Chapter 20 · The Gatekeeper's Gambit - Chapter 20: Put the Keeper on Trial

Mo Han didn't get to enjoy the shock on Su Jin's face for long.

The moment the black fire left his palm, the judgment chamber's walls started screaming. Not metaphorically. The stone itself let out a high-pitched wail that made his teeth ache, and every seal carved into the floor lit up red.

Red meant violation. Red meant the Spire thought someone was cheating.

"What did you do?" Su Jin backed up against the far wall, her own flames still crackling around her fists. She looked ready to bolt, but the door had already sealed itself. Classic Spire move. Lock everyone in until it figured out who to punish.

Mo Han clenched his hand, snuffing out the black fire before it could spread. "I told you. I found a loophole."

"That's not a loophole!" Her voice cracked. "That's core-level authority. That fire doesn't exist anymore. The records said the old Keeper line died out two hundred years ago."

"Yeah, well." He shrugged, keeping his tone light even though his heart was pounding. "Records lie."

The floor beneath them started to glow brighter. Mo Han recognized the pattern.