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nThe ground shifted in the darkness as they walked. Alexander explained what he knew about the strange power that seemed to corrupt everything around them.

nSouta listened closely.

nAlexander wasn't sure why the area had become tainted, but he was certain it was connected to the fall of the ancient ruins.

nSomething else had troubled him when he first entered this place. The barrier and the seals had changed. It seemed as though someone had locked this place down.

n

"This place is strange. It feels... alive, like it's feeding on us,

" Souta muttered, furrowing his brows.

nAlexander and the others felt the same unease.

nThey could hear whispers coming from every direction. If their mental resistance had been weaker, they wouldn't have been able to endure it. Though it still affected them, the presence of Souta and Alexander-both emanating an aura that countered the corruption-kept it at bay.

nEven Souta and Alexander didn't fully understand how they were able to do this. It was as if they had uncovered something new within themselves.

n

"Is this really darkness?

" the Eight Head asked.

nSouta shook his head. Despite his affinity for the dark attribute, he could tell that the darkness in this place was entirely different. Even his own dark energy felt repelled by this strange and alien darkness.

n

"It's different, isn't it?

" Alexander glanced at Souta before continuing,

"That's why the people from the past called it tainted. This power can devour even darkness. It can corrupt anything-even the law itself.

"

n

"A power that can taint the law of Imperium...

" Souta mumbled.

nIf it were the law of a lower dimension, it wouldn't be surprising. But this was the law of Imperium. Its laws and concepts were what allowed gods to exist in this world. In any other realm, such laws would collapse, unable to sustain a god's presence.

n'Souta...'

nA feminine voice suddenly echoed in Souta's mind.

n'Saya, you're awake!' Souta thought, startled. His hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword.

n'What's going on here? Why are you in a place like this? I woke up because I felt something malevolent,' Saya said.

n'Wait, just one question at a time. You know this place?'

n'Yeah, it's the a-arghh!! N-No... I'm just a sword, but I'm still affected by the curse... Damn.' Souta heard Saya's scream in his mind.

nAfter a while, Saya calmed down. She said, 'I can't say it. The only thing that I could tell you is that this power is dangerous. You need to get out of this place. With your current strength, it will corrupt you.'

n'I know. We're already trying to find the exit here and see if we can find the device that could suppress the strange power here,' Souta explained to her what they were doing.

n'You should know that this strange power is related to the Great War twenty thousand years ago. It's also tied to the curse that made people forget the Archetype,' Saya said in a serious tone.

nGreat War and Archetype. Souta recalled hearing her mention the curse surrounding Archetypes. Only those with sufficient power, like those at the Fifth Shackle, could remember it. Additionally, the God of Hunt from that era had been cursed, preventing him from passing down any information. Fortunately, the God of Hunt had written down some details about the war before the curse took effect.

nSaya took a moment to sense their surroundings. After a while, she seemed relieved and said, 'You're lucky-this is likely just a remnant of power from the past. Still, even though it's a remnant, you'll be affected by it if you stay too long.'

n'In your estimation, how long can I stay here?' Souta asked.

n'Thirty minutes...' Saya paused, sensing his strength. 'No, probably one hour. Wait... What are you?'

n'Huh? What are you talking about?' Souta asked, confused.

n'Ah, I get it. Right, you have the support of Imperium, so it's no wonder you're emitting an aura that resists the corruption. The power of Imperium... but it seems you're not the only one with it here.'

nAt those words, Souta glanced at Alexander, who was leading at the front. Both he and Alexander somehow possessed an ability that resisted the corruption, and it was also helping the other Nine Heads clear their minds.

n'With the two of you... I'd say two hours,' Saya concluded.

n'Two hours...' Souta glanced at the quest given to him by the system. He now understood why he had to leave this place within that time.

n'Both of you will undoubtedly reach the level of the gods in the near future. I thought that guy was just a little special when we fought the No God Emperor, but this confirms it. He's just like you,' Saya said.

n'But how do you know this is the power of Imperium? We couldn't even distinguish it from normal energy. If not for this accident, we wouldn't have realized our energy possessed it,' Souta asked.

n'Of course you couldn't distinguish it. You're not even a god yet. Like I said before, many people only realize they have the support of Imperium after they reach godhood,' Saya

nexplained.

nSoon, the group arrived at the edge of a massive pit. They couldn't see what lay below-it seemed like the bottomless maw of some unknown creature, ready to swallow anything.

n

"Let's go,

" Alexander said in a low voice.

nWithout hesitation, he leapt into the pit. The rest of the Nine Heads exchanged glances before following him. They had no choice-Alexander had already gone down.

nThud!

nThey fell for nearly a minute before reaching the ground. The drop was significant, and they felt a strange energy brushing across their bodies as they descended.

nThe place where they landed was a circular platform, its surface covered with intricate

nsymbols.

nAlexander squatted down and placed his palm on the floor. After a few moments, he spoke,

n

"This is still functioning. We can use it later.

"

n

"What's that?

" the Third Head said, pausing and pointing a finger upward.

nAlexander, Souta, and the others looked in the direction she indicated and saw something

nmoving in the darkness above them.

nSouta's expression grew serious as he realized what it was.

n

"Souls...

" Alexander muttered.

nThis place somehow trapped the souls of the dead, preventing them from passing into the soul realm. Over time, they became tainted and turned into malicious undead. Alexander, an expert at the Sixth Shackle, was even stronger than most at his level due to his immense elemental power. He could perceive the souls if he focused on them.

n

"It's blocking our path,

" the Eight Head said.

n

"No, we can get out of here as long as we suppress the taint,

" Alexander replied.

nEveryone prepared for battle. In a situation like this, fighting was inevitable if they wanted to

nescape alive.

nThe device Alexander needed was nearby. If the platform was still functioning, the device should be operational as well. The only thing they lacked was a power supply. Alexander glanced at Souta and the rest of the Nine Heads. He quickly formulated a plan based

non their combat abilities.

nIf there was no power supply, Alexander would have to find a substitute. In a place like this, finding one would be nearly impossible, so the alternative was to use his own energy as the power source. However, this would leave him unable to fight against the enemies.

"I'll find the device, but I won't be able to fight. I'll leave all the enemies to you,

" Alexander

nsaid.

nThe rest of the Nine Heads nodded in agreement, their expressions serious.

nSoon, a group of undead appeared before them. The Eight Head and Sixth Head immediately

ncharged forward to intercept them.

nBang!!

nA battle erupted in the blink of an eye.

nAlexander dashed ahead, ignoring the undead as he headed straight for the device. Fifth Head

nand Fourth Head followed close behind, protecting him from the undead that had passed by Eight Head and Sixth Head. Meanwhile, Third Head and Second Head provided support from

nthe back with their spells.

n

"These undead!

" Jovi, the Fourth Head, gritted his teeth.

nThey all could feel the corruption's influence growing stronger in the air. Their resistance to the corruption wasn't as strong as Alexander's and Souta's.

n'They are lucky that this is juts a remnant, a mere whisp of the real power,' Saya said.

nSouta stood at the edge of the battlefield, observing. Thousands of undead surged toward them, but only a few managed to get past Eight Head and Sixth Head. The two were exerting

ntheir full strength as they battled the relentless undead.

nBoom! Boom!

nExplosions erupted as they unleashed various spells and combat arts. However, more

npowerful undead continued to advance.

nSouta also noticed the two ghouls he had fought earlier. In addition to them, seven gigantic creatures appeared in the distance, casting deep shadows over everyone present.

nSaya... Souta thought inwardly as he took a step forward.

n'I know...' Saya replied.

nSouta took another step forward, gripping the handle of his sword tightly. His aura began to

nrise as he activated his Second Mode.

nDarkness spread from his feet, ten black spheres formed on his back, his eyes gleamed with white light, and a silhouette of a red woman appeared behind him.

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