MORPHORCE-Chapter 48 - 47: The First Gate Raid (12)

The moment they crossed the doorway—

—the chamber swallowed them.

The darkness inside was even thicker than before.

Fwoosh... fwoosh...

Torches flickered uneasily as everyone advanced with slow, careful steps.

The space was vast.

Far wider than the outer passage.

Stone pillars rose high into the unseen ceiling. The air was colder here.

Heavier.

Everyone raised their torches, inspecting the walls.

And then—

They noticed it.

The carvings here were different.

Unlike the outer passage, these were far more intricate. The figures weren’t chaotic or monstrous depictions alone. They told a story.

Battles.

Armies kneeling.

A lone armored figure standing amidst a sea of corpses.

And the inscriptions—

They were arranged deliberately, as if recording history.

“Whoaaa...!”

Gasps of awe spread through the chamber.

“Who could have made something like this?”

Even in their fear, they couldn’t look away.

The craftsmanship was beyond anything they had seen before. Every line was precise. Every symbol carved with impossible accuracy.

Murmurs filled the chamber as they moved closer, studying the ancient artwork.

Then suddenly—

“Hey! Guys! Come here — look at this! It’s written in our language!”

The voice echoed sharply.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” someone nearby replied in disbelief. “Nothing here is written in our language. There’s no wa—”

His words died in his throat as he stared at the text.

“Huh?! I-it really is...”

At once, everyone rushed toward the spot.

“Let me see what it says,” another person said, leaning in.

He began to read aloud.

“It says... The Tomb of the Shadow Knight.”

“The Tomb of the Shadow Knight?”

Confusion rippled instantly.

Ishan stepped forward, eyes scanning the rest of the inscription.

His expression slowly changed as he started reading the rest.

“It’s a forbidden area,” he continued, voice firm but lower now, “where the strongest monarch of the universe is sealed.”

A wave of shock passed through the group.

“What? What did he just say?!”

“Does that mean... we’re in a place where some ultimate monarch is imprisoned?”

Ishan kept reading.

And with each word—

His voice grew heavier.

“Because of the seal on this place, the monarch has lost eighty percent of his power.”

A few people exhaled in shaky relief.

But the relief lasted only a second. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Please be extremely cautious,” Ishan continued. “And if you have entered this place...”

He paused.

The chamber felt colder.

“...you cannot leave until you kill the monarch’s knight.”

Silence.

Then—

“What?!”

“W-wait... we can’t leave until we kill the monarch’s knight?!”

Panic erupted.

Voices overlapped.

Weapons clattered against armor.

“No—this has to be a joke!”

“Kill a monarch’s knight?! Are we insane?!”

“EVERYONE!” Ishan shouted. “Get a hold of yourselves! Plea—”

And then—

“SAEL!”

An unnatural voice tore through the chamber, sending a freezing chill down every spine.

Fwoosh!

A blue flame suddenly ignited atop a pillar in the corner of the chamber.

Then—

Fwoosh!

Another.

And another.

One by one—

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

FWOOSH!

Seven more pillars burst to life, blue fire dancing violently atop them.

The chamber was bathed in an eerie glow.

Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls.

And when the final flame at the far end ignited—

FWOOM—

—it revealed him.

At the center of the chamber, upon a throne carved from black stone—

A knight clad in dark armor sat motionless.

One leg crossed over the other.

His right elbow rested casually on the armrest.

His head leaned against his hand—

—as if he had been waiting.

Waiting for them.

The armor was ancient. Yet flawless.

Not a single scratch.

Not a speck of dust.

Slowly—

He smiled.

A wide.

Unnatural.

Smile.

Every single tooth visible beneath the shadow of his helm.

Then he spoke again.

“SAEL UUVEN!”

The language was unknown.

But the intent—

Was unmistakable.

A crushing pressure exploded outward.

BOOOOOOM—

The air itself grew heavy.

Torches flickered violently.

Some nearly went out.

No one could move.

Not a single step.

They were frozen—

Not by fear alone.

But by the overwhelming presence radiating from the throne.

Even Ishan—

The strongest among them—

Stood stunned.

His breathing slowed.

His muscles refused to respond.

Under that suffocating pressure—

The monarch’s knight had awakened.