At this moment, a storm raged within the Fourth Seat’s heart. The bloody and blasphemous scene before him stood in stark contrast to the sacred church he knew.
‘What the hell is going on?!’
His mind was horrified. Beneath the sacred sanctuary that the world revered, there was actually… cannibalism?!
Despite the shock, the Fourth Seat’s rationality quickly overpowered his horror.
He was no messenger of justice, and Black Utopia itself was far from virtuous.
Whatever dark secrets the church hid had nothing to do with the purpose of his visit, nor did it directly conflict with the organization’s interests.
Better to avoid trouble. The priority was to confirm whether the scriptures were here. If not, he would withdraw immediately and report the situation to the Deputy.
As for the church’s affairs… others could worry about that.
With his mind made up, the Fourth Seat prepared to quietly retreat, no longer delving deeper into this tunnel that clearly concealed greater terror.
But just as he moved, intending to turn around—
crack
It was the faint sound of cervical bones turning.
The white-robed figure ahead of him, who had been facing away, stopped abruptly.
Then, that head twisted one hundred eighty degrees in an extremely rigid manner, staring directly into the shadows where the Fourth Seat was hiding!
The hood slipped off, revealing the horrifying face beneath.
That was no human face…
Its complexion was dark blue, skin stretched taut over bones, cheekbones and jaw protruding sharply. Within its eye sockets burned a faint green phosphorescence.
Its mouth and nose were twisted, revealing sharp fangs with shreds of flesh and blood caught between them. Small bumps dotted its forehead…
‘What the hell is it?!’
The Fourth Seat had traveled the continent for years and dealt with all kinds of magical creatures, but he had never seen anything so bizarre!
It was far from a common magical creature, and its aura was completely different from anything produced inside Black Utopia…
‘What is it?! And… it found me!’
Alarms blared in the Fourth Seat’s mind.
He was extremely confident in his shadow stealth. At the mid-seventh tier, combined with the characteristics of dark magic, even a peer would find it hard to detect him easily.
But this monster had locked onto him precisely at first sight.
There was no time to ponder the strangeness of it.
Because the moment that hideous face turned around, the monster let out a beastly growl.
Its previously stiff body suddenly erupted with speed that belied its form. Dropping to all fours like some deformed reptile, it charged at the Fourth Seat, carrying a thick stench of blood.
“You’re asking for death!”
The Fourth Seat’s eyes sharpened, killing intent surging.
Since he had been discovered and the enemy was clearly hostile, the only option was to clear the obstacle!
A complex crimson Array took shape almost instantaneously.
His black Wand traced a simple arc through the air. For a Seventh Tier Mage, casting Fifth Rank magic was nearly instantaneous.
Fifth Rank magic—Crimson Flame Storm!
BOOM!!
Violent Fire Magic converged, engulfing the white-robed monster mid-leap.
The high temperature distorted the air. The orange-red firelight illuminated the green-tinged tunnel.
Screams of agony came from within the flames. The pristine clerical robe quickly turned to ash.
Yet the Fourth Seat’s brow immediately furrowed.
As the fire faded, the monster was not burned to ashes.
Its exposed body was a pitch-black, tar-like color, clearly suffering from severe burns.
But it still stood. The ghostly green flames in its eyes danced wildly atop its charred head, locked onto the Fourth Seat.
‘Such high magic resistance and physical defense!’
The Fourth Seat was shocked.
To take a Fifth Rank fire spell head-on with no defensive magic, and though badly injured, far from fatal.
This monster’s body structure and material were definitely abnormal…
‘Can’t give it a chance to breathe!’
With extensive combat experience, the Fourth Seat immediately changed tactics.
The Wand moved again, and yellow earth mana flared.
Fifth Rank magic—Rock Lance Pierce!
From the stone floor of the tunnel, several sharp rock spears shot up, piercing the monster’s torso and limbs from multiple angles!
Instantly, the monster let out an even more miserable howl.
Its black body was impaled by the rock lances, pinned firmly to the ground and wall.
Its struggles weakened rapidly, eventually going limp, life force fading fast.
Seeing the target temporarily incapacitated, the Fourth Seat dared not relax; instead his expression grew more solemn.
The explosion of Crimson Flame Storm and the monster’s continuous screams had traveled far through the enclosed underground tunnel.
By now, it was highly likely that others in the church above had been alerted—possibly even more of these hidden “monsters” in this secret place.
Tonight’s operation could not continue.
The Fourth Seat made a snap decision: he must evacuate immediately.
He would report the strange findings here to the Deputy as soon as possible.
This had clearly gone beyond a simple “theft mission” and might involve something far more dangerous.
Having made up his mind, the Fourth Seat did not linger. He turned and prepared to retreat quickly along the path he had come.
But just as he took two steps—
Tap, tap, tap—
Clear and steady footsteps came from the direction of the staircase leading down behind him.
‘Who is it?!’
Meanwhile, Sefina had already shed her “Holmes” disguise and returned to her original small form with blue hair.
She sat in her chair, wine-red eyes fixed on Feliel.
The news the latter had just delivered wiped all relaxation from her face, replaced by a layer of palpable gloom.
Her voice was colder than usual:
“What did he tell you?”
Feliel seemed to have anticipated Sefina’s reaction.
She nodded and answered clearly:
“Yes. Just this evening, I received a secret communication from the Deputy. He informed me that the night after tomorrow, the organization will hold a collective meeting.”
Feliel paused, adding the most crucial point:
“Including… the Chief will be present.”
“A collective meeting?!”
Sefina’s brows instantly knitted tightly. Her wine-red pupils contracted slightly, a clear flash of surprise crossing her face.
A collective meeting…
As far as she could remember, Black Utopia had not held a collective meeting for a long time.
A meeting of this scale usually meant that extremely important matters required announcement and discussion.
“Did the Deputy reveal the specific content of the meeting? Or… any related signs?”
Sefina pressed, trying to get more information from Feliel.
Feliel shook her head, a helpless expression on her face:
“No.”
It seemed… the organization was indeed brewing something big lately.
A faint alarm rang in Sefina’s heart.
Regardless, this sudden collective meeting signaled that a storm might be coming.
And Sefina had to be prepared.
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