Darkness swallowed the group the
moment they descended beneath the ruins.
The underground passage stretched deep beneath the mountain like the throat of some ancient beast. Cracked silver torches flickered weakly along the stone walls, casting unstable shadows across
the corridor.
Every step downward increased the oppressive spiritual pressure surrounding them.
Even Dev had stopped joking.
The deeper they traveled, the clearer it became that this place was never meant for ordinary cultivators.
It was a prison.
And prisons existed for dangerous things.
The descent staircase spiraled endlessly downward.
Ancient symbols covered the walls on both sides, though many had been stained black by corruption.
Ishita examined them carefully while walking.
"These inscriptions are part of the sealing formation."
Krishak nodded.
"The entire underground structure functions as one massive array."
Professor Devika looked uneasy.
"To maintain a seal for this long. whatever they imprisoned must have been terrifying."
No one disagreed.
Far below, faint roars continued echoing through the darkness.
Closer now.
Much closer.
After nearly twenty minutes, the corridor finally opened into an enormous underground chamber.
Everyone stopped immediately.
The scale of the place was overwhelming.
Massive stone pillars stretched upward into darkness beyond sight. Ancient formation circles covered the floor in concentric rings, though most were cracked or damaged.
At the center of the chamber floated a colossal black sphere suspended by chains of silver light.
Or at least
What remained of them.
Six of the seven chains had already shattered.
Only one still held.
The final sealing chain pulsed weakly with silver energy.
And connected to it
Was the crystal core now held in Krishak's hand.
The seventh core.
The last active seal.
Dark corruption spread constantly across the black sphere, trying to consume the final chain entirely.
Every pulse from the sphere shook the chamber slightly.
Ananya stared upward nervously.
"That thing is alive."
"Yes," Krishak said quietly.
And it was waking up.
Suddenly, movement erupted around the edges of the chamber.
Corrupted figures emerged from the shadows.
Dozens of them.
Ancient armored warriors.
Their silver armor had long ago been consumed by black crystal corruption, yet traces of their original forms remained visible.
Dead guardians.
Still fighting long after death.
The corrupted soldiers raised ancient weapons simultaneously.
Red eyes locked onto the intruders.
Dev exhaled sharply.
"Why does every ancient ruin have undead guardians?"
"Because ancient civilizations loved terrible surprises," Raghav replied immediately.
The undead guardians charged.
Battle erupted across the chamber.
Bureau operatives formed defensive lines while the academy team engaged the corrupted guardians directly.
Unlike beasts, these enemies fought intelligently.
They coordinated attacks.
Protected each other.
Used formation remnants embedded within the chamber itself.
One corrupted guardian attacked Dev with a massive sword strike powerful enough to split stone flooring apart.
Dev blocked with his spear and grimaced.
"These things hit harder than the giant one upstairs!"
Nearby, Ishita activated suppression formations across the battlefield while Ananya moved continuously between allies, healing injuries almost faster than they appeared.
Raghav and Skyrend provided aerial support, disrupting enemy coordination whenever possible.
Meanwhile, Krishak advanced directly toward the central seal.
The black sphere reacted immediately.
Dark energy surged violently toward him.
The remaining silver chain trembled dangerously.
Then..
A voice echoed inside his mind.
Ancient.
Cold.
Hungry.
"Another heir of stars."
Krishak's eyes sharpened instantly.
The sealed entity was conscious.
"How long.." the voice whispered. "How long since the heavens abandoned this world..."
The pressure within the chamber intensified suddenly.
Several weaker Bureau operatives collapsed to one knee.
Even Rudra frowned heavily.
The entity inside the seal was awakening faster than expected.
Krishak reached the center formation
circle and placed the seventh core into a damaged slot embedded in the floor.
The moment the crystal connected
Silver light exploded across the chamber.
Ancient runes reignited one after another.
The remaining chain strengthened slightly.
The black sphere trembled violently.
A furious roar echoed through the chamber.
The sealed entity resisted.
Dark corruption surged against the reforming array.
Cracks spread across the newly restored runes almost instantly.
"It's too damaged!" Ishita shouted from across the battlefield.
Krishak replied.
"She's right,"
The original sealing formation had been destroyed too extensively.
The seventh core alone was insufficient.
The prison would fail eventually.
Maybe minutes.
Maybe hours.
But not permanently.
The voice inside the sphere laughed softly.
A horrifying sound.
"Foolish child.."
The black sphere pulsed.
Suddenly, visions flooded Krishak's mind.
Burning cities.
Ancient cultivators dying in battle.
Creatures of darkness descending from fractured skies.
Worlds consumed by corruption.
His expression darkened slightly.
The guardian's final words echoed again.
Ancient invader.
Not natural corruption.
An external force.
Something from beyond Earth itself.
The entity spoke again.
"This world was once connected to the stars..."
Dark energy spread further across the chamber.
"Then the gates opened.."
Another pulse.
The remaining chain cracked slightly.
Rudra's eyes widened.
"The seal is breaking again!"
Krishak ignored the panic around him.
His mind focused entirely on the information hidden within the entity's words.
Earth had not declined naturally.
It had been attacked.
And this creature
Might be one of the invaders responsible.
A deafening explosion suddenly shook the chamber.
One side passage collapsed inward as corrupted beasts flooded into the prison room from deeper underground.
The battle escalated instantly.
Bureau defenses began collapsing under pressure.
Dev fought like a madman near the front lines, while Lunafang tore through corrupted enemies surrounded by brilliant silver moonlight.
Yet despite their efforts
The black sphere continued cracking.
Thin fractures spread across its surface.
Darkness leaked outward from inside.
Then a claw emerged.
Massive.
Covered in black scales.
Ancient.
Everyone froze.
The sealed entity was breaking free.