Chapter 153: The Descent

Noah remained on one knee.

Laura kept a hand on his shoulder.

"What did you see?"

Noah stared at the floor.

"I don’t know."

His voice was quieter than usual.

"But whatever was behind Ragnarok..."

He paused.

"It felt wrong."

Eric frowned.

"Wrong how?"

Noah searched for the words.

"Ragnarok felt powerful."

He looked toward the shattered windows.

"That thing felt like it shouldn’t exist."

Sophia’s expression became serious.

"That’s not exactly reassuring."

"No," Noah said. "It isn’t."

A familiar notification appeared.

[RAGNAROK DEAD ZONE RESONANCE: 27.2%]

Noah watched the number.

It hadn’t increased.

For the first time since the ritual began, the resonance had stopped climbing.

That should have been good news.

The Dead Zone disagreed.

"Don’t mistake stillness for safety."

Noah frowned.

What happened?

"Something noticed you."

Ragnarok?

Silence.

Noah’s expression tightened.

What noticed me?

The Dead Zone looked toward the darkness beyond the battlefield.

"Something else."

Deep beneath Hildgard, Irus suddenly turned toward the ancient heart.

The crimson symbol at its center had disappeared.

Daniella noticed.

"What happened?"

Irus didn’t answer.

Alcris slowly stood.

"You felt it too."

Irus looked at him.

"Yes."

"What was it?"

Her golden eyes remained fixed on the heart.

"A memory."

Alcris frowned.

"A memory caused that?"

"Not exactly."

Irus approached the heart and placed her hand against it.

The stone was cold.

Too cold.

"The ritual connected the ancient network to Noah’s consciousness. When he touched Ragnarok’s memories, something beyond those memories briefly responded."

Daniella’s face tightened.

"Can it come through?"

Irus looked at her.

"No."

A pause.

"Not yet."

Alcris noticed the hesitation.

"You don’t sound certain."

"I am certain about one thing."

Irus removed her hand.

"The connection must be severed completely."

Alcris looked toward the three medallions.

"Can you do that?"

Irus stared at him.

"Yes."

Daniella’s eyes narrowed.

"How?"

Irus lifted her staff.

"By destroying the ritual."

Alcris froze.

"The medallions?"

"No."

Her golden eyes sharpened.

"The heart."

The chamber shook.

BOOM.

Daniella immediately looked at the ancient heart.

"What happens if you destroy it?"

"Hildgard loses the network sustaining the ritual."

"And the city?"

Irus didn’t answer.

Daniella understood.

"You could kill everyone."

"I could."

Alcris stepped forward.

"There’s another way."

Irus looked at him.

Alcris glanced at his sister.

"If the ritual can connect to Noah, maybe we can reverse it."

Irus’s expression became unreadable.

"You want to pull the connection back through yourself."

"Yes."

Daniella immediately shook her head.

"No."

Alcris looked at her.

"I caused this."

"That doesn’t mean you get to sacrifice yourself."

He smiled faintly.

"Still worried about me?"

"Unfortunately."

For a moment, the tension between them eased.

Then the heart pulsed.

BOOM.

Alcris’s smile vanished.

A crimson line appeared across the chamber floor.

It traveled toward the surface.

Toward Noah.

Irus’s eyes widened.

"It’s too late."

At the academy, Noah suddenly heard a heartbeat.

BOOM.

He froze.

Laura noticed.

"What is it?"

Another heartbeat.

BOOM.

Noah looked down.

The floor beneath him was glowing faintly red.

Eric stepped backward.

"That’s new."

The system appeared.

[ANCIENT NETWORK RESPONSE DETECTED.]

[RAGNAROK SIGNAL: ACTIVE.]

[DEAD ZONE RESONANCE: 27.3%]

Noah’s eyes widened.

The crimson line beneath his feet spread outward.

Sophia raised her barrier.

Luna stepped beside her.

Damien drew his weapon.

Laura remained beside Noah.

"What do we do?"

Noah stared at the red light.

"I don’t know."

The Dead Zone appeared inside his mind.

It was staring at something Noah couldn’t see.

"They’re trying to pull you back."

Who?

"The ritual."

Noah’s expression hardened.

Can you stop it?

The Dead Zone smiled.

"Yes."

Its crimson eyes darkened.

"But I won’t."

Noah froze.

Why?

The Dead Zone turned toward him.

"Because if they pull hard enough..."

The crimson battlefield appeared behind it.

The black sword rose from the ground.

"...I get to see what’s waiting on the other side."

Noah’s blood ran cold.

Outside, the crimson line beneath the academy suddenly erupted.

BOOOOOOM!

And the entire building was dragged downward.

The academy floor broke apart.

BOOOOOOM!

Stone collapsed beneath Noah and the others.

Laura reached for Sophia.

Sophia grabbed Luna.

Eric seized Damien’s arm.

Noah dropped through the collapsing floor.

"NOAH!"

He reached upward.

Laura’s hand caught his.

For one second, their fingers locked.

The crimson light beneath them intensified.

Something pulled Noah downward.

Laura tightened her grip.

"I’m not letting go!"

Noah looked up at her.

"Laura, let go!"

"No!"

The floor continued collapsing.

Eric shouted, "Laura!"

She ignored him.

Noah’s eyes widened.

The Dead Zone whispered inside his mind.

"She’s going to fall with you."

I know.

"Then release her."

Noah gritted his teeth.

"I won’t."

The crimson energy suddenly surged.

Their hands separated.

Laura was thrown backward as Noah disappeared into the darkness below.

"NOAH!"

Noah fell through a tunnel of red light.

Stone walls flashed past him.

He couldn’t control his body.

The deeper he fell, the stronger the pressure became.

[ANCIENT NETWORK CONNECTION: 61%]

The system flickered.

[LOCATION UNKNOWN.]

[SPATIAL DISTORTION DETECTED.]

Noah cursed.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

The Dead Zone appeared beside him, somehow standing in the air as though gravity didn’t exist.

"We’re going down."

"I noticed."

"Good."

Noah glared at it.

"Where?"

The Dead Zone pointed below.

Noah looked.

Far beneath them was a gigantic chamber.

At its center stood the ancient heart.

And beside it...

Irus.

Irus looked upward.

The crimson tunnel tore through the ceiling.

"No."

Daniella immediately raised her weapon.

"Is that Noah?"

Alcris struggled to stand.

His face was still pale.

"It pulled him here."

Irus lifted her staff.

The golden energy around her surged.

"I didn’t call him."

Daniella looked at her suspiciously.

"Then who did?"

Irus didn’t answer.

Noah crashed into the chamber.

BOOM!

Stone shattered beneath him.

Dust filled the air.

Daniella rushed forward.

"Noah!"

She stopped.

Noah slowly rose from the crater.

His clothes were torn.

Blood ran from his forehead.

But his eyes were clear.

"I’m fine."

Daniella looked relieved for only a moment.

"You’re an idiot."

Noah wiped the blood away.

"Been told that."

Irus stared at him.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then her golden eyes shifted toward his chest.

"The signal brought you here."

Noah looked at her.

"You’re Irus."

"Yes."

"You tried to take Ragnarok."

"I did."

"And now?"

Irus’s expression remained unreadable.

"Now I want you to leave."

Noah blinked.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

Daniella looked confused.

"You were just trying to drag him here."

"I was."

Irus turned toward the ancient heart.

"But something changed."

A deep sound came from beneath them.

BOOM.

Everyone froze.

Another pulse.

BOOM.

Noah felt it inside his chest.

The Dead Zone appeared beside him.

Only Noah could see it.

Its expression was different.

Not amused.

Not hostile.

Alert.

"We’re close."

Noah whispered.

"Close to what?"

The Dead Zone looked toward the ancient heart.

"The answer."

Above them, Laura climbed from the collapsed floor.

Sophia helped her stand.

"Are you hurt?"

"Noah..."

"He fell through the network."

Eric looked into the enormous hole.

"We’re going after him."

Damien nodded.

Luna suddenly raised her hand.

"Wait."

Everyone stopped.

She looked down.

A crimson glow was spreading beneath the academy.

"There’s another pulse."

BOOM.

The entire building trembled.

Eric tightened his grip on his weapon.

"That’s coming from underground."

Laura stared into the hole.

"We have to find Noah."

Below, the ancient heart cracked.

Not outward.

Inward.

A section of its surface sank into itself.

A black void appeared at its center.

Irus stepped backward.

Alcris stared at it.

"What is that?"

Irus’s golden eyes widened.

"I don’t know."

The Dead Zone smiled.

"Yes, you do."

Noah looked at it.

"You know?"

The Dead Zone didn’t answer.

The black void began expanding.

A faint crimson light appeared inside it.

Noah’s heart began beating faster.

BOOM.

The crimson light pulsed.

BOOM.

Something moved behind the darkness.

Irus suddenly raised her staff.

"Everyone, get back."

Noah didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

He was staring into the void.

Because this time, there was no enormous eye.

No distant voice.

No memory.

A hand slowly emerged from the darkness.

And wrapped around the edge of the ancient heart.

The Dead Zone’s smile vanished.

"That’s not Ragnarok."

Noah’s blood ran cold.

"Then what is it?"

The hand tightened.

Stone began to fracture.

And a voice whispered from inside the void:

"Found you."