"Luckily, the heroes left the Heroic Decree with us." The human continued while pulling something from his spatial ring.
It was a spherical object, about the size of a fist. As soon as it appeared, the whole hall was flooded with an intense golden aura. In that instant, Alm and Bruno’s eyes sparkled.
"This should prove what I said. The Heroic Decree will allow us to manipulate part of the seal, making it easier to locate and reach the soul fragment."
Mistie and everyone from the sect nodded, understanding. The Decree would only be useful if a true order had been given. As protectors of the planet, they couldn’t allow anyone from the outside in, except the heroes. That’s why those companions of the heroes showed so much respect when arriving, asking for permission and explaining everything clearly.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
’We have two options,’ Alm pondered coldly. ’We could throw everything away, use the Space-Time Beasts to silence everyone here, and then run and hide.’
’Or we go with the flow,’ Bruno added. ’I don’t feel that much danger right now. Maybe this is an opportunity. We managed to free the Phoenix because that Dragon created a gap in the seal. If we can steal this so-called "Heroic Decree" without them discovering our disguise, we can use it to sneak into the seals.’
Alm sighed. ’The chances of this going horribly wrong are huge. How are we going to steal it without raising suspicion? This second option could put our allies at risk; we might not be able to escape.’
’Either we screw everything up, or we risk screwing ourselves over. No point in overthinking it. Our allies aren’t a burden we have to carry and protect. If it goes wrong, everyone will fight to escape,’ Bruno commented, always impulsive as usual.
If their group members even suspected they were seen as a burden, they would be filled with despair, preferring to die right there. Everyone was using every second to cultivate and follow the whale’s orders; they just wanted to be useful at the right moment.
In this situation, the potential gains made the risk worth it. Alm reflected on this, accepting it. He had to trust the people by his side.
At that moment, a green screen appeared in front of them.
[01 Optional Quest Available!]
[Steal the Heroic Master Key]
[Reward 01: +10 Celestial Points]
[Reward 02: Divine Level Celestial Knowledge, outside traditional options, of your choice]
[Accept?] [Yes / No]
Alm and Bruno quickly read the message, their eyes widening.
’Master Key? This must be the Heroic Decree, so it’s way more important than we thought,’ Bruno murmured, surprised. ’By the name... does that mean we can use it in all kinds of heroic formations? Even in the sealed worlds?’
’Hard to say, maybe not us, but Ruri, with this in hand, might eventually learn to use it. Heaven’s Will is subtly indicating like a thunderbolt that we need to get this no matter what,’ Alm replied quickly.
Without much hesitation, both had already agreed to follow this plan and accepted the mission. Meanwhile, the people in the meeting were discussing the details. At that moment, Mistie asked mentally:
’You...’
’I’ll go with you,’ they answered promptly.
A few minutes later, Mistie informed them that she and her dean would accompany them to ensure nothing went wrong. No one opposed it; after all, if something happened, the protective sect would be held responsible. The leader was being cautious.
Everyone quickly moved into a formation in the building’s basement. On the way, Alm and Bruno sent a message through the array to the other allies: ’Ruri, contact Nebai and prepare an emergency escape formation. The rest, stay alert.’
When they arrived in the basement, they saw a dozen High Elders guarding the entrance and felt the presence of dozens more inside, all extremely vigilant.
Mistie mentally explained that the place they were going to was completely isolated from the outside world and could only be accessed through the formation. Even those Feys with Dragon bloodline traits couldn’t gain any benefits there, and all past attempts resulted in death.
Only the draconic beasts that once inhabited the planet could enter there and cultivate, enhancing their understanding of the bloodline. That’s why the sect had invited them to live on the planet, without losing anything and gaining powerful allies. However, those beasts had left, leaving the place empty and unused.
The High Elders received the orders and prepared the teleport, organizing the movement of hundreds of people at once, which would take a few minutes. In the meantime, Mistie communicated mentally:
’I bought information in the Larinar market about those ungrateful beasts. They’re all living on a planet in the core of the galaxy, under the command of the Shadow God sect. The Chaos Yang Dragon must have offered them benefits back then. He certainly also promised that we would be destroyed and that they would reclaim this place.’
The whale just nodded. They had accounts to settle with the Shadow God sect, but they would deal with that at the right moment. Shortly after, the High Elders finished the preparations. Everyone moved to the center of the formation, and the surrounding space distorted.
In a matter of seconds, the large group found themselves in a small world. They were immediately surrounded by a chaotic and distorted atmosphere. The landscape seemed to fold in on itself, with fragments of reality blending, as if the space were in constant mutation.
Colored runes covered every surface, pulsing irregularly like uneven heartbeats. Illusions of dragons slithered across the shattered sky, and distant roars echoed through the distortions, sending chills down their spines. Suddenly, a dense draconic aura enveloped the group, suffocating them with overwhelming power.
At that moment, the old-looking human raised the ’Heroic Decree.’ Everyone felt the environment tremble slightly as the sealing formation runes reacted to his command. Soon, the group could breathe freely, relieved from the crushing pressure that felt like it would destroy them.
"Let’s go; the fragment should be in the central rune." The human pointed with a firm gesture and moved forward, gripping the golden sphere tightly.
Everyone walked with great caution. Among them were many beast races, all feeling immense suppression. They took a deep breath, and soon, a golden rune lit up on their foreheads. This quickly alleviated the pressure on them.
The heroes’ companions were all Empyreans, while Heze was the only one of Ancestral level. Alm and Bruno understood the Leviathan’s intentions: that young man, claiming to be his son, was being trained to the max to become a hero. Compared to the other beasts, the Leviathan was of a lower tier. But he could create a hero and elevate his bloodline to stardom.
They advanced for two hours in a straight line. During that time, Alm and Bruno sensed something strange with their divine souls.
Without hesitation, they began to consume the power of their divine souls to perceive every inch of that place. After another hour of exploration, they sighed mentally, relieved but also surprised.
’There’s no fragment of divine soul or lingering will in this world,’ Bruno stated with total certainty. ’But that seems wrong...’
’Our technique is based on the Law of Origin, which is almost completely unknown to us. All consciousness possesses this law. Maybe by using it to kill that Dragon, we even destroyed this law within his soul. That was 99% of his power; with its destruction, the fragment of the divine soul couldn’t hold up and disappeared,’ Alm pondered, developing a theory.
The two reflected on the possibility. If this were true, they had found a way to kill even an immortal being easily. If they could really use the Law of Origin and its power correctly, it would be the ultimate weapon for their goal.
They continued for another half hour until, finally, a golden beacon appeared ahead. It emerged from the ground and extended high, radiating intense light. In the center, floating, was a one-meter golden rune. Just like all the seals they had seen, this rune was the core of the seal, connected to the sealed beast.
The human took a deep breath, raising the golden sphere in his hands. The faint glow it emitted seemed insignificant against the surrounding chaos. A few seconds passed, and a suffocating silence spread, as if the world was holding its breath, waiting.
But nothing happened.
He frowned, murmuring, "Maybe he..."
The words died in his throat. Suddenly, the entire environment froze. The distorted chaos of the place abruptly halted; it felt as if time and space itself had come to a complete stop.
The invaders exchanged confused glances. The silence was now unbearable, and no one could move until they felt something terrible.
One by one, their hearts began to beat uncontrollably, racing with such intensity that it felt like they would explode. Their souls trembled, as if something invisible was squeezing them.
An oppressive and icy presence began to crawl over their bodies, the feeling of death hanging over them, tangible and suffocating.
Then a voice echoed, cold as the void, infused with ancient hatred. "You dared... great. Finally, I will see blood after so long..."
The voice carried a contempt that cut through the air, and then a colossal shadow emerged on the horizon. A serpentine and primordial presence brought with it a deep terror, impossible to rationalize.
The human tried to speak, but his voice came out trembling, almost inaudible. "The... dragon... impossible..."
"DIE!"
The word sounded like a cruel verdict, laced with malice. The laws of that place reacted as if the universe itself obeyed that sentence. The invincible power descended upon them from all sides, so fast and absolute that no thought of defense even surfaced. In that final moment, they all felt it. It was the end.