As he eyed one side of the magic prison before him, a subtle hint of worry in his gaze, the nameless young man spoke quietly, “No,” he replied. “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t do it.”

“Why not?” Kairav asked, frowning.

“Because there would be a massive surge of energy that could trigger an explosion,” he explained. “This bridge would collapse, the magma below would erupt uncontrollably, and you’d be in serious danger.”

Hearing this explanation, Kairav scratched the back of his neck. “Ah… I get it,” he muttered. “But what are we supposed to do now?” He looked around in confusion, his eyes scanning the area until he suddenly froze, his head tilted up toward the ceiling.

“Isn’t that a Gong Ageng?” He murmured, squinting as he tried to identify an object hanging from the ceiling, partly obscured by thick vines and ancient dangling chains.

The nameless young man lifted his head as well, only now noticing a musical instrument suspended above them. It was part of a traditional ensemble, a large Gamelan instrument known as the Gong Ageng.

This instrument made of bronze or metal was struck in the center with a mallet, producing a resonant sound. Typically, it hung from a frame resembling a goalpost, adorned with elaborate ornaments.

But this Gong Ageng was far larger than any he had seen, with its frame decorated with two golden dragon serpents and a striking mallet hanging beside it.

“There must be a reason why this Gong Ageng is here,” Kairav speculated. “Maybe it’s connected to the black magic formation,” he guessed.

“I’ll check it out,” the nameless young man replied immediately, readying himself to leap toward it. But he was stopped short by a tap on his shoulder.

“Shh, don’t you hear that?” Kairav whispered, holding a finger to his lips.

The nameless young man focused his hearing and, amid the silence, caught the faint flapping of wings. But these weren’t the typical sounds of bats flying above. This noise was heavier, produced by something far larger.

“You can hear it too, right?” Kairav confirmed.

The young man, expressionless as ever, simply nodded, closing his eyes to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, he prepared himself for whatever danger lay ahead.

Flap... Flap... Flap...

The sound grew louder, vibrating in his ears and confirming his estimation—it was coming from the north, in the direction of the dark region they were heading toward.

Slowly, his eyes opened, and the black sky outside began to shift colors. A spectrum of lights circled his Luminous Remnants star as waves of aurora filled every corner of the universe, triggered by the Radiant Soulforge Awakening technique.

Cosmic Resonance Radiation descended like red rain, fading into a gentle mist that surrounded him, reawakening the Phoenix Totem that slumbered on his back and prompting it to unfurl its fiery wings once more.

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Flap... Flap... Flap...

Crackkk... Crackk...

One side of the black magic formation’s wall began to crack as something outside forced its way through. In the fractured gap, a creature resembling a black-furred primate appeared, its fierce eyes and sharp, menacing teeth gleaming.

“Damn... From the looks of it, that must be the Ahool you mentioned earlier,” Kairav cursed, muttering about his rotten luck as he caught sight of the creature.

The nameless young man remained calm, his guard never wavering against this new enemy. “Stay where you are,” he instructed Kairav.

Crackkk!!

The creature shattered the magic formation wall like glass, and as it entered their battleground, the gaping hole it had forced closed up, restoring the wall to its original form as if it had never been broken.

With the massive bat-winged primate now before him, the nameless young man summoned Kirmizi from within. The giant phoenix spirit surged forth, spreading its fiery wings beside him, both of them fixing a piercing gaze on the monstrous foe.

Screeech!!!

The sword he gripped at his side was now cloaked in blazing flames. Using his Phoenix Footwork technique, he took his first step forward, sprinting ahead with the phoenix spirit beside him, granting him a tremendous boost in speed and agility.

This movement was a precaution, as from his experience with winged monsters, they were usually quicker and more agile than other creatures.

And just as he had anticipated, the Ahool was exceptionally agile, even more so than any flying monster he had encountered.

Just as he was about to drive his blade into it, the creature dodged, beating its expansive wings to dart forward like a shadow, targeting Kairav at the far end, who was unprepared for the sudden attack.

Squeak!!!

The nameless young man abruptly halted, quickly turning around to hurl his flaming sword toward Kairav.

The Sambara sword spiraled through the air, intercepting the Ahool as it charged toward Kairav, who was still too stunned to grasp what was unfolding before him.

Swoosh... Bzzztt...

Screeech!!!

Less than a second later, right in front of Kairav, the Sambara sword transformed into Kirmizi, whose massive fiery form shielded him from the Ahool’s assault.

From Kairav’s perspective, all he could see was a blinding red light radiating right before his eyes, obscuring the sight of the Phoenix spirit that stood guard over him.

As he lowered his hand, shielding his eyes from the light, he was stunned to see the Ahool’s terrifying form right in front of him, close enough to reach out and touch, its fierce expression showing an unfathomable anger.

Snapping out of his shock, he watched as the creature vanished in a split second, as the Phoenix spirit’s furious screech echoed throughout the room.

The monster immediately sped away, bursting through another side of the black magic prison behind him.

Crackkk!

“That was close... I nearly had a heart attack,” Kairav panted, clutching his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

“You alright?” the nameless young man called, running over to him.

The fair-skinned young man nodded, giving a thumbs-up. “I’m fine,” he replied, then asked, “But why did it appear right in front of me? I didn’t see it fly here. Can it teleport?”

The nameless young man shook his head. “Its speed is just that incredible, beyond any winged monster I’ve faced. Even with Phoenix Footwork, I couldn’t keep up,” he replied.

“In other words, it’s going to be hard to catch that thing, right?” Kairav guessed.

The nameless young man nodded, neither confirming nor denying it.

“Do you have another way to fight it?”

“Not yet,” he said, his expression unchanging. “But to defeat it, we’ll have to find its weakness first.”

“But how are we supposed to do that?” Kairav asked, confused.

As the two young men tried to figure out a way to handle their major problem, their ears suddenly picked up a series of sharp, piercing sounds, like glass shattering in rapid succession. In that moment, they instantly realized that the sound was a sign of yet another looming threat.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Oh, damn… Now what?!” Kairav cursed as he saw hundreds of cracks forming in the magical prison surrounding them. Swarms of small, winged creatures forced their way in, breaking the walls of the dark magic barrier all at once.