In the vast nothingness where even the light from the spells couldn't travel more than a few meters, Gabriel noticed something in the distance.

It appeared to be a faint glowing aura, beckoning towards him like a distant lighthouse calling out to lost sailors.

Intrigued by this mysterious phenomenon, Gabriel cautiously approached the source of the light.

As he got closer, he could make out the silhouette of a figure bathed in the ethereal glow, standing motionless in the center of a strange array of symbols and runes etched into the barren ground.

A shiver ran down Gabriel's spine as he realized that the figure was not human, but something otherworldly and ancient, something that should not exist in this plane of existence.

It was something like a Nightmare Beast, yet it had a humanoid form. It had long, curved horns protruding from its skull, and its lifeless eyes glowed with a sinister light.

The being had four devil-like wings, two on each side, each wing having a span of five meters.

The being had its eyes open, yet it was as if he couldn't see anything with those silvery eyes that looked lifeless.

Initially, Gabriel thought that it was a corpse of some creature from the Abyss, but the being wasn't dead. It was clearly breathing, yet it remained unmoved, shrouded in the mysterious unknown glow.

Gabriel cautiously approached the being, being careful. Thanks to the sphere of light, he was able to see the beings much more clearly. Yet from no angle, it appeared like anything he saw before.

If anything, the being before him was similar to the statue he saw in the hands of the Lord of Flames, but at the same time, it was much different.

As he drew closer, he could feel a chill run down his spine, and a sense of dread filled him. It was as if his body was warning him of the dangers.

"Just what are you?" Gabriel muttered, circling around the ancient unknown being who wore quite an unusual attire. The being didn't answer, but instead, its gaze followed Gabriel's every move, unblinking and cold. Gabriel noticed that its eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

Seeing its eyes following him, Gabriel was quite taken aback! It wasn't definitely alive, and it was awake as well, yet it wasn't moving.

Gabriel flew a little back, creating some distance between him and the unknown being. However, that Unknown being kept its eyes on Gabriel, particularly looking toward the young man's chest, as if he could see that Gabriel was missing a heart.

Moreover, he could also feel traces of a familiar aura from Gabriel's wounds.

The unknown being slowly approached Gabriel, finally moving. He kept whispering something in a language Gabriel couldn't understand.

However, there was one word that Gabriel did recognise....it was a name... A name that stunned him.

"Who... are you?" Gabriel's face darkened. He wasn't scared of death at this point.

In response, the Ancient Being once again spoke. However, this time he spoke in a language that Gabriel could understand.

"I am..."

****

In the Ancestral Temple, Karyk was fighting the giant beast before him, unable to use any of his abilities! The only thing which he had to support him was that one sword that he had picked up along the way.

Unfortunately, he soon realized that the sword was useless! The beast had such thick skin that even when he managed to somehow land a hit on the beast, the Sword could do nothing more than to leave a small scratch.

It couldn't pass through the physical defense of the beast. It was as if he was in an impossible fight against a beast that could kill him at any time! It was like he was being toyed with!

However, he refused to give up. With each swing of the sword, he analyzed the beast's movements and tendencies, hoping to find a weak spot. As the fight went on, he started to notice small cracks in the beast's thick armor and gaps in its defenses.

Unfortunately, his condition was also getting worse as he kept losing more and more blood.

Determined to end the battle, he summoned all his strength for a final strike. Avoiding the beast's sharp claws, he rushed toward the beast, aiming for the small crack in the beast's thick armor.

He used all his speed and strength that he could conjure, jumping up high. As his figure came down, he thrust the tip of the sword straight at the crack.

"Argh!"

He thrust the Sword down, landing a blow exactly where he wanted to. However, instead of being happy, his face was ridden in shock.

Clank ~

As soon as the sword landed on the crack, the sword shattered into a thousand pieces, unable to bear the brunt of the attack.

At the same time, the giant beast swung its claws. Its sharp claws sliced through Karyk's skin, leaving a deep gnash on his chest while sending his body flying back.

As Karyk collided with the distant wall, he felt excruciating pain as if all of his bones had shattered. Coughing up blood, he struggled to regain his composure, but even standing straight was a struggle.

In his hand was only the hilt of the sword, without any blade. Meanwhile, the sharp fragments of the blade of his Sword kept falling on the ground in the distance, creating clunking noise.

It was at this moment, Karyk really regretted the fact that he couldn't call out his God Tier Sword that he had made by materializing his World Tier Spell. If it was that sword, he was sure that the beast would've been gravely wounded.

Karyk tossed the useless hilt of the Sword away, focusing on the giant beast that still stood before the exit of the maze.

"Not only is this place giving me a handicap, but it's also going that far to make sure I don't pass..."

"That makes me want to do it even more..." Karyk clenched his fist, getting in a fighting stance.