"They are not your enemies."

The Relic’s sentence continued to echo in Surya’s mind even after the underground tunnel had settled back into silence.

He leaned back against the damp stone wall, regulating his breathing. Dimas, Rina, Mr. Yusuf, and three other survivors looked equally exhausted. Their group was dwindling further. Out of the dozens of people who had first arrived in the Shadow World, only a handful were still fighting to stay alive.

"What did the Relic mean by that?" Dimas asked.

Surya shook his head. "I don't know either."

What frustrated him was that the Relic never explained anything fully. It always doled out clues piece by piece, as though deliberately letting Surya piece together the fragments of the Shadow World’s mysteries on his own.

The Relic fell silent once more. As if the conversation had never happened.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled softly. Rumble... rumble...

The vibration originated from the deepest recesses of the tunnel. Fine dust began to cascade from the ceiling.

Mr. Yusuf snapped upright. "What now?"

Before anyone could answer, a heavy voice reverberated from the distance. Not a human voice. It sounded like grinding stone.

Grrrrr...

Then another sound followed. Older. Deeper. As though rising from beneath a mountain.

"The... heirs..."

"...the gate has opened..."

The voice vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Everyone exchanged glances. Dimas swallowed hard. "I don't like the sound of that."

Surya closed his eyes for a beat. He could feel the Soul Sigil on his palm pulsing with escalating intensity.

The Relic finally spoke. "Follow the call."

"A call?"

"Your legacy is calling you."

"Where?"

"The Tomb of a Thousand Kings."

The moment that name was spoken, the dead-end tunnel suddenly shook violently. The stone walls ahead cracked. The fractures widened. And then—

Crash!

The entire barrier collapsed of its own accord. Beyond it lay a brand-new corridor that hadn't been there a moment ago.

The passage was lined with green torches burning without a flame. A freezing draft swept outward, carrying the scent of damp earth mixed with aged metal.

Dimas took a step back. "That... wasn't there a second ago."

"No."

Surya gripped the Ancient Ash Sword. "Looks like the tomb just opened its path."

There was no other choice. They stepped inside.

The deeper they walked, the wider the passage grew. Flanking both sides stood towering stone statues of kings, each adorned with a different crown. Some clutched spears. Others held books. A few sat atop stone thrones.

Yet they all shared a single commonality: Their faces had been obliterated. Not a single statue retained an intact visage.

"Strange..." Surya muttered. "Why were their faces destroyed?"

The Relic answered quietly. "So that no one would ever remember them."

That answer only deepened the mystery. If these figures were truly kings, why was their history deliberately erased?

Before Surya could ponder it further—

Clang!

The sound of metal rang out ahead. Everyone froze.

Clang... clang... clang...

Footsteps. Heavy. Regulated.

Out of the darkness, the first figure emerged. It stood nearly two and a half meters tall, encased in rusted iron armor, gripping a colossal battle-axe. There was no face behind its helm. Only a burning red glow glaring from the empty eye sockets.

Then another appeared. Then three. Five. Ten.

The entire corridor filled with iron-clad knights.

The mysterious voice echoed once more.

《Monster Detected.》

《Tomb Guardian》

《Rank: Iron》

Dimas turned pale instantly. "They're all Iron Rank?"

Surya tightened his grip on his sword. The aura radiating from these monsters was infinitely heavier than any beast they had faced before.

Without a word of warning, the lead knight raised its axe. And charged.

Thud!

Every footstep shook the floor.

"Spread out!" Surya shouted.

The giant axe slammed into the ground. CRASH!!

Stone shattered instantly. If that blow had connected with a human body, nothing would have been left behind.

Surya darted to the side. He was far more fluid in his movements now, ever since acquiring the Ash King's Legacy.

His blade flashed. Swwish!

The initial strike scraped across the monster's armor. But it left nothing more than a faint scratch.

"Tough..."

The monster swung its axe again. Surya retreated, observing.

The knight moved sluggishly. Yet every attack carried a micro-second pause in its recovery. Memorize the habit. Read the pattern. Observe. It was the only advantage he possessed.

The monster attacked once more. The axe descended from the right.

Surya didn't dodge. Instead, he stepped forward. Right before the axe kissed the stone, he slipped past into the monster's left blind spot.

His blade thrust straight into a tiny gap beneath the arm guard. Craasshh!

The red light in the monster's eyes flickered. Its iron frame locked up. Fractures spiderwebbed across its entire armor. And then... it disintegrated into iron dust.

"It worked!"

Yet before Surya could catch his breath—nine other monsters surged forward simultaneously.

"Surya!" Dimas screamed.

The corridor was too narrow. They couldn't fight them all at once.

The Relic spoke abruptly. "Look at the floor."

Surya dropped his gaze. Beneath a thin layer of ash lay carved lines. Circles. Symbols. Bizarre pathways.

He understood instantly.

"This isn't an ordinary hallway..."

He roared out, "Everyone, fall back!"

"Why?"

"Just trust me!"

His group scrambled backward. Surya waited. Until every single monster stepped directly into the carved ring.

Now!

He drove the Ancient Ash Sword straight into the center of the floor. The Soul Sigil on his palm flared.

BOOM!!

The entire carving ignited in red light. Stone pillars erupted from the ground. Bam! Bam! Bam!

The Iron Rank monsters were crushed between the rising pillars. Before they could break free—

The ceiling above gave way. RUMBLEEE!!

Tons of rock crashed down upon the tomb guardians. The screech of tortured metal echoed. A moment later... absolute silence.

Dimas stared at Surya in awe. "You knew there was a trap?"

Surya shook his head. "No. The Relic told me."

They resumed their march. Deeper in, the corridor opened up into a massive hall. Lined up in neat rows were a hundred stone coffins, each adorned with a distinct crown. In the center of the chamber stood a black altar.

Atop that altar... hovered a single object. A black ring centered with a gray gemstone.

As Surya drew closer, the ring trembled. Then, it drifted upward on its own, floating toward him.

"Watch out!" Dimas yelled.

Yet the Relic advised calmly, "Accept it."

Surya reached out. The ring slid neatly onto his left ring finger.

Instantly, the Soul Sigil shifted once more. The mysterious voice echoed:

《New Relic Acquired.》

《Ring of the Silent King》

《Ability Locked》

Before Surya could inspect his new Relic—

The entire hall shuddered again. At the far end of the room... a colossal stone door slowly groaned open.

Beyond it lay a single chamber. Empty. Save for a black coffin resting in its center.

The Relic whispered. "Go inside."

Surya stepped forward slowly. His heart hammered faster. For reasons he couldn't explain... he had a terrible foreboding.

The coffin lid slid open on its own, dragging with a harsh, agonizing screech.

Creeeeak...

Surya halted. His eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat.

Dimas, standing behind him, froze as well. Not a single person could utter a sound.

Because resting inside that final coffin... was a corpse.

Its face. Its hair. Even the clothes it wore... matched him down to the absolute detail.

It was...

Surya's own dead body.