Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Into the Cavern
"This again..." Leng Yue muttered, her tone laced with irritation as she stepped beyond the edge of the cavern where the glyphs had been bound.
Before them stood another band of the corrupted—wretched figures half-melded with shadow and ruin. Their bodies twitched with the same unnatural rhythm, and their hollow mouths parted in unison.
"LEAVE THE GLYPHS!!!" The words rang like broken bells through the ravine.
Leng Yue wasted no breath. "If I must cut more of you down... then so be it."
Her blade flashed—gleaming like moonlight drawn into steel.
~SHHHING~
With one stroke, she severed the nearest creature across the midsection. It shrieked—an awful, wet keening that echoed in the bone.
~KRRHHHH~
The others surged forward.
Li Wei, unmoved, stepped behind her. He drew two talismans from his sleeve, letting them hover before him. His third eye flared to life, a pale glow illuminating his brow.
His voice echoed with weight. "Bound spirits of the Waking Ash... be still."
The talismans clapped together. It was a marvelous scene as numerous lights converged onto the parchments and produced a reaction that could be seen for miles.
~THWOMP~
A shockwave burst outward. Three of the corrupted collapsed instantly, their bodies writhing as light flared from within—then stilled in death. There ravenous glares had been reduced to blank expressions, devoid of breath.
But more followed. Clawing, snarling, bearing remnants of once-human sorrow.
"Shield yourself behind the glyphs!" Li Wei shouted, stepping back toward the spire. "We may need to make our stand here!"
Leng Yue answered with steel. She moved like water shaped by will—flowing, cutting, never ceasing. Her sword carved through sinew and bone with terrible grace, her breath even, measured. She danced between the fallen with the poise of an executioner.
They retreated in harmony, step by step, until their backs met the crystal wall near the entrance. The glyphs of Light and Sunder pulsed brighter, as if stirred by blood. The black ichor pooling at their feet shimmered like oil lit by twilight.
Then just as the horde drew closer—
"Time is short."
A voice emerged again, calm and absolute.
The mask descended from above, hovering above them like a god of judgment. Its sunburst design burned golden now, no longer cracked.
"You have the glyphs. Place them here."
Li Wei’s gaze narrowed. "We kept our end of the agreement... let us hope you do the same."
From his sash, he withdrew two fragments—flat disks etched with the burning symbols of the glyphs. They glowed fiercely, trembling with latent force.
He reached above the dais—where no surface waited.
And still, they held.
The moment they aligned—
~SHHHHRRRAKK~
The air split. The sky above them thundered like a drum struck by divine hand. A seam of pressure snapped across the cavern, and all motion ceased.
The remaining corrupted figures jerked—then dropped. Their bodies spasmed once... then fell limp, strings cut.
Silence reigned.
Leng Yue cleaned her blade with a crisp motion, flicking ichor from its edge. "They were drawn to the glyphs."
"Or bound by them," Li Wei replied. "And when the balance tipped, their tethers unraveled."
The mask floated lower, speaking now with solemnity.
"This subspace was once a martial domain—home to the House of the Ming Clan."
Li Wei raised a brow. "A clan from an immemorial epoch ?"
"Yes. A lineage marked by pride and dominance. They reigned not just with logic, but aggression—binding spirits to their will, and collecting relics throughout world. Their archives of history served as a weapon they used to full effect."
Leng Yue folded her arms, listening.
"But it ended the moment they unearthed a vile relic—one buried deep, likely found during a forgotten excavation."
The mask hovered between them, its voice steady.
"Its origin was obscure. But its impact was immediate. With its arrival came corruption. When the glyphs that sealed it were removed... the decay began. Not slowly. Not silently."
Images flickered briefly around them—faint, like heat mirages. A great hall burning. Masked warriors turning upon each other. Screams.
"Clan members could not withstand the corruption," the mask continued. "Their own inner qi betrayed them. Brother slew brother. Teacher devoured pupil. The glyphs you recovered were fragments of that ancient seal."
Leng Yue’s eyes narrowed. "And now we are to finish what they could not?"
"Yes."
The mask rose once more, its voice harder now.
"You must recover the heretical artifact and cast the glyphs again upon it. I shall rebind the fragments—but the final act must be yours."
Li Wei sighed. "You certainly like to make things difficult."
His gaze lifted. "Where is this damned item?"
"To reach the relic, I will send you to the threshold of the inner sanctum."
The mask’s tone turned mechanical, as if issuing ritual instruction.
"Once inside, you must face the fallen guardians. They are no longer what they once were."
It paused—then added gravely:
"The darkness from the inner sanctum was too great. I partitioned this subspace to prevent its infection from spreading beyond. But my power wanes. If the seal fails again, the consequences will breach the mortal realm."
A silence passed.
Li Wei nodded grimly. "Save your sentiments. We are in no position to reject your request."
Though he bore little fondness for this fading world, the notion of that darkness leaking into the lands of the living... struck a chord. He remembered the ashes of cities, and the weight of silence that followed screams.
He would not permit it again.
Leng Yue simply said, "Point us to the wound, and we will stitch it closed."
The mask pulsed, then gestured to a raised platform.
"Stand on the podium. It is the key to the sanctum. I will channel the remnants of the sanctuary’s strength to send you there."
They stepped forward as one.
As their feet settled onto the stone, a light flared beneath them—pure white, edged with red. The air tightened, the world tilted, and the cavern faded from view.
The mask’s final words followed them, echoing into the void.
"The final seal awaits. Do not falter."