Ella Enters the Game

Illumi stood in the passage outside the altar.

He glanced down at the Mechanical Spider fragments inside the folder. They had now formed a complete map.

Within the altar area, the sounds of machinery had begun to grow denser.

The gray-robed technicians hurried around the control consoles. Some carried reagents, some checked serial numbers, while others constantly confirmed surface updates with the silver-robed bishop.

"Has Number Fifteen been recovered?"

"She's still on the way. The surface team says her condition is unstable."

"Her palms are bleeding, the abdominal reaction has weakened, and the Holy Stone fragment was destroyed."

"Destroyed? Who destroyed it?"

"He's still alive?"

That question silenced several people nearby.

As Illumi passed by with the folder in his arms, he paused for half a step when he heard it.

Milluki lowered his voice through the earpiece.

"Big Brother, don't listen to them talk about Bai Zhu. He's only taking two more breaths than a corpse right now."

Illumi replied calmly, "Can he still serve as bait?"

Milluki: "..."

Milluki held it in for two seconds.

"You two really ought to fight each other."

Illumi did not respond.

He passed a row of reagent carts and reached the edge of the altar area.

The Black Crystal Mother Stone at the center had already been connected to a second set of tubes.

Each time another tube was connected, one of the women in the glass compartments nearby would twitch. Some had awakened, their mouths cinched shut by straps, leaving them able to make only muffled sounds.

The gray-robed technicians did not even look at them.

"Connect Number Seven."

"Connect Number Ten."

"Number Twelve's mental fluctuations have shattered."

"Connect her anyway. The elder said we aren't waiting this time."

Illumi relayed every word back.

At the hotel, Milluki stared at the screen, his expression growing uglier by the second.

"These animals really are using people as batteries."

A burst of suppressed coughing came from Bai Zhu's side.

"Don't insult batteries. At least batteries come from legitimate manufacturers."

Milluki immediately started swearing.

"Shut up! I told you not to talk—save your blood!"

Bai Zhu leaned against the collapsed shack in the back alley, clutching a packet of hemostatic medicine Milluki had sent him.

A Mechanical Spider crouched beside his shoulder, its abdomen extending a fine needle and a medicine pouch.

He stared at the needle and fell silent for two seconds.

"Milluki."

"What?"

"Was this needle sterilized?"

"Do you still have the right to be picky?"

"I'm merely expressing reasonable concern about your medical hygiene standards."

"Relax. The odds of it poisoning you to death are lower than the odds of you getting yourself killed."

Resigned, Bai Zhu held out his arm.

The Mechanical Spider drove the needle in.

"Hiss—why does getting an injection from your family feel like revenge?"

"Because I'm controlling it."

"How can you mix personal grudges with work? That's a violation of discipline."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Milluki could not be bothered with Bai Zhu anymore and switched his view back to Ella's line.

Outside the church's side entrance, the smoke had mostly dispersed.

The silver-robed bishop did not send anyone after Bai Zhu again.

He was afraid.

Afraid that the knife-wielding heretic had another blast of blue fire hidden away.

Even more afraid that if he pushed him too far, the other side would turn around and fight desperately, causing even greater destruction.

So he redirected all his anger at Ella.

But after the Black Crystal stretcher had been destroyed, escorting her away became troublesome as well.

Originally, they could have used a Holy Stone fragment to suppress the container's reaction before forcibly taking her away. Now, no one dared touch her carelessly.

More than a dozen black-robed deacons formed a semicircle.

The silver-robed bishop stood at the front. The cracks atop his silver staff had yet to be repaired, and the back of his hand was covered in blood.

A priest held a reagent and crouched before Ella, softening his voice as much as possible.

"Number Fifteen, don't be afraid."

Ella kept her head lowered. Her hands were held down, and the wounds on her palms had been roughly bandaged.

The priest continued coaxing her.

"The Holy Infant needs you. You're in great danger now. Come back underground with us, and the elder will protect you."

Ella took a few breaths and slowly raised her head.

"It needs me?"

The priest nodded at once.

"Yes. The Lord has chosen you. This is a blessing."

Ella looked at him.

"What about the women underground?"

The priest's expression froze.

Ella's voice was quiet, but every believer standing nearby heard her.

"Do their children need their mothers too?"

The surroundings abruptly grew much quieter.

A young believer had been holding a prayer plaque. Hearing that, his fingers loosened slightly.

Someone beside him muttered under their breath.

"Women underground?"

"What does that mean?"

"Wasn't Number Fifteen supposed to be the Holy Infant's only mother vessel?"

"She must have been corrupted by the heretics..."

The silver-robed bishop reacted quickly.

He stepped forward and slammed his silver staff directly into the snow before Ella.

"Shut up!"

Ella's shoulders trembled from the impact, but she did not lower her head.

The silver-robed bishop swept his gaze across the believers.

"She has been tainted by heretics and is using lies to shake your faith!"

He turned to the black-robed deacons, lowering his voice.

"Cover her mouth and send her back underground immediately."

The priest hesitated.

"Your Excellency, if she is too badly frightened, will the Holy Infant—"

"Do it!"

The silver-robed bishop suppressed his fury.

He understood far better than these lowly believers.

The underground "fuel" could not be exposed to the surface.

Not even a single sentence could be allowed to make them keep thinking.

Two deacons approached with restraints.

Ella did not struggle.

She merely looked at the silver-robed bishop and suddenly spoke.

"Take me to see your elder."

The silver-robed bishop paused.

He had thought she would cry, curse, or beg for mercy.

But Ella's obedience made him feel unexpectedly uneasy instead.

Ella continued.

"I want to ask him myself."

The silver-robed bishop stared at her for two seconds before finally sneering.

"Once you return to the altar, you will naturally see the elder."

The restraints were fastened around Ella's wrists.

One deacon tried to inspect her cloak.

Milluki's finger immediately pressed down on the backup Explosive Bug button.

"If you dare lift that, I'll turn you into ground decoration."

But just as the deacon touched the edge of the cloak, the silver-robed bishop cursed at him.

"Hurry up! The surface is chaotic enough already. Do you want Number Fifteen to face danger here too?"

The deacon quickly pulled his hand back.

The priest injected a reagent into Ella's arm.

The dose was not large.

But it was enough to rob Ella of the strength to resist.

She was supported by two people, her head bowed. The Mechanical Spider beneath her cloak clung tightly to the fabric without moving.

The backup spider by her boot had shrunk into the stitching.

No one checked.

No one dared delay.

The intimidation Bai Zhu had caused by burning through the Black Crystal fragments was still searing in everyone's minds.

The escort party quickly entered through the side door.

Milluki stared at the moving dot on the map and gritted his teeth.

"They're in. Big Brother, syncing the route."

A brief vibration came through Illumi's earpiece.

He raised a hand, closed the folder, and turned toward the side door of the reagent storage.

A deacon under his control had already opened it.

Inside, metal crates were piled high, their labels marked with various serial numbers.

Holy water.

Sedatives.

Labor-inducing reagents.

Mental stabilizing fluid.

And a row of small black bottles with no labels.

Illumi picked one up and gave it a shake.

"Milluki, check what this is."

Milluki quickly pulled up the records.

"The black bottles aren't registered in the standard inventory. Wait... I dug up an old record from the remaining underground data. It's called 'Choral Agent.'"

Leaning against the wall, Bai Zhu's brow twitched at the name.

"Choral Agent? Doesn't sound like anything decent."

Milluki spoke in a grave voice.

"It is used to stabilize infants after failed Holy Infant births. Note: it can enhance group mental synchronization. Side effects include cognitive decline, increased obedience, and shortened lifespan."

No one spoke through the earpieces.

After several seconds, Bai Zhu cursed.

"The children in that choir?"

Illumi put the black bottle back into the crate.

"Most likely."

The sound of Milluki typing grew heavier.

"I've basically pieced together the Sanctification Descent process. The core sacrifice enters the center of the altar. The numbered women and fetuses around it are connected to the Mother Stone. The elder uses the Mother Stone and the Black Crystal on his body as a guide, then finally makes the core sacrifice give birth to the so-called Holy Infant."

Bai Zhu caught his breath.

"Translate that into normal language."

Milluki's tone was terrible.

"They're going to use the lives of a bunch of pregnant women and children to forcibly hatch a monster."

Bai Zhu raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"So how do we stop it?"

Milluki did not answer immediately.

Illumi answered for him.

"Killing the elders might not stop it. The ritual's second phase is already connected to the Mother Stone. Forcibly killing them could trigger a self-destruct, killing everyone connected to it."

The more Bai Zhu listened, the more annoyed he became. He only felt that he was still too weak. If he could use Bankai, why the hell would he need to investigate? He could just end it with one slash.

Milluki took a breath.

"The safest method now is to stall the process before the core sacrifice is connected. In other words, after Ella is sent to the altar but before the binding is complete, make the system detect an anomaly."

Bai Zhu understood.

"Smash the equipment?"

"Smashing part of it won't be enough. The core area has to be thrown into chaos first."

Illumi looked toward the depths of the medicine storeroom.

There was a maintenance pipeline there that led directly to the altar's backup medicine pump.

The low-ranking steward under his control stood beside the pipeline valve, moving freely while waiting for his master's orders.

Illumi spoke.

"I'll throw the core area into chaos first."