The war portrait was gone!
Standing about 12 metres from the platform, Lee was vigilant of any sudden changes. If anything adverse occurs, he was ready to turn around and disappear into the water.
Crumble!
A cloud of dust rose from the platform and the portrait had crumbled into tiny bits. The delicate pinnacle of intricate stone carving was reduced to rubbles with a slight disturbance.
[I think that little axe was a keystone.]
'You think? After seeing what just happened, you think?'
A blank expression covered Lee Shen's face as he uttered in his mind. His eyes maintained the sharpness and his heart was drumming a little faster than normal.
[Will you two shut up?! We have no idea what is in that coffin. Be alert.]
The grey coloured cloud stayed suspended in the air for a few minutes without any significant change. Then, it quickly settled within 5 seconds. It was like turning off an old noisy car engine.
Lee saw this sudden change and cautiously moved forward. Each step was gentle and silent. He was careful not to trigger any more contraptions.
D was thoroughly scanning the construct and the entire chamber, but nothing hostile or harmful could be found. He conveyed his helplessness at the moment.
Somehow, Hudson was having an indescribable sensation of danger in the vicinity. He had no idea what it was, but D's words affirming safety calmed the storm in his heart.
Through the Map, D and Hudson saw that a coffin was exposed after the dust settled. The shattered bits of stone were uniformly distributed inside the platform. The thick envelope of dust had coated the coffin's cover with a rock grey colour.
As Lee came to the edge of the stone platform, he could see the deep brown rectangular casket with a wooden texture. The coffin was almost 10 metres below the current ground level.
[The object looks wooden, but it definitely is not anything organic.]
Lee gave a slight nod at this comment and placed his right foot on the stone. He had asked about D's and Hudson's opinion in climbing down into the construct. both of them approved in unison.
At once, the platform began to tremble violently. This time, it was much fierce and web-like cracks were forming on the structure at a rate visible to naked eye.
[I think somebody has placed a gigantic vibrator beneath this thing.]
The comment was meant to be humourous, but neither Lee nor D gave any attention to it. After retreating again to a distance, Lee scanned the entire area thoroughly while the Dimension Sovereign immersed himself in the Hologram Map.
The search bore no fruit, but the Sovereign suddenly sensed something sinister.
[DANGER!!!]
Before Lee could react, an array formation appeared illuminating on top of the coffin and it exploded immediately. A blinding light erupted forth with an intense shockwave.
Lee was caught off-guard and was literally thrown away by the blast force. The intense pressure that pushed him away from the coffin made him stumble and roll without support.
'Goddammit!'
When Lee took out Black and thrust it deep into the ground to stabilise his body, he was only a few metres away from the other end of the chamber.
[What was that? I did not see it clearly.]
[LEE...BRACE FOR IMPACT!!]
Lee who was stunned by this unanticipated explosion did not get enough time to protect himself from what followed after the explosion.
SCREECH!!!
An intense cry blasted out from the inside of the stone construct. Lee was stunned as he saw ripples rushing at him. He felt a blood rival's hostility from the wave.
Like an unexpected facepalm by a stranger, it hit Lee. The unbearable pain provided by the high pitch cry made Lee let go of his sword and plug his ears with his index fingers. Still, that was far from enough to protect his eardrums.
The 53 metres long underground chamber efficiently channelled the cry to the other end. The dome-like roofing concentrated the banshee's resentment towards the opposite end.
The architecture boosted the force of the punch in the face! At the moment, he was nothing less than an ant being torched by a magnifying glass.
The shockwaves kept pushing him and Lee's footing loosened. Against his consent, he was drifting backwards. Within no time, his sole touched the wall and he came to a halt.
The unending and destabilising noise made Lee collapsed on the floor. He can tell that despite his resistance, the innards of the ears were at the verge of tearing apart.
The shockwaves dashed through the air and the ripples began to pick up strength. Lee did not get a chance to open his eyes, as his entire body was screaming in pain. Despite the violent atmosphere, he could smell his own blood.
The shockwave that originated from the stone platform had an immense threat in it. When it hit Lee's body, it ravaged his insides and made his internal organs stretch and twist. Tears and blood came dripping from his eyes and his nose and mouth were no exception.
Each second felt like a day. Each minute was like a year. Lee, who was soaked in sweat and pain, gritted his teeth as he held onto his life.
'Guys, what the hell is this? Just gimme an answer.'
His voice was filled with weakness. A cloud of invisible burden overshadowed his body. When Lee struggled to open his eyes, an avalanche of pain welcomed his head and he saw blood dripping on the floor, drop by drop.
No reply came for his query. As a part of his soul, Dnekewy was also being tortured by this unreasonable torment. Hudson, who was clueless about this situation, had no idea about what to do and repeatedly said-
[Just stay low! Just stay low!]
But, Lee Shen was hesitant to admit defeat without a fight. When Hudson shouted to lie down, he shook his head in disagreement and said-
"Sound the trumpets, guys. We are going on a war!"