Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 143: Ruins
She stopped in front of a spiraling wall, where lines of ancient runes seemed to shift subtly under the glow of ambient mana. The inscriptions pulsed with a magical energy that made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
"Kael... these runes..." she said, touching one with the tip of her fingers. A chill ran down her spine."They're from the Pre-Arcane Era. Before the foundation of the First Kingdoms. This is… impossible."
Kael, his posture more upright now and color returning to his face, stepped closer. He was currently using the Blessing of the World Tree to regenerate his body. The mana around him clung to his skin like a living extension of himself — every drop, every particle, eager to serve, to heal, to nourish him.
That, of course, had been Umbra's advice — to recover by drawing on the overwhelming abundance of mana in this place.
"Maybe nothing here is what we thought," he said, eyes locked on the runes."This place probably was never a dungeon… more like an ancient facility. But mana overwhelmed it. Corrupted it. This massive concentration of mana gave birth to the monsters… and the structure above."
Erika nodded slowly. The path ahead curved downward in a spiraling descent, lined with wide stone steps. The floor beneath was made of a dark, mirrored stone that reflected only fragments of the light.
They continued forward.
Step by step, Kael felt his mana stabilizing. His arcane veins were nearly fully healed, and his mind — now clearer — began to pick up hidden patterns all around.The walls… breathed. Faintly.As if the dungeon itself were a sleeping creature. As if they were walking inside something alive.
"Do you feel that?" he asked.
Erika glanced around, eyes narrowed, the mana flickering in her crystal-blue irises like living flame."Yes… and there's something else. A presence. A constant watchfulness. Like… we're being observed."
A red light pulsed ahead for a second. Then vanished.
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Kael's hand moved to the hilt of his sword. Erika raised her left hand, the arcane circle of her Crimson Shield spinning slowly, ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
They advanced with more caution now, stepping into a circular chamber where statues of fallen warriors stood in a perfect ring. All were facing the center, where an elevated platform held a broken stone throne.
Kael stepped up first.
As he approached the throne, he felt the mana of the World Tree stirring within him — not with warning… but with recognition.As if the blessing itself knew this place.
He extended his hand.A single golden leaf emerged, floating in the air from his mana core. It spun once and gently landed on the cracked throne.
Immediately, the ground rumbled.
The statues of the warriors trembled, their red eyes glowing with hidden life.
Erika raised the magical shield in an instant."It's a trap!"
"No." Kael murmured, feeling the energy in the air."It's… a trial."
The statues began to move, grinding like ancient bones. But they didn't attack.Instead, one by one, they lowered their weapons… and knelt before him.
Erika's eyes widened."They recognized you."
Then came a voice — but not from either of them.
It echoed from every wall, every stone around them.
"Heir of the Primordial Blood. Bearer of the Flame of Life. Child of the Endless Forest...you have arrived too soon."
Kael drew in a deep breath, keeping his gaze steady."Who are you?"
"Those who sleep beneath the stone watch you. Those who were sealed, fear you. And those yet to come... will know you.But you are not ready."
Erika clenched her fist."What do you want from him?"
The voice fell silent. Then, from the center of the broken throne, something emerged — a translucent sphere made of pure liquid mana. Inside it, a golden root pulsed with a soft, living glow.
Kael stepped closer. When he extended his hand, the sphere dissolved like mist, and the root floated toward him — entering directly into his chest, at the same spot where the World Tree's rune had first appeared.
His body lit up from within.
[You have absorbed: Fragment of the Primordial Root.][The Blessing of the World Tree has evolved into: Seed of Eternity.][New growth paths unlocked.][Ability to communicate with Living Lands: Unlocked.]
Kael dropped to his knees, the world spinning violently around him. A tidal wave of information flooded his mind — visions of ancient forests, colossal entities slumbering beneath the earth, beasts woven from pure spirit… and a name:
"Xel'Thra, The First Root."
When his eyes opened again, they were shining with pure gold.
Erika stepped closer, equal parts terrified and mesmerized."Kael…?"
The words died in Kael's throat.
He could feel the power surging within him — the fragment of the Primordial Root now fused into his very being… and yet, something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
The statues that had once kneeled in reverence began to tremble. One by one, their crimson eyes ignited into blazing ruby flames — no longer respect, but sheer hostility. The metallic groan of ancient armor moving filled the chamber, each statue raising its weapon in slow, ritualistic precision… as if awaiting a single command.
Then, one of them moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
"Holy shit…" Erika muttered, yanking Kael's arm as a colossal axe slammed down with a thunderous crash. The strike missed by mere inches, but it shattered half of the platform, sending fragments of stone flying through the air like shrapnel.
Kael collapsed under the weight of his own body, his senses spiraling into chaos.
The other statues rose one after another, perfectly synchronized.Twelve stone warriors.Each wielding a distinct weapon: two-handed swords, long spears, curved scythes, war hammers... All different. All exquisitely crafted — and now, all pointed at him.
"This doesn't make sense..." Kael whispered, crawling away as Erika began chanting a defensive spell.
"They recognized you, but this..." Erika said, raising the Crimson Shield and invoking its second form: Domus Fortia. A dome of red energy rose around them, blocking the second strike.
BOOOOM!
The impact cracked Erika's defense. She staggered back, blood trailing from the corner of her lips.
"Shit, these bastards aren't some cheap summon..." she spat, drawing her gleaming sword — its blades laced with dimensional-cutting enchantments. 'My mana still hasn't recovered... I don't have much time...'
Erika was one of the Sword Kings, but unlike Eva or Adalric... she was a magic swordswoman. All her techniques relied on mana... on magic. And the current situation was nothing short of... alarming.
Kael finally stood up. His mana boiled — unstable, furious, as if responding to the sanctuary's betrayal.
"This is a trial... but not of acknowledgment..." he murmured, golden eyes locked on the warriors thundering toward them."...it's a trial of survival."
The first statue leapt.
A massive warrior, horned helm crowning his head, wielding a great obsidian sword wreathed in flame. The blow came down vertically — meant to crush, not cut.
Kael raised his hand, mana surging like a river. The image of the World Tree shimmered behind him, translucent, its roots seeming to wrap around the space itself.
Golden roots erupted from the floor, twisting upward and halting the statue's sword mere inches from Kael's head.
Kael's body shook with the strain. It felt like holding up the sky with bare hands.
"Erika, we need to split them up!" he shouted.
She was already moving. Zig-zagging across the battlefield, Erika planted multiple Explosive Runes along the floor, activating them at the perfect moment.
KA-BOOM!
Two of the statues lost balance, crashing down like toppling towers. Kael seized the opportunity. The energy flowing through him now took form — a golden aura pulsing with every step.
"If you want to test me... then so be it!" he roared, activating his newly awakened skill:
[Seed of Eternity – Rapid Growth]
Vines erupted around his arms, bristling with energy thorns, and drove themselves into the statue in front of him. The power of nature forced cracks into the stone armor as Kael yanked with brute force — ripping off the creature's arm.
Erika twisted midair, her daggers slicing through space, trails of pure light in their wake. One slash cleaved through the neck of a third statue — the head dropped with a muted thud. But within seconds, the stone began to reform...
"They're regenerating!" she cried.
"No — they're being fueled by ancient mana! We need to cut the source!" Kael replied, already sensing the energy field pulsing like a living heart around them. He slammed his hand onto the ground again.
He poured his mana into the environment.
A flash of insight surged through the room. For a moment, Kael saw beneath the floor. Not soil, but a massive network of roots, channeling arcane energy to power the statues.
"There's a central node... beneath the broken throne!" he pointed.
"Cover my flank!" Erika shouted, launching a black sphere behind her. It activated the Crimson Vortex, trapping three statues in a field of reversed gravity.
Kael ran.
He weaved between heavy strikes, using his own mana as a springboard. Every step was fueled by vital energy, every leap brought him closer to the throne.
The roots beneath the floor began to react.
They tried to grab him.
But he was already part of them.
The Seed of Eternity glowed intensely. Kael raised his fist and drove it straight into the center of the throne, channeling all his power.
"SEVER THE FLOW!" he roared.
A burst of golden light surged through the chamber. The corrupted roots screamed — yes, screamed — in a voice that echoed like thunder within the soul.
The statues froze.
Then... they began to crumble.
Like ancient stone stripped of purpose. Like warriors finally freed from an eternal burden.
Kael dropped to his knees, gasping. His arms trembled. The light of the blessing still pulsed in his chest, but he knew — he had scraped the very edge of his limits.
Erika approached, eyes full of adrenaline and relief.
"You... killed their heart."
"No. I just... broke the link." He looked toward the throne — now silent. No presence. No threat. "It was a trial. A warning. Or maybe... a reminder."
She nodded, helping him to his feet. "So what's the lesson?"
Kael looked down at the shattered stones of the fallen warriors.
"That it's not enough to be chosen... you have to survive being chosen."
