Both brothers bolted for the colossal door.
Meanwhile, the stone colossus took a slow, heavy step forward, a deliberate movement that reminded them just how utterly insignificant they were in this vast cathedral.
Ash slammed his fist against the massive gate, but the stone didn’t even vibrate. The dull thud barely echoed before the old man’s raspy chuckle cut through the gloom.
"Remain still... There is no escape. You will die here, both of you. I almost pity you."
Ash stared coldly at the throne.
’Yeah... almost. How generous.’
Clenching his jaw, Ash shoved Max firmly behind him, planting himself between his brother and the approaching titan.
"There’s some kind of barrier sealing the exit."
Max stepped up beside him, his eyes narrowing.
"Yeah... and I’m guessing he’s the one in control."
Ash narrowed his eyes at the man on the throne.
"So we kill him... and the barrier breaks."
Max let out a weary sigh.
"Right. And then we sprout wings and fly home. Is that the rest of your brilliant plan?"
Ash frowned at the sarcasm, but Max pressed on, his voice dropping to an urgent whisper.
"Look, that man controls a Tier 7 creature or maybe something even higher. If he actually wanted us dead right this second, we’d already be dead. Look at the way that Tier 7 is walking toward us. It’s moving far too slowly for a creature of its Tier. Don’t you think that old man is watching this like it’s opening night at the theater? Worse, I don’t think we’ve seen even a fraction of what he can do."
Ash didn’t argue. He couldn’t, because deep down, Ash was truly terrified. It wasn’t because he was afraid of losing his own life. It was because he was afraid of losing his brother.
’That damn crow...’
Every time he heard that rasping sound, it was like his curse became a hundred times stronger.
Noticing his fear, Max placed a steady hand on Ash’s shoulder.
"Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan. We can’t solve this with violence, but this is exactly why the art of negotiation was invented, to clear up a few fatal misunderstandings."
"What?"
Before Ash could grab him, Max stepped past, calling out toward the elevated thrones in a loud, clear voice.
"Hey! Old man! Wait! We apologize for trespassing, but do you really have to execute us both over an honest mistake?"
The ancient man raised a single hand. The stone colossus froze instantly, its massive foot hovering inches above the bedrock.
At the same moment, the crushing pressure of the Dominion Aura that had been bearing down on Ash and Max vanished.
Ash blinked.
The unbearable weight was simply... gone.
Max staggered slightly, catching himself as his body suddenly felt light again.
Neither brother said anything.
Ash’s eyes slowly shifted toward the old man. The sovereign lowered his hand, and silence descended on the hall once more.
"I am not in the habit of breaking my vows."
Max nodded rapidly.
"Right, right. The vow. But do you actually think we belong to this ’master’ you mentioned? We aren’t their men. We’re just wanderers who stumbled into this ruin looking for shelter from the storm outside. Can’t you overlook this just once?"
The old man straightened slightly on his throne, his ancient eyes cutting through the gloom.
"You are a smooth talker. You claim you do not serve that faction... yet you wear their uniform."
Max glanced down at his combat gear.
’So this ’master’ must be one of the Apex Directors.’
Looking back up, Max kept his tone polite but firm.
"We aren’t with Apex. We were deployed here specifically to investigate and sabotage their operations. Please... you have to believe us."
The old man stared down at them for a long, agonizing moment.
"No."
Ash’s eyes widened.
’No?!’
The sovereign continued smoothly.
"I find it difficult to trust the words of trespassers. Allowing you to leave would only invite more unwanted guests. It is far better to make an example of you so others learn to respect boundaries."
Ash gritted his teeth, but Max... Max was still smiling.
"Very well. Then let’s make a deal. Let my brother go. I’ll stay. You can execute me instead."
Ash whipped his head toward him.
"What...?! Max, shut up!"
The old man tilted his head, intrigued.
"And why would I accept such an arrangement?"
Max explained calmly.
"Because if you slaughter us both here, there won’t be anyone left to carry the warning back. Our disappearance will only draw more search parties to this location. But if you kill one of us and let the other leave, the survivor can report back and make sure no one ever crosses your threshold again."
The old man went quiet, weighing the logic.
"Hey!"
Ash shouted, stepping forward aggressively.
"What the hell are you talking about?! If anyone’s dying here, it’s me!"
Max shot him a harsh look over his shoulder.
"Shut your mouth and think logically for once! If either of us leaves, it has to be you. You have a better chance of surviving the wilderness outside because of your Roots. Me? If I step out there without a team, I’m dead anyway."
Ash stalked forward, grabbing Max’s collar.
"Dammit, Max! You know how much I want this exit! Don’t take this from me!"
Max gave him a sad, gentle smile as he pried Ash’s fingers off his chest.
"Sorry, Ash. But I’m doing this. Roots and their fate aren’t absolute. There’s always a loophole... you just have to live long enough to find it."
Ash shoved him back hard, his voice cracking.
"Do you think I haven’t tried?! Mom died because of my root! Why do you think Dad and Tyrin can barely stand to look at me?! Why won’t you just let me go?!"
Max looked at him.
"Nobody hates you as much as you think they do. And as for why I won’t let you throw your life away..."
He paused, rubbing the back of his neck with a soft sigh.
"Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe it’s just brotherly love. If it is... I guess that’s my answer."
"Screw that!"
Ash growled.
"If you actually care about me, you’d respect my choice! I’m the one who dies here, not you—"
A deep, echoing laugh reverberated through the cathedral, cutting Ash off.
Ash snapped his head toward the throne.
’What’s so funny...?’
The old man chuckled, leaning back into his throne.
"Amusing. Two brothers arguing over who gets to be the sacrifice. Fine... I will indulge this. I rarely break my own rules, but boredom is a disease even this eternal soul cannot bear."
The sovereign’s posture shifted, and his voice grew cold and heavy.
"Entertain me. Whichever brother dies first, the survivor may leave this temple alive. I will even grant them safe passage past the outer perimeter. Do we have an agreement?"
Max leaned close to Ash, whispering under his breath.
"See? Told you I had a plan."
Then he raised his voice.
"Yes. We accept—"
Before Max could finish the sentence, Ash launched himself forward, sprinting at full speed toward the stone giant. He was going to hit it first.
Suddenly, a shimmering wall of green light erupted directly in front of Ash.
’Huh?!’
Ash slammed hard into the barrier. As soon as his body made contact, the green light flared into a deep, warning red, bringing him to an abrupt halt.
Max surged past him, sprinting toward the giant.
"Just stay back, would you?!"
Ash gritted his teeth, trying to move around the barrier, but the moment he shifted left, the light vanished and instantly materialized directly in his path again.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
Ash yelled, slamming his fist against the energy wall.
He glanced at Max, who was rapidly closing the distance to the giant. The titan reacted to his approach, raising a massive stone fist to crush the intruder.
"Shit!"
Ash punched the wall with everything he had, but as soon as one section cracked and dissolved, a new layer replaced it. This didn’t feel like an ability. And Max was still at Stage 0, also known as the Dormant Stage. He shouldn’t have been able to use any abilities yet... which meant...
’Wait...’
Ash immediately ran his hands over his body. Sure enough, a tiny, pulsing device was attached near his right shoulder blade.
Ash ripped the device off his jacket and crushed it in his palm. The green barrier dissolved instantly, just in time for Ash to see the giant’s colossal stone fist already descending straight toward Max.
"He’s really going this far...!"
Ash gritted his teeth. He sprinted with everything he had, but his exhausted body was far too slow to cover the distance in time.
’Dammit... I have to use it!’
Desperation forced his hand. Ash triggered one of his soul abilities.
The echo from the soul space reverberated through his mind:
[Ability: Lightning Space]
Instantly, the world ground to a silent, motionless crawl. The air felt like thick gel, and agonizing, needle-like pain began gnawing at Ash’s internal organs as the burden took hold. Ignoring the excruciating pain, Ash forced his heavy legs forward, tearing through the frozen space until he reached Max.
Grabbing his brother’s tactical vest, Ash yanked Max backward with all his strength while simultaneously deactivating the skill.
Time snapped back to normal.
"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?!"
Ash yelled, surging past his brother right into the shadow of the falling fist.
The colossal shadow engulfed Ash as the stone fist descended. Max, briefly thrown off balance by the sudden pull, recovered instantly. His eyes locked onto Ash, and his right hand shot out.
In a split second, flames wrapped around his hand, forming a sleek, red, triple-barreled launcher.
Max fired a concentrated Concussion Beam point-blank at Ash’s back. The hot kinetic shockwave didn’t injure Ash. Instead, it blasted him violently forward through the air, sending him clear of the falling fist just as the giant’s fist slammed into the floor, shattering the bedrock.
Before the dust could settle, Max coiled his legs and launched himself skyward, soaring 10 meters above the crater and straight toward the giant’s head.
Ash tumbled across the stone floor, his eyes widening in shock as he looked up.
"No way..."
He knew Max would have grown stronger since the last time he saw him, but Ash hadn’t expected him to have ascended.
’Wait... did he reach Stage 1?!’
No. Judging by how high Max had launched himself, Ash realized something even more startling.
His brother had reached Stage 2.