The chamber trembled continuousiy now.
Fragments of stone rained from the ceiling while unstable spiritual energy surged violently through the underground ruins. Ancient formations flickered erratically across the walls, some collapsing entirely beneath the spreading corruption.
At the center of the chaos—
The corrupted guardian knelt before Krishak.
Its massive body shook under waves of black spiritual corruption while burning silver eyes struggled to remain clear.
And through their strange resonance
That single plea continued echoing within Krishak's mind.
Help it.
The Starheart inheritance pulsed heavily within his meridians.
Not with power.
With response.
As though the ancient inheritance itself recognized the guardian's suffering.
The old man stepped closer carefully, his expression darker than before.
"The corruption reached its core long ago.
His gaze remained fixed on the guardian.
"It should not have survived this long.
The guardian released another low growl.
Weak this time.
Painful.
Professor Devika activated several scanning formations rapidly around the creature.
Her face paled almost immediately.
"The corruption is spreading directly through its spiritual foundation."
Silver diagrams flickered across her devices chaotically.
"It's connected to the Worldheart itself."
Silence.
Raghav's expression sharpened.
"You mean if the guardian dies.."
"The corruption enters the Worldheart completely," the old man finished quietly.
"And after that"
Even he did not continue.
Because the implications were obvious now.
Deep beneath the mountains—
Something ancient was failing.
The pulse echoed again.
This time uneven.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The rhythm sounded unstable now, like a damaged heart struggling against collapse.
Krishak slowly raised one hand toward the guardian.
Black corruption immediately reacted violently, hissing through the air as silver spiritual energy drifted around his fingers.
The guardian did not resist.
It lowered its head further instead.
Trusting him instinctively.
Ananya looked tense.
"Krishak.."
But he already understood the risk.
The corruption inside the guardian was far older and denser than ordinary spiritual contamination. Contacting it directly could easily destabilize even powerful cultivators.
Yet beneath that corruption-
The guardian was still alive.
Still fighting.
The old man watched silently before finally speaking.
"The Starheart inheritance was once used to harmonize spiritual imbalance."
Krishak glanced toward him briefly.
"Can it remove the corruption?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"Not completely."
The chamber grew quieter.
"But.."
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It may stabilize the guardian temporarily."
That was enough.
Krishak stepped closer.
The moment his palm touched the guardian's corrupted scales-
The chamber exploded with silver light.
Ancient formations illuminated across the walls instantly while spiritual energy surged violently through the underground ruins. The Starheart inheritance awakened fully inside him, silver patterns spreading faintly across his arms like flowing constellations.
The guardian roared.
Not in anger.
In shock.
Everyone instinctively stepped backward as immense spiritual pressure filled the chamber.
Silver light collided against black corruption continuously around the guardian's body while ancient chains hanging from its limbs rattled violently.
Krishak closed his eyes.
The moment their spiritual connection deepened—
Images flooded his mind.
Ancient mountains beneath a sky filled with stars.
The guardian standing proudly beside a glowing underground chamber.
Cultivators in silver robes walking peacefully through vast spiritual cities.
Then-
War.
Darkness spreading across the heavens.
Creatures descending from fractured space itself.
The Worldheart chambers sealing one after another.
And finally-
The guardian remaining behind alone.
Protecting the chamber after everyone else vanished.
The emotional weight behind the memories hit harder than the images themselves.
Duty
Isolation.
Thousands of years spent fighting corruption beneath the earth with nobody left to remember why.
Krishak's spiritual energy trembled slightly.
The corruption inside the guardian pushed back violently against the silver
resonance.
Black cracks spread across the creature's scales again while unstable energy surged through the chamber.
Professor Devika shouted sharply.
"The corruption is reacting!"
The old man remained focused.
"Hold the resonance steady."
Easy words.
Difficult reality.
The corruption flooding through the guardian was ancient enough to carry traces of dimensional influence. Every moment Krishak maintained contact felt like standing against an endless tide of decay and rage.
Yet beneath all of it-
The guardian continued resisting.
Then suddenly—
The pulse beneath the mountains changed again.
Stronger.
The entire chamber shook violently as a deep crimson glow began spreading upward from the lower corridors beyond the black doorway.
The Keeper's projection flickered urgently.
"Warning."
Its voice distorted heavily.
"Worldheart corruption threshold exceeded."
Ancient emergency runes illuminated red throughout the chamber.
"Core chamber breach imminent."
The old man's expression changed instantly.
"...No.
For the first time since meeting him-
Fear appeared in his eyes.
Dev stared toward the crimson light rising from below.
"I really hate the phrase 'breach imminent.'"
Nobody answered.
Because the spiritual pressure erupting from beneath the mountains had become terrifying.
The guardian suddenly roared again.
This time desperately.
Its burning eyes fixed toward the lower corridor beneath the black doorway.
Toward whatever was awakening below.
And then-
A second pulse echoed upward from deep underground.
Not from the Worldheart.
Something else answered it.