Chapter 103: Chapter 98: The Battle for the Archive
# Chapter 97: The Battle for the Archive (Part 1)
The wolf guardian lowered its body.
Golden light flowed through the cracks in its crystalline armor like molten metal, spreading across its limbs until every movement radiated overwhelming pressure.
The chamber fell silent.
Even the clash between the ancient constructs and the Void Burrowers seemed distant for a brief moment.
John stared at the creature without blinking.
Its strength exceeded anything he had encountered since arriving beneath the mountains.
The Stone Maw had been powerful.
The Abyss Guardian had been terrifying.
This was different.
This enemy moved with purpose.
It adapted.
It analyzed.
It hunted.
The system quietly displayed a single notification.
**[High-Level Combat Prediction Active]**
John exhaled slowly.
Dark mist escaped from between his fangs.
Around him, the others prepared themselves.
Aerion shifted his footing, his silver blade pointing toward the floor.
Lythriel twirled her spear once before resting it across her shoulder.
Despite the danger, she still smiled.
Sylvara raised her staff, green mana flowing around her feet and spreading through the crystal floor like living roots.
Behind them, Thargrum barked orders to the dwarven warriors.
"Shield wall!"
Heavy shields slammed together.
Runes ignited.
The line solidified.
The ancient constructs moved beside them without hesitation.
For the first time, dwarves and forgotten machines stood shoulder to shoulder.
John found the sight strangely fitting.
Ancient defenders protecting ancient knowledge.
The wolf guardian growled.
The sound echoed through the tower like thunder rolling through mountains.
Then it disappeared.
The floor exploded beneath its paws.
John barely reacted in time.
He twisted his body as enormous claws swept past his neck.
The attack missed by inches.
The shockwave behind it shattered three crystal pillars.
John retaliated instantly.
His tail whipped sideways.
The impact struck the guardian squarely across its ribs.
The creature slid backward several meters before digging its claws into the floor.
Golden sparks scattered everywhere.
No real damage.
Its armor had become even tougher.
John narrowed his eyes.
It had evolved its defenses during the fight.
The realization unsettled him.
The wolf charged again.
This time Aerion intercepted.
Silver mana erupted around his sword.
The blade collided with crystal claws.
An explosion of light filled the chamber.
Aerion slid backward but maintained his stance.
The guardian lunged again.
Before it could reach him, Lythriel arrived from above.
"Sky Fang!"
Her spear struck the creature’s shoulder.
The impact cracked part of its armor.
The wolf snarled and twisted its body.
Its tail lashed outward.
Lythriel crossed her spear to block.
The collision sent her flying across the chamber.
She rolled twice before stopping against a broken column.
"...That hurt."
She stood anyway.
John almost laughed.
Almost.
The battle left little room for humor.
Sylvara planted her staff into the ground.
The green mana surrounding her spread rapidly.
Roots burst from beneath the crystal floor.
Unlike before, they did not attack.
Instead, they wrapped around broken pillars and fallen debris.
Within seconds, the battlefield transformed.
Stone barriers rose.
Crystal spikes emerged from the ground.
The open chamber became a maze.
The wolf guardian slowed.
Its movements became cautious.
Sylvara smiled softly.
"I don’t need to stop it."
"I just need to make it think."
The creature took one step.
Then another.
A massive crystal spike erupted beneath it.
The guardian leaped aside.
Exactly as Sylvara intended.
John was already waiting.
Dark energy gathered around his claws.
"Abyssal Claw!"
His strike landed across the guardian’s chest.
For the first time, black crystal armor shattered completely.
Golden energy spilled from the wound.
The guardian roared.
The entire tower trembled.
Then something unexpected happened.
The red warning lights vanished.
Blue light returned to the chamber.
The ancient voice echoed overhead.
"Archive stability restored."
Every construct immediately ceased attacking.
The remaining Void Burrowers retreated into the corridors.
Even the wolf guardian stepped backward.
Its golden eyes remained fixed on John.
Neither side moved.
The mechanical voice continued.
"Primary archive requests audience."
Silence filled the chamber.
Lythriel slowly lowered her spear.
"...Did..."
She looked around.
"...did the tower just interrupt our fight?"
Aerion sheathed his blade halfway.
"It appears so."
One of the dwarves scratched his beard.
"I’ve never seen enemies politely stop fighting before."
Thargrum answered without taking his eyes off the guardian.
"Neither have I."
The wolf took one final step backward.
Golden light surrounded its body.
Its wounds closed instantly.
Then, without another sound, it turned and walked toward the deeper levels of the tower.
The remaining Burrowers followed.
Within moments, they disappeared into darkness.
The chamber became quiet once more.
Only broken pillars and scattered crystal fragments remained to prove that a battle had taken place.
John stared after the retreating guardian.
Something about its behavior bothered him.
It had not fled.
It had obeyed.
Someone—or something—had commanded it to withdraw.
The ancient voice spoke again.
"Dragon designated John."
"Permission granted."
"Proceed to the Hall of Memory."
The system activated immediately.
**[Main Quest Updated]**
**Secrets Beneath the Mountain**
Objective:
Reach the Hall of Memory
Progress: **58%**
Reward:
Unknown
John looked toward the staircase that had just illuminated on the far side of the chamber.
Thousands of glowing runes stretched upward into the darkness.
The path ahead had finally opened.
Whatever answers the ancient civilization had left behind were waiting above.
And deep inside his mind, the strange sense of familiarity returned once again.
It was stronger now.
As though every step toward the tower’s heart was bringing him closer to something he had forgotten long before this life began.
Without another word, John began climbing the ancient stairs.
His companions followed close behind.
None of them noticed the small crystal hidden high within the ceiling.
Inside it, a pair of golden eyes silently watched them leave.
Patient.
Observant.
Waiting for the moment when the Dragon of Greenwood would finally reach the deepest chamber of the forgotten tower.
The climb seemed endless.
The spiral staircase wrapped around the inside of the colossal tower, disappearing into darkness above while fading into the depths below.
Every step echoed softly against the black crystal.
No wind blew inside the tower.
No insects buzzed.
No dripping water disturbed the silence.
Only footsteps.
John led the expedition from the front, his massive body forcing everyone else to keep a respectful distance behind him.
Dark mist drifted from his nostrils with every slow breath.
His sharp eyes scanned every corner.
The battle with the Archive Sentinel had ended too abruptly.
That alone made him uneasy.
Lythriel climbed beside him, twirling her spear absentmindedly.
"So..."
John glanced sideways.
"So?"
"If we survive this place..."
"What about it?"
"We’re taking a vacation."
John blinked.
"A vacation?"
"Yes."
"No monsters."
"No ruins."
"No ancient civilizations."
"No giant underground cities."
She counted each point on her fingers.
"Just food."
"A bed."
"And maybe a lake."
Sylvara laughed softly behind them.
"I actually like that idea."
Aerion sighed.
"I doubt fate will be so kind."
The elf looked upward dramatically.
"You’re ruining the mood."
The conversation eased the tension.
Even the dwarves behind them smiled.
For a few moments, the impossible tower felt less oppressive.
Then the staircase ended.
The group stepped into an enormous circular chamber.
Everyone stopped.
The room looked like a library.
Except no books remained.
Instead, thousands of floating crystals filled the air.
Some were no larger than a fist.
Others were taller than houses.
They drifted silently through the chamber, connected by strands of glowing mana that resembled constellations in the night sky.
The entire room shimmered with pale blue light.
Sylvara’s eyes widened.
"...Beautiful."
Even Thargrum stood speechless.
The old dwarf removed his helmet.
His people respected history.
Standing inside this place felt like standing inside history itself.
At the center of the chamber stood a single pedestal.
Upon it rested a crystal sphere no larger than an apple.
Unlike every other crystal, this one glowed gold.
John felt his heartbeat quicken.
The strange pull inside him intensified.
Every instinct urged him forward.
The system remained silent.
No warnings.
No notifications.
Nothing.
John slowly approached the pedestal.
Behind him, everyone remained still.
No one wanted to interrupt whatever was happening.
His claws stopped inches from the golden sphere.
The crystal suddenly floated upward.
Light erupted throughout the chamber.
Every floating crystal awakened at once.
Images appeared everywhere.
The ancient city returned.
Children laughed.
Markets bustled with life.
Flying machines crossed the underground sky.
Gigantic dragons rested beside crystal towers while scholars walked fearlessly around them.
The vision expanded.
More cities appeared.
Forests.
Mountains.
Oceans.
An entire civilization spread across the world.
John watched silently.
The dragons in the memories did not rule.
Nor were they servants.
They stood beside the ancient people as equals.
Partners.
Protectors.
Researchers.
Builders.
The sight surprised everyone.
Lythriel whispered,
"So the stories were wrong."
Thargrum slowly nodded.
"My ancestors believed dragons only brought destruction."
Sylvara smiled faintly.
"Looks like history forgot a few things."
The visions changed.
Dark clouds covered the skies.
Cities burned.
Massive constructs marched through battlefields.
Countless dragons fought beside armies of four-armed beings.
The war reached every corner of the world.
Explosions brighter than sunlight filled the heavens.
Then the images flickered.
Fragments disappeared.
As though parts of history had been erased.
The projection froze.
A single figure appeared.
Tall.
Robed.
Four arms folded behind its back.
Its face remained hidden beneath a hood.
Yet its voice filled the chamber.
"If this archive has awakened..."
"...then our people are already gone."
Silence spread across the room.
The recording continued.
"We leave not because we have lost..."
"...but because staying would doom those who remain."
The figure turned toward the sky.
"Our knowledge shall sleep."
"Our guardians shall endure."
"Our memory shall wait."
The image slowly looked toward John.
Impossible.
The recording was ancient.
Thousands of years old.
Yet it felt as though the figure could truly see him.
"When the black dragon returns..."
"...the path shall open once more."
The projection vanished.
Every crystal dimmed.
The room fell silent.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Lythriel slowly turned toward John.
"...Did it just mention you?"
John remained frozen.
The words echoed inside his mind.
The black dragon returns.
Returns.
Not arrives.
Returns.
The distinction unsettled him.
The system finally activated.
**[Historical Archive Synchronization Complete]**
**Synchronization: 10%**
**New Records Unlocked**
Before John could read further—
The chamber trembled violently.
A deafening alarm echoed throughout the tower.
Red light flooded the Hall of Memory.
The mechanical voice returned.
For the first time since entering the city...
It sounded afraid.
"Emergency."
"External containment breach."
"Hostile force entering Central Tower."
The crystal windows surrounding the chamber became transparent.
Far below, fires burned across the ancient city.
Thousands of Void Burrowers surged through the streets.
Crystal guardians met them in battle.
Entire districts had become battlefields.
But John’s attention focused elsewhere.
Standing atop a distant rooftop was a lone figure wrapped in black robes.
Its face could not be seen.
Yet its gaze remained fixed on the tower.
On John.
Slowly, the figure raised one hand.
The ground beneath the city split apart.
An enormous roar echoed from the darkness below.
Even the Archive Sentinel that had fought them earlier stepped backward.
As though fearing what was awakening.
The mechanical voice repeated only one sentence.
Again and again.
"Priority One."
"Protect the Archive."
"Priority One."
"Protect the Archive."
John spread his wings.
Dark mana gathered around his claws.
His companions drew their weapons.
Whatever had arrived beneath the city...
Even the ancient guardians feared it.
And the battle for the forgotten civilization was far from over.
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100 ps = 1 extra Chapter
200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter
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