Chapter 855: The Pyramid [Monthly Bonus 1]
Celestia kept her eyes closed for several seconds as she awaited the feedback, frowning soon after.
[I’ve figured out the general direction, but something’s interfering with my senses.]
Turning to Arthur, she continued.
[It’s similar to that time in Aeturn.]
Hearing this, Arthur immediately understood that the target fragment was probably inside a separate dimensional space, which further supported the theory that it had been hidden among the ’treasures’ for the Grand Festival’s dungeon runs.
When he explained this to Barda, the man nodded and said, "Let’s take a walk, then."
With that, he stepped forward in the direction Celestia pointed, and space folded, reducing their distance to the target by more than half.
He took another step, and space folded once more, bringing the trio to the centre of a large estate filled with thousands of people moving about.
Most of them wore coveralls and helmets, marking them as construction workers of some kind, while others dressed in bibs shouted instructions as they checked floating tablets before them.
At the centre of all this activity stood a massive pyramid, rising from the ground and reaching into the clouds above.
"It seems it’s a replica of the grave of the previous Master of the Universe. The Master of the ’Azure’ Reign..."
Arthur’s sudden words made both Barda and Celestia shift their gazes from the pyramid toward him, seeing him standing beside one of the people shouting orders.
However, said person was frozen in time, and Arthur was calmly scrolling through the tablet the man had been holding, as if nothing was out of the ordinary, while Elaine silently watched the motionless dragon, eyes filled with awe at Arthur’s ability to stop time.
After scanning through the information he wanted, he tossed the tablet back to the man and walked away, unfreezing him as he spoke to Barda.
"There’s a bunch of treasures on the top floor, so that’s our best bet."
"Let’s go then."
With that simple response, Barda warped them across the crowd and directly to the entrance.
As they stepped inside, their bodies phased through an invisible layer of energy, and once they reached the other side, Celestia’s eyes immediately moved upward.
She didn’t need to say anything for Arthur and Barda to understand where to head next.
This location had some kind of enchantment that blocked any means of long-distance spatial travel, likely as a way to stop challengers from simply teleporting straight to the top.
It didn’t work on Barda, though, so he simply scanned the entire internal layout of the pyramid, his eyebrow lifting slightly when he noticed something intriguing about its structure, before warping them directly to the top floor.
The top floor consisted of a wide hallway stretching into the distance, ending with a pair of double doors, likely the site of the final challenge.
"You take it from here, Arthur. I’m gonna check out the other dungeons in this place. They’re giving me some pretty good ideas for Altrishia."
With those words, Barda turned and teleported away, though Arthur caught him muttering the word ’Roguelikes’ just before he vanished.
Arthur had a bad feeling about that, but he pushed the thought aside to focus on Celestia’s fragment since that was the more pressing concern.
His senses immediately picked up a strong reaction coming from beyond the double doors at the end of the hallway, a clear sign that some kind of guardian was waiting inside.
’A dungeon boss, I suppose.’
With that thought, he turned to Elaine, who was quietly admiring the hallway, and she instantly turned around the moment she felt his gaze on her.
’I noticed this earlier, but she’s quite sensitive to being watched, isn’t she?’
"...is something wrong?"
She asked when he stayed silent, and Arthur simply pointed toward the door as he replied.
"There’s a pretty strong boss behind those doors, and things might end in a fight, so—"
"N-no!"
Arthur hadn’t even finished speaking before Elaine reached out and grabbed him, shaking her head repeatedly.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but suddenly froze and darted behind him, hiding from sight.
Seeing this, Arthur sighed and turned his head to the side, a hint of annoyance slipping into his voice as he addressed Celestia, who was glaring silently at Elaine.
"Celestia. Stop it."
[Tsk...]
Celestia clicked her tongue in irritation and turned away, while Arthur merely shook his head before turning back to Elaine.
"Now, I might have to fight whoever’s behind that door, and I can’t watch over you at the same time. If I get distracted, we could both end up hurt.
You don’t want that, do you?"
Elaine quietly shook her head, and seeing that, Arthur smiled and spoke.
"So you’ll just have to wait outside for a little while, alright? You won’t be alone. I’ll have Lostvayne stay with you."
He summoned Lostvayne as he said that, and the sword took on a humanoid form. However, Elaine only clung tighter to his arm, and seeing this, Arthur gently rubbed her head, speaking in a calm, coaxing tone.
"I’ll be done in a few minutes, okay? Nothing’s going to happen to you with Lostvayne around."
His words didn’t seem to ease her reluctance to be separated, but before he could say anything more, she suddenly released her grip, stepping closer as she said, "D-don’t take too long! And be careful!"
Arthur smiled at her words, patting her head as he replied.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be quick."
With that, he turned, and this time, Elaine released him willingly. He sent a mental message to Lostvayne before dashing toward the doors, pushing them open to reveal a vast, cold, and sterile space.
The walls were crumbling and cracked in several places, and at the centre stood a golem shaped like a Draconic Human, complete with horns, tail, and wings.
It was clad in simple battle armour but carried no visible weapons.
The moment Arthur entered, it turned toward him, the movement accompanied by a deep creaking sound.
[Intruder Confirmed.
Warning!
It is recommended that you leave within ten seconds. If you do not comply, or if you take hostile action, I am authorised to remove you with deadly force.]
It sounded like a standard automated warning before an attack, and hearing it, Arthur scanned the golem, his senses immediately locating a cluster of cosmic energy concentrated in its chest.
[10... 9... 8...]
’That’s probably the power source. Oh well, no need to break the thing.’
[7... 6... 5...]
With that thought, he raised his hands, intending to freeze the golem in time before proceeding with his business, but just as he roused his energy, the visor on the golem’s armour lit up with a red glow.
[Danger Level Rising. Engaging Elimination Protocol.]
"Huh?"
The golem released a massive burst of cosmic energy that pushed Arthur back several steps, the wave spreading out in every direction and forming a film of light around him, trapping him inside as the doors behind him slammed shut.
A white radiance then converged around the golem, glittering like countless stars as the light slowly expanded.
Arthur snapped his gaze to the golem, the distance between them turning to zero in a second, but that second was enough for the golem to activate its ability.
[Disintegration!]
And the star exploded.
The space was drowned in a white aurora, and an impact greater than anything Arthur had ever experienced struck his entire body.
Everything within the enclosed area was crushed, erased, and reduced to nothing as the raging light swept through the chamber, colourful particles whirling within the confined space.
The force of the storm tore through Arthur’s protective cosmic energy barrier—no, it ignored that layer entirely.
It disregarded defences, resistances, and Authority techniques alike, piercing through everything to inflict damage up to the extreme limit of what was allowed for Arthur’s existence realm.
Arthur immediately activated his Anti-Divine Gravity Authority, turning the golem into a gravitational well that drew his body towards it at incredible speed, straight through the storm of overwhelming energy.
He summoned Celestia in weapon form and swung at the golem’s chest, intending to slice through its power source instantly, but the golem evaded by leaping back and taking to the air, spreading its wings to maintain its height.
The intensity of the cosmic storm dropped by more than half the moment it moved, and it raised one hand, shaping a blade of cosmic energy around it before diving straight toward Arthur at breakneck speed.
Arthur had no intention of enduring any more damage than needed, so he immediately broke out the big gun.
’Aspect Manifestation: Time.’
He pointed his blade at the descending golem and declared,
|Chronosphere.|
Instantly, the golem was sealed within a sphere of blue energy with spinning rings encircling it, and the flow of time inside reduced to an absolute crawl.
Arthur dashed through the Chronosphere, his left fist cloaked in gravitational destruction, and punched through the immobilised golem’s chest, seizing its cosmic core and ripping it out without hesitation.
The aurora of cosmic energy faded instantly, dissolving into flickering sparks of dissipating light as the now-unfrozen golem collapsed to the ground.
Arthur descended, clicking his tongue as his eyes fell on the burns across his skin.
"Should’ve just destroyed the damn thing from the start."
He clicked his tongue again in irritation, then released his hold on Celestia in his right hand.
"Get your fragment, let’s get out of here."
Celestia instantly assumed her humanoid form and shot through the air, reaching the doors behind where the golem had stood and pushing them open to reveal an absurdly lavish chamber.
The ceiling, walls, and floor gleamed with gold so bright it stung Arthur’s eyes even from a hundred metres away. Piles of jewels and gold filled the space, while swords and other weapons were neatly arranged in a separate corner.
"This is supposed to be someone’s grave?"
[Kings were often buried with treasures since ancient times. Besides, dragons have always been fond of hoarding treasures, so it makes sense a dragon’s grave would be like this,] replied Lostvayne, whom Arthur turned to see standing by the now open doors.
He looked down just in time to see Elaine running toward him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Y-your hands...your face!"
The sight of his injuries left Elaine both frightened and worried, and seeing this, Arthur crouched down to meet her gaze and gently wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke.
"Don’t worry, I can handle small scratches like this easily."
He then snapped his fingers, making all his wounds vanish.
Elaine blinked in confusion at the sight, and Arthur smiled, showing her his arms as he spoke.
"See? Nothing left. Ah, don’t touch that core."
The girl heaved a visible sigh of relief at the sight of his unblemished arms, none the wiser that it was only a trick of light.
