The ruin guards looked like misshapen stone gargoyles carved from golden-brown stone, with taut muscular limbs and claws curled over the edge. There were cracks and chips on the surface of their bodies, more sand and debris rising from the ground to fill the spaces.
The stone guards slowly moved forward into the pale blue glow of the torches that lined the depth of the chasm where they stood, gradually surrounding the three intruders who circled around each other.
Kate gripped her chain blade tightly, a faint hint of apprehension on her joyful, cheeky face. Her elf partner was rather reserved, a calm expression on her face as she nocked an arrow against her bow, and the third intruder—a man with a hood covering his face—stood indifferent, his black sword drawn and ready for action.
Together, they backed one another and watched the stone gargoyles from all sides.
And then they all suddenly stopped, embraced by the deep shadows that spread out across the floor, shrouding every inch of the area where the light could reach. However, the ruin guards were rather resilient; the shadows only brought them to a halt for a moment.
Their movement became considerably slowed, and just as they uniformly took another step forward, the wind whistled and a somber blade flashed under the gaze of the ghostly light.
The sound of steel scraping against rock resounded for a moment, and then one of the gargoyle's limbs went flying. A second later, a rain of arrows descended from the air, and then a swirling chain of blades with a polished tip came dancing through, striking hard against the exterior of the creatures.
But it did nothing, nor did the descending arrows manage to pierce them. All they did was leave minor cracks on the surface of the gargoyles. Only the hooded man was able to harm them so far.
Kate shifted slightly as she repositioned herself and retracted her chain blade. Then she turned her gaze to the elf, who was drawing her bow once again.
Her voice reverberated against the walls of the Red Scar with a calm sense of urgency.
"Why does my weapon have no effect on them? What should I do, Lady Astor?"
The elf calmly glanced at her, graceful and reticent as always, and mumbled a few words.
"They are not normal beasts. Augment your Soul-Bound Relic and focus on keeping yourself safe."
Kate lingered for a moment and then quickly turned her gaze back to the slowly approaching gargoyles. One of them had been completely dismembered by the hooded man, but it was quickly repairing itself.
More debris came together, reshaping and bringing the dismembered gargoyle back to life.
Kate folded her lips and then began to focus on the energy that flowed within and around her. Manipulating Firmament and Lifebond to her desired degree was almost second nature, and as her Lifebond began to seep out, merging with the Firmament that flowed around her...
Her ability began to materialize.
Sparks of golden lightning flickered on her palms, then slowly began to engulf her weapon. The austere chain blade radiated with a faint yellow glow, making it look rather striking.
Without hesitation, she extended the weapon and swung it at the approaching enemies once again. The blade danced with excellent speed, and then the tip struck against the body of one of the gargoyles, barely doing any more damage than her first attack.
She shivered and took an involuntary step backward.
By her side, Astor drew her bow and fired another set of arrows toward the approaching stone creatures. However, instead of sending a rain at most of them, she concentrated all the arrows on one.
And rather than a single crack appearing on its exterior like last time, a loud thud resounded as a dozen arrows pierced into one of the gargoyles, and before Kate could even blink, its head was gone.
The gargoyle swayed and then staggered forward, stumbling to the ground. Golden sand and rubble from the wreckage of the ruins began flowing toward it, forming a mold where its head once was.
But before the gargoyle could be brought back to life, the shadows lingering on the ground quickly wrapped around its body, and the revitalization stopped.
For a moment, the two ladies glanced over at the hooded man, who had already left five stone corpses in the wake of his assault. He was quickly moving through the battlefield, heading toward his next victim.
His battle style was straightforward, yet unpredictable. His speed was impeccable, his cadence unmatched. He moved with the flowing, fluid precision of a battle-hardened veteran—a fighter forged from the cold steel he wielded.
As he wreaked havoc on the gargoyles, multiple arrows flew through the air, dealing even more blows to them. Kate watched in awe, a passionate flame igniting in her eyes.
She turned and swung the chain blade, but this time not with the intent to directly damage the stone creature. Instead, it wrapped around its legs, quickly tightening, and as it did, she dashed forward, pulling the blade along with her.
The shadows slowing the movement of the gargoyles had turned out to be a great help to her, and as she moved, she contracted her weapon and willed the blade to retract, pulling the creature forward.
The gargoyle staggered, then tumbled to the side, crashing into more of the others. At the rate they were dealing with the persistent creatures, things would normally be faring well for them… normally.
But more of the creatures were assembling from the shattered remains of the ruins and joining the others, moving toward them. The swarm was endless, and there was no telling how much they could endure.
Kate, with a faint smile on her face, looked over at the ziggurat looming in the distance. Her expression turned slightly solemn as she mumbled a few words.
"My Lady… Please be okay."
Then she gripped the hilt of her blade tighter and turned back to the approaching gargoyles.
"…And you as well, Star."
*******
Back inside the ziggurat, Star remained frozen as he gazed at what lay inside the last room of the temple's outer corridor. However, the first thing that caught his attention wasn't the sight; it was the awful, piercing mental stench coming from within.
The stench was faintly recognizable, especially now that he had become a Blood Demon, and it prompted him to immediately turn his eyes toward its source.
And he couldn't help but shiver.
His gaze trailed to the young woman standing before him, and after lingering for a moment, he asked,
"What are we doing here?"
Asking such a question wasn't in his nature. Star never liked being direct with people; it went against his passively cautious disposition. More than that, it left him vulnerable to lies, with little chance to press further without exposing himself.
He had directly questioned her motives, and now whether or not he would ask another question depended on whether her answer allowed it. But if her answer turned out to be what he feared, then he was at least ready to stop being passive.
He would have to.
Katerina turned slightly and shifted her gaze to him. Afterward, she spoke—but not in her usual playful tone.
"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"
Star gritted his teeth and answered a moment later.
"If I'm to be of proper use, then I must learn how to wield the energy I possess properly."
Katerina chuckled softly and walked closer to him, calmly placing her hand on his shoulder. Then she looked deep into his ruby eyes, her voice sweet, playful, and enthralling as it echoed a moment later.
"You are correct, Star. I did indeed mean what I said, which is why I brought you here. The Lost King En was a formidable tyrant, one who performed many rituals and experiments, as well as many atrocities… But what stood out in all of his discoveries was his ability to extract and contain Soul Essence without feeding it to a soul."
She turned and pointed at the entrance to the room.
"What lies before us is the schematic with which he evolved his soul from a mere Temporal to a soul-reaving Divine. However, this room serves an entirely different purpose."
She paused and lifted her hand from his shoulder, her gaze shifting back to the room.
"Contained within this room is a soul-riving amount of essence, but only those with imperfect souls can enter. And you know what that means… Star."
Star's eyes widened as he remained frozen, staring at her. After a few long seconds, he stepped back and looked down at his palms, his entire body trembling.
Then he spoke, his voice raspy and shaking.
"You… You plan on forcing my Awakening?"