Chapter 25: The Shattered Seal
Two days had passed since the initial convergence of forces within the cursed Stone Forest. The trees had thinned, yet the air pressed heavier than ever, as though the weight of unseen eyes lingered above every branch. Elton, Zoro, Cedric, Christy, Talia, and another Bright Blade disciple moved steadily through the winding trail, their voices hushed, their steps careful.
Cedric stretched his arms with a loud yawn. "Do you really think this treasure exists? Or is this another tale made to drag us into danger?"
Zoro cast him a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable. "If it proves false, then we have wasted our blood. If it is true, we cannot afford to miss it."
Christy smirked, her red starry eyes gleaming. "Whatever waits beyond that barrier, I will carve out my share. Nobody here will keep it from me."
Elton stayed silent. The voice inside him had not spoken since the night before, yet the pull had never left. It tugged at his soul like an invisible thread, urging him onward with quiet persistence. A weapon that grows with me… deeper in the forest.
At last they reached an open field where camps sprawled in every direction. Disciples sharpened weapons, checked talismans, and whispered strategies beneath the flickering glow of firelight. Nahjer noticed them first, raising his hand. Ramius leaned against a tree not far away, his easy grin unchanged even in this tense atmosphere.
"So you all survived," Ramius called. "We expected you sooner."
Brief greetings were exchanged, nods given, glances traded. Yet all eyes, no matter their allegiance, were drawn toward the true prize looming in the distance. A massive barrier stretched high into the dark sky, shimmering with inscriptions that flickered like dying stars. Camps belonging to the Iron Fang Sect, the Bright Brilliant Blade sect, the Fighting Brawlman Sect, and the Night's Light Devouring Church encircled it. Rogues lingered at the edges, waiting like carrion birds. The tension was a living thing, gnawing at the air.
"They've been hammering at it since yesterday," Ramius explained, jerking a thumb toward the barrier. "Taking shifts, burning their strength in waves. The inscriptions are failing. It won't last much longer."
Cedric gave a low whistle. "So everyone's enemies, but not really. Strange kind of peace."
Christy folded her arms, her voice sharp. "That peace ends the moment the barrier shatters."
The sun dipped below the horizon and night fell heavy. Fires crackled. Disciples stood in lines, striking the barrier with Ki-infused fists, sword beams, and arcs of elemental magic. The inscriptions fought back with violent flares, but each flare dimmed faster than the last. Thin cracks webbed across its surface like glass ready to collapse.
Elton sat cross-legged a short distance from the noise, his eyes closed, his mind sinking inward. The voice stirred again.
"Do you feel it? That rhythm, like a heartbeat beneath the earth. Just beyond this veil rests a weapon born from fate itself. It is not forged merely for you—it waits for you. Feed it and it will evolve. Fail, and it will serve another hand."
Elton's eyes opened slowly. Calm, sharp, but heavy with resolve. Tomorrow the barrier would fall, and nothing would remain the same.
Morning broke. The sky above burned gold, yet the light could not soften the dread carried on the wind. The entire clearing trembled with anticipation. Blades gleamed, scrolls flared, talismans glowed faintly as disciples readied themselves. No trust lingered between the gathered sects. Only temporary cooperation, bound by greed and ambition.
Elton stood with arms folded, his eyes never leaving the trembling barrier. Zoro sharpened his twin katanas, faint sparks of dark Ki essence flickering along the edge of the steel. Christy perched casually on a boulder, chewing dried fruit as her gaze swept the crowd like that of a predator choosing where to strike. Cedric conversed with Talia, though his free hand never strayed far from his burning dagger. The youngest disciple stood quietly, stealing glances at Elton with admiration she could not hide.
A thunderous crack split the morning.
All heads turned.
Hundreds of disciples surged forward, striking in unison. Spells, sword beams, elemental surges, and bursts of Ki hammered the barrier in a single deafening wave.
The inscriptions screamed with light.
Cracks spidered like veins across a corpse.
And then—
The barrier shattered.
It burst apart into radiant shards, falling like the petals of a dying lotus. A shockwave thundered outward, flattening the grass, shaking the trees, and making the earth tremble beneath their feet.
When the brilliance faded, silence fell.
Before them stretched a basin vast enough to swallow cities. Towering trees loomed at its edges, their bark dark as obsidian, their crowns lost to mist. Jagged black spires jutted upward like the ribs of some long-dead beast. A swamp churned at the basin's heart, its waters pulsing with a sickly light that seemed alive.
The air carried an ancient weight, as though the land remembered countless deaths buried in its soil. No bones lay visible, yet the silence whispered of them.
It was magnificent.
It was terrible.
For a long moment, no one moved. The sight rooted even the boldest in place. Then, as if a single cord had snapped, one disciple stepped forward. Another followed. The flood began.
Sect after sect poured inside, some in tight formation, others scattering to claim ground. Rogues darted forward with wild hunger. The Night's Light Devouring Church slipped in like shadows, their numbers impossible to count.
Elton's group advanced last.
The instant his foot touched the mossy ground, a shiver coursed through his spine. The voice returned, calm yet filled with hunger.
"Yes… it waits here. Somewhere in this cursed land rests your weapon. A relic tied to your soul, waiting to awaken. But remember this—the basin was made to kill."
Zoro's eyes narrowed, his hand brushing the hilt of his katana. "The pressure is suffocating."
Christy's lips curved faintly.
Cedric gave a grim smile, gripping a scroll. "Let's try to live long enough to find out if anything here is worth it."
Talia's eyes flickered with sharp amusement. "Then let us see what this basin hides."
Together, they stepped forward.
The skies above darkened without a single cloud.