Chapter 291 - 291: The God Stone

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The only sound echoing through the underground passage was the steady rhythm of footsteps.

No one spoke.

The dim corridor stretched endlessly ahead, illuminated only by faint mana lamps embedded into the stone walls.

Clara walked in front with her usual composed smile, while the silent demon accompanied her at her side.

Several steps behind them...

Zane followed leisurely with both hands tucked inside his jacket pockets.

Behind him, wrapped inside a translucent blue mana bubble, Selene floated peacefully in unconsciousness, drifting after him as though the bubble had a will of its own.

The silence lingered for a while before Zane finally spoke.

"Why so quiet?" A faint smile appeared on his face. "You were quite chatty before."

Clara glanced over her shoulder and laughed softly.

"Alright then, Mister Zane." She slowed her pace just enough to walk beside him. "Where exactly are you from?"

"I investigated quite a few things about you, yet nowhere could I find your place of origin."

Her ruby eyes narrowed with curiosity.

"Your origin is one big mystery."

"And perhaps an even bigger one..." she continued, "...is that the entire world believes you vanished after that incident."

A brief pause.

"But here you are."

"Alive and breathing."

Zane smiled without looking at her.

"They say..."

"If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."

He shrugged lightly.

"Or something like that."

"As for where I come from..."

His gaze drifted toward the dark corridor ahead.

"...it's somewhere you simply can't reach."

Clara chuckled.

"Oh?"

"Such confidence."

She looked him up and down with an amused smile.

"I do like a confident man."

Then she sighed dramatically.

"...Unfortunately for you, I'm already married."

Zane merely smirked without replying.

The demon walking beside Clara suddenly stopped.

"We're here."

Everyone's eyes shifted forward.

At the end of the corridor stood a small wooden door, almost unremarkable compared to the rest of the underground facility.

It looked ordinary.

Too ordinary.

Zane's smile deepened slightly.

"Well then..."

"Let's go."

The small wooden door slowly creaked open.

A cold breeze drifted out from within.

Zane stepped inside, his purple eyes calmly sweeping across the room.

It wasn't particularly large, yet the things inside immediately drew his attention.

At the center stood a massive glass tank filled with green liquid.

Floating inside...

Was Jax.

The real Jax.

His eyes were closed as he remained suspended in the liquid, completely unconscious. Unlike the clone from before, only a single curved gray horn had grown from the right side of his forehead, while countless tubes connected to the tank continuously circulated the strange green fluid around him.

"There he is..."

Zane muttered quietly.

His gaze shifted to the right.

A man was bound tightly against the stone wall.

He had become noticeably thinner, as though he had been imprisoned for a very long time. Thick black cloth covered his eyes, while his ears and mouth had been completely sealed. Heavy restraints bound each of his limbs, leaving him unable to move even an inch.

For the first time since entering the Demon Kingdom...

A hint of surprise appeared in Zane's eyes.

"...Caelum."

There was no mistake.

The man chained before him was none other than Caelum Lysander, the strongest human and the principal of Astralis Arcanum.

What caught Zane's attention even more, however...

Were the countless needles piercing Caelum's body.

Every part of him was covered with them.

From each needle, wisps of golden vapor slowly flowed outward before traveling through thin crystal tubes.

The vapor gradually condensed...

Becoming a shimmering golden liquid.

"...Interesting."

On the opposite side of the room rested another glass tank.

Inside it floated a long, dark gray broken horn .

Unlike Jax's, this one was enormous.

The liquid surrounding it remained crystal clear, yet a foul, nauseating mana continuously seeped from the horn, contaminating the space around it.

Even standing several meters away, the oppressive aura could be felt.

Finally...

Zane raised his head.

Above Jax's tank floated a transparent crystal box.

Inside it rested a stone crystal no larger than a fist.

It emitted a soft, pale yellow glow.

Calm and gentle.

The moment Zane's eyes landed on it...

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"...Well."

He slipped both hands deeper into his pockets.

"This is going to be interesting."

Clara slowly walked toward the center of the room, her footsteps coming to a stop before the massive tank containing Jax.

She gently placed a hand against the glass.

"Here we are."

A smile full of pride spread across her face.

"My masterpiece."

Her fingers lightly traced the surface of the tank.

"My son... and your student."

Jax remained suspended inside the green liquid, completely motionless.

Zane looked at the tank for a few moments before shifting his gaze toward Clara.

"...Your masterpiece, huh?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

He quietly observed every tube, every magic circle, every container connected to the tank.

Then...

A faint smirk appeared.

"You're having a problem with this..."

Clara's smile widened.

"Just as I thought."

She slowly turned toward him.

"You truly are a genius, Mister Zane."

"You've exceeded even your reputation."

Zane shrugged casually.

"I know."

His tone was so matter-of-fact that even the silent demon beside Clara glanced at him for a moment.

"But that's not what interests me."

He slowly pointed toward the restrained man hanging against the wall.

"I want to know..."

"...how you managed to catch him."

His finger remained directed at Caelum.

"The strongest human isn't exactly someone people capture every day."

Without waiting for an answer, Zane's eyes shifted upward.

Toward the transparent crystal box.

More specifically...

The pale yellow stone crystal resting inside it.

His smile became slightly deeper.

"And while we're at it..."

"Where did you find..."

"...that?"

Clara followed Zane's gaze toward the crystal suspended above Jax's tank.

For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on her face.

"...You know what this is?"

A smile slowly returned to her lips.

"So you recognize a God Stone."

"God Stone..."

Zane repeated the name softly before looking at it once more.

"So that's what you call it."

His interest lasted only a moment before he casually pointed toward Caelum, who remained chained to the wall.

"What about him?"

"How did you manage to bring him here?"

Silence filled the room.

Then...

The demon who had accompanied Clara from the beginning finally spoke.

"It was me."

His voice remained calm and emotionless.

"I was responsible for capturing him."

Zane looked at him for a few seconds.

"Hm..."

"I can tell you're strong."

"...But even so."

"You're still well below him."

The demon nodded without showing the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"That's true."

"If someone is stronger than you..."

"There is only one reliable way to defeat them."

A faint smile appeared on Zane's face.

At the exact same moment—

Both of them spoke the same words.

"Using their trust."

The room became silent again.

Zane looked at the demon with newfound interest.

"But why would someone like Caelum trust you?"

The demon answered without hesitation.

"...Because I'm his best friend."