Chapter 843: Kind of a romantic

Ethan swung the stone tablet in his hand, obliterating everything in his path.

The massive stone fists ahead shattered like glass—completely useless against him.

In a flash, he was in front of one of the towering stone pillars. He raised the tablet high, and an overwhelming force surged into it.

“No—!”

The old man’s voice cracked with panic, raw and desperate.

But it was too late. Ethan brought the tablet crashing down.

BOOM—

The ground quaked violently. The sky above seemed to cave in. The entire Forbidden Zone trembled under the impact.

The pillar exploded into rubble under the devastating blow, but something strange happened—the golden patterns etched into its surface didn’t vanish. Instead, they hovered in midair, glowing faintly.

“What the hell is that?” Ethan muttered, eyes narrowing. The floating runes twisted and wove together, forming what looked like a glowing golden cage. At its center was a unique symbol, radiating a brilliant, almost blinding light.

He could feel it—an immense, primal power pulsing from within. It felt like the source of all energy itself.

Without hesitation, he reached out toward the floating sigil.

The moment his hand touched it, a searing heat shot through his palm. That blazing energy surged into his arm like a living current.

Golden lines began to snake up his left arm, coiling like serpents, etching themselves into his skin.

“He… he actually absorbed it?” the old man gasped from afar, stunned beyond belief.

He knew exactly what those pillars were hiding—seven Primordial Sigils, the raw, elemental forces of nature. Every other rune in existence was just a derivative of these seven.

And now, one of them had been absorbed—just like that.

Ethan, meanwhile, felt a warm rush flood his body. It was… incredible. His energy spiked, and the slow crawl of his evolution suddenly kicked into overdrive, like someone had poured rocket fuel into his veins.

“Damn… this stuff’s the real deal,” he muttered, eyes gleaming as he turned toward the remaining six pillars.

He raised the tablet again and charged forward. With each swing, his power surged, and the golden markings on his left arm flared brighter.

The power of the Primordial Sigils wasn’t just raw energy—it amplified everything.

Ethan was becoming a monster.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One by one, the stone pillars shattered under his assault. The entire Forbidden Zone shook violently, like it was on the verge of collapse.

Even from far away, Ricky and Aria could feel the shockwaves.

“What the hell’s going on? Is the Forbidden Zone falling apart?” Aria asked, eyes wide with alarm.

“Nah,” Ricky said casually, leaning against the cold, dark wall of the dungeon. “Pretty sure the boss is just tearing the place apart.”

“Oh…” Aria’s heart pounded. She was stunned.

She hadn’t even been able to get past the outer ritual array. That creepy dog-head statue alone had nearly killed her—and that thing was just a glorified guard dog.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of horrors were waiting at the center of the Forbidden Zone.

And yet… that guy in the white shirt—the so-called Zombie King—was tearing through it like it was nothing. Just how powerful was he?

“Should we… go take a look?” Aria asked, curiosity getting the better of her. A scene like this? Once-in-a-lifetime.

Ricky glanced at her. “Not scared of my boss anymore?”

“What’s there to be scared of? I mean, didn’t he tell you to keep me safe? So he’s not gonna kill me, right?”

“Yeah, you’re good,” Ricky said with a nod, pushing off the wall.

They’d had some time to rest, and their strength had mostly returned. With a quick leap, they jumped onto the dog-head statue, used it as a springboard, and smashed through the stone ceiling above, climbing back to the surface.

The world above had changed.

The ground trembled beneath their feet. The thick white mist that had once blanketed everything was gone.

The crushing pressure in the air had lifted. All the ritual arrays had been deactivated.

For now, at least—it was safe.

Seeing the chaos settle a bit, Aria finally let out a breath of relief. She turned to Ricky, curiosity burning in her eyes as she asked the question that had been bugging her the most.

“You’re human, right? So how the hell did you end up working with him?”

“Me?” Ricky’s eyes took on a distant look, like he was flipping through old memories. He didn’t bother hiding anything.

So he told her the whole story—how he used to work in the Outer Zone, scraping by and sending every credit he earned to his girlfriend studying in the Inner City. How she ended up screwing him over. Classic betrayal.

Heartbroken and hollowed out, he’d met Ethan. Together, they’d launched the infamous Battle of the Skywall, a rebellion that shook the Inner City to its core. Countless elites had fallen in that war.

Aria’s eyes went wide as she listened, her worldview cracking a little. “Wait… seriously? That’s how it all started? But you seem pretty sharp—how’d you get played by a gold-digger?”

Ricky gave a wry smile. “I kinda saw it coming, to be honest. Just didn’t want to admit it. When you fall for someone, your brain starts making excuses for them. You see what you want to see.”

“…” Aria was speechless. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. And suddenly, Ricky’s so-called “crimes against humanity” didn’t seem so black and white anymore.

If that had happened to her… she might’ve wanted to burn the whole damn world down too.

“Never thought the leader of the White Robe Order would turn out to be… well, kind of a romantic.”

Ricky turned to her, raising an eyebrow. “Are you trying to justify what I did?”

“Uh…” Aria blinked, caught off guard. A faint blush crept up her cheeks.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “I’m not making excuses for you. You’re still a wanted criminal.”

“Oh, and here I thought you were falling for me,” Ricky said with a sheepish grin, half-joking.

Aria looked thoughtful for a second. “Well… if I had a boyfriend who was that loyal, that obsessed with me… I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”

“…” Ricky had no comeback for that.

It felt like they’d just traded punches—neither one landing a clean hit, but both feeling the impact.

A long silence followed. Neither of them spoke.

“Ahem.” Ricky cleared his throat, trying to shake off the awkwardness. “So… a girl like you, from a rich family in the Inner City—you must have a ton of guys chasing after you, right?”

“Yeah, plenty,” Aria said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “But I can tell most of them are just in it for what I represent. Not for me.”

“Figures…” Ricky nodded. He got it. In those elite circles, everything was about leverage and legacy. Real feelings didn’t mean much.

Aria turned to him, her face framed by the soft fall of her hair, her features delicate and striking. “My mom’s probably on her way to get me. Once we’re out of the Forbidden Zone… what are you planning to do?”

“Follow my boss, of course,” Ricky said seriously. “We’re heading back to Necroterra. Then it’s off to Heartland.”

“Heartland?” Aria froze.

That was the dream of every warrior in human history—to conquer Heartland. But the Deathless Sovereigns who ruled it were monsters. Most who went never came back. And those who did… came back broken.

It was basically a death sentence.

But Necroterra… that was the battlefield she’d always dreamed of.

Just hearing the name made her blood stir. Her heart pounded with a strange mix of fear and excitement.

“…”

They walked side by side, heading deeper toward the heart of the Forbidden Zone, curious to see what was happening at the center.

Neither of them realized that behind them, another group of humans was also making their way through the Zone.

Claire Monroe—Aria’s mother—was leading a team of elite Monroe family warriors.

They were tracking her daughter.

When they’d first entered the Forbidden Zone, they’d been hit with the same illusion mazes and sigil lockdowns. But with their SSS-rank strength, they’d barely managed to break through.

“Where the hell did Aria go?” one of the young men muttered, frowning. “With her level of power, she shouldn’t have lasted long in here.”

Claire’s worry had been building with every step. Now it was boiling over.

But then—her eyes lit up. She’d sensed something.

“I can feel Aria’s aura. She’s close—just ahead. Hurry! Follow me!”

…