Chapter 188: The Hunt Begins

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: The Hunt Begins

The towering spatial portal of the Tower of Ascension hummed with deep, rhythmic pulse waves, its massive blue-and-gold dimensional vortex casting shimmering light across the crowded transit plaza. Other ascending guilds and imperial vanguard platoons milled about the staging area, but a wide berth was instinctively given to Squad 07 as they gathered near the primary gateway for final checks.

Barney unslung the Hammer of the Sunken Bastion from his back, letting the massive weapon settle onto the stone floor with a heavy, thunderous thud that vibrated through the boots of nearby onlookers.

The sea-forged adamantine head hummed with dense kinetic dampening runes, perfectly balanced despite its staggering weight. Barney gave the leather-wrapped haft a firm twist, ensuring the internal shock-absorbing core was locked in place.

Next to him, Seraphina summoned the Crucible of Eternal Transmutation. The compact, multi-ringed bronze-and-crystal relic floated serenely an inch above her palm, its internal alchemy rings spinning in silent, gyroscopic alignment.

She unclasped her side pouch, verifying the rows of glowing, high-purity anti-poison elixirs she had brewed using extracts from the morning’s Sun-Dappled Tomatoes and Primordial Dew Lettuce. The amber vials radiated a crisp, sweet fragrance even through their sealed stoppers.

Mirei checked the tension on her Breeze-Striker Longbow, lightly plucking the translucent, wind-bound bowstring. A sharp, clear note cut cleanly through the low roar of the portal’s spatial currents, the limbs of the bow flexing with zero resistance as she verified her quiver of custom-forged elemental arrows.

Beside her, Caelen slid the broad blade of the Edge of the First Warden out of its heavy scabbard. The massive two-handed greatsword gleamed with a pristine, mirror-like finish, its central fuller etched with ancient guardian runes that flared with a calm, silvery radiance as Caelen channeled a thread of his core mana down the hilt.

Finally, Rowan unslung the Hoe of the World-Tiller. While it carried the humble profile of a farmer’s implement, the deep primordial runes running along its handle resonated subtly with the Fragment of the Origin Earth Pulse humming miles away back at Sunny Vale, giving the tool an aura of absolute elemental authority.

Rowan checked the leather satchel at his waist, where Arthur’s anti-curse and anti-corruption talismans were neatly stacked. The yellowed parchment sheets—preserved from Arthur’s own legendary adventuring days—pulsed with steady, warm ward-fire, ready to snap into active barrier shields at the first hint of dark necrotic magic.

"Elixirs verified, talismans secured, and steel ready," Seraphina reported, snapping her leather pouch shut as her crucible settled into her spatial storage ring.

"Gear is sitting at absolute peak integrity," Barney grinned, resting the head of his warhammer casually over his broad shoulder. "If that rot-weaver thinks he can melt through this, he’s in for a rude awakening."

Rowan lightly adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, his golden-amber eyes turning toward the swirling blue vortex of the portal entrance.

"Stay sharp, maintain formation, and let the elixirs handle any airborne miasma," Rowan commanded softly, a calm, lethal resolve settling over his face. "Let me know the second Mirei picks up his trail."

Without another second of delay, Squad 07 stepped forward in unison, plunging into the radiant light of the gateway to begin their hunt on the lower floors of the Tower.

***

The blinding flash of spatial transit faded, replaced by the damp, mossy cavern corridors of the Tower’s First Floor.

Around the primary arrival hub, dozens of novice adventuring parties and low-tier mercenary squads milled about, preparing for basic monster hunts. Whispers immediately rippled through the hall as the crowd recognized the distinct figures of Squad 07—and particularly Rowan Vance, the global champion wearing his iconic Enchanted Straw Hat.

Most elite teams chasing an S-Rank fugitive would have used high-tier waypoint tokens to skip directly to the Tenth Floor transit plaza where Rueben was last sighted. But Rowan stood still at the cavern crossroads, his golden-amber eyes scanning the dim stone walls while his domain-attuned perception sank quietly into the floor’s environmental ley-lines.

"Rowan?" Barney asked low, resting the massive head of the Hammer of the Sunken Bastion against the stone. "We aren’t taking the portal straight to Floor Ten?"

"Rueben is an S-Rank cultivator, but he didn’t operate in a vacuum," Rowan replied softly, a cold, calculating glint settling into his gaze. "The Order of Humanity has spent years embedding clandestine supply cells, hidden alchemy nests, and corrupt waypoint relays in the lower floors right under the Tower Enforcers’ noses. If we skip straight to the top, those fanatic vermin will act as his eyes, ears, and emergency healing stations. We purge the Tower from the roots up."

Mirei closed her eyes, plucking the wind-bound string of her Breeze-Striker Longbow. A subtle, invisible ripple of acoustic mana surged outward through the labyrinthine tunnels of Floor 1, catching the faint, unnatural friction of hidden mana signatures.

"Two miles northeast," Mirei reported sharply, her eyes snapping open. "Behind a fake wall mimicking a goblin den. I hear heavy breathing, low chanting, and the distinct smell of boiled soul-grass."

"Seraphina," Rowan commanded quietly.

Seraphina raised her hand, her Crucible of Eternal Transmutation spinning softly above her palm. The bronze-and-crystal relic flushed with a pale, emerald light as it sampled the distant air currents Mirei had detected. "Confirmed. It’s a low-tier Order of Humanity alchemy cell. They’re actively synthesizing crude blood-coagulants—likely preparing a stash to send up to Rueben through hidden floor chutes."

"Leave no trace," Rowan said smoothly.

Squad 07 moved like a single, lethal organism. Bypassing the stunned novice adventurers in the central hub, they blurred through the cavern tunnels, arriving at a seemingly solid cliff face within minutes.

Without pausing to negotiate, Caelen stepped forward. Channeling his core mana down the fuller of the Edge of the First Warden, the two-handed greatsword ignited with a blinding, silvery guardian aura. With a single, fluid horizontal cleave, Caelen swung the massive blade.

BOOM!

The illusion array dissolved instantly into burning static, and three feet of solid granite exploded inward. The hidden cavern behind the wall was revealed—a dark, sickly den filled with black-robed cultists scrambling around glowing cauldrons of toxic sludge.

"Intruders—!" one cultist shrieked, reaching for a flask of corrosive acid.

Before the fanatic could pull the stopper, a whistling gust of wind cut through the cavern. Mirei’s arrow, tipped with custom-forged steel from Barney’s forge, transfixed the cultist’s throat, pinning him to the stone wall behind him before he could utter another word.

Two cultist enforcers charged forward, unleashing clouds of black necrotic gas. But before the fumes could expand, Seraphina flicked her wrist. A pale amber barrier flared from Arthur’s anti-corruption talismans, completely neutralizing the airborne toxin upon contact, while her floating crucible drew the remaining poison gas inward, compressing it into harmless ash.

"My turn!" Barney roared.

Stepping past Caelen, Barney slammed the Hammer of the Sunken Bastion directly into the cavern bedrock. A terrifying kinetic shockwave rippled through the ground, instantly shattering the cultists’ alchemy cauldrons and crushing the remaining fanatics’ floor barriers into fine dust.

Rowan stepped into the ruined den, his golden-amber eyes locking onto the lone surviving cultist leader pinned under fallen masonry.

"R-Rowan Vance..." the cultist spat, blood leaking from his mouth as his eyes burned with fanatical madness. "You’re too late... Preceptor Rueben will be reborn in the upper floors! The Order is everywhere... You can’t cleanse every floor!"

Rowan didn’t answer with words. He simply unsheathed the Hoe of the World-Tiller and lightly tapped its forged tip against the corrupted, soul-grass-stained earth beneath their feet.

[Breath of Eden - Lv. 5]

A brilliant wave of radiant, golden light erupted from the tool’s edge, sweeping across the entire hidden cavern. The bubbling cauldrons of toxic sludge were instantly neutralized, turning into clear, odorless spring water. The dark, necrotic stain embedded in the cavern’s ley-lines was thoroughly scrubbed clean, replaced by the sweet, invigorating scent of turned soil and fresh rain.

The cultist stared in utter horror as the uncorrupted vitality purged the very foundation of his dark magic, leaving him completely powerless before he succumbed to his injuries.

Rowan adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, turning back toward the cavern entrance.

"Floor One is clean," Rowan stated with absolute, terrifying calm. "Mirei, locate the cultist transit node for Floor Two. We aren’t stopping until every hidden cell in this Tower is turned to ash."

With flawless coordination, unshakeable synergy, and Eden’s pure vitality flowing through their veins, Squad 07 began a relentless, floor-by-floor execution sweep—sweeping upward through the Tower like a divine fire, cutting off every single escape route Rueben had left.