Endless Chaos – Chaos Void Plane: The Path of Knowledge
Chapter 15 – The Guardian of Faith
The heavy stone gate closed behind Arin with a deep rumble.
Dust slowly settled in the silent underground corridor.
For a few seconds, everything was completely dark.
Then faint golden lines along the walls flickered to life, one after another, illuminating the ancient passage.
The air inside the mountain was cold and still, as if it had not been disturbed for centuries.
Arin walked slowly down the long staircase.
Each step echoed through the empty chamber.
The walls around him were carved with thousands of inscriptions.
Prayers.
Devotions.
Names of believers who had once worshipped here.
Arin studied the symbols with interest.
"This place wasn't just a temple…"
"It was a faith collection system."
The Chaos Wonder Artifact of Knowledge floated beside him, analyzing the structure.
[Structure Analysis: Ancient Faith Sanctuary]
[Estimated Age: Over 2,000 Years]
Arin nodded.
That matched the timeline of the supposed fall of the God of Belief.
Which meant this place had been abandoned since that event.
But something about the sanctuary felt strange.
The faith energy here had not completely disappeared.
Thin golden threads still flowed faintly through the walls.
As if the sanctuary was still connected to the faith network.
Arin whispered quietly.
"So the system is still active…"
Suddenly—
A deep sound echoed through the chamber.
THUD
Arin stopped walking.
The Artifact immediately reacted.
[Alert: Mechanical Activation Detected]
Another sound followed.
THUD… THUD…
Heavy footsteps.
Something large was moving deeper inside the underground hall.
Arin remained calm but alert.
"Defense system."
It made sense.
Ancient divine sanctuaries would always have guardians.
As Arin stepped into the next chamber, he finally saw it.
At the center of the room stood a massive stone statue.
Nearly three meters tall.
Its body was carved in the shape of an armored warrior holding a large spear.
Golden runes covered its entire body.
The statue looked ancient and worn.
But the moment Arin entered the chamber—
The statue's eyes suddenly ignited with golden light.
The runes across its body lit up one by one.
Stone cracked as its joints slowly began to move.
A deep mechanical voice echoed through the hall.
"Unauthorized presence detected."
Arin watched calmly as the statue lifted its spear.
Dust fell from its shoulders as centuries of stillness ended.
The Artifact began analyzing rapidly.
[Entity Identified: Faith Guardian Construct]
[Energy Source: Residual Divine Faith]
[Threat Level: High]
The guardian took a heavy step forward.
THUD
"Identity verification required."
Arin quickly understood the situation.
This construct was designed to protect the sanctuary from intruders.
Without proper authorization, it would attack.
But Arin had something interesting.
He reached into the Chaos Artifact and removed the Divine Faith Crystal.
Golden light filled the chamber as he held it up.
The guardian immediately stopped moving.
Its glowing eyes focused on the crystal.
The Artifact began analyzing the interaction.
[Guardian Recognition Protocol Activated]
The statue slowly lowered its spear.
The golden runes across its body dimmed slightly.
Its deep voice echoed again.
"Faith signature detected."
"Partial authorization granted."
Arin raised an eyebrow.
"Partial?"
The guardian continued speaking.
"Access to outer sanctuary permitted."
"Inner vault access restricted."
Arin smiled slightly.
So the construct still had functioning security layers.
This meant deeper parts of the sanctuary were still protected.
But instead of attacking him, the guardian stepped aside.
A hidden door behind it slowly opened with a grinding sound.
Beyond the door, another staircase descended deeper underground.
The Artifact scanned again.
[High-Density Faith Energy Detected Below]
Arin's curiosity immediately grew stronger.
"Faith storage chambers…"
If ancient priests had collected belief energy here for centuries, the deeper vaults might still contain enormous reserves.
Even small remnants could be extremely valuable for his experiments.
Arin looked at the guardian again.
"So you're letting me pass?"
The statue remained completely still.
Its role was only to verify access.
As long as Arin carried a recognized faith signature, it would not interfere.
Arin nodded calmly.
"Good."
Without hesitation, he walked toward the newly opened passage.
The staircase descended even deeper into the mountain.
The air below felt heavier.
Thicker with ancient energy.
Something powerful had once been stored there.
Back in the hidden divine dimension…
The God of Belief watched the scene carefully.
Arin had successfully bypassed the guardian using the faith crystal.
The ancient god chuckled softly.
"Clever."
Most intruders would have tried to destroy the guardian.
But Arin had analyzed the system and used its rules instead.
The god's eyes glowed faintly with interest.
"Let us see what you discover in the vault."
Because deep beneath the sanctuary…
A forgotten chamber still contained remnants of the ancient faith reserves.
And knowledge seekers often uncovered things that were never meant to be found.
Arin continued descending into the darkness.
Unaware that his next discovery might be one of the most valuable resources left from the old divine kingdom.