The Box: Fate
Chapter 56 — The Gathering of the Calamities
The high-tier anti-venom slowly neutralised the green lines on Vahn's skin Pushing himself up from the smooth, melted glass of the crater floor, the Star-Rank hunter looked at Sharky Bee, whose daggers were now sheathed but whose stance remained cautious Then, Vahn looked at Kataki, who stood with absolute calmness, his silver eyes reflecting the violet sky
"You could have let him finish it" Vahn muttered, his gravelly voice sounding strained as his mana pathways slowly reopened "A Level 65 eliminated by a Level 40 vanguard The Architect would have found that amusing"
"We don't care about the Architect's amusement" Kataki replied, holding out his hand to help the veteran up "We care about survival Azureus told us about Kresh If the system is going to unravel, your experience in the Zero Zone is the only thing that bridges the gap between our levels and his nullification power We need you, Vahn"
Vahn stared at Kataki' hand for a long moment The pride of a Star-Rank who had survived the deepest hell of the South fought against the harsh reality of the sky above them Finally, he grasped Kataki' hand and pulled himself up
"The Iron-Heart doesn't owe debts" Vahn said, looking around at Axel, Zanaki, and the rest of the sixteen players "But I won't watch another squad get erased by a force they don't understand Until Kresh is dealt with, my blades belong to the Vanguards"
Zanaki grinned, leaning against Axel' shoulder despite his exhaustion "Welcome to the nameless squad, old man Try to keep up"
***
### The Obsidian Conclave
Far away from the Eastern Plains, across the jagged peaks of the Forbidding Mountains, lay the Dread-Keep of the Under-Realm Inside the volcanic throne room, the air was so thick with sulfur and dark magic that a normal human's lungs would have turned to ash instantly
Seven massive thrones of obsidian stone formed a perfect circle One by one, the rulers of the dark forces arrived
The doors didn't open; the space itself tore apart
The first to enter was **Malakas, the Ravager of Souls** His presence was an oppressive, suffocating pressure that made the stone floor beneath his throne liquefy into magma
Following him, six other Demon Lords manifested Their entry auras were so massive that the entire mountain range shook The combined weight of their localized domains created a crushing gravitational field, making the surrounding air hum with a terrifying, low-pitched vibration
To these Seven Lords, strength was simple: it was the pure, unadulterated weight of their spiritual essence They had no understanding of "levels" "experience points" or the "Box" They were the native rulers of this continent, born from the dark mana of the earth, believing their destiny was simply to conquer the human kingdoms
"The Forsaken Fort has fallen" Malakas spoke, his voice like grinding tectonic plates "The native hunters of Liya whisper of a group called the Nameless Vanguards They possess a relic that glows with the light of the stars"
"Let them hold it" a female Demon Lord with wings of black ice hissed, her aura freezing the magma near her seat "They are meat When the Monarchs march, their cities will burn"
They argued about territories and armies, boasting of their dark power, completely blind to the true nature of their reality They didn't know they were characters in a program managed from a skyscraper in Tokyo They didn't know their names were lines of script on Ren's monitors
But deep beneath their feet, in the deepest trench where neither the Seven Lords nor the human kingdoms dared to look, the glitch was widening The code of the world was beginning to fray, and the awakening of Crash was drawing closer with every passing second