Fire Mage-Chapter 676: Hall of Stars

Chapter 676: Hall of Stars

They turned through another narrow passage and finally arrived at a large chamber lined with jagged stone walls.

In the center sat a nest of bones and skulls, both beastly and humanoid.

But what drew Charles’s eye was a glowing, bluish magic circle beside the nest, pulsating with gathering spatial energy.

"This must be the portal to the Hall of Stars," he murmured, stepping closer. Though tempted to search the cavern for treasure, he knew better than to linger.

As he stepped onto the circle, spatial waves rippled outward, surrounding them in shimmering blue light.

"Looks like this is where we part ways," Thera said. She stepped onto the magic circle, took out a jade token etched with the symbol of a rising sun, and tossed it to him.

"If you ever go to the Elder Plane, visit this place. Maybe we’ll meet again."

Charles caught the token just as the world around him began to spin.

Before he could react, a powerful suction force pulled him into the void.

He didn’t resist. Instead, he let the force guide him through the wormhole—until he noticed a crack in the spatial stream and leapt through it.

A moment later, Charles stood in a lavish hall lined with ornate tables. Rows of weapons, artifacts, potions, and even strange organs preserved in jars filled the room. Each item was sealed under a glass forcefield, humming with protective energy.

"Welcome to the Hall of Stars, human from Edhen World. Seems you stirred up quite a storm in the Fourth Layer."

The voice was light—almost childlike. Charles looked up.

Rune Language?

Descending from above came a short, grey goblin in a golden robe. It landed gracefully before him.

"You are...?" Charles asked cautiously. Despite its small stature, the goblin radiated a suffocating pressure.

It feels like I’m standing before a void... boundless and vast.

Unfazed by the stare, the goblin flashed a sharp-toothed smile.

"I’m Clerd, overseer of the Hall of Stars on the Fifth Floor. Are you here to use your Star Monarch’s Key?"

Charles nodded and retrieved the rainbow key from his space ring.

"Hm. A key from the Dream Tomb, is it?" Clerd said, waving his hand. "You may take one reward from the third table. I won’t tell you what anything is, so choose wisely."

Charles followed the goblin to the enormous table sealed beneath the glowing glass field.

Inside, he spotted seven weapons, along with armor pieces—gauntlets, boots, helms, rings, and pendants. Though he couldn’t identify them, he sensed each was an extraordinary treasure.

His gaze paused on a black-gemmed crown.

But I already have enough artifacts.

He shifted to the next section: dozens of unique potion vials. Their contents varied in color and viscosity, but he couldn’t determine their effects.

If I pick a useless one, I’ll waste the key.

He moved on again—this time to a strange collection of organs preserved in crystal jars.

One caught his eye: a crystalline eyeball, gleaming with complex divisions.

It looks just like mine... but evolved!

"I’ll take this eye," Charles said quickly.

"Oh? The Monarch of Myriarch’s Eye. Excellent choice," Clerd said, clearly impressed. He waved his hand, and the jar disappeared from the table and appeared in his grasp.

"Take it," he said, handing it over.

Charles accepted the jar and stored it in his spatial ring.

Clerd didn’t pause. "Now then, what’s your choice? Do you want to go to the Fifth Floor... or return to your world?"

"I’ll return to Edhen World," Charles answered without hesitation.

A spatial crack opened behind him, forming into a glowing blue portal. A suction force pulled him in almost immediately.

Two seconds later, the portal closed, as if it had never existed.

"If only he’d studied alchemy... he could’ve claimed the Monarch of Myriarch’s bloodline," Clerd murmured, shaking his head. "Still, at least he chose the eye."

With that, the goblin rose slowly into the air.

"Now... time to greet the descendant of the Sun Titan."

...

Entrance of the Star Tombs, Holy City’s Territory, Sacred Empire, Edhen World

A deep-blue-haired young man, around twenty-five, appeared at the entrance of the Star Tombs dungeon. His sharp eyes swept the surroundings with cautious precision.

Only when Charles confirmed no presence nearby did his lips curl into a faint smile. He turned his gaze toward the distant city, eyes narrowing as he observed from afar.

Though the city walls bore visible damage, streams of people continued to flow in and out of the main gate.

So, they managed to withstand that beast wave, huh? he mused.

A strange flicker crossed his expression. He sensed the presence of his clone... and another—someone familiar. His brow furrowed.

Who is this? It’s not the ’Curse of the Overlord’ spell. But there’s a strange link...

"What should I do next?" he muttered. "Do I need to stay hidden like before?"

Though he still couldn’t stand on equal footing with Udnir, he wasn’t one to fall without a fight.

If I use Grace’s ability... I might even be able to kill Udnir’s avatar, he considered briefly, then shook his head.

Too many enemies in Edhen. Aside from Abium and Goddess Rodia, every god is scheming something. Now’s not the time to reveal my hand. He was more eager to build new spell models and fuse the newly obtained ’Eye’ with his own.

With that, he calmly raised his left hand and began to shift form.

Moments later, he stood transformed—an unassuming fifteen-year-old boy with short blond hair, emerald eyes, fair skin, a hawk-like nose, and a lean frame barely 160 cm tall.

Now in the guise of Zephyr, he released his wisdom power and rose into the air. At the same time, he invoked the [Fallen Angel’s Wings] spell and began flying toward the Holy City.

Ten minutes later, he descended near the city gates.

From his spatial ring, he pulled out a silver coin and strolled toward the tall entrance.

The guards moved to question him, but he handed over the coin in silence—a quiet bribe. They waved him through without recording his entry.

As Charles entered the city, an odd stillness greeted him. People bustled about, yet the usual presence of Holy Knights or guards was scarce. A shadow hung over their faces—grief, fear, or something worse.

What happened here? There’s no joy... as if the whole city’s mourning something precious.

He chose not to return straight to the house on Crystal Lane. Instead, he wandered the market streets, listening, asking questions, piecing together what had happened during his absence.

First, he learned how much time had passed since the Tower appeared.

Two months... just as I thought. The disaster struck two months after I left. Then the next one should come in two years.

He glanced up at the blazing sun, eyes thoughtful, then continued his quiet investigation.

Much had changed.

After dungeon towers erupted across the world, magical beasts surged in number. Though most were slain by kingdom and empire armies, the devastation they left was immense.

Then came the shocking blow to the Lawful Churches—the weakening of divine power among their believers.

To be precise, Mystics from the Fake Origin Class—such as the [Knight] and [Priest] paths—suffered severe power loss. Some even regressed in rank.

A Rank-5 [Deacon] could now barely match a Rank-4 Mystic.

The people began to whisper. The truth spread—about the Fake Origin Class Gem Pathway.

Though divine spells and basic skills still functioned, their overall combat strength plummeted. Panic spread through the upper ranks of every church.

One by one, they withdrew into seclusion.

With no Holy Knights or priests being dispatched, kingdoms bore the full brunt of the magical beast waves. Countless citizens perished. Public sentiment turned bitter and cold.

Two months ago, the Order Church lost thousands of Holy Knights, over thirty bishops, three Archbishops—and even a Cardinal.

But they didn’t weaken just because of lost divine power, Charles thought. Their real strength isn’t in the Fake Origin Mystics—but in the Seventeen Families.

They’re the true rulers of this land.

One piece of news caught his attention—the Hawthorne Family.

A coup had taken place.

Three elders and the Patriarch were killed. Within two days, Elder Aurelius seized control and became the new Patriarch.

Ronan’s teacher? Even after Victor killed him, Aurelius survived—and rose? Then what about Victor? Did Aurelius eliminate him too?

Charles frowned.

But then he uncovered another revelation—Victor had returned with Order Church members and been directly promoted to Cardinal by the Pope.

The Sun Church, Life Church, Fairchild, and Hawthorne families had all returned.

The Sun Church lost every member but Cardinal Damian and a single fire mage. Life Church’s team leader had been cursed and nearly lost all his life force.

Only the Fairchilds, Hawthorne, and Order Church sustained minimal losses.

So, the Hawthornes gained power. And now they’re clashing with the Order Church? Sounds like Victor struck a deal to protect himself. Even under the ’Curse of the Overlord,’ Charles noticed the spell’s influence had weakened.

He’s not worth the trouble. Whatever he got from the dungeon isn’t useful to me.

With that, he decided to locate his clone.

Tsk. I can’t use wisdom power to pinpoint him... But as he moved closer, something struck him.

He’s on Crystal Lane? And that familiar presence is with him?

Charles made his way to the single-storied guesthouse at the end of the lane.

Locked from the outside? Did Baron think I died in the Star Tombs?

Yet, inside, his clone sat in the reception room, speaking to someone.

Charles narrowed his eyes.

Strange... Even with my Eye of Faceless, I can’t see that man’s face. It’s as if he doesn’t exist at all.

Just then, both his clone and the unknown man turned toward the entrance.

"You’re back!" his own voice called out from within.

Charles’s lips twitched.

With a light step, his form flickered into crimson flame and vanished—only to reappear inside the reception room a second later.