I Ascend Alone-Chapter 160: Everdeep Bastion Part XII

Vorathos emerged from my shadow like a phantom—his form rising in a slow ripple of black mist. His cloak billowed silently as he lifted one clawed hand, shadows wrapping around his fingers like ribbons of ink.

"Watch closely," he said simply. "This is how you hunt those who hide."

The enemy moved again, slithering behind broken debris—but Vorathos didn't move from his spot. Instead, he raised two fingers and sliced them downward in the air.

"Abyssal Nail: Black Pinpoint."

From the ground, six spears of pure darkness erupted with a sharp crack, piercing through the shadows with perfect precision. One of them hit.

The creature screeched, a high, and grating sound that echoed through the floor. Its shape, once fluid and ungraspable, flickered into view for the first time. A shadowlike humanoid, tall and long-limbed, with no face—just a mouth full of jagged teeth stretching from jaw to jaw. The spear had gone straight through its chest.

It staggered back, smoking where the weapon struck.

"It's done," Vorathos said, already turning to return to my shadow.

But the thing suddenly twitched, and let out a wild, feral laugh.

Its body convulsed, then melted halfway into the shadows again, half-corporeal, half-phantom.

"You... think you've won?" it rasped, its voice now layered with distortion. "I... am just the echo... The one who watches from above... sees everything. He's waiting for you."

Its body began burning away into black smoke—but not fading like a dying creature. It was escaping, using its life force to cast a final curse.

"The Tenth... sees you. And he... will end you all."

That was when another voice cut in.

"Then we'll kill him too."

A deep rumble echoed across the stone chamber.

Umbraezer emerged from the far side, his cloak of molten void trailing behind him like smoke. He raised one arm—and with a flash of black flame, crushed the remaining wisp of the creature's soul. It didn't even get a chance to scream. Gone. Nothing left.

The floor fell quiet again.

Umbraezer turned to me and immediately lowered himself to one knee.

"My Monarch," he said, voice low and respectful, "forgive my sudden intrusion. I acted without command."

I nodded slightly. "Stand. You did what had to be done."

He rose without another word, eyes still glowing faintly from the heat of his power.

Vorathos adjusted his collar, unfazed. "Tenth floor, hm? A watcher... I suppose this just got more interesting."

Seraphveil returned to my side silently.

As the last trace of the shadow beast faded into nothing, the portal to the next floor opened with a low hum.

It hovered in the center of the chamber—unstable, flickering with streaks of violet and black, as if the magic sustaining it was barely holding together.

I glanced at my shadows.

Seraphveil stood still, unreadable as always.

Vorathos exhaled softly, still recovering from his earlier attack.

Umbraezer sheathed his claws into his dark mantle, then turned toward me. "My Liege, shall we proceed?"

I nodded once.

Without hesitation, we stepped into the portal.

The world shifted around us, and the gravity is pulling, magic folding in on itself, and when our vision cleared, we had arrived.

[ Everdeep Bastion – Floor 9 / 1000 ]

Zone Designation: Cathedral of Hollow Light

A massive, ruined temple stretched out before us. Shattered stained-glass windows let in no sunlight—only a pale, silver mist that drifted like smoke. Cracked statues of forgotten deities lined the walls, their faces worn away by time and rot.

The floor was slick with moisture, yet there were no signs of life. No enemies. No movement.

Just silence.

"This place is suffocating," Vorathos muttered. "The mana here... it's off. Like it's been filtered through something foul."

Seraphveil said nothing, but his hand never left his hilt. His four wings were half-spread, ready for anything.

Umbraezer narrowed his molten eyes. "It's not just foul. It's watching us."

I could feel it too—something crawling along the edge of my senses. A presence, distant but aware. The feeling of being measured. Judged.

I walked forward, and our every step echoed.

A high, arched ceiling loomed above us, with pieces of it missing—shadows clinging to the gaps like webs. The deeper we went, the more distorted the space felt, like the cathedral itself was trying to confuse us. Looping halls. Endless doors. Rooms that bled into each other.

"This dungeon is unique one" I said quietly.

Seraphveil nodded once. "And it wants us to forget who we are before the tenth floor."

I stopped at the base of a ruined altar.

At its center, a sigil burned faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. Traps? Wards? Or maybe... bait.

We weren't done with surprises yet. That much was clear.

"Stay alert," I said. "This floor has eyes."

And somewhere above, beyond the fractured ceiling, and I felt a strong gaze.

We hadn't moved ten steps past the altar before the air changed.

It wasn't sudden—but slow, like the breath of something old crawling through the ruins. Cold swept in. Shadows lengthened. And that silver mist thickened until it covered the ground like fog over a graveyard.

Then, we heared a faint dragging, like chains across stone, and we stopped.

From the end of the broken aisle, beyond the farthest statue, something emerged.

At first, it looked like a robed priest—tall, thin, draped in pale vestments. But the longer we stared, the more wrong it became.

Its head was a cracked porcelain mask with no mouth. Its hands were wrapped in prayer cloths, stained with old blood. Long chains hung from its sleeves and coiled behind it, scraping the floor with each step. And above its head floated a shattered halo—twisting slowly, the fragments orbiting each other like dying stars.

A system window appeared.

[ System Notice ]

➤ Mini-Boss-Class Entity Detected

Name: Cathedral Warden: Saint of the Pale Bell

Class: Curse Apostle (Sovereign-Tier – Mini Boss)

Attributes: Sealing Magic / Soul Suppression –

Threat Level: Unidentified

State: Active — Engaged

"Those who enter the Hollow Light must first lose their voices."

Before we could speak, a bell rang through the cathedral.

Ding...