Chapter 239: The gateway

The echoing cadence of footsteps reverberated through the narrow passage, steadily intensifying with each resolute stride. 

As Sato's determined journey brought him to a critical juncture, he paused, his breath momentarily suspended in anticipation. 

Positioned at the threshold of a diminutive corridor, two colossal statues stood sentinel on either side, their imposing visages seemingly etched from the very stone they guarded.

Sato's gaze fixed upon the statues, their stony countenances exuding an aura of unwavering vigilance. Intricately carved, their features were frozen in a perpetual watchfulness, as if they held the secrets of the passage within their unyielding statures. 

A sense of awe and reverence swept over Sato, compelling him to take a tentative step closer, his fingers instinctively tracing the fine lines and curves of the statues' intricate designs before he moved back again.