Chapter 171: The Contaminated Core

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: The Contaminated Core

Ronan stood before the enormous crystal.

Faint gray energy circulated within its transparent surface, occasionally producing dark ripples that spread across the surrounding inscriptions.

The Western Anchor was deteriorating.

And unlike the damage caused by the passage of time, this destruction was deliberate.

Someone had modified its energy channels, introducing an unfamiliar energy source into the original structure.

The Hollow.

Ronan crouched beside the nearest damaged inscription.

He activated Formation Sense.

The surrounding energy channels became visible, revealing the original structure beneath the contamination.

It was considerably more complicated than the formations he had encountered inside the Eastern Sanctuary.

The central crystal wasn’t simply supplying energy to the surrounding structures. It was regulating the entire network, distributing energy to the different sections of the anchor.

One section connected to the prison chamber.

Another extended towards the surface.

The remaining channels disappeared into deeper underground passages.

Ronan followed their paths with his perception.

Then he noticed something.

The gray energy wasn’t spreading equally through the network.

Most of it was concentrated around three damaged channels.

Those channels were connected to a separate formation embedded beneath the central platform.

Someone had constructed an additional structure to redirect the energy.

Ronan examined it.

The design was unfamiliar, but its purpose was relatively clear.

It was extracting energy from the anchor and transferring it elsewhere.

"Interesting."

He stood up.

The Hollow weren’t merely destroying the ancient structures.

They were stealing something from them.

The question was what they intended to do with the energy.

Ronan looked at the central crystal.

If he could understand how the energy was being transferred, he might discover where the stolen energy was going.

That would provide him with a way to locate other Hollow facilities.

More importantly, it could reveal the identity of whoever was commanding them.

He approached the platform.

But before he could examine the central formation further, the ground trembled.

A deep rumbling sound came from the direction of the prison chamber.

Ronan immediately turned.

Another impact followed.

Then another.

The creature behind the door was awake again.

Its energy signature had become stronger.

Ronan frowned.

"Don’t tell me the seal is already weakening."

He activated Subterranean Perception.

The entire underground structure became clearer.

The formation sustaining the prison was losing energy.

The creature was still being restrained, but the energy flowing into its chains had decreased considerably.

The contamination was affecting more than the central crystal.

It was weakening the entire anchor.

Ronan looked towards the crystal.

He had two choices.

He could attempt to stabilize the central structure, or he could leave before the prison opened.

Neither option was particularly appealing.

If the creature escaped, it might attack him.

If he left, the Hollow would continue extracting energy from the anchor.

And if they succeeded, he would lose one of the few places where he could study the mysterious energy.

Ronan sighed.

"Troublesome."

He wasn’t interested in protecting the ancient structure for the sake of the Ashen Covenant.

But allowing the Hollow to take everything would be equally foolish.

He needed to preserve the parts that were useful to him.

---

Ronan approached the central platform.

He extended his hand towards the crystal.

The mark on his palm reacted immediately.

A faint glow spread across the surface.

Several inscriptions illuminated.

Then a notification appeared.

[Ancient Structure Detected.]

[Compatible Mark Confirmed.]

[Access Permission: Partial.]

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

Partial access.

That was different from the previous notifications.

He released a small amount of energy.

The crystal responded.

Several energy channels opened, allowing him to perceive the internal structure more clearly.

He immediately understood something.

The ancient formation had been designed to recognize individuals carrying a specific energy signature.

The mark was acting as a key.

However, it wasn’t granting him complete control.

Only a small portion of the structure responded to his presence.

Ronan focused on the damaged channels.

Formation Sense activated.

He began examining the foreign energy.

The gray substance was spreading through the original channels, replacing their natural energy flow.

But it wasn’t completely compatible with the ancient structure.

That was why the inscriptions were deteriorating.

The Hollow were forcing two different energy systems to operate together.

It was unstable.

Ronan smiled faintly.

There was a weakness he could exploit.

He reached towards the nearest damaged channel and activated Energy Devouring.

A thin strand of gray energy entered his fingertip.

Pain immediately spread through his arm.

His muscles tightened.

The energy resisted absorption, twisting violently inside his body.

Ronan gritted his teeth.

He stopped almost immediately.

It was still dangerous.

However, he had managed to remove a small amount of the contamination.

The energy channel became slightly clearer.

He examined it.

The ancient formation responded.

A faint pulse travelled through the platform.

Ronan’s eyes brightened.

So that was possible.

Energy Devouring could remove the foreign energy, although the process was painful and inefficient.

If he could gradually clear the contamination from the important channels, he might stabilize the anchor.

But doing that manually would take too long.

He needed another method.

---

Ronan examined the refining equipment he had brought with him.

It was a compact device supplied by the Ashen Covenant, designed to process small quantities of unstable energy.

It wasn’t as powerful as the equipment inside the Eastern Sanctuary, but it could serve as a temporary filter.

He placed it beside the damaged channel.

Then he activated the device.

A faint vibration spread through the chamber.

The gray energy reacted immediately.

Several strands moved towards the equipment.

Ronan adjusted the flow using Formation Sense.

Instead of allowing the device to absorb everything, he directed a small amount of contaminated energy through its outer channels.

The process began.

At first, nothing happened.

Then the device released a faint burst of light.

A small crystal container gradually filled with gray energy.

The energy wasn’t completely purified, but its violent fluctuations had weakened.

Ronan examined the result.

This was considerably better than absorbing it directly.

He adjusted the device again.

The refining process continued.

After several minutes, the first damaged channel had been cleared.

The surrounding inscriptions illuminated.

A faint pulse travelled through the central crystal.

[Structural Stability: Improving.]

Ronan glanced at the notification.

He hadn’t expected the system to provide such information.

It seemed his interference had produced a measurable improvement.

He continued working.

The second channel was more difficult.

The foreign energy had penetrated deeper into the inscriptions, and the refining device struggled to process it.

Ronan had to use Gravity Affinity to stabilize the energy flow while adjusting the channels.

Several times, the device nearly overloaded.

But eventually, he succeeded.

The second channel was cleared.

The central crystal became noticeably brighter.

Then a violent fluctuation spread through the platform.

Ronan immediately stepped backwards.

A powerful wave of energy erupted from the crystal.

Boom!

The refining device was thrown against the wall.

Its outer casing cracked.

Ronan frowned.

"What now?"

He examined the central structure.

The third channel was still contaminated.

But something had changed.

The gray energy was no longer spreading through the network.

Instead, it was gathering around the damaged section.

Someone had deliberately concentrated it there.

And the moment Ronan cleared the first two channels, the remaining energy had reacted.

It was protecting itself.

Ronan’s expression became serious.

The Hollow had designed their modifications to resist interference.

That meant they understood how the ancient formation worked.

Or someone had taught them.

---

A metallic scraping sound echoed through the cavern.

Ronan turned.

Several black figures emerged from the passage.

There were five of them.

Their armor resembled the equipment worn by the Hollow warriors he had encountered earlier, but their bodies were considerably larger.

Their energy signatures were also stronger.

Ronan examined them.

Three were at the Five-Star King Realm.

One was at the Six-Star King Realm.

The last was at the Seven-Star King Realm.

His eyes narrowed.

The strongest warrior stepped forward.

Its white mask was different from the others.

A red symbol had been carved across its forehead.

"So you’re the intruder."

Ronan didn’t respond.

The warrior looked towards the damaged refining equipment.

"You’ve interfered with the extraction process."

"Is that what you call it?"

The masked figure ignored his remark.

"You shouldn’t have entered this place."

Ronan smiled faintly.

"And yet here I am."

The warrior raised its hand.

Gray energy spread across the chamber.

The four warriors behind it immediately moved.

Ronan activated Gravity Affinity.

The gravitational force around the chamber shifted.

The two nearest warriors slowed.

Ronan used Burst Acceleration.

His figure disappeared.

He appeared beside the first warrior and struck its chest.

Boom!

The impact shattered several armor plates.

Before the second warrior could react, Ronan twisted his body and drove an elbow into its head.

The warrior was thrown into a pillar.

However, the remaining opponents were already moving.

A wave of gray energy swept across the chamber.

Ronan jumped backwards.

The energy struck the ground, consuming a section of stone.

His expression became serious.

These warriors weren’t relying solely on physical attacks.

They were using the same energy as the commander.

And unlike the earlier group, they seemed familiar with controlling its destructive properties.

The Six-Star warrior rushed forward.

Ronan met its attack.

Their fists collided.

Boom!

Ronan’s arm trembled.

The opponent’s physical strength was greater than he had expected.

He immediately increased the gravitational force around its body.

Its movement slowed.

Ronan accelerated sideways and struck its ribs.

Crack!

The warrior staggered.

Ronan followed with a second attack.

Annihilation Force erupted.

The opponent’s armor shattered.

Its body collapsed.

But before Ronan could finish it, the Seven-Star warrior appeared behind him.

A concentrated wave of gray energy struck his back.

Ronan was thrown across the chamber.

He crashed against the platform.

Pain spread through his body.

He immediately stood up.

The opponent was already approaching.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

Another Seven-Star King Realm opponent.

He wasn’t in the best condition to fight one.

And the other warriors were still active.

He needed to change the situation.

---

The masked warrior raised both hands.

Gray energy gathered around its body.

The remaining warriors followed.

Their energy began flowing towards the leader.

Ronan recognized the process.

It was similar to what the commander had done during the battle at the Eastern Sanctuary.

They were combining their energy.

If he allowed the process to finish, the opponent would become considerably more dangerous.

Ronan activated Formation Sense.

He examined the energy channels surrounding the chamber.

The three damaged channels were still connected to the Hollow’s modified formation.

He could use them.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

The masked warrior released its attack.

A massive wave of gray energy rushed towards him.

Ronan didn’t retreat.

Instead, he activated Gravity Affinity and shifted the direction of the attack.

The energy struck the damaged channel.

The formation trembled.

Ronan immediately activated Energy Devouring.

He absorbed a small amount of the energy passing through the channel.

Pain spread through his body.

But this time, he wasn’t attempting to absorb the entire attack.

He only needed to interrupt its flow.

The combined energy destabilized.

The Seven-Star warrior’s attack weakened.

Ronan accelerated.

He appeared directly in front of the opponent.

His fist struck its chest.

Boom!

The masked warrior was thrown backwards.

Its armor cracked.

Ronan followed with another attack.

This time, he concentrated Annihilation Force around his hand.

The opponent raised its arms.

The impact shattered its defenses.

A deep crack spread across its chest.

But it wasn’t dead.

The warrior released a violent burst of gray energy.

Ronan was forced backwards.

The remaining warriors immediately surrounded him.

He had injured their leader, but the battle was far from over.

Then the central crystal released a powerful pulse.

The entire chamber trembled.

The gray energy around the warriors suddenly became unstable.

The masked leader turned towards the crystal.

For the first time, its composure changed.

"What have you done?"

Ronan looked towards the central platform.

The two cleared channels had restored part of the ancient formation.

The crystal was beginning to reject the foreign energy.

The Hollow’s modified structure was losing control.

A powerful wave spread through the chamber.

The remaining warriors staggered.

Ronan immediately used the opportunity.

Burst Acceleration activated.

He crossed the distance and struck the nearest warrior’s head.

Its mask shattered.

The warrior collapsed.

He turned and attacked the second.

Annihilation Force tore through its armor.

The third attempted to escape.

Ronan increased the gravitational force around its body, dragging it towards the ground.

Then he crushed its chest.

Three warriors had fallen.

The Six-Star opponent was already dead.

Only the Seven-Star leader remained.

It stared at Ronan.

Then it looked towards the central crystal.

"You don’t understand what you’ve interrupted."

Ronan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Then explain it."

The warrior released a distorted laugh.

"You’ve restored part of the anchor."

"Obviously."

"Then you’ve also weakened the prison."

Ronan’s expression changed slightly.

He immediately looked towards the passage leading to the sealed chamber.

A violent impact echoed from that direction.

Then another.

The creature behind the door was awakening.

The masked warrior took a step backwards.

Its objective had been achieved.

It hadn’t come here simply to eliminate Ronan.

It had come to protect the extraction formation.

And now that the ancient structure was rejecting their modifications, it needed to withdraw.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

He wasn’t going to let it escape so easily.

He accelerated forward.

But the warrior released a concentrated burst of gray energy.

The attack consumed the surrounding stone.

Ronan was forced to retreat.

By the time the energy dispersed, the warrior had disappeared into the passage.

Ronan stood still.

He considered pursuing it.

Then another impact shook the chamber.

He looked towards the prison passage.

"Damn it."

---

Ronan returned to the central platform.

The ancient crystal was glowing more brightly than before, but the prison formation was becoming unstable.

The creature behind the door was striking its restraints.

He activated Subterranean Perception.

Its energy signature had increased considerably.

King Realm.

The exact star rating was difficult to determine.

However, the energy was growing stronger with every impact.

Ronan examined the surrounding channels.

The two restored sections had redirected more energy towards the prison.

The creature was receiving some of the energy that had previously been extracted by the Hollow.

That was why it had awakened.

Ronan frowned.

He had unintentionally made the situation more dangerous.

But he wasn’t going to undo his work.

He needed to stabilize the prison without completely restoring its energy flow.

He examined the formation.

Then he noticed a smaller channel connecting the prison to the central crystal.

Unlike the other channels, it contained a regulating inscription.

Ronan approached it.

Formation Sense activated.

The structure became clearer.

The inscription allowed the ancient formation to control how much energy entered the prison.

He could adjust it.

But doing so would require him to interact directly with the central crystal.

He extended his hand.

The mark on his palm glowed.

Several inscriptions illuminated.

[Compatible Mark Confirmed.]

[Partial Access Granted.]

Ronan focused.

He adjusted the energy flow.

The violent fluctuations gradually weakened.

The creature’s energy signature stopped increasing.

The impacts behind the door became less frequent.

Finally, the chamber fell silent.

Ronan released a breath.

He had stabilized the prison.

For now.

He looked at the central crystal.

Its glow was stronger than before, and the surrounding inscriptions had returned to their original patterns.

The Hollow’s contamination had been reduced.

But the structure was far from fully restored.

He had only cleared two of the three major channels.

The remaining section was still contaminated, and he had no intention of attempting to repair it without understanding the consequences.

---

Ronan examined the damaged refining device.

It was no longer usable.

He sighed.

The device had been valuable, but the experiment had provided something more important.

He now understood how the ancient anchor processed energy and how the Hollow were modifying its structure.

He also knew that clearing the contamination could restore energy to the prison.

That was something he needed to consider carefully.

He checked his condition.

Several injuries had reopened during the battle.

His energy reserves had also decreased considerably.

His realm remained unchanged.

Seventh-Star King Realm.

However, he had gained valuable information about the ancient network and the Hollow’s extraction process.

He retrieved the black fragment from his storage space.

The object released a faint pulse.

The mark on his palm responded.

Ronan looked towards the sealed chamber.

The creature inside was quiet again.

But its voice suddenly emerged.

"Marked one..."

Ronan turned.

The voice sounded clearer than before.

"You restored... the first channel."

He remained silent.

The creature continued.

"Now... they will come."

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

"Who?"

A long silence followed.

Then the creature answered.

"The ones who built... the prison."

Ronan’s expression changed.

He had expected a warning about the Hollow.

But this was different.

The creature wasn’t talking about the ones who had contaminated the anchor.

It was talking about those who had originally constructed it.

Before Ronan could ask another question, a faint vibration passed through the door.

The voice became weaker.

"Don’t trust... the Keeper."

Then silence returned.

Ronan stared at the sealed door.

The Keeper.

The Ashen Covenant’s higher leader.

Kael had mentioned him before.

And now the creature behind the ancient seal had warned him not to trust that very individual.

Ronan slowly lowered his hand.

He had come to the Western Anchor looking for information about the ancient structures.

Instead, he had discovered that the Ashen Covenant might be hiding something far more important than he had initially suspected.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Seems like I need to ask a few more questions when I return."