Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 35 - : Into the Unknown

The moment Sai stepped through the swirling vortex, a rush of **cold energy** surged through his body, like he was being pulled through a space that shouldn't exist. His stomach twisted, and for a split second, he felt weightless—like he was **falling through nothing.**

Then, his feet hit solid ground.

The air was **thick**, charged with something **ancient** and **powerful.** Sai exhaled sharply, his breath visible in the unnatural cold. He tightened his grip on his daggers and quickly scanned his surroundings.

They had entered a **vast, endless void**, but unlike the Abyssal Expanse, this place had a **shape.** Structures loomed in the distance—**twisted spires of black stone**, floating as if gravity itself had broken. The ground beneath them was smooth and dark, like polished obsidian, reflecting faint streaks of blue and violet light from the swirling sky above.

Lena stepped through behind him, stumbling slightly before regaining her balance. "Okay. That was... unpleasant."

Sai didn't respond. His **system had gone silent.** No alerts, no status updates. Just a single notification flickering in the corner of his vision:

**[Location: ???]**

That wasn't normal.

Lena followed his gaze to the **floating structures** in the distance. "Sai... where the hell are we?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But this place—" He turned, glancing at the portal behind them.

It was **gone.**

Lena swore. "Of course."

Sai exhaled. "No way back. Only forward."

Lena muttered, "I swear, one of these days, you're going to learn how to run in the opposite direction."

Sai smirked. "Not today."

With that, they moved forward.

---

### **The Ruins of a Forgotten War**

As they walked, the eerie silence weighed on them. There was **no wind, no sound, no life.** The structures around them looked like **they had once been a city**, but the architecture was **completely alien**—sharp angles, spiraling columns that seemed to twist in on themselves, and pathways that didn't always lead where they should.

Then, Sai noticed something.

The ground wasn't just **stone.**

It was covered in **weapons.**

Blades, spears, broken shields—**hundreds, maybe thousands of them, scattered across the ruins.** Some were embedded in the obsidian ground, others lay abandoned, rusted beyond use.

Lena knelt beside one, running her fingers along its edge. "This isn't recent. Whatever happened here... it was a long time ago."

Sai felt a shiver crawl up his spine. "A battle."

Lena looked up at him. "Against what?"

Sai didn't have an answer.

But then—he felt **something shift.**

---

### **The First Echo**

A **low hum** filled the air, vibrating through the ruins like a distant heartbeat.

Sai **froze.** "Did you hear that?"

Lena nodded, standing quickly. "Yeah. And I don't like it."

Then, without warning—**the weapons began to move.**

The scattered blades and spears **lifted off the ground**, trembling as if some unseen force had awakened them. The ruined city around them **came to life**, shadows flickering in the air.

Then—**they appeared.**

Figures, like **ghostly warriors**, **flickering in and out of existence**, their forms barely holding together. Their armor was cracked, their weapons rusted, but their **eyes burned with abyssal light.**

Lena instinctively reached for her chakrams. "Tell me these guys aren't real."

Sai's system finally responded, flashing a single message.

**[Abyssal Echoes Detected.]**

**[Warning: Entities Are Not Bound by Time.]**

Sai barely had time to process what that meant before **the Echoes attacked.**

---

### **Clashing with the Past**

The first warrior **lunged**, its rusted sword **slashing toward Sai's throat.**

He **dodged**, rolling to the side as another **swung from behind.** His daggers flashed, **striking back**, but the blade **passed through the Echo like mist.**

Sai's stomach **twisted.** *They're not fully here.*

Lena wasn't faring much better. She threw her chakrams, but they **phased through the warriors**, barely disrupting them.

She swore. "We can't hit them!"

Sai's mind raced. The Echoes weren't **physical**—they weren't even fully **present.**

Which meant...

"We need to break the connection keeping them here!" Sai called out.

Lena barely dodged another attack. "Oh, great! How do we do that?!"

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Sai focused, activating **Abyssal Insight.**

The world **shifted.**

For a moment, he saw the Echoes differently—**faint, glowing threads** of energy, all connected to a **single point** in the ruins.

"There!" Sai pointed at a massive, **floating structure** in the center of the battlefield. "That's what's anchoring them!"

Lena glanced at it. "You want me to hit it?"

"Hit it with everything you've got!"

She didn't hesitate.

Lena **twisted mid-air**, her chakrams glowing with energy as she hurled them toward the anchor point.

The weapons **struck**, releasing a shockwave of **blue fire**.

The result was instant.

The glowing threads **snapped**, and the Echoes let out a **piercing, distorted wail.** Their forms **flickered violently**—then, one by one, they **collapsed into nothingness.**

The battlefield fell silent once more.

Lena exhaled, bending over with her hands on her knees. "That. Was. Terrifying."

Sai didn't disagree.

But something still felt **off.**

Then, his system flashed a **new alert.**

**[First Lock Broken.]**

**[The Abyss Awakens.]**

Sai's stomach **dropped.**

---

### **Something is Watching**

The moment the notification appeared, the air **shifted.**

Sai felt it—a presence. **Something immense. Something waiting.**

Lena straightened, sensing it too. "Sai... we need to leave."

But before they could move—

**A voice echoed through the ruins.**

It wasn't loud. It wasn't angry.

But it **shook the air** with power.

**"You have come too far."**

Sai's entire body **locked up.**

From the far edge of the battlefield, **something began to form.**

A figure, cloaked in abyssal mist, its **golden eyes burning through the darkness.**

It wasn't the Abyssal King.

No—this was something **else.**

**Something older.**

Lena took a step back. "Sai. We. Need. To. Leave."

Sai tightened his grip on his daggers.

Because he knew, deep down—

There was no running from **this.**

---

### **To Be Continued...**