Chapter 168: Flipping the Table!

"Forget it. I don't know why you are the one, a wretch whose void energy is so meager I can barely sense it. It makes no difference, though; the attraction of these keys cannot be wrong. Since they chose you, it means you carry the key! Now, come here obediently!"

The old man quickly recovered from his brief astonishment. He had assumed Avia was the key, never imagining it would be Wang Yu. Yet, he knew clearly what he sought: not the person, but the key. Whose hands it rested in was irrelevant.

"Come and get me!"

Wang Yu raised his middle finger at the old man, though he doubted the elder could grasp the gesture's intent.

Facing the irresistible pull emanating from the keys, Wang Yu showed not a shred of fear. He did not fear death, and since his own strength was utterly insufficient to resist this powerful elder—whom Samuel called Yale—why not be casual about it?

"Lad, don't give up. Your companion is still trying to tear open the space gate to save you. I have but a final moment before I succumb to silence, and I will help you as much as I can."

"Roland may have been eccentric, but these keys were surely not left for someone to seize and plunder his legacy. At the very least, he will grant you a chance—a chance to seize the initiative."

Samuel’s voice echoed in Wang Yu’s mind. Its form was already turning ethereal, fading into the very process of silence it had described.

"Don't worry. I'll find a way to survive until the very last moment."

The pulling force of the chains was irresistible, yet it did not restrict Wang Yu’s movements. He turned to give Samuel an "OK" gesture before turning back. In the face of death, the guy was unnervingly calm.

"Heh, you are truly more interesting than I imagined. If I could save a fellow like you in these final moments, that would indeed be a cause for joy."

Samuel watched Wang Yu’s nonchalant demeanor and chuckled softly. The boy hadn't displayed the soul-deep panic that Yale loved to see; he wondered what the old man was feeling now.

"You are about to face something far more terrifying than death. I wonder if you can maintain this state then. Samuel is right; Roland would not block your path entirely. We are about to engage in a game, or perhaps a trial."

"Only if you win will you be the one to obtain what Roland studied—the ultimate mystery of the void. I might as well give you a glimmer of hope, though what awaits you in the end is absolute despair. I wonder what expression you will wear then."

The chains extending from the keys linked everyone together: the twelve skulls and Wang Yu. The old man, using some form of soul-based sorcery, had linked his own soul-fire to one of the skulls, effectively casting himself as a key-holder and binding himself within the chains.

He issued his proclamation to Wang Yu with a sinister tone, yet for some reason, he did not move to crush the boy. The binding formed by the keys seemed to act as a form of protection; while it forcibly dragged them toward their destination, it also rendered them nearly immune to external interference.

"Get lost!"

Wang Yu was blunt, giving the old man a sharp thumbs-down.

All the keys were linked together, the chains forming a ring. At the very center of this ring was the Codex of Dark Rites, pulled from within Samuel’s body.

Void fluctuations gradually emerged from it, and a fissure—perfectly formed and unlike any void rift Wang Yu had ever seen—opened upon the surface of the Codex.

Just as Samuel had said, this was the gateway between the void and the material world. Under the influence of the thirteen keys, the door was opened: a stable portal leading to a specific location within the void.

Wang Yu stared at the gate, which had opened in reality with such stability that not a single trace of void energy leaked from the star-filled void world beyond. He truly glimpsed a fraction of Roland’s greatness; such a creation was impossible to forge in the current era.

A stable, two-way void gate—what a joke. It was explicitly written in the texts of Night’s Edge and the Stevenson Magic Academy branch that such a thing could not exist, yet here it was, manifesting right before Wang Yu’s eyes.

"Impressive, truly impressive," Wang Yu remarked casually.

"Is this the power Roland left behind? I will be the master of this power! I will become you, Roland!"

The old man gazed at the open portal, his tone fanatical and deranged. He could already see himself passing the trial and obtaining that object; it had been his lifelong obsession.

"Lad, hold on as long as you can."

Samuel’s voice reached Wang Yu for the last time. It, too, was stunned by the portal opened by the Codex. It had once told Finn Stuart that this object was the gateway between the void and the material world, but it never expected that the thing it had studied for a lifetime would reveal its true form this day.

It could feel the restless spatial nodes in the area. The magic was familiar—it was the companion the boy called Avia. She hadn't given up; what a remarkable bond. Perhaps she could find a way to save him.

As for Wang Yu defeating Yale to claim final victory, Samuel held no hope. After all, in the realm of the void, Yale was second only to Roland.

The moment Samuel’s words faded, before Wang Yu could turn back to give the kind librarian a thumbs-up, the chain-ring of thirteen keys dragged him, the twelve skulls, and the old man into the void portal opened by the Codex.

Silently, the portal closed, reverting into the Codex of Dark Rites, which drifted back into Samuel’s library. Wang Yu and the others had vanished completely from the material world.

...

"What the hell is this place? The void? Why can't I feel the aura of the void..."

Wang Yu scratched his head. He had no idea where he was. The sensation of being bound had vanished. After being pulled through the gate, the environment had changed. There was solid ground beneath his feet, though he couldn't see what it was.

His gaze swept the surroundings. It was an endless galaxy, like the starry sky in his mental space, infinite and boundless, devoid of an end. It held danger and madness; chaotic entities roamed freely, and distorted sounds echoed through this world. This was the void.

"Click..." He clenched his fist, his knuckles grinding. Good, his body was perfectly fine, completely intact. This space was material.

"Could it be that Roland left a material realm inside the void? Just as void rifts create a void space within the material world? That is truly... unimaginable."

Wang Yu speculated on the situation. This theory, which bordered on madness and had never been recorded in any historical text, seemed the most probable answer. He could only say that Roland lived up to his reputation.

"What is that?" Wang Yu suddenly noticed something appearing in the distance, growing larger in his field of vision. With no reference points, he couldn't tell if he was moving toward it or if it was approaching him.

It appeared to be a stone structure, square and simple, resembling a matchbox with a large, tightly sealed door.

"Is this where the object Yale seeks is kept? Hmm, the patterns on those stone bricks... they look familiar."

Wang Yu was still pondering what the approaching object was, but as the distance closed, he began to see the details. The patterns on the masonry were familiar.

Closing his eyes, Wang Yu dove into his mental space, standing above the boundless lake that belonged to him. He plunged his hand into the water representing void energy, his fingers tracing the lakebed. Through the impossibly clear water, he saw the bricks at the bottom. Yes, they were identical—the patterns were the same.

The foundation of this lake, which carried his void energy, was of the same origin as the structure Roland had left behind. This... was the key?

Wang Yu scanned the surroundings. He saw neither the Tree of Night nor the Lady of Night. It seemed that this material realm forged by Roland in the void shielded everything except the key-holders.

Standing above the lake, Wang Yu fell into a brief contemplation. If this thing was a key, when had he acquired it? How did he remember it being there the moment he awakened his sorcery...

No, that wasn't right. He had done something before he awakened his sorcery.

"The key can amplify a sorcerer's talent."

"Avia was suspected of being the key-holder."

"The key chooses those with exceptional sorcerous talent."

The clues Wang Yu had gathered surfaced in his mind, linking together. Yes, before he awakened his sorcery and saw this lake he thought was his mental space, he had done something he had overlooked, something that could not be ignored.

When he fought his way out of the bandit stronghold, the girl had used her secret energy to heal his wounds. He had fallen into a coma, and purple light had flickered on his body. Upon recovering, he had curiously touched those lights, and they had slipped directly into his body. Because of Wang Yu’s unique nature, they hadn't caused a ripple.

Because of his ability to ignore void erosion, Wang Yu had overlooked the anomaly. But now, it seemed it hadn't been that simple.

"Was it then... The key amplifies the holder's talent, but my void talent is still so poor. So, is there a possibility that I have no sorcerous talent at all? That my so-called sorcerous power is entirely from this key?"

The truth seemed to be spiraling in an increasingly insane direction. Wang Yu had always wondered how he could use sorcery if he didn't have a "soul." Now, it seemed he might not have any sorcerous talent at all.

The key’s multiplicative amplification effect had manifested in him by taking his talent—which was zero—and boosting it to a 0.2 level. That was truly marvelous.

Wang Yu shook his head. He hadn't expected this. By some twist of fate, he had ended up with the key that should have belonged to the girl.

"Hmm..."

His body outside the mental space felt a change. Wang Yu exited his meditation. He found that the square stone building had stopped in the distance, no longer closing the gap.

Figures were slowly approaching through the surrounding space. Complete skeleton soldiers were converging from various directions, and the old man was among them.

"We meet again. It’s truly breathtaking, isn't it? Everything Roland left behind—creating a material realm within the void world, devoid of void energy. Even a god could hardly achieve such a feat."

"Are you not excited? Can you not imagine what lies within that building Roland left behind? It is the ultimate mystery of the void. Do you know what obtaining it means? And now, the opportunity is right before you."

The old man smiled at Wang Yu, appearing to be in an excellent mood. The cold, sinister tone and expression from before had vanished, replaced by a calm, self-assured demeanor.

"Thirteen steps to forge the path to the ultimate mystery of the void. The legend is true. Look, these thirteen keys will forge the steps to that treasury."

Listening to the old man, Wang Yu noticed the space around them beginning to shift. The skeleton soldiers, Wang Yu, and the old man were moved into a line by this material realm, and something began to rise beneath their feet.

Wang Yu looked down. Blocks of stone ground were rising from below, massive surfaces composed of countless bricks. Wang Yu recognized the patterns on these bricks—they were identical to those of Roland’s treasury and the "key" within his own mental space.

"These keys will combine; they are the key to shielding us from being eroded by the void itself. Do you understand? Even I would not dare enter the void directly. This chaotic world would distort and destroy anything belonging to the material world."

"But Roland succeeded. This thirteen-step path, formed by the keys, protects us, preventing us from being annihilated or distorted in the void world. And they are also the key to reaching that treasury."

The old man spread his arms, his expression ecstatic as he pointed toward the "treasury" in the distance. As he spoke, the rising stone ground reached their feet. Thirteen keys, thirteen platforms, combined and interlocked to form a road leading to the treasury in the distance.

What an exquisite construction; thirteen keys balanced in perfect equilibrium, where the absence of even one would trigger a total collapse, casting everyone into the void. A flawless security measure; without all thirteen, it is utterly impossible to reach this place where Roland’s ultimate secrets of the void are preserved.

Then, we move to the trial of fairness, or perhaps the gaming phase. The thirteen key-holders shall elect the one who will claim the final prize. This is your chance; you may attempt to defeat me in this game.

The old man spoke, his eyes burning with fanaticism. His ultimate goal was within reach, and before that, he wished to savor the grotesque sight of this man’s hope curdling into despair.

Click! Wang Yu pulled the trigger of the Furnace Fury aimed at the old man, the sound of metal striking metal echoing out, but the roar of the alchemical propellant never followed. Wang Yu glanced at the unresponsive revolver, clicked his tongue, and shoved it back into its holster.

Under the old man’s gaze, he drew the Weaver’s Tome, attempting to channel his mental energy to trigger a spell, but like the Furnace Fury, the book remained dormant, devoid of any magical fluctuation.

Ha, what are you doing? This space prevents key-holders from harming one another; why else do you think I haven’t simply wiped you all out?

To use such trinkets to attack me—you are truly as amusing as Samuel said. Ha-ha!

The old man was thoroughly entertained by Wang Yu’s actions. Disregarding the unique nature of this place, Wang Yu’s tools were useless against him. Yet, after nearly having his head blown off by a bullet earlier, Wang Yu was still attempting the same futile methods, only to fail again. It drew a laugh from the deranged old man.

Let’s see if this realm of pure matter can beat an old wretch like you who can’t use sorcery to death.

Walking to the edge of his own platform, Wang Yu spoke while attempting to step onto the ground of another key-holder, but an invisible barrier halted his progress. With a sneer, he ceased his efforts to reach the old man’s side.

Wang Yu’s reasoning was clear: this space was a material domain created by Roland within the void, devoid of void energy, which should theoretically render the old man’s sorcery useless.

He should have been able to blast him away or crush his skull with the physical might of a knight, but alas, the trial grounds left behind by Roland forbade such things.

You... I will make you wish for death. Now, prepare to accept your final moments of play. You may fantasize about winning this game against me; it is your last shred of freedom, for once I claim that prize, everything you are will no longer belong to you.

The old man’s expression darkened instantly. Wang Yu’s words made him realize that if not for the protection of the rules, he might truly have been executed by this ant a moment ago.

Fury surged within him; once this was over, he would show Wang Yu the meaning of endless despair and agony.

The game begins...

As the old man’s words fell, the entire space shifted. Thirteen books manifested in the spaces of the key-holders, and even the skeletal soldiers received copies.

The domain left by Roland seemed to have unchained these imprisoned undead, restoring their integrity so they too could participate in the game to decide who would claim the hidden treasure.

A mental command resonated with every being present: Master the sorcery within the book; this is the first trial. The losers shall be eliminated.

The old man opened the book before him, revealing over a hundred pages of sorcerous structures. He smiled faintly; this was no challenge for him, and none of the others present could possibly surpass him. He began at once.

But Wang Yu did nothing. He did not open the book, nor did he follow the instructions to compete.

Play a game? What a joke. He cared nothing for what lay in Roland’s vault, nor for the power it might grant. His intent was to overturn the table and send the keys, Roland, Yale, and the treasure all to hell.

Sinking his consciousness into his mental space, he looked at the foundation formed by the keys beneath the lake water and raised his fist.

Thirteen keys forming the steps, is it?

Wang Yu brought his raised fist crashing down.

The descending blow struck solidly against the stone foundation that Wang Yu had always perceived as the bedrock of his own mental space.

In an instant, at the point of impact, the ground shattered without the slightest resistance, crumbling and disintegrating. Under the force of Wang Yu’s punch, the cornerstone was destroyed.