Chapter 359: Chapter 359: The Labyrinth of Elarin
The passage stretched on longer than either expected, the air turning colder with every step. Noel’s grip on Revenant Fang stayed firm, but even he slowed when the corridor finally widened and opened into something vast.
They both stopped at the threshold.
An underground sanctuary sprawled before them—arched ceilings carved with runes, endless rows of pillars vanishing into shadow, and hallways branching off in every direction like veins. The scale of it dwarfed everything they’d seen so far.
Selene’s voice broke the silence, low and even, though a hint of awe slipped through. "This isn’t just another ruin... this place is too large. It could be one of Elarin’s primary sanctuaries."
Noel let out a quiet breath, scanning the endless paths. ’This is huge. Too big for a hidden chamber. How much of history have we walked into?’
He smirked faintly, though his chest tightened with unease. "Charlotte would lose her mind if she saw this. She always had that weird spark in her eyes whenever she talked about Elarin." His thoughts drifted, unbidden. ’I can still remember her voice from that day... the date, when she rambled about every little detail she knew. If she were here, she’d probably try to catalog every stone in the wall.’
Selene shot him a sidelong glance, her expression calm but her tone cool. "Then be glad she isn’t. You’d never get her out of here."
Noel chuckled under his breath. "Fair point."
Still, both of them lingered at the entrance. The labyrinth loomed, endless and uncharted. Each corridor promised danger, but also secrets buried since the age of legends.
Selene adjusted her grip on her wand, eyes narrowing. "We stay close. No wandering off. This place will swallow us if we aren’t careful."
Noel nodded, stepping forward. The sanctuary awaited.
Their footsteps echoed faintly as they moved down one of the branching halls. The air grew thicker, shadows clinging unnaturally to the stone. Noel slowed, his instincts clawing at him.
Selene noticed too. Her wand lifted slightly, a faint frost gathering at its tip. "Something’s here."
The darkness ahead shifted. From it emerged a tall armored figure, plated in corroded silver. Its helmet was empty, but black smoke bled from within, seeping through the cracks in its joints. With each step, the air grew colder, heavier, like the weight of a tomb pressing on their chests.
Noel’s jaw tightened. ’Of course it had to be a knight.’
The creature raised its rusted sword with a slow, deliberate motion. Then, without warning, it lunged—faster than its heavy armor should allow.
Noel stepped in front, Revenant Fang clashing against the shadow blade in a burst of sparks. The impact rattled his arms. ’Strong... too strong for something this old.’
Selene didn’t hesitate. "Frozen Lance!"
A condensed spear of ice shot past Noel’s shoulder, striking the knight’s chest. The armor dented, but shadows surged to fill the wound, sealing it halfway.
The knight’s blade lashed again, this time catching Noel’s side. The cursed edge didn’t cut deep, but the touch sent his mana flickering, unstable.
’Mana disruption... great. Just what I needed.’
Grinding his teeth, Noel shoved forward, flames wrapping around Revenant Fang. "Ignition Surge!"
Fire roared, coating the cursed steel as he swung upward, cleaving through the knight’s helm. Black smoke burst free as the body collapsed with a heavy clang.
The system’s voice rang in his head:
[You have slain Wraithbound Knight (Rare - Ascendan). You received 0.50%.]
[Current Core Progress: 16.93% – Mana Core: Ascendant]
Noel exhaled sharply. "That was... unpleasant."
Selene’s gaze lingered on the fading smoke, her tone cold but steady. "And likely not the last."
The next hall stretched wider than the rest, its walls veined with strange, pulsing lines that glowed faintly red. Noel’s grip tightened on Revenant Fang. ’That’s... alive.’
A shiver crawled up his spine when the center of the floor bulged. With a sickening crack, flesh and stone tore open, and something pulled itself free.
Dozens of limbs sprouted from a grotesque torso, half bone, half muscle, its jagged claws dragging against the floor with screeching weight. Its face was nothing but a hollow maw, gaping as it released a distorted scream that shook the walls.
At the same time, smaller shapes clambered free from the walls—twisted, half-formed constructs of bone and steel. Automatons, but unstable, their bodies crooked and broken.
Selene’s eyes hardened. "Not just one."
Noel cursed under his breath. "Perfect."
The first wave of Ascendant Common automatons rushed them. Noel dashed forward, Revenant Fang blazing. "Fire Arc!"
A curved line of fire split three apart, their bodies collapsing into smoking fragments. The system chimed in his head:
[You have slain Ascendant Automaton (Common – Ascendant). You received 0.30%.]
[Current Core Progress: 17.23% – Mana Core: Ascendant]
But before he could catch his breath, the Fleshbound Horror surged forward. Its many arms swung down, the weight of each strike rattling the floor. Noel barely managed to parry one blow, the impact nearly tearing the sword from his grip.
’This thing’s stronger than the knight.’
Selene lifted her wand, voice cutting cold through the chaos. "Permafrost Halo!"
A ring of frost erupted, slowing the smaller constructs and dulling the Horror’s momentum. Still, its claws tore free, regenerating where ice shattered them.
Noel’s thoughts sharpened. ’If we get swarmed, we’re finished.’
He leapt in, Revenant Fang bursting with lightning. "Chain Flash!"
Bolts cracked through multiple limbs, severing them for a brief instant before black flesh writhed and reformed.
Selene’s voice snapped, strained but steady. "It regenerates. We’ll have to burn or freeze every wound."
Noel grimaced, heat and frost burning through his veins. "Then we don’t stop until it stays down."
The Horror screamed again, shaking the very walls.
The Fleshbound Horror roared, its many limbs thrashing wildly as the floor cracked beneath its weight. Every strike forced Noel back, his arms screaming from the pressure. I can’t keep parrying this forever...
Selene’s eyes narrowed, the air around her dropping to a deadly chill. Frost condensed across her wand until the crystal tip blazed like a frozen star.
Her voice rang sharp and final. "Frostfall Requiem."
A pulse of absolute cold exploded outward, swallowing the hall in a storm of biting snow and shrieking wind. The Horror froze mid-motion, its limbs stiffening as thousands of microscopic needles pierced its flesh. Its distorted scream warped into silence as ice locked its body solid.
Noel didn’t hesitate. Revenant Fang flared with fire and lightning, and he cut through the frozen core in a single, brutal swing. The monster shattered into fragments, dissolving into black ash.
The system’s voice followed immediately:
[You have slain Fleshbound Horror (Ascendant Rare). You received 0.50%.]
[Current Core Progress: 17.73% – Mana Core: Ascendant]
Noel staggered, chest heaving. "Finally... damn thing wouldn’t stay down."
Selene lowered her wand, her breath visible in the icy air. She looked pale, drained, but her voice stayed even. "That was only one guardian. There will be more."
Noel smirked tiredly. "Yeah. But nothing’s walking out of that storm alive."
The words had barely left his mouth when the ceiling above trembled.
From the shadows of the far corridor, heavy footsteps echoed—slow, deliberate, far heavier than the Horror’s frantic thrashing. The air grew oppressive, darker, until a figure emerged.
A towering beast, plated in jagged armor of obsidian, its body radiating a violent aura that pressed down like a mountain. Its eyes glowed crimson, locking onto them with primal hunger.
An Elite Ascendant.
Noel’s grip tightened on Revenant Fang, sweat cold on his back. ’We’re not ready for this...’
Selene raised her wand again, her lips pressed into a thin line.
The chamber darkened, and the monster’s roar shook the sanctuary.