Chapter 107: Chapter 102: The Heralds of the Void
The black crystal pulsed once.
**THUMP.**
It sounded like the heartbeat of a living creature.
The instant it appeared, the atmosphere inside the Eternal Archive changed.
The warm golden radiance that had illuminated the chamber for countless ages recoiled as though it feared the object in Cassian’s hand.
Thin strands of darkness spread across the crystal floor.
Not shadows.
Corruption.
The runes carved into the walls flickered violently.
One by one, they dimmed.
The Heart Beneath spoke again, its ancient voice no longer calm.
"...You should never have brought that here."
Cassian smiled.
"And yet I did."
He gently raised the crystal.
"My predecessors searched for this place for nearly three thousand years."
"They failed."
"The generation before them failed."
"But every fortress has a weakness."
"And every prison eventually opens."
Aerion stepped forward, his sword gleaming with silver mana.
"I don’t know who you are..."
"...but whatever you’re planning ends now."
Without warning, he vanished.
A streak of silver flashed through the chamber.
His sword reached Cassian’s throat in less than a heartbeat.
Clang!
A translucent barrier materialized around Cassian.
Aerion’s blade struck it, sending sparks in every direction.
The barrier rippled but did not break.
Cassian did not even flinch.
"I expected better from the Sword Saint of the Western Kingdom."
Aerion’s eyes narrowed.
"You know me."
"I know everyone worth knowing."
Before Aerion could strike again, Darius moved.
The giant warrior swung his warhammer.
Aerion twisted sideways just in time.
The hammer crashed into the crystal floor.
**BOOOOOOM!**
The impact created a crater nearly twenty meters across.
Fragments of crystal flew through the air.
Lythriel whistled.
"...That’s definitely not normal."
John was already moving.
Dark mana exploded around his wings.
He shot toward Cassian while Aerion engaged Darius.
If the black crystal was truly connected to the Void, destroying it took priority over everything else.
Cassian noticed.
"So you’re the dragon."
John answered with his claws.
**CRAAAASH!**
Darkness collided against the shimmering barrier.
This time, tiny cracks appeared across its surface.
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting."
"So the reports weren’t exaggerated."
John didn’t stop.
He unleashed another barrage of strikes.
Each slash landed harder than the last.
The barrier trembled.
Cracks multiplied.
Selene finally stepped forward.
The silver-haired woman unsheathed both curved blades.
Blue mana enveloped her body.
She disappeared.
John sensed danger an instant before she appeared behind him.
Her blades crossed toward his neck.
John folded one wing backward.
Metal met obsidian scales.
Sparks erupted.
The force pushed him several meters away.
Selene landed gracefully.
She smiled.
"Fast."
John flexed his claws.
"So are you."
Neither attacked immediately.
Both understood.
The other was dangerous.
Meanwhile, the dwarves had formed another defensive line around the wounded.
Thargrum pointed his axe toward the newcomers.
"No one reaches the scholars!"
A chorus of determined voices answered him.
"For the Mountain!"
The dwarves slammed their shields together.
Runes blazed across the defensive formation.
Sylvara stood behind them, her staff glowing emerald green.
Roots burst from cracks in the floor once again.
Unlike before, these vines wrapped around the spreading corruption instead of an enemy.
Wherever the roots touched the darkness, both forces hissed violently.
"It’s slowing it down," Sylvara called.
"But I can’t stop it forever!"
The Heart Beneath watched everything in silence.
Its immense golden eyes shifted toward John.
"...Dragon..."
John glanced toward the abyss while avoiding another slash from Selene.
"What?"
"...The crystal."
"...Do not allow it..."
"...to reach me."
John’s heart sank.
If that black crystal touched the ancient being...
Whatever prison existed beneath the Archive might collapse completely.
Cassian laughed.
"You still believe you have a choice."
He lifted the crystal higher.
Dark energy spiraled around it.
The corruption spreading through the chamber accelerated.
The kneeling Archive Breaker trembled violently.
Its golden eyes flickered.
Gold.
Crimson.
Gold.
Crimson.
The giant struggled against something unseen.
Then it roared.
Not in rage.
In agony.
The sound echoed throughout the tower.
Far beyond the chamber, hundreds of answering roars echoed back.
John looked toward the tunnels leading deeper into the Archive.
His expression hardened.
"They’re waking up."
Aerion landed beside him after forcing Darius backward.
"I sensed them."
"How many?"
Aerion was silent for a moment.
"...Too many."
Heavy footsteps began echoing from every corridor.
One pair.
Then another.
Then dozens.
The sound grew louder with each passing second.
Lythriel tightened her grip on her spear.
"I was hoping today would become less exciting."
"No such luck."
John couldn’t help smiling despite the situation.
"You still have time to run."
She rolled her eyes.
"And miss all the fun?"
"Not happening."
Cassian watched their exchange with amusement.
"I admire your courage."
"It will make your deaths more memorable."
John ignored the provocation.
Instead, he quietly addressed the system.
"Status."
A familiar blue screen appeared.
---
**Name:** John Davis
**Race:** Abyssal Dragon (Juvenile)
**Level:** 94
**Evolution Progress:** 81%
**Mana:** 61%
**Stamina:** 54%
**Bloodline Resonance:** 5% (Increasing)
**Warning:** Unknown Primordial Presence detected.
---
His mana reserves had dropped more than he realized.
The fight against the Archive Breaker had taken its toll.
Another prolonged battle would be dangerous.
The system issued another notification.
**[Quest Updated]**
**Primary Objective: Prevent Void Corruption from reaching the Heart Beneath.**
**Failure Consequence: Catastrophic.**
No further explanation appeared.
It didn’t need one.
John already understood.
A deep rumble echoed beneath them.
The Heart Beneath slowly closed its eyes.
Golden light gathered around its colossal form.
"...I have little strength remaining."
"...The seal weakens."
"...Listen carefully..."
Everyone instinctively fell silent.
"...Long before your kingdoms..."
"...Long before dragons ruled the skies..."
"...The Void came."
"...It sought not conquest..."
"...But erasure."
The chamber grew colder.
"...Entire civilizations vanished."
"...Not defeated."
"...Forgotten."
John frowned.
"Forgotten?"
"...History itself was consumed."
The scholars stared in horror.
For people who had devoted their lives to preserving knowledge, those words were more terrifying than any monster.
"...The Eternal Archive..."
"...was created..."
"...so memory would survive."
Cassian sighed dramatically.
"There you go again."
"Always clinging to the past."
He looked at John.
"Tell me, dragon."
"If you could build a perfect world..."
"...would you preserve every mistake?"
John didn’t answer.
Cassian continued.
"The Void offers something better."
"A beginning without suffering."
"A universe free from endless cycles of war."
Aerion’s expression remained cold.
"A paradise built upon annihilation isn’t paradise."
Cassian chuckled.
"That’s one way to see it."
His smile slowly disappeared.
"But ideals no longer matter."
He crushed the black crystal in his hand.
It shattered.
Instead of breaking apart...
It dissolved into liquid darkness.
The corruption exploded outward like a tidal wave.
The Archive Breaker threw back its head and roared.
Its remaining golden eye turned completely crimson.
One after another, crimson lights ignited throughout every corridor surrounding the chamber.
Thousands of guardians had awakened.
This time...
Every one of them served the Void.
John spread his wings.
Dark mana gathered around his claws once more.
He looked at Aerion, Lythriel, Sylvara, and Thargrum.
No words were needed.
They had all reached the same conclusion.
If they fell here...
The corruption would spread beyond the Eternal Archive.
And the world above would be next.
The first wave of corrupted guardians charged into the chamber.
The battle for the Heart Beneath had begun.
---
100 ps = 1 extra Chapter
200 ps = 2 Extra Chapter
1 Golden ticket = 3 Extra Chapter
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