Bloodbound Codex: I Grow Stronger in Secret

[A/N: The next five Chapters will briefly shift away from Atlas.

Please give these Chapters a proper read, as they will build the foundation for the main conflict of this arc. Atlas will return soon, but these events are important for understanding the forces moving behind the scenes, the true danger of the Eternal Ruin, and the direction this arc is heading.]

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Meanwhile—

Far away from Ormolio’s lights, beyond the forest Atlas had crossed and beyond the roads used by ordinary merchants and hunters, the land became colder and quieter.

The Eternal Ruin stood beneath the night sky like a black structure carved into the world itself. It did not fully resemble a palace or fortress. Its walls were too old, its shape too unnatural, and its black stone absorbed moonlight instead of reflecting it. Even from a distance, the ruin carried pressure strong enough to make the surrounding land feel empty.

Before that colossal structure, the Royal Revenants had arrived.

Twenty armored horses stood in formation beneath the dark sky. Their breaths turned white in the cold air, and heavy metal armor covered their bodies from head to flank. These were not ordinary horses. They had been raised through alchemic enhancement methods used only by the Empire, bred to cross battlefields, endure fear, and carry Spirit users into war.

Yet even they were restless.

Several scraped their hooves against the ground. A few released low growls while staring at the massive ruin ahead. Beasts did not understand rank, relic value, or royal orders, but instinct was enough to recognize danger.

Seated atop the horses were the Revenants.

The Empire’s strongest ruin hunters.

Their dark combat attire was built for movement, not ceremony, but the pressure around them made their presence heavier than any decorative armor could. Weapons rested across their backs and waists: greatswords, chained spears, black bows infused with Spirit Energy, relic-crafted blades, and axes large enough to split armored beasts.

On every chest, a single insignia gleamed beneath the moonlight.

A golden sword piercing through a skull.

The symbol of the Imperial Revenant Corps.

No one spoke casually.

This was not an ordinary ruin. It was the first Eternal Ruin discovered in nearly a thousand years, and even the Empire did not treat such a place lightly. Veil-Rank and Hollow-Rank ruins killed careless Explorers. Abyss-Rank ruins killed trained teams. Cataclysm-Rank ruins could threaten cities if mishandled.

Eternal Ruins were different.

They were disasters with entrances.

Entire armies could vanish inside them.

At the front of the formation stood the only white horse among them. It was larger than the others and calmer, though even it kept its head slightly lowered toward the massive doors ahead.

Atop that horse sat the commander.

Long ash-gray hair moved softly in the cold wind, and silver-lined black armor covered her body with a balance between elegance and threat. It looked refined enough for a royal court, but every piece was designed for combat. Her crimson eyes remained fixed on the colossal doors of the Eternal Ruin.

Velmira Ashenworth.

The Empire’s strongest Revenant Commander.

An existence who had stepped beyond ordinary SSS-Rank years ago.

A woman powerful enough that some whispered she could become a future candidate for the Imperial Throne despite having no royal blood.

And now even she stared at the ruin with narrowed eyes.

One Revenant behind her finally spoke.

”...The Spirit Energy pressure is abnormal.”

His voice was deep and cautious.

Another rider adjusted the massive axe resting against his shoulder.

”It feels different from ordinary ruins, right?”

”Of course it does.”

A woman near the middle of the formation let out a dry laugh, though her voice stayed lower than normal.

”This place has been sleeping since before our great-grandfathers were born.”

A few Revenants smirked faintly.

No one relaxed.

The reason was simple.

The Empire had not sent twenty S-Rank Revenants and an Ex-Rank Commander merely for caution. They expected casualties. If the ruin was safe enough to clear easily, a smaller team would have been enough. This formation existed because the Empire understood that the first proper entry into an Eternal Ruin could become a massacre.

Velmira descended from the white horse.

Clang.

Her armored boots touched the ground, and the metallic sound echoed across the barren land.

Several Revenants straightened slightly.

From instinctive respect.

Warriors understood strength, and Velmira had enough of it to make even arrogant elites watch their posture.

She stepped forward calmly. Her black cape swayed behind her, and dust shifted beneath her boots. The closer she moved toward the colossal doors, the more the crimson runes across them began to glow.

One revenant noticed it immediately.

”...The ruin recognizes Spirit Energy signatures.”

Another narrowed his eyes.

”No.”

His gaze fixed on Velmira’s back.

”It’s reacting specifically to the Commander.”

The atmosphere changed.

The runes spread across the enormous structure began pulsing slowly. Their crimson light intensified with each step Velmira took, and the ground vibrated faintly beneath the Revenants’ horses. Several warriors tightened their grips around their weapons without thinking.

The pressure leaking from the ruin had increased.

Velmira stopped directly before the towering double doors.

Up close, the scale was monstrous. The doors rose dozens of meters high, covered in ancient symbols carved across nearly every part of the surface. Only one section remained blank.

A circular area near the center.

Untouched by runes.

Velmira stared at it silently.

Then she spoke.

”We are finally here, Revenants.”

Her calm voice spread through the area easily.

”Prepare yourselves properly...”

Her crimson gaze remained fixed on the doors.

”...or this ruin will become your grave.”

No one laughed at that.

Because coming from Velmira Ashenworth, those words were not dramatic.

They were operational facts.

One of the younger Revenants near the back swallowed subtly, then forced a grin.

”...Wouldn’t be the worst place to die.”

A few dry chuckles moved through the formation.

The tension remained.

Another Revenant spoke after that.

”The scout sent ahead never returned.”

Silence followed briefly.

Then someone scoffed.

”He was a commoner.”

”And?”

”He served his purpose.”

The conversation ended there.

No sympathy appeared.

Among nobles, soldiers, and Revenants, commoners were often treated as labor, manpower, bait, or replacement bodies. A commoner dying during the first activation of an Eternal Ruin was not seen as tragedy. It was seen as cost.

Velmira raised one armored hand.

She placed her palm against the blank circular area at the center of the colossal doors.

For one second, nothing happened.

Then a faint silver glow spread outward beneath her palm.

The runes across the Eternal Ruin ignited instantly.

VRRRRMMMMM.

The ground trembled violently.

Dust rose around the massive structure while ancient mechanisms groaned from deep inside the ruin. Several armored horses stepped backward uneasily as the pressure increased sharply.

Then the doors moved slowly.

The colossal double doors began opening inward. Ancient stone cracked and collapsed around the edges, revealing the entrance behind them.

Only darkness could be seen in there, even with their perception they couldn’t sense or see anything inside.

Cold air burst outward from the entrance, carrying the smell of old blood, rotting flesh, and death. The pressure alone made several Revenants narrow their eyes.

One muttered quietly.

”...What the hell...”

Beyond the doors, the darkness almost seemed to move.

Like shadows breathing inside the ruin.

Velmira’s crimson gaze sharpened.

Then she stepped away from the entrance.

”...Now.”

The Revenants focused on her.

”We will enter.”

Her hand rested near the sword at her waist.

”Then clear this ruin.”

The cold wind moved across the barren land while the glowing crimson runes reflected faintly across her armor.

”We will retrieve every relic hidden inside...”

Her voice lowered.

”...as per His Majesty’s orders.”

No hesitation followed.

Velmira walked forward and crossed the threshold into the Eternal Ruin.

The darkness swallowed her almost immediately.

One by one, the Revenants followed.

Their armored footsteps echoed through the entrance as the crimson runes around the massive doors continued pulsing.

Among those entering, one man quietly turned his head.

His silver eyes lingered briefly on Velmira’s back.

Calculating.

Unlike the others, there was no excitement in his gaze.

Only ambition.

Then he smiled faintly.

And entered the ruin with the rest.