Chapter 8 - "Eon Grove Infiltration"

Within his lab, Phantom carefully assembled his equipment. His hands moved with efficiency, choosing weapons, tools, and energy reserves. Each artifact mission required planning, but this one? This was special.

This was the final pinpointed location of a potential ancient relic. If this came up empty-handed, then Veyrasha had nothing else to give.

He turned, eyes settling on his ultimate creation—his bike, Erebos. A perfect integration of science and artifacts, the vehicle hummed softly with dark energy veins. It was more than a ride. It was a tool. A weapon. A specter in the streets.

Sliding on his combat gloves, he walked over and pressed a small concealed button at the right storage panel of the bike. A hissing creak opened up the front compartment to a floating O-tier artifact—its energy pulsating softly. With a second press, the artifact activated, returning into the right storage panel. A wave of invisibility cloaked Phantom and Erebos completely.

No signals. No traces.

With a smooth stroke, he climbed onto the bike and it floated and then after adjusting some specifications, he sped towards his destination. He was invisible from the time he left his laboratory.

His destination? Eon Grove—25km away.

Eon Grove, the last untouched forest in the entire nation. It was a paradox—a natural sanctuary in a nation consumed by AI and robotics. But what was beneath it was anything but natural, which even the government was unaware of.

The government had shut it down in the name of conservation, erecting an ironclad security perimeter around the whole forest. Top-grade cybernetic guards marched on the borders, drones buzzed like silent killers, and camouflaged surveillance towers monitored every micro-disturbance within a 5km radius.

No one was allowed within 10km, and the restricted perimeter extended 15km outward. Even the smallest anomaly would trigger an immediate response. All of this security was placed by the current ruler of Veyrasha to protect the last gift of nature.

To break in, Ashok had to make sure they never even noticed his presence.

While Ashok was driving, memories surfaced.

His godfather's voice.

The first he had heard of the artifacts scattered throughout Veyrasha. The locations marked on a map, all leading to Prism-tier finds—never an ancient one. He had explored each location. Discovered Prism weapons, tech, upgrades—but never what he really wanted.

And now, this was his final lead in Veyrasha.

Ashok has arrived close to the perimeter zone. He activated one of Erebos' secret skills—Astral Jump.

Erebos lifted into the air, floating steadily as gravitational distortions levelled his rise. This process made no wave disruptions, maintaining complete stealth—a requirement when dealing with Eon Grove's ultra-high security.

Above the city, far enough, his helmet visor illuminated, invoking Tactical Horizon Analysis. A dense HUD map appeared, displaying: Maximum visibility range, Potential landing points, Required power adjustments.

Ashok's fingers danced along the interface, adjusting the power levels and line. Satisfied, he executed the next step.

Turning on Terrain Rider—an ability of Erebos. His motorcycle built a solid, invisible path along the sky—a path that no scanners would read. But it came with an exception—

Each terrain allowed only one pathway per day.

He had to manually calibrate it before he could start, using a reflex-based interface. A game-like module materialized on his HUD—he had to fine-tune the angle, velocity, and energy sync in real time.

His reflexes took over. He flicked, tuned, stabilized—flawless. The route was established.

With the terrain secured, he opened his inventory, an advanced fusion of science and high-tier Prism artifacts. It could hold 1 vehicle spare, 1 armour spare, and a few utility devices.

A holographic menu appeared, which enabled him to choose specific equipment: Combat suit, Utility belt, A strip of Prism artifacts—one per level of VIBGYOR.

Locking in his selections, he accelerated toward the highest point of trajectory. When he reached the peak, he activated a sequence—

Shot the selected slots in rapid succession.

Stored Erebos and his rider suit into the inventory.

Passed through all holograms, equipping them in an instant.

Entered freefall.

With the stealth device still active, he plunged through the evening sky, city lights glinting below him. He grinned.

"Cinematic flashy skydiving infiltration successful."

Immediately, he was bombarded by Phantom's and Raven's voices in his mind—both rebuking him.

"Idiot, do the job you have come to do," growled Raven.

"It was fun but it is not the time for it," growled Phantom.

Tch. No fun allowed, huh?

The air grew thinner as he approached the forest A scent hit him—fresh, untouched air.

This is the first time he experienced it.

He landed soundlessly, his jet boots dissipating any force impact.

The instant Ashok touched down, his senses heightened. The security of Eon Grove was top-notch.

Guards patrolled in pairs, augmented by top-tier cybernetic enhancements. They walked with precision, calculated—every one a human fortress on legs. Drones flew overhead, scanning the grounds with sensor beams.

But Phantom moved undetected, still shrouded by the O-tier stealth item.

He couldn't resist.

He toyed with them, walking right past their faces, slipping between them without a sound. One guard scratched his head, feeling a presence.

Ashok suppressed his laugh.

"Man, if only they knew."

After minutes of calculated movement, he finally reached the center of the forest—a seemingly normal mountainside.

The place was heavily guarded—drones and turrets scattered all over the place. But he still did the time-wasting stuff, evading security in the most absurd manners possible.

That's when Phantom lost patience.

Enough fooling around.

Phantom's instincts kicked in as he probed for the ideal moment to attack.

Running his hand over the rock surface, his visor sensed anomalies under the stone. The density was uneven. A mountain this big shouldn't be hollow.

Bingo.

He opened up his personal inventory system—he summoned two objects: a Pile Bunker and the Echo Snare.

He placed the Echo Snare firmly, making the area completely silent. He waited until the guards moved a bit further—

Then, he shot the Pile Bunker.

A silent shockwave rippled through the stone, and fissures branched outward like lightning. The collision ought to have been a deafening sound, but within the field of the Echo Snare, nothing at all was audible. The whole part of the rock collapsed inward, revealing an abyss beneath—an underwater labyrinth.

Phantom gazed down at the blackness below, water glistening faintly under the moonlight.

He smiled. Underwater ruins. Didn't see that coming.

His stance eased as he let Ashok command, his voice changing to one of amusement. "Okay, fellas. Quick lore drop—ruins and dungeons are where artifacts reside. Some are straightforward, just a linear path to treasure. Others? Total mazes. The kind you go in and never come out of."

He glanced at the water. "And this one? A straight-up underwater site. Which means… suit change time."

A single command triggered his armor change, adapting it into a streamlined, pressure-capable diving mode. The black plating changed, the plates strengthened for deep-sea travel, and his visor shifted to read in low-visibility.

He glanced back once at the ruins below.

Game on.

"See you, later guys," laughed Ashok.

With one final step, Phantom plunged into the depths.

He plunged in.

As he delved deeper, the glow from above diminished, swallowed by an unnatural darkness. Unusual metallic growths covered the walls, emitting weak, eerie glows. He extended his hand, scooping up a small amount into his cylindrical storage canister—a hybrid artifact for mysterious material found near the origin location of the artifact.

As he went deeper, his HUD began to flicker.

And then, he saw it.

A demon—a monstrous figure clawing at what appeared to be an ancient puzzle mechanism embedded in the ruins. A shiver of discomfort ran through Phantom.

His instincts screamed.

He filled the cylindrical device with the unknown metal without delay and accelerated at top speed.

Approaching the demon, he activated the Echo Snare, releasing all the absorbed sound from the Pile Bunker in a deafening blast. The demon reeled, distracted—

In that moment, Phantom muttered under his breath, took careful aim, and hurled the charged cylindrical device directly into the demon's torso. As it was about to strike the demon, it flashed a soft glow of a hammer made of earthly energy, shocking both of them.

Boom.

The shockwave knocked them both back. As Phantom tumbled through the maze, his fingers closed around the artifact.

A flash of blinding light engulfed everything.

Darkness. And then—white. Infinite white.

Phantom's eyes opened

There was no ground, no sky—just an infinite void of colorless nothingness. The silence was deafening. He moved his hand, but there was no resistance, no sensation. It was as if he existed in a space where even reality struggled to hold form.

Then, a voice.

"Bow, mortal. I am the strongest in this universe."

Phantom barely reacted. His gaze drifted across the blank void, scanning his surroundings with idle curiosity. "Huh. Empty. Kinda boring."

The dark figure before him shifted, as if taken aback by the lack of fear. It was humanoid, but its edges blurred—like a shadow refusing to take shape.

Phantom ignored it, his mind piecing together fragments of memory. Then, a realization clicked.

A lesson from his godfather resurfaced.

Artifacts are not just tools. They are categorized into two unknown forces—Sura and Asura. No one knows what they truly mean, but they are believed to be polar opposites. And some... some try to corrupt the mind.

That's why we unlock the Mind's Eye. To resist.

The understanding settled into place.

"I am in my mind realm. This is what I enter when I open the Mind's Eye. But it still isn't fully in my control, huh?" was his first impression when he entered the mind realm.

The memory faded, and Phantom smirked. "Typical villain dialogue. Don't you have anything new for me?"

The dark figure's presence swelled with irritation. "You dare mock me? If you do not bow, I will erase you from existence."

Phantom cracked his neck. "Try me."

The figure didn't hesitate. It stretched its hand outward, its presence slithering into the depths of Phantom's mind, seeking, prying into the shadows of his past.

Then it found something.

It returned, voice dripping with amusement. "I have seen your greatest regret. Bow to me, and I will revive your—"

"Utter one more word," Phantom's voice dropped to a lethal whisper, "and I'll make sure you wish you were dead."

The air froze.

The dark figure faltered for a split second—a mistake.

Then, without warning, Phantom moved.

"So, you want to fight, huh?" grumbled the dark figure, its form twisting, stabilizing into the shape of a dark demonic warrior. Its glowing eyes narrowed as it advanced. "You don't understand, do you? This isn't a battle. This is an execution."

The realm trembled.

A fight unlike any before was about to begin.