Chapter 16: The Gates Open

The plant-type ability user asked coldly, "Is this enough?"

The man in the black robe lowered his head, gazing at the unfortunate soul whose face was turning purple from being strangled by the roots, and let out a disturbing low laugh. "Pure flesh and blood... Excellent."

Kira suddenly grabbed Ye Mi’s arm, her voice trembling. "They’ve lost their minds… They’re really going to…"

Ye Mi did not reply, but stared intently at the black-robed man’s movements.

"No… Don’t! Please—" The captured expedition member pleaded in despair, but the Defense Bureau agents remained expressionless, and the black-robed man had already raised his dagger.

At the moment the bone-white dagger pierced the chest, everyone witnessed a horrifying scene—the ability user’s blood did not spurt out, but transformed into countless tiny blood beads, greedily devoured by the dagger’s engravings.

Even more terrifying, his skin began to shrivel, as if every drop of blood and flesh had been drained, leaving behind only a human skin, which the plant-type ability user tossed carelessly onto the ground.

This was the so-called "ritual."

The cruel spectacle made everyone present gasp in shock. It was only then that they suddenly realized the Defense Bureau squad leading the way wasn’t acting out of goodwill.

The days spent away from the monopoly of OC Corporation inside the Luminal Ruins, and the recent camaraderie in breaking through doors, had made them nearly forget—the Defense Bureau was merely a branch of OC Corporation!

The oppressive days of survival under the corporation’s tyranny in Prism City seemed to shroud everyone’s hearts once again, as suffocating as an endless night.

But Ye Mi’s mind was occupied by a single thought—how did this dagger devour such a large, living person?

Such a powerful weapon—was there any way to seize it?

The bone-white dagger now bore fresh blood-soaked engravings, appearing sacred yet sinister. Clearly, it had met the prerequisites to serve as the key to open the gate.

While Ye Mi stood stunned, the black-robed man had already brought the blood-stained dagger to the entrance of the ruins.

"Great Sanctuary… please savor this devotion…"

With his murmured invocation, the bone-white dagger was embedded into the groove of the door. Blinding red light snaked from the dagger toward the gate, forming intricate patterns, which quickly spread across the entire ruins.

Immediately, the dormant blood cocoons writhed violently, emitting a chilling sound—

‘Shhh! Shhh!’

An ancient chant, neither fully human nor inhuman, resonated with a rhythmic cadence, two beats to a measure, growing ever more fervent and never ceasing.

Ye Mi, expressionless, endured this auditory corruption, a thought surfacing in her mind:

If the energy of the Luminal Ruins truly originated, as the black-robed man claimed, from the mysterious "Creator God" of the Kuyeh faith, then wasn’t this—cult, ritual, evil, madness?

Wasn’t this classic Lovecraftian horror?

Could it be that the Old Ones were about to awaken?

It wasn’t impossible, after all.

Ye Mi was highly adaptable. Besides, since the appearance of the Luminal Ruins, humanity had already evolved all sorts of inexplicable abilities—why couldn’t Lovecraftian horrors awaken?

Yet she instinctively sensed… the secrets behind the Luminal Ruins were far more complex.

It was a mysterious feeling, one brought to her by the Silver Body. The Silver Body grew much more active in the face of this ritual.

If Kira beside Ye Mi observed closely, she would notice Ye Mi’s left hand twitching incessantly, as though excited or fearful after encountering something.

Of course, it might also be because, for Ye Mi, Lovecraftian tales were rather dull. She didn’t want the secret behind the Luminal Ruins to be something as clichéd as the revival of an ancient god.

In the cyberpunk era, Lovecraftian lore had nearly become an old, worn-out urban legend.

Perhaps the black-robed man was merely exploiting the opportunity for theatrics. After all, there were plenty of cultist gangs in Prism City worshipping evil gods. No matter how many cults arose, the world was still firmly monopolized by OC Corporation.

Compared to dying from encountering an evil god and losing all sanity, being enslaved for life by OC Corporation through brain chips was far more terrifying.

"If the world is to end, may the OC Corporation’s management be the first to die."

Beneath the ruins, Ye Mi devoutly made this wish.

"I wonder if the ‘Creator God’ can hear it."

As Ye Mi’s inner voice faded, the central gap in the ruins’ gate slowly widened, and dark red mist surged forth like a tide.

After only a moment, when the mist dispersed, the ruins revealed a pitch-black interior, as strange and unfathomable as an abyss, impossible to see anything within.

The black-robed man turned to face the crowd. From the shadow beneath his hood, an inhuman smile seemed to flicker. "Remember, only the devout will be accepted by the Sanctuary."

"Proceed onward."

His words fell, but everyone remained rooted in place, unmoving.

Many squads whispered urgently, debating, as if everyone was reconsidering, Raj among them.

“Are we really going in? It’s obvious we’re just cannon fodder for the Defense Bureau,” Raj muttered.

Red nodded in agreement. "Even if there’s some unexpected prize inside, you’d need to survive first. Let’s give up."

He sounded ready to abandon the mission.

At that moment, Ye Mi spoke calmly, shattering their naive hopes. "We can’t leave."

As if in answer to Ye Mi’s words, the six C-class members from the Defense Bureau’s three squads stepped forward in unison. The fire-type ability user at the head called out loudly, "Everyone, please proceed."

The meaning was clear—no one could escape.

Most faces turned grim, and the crowd stalled in deadlock.

Aside from the three Defense Bureau squads, nine other squads were present, but only three, including Red’s, had reached C-minus rank.

Even combined, they could only cause the Defense Bureau a minor inconvenience.

The hierarchy between ability levels was clear—a single C-class ability user, using their powers well, could easily dispatch ten D-class users.

Everyone understood—if anyone dared turn and leave, they would face merciless attacks from the Defense Bureau the next instant.

Red looked around helplessly, forcing a bitter smile. "This was my mistake… Thought we could score big, but it turned out to be a death trap."

"Sigh! Well, if luck’s against us, we’re dead anyway. Might as well go inside and see, even if it means dying there," Raj lamented, quickly regaining his composure.

Anyone who ventured into the Luminal Ruins to survive did so with the expectation of risking their life. In Prism City, people like them were fugitives, so a bit of resilience was hardly surprising.

Ye Mi glanced at her teammates in mild surprise. She’d expected them to turn on each other.

A commendable mentality—such people would live longer.

After all, no one knew what might happen in the ruins. Perhaps survival was still possible.