Power of Runes

A dim, ghastly scene revealed itself as the light from Ash's skill spilled across the ground below.

In the center of the cavern sat the Hollow Mother, looming like a rotting brain torn from some impossible giant, its grotesque mass of flesh towering as high as a two-story building.

The surface was a sickly, raw red, glistening as if drenched in oil. Vein-like tendrils as thick as tree roots sprawled outward from its base, crawling across the stone floor and burrowing deep into the earth. They pulsed faintly in uneven rhythms, as though something unseen in the depths was feeding it.

Dozens upon dozens of swollen eyes jutted from folds in its body. None moved in unison; each rolled in erratic directions, scanning the cavern in twitching bursts. Some were no larger than a fist, while others were as wide as a man's head.

Their slick surfaces caught the light with a glassy sheen, reflecting a hunger that felt both alien and deliberate. Between the clusters of eyes, the flesh twisted into deep creases and swollen ridges, forming patterns like the folds of some diseased, nightmarish brain.

From gaping pores scattered across its surface, clouds of thick, black smoke puffed out in slow, unsettling bursts. The fumes drifted upward toward the cavern's ceiling, where several narrow holes — just wide enough for two or three people to pass through — broke through the rock.

Through those openings, the smoke vanished into the outside world. Ash quickly realized these were the same routes the worms had been using to blend to the surface air.

...What a disturbing sight...

The Whisperer had already told him what the Hollow Mother looked like, so the horror was not a complete surprise. Even so, seeing it in person was different.

It was smaller than the one in the Whisperer's account, perhaps weaker than what he encountered, but its sheer presence was enough to make the skin crawl.

And it was not alone. Beyond the Hollow Mother and the endless darkness surrounding it, shapes began to take form in Ash's vision. Dozens… no, thousands of dwarves stood in the shadows. They did not move with the rhythm of the living. Their posture was rigid, their eyes dull, their bodies wrapped in the unnatural stillness of mind control.

Ash narrowed his eyes, letting Omni Thought flow through him. In mere seconds, he gauged the scale of the force gathered here.

One at legendary rank… five at grandmaster… ten at master… more than a hundred experts… and over a thousand at adept rank.

For a city, this was not unusual. It was only natural for such a settlement to have this many awakened individuals for its defense. That was the point of bringing Ray along, wasn't it?

To be his meat shield.

No… not meat shield… just a shield… yeah.

The moment that thought faded, Ash and Ray landed hard on the cavern floor, trying to soften the impact. Even with the effort, the ground beneath their feet cracked, sending up a burst of dust and scattering loose stones.

It took him only a heartbeat to realize the worst part of their landing — they had fallen directly into the middle of enemy lines. The dwarves were already around them in a circle. Though only the nearer ones were looking at them, rest were standing blankly facing forward.

And that was when he realized it.

The faint unease he had felt when entering the city earlier… was nothing compared to this. The air here was thick, heavy enough to feel like it was sinking into his lungs. A cold, crawling weight pressed against his senses, urging him to stop, to turn back, to leave this place and never return.

Same was true for Ray as well.

...What a hideous creature this is... Ray thought, his gaze fixed on the Hollow Mother's grotesque form. The thing's pulsating mass of flesh, covered in unblinking eyes, seemed almost alive in a way that made his skin crawl.

Even the air felt foul here, as if the creature's very presence had rotted the ground it stood on. He cursed under his breath, the taste of bile rising as he realized exactly where they had landed.

But more than the revulsion, what burned hotter inside him was anger. This was the abomination responsible for the mind control and killing of so many dwarves on the surface.

{That creature is not from this world.}

Aetheris's voice cut through his thoughts, carrying a cold certainty that made Ray pause.

What do you mean not from this world? Demons obviously are not from this world…

{Exactly as I said. I do not recall it's origin, but I can tell it is not from here. Its essence feels wrong, not in the way demons feel wrong, but in a deeper, older sense. Its energy is fundamentally different from theirs. You might not be able to sense it, but I can feel it clearly. I have faced beings of its kind before, although the ones I encountered were far stronger than this one. I have never faced this exact creature, but the nature of its existence is familiar. Keep in mind the information Ash gave you.}

...Yeah, but… my mana is getting drained even faster now… Life Breath is sucking me dry…

The moment he said that, he felt it — countless gazes pressing against his skin like invisible spears.

He looked up and froze. Every single eye on the Hollow Mother stopped spinning and locked directly onto them. The same was true for all the people standing around it. More than a thousand bodies turned towards them in eerie unison, their lifeless faces aimed straight at Ray and Ash.

Yet, the weight of their combined stares felt like millions. The sheer pressure was crushing, as if the air had grown heavier with each passing second.

{Here you go. You can use them to restore your energy, and if the chance comes, attack the Hollow Mother… or whatever it is… with my Soul Sever ability. Cut away at its life bit by bit. The ability has grown even stronger than when you first acquired it, so it will help.}

Before Ray could reply, Ash's voice came from beside him.

"Hey, Ray… I think you should go ahead and create some chaos here. Stop them from getting close to me, because I am about to start tearing that disgusting flesh-blob apart."

Ray narrowed his eyes and gave Ash an annoyed look, but Ash didn't seem to care.

Without waiting for a reply, Ash vanished, leaving behind only the word, "Let go."

In the very next heartbeat, glowing orbs of crackling lightning appeared all around the dwarven ranks and near the gnarled, root-like tendrils of the Hollow Mother. A second later, they detonated in unison.

This bastard…

Ray cursed, but there was no time to complain. He ignored the chaotic storm of lightning and launched himself straight toward the awakened dwarves.

The underground chamber was swallowed in blinding light.

-BOOM!!!

-BOOM!!

-BOOOM!!!

The thunderous blasts tore through the darkness, peeling it away like old skin. When the light faded, Ray was still in midair from his leap, but what he saw below made his stomach tighten.

Ten figures stood exactly where he was about to land, each wielding a weapon. They were all Master Rank dwarves he had spotted only seconds earlier, yet somehow they were already here.

What the hell…? Did they endure that attack? And how did they move so fast…?

He looked toward the Hollow Mother, its grotesque mass pulsing faintly in the dim cave light, and there he saw Ash appear just above it.

The sight was far from reassuring.

Ash's situation was far from favorable. He appeared in midair, only to be surrounded by a Legendary and five Grandmasters, all locked on him like predators circling prey.

...I need to go there...

Ray knew he didn't actually need to intervene. If Ash truly wanted to escape, he could simply teleport away without breaking a sweat. But this wasn't about survival; it was about the task they had agreed upon.

Ray's role was to hold the dwarves back, to keep the them distracted long enough for Ash to act. He didn't have to defeat every opponent, but he could at least stop the dangerous ones from interfering.

That was the deal, and Ray intended to keep it.

He dropped from his vantage point like a meteor, his eyes locked on the ten Master-ranked dwarves below. Some were encased entirely in Aura, their armor gleaming faintly in the sparse light. Others stood within the heart of intricate, glowing magic circles, spells coiling at their fingertips, waiting for him to come within range.

Ray didn't flinch. He didn't even bother to defend.

The moment his boots touched the stone floor, a barrage of attacks descended from every direction—blades wreathed in flame, spears of ice, bolts of condensed lightning. The ground trembled.

-BAAM!!!

The impact thundered through the cavern. Dust erupted into the air, swallowing Ray's silhouette. But before the smoke could settle, he burst forward, Aetheris gripped tight in his hands.

He moved with lethal precision, his blade dancing in an unpredictable, ever-shifting rhythm that blurred the lines between technique and instinct. Each swing carried enough force to rattle bones, enhanced by the raw power of his mantle's Energy Discharge. He was using his aura roughly not sharply. He did not want to cut them, but to injured them.

The closest warriors were flung backward as if struck by a runaway boulder, crashing into their allies with grunts of pain.

The magicians fared no better. Their shields, hastily conjured, shone brilliantly for a split second before Ray's attack slammed into them with a screech like tearing metal.

One after another, the barriers fractured and collapsed, forcing their wielders to retreat before they could mount another spell.

Ray ignored them, he had no time to waste.

With his legs shrouded in white aura of light element, he kicked off the ground, leaving only a deafening sonic boom and a spray of shattered stone in his wake.

The air warped from his sheer speed as he chained a flicker step, blinking past the chaos in a heartbeat, his focus locked solely on reaching Ash position.

***