Chapter 10
The Battle Continues
The ancient temple was shaking from the intense battle.
Broken stones and dust covered the floor.
Ran and Mariya stood near the glowing pedestal.
Victor and his hunters were surrounding them.
The giant stone guardian moved forward with heavy steps.
Each step made the temple floor tremble.
Victor looked at the creature with anger.
"You are just an old guardian," he said.
"You cannot stop me."
He raised his strange red device again.
A powerful red beam shot toward the guardian.
BOOOOM!
The beam hit the stone creature.
Pieces of rock broke from its body.
But the guardian did not fall.
Instead, its glowing lines became brighter.
Ran realized something.
"The temple is giving it power."
Mariya nodded.
"And it's protecting the energy."
Victor's hunters attacked again.
Two hunters ran toward Mariya.
But before they could reach her—
A soft blue glow appeared around her hands.
Mariya looked surprised.
"Ran… I think something is happening."
Mariya's First Power
Two hunters ran toward Mariya.
She stepped back nervously.
But suddenly her hands began glowing with soft blue light.
Mariya looked surprised.
"Ran… what is happening to me?"
Ran looked at the glowing energy.
"The temple chose you."
The hunters jumped forward.
At that moment Mariya lifted her hands.
A wave of blue energy burst out.
The hunters were thrown across the hall.
They crashed into the stone wall.
Mariya looked shocked.
"I… did that?"
Ran smiled.
"Yes."
"You are stronger than you think."
Victor watched everything with dark eyes.
"This is impossible," he whispered.
Victor's Dangerous Move
Victor suddenly took out a larger device.
It was glowing with dark red energy.
"You think you can defeat me?" he said.
He pressed the activation button.
A strong red shockwave exploded across the temple.
The floor cracked.
The giant guardian stepped back.
Ran and Mariya struggled to keep their balance.
Victor smiled proudly.
"I came prepared for this moment."
But he did not notice something.
The blue energy above the pedestal had started moving.
Ran's Power Awakens
Ran suddenly felt something strange.
The blue energy began moving toward him.
Victor noticed it.
"No! That power is mine!"
But it was too late.
The glowing light entered Ran's body.
Ran felt a powerful energy flow through him.
His eyes began glowing blue.
Mariya looked at him in amazement.
"Ran… your power is awakening."
The giant guardian stood silently behind them.
Victor stepped back slowly.
For the first time—
He realized something dangerous.
Ran was becoming stronger than he expected.
And the battle was only beginning.
Victor's Real Identity
The ancient temple had become strangely silent.
The battle had stopped for a moment.
Ran stood in the center of the temple with glowing blue eyes.
The energy inside his body was still moving like waves.
Mariya stood beside him, watching everything carefully.
Victor slowly stepped back.
For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
But then…
He suddenly started laughing.
A cold, dark laugh echoed through the temple.
"Ran… Ran… Ran…"
"You really think you understand what is happening here?"
Ran frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Victor looked at the glowing pedestal.
"This temple… this power… this guardian…"
"None of this is new to me."
Mariya looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Victor slowly removed his black gloves.
Strange glowing symbols appeared on his arms.
The symbols looked exactly like the ones on the temple walls.
Ran's eyes widened.
"How do you have those marks?"
Victor smiled slowly.
"Because…"
"I was born with them."
The temple lights suddenly flickered.
The giant stone guardian turned its head slowly toward Victor.
It looked like the guardian recognized him.
Mariya whispered softly,
"This is not possible…"
Victor's smile became darker.
"Oh, but it is."
"Because I am not just a treasure hunter."
"I am the last descendant of the ancient temple guardians."
The Lost Guardian Bloodline
Ran stared at Victor in disbelief.
"You are lying."
Victor shook his head slowly.
"No, Ran."
"My family protected this temple for centuries."
"But something changed."
Victor's voice became darker.
"The world became greedy."
"Power became more important than protection."
"My ancestors tried to hide the temple forever."
"But I… had a different dream."
Victor looked directly at the glowing energy.
"I want to control it."
Mariya stepped forward angrily.
"That power is not meant to be controlled!"
Victor laughed.
"Everything can be controlled."
The Guardian's Reaction
The giant stone guardian suddenly moved.
Its glowing eyes looked at Victor.
For a moment the temple trembled.
Victor raised his arms proudly.
"You recognize me… don't you?"
But the guardian did not kneel.
Instead, it slowly raised its massive arm.
The ground shook again.
Ran realized something important.
"The guardian is not protecting Victor."
"It is protecting the temple from him."
Victor's smile slowly disappeared.
The Real Enemy
Victor's eyes turned cold.
"So the temple has chosen you instead."
He pointed at Ran.
"That means you are my enemy now."
Ran stepped forward.
"If protecting this power makes me your enemy…"
"Then so be it."
The blue energy around Ran began glowing again.
Mariya stood beside him.
Victor slowly activated his red device again.
The temple lights flickered violently.
The final battle between the guardian bloodline and the chosen protectors was about to begin.
And this time—
The fate of the ancient power would be decided.