(You have completed the task— Find the Traces of the Enders)
Azrael was taken aback when a notification suddenly flashed before his eyes.
’Task completed?’ He muttered inwardly, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Suddenly, his thoughts shifted to the crack-filled black throne resting on the high platform at the far end of the open space.
’The task was completed the moment I saw that throne...’ He narrowed his eyes and once again glanced at the massive seat ahead.
’Is that throne related to the Enders?’
Azrael studied the throne carefully, trying to determine whether it held any hidden danger as anything connected to the Enders was something he could not take lightly.
What confused him even more was that, despite drawing closer to the throne, the sound of chains rattling, the eerie sound that had surfaced in his mind earlier, did not return. It was as though whatever presence had produced that sound held no interest in the throne at all.
(Reward Received — 30,000 task points and a random low-level wind-type Essentia Art: Eye of the Eternal Storm)
Another notification flared before Azrael’s eyes, informing him of the rewards he had earned upon completing the task.
Azrael felt a flicker of satisfaction at the sight of the 30,000 task points. With that many points, he could purchase something useful from the shop.
At the same time, he noticed something new appearing inside his inventory, what he assumed to be the Eye of the Eternal Storm Essentia Art.
For now, he didn’t bother to examine what kind of Essentia Art it was and continued moving toward the throne at the end of the vast chamber.
They were just approaching the high platform and preparing to climb when—
A sudden, powerful barrage of attacks slammed into the barrier surrounding them. At the same time, Vanessa and seven other epic-level warriors of the Transcendent Organization appeared in front of Azrael and his companions.
"Stop them!" Vanessa shouted, her voice seething with anger and along with the seven epic-level warriors, she unleashed a frenzied assault on the barrier, each strike aimed at the exact same point in a desperate attempt to shatter it.
As their combined attacks struck the barrier at that single spot, a faint, almost imperceptible ripple spread across the surface for a brief moment before everything returned to normal.
Vanessa and the others scowled, their expressions darkening when they saw the barrier remain intact. Helplessly, they watched as Azrael, Luo Bingqing, and Elyara climbed onto the high platform and came to a stop before the crack-ridden throne.
"What is this broken thing?" Luo Bingqing muttered under his breath as he looked at the throne.
Though the black throne looked as if it might crumble at any moment, a strange and ancient aura radiated from it, an aura that made his heart palpitate with an inexplicable fear.
Elyara felt the same unsettling sensation. A dangerous presence seemed to emanate from the throne, setting her nerves on edge.
"Don’t do anything reckless. If you touch that throne, this entire place might collapse!" Vanessa called out urgently as she climbed onto the high platform after them.
Of everyone present, Vanessa was the most familiar with this place. Having studied the throne for nearly two years, she knew well that it was far from ordinary.
Each time she had considered sitting on the throne, an overwhelming, instinctive fear had risen within her, as if some terrible calamity would occur the moment she tried.
Trusting her instincts, she had never dared to sit on it, nor had she allowed anyone else to do so, because she could not predict what disaster might follow.
But now, Azrael had brought the throne within his barrier, and even if she wished to intervene, she could do nothing. All she could do was warn Azrael and the others in a voice laced with urgency.
"This place would be destroyed?" Azrael raised an eyebrow at her words, his eyes narrowing as he studied the throne.
Unlike Vanessa and the others, Azrael sensed no danger from it. In fact, ever since he had first laid eyes on the throne, a strange, almost nostalgic feeling had been swelling in his chest, as though he were encountering something familiar from long ago.
"I don’t know if she is telling the truth about this place being destroyed," Luo Bingqing said quietly. "But I have a very bad feeling about this throne. I don’t know why, but it makes me uneasy just looking at it."
"Same," Elyara agreed, her gaze shifting from the throne to Vanessa, whose eyes burned with hatred.
"What do you mean this place would be destroyed if we do anything to the throne?" Elyara asked coldly.
Vanessa met her stare with an equally cold look before replying.
"That thing is deeply connected to these entire ruins. If you attempt to tamper with it, the space within these ruins might collapse, and all of us will be swept into spatial turbulence."
The only reason Vanessa bothered to answer was because she feared that Azrael and the others might act recklessly and any disaster that followed would consume her as well.
"Are you saying this broken thing is holding these ruins together?" Luo Bingqing asked in a deep voice.
"Yes," Vanessa replied coldly with a sharp nod. "If you don’t want to die by being swept into spatial turbulence, you had better not touch it." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩
Elyara and Luo Bingqing exchanged a glance. Though their expressions betrayed no words, both understood that neither of them fully believed Vanessa.
The black throne was certainly unusual, but it was clear to them that Vanessa would not reveal everything she knew.
"What the hell do you think you’re doing, you lunatic?!"
Vanessa’s voice, a mixture of anger and fear rang out suddenly, startling them.
They quickly turned toward her, only to realize she wasn’t looking at them at all.
Following her gaze, they looked behind them and their eyes widened in shock as well as they saw Azrael was already sitting on the black throne.