Chapter 406: Chapter 405- Cocoon

“So? Are we ready?” Adrian asked, his eyes sweeping over the gathered group.

Jean stood to his left, her shield glinting faintly under the sun as she gave a firm nod. A few yards away, the other staff members had already taken several cautious steps back, keeping a safe distance in case the ancient creature beneath them decided to show up.

Annabelle and Ariana were close to each other, both gripping their armaments tightly, their eyes fixed on the cracked earth below. Even with all their preparation, none of them truly knew what they were facing. The being buried here wasn’t some mindless beast—it was an anomaly, a remnant of an age long gone, with powers sealed and preserved for centuries.

Caution was the only armor they had.

Adrian adjusted his belt where his revolver rested, the familiar weight grounding him. His teleportation staff was planted beside him, and the axe on his waist gleamed faintly under the light.

He drew in a deep breath, then lifted the silver control panels. “If anyone doesn’t want to be part of this,” he said steadily, “back away now.”

No one moved. Of course, they didn’t. The researchers among them knew full well the risk, yet the thrill of discovery—of uncovering a truth lost beneath ages—burned brighter than fear.

Adrian exhaled a slow sigh. “Let’s get this started then.”

He stepped forward, pressing his palm against the golem’s back panel. A pulse of mana flowed from his hand into the core, and a faint illumination began to glow from the golem’s chest and eyes. The machine took a few mechanical steps forward, metal joints groaning as it moved into position.

As Forgelet had explained, the golem was already tuned to begin excavation—Adrian only needed to monitor it through the panel.

The creature’s feet twisted, reshaping into swirling drills. Its arms followed, each splitting and spiraling until both forearms became roaring augers. Then, the golem began to spin—slowly at first, then with a violent, tornado-like intensity—as it started burrowing into the earth. Dust and gravel burst outward with every turn.

“Adrian… it won’t go deeper than required, right?” Ariana asked, her voice tinged with unease.

He glanced at her and shook his head. “Don’t worry. It can hear my commands through this panel.”

Her eyes flicked toward the silver plate in his hands. “Is that… one of the advantages of having a human brain inside that thing?”

Adrian nodded. “Yes. Though I can’t command it to do anything it wasn’t built for.”

Ariana’s expression darkened slightly. “So its features are limited…” She paused, her voice softening into a grim murmur. “But still, Evilyn could create golems like this for battle, couldn’t she? With a human brain tuned for war… no soldiers would have to die.”

Adrian’s gaze lingered on the swirling dust cloud where the golem was descending. He didn’t answer right away. The thought wasn’t new to him—but it always carried a weight he didn’t like to touch.

Finally, he said quietly, “Maybe. But replacing lives with machines doesn’t make war any less cruel… it just changes who bears the burden.”

Ariana hummed before she said, “Ah… It’s receiving presence.”

Adrian looked at the screen, and indeed, there was something moving beneath the surface—something alive.

“Is… this a clearing?” Jean asked as she stepped closer, her brows furrowing. “That ancient creature has created a cocoon under the surface… to protect what?”

The golem had landed, no longer drilling since there was enough space for it to move. Its drills folded back, and the ground beneath it shook faintly, dust rising in waves.

It advanced forward slowly, but with barely any light reaching the depths, they could see nothing beyond the faint shimmer of the runes on its body.

Adrian gave the command, “Increase the brightness.”

The runes on the golem’s collar and wrists flared, glowing like molten lines, and in the next instant, the whole cave lit up. Shadows retreated, revealing a wide clearing surrounded by walls that seemed to breathe with ancient energy.

“What… is that?” Annabelle, who had been quiet until now, frowned, her voice trembling slightly.

Everyone leaned closer to the screen.

At the center of the illuminated space, something was trembling.

It had no fixed shape—just a restless, swirling mass of pitch-black liquid.

It pulsed as if alive, shifting in waves, thicker than tar yet darker than shadow. The light around it bent unnaturally, and for a moment, it felt as though even the air inside the cavern had been swallowed by that thing.

Adrian felt his chest tighten as he commanded, “Slowly advance toward it. Don’t touch it.”

The golem obeyed, its heavy steps echoing in the silence as it approached the trembling mass.

Just then—

“IT’S CHANGED COURSE!” one of the staff members shouted, panic breaking through his voice.

Jean’s eyes widened. “The ancient creature?”

The staff member nodded quickly, his face paling. “It suddenly turned—it’s heading straight here!”

The ground beneath them began to tremble. The creature had broken the perimeter and was now cutting straight through the shortest path toward the center—toward the golem.

Ariana’s hand clenched around her armament, her tone sharp but trembling with unease. “Adrian… pull it away.”

Adrian immediately barked a command, “Take a sample and retreat!”

The golem knelt, scooping a portion of the black substance into its metallic palm before sprinting toward the tunnel it had carved earlier. Its footsteps thundered like hammers, echoing off the cavern walls.

“Two hundred meters!” the staff member cried, eyes glued to the readings.

Adrian’s grip tightened on the panel, his jaw clenched. He could feel the deep rumble under his boots—the earth itself groaning as something massive stirred below.

“Come on… come on…” he muttered under his breath.

The vibrations grew harsher, the ground shuddering in violent pulses. It wasn’t just movement anymore—it was fury. The ancient being had been enraged.

The rumbling intensified, shaking dust loose from the ceiling as cracks slithered across the walls. Adrian’s eyes flicked between the trembling ground and the flickering feed on the panel.

“Status report!” he shouted.

“Still moving—one hundred meters!” the staff member replied, voice strained.

The golem’s vision jittered, static cutting through the screen. Its runes pulsed erratically as it sprinted toward the surface with the tar-like sample clutched in its hand. The image shook, tilted—then went completely black.

“Visual lost!” someone yelled.

The clearing fell silent. The tremors grew stronger, rumbling like the growl of a waking beast. Everyone froze, their hearts pounding in sync with the thunder beneath their feet.

“Did it… get destroyed?” Jean whispered, her hand tightening around her shield.

Adrian didn’t answer. His eyes stayed fixed on the dead screen, his finger hovering over the reactivation rune. Ariana held her breath beside him, the tension around her almost palpable.

Then—

*BOOM!*

A violent quake erupted through the ground, nearly knocking everyone off balance. The barricades shuddered, the ropes stretched and snapped. For a moment, the world seemed to go still—then the earth burst open with a deafening roar.

A blinding flash of light and dust engulfed the area as the golem *drilled out of the ground*, molten dirt scattering in all directions. Its chest was glowing crimson, its body steaming from heat and friction.

“It’s alive!” someone shouted.

Adrian raised his arm to shield his eyes as the golem staggered to its feet, clutching the sealed container of that black substance in its trembling metallic hand.

But before anyone could react, the air around them shifted—cold, heavy, and suffocating.

A deep rumble echoed once more, far darker and deeper than before.

Ariana’s expression turned grim. “That… wasn’t from the golem.”

Adrian looked toward the horizon of the dig site, his pulse quickening. The ground was moving again—the creature felt undeniably a lot closer.

Everyone seemed prepared to fight whatever was about to come out of the surface.

Annabelle took out her swords, electricity coating the metal while Jean was prepared to throw a barrier around them if things became ugly.

Adrian, just to be sure, crouched and extended his hand toward the container in which the black matter was swirling.

The ground was quaking violently now, the creature seemed to be nearing. Its presence was vivid…overwhelming.

Everyone held their breath, ready to throw everything they have to either hunt the creature down, which sounded a little impossible, or at least push it back beneath the surface.

Annabelle’s aura flared, ready to charge at the being whose growls could be heard clearly.

Adrian’s fingers inches closer to the container and just when they touched it…the black matter suddenly broke out of the container and stabbed Adrian’s hand.

“Ah.” Adrian winced as he looked at his hand…but the fluid wasn’t there.

He looked around…but found it was nowhere to be seen.

He looked back at his hand and found he could see his veins clearly, as if seeing through his flesh.

However, he didn’t have any time to focus on the situation as suddenly the creature rose from the ground.

The calamity was here.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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