[Soul Eater]
I released black mist from my palms, which spread in all direction consuming soul from the beast cores and within 8 hours, I was done absorbing soul force from all the 15,452 beast cores.
[Soul force: +6 million]
[Soul force: 253/253 Million]
When I was done with absorbing soul force from beast cores, only dim husk of cores remained which was useless to me.
'Go Ether devour all the cores.' I said in my mind and ether left my hand changing into a liquid wave devouring every core within few minutes and returned to me changing into a bracelet once again.
I had tried many things with ether and knew that it could even be condensed into a drop of water if I wish.
'It grows every time it absorbs something but its ability to condense itself is excellent, you sure you don't want to tell me about its origin.' I asked merlin.
'I am bound by contract to not reveal its origin but few other peoples beside me know about it, when we meet them, I will have them tell you.' Merlin said.
By the time Ether returned to me babel was also done absorbing beast core of his brother but it wasn't enough for him to evolve.
The half destroyed gem on his forehead has still not regenerated but his scales were growing back and within a week, he should be back to his peak self.
I looked around some more for an hour but there was nothing out of ordinary in the cave and thus sighing I used my [Hybrid draconic form].
I activated the [Dragon gaze] once again as the view of world around me shifted, the only thing I could see was layers upon layers of mana particles around me consisting mostly of green poison mana particles.
'Tell babel to fire his poison breath inside the cave.' Merlin said.
"Fire your poison breath inside the cave; don't leave a single place untouched." I said and babel fired his poison breath inside the cave filling it with black smoke.
For first few seconds his poisonous breath wondered inside the cave and nothing happened but soon the green mana particles turned blood red and gathered in a straight red line leading us outside the cave.
When I undone the [Dragon gaze] the red mana pathway vanished from my vision and I understood that it can only be seen with the help of [Dragon gaze], even babel wasn't able to see the red line which appeared out of nowhere.
"Try your best to follow me." I said and covered my whole body and wings with blue lightning and dived into the water tunnel following the red line.
The course of red line didn't guide me outside the tunnel but lead me deep underground, I lost the track of time as I continuously followed the red line and soon two… three… I encountered multiple red lines same as the one I was following from the treasury appear beside me all leading in same direction.
Soon I saw all different red line merge and vanish in the distance and saw a single rune shining brightly.
[Divine verdict]
A single laser beam made out of lightning left my hand and collided with the rune and wall piercing a hole within it until I could see the spacious chamber behind, without bothering about the presence of any trap or spell I entered the chamber through the hole I had created.
The chamber in which I entered was 200 meter tall and wide and in center of it stood a circular 50 meter wide golden dome.
In center of the golden dome stood a black stone column above which, a green fist sized beast core floated which exuded otherworldly aura.
'That is truly a rank 12 surpassing beast core.' Merlin said and I nodded my head in affirmation as a wide smile appeared on my face.
The golden dome was confining the poison energy emitted by beast core from spreading in its surrounding, while all the red lines were merging into the stone column sucking energy from beast core.
'Look at the walls and ceilings there are hundreds of runes inscribed all over it.' I looked at the walls where merlin had pointed and saw hundreds of ancient runes engraved everywhere on the ceiling and walls, whose purpose I didn't knew.
'Do you know what function they perform?' I asked merlin.
'It will take some time for me to interpret them.' Merlin said as I approached the distant wall.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh..." Soon an annoying scream resounded inside the cave as babel also fell from the hole I had created on the ceiling, as babel landed on the ground the hole behind him repaired itself on his own.
He looked around with bewildered expression but seeing the core in the center of golden dome a smile appeared on his lips.
"How did you find this place my lord, even I was not aware that a place like this existed in our kingdom?" Babel asked me.
"Even if I explain you, you won't understand, for now I want you to go inside that golden dome and absorb as much poison energy as you can, while I study the runes inscribed on these walls." I said.
I understood one thing, that the red line following which I came here was not meant to guide me but babel, which meant that this place had consciousness of its own because when it sensed babel enter the chamber, the entrance closed on its own.
'You failed to notice one thing, those red lines were not made up of mana but some foreign energy, even I have never seen it before.' Merlin said.
'This dimension pocket holds more secrets then I thought.'
"Okay my lord" Babel said and covered his whole body with black poisonous gas out of cautiousness and entered the golden dome.
He entered the golden dome and started to absorb the poison at rapid rate but no traps were triggered, which meant the dome was placed here in order to confine the excess poison energy from leaking and harming the runes placed on the walls and ceiling.
As merlin instructed, I inspected each and every rune drawn on walls and ceiling of the chamber and within a single day merlin has studied all the runes deciphering their individual purpose.
'Now I understand the reason for all the abnormalities we were experiencing in this dimension pocket.' Merlin said.
'What do you mean?' I asked.
'This dimension pocket did not exist naturally, but someone has artificially created it with the help of beings from land of gods because the technology to construct something like this does not exist in the mortal realm.'
'And this chamber, where we are right now serve as the core of this dimension pocket while the beast core lying over there is its power source.'
'I don't know the reason why someone would go to such lengths to create this complex structure here, but the runes in this chamber serves one more purpose beside stabilizing the dimension pocket.
They limit the strength of beasts in this dimension pocket and absorb the piece of their life force until they die.'
'The notable thing is that, all the lifespan which is stolen from beasts is not contributed toward stabilizing the dimension pocket but half of it is used to strengthen the beast core lying over there.'
'So that bastard ancestor is waiting for the day when someone tries to merge with his core and he take over his body.'
'Correct, but this method is too unique, I have never seen something like this before, it makes me more curious about how this beast was able to make such arrangement for his resurrection.'
'Maybe we will know once we have inspected the only uninspected place of this chamber.' I said.
'You mean inside the golden dome.' Merlin asked.
'Yes.' I replied.
As I looked behind me babel was crawling out of the golden dome his face filled with ecstasy and his body radiating momentum I have never seen before.
"Lord I can't absorb more poison than what I already have; I think I have come here too early." Babel said.
"You don't have to absorb anymore poison, I intend to extract the core now." I said and at the same time explained him about what I had learned from runes and what consequences it will have.
Even babel didn't understand the reason as to why his ancestors put a limiter on their descendant's strength and stole there life-force but he agreed to my proposal to stop his deed as soon as possible.
Even if I remove the core now the dimension pocket which has expanded over hundreds of kilometers won't immediately collapse, so we had plenty of time to evacuate.
I gave babel instructions to meditate outside the golden dome.
Surrounding myself with the blue lightning mana layer, I stepped inside the golden dome and immediately the golden dome turned red.