A soft chuckle echoed beneath the masked helm. "Of course. Brothers alike."
A pause. Then his tone sharpened, laced with a hint of mockery. "But I've also heard whispers… that your brother's strength is nothing but a lie. An illusion, crafted to keep the other empires trembling. Perhaps that is why he didn't co, afraid the truth would be exposed?"
At this, Reynold's eyes flicked sideways, and he exhaled softly. "You didn't call
over just to trade gossip, did you?"
The masked man tilted his head slightly, the faint hum of power radiating from his gauntleted hand. "No. I wanted a spar with your brother to test if the rumors held any weight. Since he is absent, you'll do."
He flexed his fist, and the surrounding air vibrated faintly, as though alive with restrained energy.
"Ever since I heard the na Duke Dwight, I've wanted to asure my strength against the finest sword of the Dwight bloodline. Fight ." His gaze sharpened, almost predatory, and the air between them seed to tighten.
For a heartbeat, the chamber held its breath. Only the low groan of stone above broke the silence. The masked man's stance was solid, prepared, and waiting.
"No."
The refusal landed like ice in the chamber. The masked man's smirk faltered for the first ti.
Just then, a piercing screech shattered the mont. Soldiers flinched as the sound tore through the chamber, echoing off the walls like steel on stone.
Above, the beast had reached the crown of the pillar. Its limbs stretched outward, clawing at the ceiling with unnatural strength.
With one titanic strike, massive slabs of stone splintered and fell, crashing toward the chamber floor with thunderous force.
Realization spread like wildfire through the army: the creature was attempting to bury them alive.
The Yan army was already pressing toward the gate, moving in tight formation, but Reynold's own troops lagged behind, too far to avoid the sudden catastrophe.
Reynold shot upward in a blur, blade drawn, his body cutting through the crimson mist as debris rained around him.
Each movent was precise, his eyes fixed on the creature and the crumbling ceiling.
The beast's guttural screech reverberated through the chamber as it noticed Reynold's sudden, rapid approach.
Its countless limbs, thick and plated like twisted iron, lashed out and coiled around the shattered ceiling.
With a terrifying strength, it wrenched free massive slabs of stone, sending them hurtling downward in a deadly rain.
The air trembled with each crash, dust choking the chamber as jagged debris rained like thunderous hail.
Reynold advanced without hesitation. His sword glead like a streak of pure light in the dim gloom, each swing cutting through falling boulders as though they were nothing more than fragile clay.
Chunks of stone split and crumbled into harmless fragnts, clattering to the floor while he continued forward, undeterred by the monstrous fury above.
In monts, he closed the distance. His blade arced in a sweeping, horizontal strike, eting the creature's head once more.
The two gemlike eyes glowed brilliantly before shattering once again under the force of his blow. Yet this ti, Reynold had a plan.
"I'll take this one," he muttered under his breath.
Swiftly, he reached out and seized one of the fractured eyes.
"Seal…" he uttered.
Dark, obsidian-like matter slowly coiled around it, encasing the gem completely, locking the violent energy inside a perfect black cube.
The sealing force pulsed faintly, a subtle vibration under his fingers as the creature shrieked in fury.
New eyes began forming in its place, glowing faintly but weakly, unstable and flickering.
Reynold's gaze flicked with interest; he gazed at the cube in his hand, feeling the dense, restless power struggling yet confined. He had sealed one yet; it still regenerated.
Below, the soldiers finally reached the massive gate. Relief flickered across Reynold's face, only lasting a heartbeat.
Behind him, the beast reared again, its grotesque body ready to pounce with terrifying speed.
Seeing Reynold's back turned, it lunged with all its might, limbs stretching outward in a deadly embrace ant to crush him before he could react.
The chamber seed to freeze. For a heartbeat, even ti appeared to stagnate.
Crack!
Suddenly, the creature's massive body splintered mid-lunge. Its limbs fell away in shattered fragnts, each piece cut with an invisible, inhuman blade, as though he had struck before it even touched him.
The remains crashed heavily to the stone floor, lifeless, for now, only montarily subdued.
Reynold lowered his sword, expression unreadable, the faint glow of the sealed cube still pulsing in his hand.
He drifted past the masked man, who hovered silently, a hint of amusent visible beneath the helm.
"Let's go," Reynold said calmly, voice steady. "Before it wakes again."
The masked man fell in step behind him as they made their way through the chamber's collapsing ruin.
Dust and debris settled around them, and the red mist that had hung thickly now dissipated.
"Marquis, may I ask… what was that skill?" the masked guard Ian finally said, breaking the silence, his tone curious but asured.
Reynold's eyes flicked toward him. After a pause, he replied curtly, "That's Dwight's sword art."
"I am aware of that," the masked guard said smoothly, voice edged with curiosity. "I ant the dark cube you conjured."
Reynold remained silent, as if in contemplation. At last, he answered. "I do not have a na for that. You may call it an ancient sealing art."
The masked man tilted his head as he muttered. "Oh… a skill forged by the Marquis himself. Fascinating,"
Their conversation ended as they reached the massive, weathered gate. Together, they passed through, leaving the ruined chamber.
On the other side, the oppressive stone chamber vanished as if it had never existed.
They stepped into a vast green plain that stretched endlessly in every direction.
Rolling grass swayed gently under a soft, teasing breeze, and at the far horizon, a dense forest rose like a dark erald sea, its edges blending into the sky.
Light spilled freely here, unbroken by stone walls or ceilings, bathing the land in a calm, almost surreal glow.
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