Zael didn't waste time.
The moment he made the decision, he turned and headed straight back toward the Divine Ruins. The pull he had felt earlier was gone now, replaced by something steadier. Familiar. Grounded. Whatever had happened inside had ended—for now.
Crossing the threshold this time felt different.
No distortion.
No separation.
No sudden shift into some isolated space.
Just… ruins.
Ancient structures stretched ahead of him, broken pillars and worn stone pathways spreading outward in uneven layers. The air felt heavier than outside, subtle but constant, like an invisible weight pressing down on everything within.
"…So this is the normal version."
His voice was low, almost absent-minded.
No system interference.
No tricks.
Just the ruins as they were meant to be.
Zael stepped forward.
Then stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Ahead of him—
Traces.
Not faint.
Not old.
Recent.
The ground was torn apart in multiple places, cracks running through stone that shouldn't have broken so easily. Fragments of rock were scattered, some still carrying residual energy.
Burn marks.
Deep cuts.
Impact craters.
Zael crouched slightly, running his fingers across one of the cracks.
Still warm.
"…Not long ago."
He stood back up, gaze sweeping across the area again.
This wasn't random damage.
This was a fight.
And not a small one.
Different types of damage overlapped—clean blade strikes, heavy blunt impacts, something that looked like compressed force detonations. There were even faint traces of spatial distortion lingering in the air.
His eyes sharpened slightly at that.
"…Lily."
He didn't need confirmation.
That kind of distortion wasn't common.
Which meant—
They had been here.
All of them.
Or at least some of them.
Zael straightened, his posture shifting subtly.
Focused now.
The relaxed air from earlier was gone.
Replaced by intent.
He stepped forward again, following the trail without hesitation.
The deeper he moved, the clearer the signs became.
A section of collapsed stone.
A wall that had been cleanly split in two.
And then—
Blood.
Not much.
But enough.
Zael's steps slowed slightly.
Not out of fear.
Calculation.
"…Someone got hit."
But there were no bodies.
No remains.
Which meant the fight hadn't ended here.
It moved.
His gaze shifted forward, locking onto the direction the destruction continued.
"…Good."
That meant they were still alive.
Or at least—
Alive long enough to keep moving.
Zael exhaled slowly, then continued forward, pace steady but faster now.
Each step carried weight.
Not hesitation.
Not worry.
Just certainty.
Because whoever—or whatever—they had fought—
He was about to run into it next.
Zael moved deeper into the ruins without slowing. A few beasts crossed his path—nothing worth noting. He dealt with them almost casually, movements clean and efficient. A step, a shift, a strike, and they fell.
The system responded each time.
EXP gained.
Then amplified.
The surge from Authority of Infinite Growth kicked in instantly, multiplying everything and funneling it straight into his pool. The bodies didn't linger. As their essence condensed into loot, they dissolved completely, leaving behind a few common drops scattered across the ground.
Zael ignored them.
His pace remained steady.
Then—
He saw them.
Ahead, past a broken line of pillars and scorched stone, a fight was already underway.
No.
Not a fight.
They were struggling.
At the center of it stood a massive crimson tiger, its body pulsing with heat. Veins of molten light ran beneath its skin, glowing brighter with every movement. The air around it warped slightly from the temperature alone.
When it opened its jaws—
Lava poured out.
Not fire.
Not flame.
Molten streams that splashed and spread, turning the battlefield into a burning hazard.
Level 60.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
And—
They were getting overwhelmed.
Auralis stood at the front, barely holding her ground. Each clash with the tiger forced her back, the impact traveling through her arms as she blocked another heavy swipe. The heat alone was enough to wear her down, but she didn't retreat.
Aurelia moved around the edges, trying to control the fight. Her attacks were precise, calculated—but every attempt to shift momentum got crushed by the beast's raw pressure.
Lily flickered in and out of space, her movements sharp but increasingly defensive. Every time the tiger's head turned, she had to reposition instantly.
Zane...Zane was nowhere to be found.
Then it opened its mouth again.
She vanished just in time.
The lava blast tore through where she had been standing, melting stone and leaving behind a glowing trail.
They weren't coordinating properly anymore.
They were reacting.
Surviving.
And even that—
Was slipping.
Zael stood there for a second, watching.
Silent.
Still.
Taking everything in.
Then he exhaled lightly.
"…Seriously?"
Not frustration.
Not urgency.
Just—
Mild disbelief.
Because this level of pressure?
It shouldn't have been this bad.
His gaze sharpened.
Then—
He stepped forward.
—
Zael stepped in without announcing himself.
The moment his foot crossed into the battlefield, the air shifted.
The tiger noticed.
Its head snapped toward him, molten veins flaring brighter as it growled, a deep, heavy sound that vibrated through the ground.
It didn't hesitate.
It lunged.
Fast.
Faster than before.
Because this time—it felt something different.
Zael didn't move much.
Just a slight tilt of his head as the claw came down.
Void Step.
Gone.
He reappeared to the side, already mid-motion. His blade—no, the shifting weapon in his hand—rippled, adjusting as it struck.
A clean arc.
Night Sever.
The strike landed before the tiger could even turn fully.
A deep cut tore across its side, void energy biting through molten hide. The beast roared, twisting violently, tail whipping around with crushing force.
Zael didn't retreat.
He stepped in.
Closer.
Phantom Split activated without pause, afterimages splitting off as he moved. Multiple strikes followed instantly, not in sequence—but overlapping.
The tiger tried to respond.
Too late.
Resonance Strike stacked mid-combat, each hit feeding into the next. The ground beneath them cracked as pressure built.
It opened its mouth again—
Too slow.
Zael's eyes sharpened.
Void Collapse.
Space compressed at the tiger's core. For a brief moment, its movement locked—just enough.
That was all he needed.
He stepped through it.
Abyss Rend.
The blade shifted again, darker this time, heavier. The strike wasn't flashy.
Just final.
It tore through.
Clean.
Complete.
The tiger froze for half a second.
Then—
Collapsed.
Its massive body hit the ground with a heavy thud, molten light fading as the heat rapidly died down.
Silence followed.
Short.
Controlled.
Then the system responded.
EXP gained.
Amplified.
The numbers surged—but Zael didn't even look.
Instead, his gaze dropped to the remains.
The body didn't last long.
It broke down, dissolving into condensed drops.
At the center—
A weapon formed.
A large, crimson hammer, its surface glowing faintly with residual heat.
Epic grade.
Alongside it, several materials scattered—dense cores, molten fragments, and reinforced hide pieces.
Zael glanced at it briefly.
Then looked up.
Because the fight—
Was already over.