The so-called Old District was the very area where the Dark-corrosion disease had rampaged ten years ago. Its population had been decimated to less than a tenth of its original size, leaving the entire sector in a state of semi-quarantine. Upon entering the city, Byrne and Marco had used their identities as Mineral Inspectors to pass smoothly into this restricted zone.
"An orange-red alarm indicates a medium-to-high concentration of Chaos energy within a one-kilometer radius," Marco said, looking toward the west side of the crossroads.
To the west lay a relatively narrow alley flanked by buildings in a state of advanced decay. Byrne instinctively rested his hand on his holster. His psychic energy began to circulate quietly, causing the airflow around him to ripple slightly as he scanned the depths of the alley with vigilance.
Holding the detector, Marco turned his hover-bike. "Be careful. We'll approach slowly."
The two steered their vehicles into the western alley. It was even narrower than Byrne had anticipated, barely wide enough for four portable hover-bikes to ride abreast. Most of the buildings on either side had been abandoned for a long time; their broken doors and windows looked like dormant eyes, radiating an unspeakable eeriness. The graffiti on the walls was buried under layers of black dust, with occasional dark red stains that were indistinguishable from old blood or marks of Chaos erosion. Rusted metal fragments were embedded among the rubble—likely ammunition debris left over from the calamity a decade ago.
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a four-story building at the end of the alley. More than half of the roof had collapsed, and the entire western wall had caved in, exposing tangled rebar like a structure crushed by some immense force. Standing before the building was a black obelisk nearly two meters tall. Upon closer inspection, the obelisk was covered in fine cracks, and the sealing runes originally carved onto it had turned dull and black, having long since lost their efficacy.
"Captain, what is this stone tablet for?" Byrne asked curiously.
Marco explained, "This is a Suppression Obelisk. It was likely erected by a purification team after the disaster was quelled to seal away Chaos erosion that couldn't be cleared quickly. However, looking at its condition, the seal has alrea—"
Marco paused as if discovering something. He leaned in for a closer look and frowned. "This isn't right. This obelisk didn't fail because its energy was exhausted; it was sabotaged. No wonder the detector gave an orange-red alarm."
Marco knelt down and pointed to an irregular notch at the base of the obelisk. "Look here. The edges of this crack are very clean. It was hacked open by a sharp weapon."
"Could Lacy Valen have done this?" Byrne asked.
Marco shook his head. "It's hard to judge yet. I'll go inside to investigate. Byrne, stay out here. If you sense anything unusual, notify me immediately."
"Understood, Captain."
After giving his instructions, Marco headed inside. Standing by the obelisk, Byrne held his "Black Fire" while extending psychic threads into the surroundings. This allowed him to stay alert for potential enemies while sensing Marco's position within the building.
Inside, Marco lightened his footsteps, his palm constantly shrouded in a faint golden psychic glow. He took each step carefully, avoiding loose rubble and rotting wooden boards. The interior was pitch black, save for a few shafts of sunlight filtering through the holes in the roof and cracks in the walls, casting fragmented spots of light on the dust-laden floor. The walls were covered in dark patterns—marks left by long-term Chaos energy erosion. A touch of the finger revealed a bone-chilling cold and the sensation of faint energy pulses traveling through the lines.
Marco focused his psychic power, creating a soft golden light in his palm to illuminate the path. He moved forward slowly, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. His psychic energy spread out like a fine net, capturing every trace of abnormal aura. Most rooms on the first floor were empty and ruined, scattered with rotting furniture, broken glass, and tattered clothing. It was clear the original residents had fled in such haste that they could take little with them.
When he reached the stairwell, Marco paused. The banisters had long since rusted and snapped, and the steps were riddled with cracks; some sections had even collapsed, leaving only rebar exposed. More notably, there were several fresh footprints on the stairs.
"Heh. Someone really has been here recently."
Marco stood up and, after confirming the first floor held nothing unusual, headed toward the second floor. The scene there was even more gruesome. Dried blood stained the floor, and the walls were covered in deep, chaotic scratch marks that did not look like they were made by human hands. Objects in the rooms had been smashed to pieces, and the Chaos aura in the air grew increasingly dense.
Marco's psychic net expanded further, capturing a strong energy fluctuation coming from one of the bedrooms. He slowed his pace and approached the room, the golden light in his palm growing more intense as he prepared for a sudden encounter. The door was slightly ajar, and a faint red glow seeped through the gap—a sign that Chaos energy had condensed to a significant degree.
He pushed the door open gently, and his pupils contracted at the sight before him.
In the very center of the room, a black crystal about the size of a fist hovered in the air. Its surface was entwined with dark red light-lines that writhed slowly, as if the crystal were a living thing drinking in the residual Chaos energy from the air. On the floor beneath the crystal, an eerie magic circle was inscribed. It was drawn with dark red blood, and the air reeked of a sickening metallic scent.
At the four corners of the magic circle stood four corpses. From their appearance, they had been dead for only a few days. Their chests had been hacked open, their ribs splayed outward like grotesque beast claws. Their heart cavities were empty, with dark red stains spreading along the bone patterns to connect with the bloodlines of the floor's array.
The black crystal suspended in the center vibrated in rhythm with its energy absorption. With every throb, the dark red patterns on its surface brightened, and the surrounding Chaos aura intensified. Rather than a crystal, it looked more like a beating heart.
Seeing this, Marco's expression turned grim, and the psychic energy in his palm tightened.
"This is... a Heart of Blood-Feast!"
According to Bureau records, this object consumed the life force of sacrifice victims. Combined with residual Chaos energy, it could gestate a monster comparable to a Grade 3 Blood-Corruptor—no, perhaps even closer to Grade 4—in just three days.
Just as Marco gathered his strength and prepared to destroy the blood array, the four shriveled corpses suddenly twitched. Dark red flames ignited within their hollow eye sockets. A split second later, the heads of the four corpses turned simultaneously, their blood-red eyes staring straight at Marco.