The three adventurers instantly widened their stances and readied their weapons, falling into a defensive alert.

Miro muttered an incantation and swiped her hand to summon her shadow panthers. She waited for the familiar brush of fur against her legs, remaining entirely unsure if the spell actually worked. Reaching out with her mind to establish a connection with the beasts, she found her mental probe returning absolute emptiness entirely lacking any trace of resonance.

Nearby, Zoro pulled his combat wand against his chest and tried to ignite a sphere of crimson fire in his palm. The spark sputtered out before a single flicker of light could form. Snapping his fingers repeatedly while pushing more mana into his hand, he watched the darkness swallow his magic instantly.

"Magic is entirely useless in this space!" Zoro yelled.

He paused and listened for a reply from his teammates while scanning the void. Absolute silence greeted his warning.

"Vlad? Miro?" Zoro called out while stepping blindly forward. "Where are you guys?"

At the exact same time, Vlad kept his silver sword raised and shifted his boots across the unseen floor. "Zoro, Miro, form up on my position and stay close."

He paused and listened for their footsteps. Complete silence answered his command. Vlad gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his weapon until his knuckles popped. He pondered unleashing his aura to forcefully shatter the spatial isolation holding them apart.

Miro repeated the ancient words and cast the summoning spell a second time. She called out their names into the void. Absolute quiet answered her pleas.

She widened her eyes as a sudden realization struck her mind. She immediately shifted her tactics and muttered a forbidden string of necromantic verses to call upon her undead beasts instead.

A dark crest ignited beneath her boots, remaining entirely invisible in the pitch-black environment.

She instantly felt a strong, twisted resonance linking directly to her soul. The decaying bones of her undead beasts materialized around her.

They silently formed a protective circle against her legs, guarding her from the unseen threats even though she could not see them at all.

The skeletal panthers arched their backs and bared their rotting fangs at the empty void. Sickly green fire flared violently inside their eye sockets as a guttural growl tore from their undead throats.

The rotting armored bear dropped onto all fours and slammed its massive paws against the unseen floorboards. They clearly sensed an approaching entity hiding within the darkness.

Miro reached out and traced her fingers over the bear’s skull. She whispered a binding command to force her summons into a defensive formation. The undead beasts completely ignored her magical directive and continued snapping their jaws at the black expanse.

The single speck of brilliant white light burning in the extreme distance suddenly winked out of existence. Total darkness swallowed the domain for a fraction of a second before a blinding flash erupted directly in front of Miro.

A massive hand forged entirely from solid light materialized from the void.

The glowing appendage shot forward and clamped its massive fingers completely around Miro’s throat.

The bright construct violently hoisted her off the unseen ground. She kicked her boots frantically and clawed at the glowing digits tearing into her neck.

The skeletal panthers lunged instantly to protect their master, driving their rotting jaws toward the glowing wrist. The construct simply flicked its thumb, generating a concussive shockwave of pure energy.

The impact pulverized the undead panthers into bone dust and instantly vaporized the charging armored bear.

Far across the dark expanse, Vlad and Zoro watched the massive glowing hand materialize in the distance. The blinding light completely obscured Miro’s struggling form from their perspective.

They pushed their legs to their absolute physical limits and burned through their stamina reserves.

They ran continuously across the unseen floorboards, yet the glowing hand never grew any larger in their vision. The spatial dimensions of the corrupted vault actively stretched and warped around them.

Every single step they took forward seemed to add another mile of empty space between them and the target.

A booming, disembodied voice suddenly echoed from every direction at once, causing the darkness itself to vibrate. "Mortals possess absolutely no right to step foot inside this domain. Only those carrying the true bloodline of Eden can bypass the seals of this vault."

Miro choked on her own spit as the glowing fingers crushed her windpipe. Black spots danced across her vision while she desperately kicked her legs against the empty void. She clawed at the massive thumb, desperately trying to pry it away from her crushing throat.

"I personally slaughtered every single royal heir bearing the Eden name," the booming voice continued, adopting an intrigued tone. "I ensured that the bloodline ended permanently centuries ago. Your presence inside this space implies a fascinating outcome. Has the corrupted Paladin finally been defeated?"

Miro lost all oxygen flow to her brain and instantly fell completely unconscious. Her arms dropped limply to her sides. The glowing hand loosened its grip and casually flicked its wrist.

The construct hurled her limp body away like discarded garbage, sending her tumbling violently across the black void.

Zoro tracked Miro’s tumbling form until the pitch-black void completely swallowed her. Before the mage could turn around or cast a defensive barrier, the brilliant light construct materialized directly behind his shoulders.

A single glowing finger curled backward and flicked forward to strike the base of his skull. The brutal impact shattered his consciousness instantly, sending his limp body crashing onto the unseen floorboards.

Then, the massive hand immediately shifted its spatial coordinates, manifesting right behind the royal swordsman to deliver another crushing blow.

Vlad twisted his spine and swung his silver blade in a vicious upward arc. The pristine metal slammed into the glowing palm, carving a deep gash straight through the construct of pure light.

The gigantic appendage recoiled from the sudden strike, retreating a few yards into the surrounding blackness. The disembodied voice echoed across the void, bouncing off the invisible boundaries of the domain.

"A sword user," the entity noted, shifting its pitch into a mocking drawl.

Vlad tightened his grip on his hilt and lowered his center of gravity. He scanned the empty darkness, entirely refusing to offer a verbal response.

Suddenly, the unseen speaker began to circle his position, projecting words from every possible direction to disorient the royal knight. "You swing a decent blade for a mere mortal trespassing in a divine realm. The heavens usually crush insects like you before they even draw their weapons. Your little trick with the silver steel will absolutely not save you from..."

The echoing monologue cut off completely, leaving a chilling quiet in the dark space. The original glowing hand emerged from the shadows again, accompanied by a second identical construct. The two massive appendages drifted together and slammed their palms against each other.

The thunderous clapping noise shook the invisible floor beneath Vlad’s boots.

"Fascinating," the voice boomed from the darkness. "I can actually smell the divine ichor pulsing through your veins. You carry a royal bloodline within you."

The clapping stopped as the twin constructs hovered closer to the silver armor.

"Tell me exactly which god you serve," the entity demanded. "If you happen to worship a deity I personally know, I might actually consider sparing your pathetic life."