“What kind of joke is this? Open the gates right now and let us out! Do you even know who I am?”
A nobleman dressed in opulent finery jabbed his finger at the Abyssal Eye members atop the walls, his fury palpable.
Even in a situation like this, he still carried himself with haughty arrogance.
“Father, isn’t he…?” Lucy recognized the noble at once.
“I remember him. He’s a family member of Kaiso Julius, the Third Prince of the Saint Luo Empire,” Ole replied.
The Third Prince of the Saint Luo Empire—one of the hottest contenders for the throne right now. With ties like that, this noble was practically imperial royalty, free to strut around as he pleased without consequence.
“Pathetic. I don’t give a damn who you are.”
Cora eyed the bellowing noble with utter disdain.
She let out a mocking laugh and raised her hand.
In the next instant, a terrifying silhouette leaped from behind this elite Abyssal Eye member, crashing down onto the ground.
It was a magical beast corrupted by abyssal aura.
“You—you wouldn’t dare! If you lay a finger on me, His Highness the Third Prince will never forgive— Aaaargh!!!”
The noble’s scream tore through the air as the beast clamped down on his neck, snapping it clean.
Under everyone’s horrified gazes, the abyssal aura invaded his body.
Ordinary humans could barely withstand such erosion. In moments, he lost his life, his corpse flung aside like rotting refuse.
Not even a full minute had passed. An imperial relative of the Saint Luo Empire, slain mercilessly by the beast all the same.
“What a worthless sack of meat. Couldn’t even endure a second of abyssal aura?”
Cora sneered.
Her gaze shifted to the others, turning icy cold.
In the eyes of the demonized, these ordinary humans—too frail to accept abyssal aura—weren’t even kin.
Only those who passed the abyss’s trial, like her, becoming demonized themselves, earned the right to join Abyssal Eye, to embrace the abyss, and receive the Abyss God’s blessings.
“Evil demonized scum! What the hell do you want?!”
A soldier of the Saint Luo Empire bellowed the question at Cora.
Cora raised her hand, signaling to the other Abyssal Eye members.
Then, countless beasts appeared along the walls, glaring down hungrily at the humans below.
…I can’t—we can’t stay here! Daughter, let’s go!”
Ole made the call in an instant. He’d already pieced together what Kado City had become.
The demonized had seized total control, turning it into a massive cage.
“Father, where can we even go?”
“I don’t know. Anywhere but here. We have to dodge those monsters!”
Ole bolted toward the rear.
Lucy didn’t dare press further. She hurried after her father.
“Run all you like. You won’t escape this place.”
As Cora swung her hand down, the abyss-corrupted beasts surged forth in a frenzy, unleashing indiscriminate slaughter on everyone in Kado City.
No matter their status, wealth, or bloodline.
All would perish under the beasts’ claws—save for rare exceptions like Cora, who qualified to survive and become demonized.
Pleas for mercy, agonized howls, and sobs turned the area into a living hell.
The Abyssal Eye members watched the carnage without a shred of guilt. If anything, they reveled in the bloody spectacle.
“Zak, can you hear it? This is true music—the wails of these ignorant fools, a thousand times sweeter than any maestro’s symphony~”
Cora’s face twisted in rapture.
“This is what gets you excited, Cora? You’re too easily pleased.”
Zak shot back.
“So, Zak, what’s your plan?”
“Head to Kado City’s square. The Holy Land’s holding the Saint Prayer ceremony there. The saintess candidates will be present.”
“I know, but the abyssal beast is in the square too.”
Cora had her reservations about the abyssal beast.
It was a key asset provided by the bishop for this operation, but unlike the corrupted beasts, it wasn’t easy to control—a blunt instrument of mass destruction.
Even Abyssal Eye members could fall victim if they got caught in its rampage; it struck without mercy.
“No matter the risk, I will kill those saintess candidates!” Zak’s resolve burned fierce. He’d made up his mind.
“Zak, I remember how it was with you before…”
Cora recalled Zak’s past and understood the depth of his obsession.
She gave her nod to his plan. After all, the bishop’s orders made eliminating the saintess candidates the top priority.
“Fine, then. Go to the square. To cover all bases, we’ll move out too—hunt the saintess candidates from the outskirts!”
“Where… is this?”
Via peered into the pitch-black surroundings, her brow furrowing.
The abyssal beast’s rampage had obliterated Kado City’s square, sending countless people tumbling into the cavern below.
She never imagined a place like this lurked beneath the city.
“If I’ve fallen this far, how am I supposed to get back up?”
Via sighed in frustration.
She and Sophie had separated mid-fall, landing in different spots.
Down here in the underground cavern, visibility was zero. No way to tell directions apart. She’d wandered for a while now, but no sign of an exit.
She pulled out her Holy Land communication device, hoping to reach other clerics, but the signal was jammed by intense interference—total radio silence.
Was she reduced to groping around in the dark, relying on dumb luck to reach the surface?
“What a slog, but for now, it might be my only option.”
“Via!!”
“Huh?”
Via froze at the familiar voice.
She whipped around, staring into the gloom behind her.
In the darkness, faint golden lights flickered, illuminating the anxious face of a red-haired girl.
It was Sophie.
“Via, thank goodness—you’re here!”
Sophie rushed forward and threw her arms around her sister.
“You’re alive! That’s all that matters!”
“Sis, how did you find me?”
Via blinked in surprise.
They’d only been apart a short while. In this labyrinthine underground cavern, what method had Sophie used to pinpoint her location so precisely?
“I… used a sacred art to locate you,” Sophie replied, her words evasive.
A sacred art?
That didn’t add up.
To lock onto someone’s exact position in conditions this extreme—without a single margin for error.
Did such a sacred art even exist?
Via had never heard of one. If it did, the Holy Land would’ve rolled it out ages ago.
Something’s off.
Via’s mind raced.
She’d picked up on suspicious tells from Sophie.
Her sister was definitely hiding something from her.