## Chapter 1070 – Ancient Beings

“These motherfuckers. So you were hiding something like this, huh?”

It seemed the place I was currently in was a corridor of a buried ancient structure.

The height was a little over 3 meters. The width was about the same. And looking at the piece of ceiling I had just cut through to get in, it was quite thick.

It was clear that this was a fairly sturdy building.

It seemed the architect who built this was a paranoid patient. Judging from the construction method, which was heavily focused on safety, I could assume he was a middle-aged man living with the delusion that the building might collapse and kill him at any moment.

Yeah.

Any architect should have such a disease.

“Good.”

That was a good deduction.

It’s not bad to build up my insight like this.

“The level is right.”

Anyway, it’s a long, straight corridor.
I can only go forward or backward.

I turned back for now.

“Andro, where do you feel that strange energy?”
“That way!”

The direction he pointed was behind me.
Damn it, I turned around for nothing.

But since I turned around anyway, I’ll check that side first.

—Whoosh!

I kicked off the ground and sprinted down the corridor.

“But what does that strange energy feel like?”
“I can’t explain it exactly… I can only sense it because I am the Great Demon Andromalius. It’s a type of energy I’ve never experienced before. So I must explore it. Give me knowledge…!”
“Yeah. But how old are you?”
“Age is meaningless. I have only lived for the sake of exploration.”
“Is that so?”

I felt like if I pried into his age, he would throw a fit, saying he would find out how old he really was, so I decided to stop here. You never know when a lunatic will have a seizure.

I was soon able to reach the end.

“A door?”

What was in front of me was a large iron door.

It was like a door used in some inhuman prison. A door that felt like once you were imprisoned, you could never get out… During the era of imperialist expansion, black people who were kidnapped by them were trapped in cruel plantations and died there.

This was that kind of door.

“Hey. You said there was nothing here. Don’t you feel anything beyond that?”
“I don’t feel anything.”
“Hmm.”

—Swaeak!

I immediately swung Viggál and cut the door.
Something like this can’t stop me.

—Thud.

As soon as it was cut, the door fell over.

That revealed what was inside the door.

“Oh, great.”

What was inside the door was just a rocky area. It seemed that because this entire space was buried by some ancient magic, that kind of mess happened outside the door.

Unlike the aqueduct, it seemed certain that this structure was intentionally sunk here. Then let’s go to the other side now.

—Papat pat!!

My footsteps echoed in the corridor.

I soon arrived at the door on the other side.

“This is it! I feel an unknown energy beyond that…! Hurry! Tell me what that is! I exist solely for that!”
“Wait, you little shit!”

—Kwaang!

I immediately broke the door and went inside.

“…”

I was careful in case there were any traps, but what appeared was just a room. And in the center of the room, something like a strange altar was erected.

“Yeah… an altar, huh.”

No matter how I looked at it, it was suspicious as hell.

Honestly, even if Hitler was doing morning exercises with a hammer and sickle, it would be less suspicious than this. An altar in a place like this?

100% something is sealed.

“Hurry…! Hurry with that!”
“Wait, you little bastard.”

There might be some kind of defense mechanism.

Considering that this was found in a place like this, it seemed certain that the cultists had clearly targeted this and infiltrated Isvant.

No.

It’s not just certain, I can now prove it.
Wherever those guys were, this kind of mess was always there.

The cultists were making a fuss in the underground aqueduct, and the Prince of Titans was sealed there. Also, the cultists were acting up here underground, and now this altar has been found.

Lich knows the location of these ancient things that are sealed very accurately.

So it’s proven.

Lich is an ancient being and knows many places where these suspicious things are sealed. So he sent the cultists who worship him to these places to retrieve them. Of course, both are screwed now… But this kind of thing probably doesn’t only exist in Isvant.

He probably took care of everything in other places.

I don’t know what it is, but he’s damn diligent.

But one strange thing is that the level of the cultists who worship him is insignificant. So the operation failure rate is quite high… Is this because Lich can’t move directly? I don’t know.

Anyway.

I approached the altar.

Judging from the circumstances, it seemed that this structure was built purely to store that altar. And it seemed that it was sunk right away in that state.

—Poke poke.

I poked and prodded the altar with the tip of my sword.

Unlike my intuitive expectations… this altar was made in a way that was impossible to understand. What the hell is wrong with making an altar like this? I can’t understand it.

On top of a small pyramid-like square pyramid structure, a sphere with four legs was placed on top. The legs were attached to the top of the square pyramid.

There were various holes and stairs in the pyramid, and the overall size could be said to be about 2 meters. A little bigger than me.

“What the hell is it?”

Is it an altar to an ancient god?

Then where should I touch it?

“Andro. Do you feel the energy of the gods?”
“I don’t feel those terrible and unpleasant energies…!”
“Okay.”

So I touched the altar, felt the energy, and wondered what to do with it. If it doesn’t work out, I’m thinking of showing it to Lisha first… It would be better to do it secretly if possible. Let’s keep it just between us for now.

It was when I was stroking the sphere.

—Click!!!

Suddenly, something started to work.

—Tsszz!
—Gugugugugu!!

“Ugh! Shit!!!”

The legs attached to the sphere fell off. And then, while rotating, it emitted light…! What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard! What did I do to make it work!

—Putsutsut!

Soon, the square pyramid structure began to scatter as sand. These guys really seem to have the same clichéd pattern for releasing seals.

—Swish swish.

As the altar slowly decomposed from the bottom up into sand, it finally reached the point where even the sphere on top was decomposing. But looking at it, it seemed like there was something inside the sphere.

“…”

I stared at it with my sword in hand… Oh!

“Oh oh!!!”

That’s!!!

“A skull!!!!!”

What the hell is that!

I could only watch the decomposition of the altar in almost astonishment! What was inside the sphere was something extremely bizarre beyond something unique!

As the sphere completely disappeared, what remained in its place was a skull made of transparent amethyst-colored gemstone!!!

“A skull carved from a gemstone!!!”

The forehead of the gemstone skull, which was about twice the size of a normal person’s head, had two evil horns, and the inside of the skull was filled with a strangely shaped brain!!!

“Aaaaaaaah!!!”

I screamed with one hand on my head, circling around the skull to properly capture its appearance in my eyes!!!

This isn’t real!!!

There’s a brain inside! It doesn’t even look rotten! When I first saw it, it just felt like a bizarre ancient work of art, but after confirming that there was a brain stored inside, it was clear that this wasn’t some comfortable work of art, but an ancient being!!!

“A gemstone!!! Is it amethyst!!!”

Was this skull artificially made?

I don’t know if it’s amethyst, but the craftsmanship was very elaborate. Of course, a craftsman could make something like this, but this looked so smooth and elaborate… If this isn’t an artificial object! If this itself is the ancient being!!! That would be an unbearably terrible race!

That’s currently hanging on some kind of stand…! The altar was just a shell surrounding the stand and the surface of the skull!!!

How can I stop screaming in this situation!

I couldn’t help but scream!

This is too terrible!!!

“Ugh, aaaaah!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”
“That’s the place…! I feel it from there! What the hell is that!”
“It’s literally a skull! A gemstone skull with a brain inside!! Is that the ancient race!!!”
“Bring me closer!!!”

I immediately brought Viggál close…!

“I feel power right nearby…! An unknown power!!!”
“That! Is that thing alive!!”
“I don’t know!! So tell me! Tell this Andromalius…!”
“You useless bastard!!!”

—Grrr!

I scolded Andro once and then calmed my mind.

“Wow, shit.”

The gemstone skull with a brain inside was hanging still on a spine-like stand.

—Goooo.

It seems the seal has been released… But is this thing alive? I can’t tell.

I reached out and touched it for now.

“…”

The texture itself is nothing special.

But something strange, like a force, is being emitted, so it’s not attacking me, right? Of course, I’m not afraid. What I should fear isn’t some skull like this.

A scrub skull like this can never harm me, Cheonma Kim Kat.

“Are you alive? If you’re alive, answer me.”

Is this what Lich was aiming for?

No, in the first place, a brain stored inside a gemstone skull.

Why was it sealed in a place like this? Sealing is ultimately an act of passing the buck to the future. It feels like they couldn’t destroy or deal with it at the time, so they just buried it. To imprison it forever… or to hide it.

Or to hope that future descendants will kill it.

The Prince of Titans was definitely worth sealing. If he rampaged with the power of his prime, he would have been quite powerful.

But what the hell is this?

“It’s not intuitive.”

I can’t imagine what his abilities are.

Observation first.

—…

So I maintained my distance from the skull in silence and continued to observe. I also keep checking my body. There was nothing in particular, like I was being harmed by the energy that thing was emitting.

The surrounding energy also didn’t seem special.

At that time.

—Creak.

It showed movement.

The gemstone jaw opens. A bizarre sound was heard, and sharp teeth filled the inside came into view.

And.

“Ooh…!”

A voice flowed out.

“How much time has passed since then? Tell me the story!”

What the hell is this guy?

Is he ignoring me?

“No, you little shit. What’s your name?”

This might need physical therapy.

“Name… name! Human! If you want to gain knowledge, you must pay the price. It’s not something I should say to the benefactor who released me from the seal, but a large amount of blood is needed to activate my brain! My brain has become largely deactivated due to the long seal! I cannot speak about my name!”

Activate?

“A large amount of blood? What?”

He needs blood?

Does he want a sacrifice?

“Human! Human blood! Only human blood can nourish my brain! Strong human! Ruler of humans! Offer your slaves to me! With the blood of those slaves, I will impart my great knowledge to you!”

Human blood?

“The blood of slaves…! The sweet blood of slaves! You must have many questions! I can tell you anything I know! Do you want secret old knowledge! Do you want the cruel truths that kings are hiding!!! Or do you want forgotten magic!!! All of that is dormant in my brain!!”

Slaves…?

“Hurry! Hurry and activate my brain! Ah! Finally! Finally, I’m free!”
“NO!!!!!!!”
“What?”

Y-you little shit!!!!!

“Slaves!!!!!!!!”

Human blood and slaves!!!
This bastard was a demon, damn it!!!!

“Did you just say the blood of slaves in front of me, you son of a bitch!!!!!!”
“What?”

As far as I know, there are only a few beings who enslave humans and suck their blood!!

“You son of a bitch, you were a demon of imperialism!!!!!”

Imperialists!!! And the dictators of the global village who suck the blood of the people!!! And the owners of the sugarcane fields who are too vicious!!!

—Whirr!

The power within me burns!

“Sugarcane fieeeeeeeeld!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!”

I couldn’t maintain my reason any longer, and I shot my body towards the skull. As soon as I approached him, I raised my fist and executed a righteous headbutt with a strong downward strike.

—Kwaaaaaang!!!

“Ooooooooooooooooooooooong!!!!”