Earth's Greatest Magus

Just moments after the dark elves had left, a group of magus arrived at the scene where Emery was. It wasn't the enforcers, but instead, it was Jai Strider and his metal team. They had been engaged in battle in the metal vault when they received Emery's distress message.

Upon arrival and seeing the dark elves' lifeless bodies scattered around, Jai quickly assessed the situation. "I'll report this to the family and the enforcers, and we'll send more reinforcements to assist you," he suggested.

However, Emery hesitated and ultimately rejected the offer. He was concerned that an increased enforcer presence might hinder his freedom of movement within the ruins even further. "Thank you for coming, Jai. I owe you one," Emery expressed his gratitude.

Jai grinned and replied, "Well, you can repay me right away!"

There were still unexplored temples in the vault, and while they were there, Jai asked Emery to assist in clearing the temple for them. Emery agreed, given that he hadn't yet attempted to clear this particular temple challenge himself.

With the aid of a spatial gate, they reached the temple in no time. However, as they began to explore it, they realized they weren't alone. Another group had arrived, also seeking to complete the challenge. Fortunately, recognizing that Emery's group belonged to the Nephilim faction, the newcomers didn't dare to compete directly.

The challenge within this temple was formidable. Sixteen celestial constructs, resembling humanoid knights and archers, stood as guardians. Each of these constructs possessed battle powers equivalent to that of a half-moon magus, making them formidable opponents.

The sixteen celestial constructs in humanoid forms were formidable adversaries, each possessing battle powers that rivaled those of a half-moon magus. It was a daunting sight, but Emery, Jai, and their team were undaunted by the challenge ahead.

Jai, known for his mastery over metal puppetry and his strategic acumen, didn't rely solely on summoning powerful metal warriors. He went a step further by creating intricate metal fortresses within the temple's chambers. These fortresses served a dual purpose – they acted as defensive barriers to protect the magus from enemy attacks and as strategic vantage points from which they could mount their offensive.

As the battle commenced, Jai's strategic brilliance came to the forefront. With precise control over his metal constructs, he skillfully divided the group of celestial constructs into smaller, more manageable numbers. This strategic maneuvering effectively disrupted the unity of the celestial guardians, making it difficult for them to coordinate their attacks or muster their full strength against the magus.

The fight was intense, with Emery, Jai, and their team working in perfect synchronization. They engaged the celestial knights and archers, exploiting their numerical advantage to pick off the constructs one by one. Spells, battle art, and well-coordinated tactics were employed with precision, gradually whittling down the enemy forces.

Once they had defeated the knights and archers, they turned their attention to the Champion knights, facing them together as a united force. This formidable adversary required their combined strength and teamwork to overcome.

[You have destroyed the Champion Avalonian Knight]

[You have cleared the Temple Trial]

Their hard-fought victory was rewarded with not only the satisfaction of prevailing against such powerful foes but also tangible rewards – medium shards and a coveted gold medal, marking their triumph in this challenging battle within the ruins.

Jai's frustration was palpable as he lamented, "Ahh, only one again!" He had tirelessly dedicated the past ten hours to clearing multiple temples, yet the reward of a single gold medal left him annoyed and disappointed.

This predicament wasn't unique to Jai; it was the shared experience of all magus exploring the ruins. As they delved deeper into the layers, the number of available vaults diminished, and with it, the quantity of medals awarded. The scarcity of medals became increasingly evident, with only 2,500 medals allotted per element vault and a total of just 22,500 medals across all nine vaults. Meanwhile, the ruins teemed with over 50,000 magus, each vying for these precious medals.

Emery, too, had noticed the enforcer tracker device blinking incessantly, signaling the escalating chaos within the ruins. He didn't need to check it to understand that the situation had grown more chaotic, with many magus resorting to violence in their relentless pursuit of the coveted medals.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Jai expressed his gratitude and led his team towards the next vault, ready to face the challenges that awaited them in their quest for the elusive gold medals.

Emery's next course of action was to return to the third layer as initially planned, where he would reunite with his friends. Upon arriving at the crossover, he activated his spirit reading ability to sense his surroundings. Unlike inside the vaults, where his sensory abilities were limited, here he could fully maximize his spirit reading, allowing him to have a better grasp of his surroundings.

Emery then cast [spatial gate] and made his way toward the central crossover point among the eight others. This location provided optimal access to all the other crossovers, making it a convenient meeting point for him and his friends.

Upon reaching the designated meeting place—a cave within the light vault's crossover—Emery discovered that he was running a bit late. His friends, along with the two Kronos magus, Heracles and Triton, were already gathered and waiting for him.

With a warm smile, Emery greeted them, "I am glad everyone is alright."

Klea, always sharp and perceptive, couldn't help but wonder why Emery had been late. Emery, feeling no need to hide anything from his friend, decided to share the details of what had just transpired. He instructed the two Kronos magus, Heracles and Triton, to stand guard outside the cave and inform everyone about the recent events.

With a nonchalant tone, Emery reassured his friends, "Don't worry, everything is under control."

Naturally, his friends became increasingly concerned, their curiosity piqued by Emery's cryptic words. Emery then turned his attention to Fjolnier and offered his congratulations, saying, "Congrats, senior, for breaking through the half-moon realm."

Fjolnier, the Vanir king, had been diligently hunting and absorbing as many lightning shards as possible over the past four days. His relentless efforts had finally paid off, leading to his breakthrough into the half-moon realm. This achievement was made possible by the hundreds of years of accumulated insights he had in the law of lightning.

His breakthrough had ignited a desire in the Vanir King to enter the deeper layer, as they had discussed earlier. However, Emery had another plan to keep him occupied.

Emery gathered everyone's attention and presented a pouch filled with 65 medium shards, the impressive haul he had acquired over the last 48 hours. The sight left his friends in awe as they couldn't help but express their surprise.

"Where did you manage to get this many?" they inquired.

Emery then began to distribute the shards among his friends:

5x Wind shards for Chumo

6x Fire shards for Thrax

4x Lightning shard for Fjolnir

4x Metal shard for Julian

5x Ice Shards for Ashaka

6x Water shard for Klea

Klea, holding the water shards in her hand, hesitated and insisted, "No, Emery, you can use this. You take it."

Emery gently closed her hand around the water shards and replied, "I have plenty, please keep it."

He then displayed his own collection of shards, which included 5x Earth Shards, 4x Plant Shards, and a staggering 35x Light Shards. With such a surplus of shards, Emery wondered if he would even have enough time to absorb them all during this ruin expedition.

Emery still had a stash of the tiny shards to share with his friends, and he also informed them about a few groups of rogue magus who now owed him some shards in exchange for antidotes to their poison. His friends were increasingly amazed at the lengths Emery had gone to secure resources for their group.

Emery then handed out the antidotes and explained, "These are the antidotes for their poison, to trade for the shards."

This situation left his friends bewildered, trying to fathom what Emery had done to these rogue magus.

As he was about to venture into the deeper layers, Emery entrusted the collection of the shards to his friends, hoping that they would take the next three days to absorb as many of them and strengthen themselves.

Moments like this filled Klea with worry. "Please be careful, Emery," she urged, her concern evident in her voice.

Julian, who had been keeping an ear out for news and rumors from other factions, approached Emery with important information. "I've heard whispers about the elves possibly finding a way to break through to the 7th layer," Julian disclosed. "I'm sure Jinkan is already aware of this, i think you really should discuss it with her for more details."

Before his departure, Emery had one more matter to attend to, involving Chumo. There was the issue of the Khaos Gate that needed to be settled.