Angel's Ruins

Xia Lun carefully observed the figure standing atop the ruins before him.

Its build was no different from an ordinary human, but like the monstrous creatures that had descended from the sky earlier, this one was entirely snow-white, with sharp, angular contours across its body, as if clad in an exquisitely crafted suit of armor.

Countless blade-like feathers formed an exaggerated and ornate pair of wings on its back, though both the wings and its body bore noticeable damage.

As for its head… it was a transparent, diamond-shaped crystal, hovering above its neck.

Xia Lun didn’t find it eerie or frightening—instead, it exuded a sense of solemnity and gravitas.

What kind of creature was this? Rather than a living being, it felt more like some kind of advanced magical construct to Xia Lun.

But what kind of construct could achieve this level of sophistication? Not a single seam was visible on its body, and Xia Lun could sense an immense concentration of magic emanating from it.

As Xia Lun approached, two red lights flickered to life on the diamond-shaped crystal that served as its head.

"Alert: Detected high-density Mana source approaching. Initiating Mana concentration scan… Exceeds measurement threshold. Exceeds measurement threshold…"

A crisp, synthetic voice rang out from its body.

Mana? What was that? Did it mean magic energy?

Xia Lun silently pondered.

Come to think of it, what exactly was this thing? It didn’t seem like any creature or creation from this world.

"Activating annihilation mode. Loading combat data…"

In an instant, its arms began to transform, elongating into two-meter-long blades. Meanwhile, the gaps between the feathers on its wings erupted with blue flames, propelling its body forward like a white bolt of lightning, skimming the ground as it charged straight at Xia Lun.

Its speed was terrifying—far surpassing that of high-tier beings.

Xia Lun stood his ground, raising both hands and locking his fingers around the two icy-white blades.

The force behind its strike was astonishing. As the flames on its back intensified, the pressure on Xia Lun steadily increased… but he could still hold on.

Still, the fact that its wings could spew flames was baffling. What kind of internal structure did this thing even have?

"Vzzzt—"

A crimson laser shot out from the tip of the diamond-shaped head. Xia Lun barely managed to jerk his head aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The laser grazed his cheek before carving a deep, scorching mark into the ground far behind him.

That was close.

An ordinary adventurer would have had a hard time dealing with something like this.

Xia Lun tightened his grip and forcefully drove the two scythe-like blades into the ground. Then, with a sweeping kick, he struck the diamond crystal on its head.

The crystal was sent flying from its neck, crashing into a collapsed stone pillar… but the thing seemed incredibly durable, showing no signs of damage.

"Wait, is this not its head?"

Xia Lun frowned. Even after the crystal was knocked away, the body—still with its blades embedded in the ground—continued to struggle.

With a powerful flap of its wings, it wrenched the blades free and soared into the air. Meanwhile, the diamond crystal swiftly returned to its neck.

"Vzzzt—"

A dazzling red light pulsed from the crystal as an overwhelming surge of magic gathered within it.

Then, like a torrential downpour, a wide-area barrage of lasers rained down, obliterating everything in the vicinity.

Xia Lun stood motionless amidst the laser storm. Dodging such a widespread attack would have been too troublesome… The lasers stung a little, like being flicked by a lit cigarette.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was the first to arrive here. If another adventuring party had stumbled upon this, the casualties would have been severe.

The relentless assault didn’t last long. Soon, the figure plummeted from the sky and crashed onto the ground.

The once-transparent diamond crystal on its head was now half-melted, dripping like molten wax—a pitiful sight.

"Terminal Angel… Unit 011. Mana depleted." The cold, synthetic voice spoke again.

Xia Lun let out a sigh of relief. It seemed to have run out of magic energy, so it shouldn’t pose any more danger.

Terminal Angel… That must be its name. But what did "Unit 011" mean?

"Self-destruct sequence… initiated."

Xia Lun: …?

BOOM—

A violent explosion erupted, sending a small mushroom cloud into the air as the entire area was upheaved.

"Cough, cough—!"

Covered in soot, Xia Lun hacked out a mouthful of black smoke.

Even so, he hadn’t sustained any serious injuries.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how durable the body Aina had modified for him truly was…

"Xia Lun!"

Aina suddenly appeared behind him.

"Are you hurt? I heard a huge noise just now!" she fretted, pressing close as she pulled out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped the grime from his face.

"I’m fine, Aina…"

Mo Lini and Liyana had been dragged along with her, though it was clear the two were still disoriented.

"Liyana, what just happened?" Mo Lini asked groggily. "Aina suddenly grabbed my hand, and then everything flashed… and now we’re here."

"I… I don’t know either," Liyana replied dizzily, her stomach churning violently.

Then, leaning on Mo Lini’s shoulder for support, she bent over—only to realize too late that she couldn’t hold it in. A rainbow-colored mess splattered onto the ground.

"Ah, Liyana… Are you okay?" Mo Lini asked worriedly, patting her back.

"I’m… fine." Liyana felt slightly better after vomiting, but as soon as she spoke, another wave of nausea hit her. "Blegh—"

Xia Lun lightly rapped Aina on the head, and she responded with an apologetic tongue-sticking-out gesture.

She had flown Liyana over too quickly, giving her motion sickness…

"Someone’s injured?!"

Musen suddenly flew out from the pages of a book, startling Mo Lini.

"Ahahaha! Liyana, you’re hurt? That’s great… I mean, I’ll help you right away!"

Musen’s face lit up with glee as he began casting healing magic on Liyana.

Finally, a chance to make his presence known.

A spatial distortion rippled in front of them, and after a brief warp, a pristine white gate materialized in the air.

With the dungeon’s master defeated, this was naturally the exit.

Well… technically, they could have left through the entrance, but no one knew why dungeons always had a separate exit. It was just one of their quirks.

"You cleared this place, Xia Lun?" Liyana gaped at the scorched, explosion-ravaged surroundings. "But where’s the boss? I don’t see it."

"It blew up," Xia Lun answered bluntly.

"Uh… Right. Well then, Xia Lun, what are you going to name this dungeon?" Liyana asked excitedly, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

Another chance to make Xia Lun come up with a name.

The first adventurer to conquer a dungeon held the right to name it—a long-standing tradition.

"Let’s call it the Angel’s Ruins," Xia Lun replied flatly.