Source of Life

"Where is this?"

Timsi and the old man entered a vast underground chamber, their gazes sweeping over the surroundings.

"This is the place said in legend to be the Sealing Chamber." The old man sighed. "Just as I thought, everything is exactly as the legends described."

Timsi did not respond. He slowly wandered through the stone chamber until he came before a mural.

"That is a mural left by our ancestors recording the terrifying power of the Gelel Stone... or rather, a painting of despair!"

Timsi smiled. "That is perfect. If the Gelel Stone is not powerful enough, then it has no meaning at all!"

"Power that is too great will only bring utter disaster!" the old man said angrily.

"Even without the Gelel Stone, humanity would still wage war!" Timsi said, touching the painting of despair. "That is why I will use this power on the righteous path of creating peace!"

"It is all a fallacy! The Gelel Stone may endure forever, but before that happens, let us perish together!"

As he spoke, the old man drew a dagger from behind his back and charged fiercely at Timsi.

Bang!

With a heavy impact, Timsi stared coldly at the old man. "Fool! Did you really think you could succeed with a sneak attack?"

The old man struggled to his feet. Glancing at the bloodstained dagger, he softly said, "Indeed, I could not. But I have already achieved my purpose."

"What!?" Timsi frowned.

"The rune formation on the ground was set up to summon something using an ancient Summoning Technique!"

As he spoke, the old man moved to the very center of the vortex pattern on the floor. With a crazed expression, he raised the dagger. "Now, let us all be annihilated here together!!"

"Ah!!"

Yet at that very instant, a violent surge of energy sent the dagger flying from the old man's hand!

Boom!

Timsi turned his head and saw Heide slowly walking in with several soldiers.

"Though I do not know what you were trying to do... it is fortunate that I made it in time."

"Lord Hyde!" Timsi hurried forward.

The old man covered his face and glared at Heide with an ugly expression.

"Lord Hyde, that just now was!?"

Heide slowly removed the glove from his right hand, revealing a Gelel Stone embedded in his palm!

"Hahahaha! What incredible power! Just as the book recorded... hahaha!"

"That book... was it the Book of Gelel?" The old man angrily stepped forward. "How did you obtain that book!?"

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and cried out, "Could it be that you obtained it by killing Timsi's parents?"

"Oh, my..." Heide waved a hand without answering. His gaze swept over the stone chamber as he asked in confusion, "Strange. Where is the Source of Life of the mineral vein?"

As he spoke, a peculiar grayish-white object slowly emerged from the ground.

Heide's eyes lit up, and he strode forward. "Oh? Is this the key to the gate leading to the mineral vein?"

"I will not allow it!" Horrified, the old man tried to rush forward, only to be blasted away by Heide.

"How boring... You think you can stop me?" Heide sneered, then looked at Timsi. "Timsi, kill him."

"Lord Hyde..." Timsi struggled visibly. Dropping to one knee, he said, "Lord Hyde, the Source of Life is already ours. Please spare his life!"

"Are you defying me?" Heide frowned in displeasure. He advanced step by step, grabbed Timsi by the chest, and lifted him up.

"You truly are... just as lowly as your parents! What a pitiful little brat."

Timsi's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at Heide in disbelief.

Seeing those trembling eyes, Heide stopped pretending and burst into laughter. "How pitiful. You cannot even recognize the enemy who killed your parents, yet you have been so close to me... What an adorable pawn!"

As he spoke, Heide's clothes instantly exploded apart, revealing the form of a humanoid monster! Four crimson spheres appeared behind him.

"Now, you are of no further use... In that case... please die!"

Heide struck Timsi in the chest with his palm. Timsi's armor shattered on impact, and a Gelel Stone fell from his body!

Heide seized it in one hand and exerted force through his arm.

Crack...

"Trash."

He casually tossed Timsi aside and slowly walked toward the sealing key.

"No... Don't!!" The old man could only watch helplessly as Heide drew closer and closer to the sealing key.

Timsi lay facedown on the ground with empty eyes. Regret surged through his heart, and though his fingers twitched, he could not muster even the slightest strength.

"The Gelel mineral source, the Source of Life! Hahaha! True power... I am coming!"

Heide reached out and touched the grayish-white sealing key, pouring violent energy into it.

Crack, crack... The sound of shattering echoed through the chamber! Cracks spread across the sealing key! The ground began to tremble, and the gears on the walls surrounding the stone chamber started turning.

A continuous rumbling resounded as the ceiling of the stone chamber gradually withdrew! At the same time, the ground split apart around the vortex formation, dividing into several sections.

An incomparably heavy power began to manifest overhead! Life Force and destruction coexisted within it!

"It is over! It is over!! This is the Gelel Stone mineral vein! The Source of Life!"

The old man stared at the sea of energy overhead and muttered in terror, his voice filled with despair. "The sealing key has been destroyed. The seal has been lifted!"

"Grandpa, what will happen next!?" Timsi came before the old man.

Just moments ago, he had been critically injured and on the verge of death, yet the instant the Source of Life appeared, he miraculously recovered! This had shown him the formidable power of the Source of Life! At the same time, having learned of Heide's ugly true nature, he knew that Heide absolutely could not be allowed to obtain this thing. Otherwise, it would spell disaster for the continent!

"The mineral vein will be exposed! If he cannot withstand this power, the Source of Life will immediately lose control!"

"Judging by the scale of the Empire of Destruction, half the continent will be destroyed!"

"What!?" Timsi's expression changed drastically!

"Lose control!? No, no, no! It will become a part of my power! Hahaha!" Heide's crazed laughter echoed throughout the entire space.

His greedy eyes stared at the Source of Life. He had never felt so wonderful before!

With this power in his grasp, who in the world could possibly be his opponent? Everything would be within reach! By then, he would be the god of this world!

Timsi looked grimly at the old man. "Is there any way to stop him!?"

"No..." The old man looked utterly dejected. "He is the nexus now! Even if we kill him, the mineral vein will immediately erupt!"

"Damn it! Are we really going to just watch him absorb this power!?" Timsi clenched his fist unwillingly and slammed it against the ground.

"No, he will not have the chance."

"Hm!?"

Hearing the voice, Timsi quickly looked up and saw that someone had appeared before him at some unknown time.

"It is you! Yamei!" Timsi recognized the figure at once.

Yamei calmly glanced at him, then turned his gaze toward the inverted Source of Life and Heide, who was gradually swelling beneath it.

He had actually arrived only a little later than Heide, but he had remained hidden and not appeared, waiting for the Source of Life to reveal itself.

Looking at Heide's twisted expression and crazed state, Yamei shook his head disdainfully. "Fool! To think you actually wish to use a mortal body to bear such energy..."

He had no intention of going up to stop him. Instead, he swiftly removed his upper garments, then came to Timsi and took some blood from him.

"What are you doing!"

Timsi cried out in pain, but the cut wound was healed by the Source of Life in the blink of an eye.