Gather and Advance

"Are you sure this is the right place?"

Gazing at the mist before them, the male paladin questioned his companion in surprise. The female paladin beside him said nothing, merely nodding silently. The holy emblem of the Goddess of Dawn on her armor glowed faintly.

"The capital of the Magic Empire, the City of Ten Thousand Magics, its former pride."

A slender, tall elf walked past them, gazing at the ruins before them with reverence and respect.

"That was once our reality, but now it has become our dream."

An exquisite, ornate priest's robe enveloped the elf's slender figure. Embroidered on it was a maiden drawing a bow, seemingly aiming at something.

"Human, beanpole, I don't know what you two think."

Shaking his great beard, the dwarf brandished his battle-axe, his voice rumbling like stones crashing together.

"All I know is that the great God of Dwarves has given me an order, and I intend to carry it out!!"

"Please don't get worked up, King Badel."

The shadows twisted, and the faint outline of a half-elf emerged from them. He gently brushed a hand over the black mark on his chest before continuing unhurriedly.

"Since we're advancing toward the same goal, naturally there's no reason to leave halfway. But I believe you're all well aware that the magic barrier cast by the Arcane Mages isn't something we can contend with. Therefore, we need someone else's assistance."

The half-elf paused briefly and turned his gaze toward the golden-haired woman floating nearby, flapping her two wings.

"Our powers won't be of much use here."

"Then we'll have to rely on that little missy!!"

The orc panted heavily, though whether from altitude sickness or a fear of heights was unclear.

"Hiss..."

Black wings spread with a soul-stirring intake of breath, revealing their owner's flawless body. The elf and the angel both looked somewhat displeased at the gesture, but the young woman at the center of everyone's attention stood proudly and calmly, like a model on a runway. Yet a trace of resentment showed in her serpentine eyes.

"I smell someone I really hate. My companions, although we worship different gods and belong to different races, I think we all know very well that, in the outside world, we've always been targets of attack. You must also know how much effort it took and how many hardships we endured to reach this once-perfect city... Although I don't know your true intentions, I think there seems to be an enemy of us all inside now."

"That's right."

The angel nodded lightly in agreement with the succubus, then drew a spear and swept it through the air. At once, a brilliant halo enveloped everyone, keeping the mist with its terrifying magic at bay.

"Let's go."

The female paladin lightly tapped the holy emblem of the Goddess of Dawn on her chest again, as though it could give her courage and unwavering faith. Then she raised her head and walked forward.

The city, which had slept for a thousand years and long since died, welcomed another group of visitors.

Their companion's disappearance had clearly dealt everyone a heavy blow. Duncan's face was grim, though he said nothing. But anyone could see that he was furious and blamed himself. Angela was equally displeased-especially when she learned that she hadn't taken part in such an entertaining game as luring a paladin into corruption and despair.

"Aren't you working on an even more wonderful plan?"

Having finally managed to steer the conversation away from Angela's complaints, Li Lin immediately asked her a question of his own.

"How is it going?"

"Quite smoothly."

In response to Li Lin's question, Angela licked her lips.

"That woman's inner world is just like a completely naked virgin, with no defenses whatsoever. She even fell for my suggestion so easily... In a little while, she'll be completely subservient at Master's feet."

"Work faster."

Li Lin studied the map in his hands and didn't seem inclined to object.

From the looks of things, these people's destination seemed to be the Summoning Hall, the only place where the Magic Empire dealt with the gods. Since the gods couldn't appear on the Prime Material Plane at will, the Magic Empire's mages had built the Summoning Hall especially for them. Here, the gods could appear more easily, allowing them to discuss deals, exchanges, and even hold meetings with the mages.

Of course, the entire Summoning Hall was designed to strictly restrict the gods' powers. After all, meetings between gods were quite likely to be hostile, especially when their divine domains and factions differed. Giving them a place to meet didn't mean the Arcane Mages wanted them to turn it into an arena for settling divine grudges—if they wanted to fight, they could go to the Divine Realm and fight all they liked.

If that was their destination, what were they going there to do?

Li Lin gazed at the magical symbol on the map that represented the Summoning Hall. The Arcane Mages of the ancient Magic Empire could even use such symbols to teleport directly to their destinations; they had been specifically depicted on the map for more than symbolic purposes. The Magic Empire's technology exceeded what many could imagine, but Li Lin had to admit that even these mages hadn't possessed enough creativity to make things like the spaceships on Earth.

Although the Summoning Hall made it easier to summon gods, doing so was utterly impossible without the help of a mage fluent in the Magic Empire Language.

Unless those people from the temples had found another equally effective method.

Li Lin stopped.

He glanced back in the direction he had come from, then smiled faintly.

No one noticed what Li Lin had done.

The endless mist continued to drift past the group. Fina was no longer resting in the carriage; by now, she had somewhat lost track of time. For reasons she couldn't divulge, she had chosen to leave the carriage and get some air. Though the choice was, in a sense, extremely foolish and dangerous, Fina couldn't bring herself to consider those potential implications. Her mind was full of the dream she had had the night before-Angela, completely naked in her arms, her bare, slender, petite body heartbreakingly beautiful. Fina had been so absorbed in their pleasure that, even when she woke and found Angela sleeping in her embrace, she couldn't help feeling an urge to continue what they had been doing in the dream. If Mina hadn't been beside them at the time, Fina could hardly have been sure she could suppress that urge.

What's wrong with me?

She searched her heart, but found no answer.

I'm a priest of the God of Justice. Why would I have such wicked thoughts?

Clutching the holy emblem in her hand, Fina cast the thought aside, but the sensation against her fingers involuntarily brought back memories of what had happened a few days before. The young woman had tasted such thrilling and unforgettable pleasure for the first time, and the act that had seemingly made her forget everything and lose herself in it had left Fina somewhat unable to stop. She subconsciously felt that such behavior was wrong, yet she couldn't stop herself. Ever since that night, whenever Fina closed her eyes, she could feel her body longing for satisfaction and caresses. Each time she faced that temptation, she began by praying to the God of Justice, only to end in exhilarating pleasure.

Am I really a priest who believes in the God of Justice? Or was I never suited to being one in the first place?

Fina was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the knights ahead had stopped. She walked a few more steps before realizing something was wrong and stopping.

"Mr. Li Lin."

Duncan looked at the magnificent sculpture before him-half of it had been destroyed, and the remaining half had long since been covered in dust. The entrance was buried, leaving no way in. Judging by the debris piled over it, even eight or ten years of digging might not be enough to clear a path.

"Where should we go next?"

"Turn right."

Li Lin tilted his head up slightly and pointed to the path beside them.

"We can only try this route."

Duncan shook his head. Compared with his previous expeditions, this one had clearly gone much more smoothly. Apart from the Abomination, only the occasional zombie had caused them trouble in the vast ruins, and even the banshees they had encountered before were nowhere to be seen. Of course, the disappearance of one of the paladins in the group was also a tremendous loss. Even on Duncan's previous expeditions, they had never lost someone so completely without anyone noticing.

Perhaps it was some newly appeared undead monster, and this time they had already ventured too deep.

After a short rest, everyone set out again, and Fina once more took over control of the halo from her older sister. Although they were ascetic priests, the tedious, monotonous task still left Fina somewhat tired. Mina was evidently the same. After dismissing the divine spell in her hands, she hastily ate a few bites of dry rations and fell asleep. Clearly, in a world of death where they couldn't even sense time passing and the road seemed endless, exhaustion seeped in more easily than ever.

"Fina, are you tired?"

While Fina was concentrating on maintaining the halo, Angela, sitting off to one side, suddenly asked.

"A little, I suppose..."

Though Fina answered Angela's question, she didn't dare look at her any longer than necessary, seemingly afraid that those improper desires would rise up in her again.

"Then let Angela teach you a game that won't be boring."

With that, Angela sat down beside Fina, reached out both hands toward her body, and slowly rose using her for support. Although Fina tried to push Angela away, those nimble little hands left her unable to resist. Soon, Angela was level with her, facing her. Gazing at that lovely, beautiful face with its eyes closed, Fina felt her heart begin to pound uncontrollably, as though she were anticipating something.

"Look at Angela, Fina..."

Angela's voice was clear and sweet. Then she opened her eyes.

Scarlet light reflected in the young woman's eyes. Soon, Fina's eyes grew dull and lifeless, and she stared blankly at Angela, as though she had become Angela's puppet.

"Fina, do you like Angela?"

"I do..."

"Then will you do what Angela asks?"

"I will..."

Fina now seemed to be in a dreamlike state, unable even to gather her will.

"Then..."

Angela leaned close to Angela's ear and whispered, her voice carrying sweet temptation and devilish charm.

"Be Angela's slave, Fina..."