Chapter 573: Proceeding Without Gabriel
Everyone looked toward Gabriel with confused expressions after he spoke.
ChaosCleric blinked twice as if he thought he heard wrong, while several Martial Palace members also turned their attention toward the masked man. Even Liang frowned slightly because the timing made little sense when they were already this close to the core chamber.
Gabriel remained calm under their gazes.
The shard inside his coat had been reacting more strongly the deeper they entered the tomb, and after crossing the bridge, the reaction had become impossible to ignore. The thing almost felt warm against his chest now, and although Gabriel did not fully understand what it contained, he knew this was not the time to ignore it.
"I need some time," Gabriel said. "You can proceed without me."
Silence followed those words for a moment.
Several ChaosKnight members immediately looked uneasy because nobody wanted to continue deeper into the tomb without the person who had carried them through most of the dangerous sections. Even the Martial Palace members quietly exchanged glances after hearing it.
ChaosCleric rubbed the side of his face tiredly. "Proceed without you? Inside this place?"
"You survived before meeting me," Gabriel replied calmly. "You can survive a little longer."
ChaosCleric opened his mouth but failed to argue properly. The problem was that everyone there knew things had changed after Gabriel joined them. Their survival rate had increased too much to pretend otherwise.
IceQueen folded her arms and stared at him carefully. "What exactly are you doing?"
Gabriel looked toward her briefly before shifting his gaze away again. He could not explain the shard, and even if he could, he had no intention of revealing something connected to the knight and the core suppressing spike.
"Something personal," he answered simply.
Liang narrowed his eyes slightly at that response.
The Martial Palace members behind him also became more alert because "personal" inside a tomb usually meant a hidden inheritance, secret methods, or resources someone did not want others to see. Gabriel could feel their curiosity immediately, but he ignored it.
VV suddenly stepped forward.
"I will stay."
Several people immediately looked toward the armored figure.
Even Gabriel paused for half a second because VV rarely spoke voluntarily, especially around this many people. The tone behind the helmet remained calm, but there was no hesitation in the statement either.
ChaosCleric pointed at VV in disbelief. "You want to stay behind too?"
VV nodded once.
Gabriel studied the armored figure quietly.
Normally, he did not trust people easily. Most of the time, he preferred working alone because relying on others created unnecessary risks, but for some reason, he did not reject the idea immediately this time.
Part of it was because VV had already proven reliable several times.
Another reason was because Gabriel could tell the figure had no interest in prying into his secrets. VV watched him differently compared to the others. There was curiosity and interest there, but not greed.
IceQueen stepped forward next.
"Fine," she said. "If VV stays, I stay too."
Gabriel immediately shook his head.
"No."
IceQueen frowned slightly. "Why?"
"Because someone needs to watch the group," Gabriel replied. "You are stronger than most of them. If both of you stay behind, the rest become easier targets."
His gaze briefly swept across the remaining players while he spoke.
Several ChaosKnight members immediately looked awkward after hearing that because they understood what he meant. The deeper they went, the more dangerous the tomb became, and without IceQueen or Gabriel nearby, they would become vulnerable quickly.
IceQueen clicked her tongue softly. "You say it like babysitting."
"It is babysitting," Gabriel answered without hesitation.
A few Martial Palace members snorted quietly at that.
ChaosCleric looked offended for a second before remembering the river incident and lowering his head again. Technically, Gabriel was not wrong.
In fact, he had never been wrong since coming here.
IceQueen stared at Gabriel for several seconds after that.
Her fingers tapped lightly against her arm, clearly reluctant to leave him behind, but she also understood his reasoning. If another large scale fight happened ahead, the remaining group would need someone capable of leading them properly.
Eventually, she exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
Gabriel gave a small nod.
Liang observed the exchange silently before speaking again.
"We will continue moving ahead slowly. If you are delayed too long, we may not wait."
"That is your decision," Gabriel replied calmly.
The Martial Palace group soon began moving again afterward.
IceQueen gave Gabriel one final look before turning away and following after them alongside the remaining ChaosKnight members. ChaosCleric looked like he wanted to complain more, but after seeing Gabrielโs expression, he thought better of it and simply followed the others quietly.
The chamber gradually became emptier.
Footsteps echoed farther away until only Gabriel and VV remained behind near the broken stone path beside the bridge chamber. The sound of distant water still echoed quietly behind them.
VV looked toward Gabriel afterward.
"What are we doing?"
Gabriel glanced at the armored figure briefly.
Even now, hearing VV speak this much still felt slightly strange to him because the person usually communicated through silence or small gestures more often than actual words. The fact that VV had voluntarily stayed behind and continued asking questions showed clear interest.
And the reason for all this was because of his strength.
Gabriel nodded toward a nearby rock formation.
"Watch over me for a few minutes," he said.
VV tilted the helmet slightly. "That simple?"
"Yes."
Gabriel walked toward the large stone and sat down carefully.
The pressure from the shard had grown even stronger after separating from the others. It almost felt alive now, pulsing faintly against his chest as if reacting to something deeper inside the tomb.
VV remained standing nearby with a sword in hand.
The armored figure positioned itself slightly to Gabrielโs left where both the bridge and tunnel entrance remained visible.
Gabriel reached into his coat afterward and carefully removed the memory shard.
The crystal looked darker now compared to earlier, and faint lines of light moved inside it slowly like trapped smoke. Gabriel stared at it silently for a moment before narrowing his eyes.
VV glanced toward the shard once. "Need help?"
Gabriel shook his head.
"No. Just make sure nothing interrupts me."
VV gave another short nod and tightened the grip on the sword slightly.
Normally, extracting memory fragments required careful preparation, but Gabriel had already realized this shard reacted differently from ordinary items. The thing almost seemed eager to merge with him the closer he came to the core.
Instead of trying to absorb it slowly, Gabriel simply tightened his grip around the shard.
CRACK!
Thin fractures spread across the crystal instantly.
VVโs helmet shifted slightly at the sound while Gabriel calmly crushed the rest inside his palm. The broken fragments immediately dissolved into black silver dust before he could even drop them.
The dust moved strangely. Part of it slipped through his nostrils naturally while the rest sank directly into his pores and skin without resistance. Gabrielโs eyes narrowed faintly as cold pressure flooded into his mind almost instantly.
The surrounding chamber started becoming blurry.
The sound of the river faded first.
After that, even the torchlight around the walls began distorting slightly while Gabrielโs breathing slowed unconsciously. Strange images flickered faintly at the edge of his vision, too fast to fully understand yet impossible to ignore.
VV noticed the shift immediately.
The armored figure stepped closer by instinct but stopped after seeing Gabriel raise one hand slightly, signaling not to interfere.
The pressure around Gabriel became heavier afterward.
Small currents of qi leaked from his body unconsciously while the blurred surroundings continued distorting more and more around him.
