Adam’s expression darkened.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

He struck again, forcing another fracture into its body. The sound of breaking stone confirmed that his attacks were working, but the guardian’s regeneration was simply too fast.

No matter how much damage he inflicted, it restored itself almost immediately.

Adam retreated as the spear came sweeping toward him again, his mind racing.

’An indestructible body with automatic regeneration... There has to be a limit to it.’

Behind him, Sylphy suddenly stopped flying.

Her gaze had settled on something near the altar.

"Wait a minute..." she murmured. "I think I remember something."