My Space-Time System

As Blake led his team through the corridor at the right, he and the system began assessing the situation as they scanned the passages for traps.

[The scanners were not able to pick up the energy signature because whatever is controlling the ruin is only turning on when it wants to activate traps.] The system said.

'So we are dealing with an artificial intelligence like the one in Azekelwart's base?' Blake asked.

[No. If we are dealing with an artificial intelligence then it wouldn't be able to know the perfect time to activate a trap since it is turned off.] 

[My guess is that we are dealing with a cursed artifact that somehow merged or got control of the ruin's power core. It is able to sense our presence in the passages and turn the power core back on when needed] The system explained.

At the moment the doors of the rooms opened, the system noticed mana moving into the doors and opening them. The same thing happened when the trap behind them was activated.

'Something doesn't make sense. Since we already know of its presence, why doesn't it just turn everything on and finish us off' Blake couldn't help but wonder.

[From what we have seen so far, the ruin is very old and the energy of the power core should be depleted by now. This means the cursed entity somehow managed to get some juice, so it is trying to conserve it.]

[As for why it isn't finishing you guys off, there are only 2 things that come to mind. It is maybe leading us to something that would kill you guys or somewhere that would make it very easy for the beasts behind to do so. ] The system explained.

Apart from the traps that barely functioned properly, the ruins didn't have anything that could threaten the lives of the ash corps.

…

Noticing their prey were getting away, the king-rank beasts and insects stopped fighting and began chasing after Blake and his team.

They first attacked Ebony and Ivory who had killed 6 of them, but the 2 wolves soon turned to swords and flew in the direction of the humans.

With so many of the beasts attacking Ebony and Ivory at once, leaving them there would get them killed so Blake decided to call them back.

'Prepare your attacks.' Blake said to Ebony and Ivory as they kept running.

The group soon reached another T-junction, but the moment they arrived walls covered the passages by the left and ahead, leaving the one by the right open.

'If you say so.' 

With the freighting speeds of the frenzied King rank beasts, Blake knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up. So without hesitation, he led his team into the right passage and threw Ebony and Ivory behind them.

AWOO!

The moment the king-rank beasts moved into the T-Junction, Ebony released the pillar of fire he had been charging up at the beasts.

The pillar of scorching flames crashed into 3 king-rank beasts and sent them flying into the walls before hundreds of ice spikes impaled them.

Once the kills were confirmed Ebony and Ivory returned to their sword forms and flew back to Blake.

"Sir, what is the plan?" Michelle couldn't help but ask Blake as they made a turn into what seemed to be a library. 

"The plan is still the same, we find the cause of the disappearance and neutralize it if possible." Blake said as they never stopped running.

'How are we going to locate it when we have been running?!' 

The captains screamed in their minds but didn't there to voice their opinions because not only would they be punished, but mainly because Blake was the one currently protecting them from being eaten by the beasts behind them.

As for Camilla and Michelle, they already had no idea of what was going on but they knew how capable Blake was so they didn't question his decision.

'Only if the books weren't made with regular paper I would have been able to snatch a lot of them.' Blake said as he looked all around the library for traps or anything out of place.'

The library was once a treasure trove of knowledge, but now the books had crumbled to dust and the shelves were empty.

GRRR!

At that moment an oryx roared as it charged through an ostrich-type beast as well as a scorpion and entered the library. Without caring about the beasts it injured nor those still trying to enter the library, the oryx continued it charge at Blake's team.

'Deal with them.' Blake said Ebony and Ivory as he released them.

AWOOO!

Ivory howled as the blue markings on its body lit up and a sharp ice pillar erupted from below and impaled the oryx, killing it on the spot.

Ebony did not idle around; it released the massive flameburst it had been charging up at the incoming beasts.

BOOM!

The sheer power of the explosion killed the already injured scorpion and ostrich that were being trampled by the other beasts while injuring and pushing back the others.

Awoo!

Ebony howled as it returned to Blake's hand.

'I know they are easy, but try not to bury us alive!' Blake scolded Ebony, but that was when the system pointed out something.

[I think he is trying to say something.] The system said. [The beasts, they must have been locked in here for a very long time without having food so they must be very weak.]

'That explains a lot!'

He had found it wired that more than 30 king-rank beasts and insects were finding it hard to catch up to 50 ash corps. Also, the rate at which Ebony and Ivory were killing them with each attack felt too good to be true.

The group soon found the exit of the library and entered another passage. The only difference this time was that had gathered all the info he needed.

The prey was about to turn to the hunter!

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As for the new book "Lust System: War against the Heavens" it would be dropping by Mid of May on 3_Sins_Studios.