Chapter 144: Chamber of the Anchor (2)
As she moved deeper, those sigils began to distort, showing imagery that made her heart twist: a god devouring his own worshippers, a celestial throne dripping with blood, a chained star screaming soundlessly into the void.
Each step echoed like a heartbeat.
The divine beings in her Stream remained unusually silent. Not even the mocking one spoke.
She realized that this place might be beyond their reach.
At the bottom of the staircase, the air grew thick and electric.
There it was, the Divine Anchor. Suspended above a bottomless pit, held in place by chains of glowing light. It resembled a massive black crystal, its surface marred with cracks that oozed faint silver mist.
Every few seconds, it pulsed, thump... thump... like a living heart.
Though the pulse seemed to be a bit weak. As expected, she didn’t let them sacrifice more people to the altar after the fight ended. It hasn’t been that long, yet the pulse has already gone a bit weak.
However, she didn’t forget not to underestimate this monstrous thing just because it seemed a bit weak; rather, she put up a high guard against it.
Ling Yu’s body shuddered involuntarily. Her energy core reacted violently, as if something within the Anchor recognized her presence.
"...So this is the heart of the fortress," she murmured.
A faint whisper slithered into her mind.
"Little mortal... you’ve come again."
She tightened her grip on her weapon, her pulse quickening.
"You’re not a god," she said calmly. "You’re a parasite feeding off human flesh and blood."
The voice laughed, a sound like the creaking of ancient wood.
"Names are meaningless. I was worshipped once, before your gods chained me. They called me the Sleeper Beyond Dawn. But you... You may call me, Anchor."
The word itself seemed to echo through her bones.
Ling Yu’s body trembled slightly, but her mind remained sharp.
"So you’re the one corrupting this place. You’ve been leeching power from the Stream, haven’t you? That’s why the divine signals were distorted."
A pulse of energy rolled outward, shaking the chamber.
"You speak as if you understand. You are like them, like those who chained me. But you are different, aren’t you? You carry a mark not born of heaven."
Ling Yu froze.
The being could see her curse, the hidden sigil embedded in her soul since her regression.
The curse of Narvidal, the thing that destroyed her life.
Seems he can recognize its presence, which means he really was a dark being, seeing how quickly he could tell about her curse mark.
Her eyes darkened. "Stay out of my mind."
"You cannot hide from me. I could give you what your false gods never will. Freedom from their gaze. Power to tear through destiny itself."
"Even that curse, I can take care of it for you. Only if you agree to the contract and release me."
Its whispers coiled like smoke, seeping into her thoughts. She grit her teeth in annoyance because she could feel it probing her fear, her memories of betrayal, her death in the apocalypse, the moments she had knelt before those who abandoned her.
Her heart began to pound painfully.
’It’s lying. You’ve seen this before...’
She forced her mind into focus, channeled her energy, and activated the divine runes etched along her forearm.
Golden light burst from her palm, clashing violently against the Anchor’s aura.
The entire chamber quaked.
Energy roared like a storm as Ling Yu released her power.
Light and shadow collided, twisting into waves that tore through the floor. The Anchor’s chains glowed brightly, vibrating under the strain. The crystal screamed, a low, resonant wail that made the air tremble.
"Foolish child!"
the entity’s voice thundered. "You think you can break me? I am older than your world!"Ling Yu gritted her teeth. "And yet you’re trapped by it."
She leapt forward, spinning midair, her blade slicing through one of the radiant chains. It shattered in an explosion of light, releasing a surge of corrupted energy that burned through her barrier.
"You can’t release yourself from this Anchor, isn’t that because your soul has already merged with this Anchor? You want to trick me into making a contract, but in reality, you’ll surely jump me the moment you get free from this restraint and eat my soul, then take my body for yourself. Am I right?"
Pain seared across her arms, but she didn’t stop.
Each strike was calculated, measured not to destroy, but to unravel. The goal wasn’t to kill the being, but to sever its tether to this realm.
For every chain she cut, the Anchor’s glow dimmed, and the chamber grew darker. The voice grew weaker, though still venomous.
"They sent you to do their dirty work, didn’t they? The gods fear me still. You are nothing but their pawn."
Ling Yu’s chest heaved as she stood before the last chain. Her blade trembled in her grasp, but her eyes were clear.
"No," she said softly. "I’m not doing this for them."
Her power surged again, flaring like a rising sun. She swung her blade downward with all her might.
The final chain snapped.
The Anchor let out a deafening scream, its light collapsing inward before exploding into a blinding burst.
Ling Yu was thrown back violently, crashing into the wall. The world dissolved into light and darkness.
When she opened her eyes again, everything was quiet.
The Anchor was gone. The pit beneath had sealed itself with a faint shimmer of divine energy. Only a faint mark remained on the ground, a symbol of binding, slowly fading into nothingness.
Her entire body ached. Her hands were burnt, her veins still tingling with remnants of divine power.
But she could still breathe.
Above her, faint golden particles drifted like fireflies, residual fragments of divine approval. Her wristband beeped softly.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. "So it really was from them."
She looked upward through the shattered ceiling, watching the crimson moon turn pale once more.