Silence swallowed the chamber.
The crimson corruption drifting upward through the lower corridor seemed heavier now, almost alive as it coiled through the fractured ruins beneath the mountains.
A breach.
Not a monster.
Not merely a sealed creature.
Something far worse.
The old man closed his eyes briefly.
".So the Starheart inheritance still remembers."
Krishak remained focused on the darkness below.
Fragments of the guardian's memory still lingered within his mind-the massive ancient formations, cultivators sacrificing themselves around the Worldheart, and beneath it all-
A fracture in space itself.
Something pressing endlessly against the other side.
Dev looked deeply disturbed.
"I miss when problems had understandable shapes."
Nobody disagreed.
The Keeper's projection flickered violently beside the broken chamber wall.
"Seal degradation exceeding emergency tolerance.
Ancient warning symbols illuminated across the ruins continuously now.
"Dimensional instability spreading through lower convergence layers."
Professor Devika stared toward the crimson mist uneasily.
"What exactly happens if the breach fully opens?"
The old man answered quietly.
"The seal fails."
"That part we understood."
Dev gestured anxiously.
"What comes after that?"
The chamber became silent again.
Then the old man finally spoke.
"Something notices Earth."
Cold stillness followed his words.
Even the guardian growled softly at that sentence.
Its massive corrupted body trembled while black spiritual energy continued spreading through fractured scales.
Yet it still positioned itself between the group and the lower corridor.
Protecting the seal.
Protecting Earth.
Even now.
Krishak slowly removed his hand from the guardian's scales.
The temporary silver resonance faded slightly, though traces remained stabilizing portions of the corruption around the creature's core.
Not enough to heal it.
But enough to help it resist.
For now.
The pulse beneath the mountains intensified again.
BOOM.
The lower corridor exploded with crimson light.
Then-
One of the shadow-like manifestations lunged upward from the darkness.
The thing moved unnaturally fast.
Its body barely resembled a human anymore-only a twisting outline formed from black corruption and fragmented limbs. Its movements bent strangely through the air like reality itself struggled to contain it.
Several Bureau operatives immediately attacked.
Spiritual techniques collided against the creature simultaneously.
But the attacks passed through portions of its body unnaturally before finally destabilizing its form enough to force it backward.
The creature shrieked.
The sound felt wrong.
Like multiple voices overlapping together.
Ananya's expression tightened immediately.
"That thing doesn't fully exist physically."
The old man nodded once.
"Residual dimensional contamination."
Dev stared.
"I preferred ancient beasts."
More movement appeared deeper within the crimson mist below.
Dozens of distorted shadows twitching along the corridor walls.
Trying to climb upward.
Director Rao immediately took command.
"All operatives establish defensive positions!"
Formation arrays activated rapidly throughout the chamber while awakened cultivators gathered spiritual energy around the fractured doorway.
The atmosphere shifted instantly from exploration to survival.
Krishak's gaze remained fixed below.
Something still bothered him.
The breach itself felt unstable.
Weak.
Whatever existed beyond it had not fully crossed over.
Not yet.
The old man stepped beside him quietly.
"The original seal used the Worldheart's spiritual pulse as its anchor."
His ancient eyes reflected the crimson corruption below.
"As long as the Worldheart remained stable, the breach stayed dormant."
Krishak understood immediately.
"But now the Worldheart is dying."
"Yes."
"And the intruder accelerated the " collapse."
The old man's expression hardened slightly.
"He acted out of desperation, not malice."
Another pulse shook the chamber.
"Unfortunately, desperation often causes the greatest disasters."
The guardian suddenly roared again.
This time toward the lower corridor itself.
Ancient chains hanging from its limbs rattled violently while silver traces flickered briefly beneath the corruption covering its body.
Then–
It moved.
The massive creature charged directly toward the fractured doorway.
BOOM.
Its enormous body slammed into the advancing corruption wave just as several shadow manifestations climbed upward.
The impact shook the entire chamber.
Black mist exploded outward while the guardian tore through the distorted entities with savage force despite its weakened state.
The shadows shrieked violently.
Several dissolved instantly beneath the guardian's attacks.
Others reformed moments later from surrounding corruption.
Raghav stared sharply.
"They regenerate."
"Because the breach remains open," the old man replied.
"As long as dimensional leakage continues, the contamination reforms.
That was not good.
At all.
The guardian roared again while holding the corridor alone.
But each attack worsened the corruption spreading through its body.
Black fractures deepened across its scales.
Its movements slowed slightly.
It was running out of time.
Krishak's expression sharpened.
"We need to stabilize the Worldheart.
Everyone looked toward him.
Professor Devika frowned immediately.
"How?"
The old man remained silent briefly.
Then he answered quietly.
"There may still be a way."
The pulse below echoed again.
Unstable.
Weakening.
The old man looked directly toward Krishak.
"The Starheart inheritance was originally connected to planetary convergence systems."
His gaze grew serious.
"If anyone can temporarily restore synchronization with the Worldheart"
The chamber fell silent.
Then Dev sighed dramatically.
"Of course it's him again."