CRACK.
The sound echoed again.
Sharper this time.
Louder.
The chains binding the chest trembled violently, their glowing inscriptions flickering like a dying flame.
A second fracture spread across its surface.
Dark energy seeped through the cracks—
Slow.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
⸻
The entire camp froze.
Daren's grip tightened around his weapon.
"…That thing is breaking."
Sera's expression hardened.
"No… it's being forced open."
Her gaze snapped toward the battlefield.
Toward Kael.
Toward the cloaked man.
⸻
Kael felt it instantly.
The moment the seal weakened—
The void inside surged.
Stronger than before.
Wilder.
Unstable.
His Origin Core reacted violently, pulsing as if trying to resist something invading its domain.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
If this breaks completely…
He didn't finish the thought.
He didn't need to.
It would be a disaster.
⸻
The cloaked man spread his arms slightly.
Dark energy gathered around him, denser than ever before.
"You feel it, don't you?" he said softly.
His voice carried excitement now.
Anticipation.
"This is what we came for."
Kael stepped forward.
Golden energy flared.
"We're not letting you take it."
The man smiled.
"You don't get to decide that."
⸻
He moved.
Faster than before.
Void energy surged violently, distorting everything around him.
The ground beneath his feet warped and collapsed with every step.
Kael met him head-on.
Origin Flash.
Golden light cut through the darkness.
They collided again.
This time—
No restraint.
⸻
BOOM!
The impact shook the entire area.
The two forces clashed violently—light against void—each trying to dominate the other.
Kael's strikes came faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Each one aimed at the man's transition points.
Each one trying to disrupt his phasing ability.
The cloaked man countered with equal intensity.
His attacks were no longer testing.
They were lethal.
Every movement carried the intent to end the fight.
⸻
A strike slipped through.
Kael's shoulder was grazed.
Void energy surged into his body—
Cold.
Devouring.
Kael gritted his teeth, golden energy erupting to push it out.
Pain shot through him.
But he didn't slow down.
⸻
Behind them—
The chest pulsed again.
CRACK!
A third fracture appeared.
The chains began to unravel.
Dark mist leaked out more rapidly now.
The air grew colder.
Heavier.
Oppressive.
⸻
"Damn it!" Daren shouted.
"We can't just stand here!"
Sera nodded.
"Then we don't."
They moved.
The remaining team rushed toward the wagon.
Their goal wasn't the enemy anymore—
It was the seal.
⸻
Back in the fight—
Kael saw it.
The timing.
The pattern.
The man phased—
Kael moved.
Perfectly.
He intercepted.
A clean strike.
BOOM!
The cloaked man staggered back.
For the first time—
He lost ground.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He stepped in again.
Golden energy surged violently.
The Ring of the First Pulse blazed brightly, resonating with the Origin Core.
Kael raised his hand.
All his focus.
All his control—
Condensed into one point.
"Stop."
He struck.
Origin Pulse — Maximum Resonance.
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion of golden light erupted, forcing the cloaked man back violently.
His body was thrown across the ground, crashing into the rocks.
Silence—
For a split second.
⸻
Then—
The chest screamed.
Not a sound.
But a presence.
A pulse of void energy exploded outward from it.
The chains shattered.
Completely.
Darkness spilled into the world.
The air distorted.
Reality itself seemed to bend slightly around it.
Everyone froze.
Even Kael.
Because what stood before them now—
Was no longer just a sealed object.
⸻
A crack opened fully across the chest.
From within—
Something moved.
Slowly.
Ancient.
Unseen.
But felt.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
This… is bad.
Very bad.
⸻
The cloaked man slowly stood up.
Despite his injuries—
He smiled.
"…Finally."
Kael turned toward him.
"You planned this."
The man nodded.
"Of course."
He looked at the chest.
"At last… it awakens."
⸻
The void energy thickened.
Darker.
Heavier.
More oppressive than anything before.
Even the cloaked man's aura felt small in comparison.
Kael clenched his fists.
Golden energy surged again.
Not attacking.
Not yet.
But preparing.
Because now—
The real danger—
Was no longer just the enemy.
⸻
It was what had been sealed.