Chapter 323: The Earth That Remembers

Athena and Athy moved carefully between the enormous stone pillars, heading deeper into the ruins toward the chamber Athy had glimpsed. Only a few hours ago, this had been ordinary forest.

Now ancient buildings surrounded them, walls pushing up through the soil, stone roads stretching between the trees, and massive statues standing half buried in the ground, their faces worn away by centuries of erosion.

Athena stopped beside one of the statues and brushed the dirt from its surface, revealing a familiar symbol, a Mirror surrounded by five smaller markings.

Athy flew closer. "I’ve seen that before."

Athena nodded. "So have I." She looked across the ruins. "Everywhere we’ve gone, they’ve left the same symbol."

Athy’s wings fluttered. "But why here?"

Athena didn’t answer right away. She walked farther into the ruins, because something about their layout bothered her. The buildings weren’t scattered randomly. They formed a pattern, with five large structures surrounding a much larger central chamber.

She slowly looked up. "This city was built around something."

Athy followed her gaze. "The Mirror?"

"Maybe."

The deeper they went, the more advanced the ruins became. They found rooms full of ancient tables, broken instruments, stone containers, and crystalline devices embedded in the walls.

Athy landed on one of the tables. "A laboratory?"

Athena examined the markings. "Something like it." She pointed at a series of carvings. "Look."

The first carving showed a Beast, the second showed that same Beast surrounded by energy, and the third showed it changing shape.

Athy’s eyes widened. "Evolution."

Athena nodded. "That’s what this place studied."

She moved to the next wall, which was covered in more carvings of Beasts growing stronger, changing species, and developing new abilities, and behind every one of them stood the World Tree.

Athena’s expression turned serious. "They weren’t only studying Beasts."

"They were studying how the World Tree affected them," Athy said.

"Exactly." Athena ran her fingers over the carving, where the World Tree’s roots stretched beneath the Beast and mana flowed through them into its body.

Athy stared. "So the World Tree was connected to evolution."

"More than connected," Athena said, looking around. "I think it was part of the whole process."

They went deeper, until they reached a massive circular chamber. Five enormous channels were carved into its floor, each running in a different direction, and at the center was a circular depression.

Athy stared at it. "Something used to be here."

Athena crouched and touched the stone. "Not something. A mechanism."

A faint golden light appeared beneath her hand, and the ancient carvings came to life.

Five Mirror symbols lit up around the chamber, one after another, Fire, Water, Earth, Darkness, and Light, and lines of light connected them until a giant image of the World Tree appeared above the chamber, its roots spreading across the entire Secret Realm.

Athena stared. "This isn’t a weapon system."

Athy shook her head. "No."

Athena slowly stood. "The Mirrors were regulating the connection."

Athy looked confused. "The connection to what?"

Athena pointed at the enormous tree. "The World Tree." She looked at the five symbols again. "We thought the barriers were a cage. They weren’t."

Athy’s eyes widened. "Then what were they?"

Athena answered quietly. "A life-support system."

The chamber went silent, and for the first time, the meaning behind the five regions became clear. The ancient civilization hadn’t just split the Secret Realm into five areas.

They had been controlling how much of the World Tree’s power could flow through the land, with five stabilization points and five Mirrors regulating them.

Athy looked at the ancient mechanism. "If that’s true..."

"Then when the barriers collapsed, the World Tree reconnected to everything at once," Athena said. "And the corruption rode the same network in."

Athy’s expression turned worried. "So the World Tree isn’t the one spreading the corruption."

Athena’s eyes narrowed. "The corruption is spreading through it."

A sound came from behind them, a slow clap, and Athena spun around. Black threads stretched between the ruins as a figure stepped out of the darkness, wearing black robes and a cracked demon mask, with crimson-black threads wrapped around his arms. It was Rokkaku.

Athy moved closer to Athena immediately.

Rokkaku looked at the ancient mechanism, then at Athena, and his voice was cold. "You’re reading their records."

Athena didn’t move. "And you’re here to stop me."

"No." His fingers moved, and the black threads around him shifted. "I’m here to make sure you don’t understand too much."

Athy’s wings spread, and Athena calmly raised Heavenpiercer. "You seem upset."

Rokkaku’s eyes narrowed. "You brought them. The Agents." His voice turned colder. "You and your friends dragged them into our pursuit. You knew we were chasing the Mirrors."

Athena smiled faintly. "And you still ran straight into them."

Rokkaku’s hand tightened. "You think this is funny?"

"A little." Athena tilted her head. "You were so confident when we first met." Her smile widened. "And yet here you are, a dog who barely slipped his leash."

The air changed, and Athy’s eyes went wide. "Athena..."

Athena kept smiling. "What?"

"You’re provoking him."

"I know."

Rokkaku’s aura exploded. The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a crushing pressure spread across the ruins. Athy felt the difference instantly as her wings trembled, and Athena’s clothes whipped violently around her.

Rokkaku stepped forward. "You’re still Bronze Rank." His voice carried through the chamber. "You shouldn’t be speaking to me like that."

His aura intensified.

BOOM!

The stone beneath Athena cracked as the pressure slammed into her, and for an instant, her knees bent. Then Athena straightened, and a golden aura burst from her body, pushing back against his.

Rokkaku’s eyes widened as their auras collided.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire chamber shook, dust poured from the ceiling, and ancient stones cracked.

Athy stared at her. "Athena..."

Athena stood firm, Heavenpiercer glowing in her hand, and Rokkaku stared at her. "That aura... you reached Silver?"

Athena shrugged. "What can I say?" Her golden aura flared brighter. "You and Jako inspired us to get stronger faster."

Rokkaku’s expression turned colder. "How?"

"Hard work." Athena paused. "You should try it sometime."

Athy covered her mouth.

Rokkaku’s aura surged again, and this time Athena met it head-on. The two Silver auras collided.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave tore through the chamber, pushing Athy back through the air. Athena slid several meters across the stone floor, but she stayed on her feet. Rokkaku didn’t move, but his expression had changed. He was genuinely surprised.

It had been two hours, maybe a little more, since their last encounter, and in that time, Athena had crossed the boundary.

He looked at her weapon, then her aura, then her eyes. "You weren’t this strong."

Athena smiled and raised Heavenpiercer. "No. I wasn’t."

Rokkaku’s threads erupted, hundreds of black strands shooting toward her, and Athena moved. Heavenpiercer flashed, and golden light cut through the first wave, but the second wrapped around the spear’s head. Athena twisted her wrist and tore it free.

"Behind you!" Athy shouted from above.

Athena turned as the Spider General burst out of the ruins, its enormous body crashing toward her, and she raised her weapon.

[Heavenpiercer: Sky Breaker]

Golden energy exploded from the spear, blasting the Spider General sideways through an ancient wall.

Rokkaku’s gaze shifted to his Beast, then back to Athena. "You’re stronger."

Athena smiled. "I noticed."

Rokkaku’s threads spread across the surrounding ruins, and Athena realized immediately that he wasn’t trying to beat her. "You’re setting something up."

Rokkaku didn’t answer, and the ancient chamber began to glow.

Athy’s expression changed. "Athena!"

Athena looked down. The five channels in the floor were filling with black energy. Rokkaku had activated the ancient formation.

Her eyes narrowed. "You weren’t trying to fight me."

"No," Rokkaku said, looking toward the center of the chamber. "I wanted you standing right there."

The earth shook as the stone walls began to move. The ancient ruins rearranged themselves, pillars rose from the ground, and the five channels widened as the entire city shifted around them.

Athena looked at the ancient mechanism. "He’s activating the Earth network."

Athy flew higher. "Can you stop it?"

Athena tightened her grip on Heavenpiercer. "I don’t know."

"But you’ll find out," Rokkaku said, his voice echoing through the chamber.

The ground beneath them split apart, and a massive stone structure rose from below with a golden-brown glow at its center.

It was the Earth Mirror, the same one Athy had glimpsed from above, and Athena stared at it.

The Mirror wasn’t simply sitting inside the ruins.

The entire ancient city had been built around it, and beneath the Mirror, something enormous began to move.

Rokkaku looked at the awakening structure, and for the first time, his voice carried something close to satisfaction. "Now..." Black threads spread across the whole formation. "Let’s see what the Earth remembers."

The ruins erupted.