Chapter 11
The ancient temple was shaking again.
The ground trembled under the heavy footsteps of the giant stone guardian. Blue light filled the air, glowing from the ancient energy above the pedestal.
Ran stood in the center of the temple. His eyes were shining with blue energy. The power inside his body felt stronger than before.
Beside him, Mariya looked at Victor carefully.
Victor stood a few meters away, holding his strange red device.
The hunters slowly surrounded the temple hall again.
Victor smiled coldly.
"So the temple has chosen you, Ran."
Ran did not move.
"Yes. And I will protect it."
Victor laughed loudly.
"Protect it? You don't even understand it."
Suddenly Victor pressed a button on his device.
A red wave of energy exploded across the temple.
BOOM!
The floor cracked.
Broken stones fell from the ceiling.
Ran and Mariya stepped back quickly.
The giant stone guardian moved forward and blocked the attack.
Its massive stone arm protected the pedestal.
Victor's eyes became darker.
"Even the guardian is against me."
Mariya looked at Ran.
"We cannot let him reach the energy."
Ran nodded.
"You're right."
Victor suddenly shouted at his hunters.
"Stop them!"
The hunters rushed forward.
The battle started again.
Two hunters attacked Ran.
Ran raised his hand.
Blue energy burst from his palm.
WHOOSH!
The hunters were thrown backward across the hall.
They crashed into the stone wall.
Mariya faced three hunters.
She took a deep breath.
The blue light around her hands started glowing again.
She lifted her arms.
A wave of light pushed the hunters away.
Victor watched everything silently.
Then he smiled.
"You are both stronger than I expected."
"But it doesn't matter."
Victor slowly removed a strange metal capsule from his pocket.
The capsule glowed with dark red light.
Ran noticed it immediately.
"What is that?"
Victor's smile became darker.
"My final preparation."
He opened the capsule.
Dark red energy spread around him like smoke.
The energy slowly entered Victor's body.
Mariya gasped.
"Ran… something is wrong."
Victor suddenly screamed in pain.
His body started glowing with red energy.
The ground shook again.
His eyes turned bright red.
His voice became deeper.
"You think you can stop me now?"
Victor's power exploded.
The hunters stepped back in fear.
Even they were surprised.
Ran looked at Victor seriously.
"You are destroying yourself."
Victor laughed loudly.
"No… I am becoming stronger."
The giant stone guardian suddenly moved again.
It raised its massive arm.
Then it attacked Victor.
CRASH!
Victor jumped back quickly.
The guardian smashed the floor.
Victor's red energy clashed with the guardian's ancient power.
The temple shook violently.
Ran realized something important.
"Victor is forcing the power into his body."
Mariya nodded.
"But that power is unstable."
Victor suddenly rushed toward Ran.
His speed was much faster now.
Ran barely blocked the attack.
Red energy and blue energy clashed together.
The air filled with sparks of light.
Victor pushed Ran back.
"You cannot defeat me!"
Ran clenched his fists.
Blue energy flowed through his body again.
The glowing pedestal suddenly shined brighter.
The ancient power reacted to Ran.
A powerful wave of light surrounded him.
Mariya looked at him in shock.
"Ran… the temple is giving you more power."
Ran felt the energy entering his body.
His mind became calm.
His strength grew.
Victor looked shocked.
"No… that power belongs to me!"
Ran stepped forward slowly.
"This power chooses its protector."
"And it didn't choose you."
Victor roared with anger.
He attacked again.
The temple shook with every strike.
Blue and red energy clashed again and again.
The giant guardian also joined the fight.
It attacked Victor with powerful strikes.
Victor jumped between the attacks.
The battle had become chaotic.
The entire temple trembled.
Mariya realized something.
"Ran! The pedestal!"
Ran looked at the glowing energy sphere.
The ancient power was reacting to the battle.
If the power exploded, the entire temple could collapse.
Victor also noticed it.
His eyes became greedy again.
"That power will be mine!"
He rushed toward the pedestal.
Ran moved quickly to block him.
Blue energy burst from his body.
Victor attacked with red energy.
The two forces collided.
A massive shockwave filled the temple.
The guardian stepped forward again.
The ancient battle had reached its peak.
And deep inside the temple walls…
Something older than the guardian was beginning to awaken.