Chapter 96: The Bridge of Trials and the Academy's Shadow
The narrow tunnel finally opened into a cavernous underground cathedral so vast that the ceiling was lost in a sea of stalactites and swirling mists. In the center of this abyssal chamber lay a single, crumbling stone bridge spanning a bottomless chasm. The air here was thin, freezing, and thick with the scent of ancient, stagnant mana.
"There it is," Von (Volt) muttered, his crimson eyes scanning the darkness. "The Path of the Penitent. My ancestors built this to test the soul of any who dared approach the Inner Sanctum."
Aki, who was still protectively clutching the stolen crystal in his inner pocket, looked down into the pitch-black void beneath the bridge. "Von, I'm all for 'testing the soul,' but can we test it on solid ground? One wrong step and we aren't just dead—we're forgotten."
But as they stepped onto the bridge, the mist at the far end didn't part. It solidified. Out of the white haze stepped four figures clad in the silver-and-gold regalia of the Academy Inquisitors. These weren't mere students or low-level trackers; these were the Academy's elite 'Executioners,' mages who had traded their humanity for raw, celestial power.
"Volt," the lead Inquisitor spoke, his voice echoing with a metallic, hollow resonance. "The High Council knew you would seek the fragments. You are a ghost, a remnant of a failure that should have stayed buried."
Rena stepped forward, her hands trembling as she recognized the sigils on their robes. "Inquisitor Malphas... Why are you here? The Academy's jurisdiction doesn't reach these ancient lands!"
"The Heavens have no borders, child," Malphas replied, raising a staff topped with a sun-shaped opal. "And you, Rena, the daughter of a prestigious line, have committed the ultimate heresy by aiding this... thing."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: High-Level Threat Detected. Inquisitor Malphas (Level 75). Danger Level: Severe. Warning: The bridge is structurally unstable. Strategic movement advised.]
Von didn't flinch. He slowly drew the Void Reaper, its black blade humming with a low, predatory vibration that seemed to absorb the light from Malphas's staff. "You call me a failure, Malphas? Your 'Heavens' were built on the ruins of my kingdom. You are merely tenants in a house that I own."
With a roar of divine light, the three secondary Inquisitors launched a coordinated strike. Pillars of solar fire erupted from the ground, targeting the bridge's supports. Sai instantly slammed his shield into the stone, activating a defensive barrier. "Aki! Get Rena behind me! I can't hold back solar magic for long!"
Aki didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Rena's arm and dove behind a fallen pillar. "Von! If you're going to do that scary shadow thing, now would be a fantastic time!"
Von vanished. He didn't run—he simply ceased to be in one place and appeared in another, a technique the system called 'Void Step'. He reappeared directly behind one of the Inquisitors. Before the mage could even chant a counter-spell, Von's blade cut through his solar armor as if it were parchment.
"One," Von whispered.
Malphas shrieked in rage, his staff emitting a blinding pulse of holy energy. "Blasphemy! You dare spill the blood of the chosen?!"
The battle turned into a chaotic dance of light and shadow on the narrow bridge. Every strike from Von sent shards of darkness flying, while the Inquisitors rained down spears of solidified light. The bridge groaned under the weight of the conflicting energies, cracks spreading like spiderwebs beneath their feet.
Suddenly, the crystal in Aki's pocket began to glow with a violent, violet intensity. [ALERT: Relic Fragment Resonating. Synchronizing with Host's Mana. Skill 'Sovereign's Wrath' is available for one-time use.]
"Von! The rock! It's doing that thing again!" Aki yelled, his pocket literally smoking from the heat.
Von felt the surge of power. He looked at Malphas, who was preparing a final, mountain-level spell. "You wanted to see the Demon King, Malphas? Look closely."
Von raised his hand, and the darkness from the chasm beneath them rose up like a tidal wave, swallowing the bridge, the Inquisitors, and the very light of the sun staff.