Chapter 19: The Sanctum’s Threshold

The corridor dipped beneath the fortress like a gaping wound, every step drawing Reziel and the knights deeper into the earth. Flickers of violet flame licked the rough-hewn walls, casting unnerving shapes that slithered and writhed at the edges of vision. Sir Galland, Aria Highwind, and the others advanced warily, their torches and lanterns doing little to chase away the primal darkness lingering beyond.

Reziel clutched his short staff, keenly aware of the blackish bruising across his ribcage—searing reminders of what another Overlimit would cost. No more, he told himself. Unless there's truly no other way. The tang of scorched incense and stale blood grew stronger, each breath thick with the residue of ancient rites.

Eventually, they emerged into a massive cavern that opened up beneath the fortress's foundations. Stalactites hung like fangs from the ceiling; patches of glowing fungus clung to wet stone. At the far end, a colossal doorless gateway of carved basalt soared high, framing the real heart of the cult's domain: a stepped dais etched with swirling runes and ringed by stone pillars.

Between these pillars, Circle of Twilight cultists chanted, their robes fluttering in an unnatural breeze. Some wore intricately carved masks, others brandished staffs crackling with leftover warding magic. At the dais's summit stood a towering statue—part beast, part robed deity—radiating a subtle gloom. And at its feet, an elaborate magic circle shimmered, arcs of violet lightning dancing from rune to rune.

Aria halted, her spear level. "They're definitely not holding back," she murmured, eyes darting over the well-organized cultists.

Galland's gaze swept the chamber, noting the number of adversaries—likely two dozen or more, some armed with staff or blade, others chanting incantations. His sword tensed in his hand. "They must be finalizing whatever ritual they started above. We end it here."

A handful of captured knights lay bound near one of the pillars, battered and unconscious. Bloodstained runes covered the floor, suggesting the cult had used them in fresh sacrifices. Reziel's heart twisted with anger and dread. We have to rescue them—if they're even still alive.

Aria's jaw tightened. "We free those knights if we can. But the main ritual circle has to be our priority."

A hush rippled through the cultists, sensing the knights' approach. One robed figure—a tall man wearing a serpent-shaped mask—stepped forward, staff crowned by a cracked crystal. His voice echoed through the cavern, amplified by arcane resonance:

"You have undone our wards, slaughtered our guardians, yet your efforts are in vain. The sanctum is already awakening. The old power will return, reshaping this land for the Twilight!"

He thrust his staff upward, arcs of violet lightning erupting above him. The other cultists resumed their chant, the dais flaring with pulses of unearthly light. A foreboding hum resonated through the pillars, vibrating the very air.

Galland stepped forward, sword glinting in the weird glow. "Your twisted plans end here. Surrender, or face judgment." His voice carried a harsh edge—he had little expectation that these zealots would comply.

The serpent-masked cultist barked a mocking laugh. "Judgment, you say? The Forbidden System draws near completion! The vessel stands among you." He pointed directly at Reziel, whose stomach lurched under the cultists' collective gaze.

Suddenly, the chanting rose in tempo. Several robed figures advanced, forming a protective barrier around the dais. The masked leader lifted his staff, triggering a fierce gust of arcane wind that rattled the pillars and nearly knocked the front-line knights off their feet.

Aria, bracing herself: "They're rallying for a final stand. Reziel—stay close." Reziel, swallowing hard: "Understood."

The knights attacked in disciplined waves:

Galland charged a cluster of cultists near the left pillar, deflecting their lightning-laced strikes with powerful sword swings.Aria and Ronan moved to flank the dais, hoping to dislodge the chanting mages controlling the main ritual circle.The few remaining knights fanned out, determined to rescue the bound prisoners and prevent the cult from reinforcing.

Reziel lingered near the center, staff at the ready, flanked by a battered but resolute Kiana. The cult responded with arcs of violet fire and twisted illusions. Echoes of monstrous shapes flashed across the cavern, threatening to disorient the knights. But their resolve held: illusions alone wouldn't break them this time.

A trio of cultists rushed Reziel, brandishing short daggers that glowed with runic poison. Kiana lunged to intercept one, steel meeting steel in a frantic clash. Another thrust at Reziel's chest—he parried with his staff, loosing a Dark Pulse that blasted the cultist back. Pain flared in his side, forcing him to clench his jaw. Still better than Overlimit…

From atop the dais, the serpent-masked leader unleashed a wave of shimmering darkness. It rippled across the cavern floor, momentarily turning it into something akin to swirling tar. Several knights got mired in it, their boots sticking. One was forced to his knees, struggling in the sticky blackness as cultists closed in.

Galland roared, slashing through the black tar to free a pinned comrade, but the unnatural substance clung stubbornly. Anora—still wounded yet determined—countered with a cleansing beam of white mana, burning away patches of the tar.

Reziel saw Aria pinned by a staff-wielding mage near the dais steps. Summoning what little energy he could, he hurled a smaller Dark Pulse at the mage's flank. The blow staggered him, letting Aria thrust her spear upward and finish him. She tossed Reziel a grateful nod.

Need to help them break that ritual circle, Reziel thought, breath ragged. He clutched the staff, forcing one foot in front of the other toward the dais.

The chanting cultists ringed the circle, each reciting lines from a tattered grimoire. Their voices fused into a nauseating drone, fueling the swirl of violet light spiraling around the statue's base. Reziel could almost sense the Forbidden System reacting in his blood—like a magnet drawn to the same polarity. This is the heart of it. The old power they want to unbind…

As he neared, the serpent-masked leader turned, staff crackling with malevolent force. "The System's host, come at last!" His voice reverberated with zeal. "Join us freely, boy, and stand at the apex of creation. The old gods beckon you."

Reziel's pulse thundered. Another chance to yield. He grit his teeth, remembering all the suffering the cult had wrought. "I refuse," he spat. "I won't let you twist this power any further."

The leader snarled, violet arcs flaring from his staff. "Then die as a footnote to our ascension!"

Reziel braced himself, half expecting a lethal blast. Instead, the masked leader shouted an incantation, and the statue behind him lurched, stone limbs trembling as if about to come alive. Cracks spanned its surface, releasing plumes of swirling mist. The chanting cultists intensified their prayers, fueling whatever unholy presence dwelled within the effigy.

Galland, Aria, and a handful of knights converged on the dais steps. The robed mages at the circle's perimeter launched arcs of defensive magic. Fire, lightning, and illusions raked the knights' formation, but they pressed forward.

Suddenly, the statue's eyes glowed a sickly green. A monstrous moan emanated from within, making the ground quake. Chunks of carved stone flaked away, revealing a half-formed demonic visage beneath. Something is merging with the statue, Reziel realized in horror.

Aria, stabbing a cultist aside: "We can't let that thing fully awaken!"

If they destroyed the circle itself, the statue's possession might fail. Reziel clutched the staff, heart hammering. I can disrupt the circle, but I'm so low on mana…

Aria, seeing his hesitation, shouted over the din. "Use what you can—we'll protect you!"

She and Galland led a fierce assault on the chanting cultists, trying to break their ring. Ronan, limping from an earlier wound, cleaved through a robed figure who blocked Reziel's path. Kiana darted around the dais, cutting down another who threatened Anora's position.

With a trembling breath, Reziel raised the staff and stepped onto the lower dais. The lines of the magic circle buzzed underfoot, jolting him with an electric tingle. So much power…

System Prompt

High-Density Arcane Field Detected.

Warning: Overlimit Danger if Mana Transfer Exceeds Host Capacity.

Reziel clenched his jaw. "No Overlimit," he whispered, "but we have to end this."

He thrust the staff downward, channeling a Dark Pulse aimed at the central node of the circle. The runes flared in protest, arcs of lightning coiling up his arms. Agony stabbed his ribs as blackish veins pulsed. But he kept the flow steady—focus, not Overlimit.

The circle's lines cracked under the stress. One by one, runic segments dimmed, the chanting cultists gasping as their link faltered. The serpent-masked leader howled, staff raised high, trying to flood the circle with even more dark mana. The statue above them twitched, half-awakened, its stone layers peeling away to reveal a grotesque, half-materialized entity.

The entire dais shook violently. Knights and cultists alike staggered. A fissure split the dais's stone, releasing a gust of stale air from ancient caverns below. For a moment, Reziel feared the entire floor would collapse.

Leader, furious: "Fools! The System belongs to us! We shall usher the Twilight's reign—"

Galland, battered and bleeding, lunged forward with a roar. His sword arced in a downward strike that shattered the leader's staff. Violet sparks exploded, the masked cultist recoiling. Aria followed, driving her spear into his side. With a gurgling cry, he dropped to his knees, staff remnants clattering across the dais.

Even with the circle failing, the statue let out a monstrous bellow—evidence that too much ritual power had been channeled. Cracks glowed like molten veins across its arms. Pieces broke away, revealing a half-formed demonic visage within. The ground quaked once more, threatened by the statue's final surge.

Aria and Galland backed away, knights shouting in alarm. Reziel's entire body burned with leftover dark energy, the staff shaking in his hands. If that statue fully emerges, it could collapse the cavern—or kill us all with one last attack.

He gritted his teeth. One more Dark Pulse—the biggest he could manage without tipping into Overlimit. Summoning the dregs of his mana, ignoring the searing pain, he hurled a swirling bolt of negative energy at the statue's core.

The statue's demonic form screeched, half-lunging, but the bolt tore through its chest. Stone and otherworldly essence erupted in a geyser of dust and sizzling sparks. For a heartbeat, Reziel feared it might still stand—then the structure collapsed inward, a final wail echoing into silence.

As the dust cleared, the dais lay cracked and ravaged. The swirling circle had vanished, runes extinguished. Most cultists lay unconscious, bound by knights or sprawled lifeless from recoil. The serpent-masked leader bled out at the dais's edge, eyes fixed on Reziel with a final look of twisted rage.

Silence swept through the cavern. The oppressive energy that had suffocated the air moments before now ebbed. Only the faint drip of water and the knights' labored breathing remained. Reziel slumped to his knees, the staff clattering away. His vision wavered with exhaustion, but relief flooded his chest. We stopped it…

Aria, dropping beside him: "Reziel!" She checked his pulse, relief flickering when he still responded. "It's over. You did it."

Knights moved through the carnage, freeing their captive comrades, seizing any surviving cultists for questioning. Galland surveyed the wreckage with grim satisfaction, though sadness haunted his eyes for those knights who had fallen.

The colossal statue was now a heap of broken stone, the demonic essence it housed dispersed with the circle's destruction. Aria helped Reziel to his feet, letting him lean on her shoulder. He breathed in the musty air, every muscle trembling. "No Overlimit," he mumbled in a daze. "But I still feel… drained."

Anora limped closer, bandaged and pale, but her voice calm. "That was enough. More than enough. The fortress's power is undone." She gestured to the collapsed pillars, the snuffed runes. "Whatever old god or demon they tried to summon never fully crossed over."

Ronan and Kiana joined them, each bearing minor wounds, but triumphant. Kiana half-laughed, half-sighed. "We actually did it." Her gaze swept the battered dais. "So many lost… but it's finally quiet."

Galland approached Reziel and Aria, wiping blood from his sword. "The fortress is ours. The cult has no more hold here." He paused, studying Reziel's haunted expression. "You okay, lad?"

Reziel exhaled shakily, glancing at the dais. "I'm alive. But… did we learn anything about removing the System? Or was that all for naught?"

Aria squeezed his shoulder gently. "The main circle's destroyed. There could be records or relics hidden deeper—these catacombs are extensive. We'll search once we secure our wounded. Perhaps some text or artifact remains."

Anora nodded. "And we still have a few cultists breathing. Interrogations might reveal knowledge they guarded." She eyed the swirling blackish marks on Reziel's ribs with concern. "We'll find something to help you, Reziel."

He managed a thin smile. I hope so.

With the ritual circle gone and the sanctum subdued, a tangible weight lifted from the air. Though the fortress lay in ruins and many knights had fallen, the immediate crisis had passed. Aria helped Reziel hobble off the dais, while the others scouted. The battered knights gathered, checking casualties, offering water to the injured, and surveying the devastation.

For a moment, Reziel's thoughts drifted toward the future. We saved Luxaria from the cult's final ritual… but I'm still bound to the System. The possibility of a Ritual of Severance still lingered, unverified. Yet perhaps amid these broken pillars and hidden archives, the answers might still lie waiting.

Aria sensed his inner turmoil. "We'll figure it out," she said, voice quiet yet resolute. "You're not alone in this. No matter what secrets remain in these depths, we'll uncover them—together."

Reziel felt a swell of gratitude, leaning on her. Warm torchlight flickered across the rubble as knights formed a perimeter around the dais, staving off the darkness. Indeed, it wasn't over. But for now, he allowed himself a shred of peace, comforted by Aria's presence and the knowledge that, despite everything, they had won.