Chapter 52: THE VAULT OF THE FORGOTTEN MONARCH
The stone floor beneath Renan’s feet trembled violently as the ancient, rusted iron chains binding the subterranean gate snapped one by one, falling into the dark abyss like massive iron pillars.
A suffocating blast of ice-cold, abyssal wind blew upward through the cavern, carrying with it the heavy, iron-like stench of centuries-old blood and dense, raw mana. The violet light pulsing from the depths of the Vault of the Forgotten Monarch flared wildly, painting the cavernous underground walls in eerie, dancing shadows.
[Absolute Extraction System: Abyssal Rift Identified]
Location: Subterranean Core - Level 1 (Under Association Tower)
Rift Type: Ancient Sealed Dungeon (Rank-EX)
Primary Inhabitants: Abyssal War-Beasts & Ancient Specters
Rift Status: Unsealed by Sovereign Monarch ’Renan’
Standing at the edge of the chasm, Renan looked down into the darkness without a trace of fear. Beside him, Shadow General Ignis and Shadow Commander Sylas stepped forward, their phantom weapons drawn and ready to unleash hell upon whatever emerged from the depths.
ROOOOOAAAR!
A guttural, world-shaking roar echoed from deep within the abyss, followed by the terrifying sound of tens of thousands of heavy, clawed feet galloping up the ancient stone staircases carved into the rift walls.
The first wave of abyssal beasts burst out of the darkness—colossal, wolf-like creatures the size of armored tanks, covered in bone armor plates and possessing glowing, blood-red eyes. These were Rank-A Abyssal Bone-Hounds, ancient beasts that had been sealed away for centuries, starved of flesh and driven mad by raw mana.
"Fools," Shadow Commander Sylas hissed, his dark form blurring into a dozen phantom shadows that darted across the cavern ceiling.
Before the first pack of Bone-Hounds could leap across the threshold, Sylas descended like a storm of dark blades. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! In less than two seconds, thirty colossal beasts were sliced into clean, bloody quarters, their heavy bone armor offering zero protection against Sylas’s void-infused daggers.
However, behind the first thirty beasts came hundreds more. A torrential wave of bone-hounds, iron-scaled chimeras, and winged abyssal gargoyles poured out of the gate, filling the massive underground cavern with deafening shrieks and wild, feral killing intent.
"Hold your blades," Renan commanded softly, stepping past Ignis.
The Shadow Commanders instantly froze in place, stepping back to allow their master to front the horde alone.
Renan extended his right arm, spreading his fingers toward the oncoming wave of thousands of abyssal beasts. The black obsidian ring on his index finger—the Ring of the Sovereign Domain—glowed with a blinding, dark crimson aura.
[Skill Activated: ’Domain of the Ominous God’ (Focused Aura Burst)]
Target Area: Subterranean Vault Entrance
Suppression Force: 100% Sovereign Gravity Pressure
BOOOOOOM!
The atmospheric pressure inside the cavern instantly multiplied by a hundredfold. The air itself seemed to solidify into solid lead.
The thousands of rushing abyssal beasts were violently slammed down onto the hard stone floor as if an invisible, mountain-sized hammer had crushed them from above. Concrete and ancient cobblestones shattered under the sheer kinetic force. Bone armor cracked, ribs caved in, and screams of agony echoed through the cavern as the entire beast horde was pinned flat against the ground, completely unable to lift their heads or take a single step forward.
[Target Group Immobilized: 1,200 Abyssal Beasts]
Stat Suppression Applied: All Target Stats Reduced by 30%
Status: Fully Subdued by Monarch Pressure
Renan walked calmly through the sea of whimpering, paralyzed beasts, his boots stepping over heavy bone plates and poolings of black monster blood. He looked down at a massive, three-headed Alpha Chimera pinned at his feet, its furious red eyes shrinking in utter terror as it met Renan’s glowing golden gaze.
"You are strong," Renan whispered, his double-toned voice penetrating the creature’s mind. "Stronger than the artificial Hunters created by the Association. But in the presence of the Sovereign, you are merely raw material."
Renan raised his hand, sweeping his palm across the vast underground chamber.
[Skill Activated: ’Mass Corpse Extraction’]
Target Range: Subterranean Core Floor
Processing Entities: 1,200 Abyssal Beasts (Rank-A to Rank-S)
SWIRL!
Viscous, midnight-black miasma erupted from every fallen beast, wrapping around their bodies like cocooning threads. The physical flesh of the creatures dissolved into dark particles, absorbing directly into the shadows stretching across the floor. Within seconds, a new army began to rise from the dark floorboards.
One by one, twelve hundred shadowy, spectral beasts emerged—their eyes burning with brilliant golden flames, their bone armor now forged from corrupted, dark miasma. They immediately bowed their massive, horned heads toward Renan in silent, fanatical obedience.
[Extraction Successful!]
[New Shadow Units Acquired: 1,200 Abyssal Shadow Beasts]
Shadow Army Capacity: 4,700 / UNLIMITED
[System Log: Stat Bonus Granted from Mass Extraction]
+300 Strength
+250 Agility
+350 Vitality
[Current Physical Stat Total: 19,950 Points]
Renan felt the surge of raw energy flow into his core, his physical stat total teetering on the verge of breaking the 20,000-point threshold.
"Master," Shadow Commander James spoke, appearing at Renan’s side with a floating holographic report. "While you were subduing the first layer, our shadow scouts along the Eastern Provincial Border detected movement. The International Coalition has finished erecting their first defensive perimeter."
James adjusted the projection, showing a high-definition tactical map of the Northern Pass—the narrow mountain canyon that connected the Capital Sector to the eastern provinces.
"They have stationed five thousand Rank-A and Rank-S international mercenaries at the Northern Pass, led by two S-Rank Commanders from the North American Defense Committee," James explained. "They are installing anti-mana barrier towers to permanently seal off the provincial supply routes."
Renan turned away from the deep abyss of the gate, his dark coat swaying as his newly extracted twelve hundred Shadow Beasts formed up behind his Shadow Knights in disciplined military lines.
"Five thousand mercenaries," Renan murmured, his golden eyes flaring with cold anticipation. "They think a wall of steel and mercenaries will keep us contained in the Capital."
Renan looked back toward the dark depths of the subterranean gate, then toward the cavern exit leading to the surface world.
"Ignis, Sylas, Beatrice," Renan ordered, his voice echoing with absolute command. "Take the vanguard and two thousand Shadow Beasts. Advance toward the Northern Pass under the cover of night. Do not attack yet—encircle their perimeter and cut off their withdrawal routes."
"Understood, My Monarch!" the three Shadow Commanders bowed, vanishing into the surrounding darkness alongside the roaring wave of newly converted Shadow Beasts.
Renan looked up at the stone ceiling, his gaze piercing through fifty floors of concrete toward the starry sky above.
"The World Federation wants to test our resolve," Renan said softly, stepping onto a shadow platform that carried him back toward the surface. "We will give them their answer at the Northern Pass."