Day 12 - Evening.

The Blood Church’s expedition force in the heart of the Tomb was in their final stretch. Tens of array masters on each obelisk that served as the foundation of the sun-like seal. The number of practitioners on each side was not uniform or evenly divided. If anything, they were racing who would solve their ends first. The work they used was called the overlapping array procedure.

Despite the simple name, it was actually a revolutionary product borne out of years of research. The development began in Zetel, the forefront of magical matters in the continent. And that was only one of six major investments the Blood Church invested in so they had a shot for the Demon King's power.

The overlapping array procedure consists of two interlocking works. The obscuring group and the unsealing group.

On each obelisk, Level 3 array masters created and maintained magical arrays that hid the Level 2 array masters from the seal’s detection while the Level 2s were unraveling the seal. But their work was not smooth. These Level 2s were trying to unlock a cage made by the best practitioners of their time. They were out of their depth, too many confusing symbols and illusions, hampering their progress to a crawl. The unsealers needed to be well versed in arrays or had an eye for discerning fakes.

On the obscuring part, It also wasn't easy work, Izabella and the other Level 3 enchanters had to use their full concentration. If they slipped out, the defensive system would retaliate and burn the transgressors.

Basically, the unsealing would be left in the hands of a bunch of Level 2s.

The idea didn't sit well with the higher-ups of the Blood Church. How could such a vital role be left to such weak individuals? But they had no choice. Strong Pathseekers would be too hard to obscure and invited the retaliation of the seal.

So how could they smoothen the process? The devil-worshipping cult gave a simple answer: blood sacrifice. The array masters were using the life of the captured adventurers to empower the unsealing.

Morality was not the highest value in the Blood Church.

Irkun’s progress was at 60% while Izabella’s was trailing at 35%. By this point, more than a hundred adventurers had already been sacrificed. It had been steady progress thus far but a live bomb always had the danger of exploding.

A small mistake on Irkun’s side created a catastrophe, most of the Level 2 array masters were cooked from the inside out. While Izabella -a skilled array master herself- operated the obscuration effort personally. Her group’s work was superior to Irkun’s.

Irkun’s camp was ahead of Izabella’s but the disaster made the boat he was sailing on almost dead in the water while Izabella’s was intact and pursuing from behind.

“No no no no, NOOOOO! We’re so close, so close!!” Irkun screamed.

Izabella would have smirked if she had the leeway but she didn't. Her full attention was on her array.

The remaining array master at Irkun’s side got back to work, willing or otherwise, while Irkun was doing damage control after his hysteria. At this rate, Izabella would finish her obelisk before him and he would have lost the match. Their engagement would be annulled.

Since most of his Level 2 array masters died, Irkun desperately needed replacements.

“Give me names of Level 2 array masters you know of. I don't care if they are your family or friends, give me names!! This is the deciding factor where we will succeed or fail! Do not try to hide them from me. I’ll take their names directly from your head if I must,” Irkun spoke loudly to his followers with a tone bordering insanity.

Under threat, some gave names of the Level 2 they knew of including their addresses, and then the Prince of Thieves opened his mouth.

“Avel of Javia, adventurer. He stays at the Bird Nest Inn. I haven't seen him among the adventurers so he must be still outside. He is a good illusion breaker and surprisingly adept array master.”

With this, Irkun would lose the match. Those guys are only subpar Level 2s and that Avel guy couldn't do shit about arrays or illusion. Izabella would finish her obelisk first and be freed, Alan thought.

Irkun decided to oversee the emergency recruitment himself. That would mean returning to Marakkus. The Blood Church had managed to create three portals connecting here and the outside world. Time was of the essence so Irkun did not delay walking to the portal but his father stopped him.

“This is where things might get really dangerous. If something happens, prioritize your safety,” he gave Irkun a key. “This opens the vault under our manor. The protection there would be enough to wait out the storm. Go and triumph, son.”

“Fortune in battle to you, Father,” the son replied.

Haghen watched as his son left accompanied by a few Deathsworn. Lim’s coming meant the Estellians had begun to move. The three Blood Exarchs were now contacting the Blood Vicar to update him of the latest development.

The three Level 4s went inside the pocket dimension the Blood Vicar created. It was a realm of fire and brimstone. They needed to employ defensive Arte by merely standing there. In the center of a lake of lava, Blood Vicar Tobias sat on a fiery throne.

After hearing the report from the three, the man with red skin smiled.

“Prepare to open the Hellgates. Let's give those demon slayers demons to kill.”

***

Bird Nest Inn.

In a particular room, a master and his slave were having dinner from one table as if they were brothers. Because he was eating, Viers didn't wear the helmet, only cloth covering the upper part of his face. He imagined Boram would lose appetite seeing his unmasked face.

“Boram, here’s another lesson for you. Right here, at this moment, you’re letting your guard down. That is a no-no.”

The difference was shown not only in their attitude but also in the placement of their weapons. Viers’ katana was placed at an arm’s length from its user while Boram’s hammer was leaning at the far wall of the room, less than two meters out but Viers deemed it not close enough.

“But Master, haven't you personally laid down defensive enchantment in this room? Why must we be on edge constantly?”

As if it was ordained by Fate, a man was charging from the window, breaking it in the process. It didn't end well for the intruder because a zap of almost a thousand volts of arcane lightning electrified the black cloaked man. A heartbeat later, a laser of light blasted his face. Viers used the newly acquired Mind Stone look-alike he dubbed Sunburn to follow up the attack.

“Because of this,” Viers replied to his apprentice while stabbing the trespasser in the heart. “Ready yourself. This is not over.”

Viers felt another three Level 2 Pathseekers in the area.

***

Five hours had passed since the Silver Legion arrived in Marakkus, the hundred or so legionaries were now fighting tooth and nail against the horde of demons on the black stone corridors of the Tomb.

The Silver Legions caught up with the Blood Church’s scheme soon enough. With the speed of light they struck at the heart of the enemy. The Biome’s Level 2 restriction was broken and the bringers of justice stormed the Tomb. However, their enemy had prepared for their coming. They had summoned demons directly from hell.

The corridors were wide enough for a hundred people to line up in a straight line. The sight of silver armored guardians on one side and the fiery, savage, beast-like demons was as magnificent as it was terrible. On the demon’s side, there were also people from the Blood Church, cultists of the Devil Yasterah.

Vestal Mita was fighting Blood Exarch Ursula and Ash Priest Shay was trading blows with Blood Exarch Haghen.

Flying above the battlefield, was the Holy Inquisitor Malcolm and Blood Vicar Tobias. The strongest combatant on both sides. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the match of the Level 5s was more impactful than the rest of the combatants combined.

“You use a Biome to crash on the Demon King’s prison and make a space bridge to gain entry. Quite the scheme, Tobias.”

“Inquisitor Malcolm, how’s your son these days? I regret I failed to kill him together with his mother. Your wife must be so lonely on her way to Heaven, khekhekhe.”

If the inquisitor felt fury it didn't show on his face.

“My wife will be avenged today,” Malcolm’s Victa warped the space around him. A silhouette of an armored white-winged angel five meters tall was on his back.

“Just like before, you’re too late. For all your power, always a step too late. The seal is almost broken. The power of the Demon King will fall to the Blood Church! Glory to Yasterah!” The demon-like Blood Vicar laughed mockingly as he attacked the inquisitor. There was a phantom of a demon made of smoldering magma with a savage snarl at his back.

Both Level 5s went into a sealed space they both created, a place where they could fight without making the lower level Pathseekers in the battlefield into meat paste.

***

News after news of successful capture made Irkun’s heart alight with hope. He still had the chance to win the race and Izabella’s body.

“Master Irkun,” one of the Level 2 Deathsworn said.

“What?”

“There are complications in our target, Avel of Javia.”

Irkun was displeased and frowned. “You two failed?”

“There were four of us, but two had been killed… but we were successful on our mission. However, there are complications about the target.”

“Well? What is it?” Irkun grew impatient.

“It is difficult to explain. We suspect he is hiding something extraordinary in his body, very powerful. For precaution, we placed him separately from the other prisoner. It is best for Master Irkun to see it for himself.”

“Is it safe?” Irkun asked.

“Completely, sire.”

The Deathsworn couldn't lie to him so Irkun trusted their words.

“Very well. Bring me to him. Takju, you guard the prisoners.”

Irkun left an order for his Level 4 bodyguard and the two underlings led him to a room with a man with his face covered with black cloth. He was seemingly unconscious and bound on a chair in the center of the room.

Irkun smoothly entered the room.

Click.

Irkun heard the sound of a lock turned and the two underlings who undoubtedly possess absolute loyalty to the Marakkus house strongly grabbed his arms, holding him in place.

“You! What is the meaning of this!?”

Adding Irkun’s surprise, was the captured man standing up and pressing a strange weapon to his forehead.

A sharp sound briefly entered his ear but in the next moment, all he knew was darkness. He felt his consciousness was no longer connected to his body as if he was falling into a bottomless abyss.

Meanwhile, the man blew the tip of his jet-black revolver like gunslinger cowboy.

“Say hello to my Little Friend.”