Chapter 84: Joint Operation

Chapter 84: Joint Operation

Backlund, North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.

The Church of Storms’ cardinal, Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese, Deep Blue Officiant Radar Valentine, descended from the wind and landed inside the spire on the left, the one with the great bell.

He wore a black robe embroidered with Storm symbols. His face was densely bearded, his hair short and upright, its color deep blue close to pure black.

This sturdy demigod cast his gaze to the other side and said to the figure who had long been waiting there,

“Horamick, do you know what this is about? Why did Anthony suddenly ask us to come here?”

The person he addressed wore white priestly robes and a soft clergy cap. His face was kind and his expression gentle. He was Horamick Haydn, a member of the Church of Steam’s Council of the Divine, Archbishop of the Backlund Diocese, a half-god, half-human existence.

Hearing Radar’s question, Horamick calmly replied,

“I did not arrive much earlier than you. In truth, I only left the laboratory a few minutes ago.”

He was not only a clergyman, but also a famous scientist and an honorary professor in the physics department of Backlund University.

Radar Valentine was about to say something more when he suddenly saw a figure climb the winding, narrow staircase and ascend the spire through the darkness that the crimson moon could not illuminate.

This figure wore black clerical robes tinged with red. Five dark sacred emblems hung on his chest. His face was clean and beardless, and his eyes were deep and tranquil. It was unmistakably Saint Anthony Stevenson, one of the thirteen archbishops of the Church of Evernight, head of the Backlund Diocese.

“Is there something you cannot wait until daybreak to discuss? Or does your Church of Evernight simply like discussing matters at night?” Deep Blue Officiant Radar Valentine spoke first.

Anthony finished climbing the steps and stopped there. With a solemn expression, he said,

“A very urgent matter.”

“What matter?” Radar asked.

At that moment, Horamick Haydn also turned his gaze to Anthony Stevenson, waiting for him to provide an answer.

In similar situations, Horamick particularly liked having members of the Church of Storms present. It meant they would take the initiative to ask bluntly, without euphemism, sparing him from needing to say anything.

Anthony looked at each of them in turn and said,

“It is related to the royal family. It is better for Madam Arianna to tell you.”

No sooner had his voice faded than, within the shadows nearby, a female figure wearing a simple robe, a bark belt, bare feet, and loose hair rapidly outlined itself.

Upon seeing this existence, Radar and Horamick immediately bowed.

“Good evening, Madam Arianna.”

Their expressions simultaneously turned solemn. They gained a deep understanding of the importance and critical nature of the matter tonight.

Something that required an angel walking upon the earth to appear could never be a small matter!

At the same time, they could not suppress a certain shock upon discovering that they had not known when the abbess of the Cloister of Evernight and servant of concealment, Madam Arianna, had arrived in Backlund.

Under ordinary circumstances, the three Churches, the royal family, and the military had a tacit understanding in this area: angels on earth and Grade 0 Sealed Artifacts would not appear in Backlund.

“Good evening, Archbishops.” Arianna returned the greeting without the slightest arrogance.

She then raised her right hand and lightly grabbed at the air.

A few glimmers of light bloomed, transforming within the darkness into scene after scene. It was the complete process of Arianna’s conversation with Qonas Kilgor.

It was as though a secret preserved for a long time had finally been displayed before others.

As he watched, Deep Blue Officiant Radar Valentine could not help saying,

“He has actually advanced to Sequence 4 and become a demigod.”

This archbishop knew Qonas Kilgor. He had originally believed the deputy director of MI9 was only Sequence 5 and relied on a Sealed Artifact with severe negative effects to possess demigod-level combat power. He had not expected that to be no more than a disguise.

The Church of Storms had greater influence over the military than the other two Churches did.

No one responded to Radar. Only after the secret had finished displaying did Horamick say,

“A secret ruin involving the Blood Emperor, together with a large number of people sent into it—no matter how one looks at these two things together, it cannot be anything good.”

“Indeed!” Radar agreed. “We go to that ruin now!”

Arianna looked around and said calmly,

“This concerns the royal family and involves the king. You had best obtain approval from your respective Holy Sees first.”

In this angel’s context, Holy See referred to the Church headquarters, the center of ecclesiastical authority.

“All right.” The two archbishops agreed without the slightest hesitation.

A while later, after receiving feedback, Deep Blue Bishop Radar Valentine and Horamick Haydn each carried a Sealed Artifact and, together with Anthony Stevenson and Arianna, arrived at the place where Qonas Kilgor had previously entered the Blood Emperor’s ruin.

Arianna immediately took out an iron-black crest engraved with complex symbols. Holding it in her hand, she attempted to activate it.

She made no disguise whatsoever and simply stood openly in place, seeming not at all worried that the guards inside the ruin would recognize her.

Watching this servant of concealment act, Horamick seemed to be considering something, while Radar’s face remained calm, as though he saw no problem.

Inside the underground ruin, above a strange metallic base, a deep-blue glow suddenly rose and formed a door.

The four guards wearing deep-black full-body armor immediately looked through the deep blue to examine the situation outside. They also prepared to use certain methods to confirm whether the one who had awakened the “teleportation door” was an impostor, so they could decide whether to open the “door.”

However, they saw nothing. The corresponding area was completely empty.

Just as intense unease and considerable doubt arose in their hearts, behind them, a figure rapidly outlined itself as though drawn into existence. It was Arianna, leader of the Church of Evernight’s ascetics, whose robe bore patched seams.

In an instant, the four guards fell asleep. Anthony, Radar, and Horamick then entered the underground ruin one after another.

They did not directly follow the road downward. Instead, they passed through the hall, floated into midair, and looked down at everything.

This was a world ruled by darkness. The faint light came from strange moss growing in different places and from the firelight shining from human buildings.

With that illumination, even Beyonders without dark vision could grasp the overall appearance of this enormous ruin.

On one side were gray stone cliffs that extended upward without end, seemingly connecting to the surface. On the other was a dark valley whose bottom could not be seen, like the abyssal dwelling place of demons. A road paved with stone slabs ran through both sides, connecting one hall after another and one building after another. Humans occasionally came and went, quiet and silent.

The archbishops of the three Churches were about to seize a few people who could enter deep into the underground ruin and ask them about the inner situation when they suddenly saw a figure fly out from the dark valley and head straight toward the demigods.

That figure had a rectangular face, wore a white wig, and had two small mustaches at the corners of his mouth that curled upward slightly at their ends. His brows were thick and his eyes large, giving him a certain resemblance to the figures on playing cards.

He wore formal attire, draped a cloak over himself, and had extremely long shoe tips. His clothing was disconnected from the present era, making him seem like someone who lived in the previous century.

The archbishops, Anthony and Horamick included, were not unfamiliar with him. They knew he was Prince of Sonia, Grove Augustus, one of the royal family’s demigods.

“How did you enter this place?” Grove asked first, his expression showing faint surprise and uncertainty.

After looking at one another, Anthony took the initiative to say,

“We have been investigating several mysterious disappearances involving large numbers of people. We locked onto Qonas Kilgor of MI9, and through him, found this place.”

Grove’s expression changed several times. He glanced at the woman who gave others a tranquil feeling, then asked after choosing his words,

“Madam Arianna?”

“Yes. I am responsible for those disappearance cases.” Arianna responded concisely.

Prince Grove revealed a bitter smile.

“We were too greedy. After discovering this ruin, we only thought of excavating it ourselves and harvesting the items within. To keep it secret, we even made certain contact with the Demoness Sect, using them to gather people to construct passages and conduct certain rituals.

“No, it is not what you are thinking. They are only normal rituals. Those people are still alive, deep within the ruin.

“If you do not believe me, I can lead you down to inspect it now. Aside from seals and buildings that have not yet been fully opened, there is nothing there.”

Hearing his answer, Anthony, Horamick, and Radar looked at one another. All saw doubt in each other’s eyes.

This was completely different from the reaction they had expected and the situation they had imagined!

It made them suspect that perhaps they had made a mistake, and that the matter was far less serious than they had believed.

At that moment, Arianna spoke:

“You also created the Great Smog.”

“No.” Prince Grove shook his head again. “That was the lesson learned from cooperating with the Demonesses. They actually attempted to control Edessak and, through him, seize the kingdom’s power. After we exposed them, they created the Great Smog. From then on, we broke off contact with them.”

At this point, he pointed below and said frankly,

“Would we do something like that merely to excavate a Blood Emperor ruin in secret?

“As long as you descend into the depths and carefully inspect the place, you will understand what I mean.

“Heh. Rest assured, with Madam Arianna here, no trap can imprison you. Besides, putting aside whether we have that ability, even if we could secretly bury you deep within the ruin, the Holy Sees would discover the problem. I do not believe you failed to report this matter to your respective Holy Sees before departing. If you do not return after a while, they will certainly have the proper response.”

Radar, Anthony, and the other demigods each considered this for a moment, then cast their gazes toward Arianna, who wore simple robes.

Arianna nodded calmly.

“All right.”

One angel and three Saints then followed Prince Grove into the depths of the underground ruin. There, they discovered an unexplored ruin hidden in the darkness, as well as men and women being taught to form different rituals. Everything was peaceful and orderly.

Arianna, Horamick, and the other demigods inspected different areas according to their own ideas, even leaving this place to check farther away, but they found nothing.

…

After receiving Arianna’s notification, Klein transformed Qonas Kilgor into one of the manor’s servants, making the deputy director of MI9 disappear from then on.

Then he did not rush to hold a sacrificial ritual to send this round’s harvest above the gray fog for study. Instead, he patiently waited until daybreak.