Inside the chamber, the hand constructs were holding Miro and Zoro.

The disembodied voice boomed from the surrounding blackness. "This is the final instance of mercy I will ever extend to you. The survival of your fragile companions rests entirely upon your compliance."

The ancient entity waited for a desperate plea or a frantic scramble for survival. Vlad simply rested the flat of his silver blade against his armored shoulder and stared blankly at the glowing appendages. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He shifted his weight to his back foot and kept his posture completely relaxed.

"You possess a fundamental misunderstanding of our current dynamic." Vlad raised his free hand and pointed a gauntleted finger directly at the twin constructs. "I harbor absolutely zero desperation to leave this place. You are the one who desperately needs my specific royal bloodline to bypass the spatial seal on that hidden vault."

He lowered his arm and gripped the hilt of his weapon with both hands. "Without my active cooperation, you will never retrieve that crown. If you put a single scratch on either of my teammates, you can completely abandon your dream of ever leaving this ruin."

Vlad dropped his center of gravity into an aggressive combat stance. He leveled the tip of his silver sword directly at the dark expanse. "Go ahead and strike me down right now. You will simply remain trapped inside this lightless box for a few more centuries."

The twin constructs of light violently convulsed. The disembodied voice unleashed a furious roar, sending ripples across the invisible floorboards. Uncoiling their massive fingers, the constructs violently hurled Miro and Zoro deep into the pitch-black void.

Their unconscious bodies spun through the emptiness until the shadows swallowed them completely.

Vlad immediately dropped his defensive stance and kicked off the unseen ground. A blinding golden aura erupted from his silver blade, instantly illuminating the surrounding darkness with a brilliant, blazing light.

He closed the distance in a fraction of a second and brought his weapon crashing down toward the right construct. The sword slammed into the glowing palm, sending a shockwave of kinetic energy rippling through the domain.

The constructs retaliated by sweeping horizontally across the illuminated void. Vlad ducked under the glowing fingers and channeled his golden aura into a blistering sequence of diagonal slashes. The rapid strikes carved deep gouges into the solid light.

Then, the entity pulled its appendages back and let out a booming laugh.

A colossal, twisted face woven entirely from brilliant white light suddenly materialized directly above the hovering hands.

"You possess remarkable skill for a mortal." The giant face twisted its glowing lips into a sickening, wide grin. "Your assessment of my current predicament is entirely accurate. I absolutely cannot kill you without ruining my own escape. Fortunately, I only require your living blood to unlock the royal vault. I can easily shatter every single bone in your body, drag your broken vessel to the gates, and pry the doors open with your bleeding hands."

Vlad rested the flat of his glowing sword against his shoulder. He tilted his chin upward and let out a short, mocking chuckle. "You will definitely need more than a few glowing parlor tricks to break my bones. Your entire existence currently looks like a pathetic, fading candle. Let us see how brightly you burn when I sever your head."

The massive face opened its maw and unleashed a localized storm of golden fire. White-hot lances of pure magic rained down upon the invisible floorboards.

Vlad blurred across the void, swinging his aura-infused blade to deflect the magical projectiles.

The glowing hands completely bypassed his parries to strike from his blind spots. The entity utilized completely erratic, unnatural angles to overwhelm the royal swordsman’s defenses.

Suddenly, a massive web of glowing fractures spiderwebbed across the pitch-black sky. The endless darkness violently splintered and completely shattered like a fragile pane of glass.

The cramped subterranean corridors instantly vanished from Solomon’s periphery. Towering stained-glass windows and sweeping marble arches replaced the darkness, dumping him directly into the grand hall of a colossal cathedral.

Vlad stood near the center of the polished floorboards with his glowing silver blade raised defensively, while Zoro and Miro lay completely motionless on the nearby tiles.

A colossal entity towered over the royal swordsman, easily reaching the height of three adult men combined. A cracked, glowing halo hovered erratically above its golden hair, casting a pale light over its features.

Three pristine white wings extended from its left shoulder, while three blood-stained stumps protruded from its right shoulder blade. A massive, deep scar tore completely across the creature’s exposed chest, directly mirroring the fatal wound the ancient Paladin had delivered centuries ago.

Solomon tightened his grip on Eden’s Penance until his knuckles popped. The inherited memories violently surged through his mind, confirming the identity of the towering monster instantly.

He recognized the pristine feathers and the burning golden eyes.

This was Uriel. This exact entity had incinerated Emilia, slaughtered the little girl, and reduced the entire Kingdom of Eden to ashes.

A searing heat rushed through Solomon’s veins. He ground his teeth together so fiercely his jaw ached. He had never met a divine being in his entire eighteen years of life, yet a phantom burning sensation drove straight through his chest.

The Paladin’s memories flooded his consciousness, forcing his muscles to coil tightly around the massive hilt of the executioner’s sword.

The owl fluttered over his shoulder and projected the towering monster to the audience. The chat interface instantly exploded into a blur of frantic text.

[LazyCat: WHAT IS THAT THING?!]

[GamerGuy: is this a hidden raid boss?! look at the size of it!]

[User12: bro we were here for the treasure. now there is a giant bird man!]

[BloodKnight: I have never seen a monster model like this in any of the encyclopedias or databases. The damage on its wings implies a previous phase or extreme lore scaling.]

[GoonLord: RUN AWAY SOLO MAN! THAT THING LOOKS LIKE IT EATS PEOPLE FOR BREAKFAST!]

Meanwhile, inside the academy administration building, a brilliant flash of magical energy violently erupted from the Grandmaster’s hands.

The sudden discharge completely obliterated his massive oak desk. Splintered wood, broken crystal tablets, and scattered documents flew across the entire office.

He kicked his chair back and stood up completely straight. He kept his wide eyes locked on the broadcast while his hands trembled slightly. "Is that an..."

Balzac pushed himself off the wooden utility cart. The professor deepened his frown and crossed his arms over his chest while stepping closer to the ruined desk.

"It is an angel," Balzac confirmed, keeping his gaze firmly planted on the colossal being.