Kyle’s curse reverberated through the still space, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words as a shiver ran down his spine.
He moved back, almost unconsciously.
The place in front of him was completely engulfed in eerie, pitch-black darkness—a colossal arena holding the murky gloom.
His figure had arrived directly behind an enormous coffin resting in a dome-like structure, surrounded by many massive statues of twisted, monstrous creatures and the remnants of cold, ancient ruins.
The thing that had startled him was the oppressive, eerie darkness saturating the colossal arena facing the coffin—shifting slowly as if it were aware of his presence.
Eerie shadows slithered in all directions, twisting and surrounding the large lump of darkness, covering the whole arena, which seemed to be concealing something within—something slumbering yet brimming with menace. The shadows around it seemed to tremble in fear, with a hint of ecstasy, as if waiting for whatever lay inside the lump to awaken and dominate the entire world.
Kyle staggered backward, wiping the cold sweat that had gathered on his brow after seeing the place, and shouted inwardly.
’We are doomed!’
He turned to run back to the collapsing chamber he had left, only to collide with Ares, who had entered the gate after him along with the others, almost losing his footing and falling atop the large coffin.
Ares hissed at the sudden collision and opened his mouth to utter a few curses, but shut it when Kyle’s eyes warned him to stay completely silent if he wanted to live. Only then did Ares and the others take in the scene before them and freeze in horror.
Unlike Kyle, who could still withstand the oppressive darkness, everyone else felt it brushing against their necks, as if wanting to snap them clean off. Fear gripped them so completely that they stood utterly stiff, not daring to move even a single finger.
Kyle wanted to quickly push them all back through the gate they had come from, but to his shock, he failed. A powerful, invisible force bounced them back, as if signaling that the gate was a one-way passage!
They could only enter and not leave!
He glanced around, wetting his dry lips, before gazing at the still group of people.
"I tried just now and failed to use instant teleportation. We have to find an exit..."
He paused for a second, forcing his voice even lower, yet even then it echoed in all directions through the air like a dark omen, carrying a sense of urgency and dread that pressed heavily on everyone before him.
"...And as quickly as possible."
Ares raised a trembling finger, pointing toward the massive lump of darkness.
"Here...? The darkness in front of us seemed to be waiting to devour us!"
As he argued with Kyle in a low voice, the others’ attention stayed fixed on the two, completely unaware of Cassian stepping toward the darkness, lost in a trance-like daze, with his heart jumping in his chest.
His steps were slow and deliberate as he moved away from the space surrounding the coffin, unhesitatingly heading straight toward the pulsating lump of darkness.
He could feel it.
The darkness was strong—an irresistible pull that resonated deep within his core.
It was very similar to the darkness he had surrendered to, the same power that had turned him into a powerful Dark Celestial—but this felt far, far stronger. And that aura within it... it belonged to the Dark Celestial they had seen outside the layer of ancients.
He was in there, feeding on the darkness, growing stronger with every heartbeat!
Cassian’s arms stretched out instinctively; he wanted to embrace it. This darkness—it was empowering another, who seemed to have sold his soul to it. And if he did the same, wouldn’t it make him stronger too?
He was so dazed, almost as if he had lost his mind, that he failed to notice the huge mouth opening in the darkness before him, ready to swallow him whole. And he didn’t resist—willing, oblivious to the fact that he was nothing more than a source of energy for the man currently slumbering within.
The Crimson Crown had already chosen a person to inhabit. The rest could serve only as nourishment, feeding the person it had chosen and making them even stronger.
Just as the gaping mouth loomed an inch from devouring him, his collar was yanked from behind, swiftly dragging him to safety.
Cassian thrashed violently, trying to rush toward the darkness again, his eyes filled with fury, forcing the person trying to save him to stagger and lose their balance.
Kyle muttered a curse as he fell onto his back. Gritting his teeth, he quickly pushed himself upright while keeping a powerful grip on the thrashing man. With a furious, swift motion, he smacked him squarely on the head—hard enough that a trail of blood dripped from it, finally halting his struggle.
Cassian blinked, his dazed eyes finally showing a hint of clarity—only to shudder when a familiar yet dark voice sounded behind him as Kyle dragged him away.
"Dare to move again, and I swear I will break all your bones without hesitation!"
Kyle tossed the stupefied man to Ares before whispering through gritted teeth.
"Bind him to you and keep an eye on him. The rest of you, spread out and search for an exit. The darkness in the space is slowly corroding our bodies to reach our souls, so staying here too long is not good. And that mass of darkness in the arena... avoid it."
He looked back before continuing.
"After all, it doesn’t seem like it will act on its own as long as no one approaches it. At least not before the one inside wakes up."
Rubbing his temples, he hurriedly drew protective symbols on everyone’s palms, ensuring they wouldn’t fall into the same daze that had overcome Cassian. When it came to Cassian, he threw more than ten symbols directly on the man’s forehead, where the blood was still trickling down.
Cassian was speechless. Unlike the others, he looked like a fool, with symbols glowing on his head. But he was too embarrassed to argue after what had happened earlier.
When Kyle finished, he muttered.
"Thanks for earlier... I lost control for a moment there."