The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 40: The Sufferers

As the light dimmed, Lumian quickly opened his eyes.

The black robe, seemingly worn by the "Invisible One," now lay slumped on the altar, its surface marred with scorch marks. Despite this, it continued to struggle, trying to rise again, even as Valentine's golden flames clung to it. The transparent faces, including Raymond's, kept disappearing and reappearing, as if shifting between a destroyed "future" and an undisturbed "present."

Seeing this, Ryan immediately shouted, "Get down!"

Without hesitation, Lumian bent his knees and crouched down. If he had more time, he would have thrown himself flat on the ground.

Leah and Valentine were only slightly slower, crouching down as well.

At the same time, Ryan plunged the "Sword of Dawn" into the center of the altar, piercing the black robe.

Silently, the massive sword of light shattered into countless fragments, transforming into a radiant dawn storm within the altar, tearing everything apart, destroying everything.

When the hurricane of light finally subsided, Lumian lifted his head to see that the entire altar had been reduced by a third of its height. The thorn symbol, the candles, the black robe—all had turned to dust, drifting in the air.

What a powerful move... Lumian wanted to marvel at it yesterday afternoon.

"Is it over?" he asked.

Leah stood up and spun around. The four silver bells on her veil and boots jingled again, not too softly but not too intensely either.

"There's still hidden danger," she warned Ryan and Valentine, then murmured in confusion, "The altar is gone; where could the danger be coming from?"

As she spoke, Valentine conjured golden flames, letting them float into the air to illuminate the surroundings.

The basement's edges, aside from piled human bones and a few pieces of parchment, held nothing else. The ceiling was simple and plain, with not even a chandelier hanging from it.

Lumian let out a "hmm": "No extraordinary characteristics?"

"It might have been sacrificed," Ryan said succinctly. "Or perhaps they received very little 'gifts' initially and were weak, so they captured ordinary people as sacrifices. Once they gained some decent extraordinary abilities, like this time, they started targeting extraordinary individuals."

It was clear that they weren't unfamiliar with the phenomenon of receiving "gifts."

Ryan continued, "We haven't found anything else. Let's leave. There's no need to confront the hidden danger head-on."

Lumian didn't react immediately. He scanned the area again, searching for any hidden doors or other subtle signs.

The answer was no.

He led the way forward, guiding Leah, Ryan, and Valentine along a safe route toward the basement exit.

Just as they emerged, climbing the narrow and steep stairs, Ryan suddenly let out a pained grunt.

His body was forcefully flung into the air, slamming against the brown wooden door of the basement, causing the entire staircase to shudder with the impact.

"Puh!"

Ryan's chest seemed to be pierced by an invisible spear, leaving a grotesque wound that pinned him to the wall, with blood gushing out. If not for his quick reaction, instantly twisting his body and shifting his back, this strike would have undoubtedly pierced his heart.

Yet, despite Leah's ever-active "spirit vision," she couldn't locate the attacker!

It was as if Ryan was being punished by a god.