The sight was a tableau of pure horror. Kenji Tanaka, hidden within the ventilation shafts of the Obsidian Hand Citadel, gazed down into a vast, cavernous chamber. It was filled with hundreds of Obsidian Hand cultivators, their hooded forms swaying in unison, their guttural chanting resonating with an ominous power. In the center, on a massive, rune-etched platform, lay countless bodies. Not cultivators, but captured spiritual beasts, their eyes vacant, their bodies twitching faintly. A few human figures, bound and terrified, their auras dim, were barely visible among the monstrous forms. This was a "Sacrifice" ritual. A mass sacrifice. Their dying screams powering a massive, pulsating void portal that was slowly, horrifically, tearing open above the platform.
This was the true meaning of the "Sacrifice" Kenji had repeatedly encountered. This was the fuel for the Grand Void Maw. And it was happening right now, the final, terrifying phase of the Architect's plan. The portal above the platform was indeed the Grand Void Maw, slowly manifesting, pulsating with a dark, consuming hunger, its edges already tearing at the fabric of reality itself. A chilling, powerful suction radiated from it, threatening to pull the very air from Kenji's lungs.
His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic, furious rhythm. He clenched his fists, rage and terror warring within him. He had known the Architect's plan was grand, insidious, but seeing it manifest, witnessing the brutal, senseless slaughter of innocent beings to fuel such a horrifying ritual, was a different kind of horror. His mind flashed with memories of the Void-touched Charm and Master Thorne's ordeal in the Forbidden Archives, and the terrifying image of the Architect that had flickered in his mind. This was a direct, devastating strike against Aethelgard.
Below, Lord Valerius stood near the platform, overseeing the ritual, his face grim but satisfied. He radiated a profound, chilling void-infused power, his aura cold and resolute. He raised a hand, and the chanting intensified, the portal above swelling, its edges crackling with volatile energy.
Kenji had his intelligence. He knew the location, the scale, and the participants of the ritual. His mission was to gather intel and return. But how could he stand by and watch this atrocity unfold? How could he allow the Grand Void Maw to fully open? He remembered Ryuu's quiet earnestness, Lyra's unwavering loyalty, Master Thorne's profound trust. He remembered the innocent faces of the Spiritbeasts in the Emberlight Sanctum's pens, the pure energy of the Sunstone Bloom. He remembered his oath to Master Thorne, to fight the Architect. This was the moment.
The System flared, its urgent red text blazing before his eyes, overriding all other thoughts.
CRITICAL MISSION UPDATE: Disrupt Void Ritual.Threat Level: CATASTROPHIC.Reward: [Void Affinity Skill Upgraded] + [Major Realm Breakthrough].Failure: Void Incursion Escalates, Aethelgard Overwhelmed.
The reward was immense – an upgraded Void Affinity Skill and a Major Realm Breakthrough. But the consequences of failure… Aethelgard Overwhelmed. He couldn't. He wouldn't. He had to disrupt it.
His mind raced, assessing the situation below. Hundreds of Obsidian Hand cultivators. Lord Valerius. And likely other powerful commanders Kenji hadn't spotted. His Qi Condensation Level 5 cultivation was strong, but he was alone. A direct assault was suicidal, leading to immediate capture or death. He needed a precise, surgical strike. He needed to hit the ritual's core, its weak point, without getting bogged down in an unwinnable fight.
He extended his Rune Analysis Skill (from his System Upgrade after Elder Riana's capture) and his Soul Sense (Basic) (from his System Upgrade after the Voidwalker Abomination's defeat), carefully scrutinizing the ritual platform. The runes pulsed with incredible complexity, drawing Qi from the sacrifices and funneling it into the nascent Grand Void Maw. He saw hundreds of interlocking sub-arrays, channels, and conduits, all feeding the central void portal.
But within the intricate web, the System highlighted a faint, yet critical vulnerability. A single, almost imperceptible node. It was the master conduit, the primary point of nexus where all the sacrificial energy converged before being channeled into the portal. Disrupting that node would cause a chain reaction, severing the energy flow, destabilizing the entire ritual. It was incredibly well-protected, surrounded by layers of void-infused spiritual shields, but it was there. And it was his only chance.
Lord Valerius's voice, amplified by subtle Qi, boomed across the chamber. "The Hour approaches! The Grand Maw will open! The Architect's hunger will be sated!"
Kenji knew he had to act. Now.
He slowly, silently, moved from the ventilation shaft, identifying a precarious ledge overlooking the ritual chamber, concealed by grotesque gargoyles carved into the wall. He activated his Stealth Skill (from his System Upgrade after Elder Riana's capture), pushing its capabilities to their absolute limit. His presence dimmed, his Qi suppressed to an almost non-existent flicker. He was a phantom, utterly unseen.
He assessed the trajectory. It was a risky jump, directly over the heads of dozens of chanting cultists, then a precise Spatial Blink (from his System Upgrade after the Voidwalker Abomination's defeat) to land near the ritual platform, close to the vulnerable node. He had mere seconds to execute the disruption before detection.
He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum. He waited for a momentary lull in the chanting, a subtle shift in the cultists' synchronized movements.
Now.
With a surge of defiant True Aetherial Roots Qi, Kenji launched himself from the ledge. He moved like a bolt of lightning, a blur of motion. He didn't aim for Lord Valerius, nor the chanting cultists. He aimed for the single, vulnerable node on the ritual platform. His Spatial Blink activated, a precise, calculated jump that landed him silently, instantaneously, just inches from the pulsating conduit.
The Obsidian Hand cultists, their eyes closed in fervent chanting, remained oblivious. Lord Valerius, his back to Kenji, continued to oversee the ritual, utterly confident in the security of his stronghold.
Kenji's hand moved, swift as a viper. He channeled his Arcane Disruption (Basic) Skill (from Master Thorne's rescue), enhanced by his Qi Condensation Level 5 power, into his palm. He slammed his hand onto the vulnerable node, pouring every ounce of his purified Qi into it. He twisted the energy, corrupted its purpose, pushed it to destabilize.
A piercing, non-physical shriek of agony ripped through the chamber, originating from the ritual platform itself. The runes etched into the stone flared wildly, their sickly green-black light pulsing erratically, then began to crack and splinter with horrifying speed. The Qi flowing from the sacrifices, previously smooth and controlled, became a chaotic, destructive torrent, surging back into the cultists who were channeling it.
The hundreds of Obsidian Hand cultivators gasped, their chanting abruptly dying. They convulsed violently, clutching their chests as their own Qi surged erratically within them, destabilizing their cultivation foundations. Some collapsed, screaming in agony as their spiritual meridians tore. Others staggered back, their faces contorted in pain and disbelief, their Qi flaring uncontrollably.
Lord Valerius, who had been grandly overseeing the ritual, spun around, his eyes blazing with incandescent fury and utter disbelief. He saw Kenji, standing on the platform, his hand still pressed against the now-shattering ritual node.
"Impossible!" Lord Valerius shrieked, his voice raw with desperate rage. "How… how did you find us?!" He had never considered Kenji capable of infiltrating his primary stronghold. He had never considered anyone capable of disrupting this ritual.
Kenji pulled his hand back, watching the catastrophic chain reaction he had just unleashed. The Grand Void Maw portal above the platform, previously a pulsating, ever-expanding horror, now flickered violently. It shrank, its edges retracting, its dark energy dissipating rapidly. The terrifying suction it radiated weakened, and the overwhelming Qi pressure in the chamber lessened, replaced by the screams of the agonizing cultists.
The System hummed with purpose, its blue text sharp in his vision.
Mission: Disrupt Void Ritual.STATUS: COMPLETE!
Reward: [Void Affinity Skill Upgraded] + [Major Realm Breakthrough].
A profound surge of pure, refined spiritual energy erupted from within Kenji's core, overwhelming his previous exhaustion. It coursed through his meridians, pushing his cultivation rapidly, effortlessly, beyond Qi Condensation Level 5. His entire being vibrated with newfound, immense power, his senses sharpening even further, his connection to the ambient Qi deepening to an almost cosmic level. This was the promised reward for disrupting the Architect's terrifying ritual, for saving Aethelgard from imminent subsumption.
The Void Affinity Skill Upgraded meant even greater control over void energy, while the Major Realm Breakthrough to a new realm would fundamentally shift his power.
Lord Valerius, his face contorted in a mask of pure rage and disbelief, roared. He had failed. His grand ritual, his ultimate purpose for the Architect, was being destroyed by the very commoner he had sworn to crush. He ignored his agonizing cultists, ignoring the chaos in the chamber. His eyes, burning with pure hatred, locked onto Kenji.
He unleashed a furious, personal assault. His spiritual aura erupted, now tinged with a volatile, void-infused darkness, far more potent than any attack he had used in the arena. He charged, his hands crackling with raw, dark Qi, aiming to tear Kenji limb from limb.
"You will pay for this, Tanaka!" Lord Valerius shrieked, his voice raw with vengeance. "You will fuel the Maw yourself!"
Kenji met his gaze, his face grim. He knew the fight had just begun. He was alone, deep in enemy territory, and he had just destroyed their most vital ritual. He was facing a powerful, enraged enemy commander, now personally attacking him. There was no escape without a fight.