The chamber fell silent.
Only the heartbeat remained.
BOOM.
The colossal crimson heart pulsed behind the woman.
Its glow illuminated the endless roots surrounding them.
Noah couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She looked alive.
Too alive.
Not like a ghost.
Not like an illusion.
A real person.
Yet the First Successor had said...
"They’re dead."
The woman seemed to read his thoughts.
"I am dead."
Her voice remained calm.
"What stands before you is an Echo."
"An Echo?"
She nodded.
"A fragment of the soul I left behind."
"So you aren’t really here."
"No."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"But for a little while..."
"...I can still speak."
Noah finally relaxed his grip on Shadowfang.
"If you’re really the Second Successor..."
He looked toward the giant heart.
"...then what exactly is this place?"
The woman turned.
Her expression became solemn.
"This..."
"...is the Throne of Ragnarok."
The words echoed through the chamber.
No System notification appeared.
Almost as if even the System refused to explain.
"The Heart outside..."
She continued.
"...is merely a seal."
"A seal?"
"Yes."
"It keeps this place hidden."
"And keeps something else imprisoned."
Noah frowned.
"The Devourer?"
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
A pause.
"Something older."
Before Noah could ask another question—
The entire chamber trembled.
BOOM!
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The woman’s expression darkened.
"He’s trying to break in."
"Azrael?"
She nodded.
"He cannot enter."
"...Yet."
Noah’s eyebrows rose.
"That’s not exactly comforting."
A tiny laugh escaped her.
"You remind me of the Third."
"What was he like?"
"He complained."
"...A lot."
Noah snorted.
"I think we’d have gotten along."
For the first time...
The woman’s smile became genuine.
Then it disappeared.
"There isn’t much time."
She extended her hand.
Floating above her palm appeared seven crimson lights.
One burned brightly.
Six were nearly extinguished.
"The Successors."
She pointed toward the brightest light.
"You."
Then toward the dim ones.
"The rest."
Noah counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
"Shouldn’t there be seven?"
The woman became silent.
Far too silent.
Finally...
"There was."
"But the First still guards the sanctuary."
"So he isn’t dead."
"He died."
She corrected softly.
"But he refused to disappear."
Noah looked away.
Somehow...
That sounded exactly like the stone warrior.
The woman waved her hand.
The floating lights vanished.
"You inherited more than power."
"You inherited our enemies."
"Our failures."
"Our sins."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"And our hope."
Noah didn’t answer.
He wasn’t good with speeches.
Instead...
He asked the question that had been bothering him from the beginning.
"Why me?"
The chamber became quiet.
Even the heartbeat seemed slower.
Finally...
The woman answered.
"We didn’t choose you."
Noah blinked.
"What?"
"Ragnarok did."
"And Ragnarok..."
Her gaze drifted toward the colossal heart.
"...never makes mistakes."
Noah wasn’t convinced.
"I was just some college student."
"I died because of a truck."
"I wasn’t special."
The woman walked toward him.
She stopped only a step away.
"You think death was an accident?"
Noah’s heartbeat stopped.
"What?"
"You believe a random truck..."
"...killed the Seventh Successor before he inherited Ragnarok?"
Her crimson eyes narrowed.
"Noah."
"There are no accidents."
Cold spread through his body.
The truck.
His death.
His reincarnation.
Had someone...
Planned it?
A notification suddenly appeared.
[Main Story Quest Updated]
Discover the Truth Behind Your Death.
Reward: ???
Failure: Death
Noah stared at the screen.
His fists clenched.
"So..."
"My death wasn’t an accident."
The woman looked away.
"I wish I could answer."
"But the memories of the dead are sealed."
The chamber shook violently.
BOOOOM!
Cracks spread through the roots.
The woman’s body flickered.
Time was running out.
She raised her hand one last time.
A crimson flame appeared above her palm.
Small.
Gentle.
Yet Noah instinctively knew...
It was unimaginably dangerous.
"This is all I can leave you."
"The Flame of Ruin."
"It won’t make you stronger overnight."
"It will simply..."
"...give you a chance."
She pressed the flame against Noah’s chest.
Pain exploded through his entire body.
He screamed.
The crimson fire flowed into the broken crown mark on his hand.
The System rang loudly.
[Bloodline Synchronization Increased]
3% → 10%
[New Bloodline Skill Unlocked]
Ruin Strike
Rank: Epic
Channel the Flame of Ruin into a single devastating attack. Extremely high mana consumption.
The chamber began collapsing.
The woman smiled one final time.
"When you meet the Third..."
"Tell him..."
She hesitated.
"...I finally won our argument."
Before Noah could ask what she meant—
The world shattered.
The chamber disappeared.
And Noah found himself back inside the ruined sanctuary.
Azrael had broken three of the chains.
The First Successor was on one knee.
The barrier was moments away from collapsing.
Azrael slowly turned toward Noah.
His black eyes settled on the crimson aura now surrounding him.
For the first time...
The Apostle’s calm expression cracked.
He whispered only three words.
"...She chose you."
Then he smiled.
Not with amusement.
Not with confidence.
With excitement.
"As expected..."
"...this is becoming interesting."