Solo Dungeon Streamer-I Am Overpowered

Chapter 128: Shadows of the Unknown

The doorway sealed behind us, leaving only the dim, eerie glow of the walls to guide our path. The air was thick, stifling, as though we'd stepped into a place that hadn't been disturbed for centuries. I could feel it pressing down on me, a quiet, persistent weight that made each breath feel heavier than the last.

Kijin and Raijuu flanked me as we moved forward, their movements almost as cautious as mine. Raijuu's fur bristled, tiny sparks flickering along his coat in response to the strange energy suffusing the air. Kijin, ever stoic, kept his gaze forward, but I could see the way his ears twitched, his muscles tense beneath his sleek fur.

The corridor stretched endlessly before us, twisting and turning in ways that made no sense. It felt like we were walking in circles, yet I knew we hadn't changed direction. Every few steps, I'd glance back, half-expecting the path behind us to have shifted, but it remained as unchanging as the one ahead.

"This place…" I murmured, more to myself than to them. "It feels... alive."

Raijuu let out a low, uneasy growl in agreement. Kijin just glanced at me, his gaze sharp, as if he too sensed the unnatural atmosphere of the dungeon's depths.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, we reached another chamber, its walls lined with strange carvings that seemed to pulse with a faint, rhythmic glow. The symbols were unfamiliar, etched in patterns that defied any logic I could grasp. They curved and twisted, branching out like veins, as though alive and breathing with the pulse of an ancient heartbeat.

I stepped closer, tracing my fingers over one of the symbols, feeling the faint hum of energy beneath my touch. The symbol flared briefly, then dimmed again, leaving a lingering warmth on my fingertips.

"What are you?" I whispered, as if the walls themselves might answer. But of course, there was only silence.

Kijin growled softly, pulling my attention back to the center of the chamber. There, in the dim light, something shimmered—a dark, shifting figure, like a shadow detached from any source. It pulsed with a strange energy, flickering in and out of focus, as though caught between two worlds.

The shadow shifted, and for a brief, heart-stopping moment, I thought I saw eyes—cold, calculating, and filled with an intelligence that felt both ancient and alien. My hand tightened around the hilt of my weapon, even as I knew instinctively that it wouldn't be enough against something like this.

Kijin and Raijuu sprang forward, their bodies low and poised, ready to attack. But before they could reach it, the shadow flickered, dissolving into the floor, leaving nothing but an echo of its presence behind.

"Did… did we scare it off?" I muttered, not fully convinced.

Raijuu sniffed the ground where the shadow had been, his nose twitching with a mixture of curiosity and unease. Whatever it had been, it wasn't like any monster I'd encountered. It didn't feel like a living creature at all; more like... a fragment of something else. Something that didn't belong in our world.

With a final glance around the chamber, I nodded to my Shikigami, and we pressed on. The path twisted and narrowed, the walls pressing in so close I had to turn sideways to squeeze through at points. Every now and then, the symbols on the walls would flare as I passed, their pulsing glow casting strange shadows across my face, as if watching me, tracking my every step.

We emerged into yet another chamber, this one even larger than the last. The floor was littered with fragments of crystal and bone, remnants of battles long past. A series of towering statues loomed over us, each one carved in the likeness of creatures I could only describe as monstrous gods, their expressions twisted into sneers and grimaces that sent a shiver down my spine.

But what drew my attention most was the massive, circular stone slab in the center of the room. It was engraved with symbols similar to those on the walls, but these were arranged in a spiral pattern, leading inward to a single, glowing point at the center.

I stepped closer, feeling the pull of that central point like a magnet. As I reached the edge of the slab, I felt a pulse—a beat that echoed in my chest, in perfect synchrony with my own heartbeat. It was as though the dungeon itself were alive, breathing, its pulse entwined with mine.

"Tsukasa…"

The voice was soft, a whisper barely audible, yet it sent a chill through me. I froze, glancing around, but there was no one there—just me, Kijin, and Raijuu.

But I knew what I'd heard. Someone, or something, had whispered my name. My gaze shifted back to the glowing center of the slab, and a strange sense of clarity washed over me.

This wasn't just a dungeon. It was... a prison. A seal, designed to contain something powerful. Something that was very much aware of my presence.

Kijin let out a low growl, his gaze fixed on the slab. Raijuu's fur bristled, sparks flickering along his coat as he sensed the tension thickening in the air. They could feel it too—the awareness pressing down on us, watching, waiting.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us began to tremble. Cracks spidered across the floor, radiating outward from the slab's center. The statues around us shuddered, their eyes flaring with an eerie, crimson glow.

I took a step back, my heart pounding. "Kijin, Raijuu—be ready."

As if in response, the statues began to move, their stone limbs creaking and groaning as they came to life, their once-blank eyes now fixed on me with a predatory gleam.

"Just great," I muttered, positioning myself between my Shikigami and the advancing statues. "Guess we're doing this."

Kijin darted forward, his shadowy form slipping through the dim light, aiming for the closest statue's joints. Raijuu followed, his body crackling with electricity as he launched a bolt toward the statue's chest. The lightning struck, but the statue barely flinched, its stone body absorbing the attack with ease.

These things were resilient—stronger than the usual dungeon constructs.

"Time for Plan B," I said, nodding to Raijuu. He shifted, launching a series of rapid strikes, each one aimed at the cracks forming on the statue's body. Kijin moved in tandem, striking with precision, targeting the weakest points with swift, calculated blows.

The statue let out a low, rumbling growl as the combined attacks finally began to take effect, its limbs cracking and splintering under the pressure. It staggered, one arm falling limp at its side, but it didn't stop. The other statues moved forward, their eyes glowing brighter, their footsteps shaking the ground beneath us.

"Kijin, Raijuu—fall back!" I called, regrouping as the statues closed in, their massive forms blocking any exit from the chamber.

I could feel the weight of their gaze, that ancient, unknowable intelligence lurking behind those crimson eyes. It was as though the dungeon itself were testing me, watching to see how I'd respond.

All at once, the central point on the stone slab flared to life, casting the chamber in a harsh, blinding light. I shielded my eyes, feeling the pulse grow stronger, resonating through my entire body. When I looked again, the statues had stopped, their eyes dimming as they returned to their original positions, frozen in place.

The light from the slab began to swirl, coalescing into a single, shimmering figure. It hovered just above the ground, its form shifting and flickering like a mirage. I squinted, trying to make out its shape, but it was as though it refused to be seen, an entity caught between reality and some other plane.

"Tsukasa," it whispered again, its voice echoing through the chamber, filling the space with a sense of cold finality. "You should not be here."

I swallowed, feeling a chill settle over me. "Who... or what are you?"

The figure's form flickered, its gaze unblinking as it seemed to peer into my very soul. "I am a fragment... a memory. Bound to this place, a remnant of what once was. And you... are trespassing."

The weight of its gaze pressed down on me, a force that threatened to overwhelm my senses. I took a step back, feeling Kijin and Raijuu close in protectively on either side.

"What do you want?" I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

The figure tilted its head, an expression I could only describe as pity crossing its shifting features. "The seal is weakening. The world beyond is not yet ready for what lies here. You would do well to turn back."

With that, the figure faded, its final words lingering in the air like an unspoken warning.

I stood there, the silence pressing in around us once more, feeling the weight of the unknown settle over me.

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Turning to Kijin and Raijuu, I took a steadying breath. "We're not turning back," I murmured, more to myself than to them. "Not until we know exactly what this place is hiding."

They both nodded, their expressions resolute. Whatever lay ahead, we'd face it together.