The announcement echoed through the mansion's speakers, cold and final: "The Final Stage—The Taboo Round—is now commencing. Guests with Golden Clearances, please proceed to the Inner Sanctum."
Ethan stood up, the iron leash of Axhel rattling as the broken man scrambled to follow. He made his way toward the deepest part of the estate, where the atmosphere shifted from luxury to militaristic dread.
The entrance to the Inner Sanctum was a choke point of absolute security. Hundreds of guards lined the corridors. Some were modern tactical units equipped with high-caliber rifles and thermal optics, but they were merely the outer shell. Standing directly at the reinforced double doors were men who looked like they had stepped out of a dark history book—warriors clad in polished steel plate armor that shimmered with runic light, wielding massive, gleaming broadswords. They weren't just security; they were the House's elite guard.
