The news that the monsters had been annihilated had already spread across the world. Naturally, there was no longer any need for people to keep retreating into the sanctuary.
And so, everyone was hurrying to move back from the sanctuaries to the surface. If they could still make it in time for the evening's victory banquet, so much the better.
At the very center of the vast square stood a strange archway.
Roya swept over it with his spiritual sense and discovered that, no matter what angle one looked from, what appeared was always the same: a towering arch that faced directly toward the observer.
There was no door panel within the arch, only a shimmering portal of starlight.
It was obvious that stepping through that gate would bring one into what the Oceanus Star people called their "Sanctuary."
The technology for constructing the colossal statues of the Ancient Gods, linking twelve minds through them to channel psionic energy, prying power from the Warp to serve as the giants' source of propulsion, weaponry, and defense—
This entire set of techniques, exceeding even the strength of the star-deadly Necrons, had originated from this very archway!
Roya couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation as he paced forward to stand directly beneath the gate.
The arch rose more than a hundred meters high, clearly not built for humans or human-like beings.
The starry gleam rippling within the portal carried the aura of a projected spirit-form. Roya found himself suspecting that this "light gate" might in fact be nothing less than a projection of the Warp itself into the material plane.
Nuwa spoke softly:
"Honored one, all you need do is step through this light gate, and you will enter the Sanctuary.
"It is a realm of absolute darkness. Even if two people stood shoulder to shoulder, they would not be able to sense each other's presence—neither sight nor sound.
"But when we calm our hearts, a voice from the Ancient Gods will speak to us, teaching us how to build the colossi, how to select and train suitable pilots."
Roya frowned slightly as he listened. This method of transmitting technology and civilization carried a distinctly contrived, almost superstitious flavor.
Perhaps that so-called Ancient God was simply too feeble?
He pondered for a moment, then nonetheless stepped forward.
But the instant his foot touched the threshold, a repelling force surged out from the portal, barring his entry!
—Hm?
Roya's face hardened. His nearly six-thousand-point tempered body erupted with might as he drove his foot down in full force!
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed through the entire underground plaza, shaking the very ground.
Zeus and Odin stared in horror at Roia's calm, composed expression.
That one step alone had unleashed a strength surpassing even their own peak power while fused with their Ancient God Colossi.
The sheer demonstration of power struck their hearts like a warhammer, leaving their chests tight and their minds reeling, utterly at a loss.
For the Sanctuary to reject Roya's entry outright—this was, for them, tremendous news.
But for Roya to possess such overwhelming physical strength, with one hundred thousand fearless elite troops at his command—
If he turned his wrath upon the Oceanus Star people out of frustration at being denied entry, who could possibly withstand him?!
Yet even after that terrifying stomp, Roya still could not step inside the arch.
Fuxi grew anxious. He glanced at Nuwa's grave expression, then quickly strode toward the portal.
Since the day the Oceanus Star people had discovered this arch, never once had it refused entry to anyone. Neither he nor Nuwa could make sense of this anomaly.
Was it that Roya was too powerful, so much so that even the so-called Ancient God within dared not admit him?
Or was there some other, more unsettling reason?
Fuxi's step was only meant to test whether the Sanctuary had shut itself off entirely, or if the refusal was aimed solely at Roya.
If it was the latter, then the matter was gravely serious indeed.
Sure enough—upon impact, Fuxi too felt as though he had struck a transparent wall, unable to pass through.
"Hmph."
Roya snorted coldly. His spiritual sense surged, flooding every cell of his body, pushing his physical functions to yet another peak.
Then, lifting his foot again, he drove it down with brutal force!
CRACK!
A sharp sound split the air. The light gate within the arch fractured beneath his stomp, splintering with jagged cracks that spread from the ground all the way up to the arch's zenith!
Even the stone frame itself trembled, on the verge of collapse.
From the fissures seeped out currents of Warp energy, all too familiar to Roya, twisting the fabric of the material world.
And yet, despite this, he still could not force his way into the so-called Sanctuary.
Now, true anger flashed across Roya's face.
He was preparing to unleash his body's strength and spiritual sense together, both at their absolute extreme—
When suddenly, from within the arch came a voice.
It was a woman's voice, electronically synthesized: mechanical, hollow, yet not unpleasant to hear.
"Detection: presence of suspected Ancient Saint bloodline in material-world entity. Preparing to initiate scan. Please remain still and await completion."
Ancient Saint bloodline?
Roya stilled his surging energy. Though the term sounded lofty and imposing, he was unimpressed.
Did this gate truly require being kicked half to pieces before it thought to scan his bloodline and identity?
Hardly convincing.
A beam of dark-red laser light lanced down from the arch's peak, enveloping Roya from head to toe, sweeping over him in meticulous detail.
Yet his spiritual sense detected no trace of psionic energy, nor any electronic signal. It seemed nothing more than an ordinary laser beam.
Whether it was actually scanning or not was debatable.
"Confirmation: one-quarter inheritance of Ancient Saint bloodline detected. Meets minimum threshold required to activate Ancient Saint Relic. Please stand by—Ancient Saint Relic now opening."
The voice recited this like a set of procedural terms. On the surface of the portal, a glowing progress bar appeared.
However, thanks to Roya's earlier stomp that cracked the light gate, the bar was broken into several disjointed segments—hardly befitting the grandeur of something called an "Ancient Saint Relic."
Nuwa and Fuxi both exhaled in relief, even showing some excitement.
For it was clear now: Roya's method of entry was the true key to their Sanctuary.
A pity about the gate's fractured appearance. Whether it would repair itself remained uncertain.
Zeus and Odin exchanged uneasy glances. Their emotions tangled, their minds racing through calculations of gain and loss.
Soon the bar filled, reaching one hundred percent.
The portal blazed with radiant starlight, as though countless suns collapsed into white dwarfs all at once, brilliance surging!
The invisible barrier that had resisted even Roya's two mighty stomps finally vanished utterly.
As the light rippled and shimmered, everyone present knew it beyond doubt:
The true door of the Sanctuary had opened—for Roia.
He lifted his gaze, swept the arch one final time with both eyes and spiritual sense, then allowed a knowing smile to tug at his lips.
And with that, he stepped through the gate.
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