The ruins of Zou's Central Plaza remained under a heavy silence, broken only by the roar of the black flames surrounding the portal. The distorted fire burned as if alive, consuming every fragment of blue energy that tried to escape.
FWOOM
Riser kept his eyes fixed for a few seconds, watching the distortion twist against the fiery siege. The living darkness carried out its sentence without hesitation.
"They're already doing their work."
Wings of flame spread in a natural reflex, radiating heat through the desolate space. His cold, steady gaze swept once more over the scattered corpses around him. Warriors, hunters, children. None of the Minks had survived the arrival of the aberrations.
'The portal is contained. I don't need to stay here.'
The thought echoed like a silent decree. He turned, walking away from the plaza in calm steps while the black fire roared behind him.
The transition into Zou's forest brought another kind of silence. The tall trees blocked much of the light, casting heavy shadows along the path. Riser advanced slowly, absorbing every detail. The smell of blood saturated the air, mingled with the acrid scent of decaying flesh.
By the roadside, the bodies of Minks lay in broken poses. Some still clutched their weapons, others rested with hands stretched toward the void, as if reaching for protection that never came.
Riser stopped before one of them, his gaze cold.
'An entire people wiped out in one night. In the anime, they were resistance. Here, they're memory.'
He resumed walking, steps steady on the ground covered with leaves and dried blood. The soft sound of his boots echoed between hollow trunks, carried by the wind that swayed the treetops.
On the near horizon, the silhouette appeared. The Whale-Shaped Tree rose colossal—a sleeping giant with its back curved toward the sky. Its roots spread like fins anchored deep into the soil.
Riser lifted his chin.
'Finally.'
The heavy heart of the forest stood before him. The living structure that guarded the red Poneglyph.
He approached, circling roots as thick as walls. Each step reinforced the grandeur of the tree. The main trunk seemed to breathe, pulsing with centuries of life.
Upon reaching the top, the air changed. The wind blew colder, carrying the scent of ancient wood and damp sap. The view opened beyond the forest, revealing the distant sea under a veil of clouds.
Riser turned his body and looked back once. The horizon was dark, but the glow of black flames in the plaza was still visible—a wound in the middle of the night.
'Even from here, I can feel the heat.'
He turned back to the tree. Without hesitation, he found the natural opening in the wood and stepped inside.
The interior was wide but silent. The wood pulsed in darker tones, as if secrets slept within each ring. A spiral staircase descended toward the heart of the tree.
CLACK
The sharp sound of his boots echoed through the hollow space.
CLACK
The descent continued, slow, each step wrapped in dim light. The air smelled of moisture and history. It was as if the wood itself remembered the centuries.
CLACK
The sound repeated in steady rhythm until the base revealed itself before him.
The Poneglyph chamber opened vast and solemn, lit by faint beams slipping through cracks in the wood. The red monolith stood in the center, immense, immaculate, bearing forbidden inscriptions awaiting eyes capable of reading.
Riser stood motionless for a few seconds, simply observing. The crimson glow reflected on the flame beneath his skin, creating contrast between ancient power and his present presence.
A smile appeared on his face.
'So this is where the world hides its truth.'
He stepped closer to the stone, fingers brushing the air before it. He didn't need to touch it to feel its density, its historical weight, its promise of secrets.
'Robin would be ecstatic just looking at this. But I don't need her now. This monolith goes to the Nest.'
The red in his eyes flared.
"Kamui."
ZUUUUM
The space before him folded into a black spiral. The vortex consumed air, light, and energy around it. The Poneglyph trembled, raising dust, and was swallowed into the distortion—gone as if it had never existed in the chamber.
WHUUUUM
Silence returned soon after.
DING
[Update: +200 luck points. Current total: 32,500 luck points.]
Riser kept his eyes half-closed, absorbing the message.
"Another piece secured. The black flames are already handling the rest."
The silence of the chamber returned absolute. The place where the Poneglyph had rested was now only emptiness, marked by the thin dust still floating in the air.
Riser remained still for a moment, absorbing the scene.
'Robin will have what she desires. In the Nest, she'll be able to read every word without interruption.'
Invisible embers beneath his skin pulsed in response. There was no longer any reason to remain in Zou. The portal burned, trapped by Amaterasu, and the Poneglyph was safe.
He raised his right foot, and the red sigil appeared beneath his sole, expanding like a flaming crown.
The red crest glowed beneath Riser's feet, fiery lines spreading like moving wings.
ZUUUUM
The distortion opened in concentric circles until space folded upon itself. When the energy receded, his body was already standing at the center of the Phoenix Nest's Throne Hall.
Magical torches lit the hall in golden and red flames. The runes carved into the walls pulsed in slow intervals, maintaining the fortress's stability.
On the elevated throne, Merlin rose at once. Her body inclined slightly in reverence, eyes filled with respect. Beside her, Kalifa bowed quickly, keeping her arms close to her sides.
Riser walked a few steps forward. The sound of his boots against marble echoed firm, filling the silent chamber.
"Did any problem occur during my absence?"
Merlin lifted her face, her voice clear and composed.
"Everything is under control, Riser-sama. No anomalies have occurred in the Nest."
Riser's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before shifting to Kalifa.
"You may leave."
The woman adjusted her glasses in a swift motion and bowed again.
"As you wish, Master."
She turned on her heels and crossed the hall in measured steps. The soft echo of her heels faded as the stone door closed behind her.
Silence reclaimed the chamber. Riser tilted his chin slightly, observing Merlin still standing straight before the throne.
'Order remains intact. Everything proceeds as it should.'
A faint smile curved his lips.
"The world just got more interesting, Merlin."
The words resonated through the hall, calm and certain, like a sentence announcing a new age.
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