I Was Reborn in Another World, But I Awoke Inside a Corpse

Chapter 186: Chapter 187: The First Crack



Chapter 187: The First Crack

The entrance lay hidden behind a curtain of illusion at the lowest edge of Lilyshade's foundation—a smooth obsidian arch sunken into the ground, shrouded in layers of silence and stasis magic. Few even knew it existed.

Fewer still dared to go beyond it.

Asmodeus raised a hand, her flame-glow pulsing faintly as she unwove the ancient wards one by one. Dust fell like ash as the seal crumbled open. Cold air seeped from below.

Isaac stepped beside her.

"You're sure this is the oldest section?"

She nodded.

"This was once the throne-hall of the demon who ruled before me. What's left of it is buried far beneath the foundations of the city."

They stepped inside together.

Torchlight ignited automatically, casting flickering gold across long-forgotten walls etched with runes of restraint. The hallway sloped downward, twisting like a serpent coiled through the earth.

The further they walked, the heavier the air became.

Not in pressure.

But in memory.

Isaac felt it first—like something in the shadows was watching, though his [Soulpiercer Sight – Rank A] revealed nothing.

Then Asmodeus stopped.

They stood before a vast stone chamber, circular, hollow… and deeply silent.

Broken pillars jutted from the edges like snapped ribs. At the center was a raised platform, and on it—etched in bloodstone—was a perfect ring of runes.

Unlit.

Still.

But cracked.

Very slightly.

Asmodeus knelt beside it.

"This was once his prison," she said quietly. "Sealed by soulfire and memory."

Isaac crouched beside her. "How long has it been cracked?"

"I don't know," she murmured. "It wasn't like this before."

He extended his hand above the surface.

His system responded instantly.

[Dreambreaker's Compass – Rank EX+]

Spiritual disturbance confirmed.Reality-layer distortion: minor.Subconscious pressure source: present.Passive response recommended: monitoring.Active response available: strike and provoke containment pulse.

Isaac's eyes narrowed. "There's something still tied to this seal. Not him—at least, not yet. But something left behind."

Asmodeus stood slowly, her expression unreadable.

"The thing about tyrants," she said, "is that even in death—or near-death—their will clings to the places they ruled. Their hate remembers."

Isaac clenched his fist. His body glowed faintly—[Devourer Omega Matrix – Ω Rank] responding to the spiritual residue in the air.

He didn't activate it.

Not yet.

Just in case.

Suddenly, a flicker of movement—then silence.

From the shadows beyond the broken pillar, a figure emerged.

Not alive.

Not undead.

But formed.

Constructed of regret and residue—a husk shaped from ancient fear.

Its voice echoed like memory across stone.

"Who walks in the forgotten name's domain?"

Isaac's eyes locked.

"Someone who won't let him wake."

The wraith turned, eyes glowing with faded flame.

"You carry power he once desired. You share flame with the one who dethroned him."

Its form solidified.

"Then prove you are not his heir."

It rushed them.

Isaac's arm snapped up—he didn't summon weapons yet. No need.

His body blurred with impossible speed—[Agility: 10,369]—as he pivoted behind the shade and drove a palm into its back.

No mana. No blade.

Just a single, focused impact.

The wraith crumbled midair—disintegrating without resistance.

[Devourer Omega Matrix – Ω Rank] activated silently.

+42 Intelligence+1 Skill absorbed: [Residual Echo – Rank C][Residual Echo] automatically decomposed → +100 stat points to Willpower

He exhaled slowly.

"Not even a threat."

Asmodeus walked to the edge of the circle.

Her voice was calm—but cold.

"They were never meant to kill us. Just to test. To greet."

Isaac looked around the empty chamber.

"Then what's next?"

A pause.

Then Asmodeus turned to him.

"Now we find the core of the seal. Before something stronger greets us next."


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