Episode 30: The Seal Core Chamber

The descent felt endless. Every step deeper pressed against their lungs, the air so thick with shadow it clung like tar. The stairway pulsed beneath their boots as if alive, carrying them down into the Labyrinth's heart.

[System Alert: Zone Progress – 95% → 100%]

[Entering: Seal Core Chamber]

[Warning: Monarch Resonance 81% → 92%]

The stairway opened into a vast chamber, wider than a coliseum, domed with jagged obsidian spires. The walls pulsed with veins of crimson light, beating in rhythm like a giant heart. In the center stood the Core Monolith, far taller than the others—a shard of ancient stone, encasing a crystalline Seal fragment the size of a throne.

The air vibrated with whispers. Thousands of them.

Names, forgotten. Souls, erased.

Akira… Elira… Kuro… all shall vanish.

Elira's breath frosted, her hands trembling despite the frostfire that burned steady at her palms. "…It feels like the chamber itself is alive."

Akira spat, loosening his katana with a sharp flick. "Alive or not, I'll cut down whatever crawls out of it."

Kuro's emberlight eyes narrowed on the Core. "…No. It's already here."

---

The ground split.

From the obsidian floor rose a towering abomination—its body a mass of shifting faces, countless mouths whispering names in tones both pleading and accusing. Its limbs stretched like broken pillars, claws dripping black ichor. In its chest glowed a massive crimson core, pulsing with every whisper.

[System Alert: Guardian of the Forgotten Names Detected]

[Threat Level: Catastrophic]

The Guardian's thousand mouths screamed as one, shaking the chamber.

Akira staggered, covering his ears. "—The hell is this thing?!"

Elira's violet eyes burned with defiance, frostfire wings flaring wide. "…It's every soul the labyrinth consumed. Every name it erased."

Kuro's emberblade ignited, firelight clashing against the crimson glow. His voice cut through the screams. "Then we give them release."

---

The Guardian struck first. Its arm lashed down like a collapsing tower.

Kuro dashed forward, blade raised. Emberlight erupted as he caught the blow, sparks exploding. The impact drove cracks through the floor, forcing him to his knees.

"Elira!" he barked.

She thrust her palms forward, frostfire spiraling into a beam that slammed against the Guardian's chest. The crimson core flared, but instead of cracking, the blast only fed its glow.

The whispers doubled. Louder.

Elira… failure… betrayer… princess without a crown.

Her frostfire faltered, her breath hitching.

Kuro's voice roared over the storm. "Don't listen!"

Akira vaulted in from the side, katana flashing in a blur. He carved deep across one of the Guardian's limbs, black ichor spraying—but the wound only birthed more mouths, each whispering his name.

Akira… second blade… never enough… forgotten.

His teeth clenched, rage burning. "Shut. The hell. Up!"

He tore across its arm again, sparks flying with every strike, carving until the limb split apart. The mouths screamed before dissolving into mist.

Akira spat blood, grinning wild. "That's one. Who's next?"

---

The Guardian reared back, its crimson core blazing. Shadows speared upward, impaling the ground around them.

Kuro dragged Elira close, shielding her with his own flame as spikes tore the air. His arm scorched, blood dripping—but his grip never faltered.

Her violet eyes widened. "…Kuro—"

He met her gaze, emberlight blazing. "Stay with me. We finish this together."

Her breath caught, chest tightening at the fire in his eyes. For a heartbeat, the whispers dimmed. Her frostfire steadied. "…Together."

Their flames ignited in unison—frostfire entwining with emberlight, spiraling upward into a radiant storm.

---

[System Alert: Dual Resonance – Frostfire Pact: 92% → 97%]

[Temporary Sync Established]

Their combined strike cut through the Guardian's chest, tearing across its crimson core.

The chamber trembled, voices shrieking in chaos. The abomination reeled back, its mass of faces distorting into agony.

But it did not fall. Instead, its shattered chest spilled rivers of shadows, which coalesced into armored wraiths wielding blades of obsidian.

Dozens. Hundreds.

Akira cursed, standing at their front with his katana raised. "Here we go again."

He dove into the horde, blades flashing in arcs of silver, every strike fueled by stubborn defiance. Each wraith he felled dissolved into smoke—but more replaced them instantly.

"Kuro! Elira! Core's yours—leave the rest to me!"

Kuro hesitated, emberblade raised. "…Akira—"

The swordsman glanced back, smirking despite the blood running down his cheek. "Don't insult me by doubting. I'm your right hand, aren't I?"

Kuro's eyes softened for a fraction of a second. Then he nodded. "Don't die."

Akira laughed. "Wasn't planning to."

---

Kuro and Elira launched upward, flames entwining as they soared toward the Guardian's core.

The abomination raised its remaining arm, shadows writhing like serpents to intercept.

Elira spread her frostfire wings wide, voice sharp. "I'll clear the path—GO!"

She unleashed a storm of frostfire spears, piercing through the wall of shadows, freezing and shattering them in bursts of light.

Kuro burst through the gap, emberblade raised high. His flame roared brighter, hotter, every strike fueled not by rage—but by resolve.

He drove his blade into the Guardian's chest, carving deep into the crimson core.

The chamber erupted in light.

The Guardian screamed, thousands of voices breaking into one final wail. Its mass collapsed, dissolving into black dust that rained into the abyss below.

---

Silence fell.

The Core Monolith cracked open, releasing a shard of crimson crystal brighter than any before.

[System Update: Blood Seal – Fragment Acquired]

[Progress: 3/4]

[Warning: Monarch Resonance 92% → 96%]

Kuro staggered, gripping his head. The shadows in his veins writhed violently, emberlight in his eyes flickering darker.

Elira caught him, frostfire wrapping gently around his arm. "Kuro—stay with me!"

His breath came ragged, shadows spilling across his skin like burning tattoos. His voice was hoarse, trembling. "…It's… inside me. Stronger than before."

Akira limped toward them, katana resting on his shoulder, bloodied but grinning. "Don't you dare lose it now. Not when we're one step away."

Elira's grip tightened, her violet eyes blazing. "…Then I'll anchor you. Even if it consumes everything, I won't let it take you."

Kuro's eyes met hers. For a heartbeat, the whispers inside him hushed. Her voice cut through, sharper than flame, steadier than frost.

"…Elira…"

The shadows recoiled, emberlight steadying. Slowly, his breath leveled.

[System Notice: Frostfire Pact Stabilization – Emergency Lock Engaged]

[Monarch Resonance Suppressed – 96% → 91%]

---

The stairway beyond the chamber unfurled—this one sharper, darker, descending into a void so complete it seemed to swallow light itself.

[System Alert: Final Zone Unlocked – Throne of the Forgotten King]

Akira sighed, rolling his shoulders. "…Figures the worst is saved for last."

Elira's frostfire shimmered faintly, but her voice was firm. "Then we end it there."

Kuro stood tall again, emberblade burning at his side. His gaze lingered on the abyss below.

"…One last Seal."

And together, they stepped into the final descent.

---

[To Be Continued…]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.