The Ancient Voice spoke no unnecessary words. After it coldly finished its proclamation, the ground beneath everyone’s feet suddenly shook violently.
Then, a terrifying wave of heat, almost enough to ignite their very souls, crashed against their faces like a tsunami!
“Hiss! It’s hot!”
Charles inhaled sharply. The edges of his expensive, high-grade magus robe began to yellow and curl the moment they touched the air.
The light dissipated completely, and everyone finally saw the scene before them.
It was a colossal, suffocating hall of crimson red.
No windows. No exits.
As far as the eye could see, the floor beneath their feet and the pillars supporting the dome were all made of some unknown dark red crystal.
Standing inside felt like being thrown into a blazing super-furnace!
But what made their scalps tingle most was the center of the hall.
Hanging in midair was a complete mass of burning soul flame.
No, it couldn’t even be called ordinary flame.
Just one glance caused a stinging sensation as if their eyeballs were being burnt out.
“. . . That’s…” The nameless noble’s voice trembled as he pointed at the air in shock.
“The Ancient God’s embers.”
Saintess Rosalind stared fixedly at the center of the hall, speaking each word deliberately. Her usually expressionless face now showed an extremely grave look.
“Legend says that a single drop can completely transform a person, break through mortal limits, and begin walking the steps to Godhood…”
Upon hearing the words “steps to Godhood,” Charles and the others all changed expression.
Annabell, standing at the rear of the group, appeared icy on the surface, her heterochromatic red and blue eyes showing indifference. But inside, she had already started her inner commentary.
‘What the hell? Ancient God’s embers? Isn’t this the ultimate evolution material that only appears in the late game? Why is it showing up now?’
‘It must be because Charlotte, that Heaven’s Chosen Daughter, forcibly intervened, causing the dungeon’s difficulty to scale adaptively. What a troublemaker.’
Annabell grumbled internally, while silently releasing a trace of extreme cold magic, erecting an imperceptible barrier around herself and Charlotte.
Otherwise, with Charlotte’s current magic-less constitution, she probably wouldn’t last a minute before dehydrating.
“Don’t anyone move!”
Rosalind suddenly shouted coldly, stopping Charles, who was about to step back.
“Look closely at the Ancient God’s embers.”
Everyone suppressed their fear and focused.
The terrifying mass of embers was constantly expanding and contracting, pulsating in midair.
It seemed unstable, yet it maintained a fragile, delicate balance.
“These Ancient God’s embers are in a state of equilibrium.” Rosalind took a deep breath and warned in an icy tone, “If we rashly approach or stimulate them with our own magical aura, once that balance is broken…”
“What… what will happen?” The Adviser swallowed hard and asked shakily.
“We’ll be locked onto as intruders.” Rosalind glanced at him as if looking at a dead man. “Then all of us will be killed by the residual might of the Ancient God, burned into nothingness without even ashes.”
At these words, the entire hall fell into dead silence.
A dead end!
This was utterly a dead end! They couldn’t retreat, they couldn’t advance. Were they just supposed to wait for death in this furnace?
“Then what do we do now? Since the Ancient Voice said this is a trial, there has to be a way to break it!” Charles shouted anxiously. Sweat on his forehead evaporated the moment it appeared.
“There is indeed one way.”
Rosalind flipped her wrist and produced an ancient-looking parchment scroll from her storage space.
“This is a magic card left behind by the Church — the Light’s Sealing Sword.”
Rosalind unfolded the magic card, pointed at the complex array inscribed on it, and quickly explained to everyone, “This magic has no attack power, but its defensive capabilities are astonishing.”
“It requires six people to work together to unleash its full effect. If we all pour our magic into it together, we can forcibly suppress the power of the Ancient God’s embers!”
“Once suppressed, the soul flame of the Ancient God’s embers will disperse.”
Rosalind’s gaze swept across the group, a gleam flashing in her eyes.
“After they disperse, their might will rapidly decrease. Even we can handle it then. As long as we get even a sliver of the god’s gift, it will be a great fortune for us!”
Upon hearing “great fortune,” Charles’s fear-filled eyes instantly blazed with greed.
Ancient God’s embers! Even a tiny bit was a huge gain!
“Excellent! The Saintess certainly came prepared!”
Charles immediately declared loudly, his face full of excitement. “I, the Prince, agree to this plan! Fortune favors the bold. Since we’re here, how can we return empty-handed? This Prince will take one of the six caster positions!”
The noble gritted his teeth and nodded. “I agree too! It’s better to risk it than to die waiting here.”
“Very well. Then take your positions.” Rosalind tossed the magic card into the air.
The card instantly transformed into a golden six-pointed star magic array covering half the hall. Six glittering golden nodes slowly emerged on the crystal floor beneath their feet.
Charles, Rosalind, the Adviser, and the noble unhesitatingly occupied four nodes.
Annabell didn’t bother with useless words. She strode forward and stepped directly onto the fifth node, her beautiful face full of impatience, only wanting this to end quickly.
Charlotte took a deep breath. Her palms were sweaty. She clutched the spirit jade pendant on her chest, endured the terrifying heat around her, and took a step toward the last empty node.
Once the magic array activated, she would have a chance to touch that power. She could feel that if she gained even a wisp of the Ancient God’s embers, the dried-up magic circuits inside her might be reignited.
“Hold it!”
Just as Charlotte’s toes were about to enter the light of the node.
A sharp, shrill cold shout abruptly cut her off.
Charles’s Adviser stood on his node, pointing straight at Charlotte with an expression full of mockery and malice.
“She can’t participate!”
Charlotte stopped in her tracks, her face instantly turning pale.
Annabell frowned and immediately shot a cold glare at him. “What do you mean?”
The Adviser shrank back from Annabell’s gaze, but thinking that the Great Prince was right there and that he was in the right, he quickly straightened his back and put on a righteous air.
“Miss Annabell, I’m only thinking of everyone’s lives and safety!”
The Adviser raised his voice and said loudly, “The Saintess made it very clear. This Light’s Sealing Sword requires us to simultaneously inject magic to suppress the Ancient God’s embers! And the six nodes must be perfectly balanced — none can be missing!”
He suddenly turned to Charlotte, a cruel sneer curling on his lips.
“But we all know full well that this ‘Young Master’ Charlotte is now a waste who can’t squeeze out a single shred of magic! A good-for-nothing with no magic — how is she going to support a node? By throwing her life into it?!”