For a suspended heartbeat, no one moved...

Eight pairs of eyes remained fixed upon the colossal six-winged statue towering behind the three sarcophagi.

The crimson glow burning within its eye sockets intensified by the second, bathing the crypt in an eerie scarlet radiance and painting the ancient stonework in shifting shades of blood-red.

For several long moments, the only sound filling the chamber was the slow crackling of loosening stone as tiny fragments continued to cascade from the statue’s immense frame, shattering softly against the obsidian dais below.

Thin cracks crept across portions of its weathered exterior, shedding centuries of accumulated dust as though the monument itself was awakening from an impossibly long slumber.

And amidst all of these, almost everyone was still trying to process what they were actually witnessing...

It wasn’t that they hadn’t expected statues to come alive anymore because after everything they had endured against the Terracotta Guardians, they knew better than to underestimate ancient sculptures.

Yet this... This was different.

The kneeling Terracottas had always been treated as potential threats. Ever since discovering the Mummification Array and the hidden mechanism beneath the first sarcophagus, part of their attention had remained fixed upon those silent warriors.

The colossal six-winged statue, however, had been different.

Although it had been the first thing to capture their attention upon entering the crypt, their focus had gradually shifted elsewhere. The mysterious coffins, the preserved priest and priestess, the ancient Artifacts, the hidden mechanism, and finally the skeleton had occupied every corner of their thoughts.

And so to them, the towering guardian had subconsciously become part of the scenery. It was treated more like an impressive monument and less like a silent guardian overlooking the crypt.

Even when Aureleah pointed out the similarity between the miniature statue and the colossal guardian, none of them had seriously entertained the possibility that the giant itself could awaken.

Their discussions had revolved around history, religion, Artifacts, and not another guardian suddenly awakening all of a sudden.

Also, its sudden animation wasn’t frightening merely because it moved. Instead, It was frightening because it shattered every assumption they had unknowingly built during the last hour as...

Veyrath’s heart pounded violently against his ribs. His mouth had gone completely dry while a cold shiver slowly crawled down his spine.

The failed Alchemist remained utterly petrified, and inwardly, his mind was racing.

No, no, no, no... Not again.

His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.

They had barely survived an army of murderous Terracottas. And only moments ago, he had finally convinced himself that the nightmare was over.

Yet now... Something infinitely more terrifying stood before them. If those Terracottas had merely been soldiers... Then what exactly should this be called?

Their commander...?

A custodian...?

A deity...?

Or perhaps something even worse...?

Beside him, Vaelorin swallowed hard and without realizing it, his grip had already tightened around the skeleton they had been carrying only moments earlier.

One unsettling thought quietly crossed his mind the moment he laid eyes on the animating statue.

Please don’t let this be the deity coming to life to punish them for their transgressions...

The absurdity of the thought wasn’t lost on him. Yet in this cursed place, where statues awakened and centuries-old mechanisms still functioned flawlessly, he could no longer dismiss even the most irrational possibilities and so, he allowed himself to be lost in those thoughts...

Valmyr himself looked no better than the previous two. Every trace of enthusiasm that once drove him had vanished from the failed Vanguard’s face.

The bulky youth who had stubbornly insisted upon opening every sarcophagus in the crypt now stared upward with an expression caught somewhere between regret and utter disbelief.

His confidence had evaporated completely. And for perhaps the first time since entering the crypt, he was genuinely questionimh whether treasure was worth all of this.

Also, speaking of treasure... They hadn’t actually found any; as instead of uncovering glittering riches, every coffin they opened seemed to reveal an entirely new method by which they might lose their lives.

First, there was an army of Terracottas; then now, there is an enormous guardian statue and Aetherium knows just how angry it will be when it sees them.

Valmyr was suddenly feeling that perhaps all of these was happening simply because destiny hated him...

Meanwhile, Caelestra quietly closed her eyes as a weary sigh escaped her lips. Somehow, she had known that it would turn out to be this was; not specifically this, but she had known something would inevitably go wrong somewhere.

And that was precisely why she had opposed opening the remaining coffins from the very beginning, especially the third one.

When Regaleon proposed opening it anyway, she had wanted to object once more. Yet she hadn’t as the majority had already decided. And now, she silently regretted allowing herself to be persuaded...

Even Kaeloris, the most scholarly among them, found himself completely lost.

The failed Gnost who had spent the last hour deciphering formations, connecting clues, and constructing elaborate theories suddenly found himself grasping at fragments of speculation that refused to form a coherent answer.

None of his deductions had prepared him for this as he had believed completely that the Terracotta Guardians represented the crypt’s final line of defense.

Looking back now, that assumption seemed embarrassingly naïve.

But then again, how was he supposed to know...?

His mind desperately searched for explanations that might be plausible for the animation of the six-winged knight.

Perhaps the giant statue was connected directly to the third sarcophagus. Or maybe... The miniature six-winged knight served as some sort of activation key.

So could the awakening be happening because they were disturbing the skeleton?

Or... Had Regaleon unknowingly activated another hidden mechanism when he removed the skull...?

Theory after theory surfaced within his mind, only to collapse moments later beneath their own uncertainty.

Yet among the countless possibilities, one remained stubbornly lodged within his thoughts like a thorn that refused to be removed.

This wasn’t coincidence as ehatever was happening had to be connected to whatever lay hidden beneath the stone pillow.

Perhaps it wasn’t merely a possibility anymore; perhaps, it was the answer...

Sylveris instinctively stepped closer to Aureleah as her survival instincts took over.

Without thinking, the unawakened sought the only place that had consistently made her feel safe ever since entering the Nether Lands... Her elder sister.

The fourteen-year-old stared upward with wide silver eyes, observing the majesty of the knight.

Compared to the ordinary Terracottas, this thing was colossal. It didn’t merely resemble a statue. Instead, it resembled a deity carved from stone.

And that thought frightened her far more than she cared to admit...

Every member of the group wrestled with different fears, different conclusions, and different regrets the instant they saw the animating statue.

Yet just as swiftly as shock had seized them, training and instinct gradually reclaimed control.

Aureleah was the first to recover. Clearly, years spent preparing for uncertain situations had taught her that hesitation often proved deadlier than action.

Her silver eyes narrowed coldly, and without another thought, she manifested her twin daggers...

"Don’t." Regaleon’s voice rang out immediately.

The Forgotten Knight himself had been the second person to regain his composure. And the instant he noticed Aureleah’s intention, he stopped her immediately.

His expression had become unusually solemn as he warned.

"We can’t fight that..."

Even as he spoke, his golden eyes never left the statue. His instincts screamed that something was horribly wrong.

The ordinary Terracottas had already possessed strength comparable to Rank One Anima.

And if that was the case, then what about this monster...?

Was it maybe a Rank Two? Or perhaps a Rank Three...? Or even higher...?

Regaleon didn’t know nor did he wish to find out. One thing, however, remained painfully obvious; attempting to fight it would be nothing short of suicide.

His jaw tightened as he spoke once more.

"There is only one option left for us to take..."

He looked toward everyone before continuing. "Guys... We need to leave!"

His words seemed to shatter the paralysis gripping the others as reality came crashing back...

Without another second of hesitation, Valmyr, Vaelorin and Veyrath simultaneously dropped the skeleton they had been carrying.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of care in that motion as the ancient bones crashed unceremoniously back into the sarcophagus...

Respect...? Dignity...?

Neither mattered in the face of imminent death. Survival always comes first so everything else could wait.

The group hurriedly regrouped and without waiting for the colossal guardian to complete its animation, all eight immediately turned toward the broad staircase leading down from the obsidian dais.

But suddenly, they all froze...

Every muscle within their bodies instantly stiffened, as though ice water had suddenly replaced the blood flowing through their veins.

Below the staircase, dozens upon dozens of crimson eyes stared back at them; they were unblinking, hostile, and murderous.

The oppressive silence that reigned during the animation of the six-winged knight somehow became even heavier...

Veyrath swallowed hard, the tiny sound echoing unnaturally loudly throughout the crypt.

His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Uhmm... Guys, I think this is it. Where it all ends..."

Nobody bothered replying him because standing at the base of the dais wasn’t a handful of awakened guardians.

It was an army. Nearly a hundred Terracotta statues now stood where they had previously knelt in silent worship; their heads were no longer bowed, their bodies no longer motionless, and every single one had risen to its full height...

Stone weapons gleamed coldly beneath the mingling crimson and golden light flooding the crypt; spears, swords, tower shields, and all manner of weapon had been raised.

Every pair of burning crimson eyes remained locked upon the eight intruders standing atop the dais.

For one dreadful moment, neither side moved; the ancient guardians stood in absolute formation while the eight exiles stood trapped between the staircase before them and the colossal six-winged guardian slowly animating behind them.

It was only then that a horrifying realization dawn upon the group; there wasn’t a place to escape, because they’ve already been surrounded...