About half an hour after the two of them had left...
On the desolate Black Cave Plains, at the entrance to the underground cavern where Liao Ji and Irin had emerged not long ago, space suddenly twisted violently.
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The surroundings seemed to be stained a strange dark red. The color flowed through the air like liquid, growing viscous at an astonishing speed.
Only one kind of power could produce such an effect.
Corrupt Calamity.
And judging by the commotion, its concentration was certainly no low-grade threat—at least a "B-rank" corruption.
At last, when the entire area was filled and shrouded in dark red, the spatial fluctuations seemed to reach their peak. The next moment, the viscous liquid darkened and solidified completely, taking the shape of three people.
They wore religious vestments, predominantly pure ivory white. Yet their head coverings, which concealed their long hair, were pitch-black, as were the thigh-high stockings revealed by the slits on either side of their dresses.
Each wore a cross pendant at her chest. Their distinctive attire made their identities easy to discern.
Nuns of the Church.
The tallest nun, who led the group, wore a blindfold over her eyes. At that moment, however, faint traces of blood seeped through it from within.
She seemed utterly drained. As soon as she took form, she dropped to one knee and gasped for breath. The skin exposed beneath her habit bore dark red markings like those on Irin, the telltale sign of Corrupt Calamity.
There was no doubt that this nun was also a Corrupted.
The strange phenomenon and the three women's sudden appearance suggested that they had used a teleportation-type ability or a Corrupt Calamity item. The distance they had traveled was certainly considerable.
But unlike Irin,
After she had invoked the power of Corrupt Calamity, dark red markings now covered nearly the nun's entire body. Like the roots of an ancient tree spreading underground, they extended wildly without restraint, as if greedily draining the body of its nourishment. The sight was especially horrifying.
Fortunately, the crosses on the nuns' chests began to shine with pure white light. Beneath its glow, the dark red markings covering the lead nun gradually receded, then sank back into her body and vanished completely.
"Archbishop Maria!" the two nuns behind her hurried forward to support her.
The blindfolded nun, Maria, waved them off to show she was all right. Then she slowly got to her feet and surveyed the area. At last, her gaze settled on the cavern entrance. The cross at her chest flashed with unusual intensity.
"Come. The place the Saintess guided us to is down there."
Maria led the way into the cavern. The two nuns behind her exchanged glances, each seeing the other's confusion.
After all,
they had gone to such lengths, even using an "A-rank" Corrupt Calamity item sealed in the underground confinement chamber at the very heart of the Church, only to end up in a desolate wilderness like this?
Still, they couldn't afford to let their bewilderment distract them. They hurried after Archbishop Maria, tense and apprehensive.
There was only one reason.
The Saintess had guided them here!
Ever since Saintess Stia, who had founded the Holy Kingdom and the Church three hundred years ago, announced that she was entering the Confession Room, she had rarely appeared in the world. As time went on, even word from her grew scarce, leaving her faithful followers deeply worried.
Now the Saintess had reached out to them of her own accord and issued a divine mission. How could they not be thrilled? Even Archbishop Maria herself, the Church's highest-ranking prelate, had come in person.
Had the Saintess not specifically instructed them to set out at once and keep the mission secret at the highest level, they were certain the Church's Crusader Army would have surrounded the entire Black Cave Plains within half a day.
They traveled in silence, the three nuns moving quietly through the dim, winding tunnels. They needed neither torches nor maps. The glowing holy crosses at their chests served as both light and guide.
At last.
"This is the place." Archbishop Maria stopped at the front of the group.
Even the tall, blindfolded nun seemed a little nervous. The cross at her chest was shining at full strength, and it seemed to vibrate faintly toward a spot ahead.
And there,
following her gaze, was a vast hole where the floor had collapsed.
As the three cautiously approached the edge, the first thing they noticed was the strong smell of burning rising from below.
Maria led the way without hesitation and leaped down.
She had not become an archbishop through faith alone; she was also a powerful Corrupted with formidable strength.
The moment she landed, Maria frowned at the devastation around her, which looked like the aftermath of a fire.
The place seemed to be a hidden chamber, judging by its structure. Unfortunately, nearly everything inside had burned to ashes, leaving little useful information.
Maria lightly brushed some ash from the wall with her fingers. Judging by its warmth, the fire in the chamber had gone out only recently. As for what had caused it—
"Archbishop, there are a lot of bodies over here!" The other two nuns leaped down after her with ease. Their movements made it clear that they, too, were Corrupted.
The three found several charred bodies, burned beyond recognition. Even so, their general shapes suggested they were human and kobold.
The outline of the whole incident was now more or less clear.
A group of human adventurers had probably discovered this underground chamber by chance. But before they could get away, they had been attacked by the cavern's native monsters, the kobolds. Judging by the result,
the adventurers had likely fought the monsters to the death, but were ultimately wiped out. Sparks from the battle had set the chamber ablaze, leaving it in its current state.
Then why had the Saintess guided them here in such a hurry?
A fire could conceal many traces, but not the faint aura of Corrupt Calamity lingering in the air. Maria had sensed it the moment she jumped down.
So,
could this chamber be more than an ordinary Great Emperor's treasure? Could it be a truly valuable inheritance from the legends?
Maria had reached that thought, and the other two nuns had too.
They immediately exchanged glances. Their hearts pounded fiercely in their chests.
Now everything made sense.
Indeed, in this world, only the Great Emperor could matter enough for the Saintess to take such an interest, right?
"Archbishop, what should we do now—"
"Don't rush. Let's keep searching—" Maria continued deeper into the chamber as she spoke.
But she never expected that her words would be cut short. As she moved, a seemingly ordinary stone coffin came into view.
In an instant, the Church cross at Maria's chest reacted as if struck by something powerful, erupting in a dazzling white light as bright as day.
Along with it came a terrifying presence that made their hearts tremble.
As the three nuns stared in shock and disbelief, a holy figure began to take shape in the dazzling light inside the chamber—just as the three of them had appeared out of nowhere on the Black Cave Plains.
Though it was only a hazy image,
they could still make out long, sea-blue hair falling over her shoulders, partly hidden beneath the hood of her flowing robe. The crossover neckline of her blouse framed a full, rounded bust, while an elegant ribbon bearing sacred patterns cinched her slender waist. Her fitted dress opened from the middle toward either side, revealing long, straight legs clad in pure white stockings.
It was easy to see that the Church's nun's habit had been designed as a copy of the fantastical figure before them.
The white light finally began to fade, but Maria was already drenched in sweat.
Her gaze was excited and trembling, and she hardly dared look directly. The three nuns had already bowed their heads in reverence, yet Archbishop Maria still couldn't help stealing glances at the new figure in the chamber.
A smooth forehead, long lashes, clear, bright sea-blue eyes, and a swanlike, pale neck.
Her flawless features held a breathtaking beauty. A small, delicate nose and softly pursed cherry-red lips lent her beauty an endearing quality.
Even Maria, a woman herself, felt her cheeks grow hot. Her eyes brimmed with adoration.
After all, this was the most perfect person in the world, in her heart—and the one faith she would never abandon.
Their Saintess.
Stia.
"Sa-Saintess..." Maria stammered, so nervous and overcome with emotion that she could barely speak.
She had never dreamed the Saintess would appear here in person. Even if this was only an illusory avatar, it was her first appearance in a hundred years.
However,
the dreamlike figure of Stia did not respond to the three most devoted nuns behind her.
Or rather,
in the eyes of the Saintess's apparition, in her entire world at that moment, only one thing remained.
The stone coffin.
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