Chapter 187: The Sixth Leap Of Stage

The faceless figure took another step.

Noah didn’t move.

Shadowfang remained raised between them.

The chamber had fallen completely silent.

Even the five other subjects stood motionless.

The faceless figure stopped only a few meters away.

"You have what belongs to me."

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

The figure lifted one hand.

A black thread emerged from its palm.

It stretched toward Noah’s chest.

Dead Zone immediately reacted.

Move.

Noah jumped sideways.

The thread struck the stone floor.

BOOM!

A circular black mark spread across the ground.

Noah landed beside Laura.

"Stay back."

Laura nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the figure.

"What is that thing?"

Noah didn’t answer.

He didn’t know.

The faceless subject raised its hand again.

Five black threads appeared.

One connected to Subject One.

Another to Subject Two.

Then Three.

Four.

Five.

The subjects suddenly screamed.

Golden energy erupted from their bodies.

Subject One dropped to one knee.

"It’s taking our cores!"

Subject Two grabbed its chest.

"No!"

The hooded figure behind the mural watched silently.

Roana stared at the scene.

"That’s what they did."

Noah looked at her.

"What?"

"They separated them."

Her voice trembled.

"The six subjects weren’t meant to become six people."

She pointed at the black threads.

"They were supposed to be one."

Noah’s expression changed.

The faceless figure turned toward Roana.

"Correct."

The five subjects were pulled closer.

Their bodies began breaking apart into streams of crimson, gold, silver, white, and black energy.

Noah felt a familiar pressure inside his chest.

Dead Zone groaned.

They’re pulling at me.

Noah’s hand went to his chest.

"You feel that?"

Yes.

"Can you stop it?"

A pause.

Not alone.

Noah looked at Shadowfang.

"Then we’re not doing it alone."

His crimson eye ignited.

His golden eye followed.

The system exploded into warnings.

[RAGNAROK SIGNATURE: RISING.]

[DEAD ZONE SIGNATURE: RISING.]

[HOST AUTHORITY: STABLE.]

[UNKNOWN SIGNATURE: ATTEMPTING SYNCHRONIZATION.]

The faceless figure suddenly rushed forward.

Noah met it head-on.

CLANG!

Its hand collided with Shadowfang.

The impact shook the chamber.

Noah’s boots dug into the stone.

The figure’s faceless head leaned closer.

"Give it back."

"No."

"It belongs to me."

"No."

"You are carrying stolen pieces."

Noah pushed harder.

"Maybe."

His crimson eye burned.

"But they’re mine now."

Shadowfang erupted.

A black-and-golden shockwave blasted the figure backward.

It crashed into the mural.

The six carved children cracked.

The hooded figure suddenly moved.

"ENOUGH!"

Golden chains erupted from the walls.

They wrapped around Subject Six.

The faceless figure struggled.

For the first time, it screamed.

"YOU CANNOT SEAL ME AGAIN!"

The hooded figure’s voice became cold.

"I already did once."

Noah stared at him.

"Who are you?"

The hooded figure ignored him.

Instead, he looked toward Subject Six.

"You were never meant to awaken."

Subject Six stopped struggling.

Its faceless head slowly turned toward Noah.

"Neither was he."

Noah felt something cold crawl through his body.

The hooded figure suddenly looked at Noah.

For a moment, their eyes met.

Then the hooded figure whispered:

"Run."

Noah froze.

"What?"

"Get them out of here."

Roana looked toward the hooded figure.

"Why?"

The figure’s golden eyes widened.

"Because the chamber is no longer holding the subjects."

A deep crack appeared beneath them.

The entire floor began splitting apart.

The six stone platforms collapsed.

The mural shattered.

Something enormous moved beneath the chamber.

The hooded figure looked downward.

"No..."

The first golden eye opened beneath the floor.

Then a second.

Then a third.

Noah felt Dead Zone recoil.

That’s not one of them.

"What is it?"

I don’t know.

The hooded figure answered for him.

"The reason they created the six subjects."

The chamber shook violently.

The six subjects looked downward.

Even Subject Six became still.

A voice rose from beneath the earth.

Not loud.

Not angry.

Almost curious.

"Which one of you is Noah Blackwood?"

Noah’s blood went cold.

Laura grabbed his arm.

"Noah..."

The voice continued.

"I want to see the vessel."

The floor exploded.

Noah grabbed Laura and jumped.

Eric pulled Sophia away.

Damien shielded Luna.

Roana fell.

The hooded figure vanished beneath the debris.

And Subject Six disappeared into the darkness.

Noah landed hard on the opposite platform.

Dust filled the chamber.

He could barely see.

"Everyone!"

"I’m here!" Eric shouted.

"Here!" Sophia answered.

Damien coughed.

"Luna’s with me!"

Noah looked for Roana.

"Roana!"

No response.

His stomach tightened.

"Roana!"

A hand suddenly emerged from the rubble.

Noah rushed forward and pulled her free.

She was bleeding from her forehead.

"I’m alive," she muttered.

Noah exhaled.

"Good."

Then he heard breathing.

Not Roana’s.

Not Laura’s.

Something behind him.

Noah slowly turned.

A massive golden eye stared through the dust.

And directly beneath it stood Subject Six.

Its faceless head tilted.

"Found him."

The eye beneath the chamber opened wider.

And something began climbing out.

The golden eye opened wider.

Noah felt the pressure before he saw what was climbing from the crater.

The stone beneath his feet began to tremble.

Something was pulling itself upward.

A hand emerged first.

Golden armor covered its fingers, but beneath the armor was something darker, almost liquid. Black veins crawled across the metal like cracks in glass.

Subject Six stood beside the crater.

Motionless.

Watching.

Noah raised Shadowfang.

"Everyone, get behind me."

Eric stepped forward instead.

"We’re not leaving you alone."

"Eric."

"I heard you."

Eric tightened his grip on his weapon.

"So did everyone else."

Sophia, Luna, Damien and Laura formed up beside him.

Roana remained behind them, one hand pressed against her wounded shoulder.

The hooded figure was nowhere to be seen.

Noah looked toward the crater.

"Whatever comes out of there isn’t one of the six."

Dead Zone answered inside his mind.

No.

It’s older.

The creature pulled itself higher.

A second hand appeared.

Then a shoulder.

Golden-black armor emerged from the darkness.

No face.

No mouth.

Only a smooth helmet with a single vertical crack glowing crimson.

Subject Six finally moved.

It walked toward Noah.

Noah’s Shadowfang vibrated.

[WARNING.]

[UNKNOWN ENTITY APPROACHING.]

[SIGNATURE MATCH: 0.03%.]

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"Again?"

The system flickered.

[SIGNATURE MATCH: 0.03%.]

[SOURCE: HOST.]

[SOURCE: UNKNOWN ENTITY.]

[CONNECTION: UNRESOLVED.]

The creature beneath the chamber climbed onto the broken platform.

It was enormous.

Nearly twice Noah’s height.

Golden chains hung from its arms and dragged behind it.

Subject Six stopped beside it.

The faceless figure lifted its hand.

The creature stopped.

Noah noticed something.

It was obeying Subject Six.

"You control that thing?"

Subject Six turned its blank face toward him.

"No."

A pause.

"It remembers me."

The creature suddenly looked at Noah.

Its crimson slit brightened.

Then it spoke.

"Six."

Subject Six remained silent.

The creature’s head turned toward Noah.

"Seven."

Noah’s heart skipped.

Dead Zone went completely still.

Laura noticed.

"Noah?"

The creature took one step.

"Seven has returned."

Noah raised Shadowfang.

"I’m not seven."

The creature stopped.

Its head tilted.

"Incorrect."

The chamber shook.

"You were the seventh attempt."

Noah’s eyes widened.

Dead Zone finally spoke.

No.

No, that’s wrong.

Noah swallowed.

"How do you know?"

The creature raised one enormous hand.

Golden energy gathered around its palm.

"Because I watched them make you."

The energy exploded.

Noah barely blocked.

BOOM!

He was thrown across the chamber.

Shadowfang remained in his hands.

He crashed into the wall.

Pain shot through his ribs.

Laura shouted his name.

Noah pushed himself upright.

"That thing hits hard."

Dead Zone answered:

You haven’t noticed the important part.

Noah looked at the creature.

It’s not attacking you.

Noah froze.

The creature was standing completely still.

Its arm was lowered.

It wasn’t advancing.

It was waiting.

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

The creature pointed toward Subject Six.

"He has not returned what he took."

Subject Six turned toward it.

For the first time, the faceless figure looked uncertain.

Noah’s gaze shifted between them.

"What did he take?"

The creature answered.

"Your beginning."

Silence.

Noah felt something stir beneath his chest.

A memory.

A room.

Six chairs.

A seventh shadow behind them.

His golden eye flickered.

Dead Zone suddenly gasped.

I remember.

"What?"

The seventh chair.

Noah’s breath caught.

There wasn’t one.

The creature spoke.

"There was."

Dead Zone’s voice became strained.

No.

The creature continued.

"You were not placed in the sixth chair."

Noah stared at it.

"You were underneath it."

A violent pulse erupted from Noah’s chest.

The system vanished.

Shadowfang fell silent.

The entire chamber went dark.

Then Noah heard a child’s voice.

His own.

Please.

A second voice answered.

The White-Eyed Figure.

This will only hurt for a moment.

Noah’s vision shattered into fragments.

A child screaming.

Golden chains.

Six chairs.

Five figures.

Subject Six standing outside the room.

And beneath the sixth chair...

A seventh symbol.

Noah’s eyes snapped open.

He dropped to one knee.

Laura rushed toward him.

"Noah!"

He pushed himself upright.

"I’m fine."

But his voice was different.

Dead Zone whispered:

They didn’t separate six pieces.

Noah stared at Subject Six.

"They separated seven."

Subject Six slowly raised its hand.

A black symbol appeared in the air.

Seven lines.

Seven points.

One point was missing.

Subject Six touched the empty point.

"You."

Noah stared.

The creature beneath the chamber suddenly knelt.

"The seventh was never an inheritance."

Its crimson eye fixed on Noah.

"It was the container."

The chamber fell silent.

Subject Six stepped closer.

"And now..."

Its black void faced Noah.

"...the container is remembering what it was built to contain."

The ground beneath Noah’s feet cracked.

A golden light erupted from his shadow.

Something inside him opened its eyes.

Not crimson.

Not golden.

Not black.

Something completely different.

And for the first time, Dead Zone sounded genuinely terrified.

Noah...

Don’t let it wake up.