Chapter 15 – The Gate of Stars
The forest burned behind them as torches closed in like a swarm of crimson fireflies. Chen Yue could feel the killing intent of a hundred knights pressing against his back, their battle auras flaring like blazing suns. Every instinct screamed that they wouldn't survive another clash—not in his current state.
[System Alert]
Host Energy Levels: 32%
Forbidden Protocol: Stellar Gate Escape – Confirm Activation?
Warning: Severe Qi Depletion. System Features Will Lock Temporarily. Proceed?
Chen Yue's gaze flicked to Ayara, still weak but awake now, her silver eyes locked on him with trust—and something deeper. Velira stood on his other side, her frost-laden mana pulsing like a restrained storm, her face still cold, yet a shadow of uncertainty lingered in her eyes.
They were both waiting for him to decide.
He drew a sharp breath.
"Do it."
The System screamed as if tearing itself apart.
[Stellar Gate Escape Initiated]
Qi Reserves: Purging…
Space-Time Anchors Unlocked.
Constructing Dimensional Rift…
A blinding pillar of light erupted beneath Chen Yue's feet, spreading into intricate runes that spiraled outward like a living constellation. The ground cracked open, glowing with starfire, as if the heavens themselves were being dragged to earth.
Ardyn froze mid-step, his cruel smirk vanishing.
"A spatial rift?! Impossible!"
His shout tore through the air.
"Stop him! NOW!"
Knights roared and charged, crimson spears blazing. Velira raised her hands, summoning a wall of frozen spikes to block their path. The first wave of soldiers smashed against it, shards exploding in all directions. Her face twisted in strain, sweat running down her temples.
"Chen Yue! Hurry!"
The runes beneath him pulsed violently, the air warping as a gate of shimmering starlight blossomed before them—a doorway to somewhere beyond this world.
But then Ardyn moved.
One moment he stood among his knights; the next, he was a shadow of lightning and blood, crossing the distance in a heartbeat. His obsidian blade, humming with runes of annihilation, swung toward Chen Yue with a killing intent so sharp it split the very air.
"You're not leaving!"
Chen Yue turned, teeth gritted, and raised his sword. Qi erupted from his core, every last drop igniting like an inferno.
Steel met steel.
The impact detonated like a thunderclap. Chen Yue's arms shook violently; his bones screamed in agony. The backlash hurled him backward toward the forming gate, blood spraying from his lips.
Ardyn pressed forward, his blade cutting through the shimmering runes like paper.
"No one escapes me, boy. NO ONE."
And then Velira moved.
Her frost aura exploded, condensing into a blizzard of spears that rained upon Ardyn like a hailstorm of steel. Her voice was a roar, wild and desperate:
"Touch him and DIE!"
Ardyn snarled, swinging his blade in an arc of crimson death that shredded the frozen barrage like glass. But the opening was enough.
Chen Yue surged forward, grabbed Ayara in one arm, and caught Velira by the wrist.
"Hold on!"
The Stellar Gate flared.
Light swallowed them whole.
[Dimensional Transfer Complete]
Destination: Unknown Coordinates – Forbidden Zone Detected.
Warning: Qi Reserves Depleted. System Lock Initiated for 24 Hours.
They crashed onto solid ground with bone-jarring force. The world tilted; Chen Yue barely managed to roll so Ayara didn't hit the stone floor headfirst. Pain ripped through his body like fire ants eating his veins, but he forced himself to stay conscious.
When his vision cleared, his breath caught.
They were in a vast cavern of crystalline stone, glowing with a faint, eerie luminescence. The walls pulsed with veins of azure light, and the air was thick—not with mana, but something older, heavier… Qi. He could feel it, saturating the atmosphere like a living ocean.
Ayara stirred weakly beside him, her lips parting in awe.
"Where… are we?"
Chen Yue managed a grim smile.
"The Forbidden Lands."
Velira sat up, her face pale but her eyes sharp as blades.
"You… dragged us into a death zone." Her voice trembled—not just with anger, but fear.
"Do you have any idea what lives here?"
Chen Yue met her gaze evenly.
"Anything that keeps Ardyn off our backs is worth the risk."
Velira clenched her fists. "You—" She stopped when Ayara whimpered softly and tried to sit up. The anger in Velira's eyes dimmed, replaced by something complicated, as she silently helped Ayara lean against a rock.
Chen Yue forced himself to his feet, every muscle screaming in protest. His System interface flickered faintly, then dimmed to black.
[System Offline for 24 Hours]
Reason: Absolute Qi Depletion. Recovery Required.
Chen Yue swallowed hard. Great. We're blind in enemy territory.
He scanned the cavern, senses stretched thin. The place was enormous, its ceiling lost in shadow. Strange glyphs glowed faintly on the walls, pulsing in rhythm with the veins of blue crystal. The energy here was so dense it made his skin prickle.
Then he felt it—a gaze.
Cold. Ancient. Watching.
"We're not alone," he murmured.
Velira stiffened. "What?"
A soft sound echoed from the darkness—like footsteps on stone, light and deliberate. Then a figure emerged from the shadows.
A woman.
Tall and slender, her long hair cascading like midnight silk streaked with silver. Her robes shimmered with starlight patterns, flowing like liquid moonlight. But what drew Chen Yue's breath was her eyes—amethyst, deep and luminous, swirling with galaxies.
Her presence was overwhelming—not mana, not even raw Qi, but something beyond both. She moved with the grace of a dream, her bare feet barely touching the glowing floor as she approached.
Ayara's breath hitched. Velira's hand flew to her sword.
The woman stopped a few steps away, her gaze sweeping over the three of them before settling on Chen Yue. Her voice, when it came, was soft and melodious—but it carried a weight that made the cavern tremble.
"So… the Fragment Bearer has finally come."
Chen Yue froze.
"…You know me?"
The woman's lips curved into the faintest smile.
"Not you. The power you carry. The Nameless Path."
Velira's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
The woman tilted her head slightly, amethyst eyes glowing like stars in an endless void.
"My name… is Selene." She stepped closer, her gaze never leaving Chen Yue.
"And if you wish to survive, Fragment Bearer… you will follow me."
The cavern seemed to darken around her as the glyphs flared like constellations, responding to her presence. Ayara shivered, clutching Chen Yue's sleeve. Velira's grip on her sword tightened until her knuckles turned white.
Chen Yue stared at the mysterious woman, his instincts screaming warnings—and promises of power.
He exhaled slowly, his voice steady despite the storm inside him.
"All right, Selene. Lead the way."