Chapter 107: The Final Door

Nolan failed to notice any of it. After storing the core away, he clapped the dust from his hands and turned his gaze toward the far end of the hall, where the final door still stood silently in the darkness.

“Alright, everyone take a moment to recover.” He cut off the barrage of questions Little Donnie and Vivi were about to ask, dragging the group’s attention away from fantasies about the golem and back to reality. “Everything we’ve faced so far was only the appetizer. The Tyrians designed those as safeguards, prison wardens meant to keep intruders out. What comes next is the real challenge.”

The atmosphere immediately grew tense again.

Only moments ago, the party had relaxed after overcoming a Gold-rank enemy, but Nolan’s words tightened everyone’s nerves once more. Yet this time, alongside the tension, there was also a deep sense of reassurance and trust.

Their admiration for Nolan had only grown stronger.

Ever since entering the ruins, every obstacle they encountered had seemed impossible. Finding the hidden entrance, opening the unbreakable stonegate, navigating the deadly trap-filled corridor unharmed, surviving the terrifying battle against the Eagle-Headed Golem… none of it should have been possible.

Even a stronger group would likely have died before reaching this point.

It was no longer simply a matter of strength. What truly mattered was Nolan’s knowledge. He spoke casually of secrets from the War of Heaven that even legends rarely mentioned, as though there was nothing in the world he did not understand and no problem he could not solve.

With a lord and companion like that leading them forward, what was there left to fear?

Nolan and Little Donnie each pulled out healing potions from their packs and drank them in one gulp. Under the potion’s effects, the wounds across their bodies began visibly closing at a rapid pace.

After a brief rest and some hurried bandaging, the five of them rose to their feet and approached the final stone door together.

Vivi studied it with a puzzled expression. Compared to the massive stonegate from earlier, this one looked almost absurdly ordinary. It was just a plain stone door with no carvings, no runes, no decoration of any kind. Ancient and weathered, but utterly unremarkable.

“So this is the place where they imprisoned the demon lords?” she asked incredulously. “This door looks way too normal. Honestly, it feels kind of underwhelming. Looks like I could kick it open.”

“The prison itself is the real seal,” Nolan replied, shaking his head. “A subplane prison that can’t be broken from the inside is already the strongest confinement imaginable. In my opinion, all the extra traps and restrictions outside were Tyrians being overly cautious.”

He placed a hand against the cold stone surface and took a slow breath before glancing back at the others.

“There won’t be any tricks after this. No puzzles, no shortcuts. What comes next is pure force against force. Be ready.”

Without another word, Nolan pushed both hands against the ancient door and shoved it open.

A deep grinding noise echoed through the chamber as the massive stone slab slowly swung inward.

Little Donnie, Vivi, Renee, and Romina instinctively tightened their grips on their weapons and assumed defensive stances, preparing themselves for a desperate battle.

But instead of darkness and decay, a soft glow spilled out from within.

Dust drifted through the air as the doors opened fully, veiling the scene beyond in a faint haze.

“Why is it so bright in there?” Little Donnie whispered in surprise.

Ever since entering the ruins, they had traveled through endless darkness illuminated only by torchlight. They had long prepared themselves to face some horrific demon lord in a pitch-black prison.

None of them expected the final chamber to be so brilliantly lit.

Beyond the doorway lay a vast circular hall, even larger than the chamber that housed the golem. Unlike the outer sections of the ruins, this place had clearly been crafted with far greater care.

A gentle white radiance emanated from the center of the room, illuminating the entire hall like daylight. The light was warm rather than harsh, easing the tension and suffocating pressure they had carried the entire way here.

The sight before them left everyone momentarily stunned.

At the center of the hall stood a towering altar that immediately drew every gaze.

It was constructed from some kind of pure white stone, its edges engraved with intricate patterns that emitted the soft glow filling the chamber.

Strangely, unlike the altars commonly seen in temples of the Mother Goddess, there was no divine statue upon it.

Instead, there was a fountain.

Clear spring water endlessly welled up from the center, flowing from within a suit of black-and-crimson armor before pouring into the basin below. There was no visible source feeding the water, and though the basin was completely full, its mirror-like surface never overflowed by even a single drop.

The scene was both bizarre and sacred, leaving the group speechless.

“That’s… the Fountain of Potential?” Romina’s breathing faltered slightly as she stared fixedly at the altar. She could clearly sense the immense and pure life energy contained within the spring water. It was undoubtedly the very thing they had come here to find.

At that moment, Vivi suddenly lowered her voice and pointed toward a figure seated in front of the altar.

“Is that the imprisoned demon lord?” she asked nervously.

The question instantly snapped everyone back to attention.

Only then did they notice the figure.

Someone sat cross-legged before the altar, facing them directly. The person wore a dull gray suit of full-body armor. Because the altar’s light shone from behind, their features remained obscured, leaving only a shadowy silhouette visible.

There was no sign of life. No magical aura. They looked like nothing more than a lifeless statue.

Then, almost the moment Vivi finished speaking, the figure moved.

Slowly, stiffly, they rose to their feet.

As they stood, a cold and deathly aura washed over the group like a tide.

Everyone present except Nolan felt their hearts clench instinctively.

Under the altar’s pale glow, they finally saw them clearly.

It was an exquisitely crafted suit of knightly armor. Though its gray surface was dulled by the passage of countless years, its original elegance remained unmistakable.

The design was entirely unlike the heavy plate armor common across the continent today. Its lines were sleek and graceful, appearing almost lightweight, more ceremonial than practical, like a masterpiece forged for royalty rather than war.

Dark, intricate patterns faintly covered its surface, while the helmet and pauldrons bore wing-like protrusions that lent the armor an air of both majesty and elegance.

Had it not been for the pair of crimson lights suddenly igniting behind the helmet’s visor, the sight might even have seemed beautiful.

“They’re awake! Everyone, careful!” Little Donnie shouted, raising his sword defensively before his chest.

Vivi and Renee immediately leveled their weapons at the armored figure. Romina drew her greatbow in one fluid motion, a green-glowing arrow aimed directly at their head.

Only Nolan remained still.

Faced with the party’s hostility, the gray-armored figure showed no reaction whatsoever. Silent and emotionless, they began walking toward them step by step.

At first, their gait was stiff and uneven. But after several steps, their movements gradually became smoother, steadier, more natural.

As they walked, they slowly extended their right hand to their side.

The next instant, countless tiny white particles appeared out of nowhere in their palm. They rapidly gathered and condensed together until, within barely two seconds, a silver-white knight’s lance over two meters long materialized in their grasp.

Its design was elegant and flawless.

Renee’s eyes widened in shock.

“That’s… a conjured weapon used by Law Sorcerers?” she gasped. “But they’re wearing full plate armor. How can they cast spells? And… I didn’t sense any magic fluctuation at all!”

As a natural elementalist, Renee’s sensitivity to magic far surpassed ordinary people. She was absolutely certain that the appearance of that lance had triggered no elemental resonance whatsoever.

There had been no magical trace.

It was as though the weapon had simply appeared from thin air.

Just as everyone stood frozen in uncertainty, the gray-armored figure finally spoke.

Their voice was deep and heavy, echoing like sound reverberating inside an enormous metal chamber. Slow. Hollow. Completely devoid of emotion.

“Living beings…? Intrusion detected. Execution follows.”