Thousands of stone guardians remained kneeling.
Not one moved.
Not one raised its weapon.
The mountain itself had acknowledged Kael.
An eerie silence settled over the ancient ruins.
Cedric Ravencrest stared in disbelief.
“…Why him?”
“We’re all students.”
“So why is the mountain bowing to him?”
No one could answer.
Even Professor Roland looked completely stunned.
The golden-crowned guardian slowly stood.
Its ancient stone body creaked as centuries of dust fell from its armor.
It looked directly at Kael.
“For ten thousand years…”
“We have protected this sanctuary.”
“We awaited only one.”
“The Successor.”
The guardian raised its sword.
The massive stone staircase suddenly began glowing with countless golden runes.
BOOM!!
The mountain trembled.
A hidden passage slowly emerged from beneath the central staircase.
Cold air drifted upward.
It smelled ancient…
As though no living being had entered for thousands of years.
Professor Roland immediately stepped forward.
“Everyone stay together.”
“No one separates.”
Kael silently activated Sovereign’s Insight.
Golden threads spread across the underground passage.
His expression became serious.
“There are traps…”
“Hundreds of them.”
Inside the Infinite Sword Archive—
Scarlet lazily looked around.
“I counted four hundred thirty-two.”
Astra shook her head.
“Four hundred thirty-six.”
Scarlet blinked.
“…Show-off.”
Solis smiled gently.
“The hidden ones beneath the floor.”
Scarlet groaned.
“I hate it when you’re right.”
Kael smiled faintly.
“You three really never stop arguing.”
The expedition entered the ruins.
The walls were covered in murals.
One depicted countless heroes kneeling before a single swordsman.
Another showed enormous dragons flying beside humans.
The final mural made Kael stop.
It showed…
Aurelius.
Standing beside twelve Divine Swords.
Kael frowned.
“Twelve?”
He looked at Astra.
“I thought there were only three Sovereign Blades.”
Astra smiled.
“There are twelve.”
“You’ve only awakened three.”
Scarlet added proudly,
“And we’re the strongest among them.”
A voice echoed from somewhere deeper inside the Archive.
“That’s debatable.”
Scarlet immediately shouted,
“WHO SAID THAT?”
No answer came. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
As the group continued…
Lucien quietly walked beside Kael.
Without looking at him, he whispered,
“This ruin didn’t exist before.”
Kael nodded.
“It wasn’t in my memories.”
Lucien’s golden eyes narrowed.
“Then someone has rewritten history…”
“…more than we have.”
Kael looked at him.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Lucien smiled.
“And you still haven’t asked the right one.”
A loud click echoed beneath Cedric’s boot.
Everyone froze.
“…Did something just—”
The floor suddenly collapsed.
WHOOSH!!
Hundreds of black chains burst from the walls.
“They’re alive!”
Victor swung his axe.
CLANG!!
The chains deflected the attack effortlessly.
Within seconds…
Cedric was caught.
Then Victor.
Then Professor Roland.
The chains tightened.
Their mana began disappearing.
Professor Roland gritted his teeth.
“They’re absorbing mana!”
Mira desperately fired wind blades.
Nothing happened.
The chains remained untouched.
Kael calmly stepped forward.
“Don’t struggle.”
Cedric glared.
“Easy for you to say!”
Kael ignored him.
Instead…
He gently placed one hand on a chain.
Everyone watched in confusion.
“What is he doing?”
Solis spoke softly.
“Not every obstacle should be destroyed.”
“Some simply need permission.”
Kael closed his eyes.
A tiny amount of Sovereign Mana flowed into the chains.
Instantly—
The black chains stopped moving.
Then…
They slowly loosened.
One after another…
They released every captive.
Cedric collapsed onto the ground.
Professor Roland stared.
“They…”
“They obeyed you.”
Kael looked at the ancient chains.
“No.”
“They recognized me.”
Far beneath the ruins…
Inside an enormous crystal chamber…
The silver-haired woman slowly opened her eyes.
She watched everything through a floating pool of light.
A gentle smile appeared.
“…without drawing his sword.”
She looked genuinely pleased.
“He really is different from the others.”
The group finally reached the deepest chamber.
Everyone stopped breathing.
The room was enormous.
At least the size of an entire city.
In its center stood a colossal crystal nearly one hundred meters tall.
Inside…
A woman slept peacefully.
Her long silver hair floated as though underwater.
She wore elegant white armor trimmed with gold.
Resting across her lap was an impossibly beautiful sword sealed within the crystal.
Twelve enormous stone pillars surrounded her.
Each pillar bore the symbol of a Divine Sword.
Lyra whispered,
“…She’s beautiful.”
Even Scarlet became unusually quiet.
“…So…”
“She really survived.”
Kael looked at Astra.
“You know her?”
Astra slowly nodded.
“Very well.”
Before anyone could ask another question…
The woman’s eyes suddenly opened.
Brilliant silver.
She looked directly at Kael.
Not at anyone else.
Only him.
Then…
To everyone’s astonishment…
She smiled warmly.
“Welcome.”
“My little successor.”
The entire chamber shook violently.
The crystal imprisoning her began cracking.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
A deep alarm echoed throughout the ruins.
Seal Integrity: 97%…
96%…
95%…
Scarlet’s expression changed instantly.
“No…”
“Master.”
“We have a problem.”
Kael frowned.
“What kind of problem?”
Astra answered quietly.
“That crystal…”
“…isn’t sealing her.”
Kael’s heart skipped a beat.
“…Then what’s it sealing?”
At that exact moment…
A deafening roar echoed from beneath the crystal.
Not inside it.
Beneath it.
The chamber floor split apart.
An endless abyss opened below.
From the darkness…
A pair of enormous crimson eyes slowly opened.
The silver-haired woman’s smile disappeared.
For the first time…
Fear appeared on her face.
“It has awakened…”