Chapter 246: Journey To The Ruins

After Ana finished her bath and I dried her hair like the gentleman I absolutely was, we both strolled back toward the clearing.

And there he stood—Steve, still frozen mid-swing, his sword inches from where my neck used to be.

Ana blinked. “He’s still like that?”

I crossed my arms and nodded solemnly. “Yes. Such is the path of true dedication.”

She tilted her head. “You said he was practicing something?”

I nodded again, more seriously. “The Art of the Frozen Sword. It’s a long-lost technique. Only those with incredible willpower and an inability to take a joke can perform it.”

Steve’s eye twitched. A lot.

Ana stifled a laugh. “Is he… conscious?”

“Oh, absolutely,” I said. “He’s meditating. Letting the killing intent simmer until it becomes soup.”

Steve’s lips moved slightly, mouthing words I refused to read. They were probably rated R anyway.

I circled him, hands behind my back like a proud teacher. “Observe the stillness. The unrelenting, unchecked fury just beneath the surface. Truly, this man is a blade—frozen in time, fueled only by humiliation and pettiness.”

“Sounds sharp,” Ana said, giggling.

Steve’s pupils darted toward me like daggers.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I said, standing just an inch from the sword tip. “You tried to kill me over a joke. You made Ana blush, called her your ‘precious flower’ in your sleep, and now you’re mad because I mentioned that. That’s not very sword saint of you.”

Ana turned pink. “He called me what?!”

“Nothing,” Steve screamed inside his frozen body, I was sure.

I sighed deeply, shaking my head with exaggerated reverence. “One day, historians will look back and say, ‘That Steve, he held a sword swing for four hours straight to honor his shame.'”

Steve’s jaw clenched hard enough that we could hear it.

Ana walked up beside me, hand over her mouth. “So… how long is he going to be like this?”

I rubbed my chin. “Depends. He can stay like this until he reflects on his choices… or until I get bored.”

Steve’s whole body trembled slightly, like an earthquake made of rage.

“Alright, fine,” I said, lifting my hand with dramatic flair. “Unfreeze.”

The moment the space loosened, Steve collapsed forward, still gripping his sword like he meant it.

“You’re both dead,” Steve wheezed.

We burst into laughter, Ana and I nearly doubling over.

I clapped him on the back and grinned. “Alright, alright. You can go take a bath now. We need to head out toward the ruins as soon as possible.”

Ana’s tone shifted, her expression turning serious. “Billion, I don’t think it’s going to be that simple. After what I felt during the corruption… I have a bad feeling about those ruins. They’re ruins for a reason, you know? Something might be waiting for us.”

I nodded slowly, understanding her concern. “I get it, Ana. But we don’t have many choices left. We’re not strong enough to face a Grandmaster, and I still don’t know how to bring help in from the outside. Attacking the main base to free prisoners is suicide at this point, and we know nothing about the source of the corruption.”

I paused, then continued with a firmer voice.

“That leaves us with two paths—either we keep hunting and hiding in this forest, hoping to level up fast enough to survive… or we head for the ruins and search for a way to awaken the Guardian. If there’s any hope of turning the tide, it’s probably there.”

Steve finally spoke up, brushing his hair back as he walked past us. “I think we should take the risk. I don’t see any better way out either.”

Ana stayed quiet for a few seconds, her brows drawn together. Then she let out a long breath. “Alright. If both of you are in, then I won’t hold back. But with my wing still healing, don’t expect me to fight at full strength.”

I smiled and glanced at Steve with mock sincerity. “That’s fine. I’ll protect you, Ana.”

Steve froze mid-step.

Ana looked between us, lips twitching.

I could already feel Steve’s aura shift, pure irritation bubbling under the surface. I grinned and winked at Ana.

And walked away toward Silver laughing loudly so that Steve could hear it.

*****

Soon enough, Steve finished cleaning up, and the three of us gathered in front of Silver. I took a final moment to double-check everything before we left.

The Essence Engine was running smoothly without interruption.

My Essence storage was full.

The changes brought on by my Psynapse had settled, and I had adapted to them.

Most importantly, I was ready—mentally and physically. I felt a strange heaviness in my chest, like a warning I couldn’t shake. A bad premonition, maybe. But it didn’t matter. There was no other path forward. We had to finish what we started.

“Ready to go?” I asked, glancing at them.

“Yeah,” they both replied in unison.

I nodded, then jumped and landed on Silver’s back. The other two followed right after, settling behind me.

As we rose into the air, I expanded my perception outward, scanning the surroundings for any trace of the Holts. Thankfully, the forest was quiet—no signs of enemy movement.

I whispered under my breath, “[Absolute Domain].”

And with that, my domain bloomed to life, stretching outward like a silent, invisible veil. It wrapped around Silver, shielding him too. The air thickened slightly within its bounds, charged with Essence and runes, tuned to my will.

“Silver,” I said, patting his side. “Take us to the floating ruins. Fast as you can.”

Silver let out a low rumble in response, then his wings stretched wide with a sharp snap. A gust of wind burst around us as he kicked off the ground, shooting upward like a missile. Trees blurred beneath us. The sky opened above.

Inside the domain, my will ruled. I stretched my hand forward and focused.

“Wind.”

The air pressure around Silver’s wings shifted. Molecules bent and slipped around him instead of pushing back. The resistance fell dramatically—like we were slicing through fog rather than air.

The surrounding currents bent to our path. Wind funneled behind Silver’s wings, not pushing but pulling—adding velocity. Like riding a jetstream we created ourselves.

I closed my eyes for a brief second and tuned the domain further. I bent the light around us slightly, not enough to vanish, but enough to blur outlines and distort movement.

Anyone looking from below would only see a flicker, like a bird or cloud shifting shape.

The world rushed beneath us. Forest gave way to cliffs. Cliffs opened into a deep valley, and in the distance, above the haze of morning mist, I spotted it.

The floating ruins.

Massive structures, shattered and drifting like broken islands, hovered over the land.

“There it is,” I said.

Steve leaned forward. “How high are we going?”

“Doesn’t matter,” I replied dryly, keeping my eyes on the ruins.

Ana stayed quiet, wings folded tightly against her back. She was tense.

“Hold on,” I said. “We’re almost there.”

Silver screeched, pushing harder. With the wind at our backs and my domain holding steady, we shot toward the sky like a streak of crimson light.