After attending the clandestine meeting of the Slane Theocracy and witnessing the grim outlook of humanity's top brass, EeDechi's conviction was reaffirmed: only she could face Ainz Ooal Gown in battle. Dragging others into the fray would only spill more innocent blood for nothing.
But she needed stronger gear, and that was why she was carrying out this plan tonight.
A half-crescent moon lay buried behind thick clouds, the night sky dead and dim, without a single star's glimmer.
Three bold thieves, faces masked in black cloth and clad in pitch-dark stealth gear, slipped past the round-the-clock guards, disarmed touchy detection spells, and scaled a towering wall studded with steel spikes. At last, they reached a hidden passage leading underground.
Slipping through a fence of iron spears, the passage was concealed inside an unremarkable stone shack.
Compared to the grand, towering cathedrals around it, the shack was practically invisible. If EeDechi hadn't been guided here by Alphonse himself, even her sharp instincts would've pegged the heavily fortified cathedral as the place hiding the real treasure.
The Slane Theocracy's defenses were no joke—airtight surveillance spells and concealed traps formed an invisible, thorned wall.
But with Franco, the (self-proclaimed) legendary mage beloved by the goddess of magic, Barrett, a seasoned adventurer moonlighting as an explorer and tomb raider, and EeDechi's knack for cracking locks with brute force, the trio breezed through.
In the long, stone-hewn tunnel, the three adventurers descended a staircase, only to stop short at a blank stone wall.
"Something's off," Franco said, tapping the wall lightly with his staff. After a moment's thought, he added, "This defensive spell's been tampered with. Someone's forced the 'door' open with a sloppy trick and tried to cover their tracks. But to me, it's as obvious as a bad lie."
Franco muttered a spell, and the heavy stone door inched open. Barrett gripped a crystal lantern, its dazzling beam slicing through the darkness, revealing a descending staircase.
The trio filed in, stepping cautiously down the stone steps into the depths. Barrett suddenly halted and snuffed out the lantern.
"Stay sharp. There might be guards," Barrett whispered. If anyone was stationed here, they'd be among the Theocracy's elite.
The space plunged into absolute darkness, save for a faint yellowish glow flickering on the walls far down the passage.
A spark of excitement flickered in EeDechi's chest. Alphonse had told her this place held the God of Death Surshana's most prized possession. The Slane Theocracy's histories recorded that before facing the Eight Greed Kings alone, Surshana had ordered this item be safeguarded at all costs.
The three masked adventurers, cloaked in black, moved like prowling cats, creeping toward the passage's depths.
After rounding a couple of corners, their view opened up. The trio slipped forward cautiously, bright magical light illuminating everything with stark clarity. Before them sprawled a vast temple.
It was hard to believe that after navigating a long, narrow underground tunnel, such an immense space could exist below ground. The four walls were seamless magical steel, etched with defensive spell arrays, while a dozen massive stone pillars, thick enough for two to embrace, propped up a golden dome.
At the temple's center, dominating the scene, sat a colossal disc-shaped object. The flattened cylinder was encrusted with precious gems.
Barrett squinted, picking out details: magic crystals as big as millstones, dozens of pounds of rubies, black crystals pulsing with raw magic, glowing red dragonstones… and countless other rare materials he couldn't even name.
These treasures, which could fetch a fortune on the market and spark a frenzy among mages, were stacked together in a bizarre formation, creating the massive flattened cylinder before them.
Within the cylinder, dazzling light flowed like schools of fish, a mesmerizing dance of colors. It signaled intricate magical circuits weaving through it, with immense arcane power surging like an ocean before a tidal wave, barely contained.
"Looks like an altar. Franco, what's your take?" Barrett edged closer to the cylinder, feeling like a puny ant beside a giant's war drum.
"It is an altar," Franco said, his face unusually grim. He cast a flight spell, hovering above the structure to study its magical patterns.
"What's it for?" EeDechi ran her palm over the altar's surface. It was cool to the touch, but she could feel a massive power brewing inside. The magic pulsed rhythmically, like the steady beat of a dragon's mighty heart.
"From what I know about magic, this is a resurrection altar," Franco said, descending slowly. He marveled, "Even I can't help but be impressed by its scale. This has to be a magical altar built with the full might of the Slane Theocracy."
"But," Franco's tone shifted, "there's a flaw in its design. It looks flawless on the surface, but when the arcane ripples start vibrating, the black crystal resonance chamber can't hit the right energy threshold. The magic flow doesn't sync properly, so it can't build up to its full potential…"
EeDechi and Barrett exchanged blank looks as Franco rambled on. Sure, Franco was usually a bit of a sleaze, always thinking with his lower half, but his mastery of magic was undeniable. If he said the altar had a problem, it was probably a damn big one.
"Is this really what the God of Death Surshana valued most?" EeDechi wondered, frowning. The magical altar bore no marks of history—everything about it looked brand spanking new.
"Shh…" Barrett suddenly pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
The trio snapped back to reality, their awe at the massive altar making them forget they were infiltrators. A structure built with the Slane Theocracy's full might wouldn't be left unguarded—that just didn't add up.
After a tense silence, a low, droning hum reached their ears, so faint it could've been mistaken for a mosquito's buzz if they weren't paying attention. Barrett flashed a tactical hand signal common among adventurers, and the three crept cautiously toward the sound.
The humming came from behind a pile of obsidian scraps. The vast temple was littered with gemstone materials, as if the altar's construction wasn't even finished.
When Barrett was five or six steps from the obsidian pile, a figure lunged out from behind it. It was a portly man draped in the Slane Theocracy's red holy robes—likely a cardinal.
EeDechi recognized him. His name was Josiah Carey, a cardinal archbishop. She'd seen him before, fuming after being denied entry to the Theocracy's high-level secret meeting. In front of Alphonse, he'd lashed out, cursing Daniel for his "impure faith" and snarling that Daniel would be the first to swing from the gallows when the great judgment came.
EeDechi didn't care for the guy. Sure, Daniel's faith was shaky, but it wasn't this jerk's place to point fingers.
EeDechi was stunned to see this man guarding the altar. She distinctly remembered that only the six Divine Commandants were allowed access to the altar, and Josiah's rank shouldn't have cut it.
Josiah Carey's eyes betrayed his fear as he faced the three masked, black-clad intruders glaring at him. He tried to stay composed, straightening his ornate red robes and clearing his throat, forcing an authoritative tone. "Do you have any idea what you're doing? This is sacred ground of the Slane Theocracy! Trespassing here violates twelve ironclad laws of the penal code. I'm warning you—leave now while you still can. One press of this communication crystal, and the Six Scriptures will teleport here to back me up!"
EeDechi and Barrett stifled smirks. It was obvious Josiah was all bark and no bite. EeDechi signaled to Barrett and Franco to take him alive—no killing. After all, they were the ones who'd broken into the Theocracy's forbidden zone, and a body count would put them in the wrong.
The trio took another step forward. Josiah yanked a golden staff from his spatial ring, slamming it into the ground and bellowing, "You think I'm scared of you three lowlife thieves? You scum—I'll guard this temple with my life if I have to!"
He said that, but his left hand was subtly tracing a spell. Franco narrowed his eyes, recognizing that the cardinal archbishop was prepping a teleportation spell to bolt. Too bad for him—the temple's walls were etched with runes that blocked spatial magic, so his escape plan was likely a bust.
"Heh heh heh…" A chilling laugh echoed through the temple. EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco froze, scanning their surroundings warily.
That cold, melodic laugh didn't come from any of them or Josiah. It came from the temple's domed ceiling.
They looked up. Floating in midair was a brass candelabrum, and atop it stood a girl wielding a massive scythe. Her hair was a striking mix of black and white, and she gazed down with eyes as cold as ice. The girl spoke softly, her cross-shaped scythe pointed straight at the cardinal archbishop.
"Josiah Carey, why are you here?"