The Horrors descended upon the entire city, bringing with them the screams of pain and wails of sorrow, crying for the sweet release of death.

  The Abyss Hunters stare in despair; they alone cannot deal with this amount of Horrors. Two is already too much; they had yet to face the other three.

  "Do not waver!!"

  A booming voice echoed through the street. Everyone turned to where the voice came from. Standing there was a priest in a white and gold robe, wearing four emblems on his chest, three familiar ones, and one with the symbol of a golden shovel. In his right hand was a golden orb with chains hanging down from it, and in his left hand was a staff with the symbol of the Three Rings on top.

  His face was sharp and fierce, like a seasoned warrior standing on the frontline.

  He was Bishop Archon Rudiger, the Bishop oversaw the Warshen Region. Who was a Fourth Step Pathstrider.

  He raised his staff, letting it shine brightly, "In the name of the Holy!! Reveal your deception, O' Bearer of Veil!!!"

  The Horrors in the sky screamed at the light, all of them dived toward the Bishop. Yet they all passed through him like an illusion.

  The creations of Veil are all false, lies crafted through deception. But lies are ultimately lies. As long as they are revealed, they cannot do anything.

  The Abyss Hunters realized it too, so they ignored the thousands of fake Horrors in the sky and kept on looking for the remaining three Horrors.

  At the same time, Andre rushed to where Lea ran off to. He felt she wouldn't st long being pursued by that Sincir.

  So at the very least... you must survive. He prayed in his heart, not wanting to see a junior go so easily.

  He knew he could leave things for the Bishop, so he would only get at most a sp on the wrist.

  Running down the alleyway, he smelled something foul. Although he had never smelled something this bad before, he instinctively knew that this smell was the scent of evil. Not that he could expin it.

  Using his Order power, with him being Lea's senior, he has situational awareness of where she is. So he followed his marking and the smell, greatly taxing his mind to get to his junior.

  After five minutes of running around, silently compining about how Lea ran this far in such a short amount of time, he found her. And Lea was not in good shape at all.

  "Miss Darwill!!", Andre rushed over to her side, yet he flinched at the sight of her condition.

  Bck cracks were all over her body, emanating an ominous light. Her breath was heavy, but at the very least, she was still breathing.

  He carefully picked her up, gently getting her into a princess carry position, "I'll bring a Corrector to you, don't worry... you will be fine..."

  =0=0=

  Dan was having a bad day. First, he got disrespected by a scary chick who insulted his mother, then someone threw a rock with a message cursing him, hitting the prostitute, and getting him kicked out of the brothel. He even had to pay for that prostitute's medical bills.

  "Fucking hell... what did I do to deserve this?!", he yelled out loud.

  His buddies were still in the brothel having the time of their lives, while he was stuck here like a bum.

  In the end, he decided to get back home. He was alone anyway, so it doesn't matter when he gets home.

  But it was a fairly long way back, so he took his time. His job as a receptionist for a hospital is very cushy and x anyway; most people come to the church due to the low cost, and only come to the hospital for grievous injuries.

  It was a bad day today, so he hopes it gets better tomorrow.

  =0=0=

  Where... am I...?

  Lea opened her eyes, feeling pain all over her body. Her vision was blurry, seeing only bck and white...

  "You come here way more often than others, quite bold of you.", that familiar and aloof voice...

  "Lady... Keter...?", she weakly asked.

  "Yes. Your situation is quite precarious, Dantes. Your body is now more prone to corruption, so take note and be careful.", the Lady nodded.

  Indeed, before Lea fell unconscious, she felt the vile bck mud infecting her body from the inside; the pain and toll it inflicted on her was beyond anything she had experienced. And likely, it would be the worst pain she will ever feel.

  "Sincir... that person... who was she?", Lea asked, holding the edge of the table to support herself.

  Lady Keter took a moment to answer, "The leader of Akasha Monodrama and the only disciple of the one you call the Heretic."

  After a moment, Lea's vision finally returned. Lady Keter was holding a mug with a bright white liquid inside, most likely milk of some kind. But she was more focused on what Lady Keter said.

  The leader of Akasha Monodrama... on top of that, the only disciple of The Heretic. Lea grit her teeth, feeling the rage surging in her more violently; she wanted to give that woman a good punch.

  Yet when meeting that woman, the only thing she felt was fear. That woman was scary, pying her like a fiddle.

  Yet on top of it all, the frustration at her own powerlessness. Being the leader of Akasha Monodrama, she must be at least at the Seventh Step or whatever above that.

  Closing her eyes, Lea let out a deep sigh.

  "How can I reach someone from centuries ago...?", she asked out loud, but more to herself.

  Lady Keter sipped her drink before speaking, "That Sincir's main Attribute is Corruption; it is more of a curse to you, yes, but with the destabilization of your body, it is forced to adapt to the mystical nature of the world."

  Lea did not understand it quite well; her brain is still in chaos. Seeing this, the Lady put down her cup.

  "There is a saying, Fate is fickle and Destiny is hirious."

  It was the first time Lea heard this, but she did not say it out.

  "With a fractured body, you may be prone to corruption, you are able to become stronger much faster.", the Lady smiled, "Although it's called corruption, it isn't that bad. At worst, you'll die, and at best, you'll gain the Corruption Attribute without your consent."

  Lea shook her head. She does not want to unintentionally walk another evil-sounding Path. Not at all, one was more than enough.

  "So aim for something in the middle.", Lady Keter snickered, "It's almost time for your second meeting, so take your time and calm yourself down."

  A... meeting...? Lea stared in disbelief. She was knocked out for a whole week. She wondered how bad the corruption took a toll on her body, not just her psyche.

  "A whole week...", she closed her eyes.

  She missed out so much. At this rate, she might as well be stuck at the First Step, with how many things above her pay grade come.

  "If you want, I could train you.", Lady Keter sipped her drink, "Of course, for an Equivalent Exchange."

  For something of an equal price, Lea could be trained by Lady Keter. But she doesn't know what to give her.

  An aloof god that do as she pleases, taking things depending on her mood.

  I don't have much with me... she rumaged around her pocket, and she found her old neckce. She looks at her broken emblem. This is too precious to give away to Lady Keter...

  She noticed that she was wearing her outdoor clothes.

  Clutching the church issued sacred emblem, Lea had second thoughts. Would she really offer up her God for another potentially Evil God?

  But she needs everything she can to even run from Akasha Monodrama...

  With hesitation, she took off the emblem and offered it to Lady Keter, "I offer you my Lord's symbol..."

  "Very well, I accept.", she smiled and snapped her finger, taking away the emblem with a gust of wind.

  "Stay after the meeting, we will discuss which suit you best."

  =0=0=

  Ryekan, Renlou Empire's capital.

  In the Great Temple of Fire, the heart of the Empire's oldest religion. The Great Pit of Light once again bred.

  The monks and priests dropped what they were doing, rushing toward the pit of fire, burning ever since immemorial. The grand voice, shaking everyone's heart and mind, echoed throughout the entire temple.

  'The One Hidden behind the Shadows of History hath Returned. The Avatar of Judgement and Salvation hath Come.'

  Every mb following The Sacred Fme has heard the gospel of the divine; they prayed and knelt. While the scribes, struck by this revetion, moved their hands and quills, writing down everything that was happening.

  The Sacred Fme, once silenced for a thousand years, had again spoken. Those who are here heard the revetion, broke down in reverence, and some even went insane from the sheer might of divinity. All the heretics, evils from beyond the Temple burst into fme, unable to grasp the might of divine will.

  Once the Sacred Fme died down, the Great Monk August, who was the nearest to the pit, turned around slowly with a heavy gaze. His crimson robe, carrying symbols of fire, and his eyes fluttered with great strength.

  "The Sacred Fme has spoken once again!! I must deliver this news to the Emperor. Erudites and Truth Seekers, do your best to decipher the words of The Sacred Fme, find out who the person The Great One spoke of!!"

  He csped his hands together, praying, "For the Eternal Fme!! Ever burning with Justice!!"

  Those around him replied with great reverence, "For the Eternal Fme!! Ever burning with Justice!!"

  =0=0=

  At the set time, Bathory and Zorro appeared in their seat. Strangely, Rasputin was not here, making Lea feel uneasy.

  The other two were equally confused. Since they know of his reverence for higher beings, he couldn't possibly miss this gathering.

  "Rasputin is performing his Fourth Step Ritual. He will be away for a while.", Lady Keter spoke, ending their questions before they could even ask.

  After a few seconds, Bathory stood up from her seat and bowed, "Thank for for helping me complete my advancement ritual, Lady Keter."

  Lady Keter merely nodded.

  "Yes...", Bathory smiled while shaking, muttering under her breath, "I slept for three days straight... it was the best sleep ever..."

  Being closest, Lea heard her. She could not imagine how hard it would be to advance... and knowing her rituals beforehand, she doesn't feel easy about anything she has to face.

  Malediction, although it is the literal Path of Evil, there is no turning back. So she steeled her resolve once more.

  Taking in a deep breath, Lea asked, "I would like some advice on how to ruin someone's life."

  The two Argonauts stare at her. Zorro asked first, "Um... why?"

  "Because of my Path...", Lea looked down, frowning, "Malediction..."

  The first one to frown was Bathory, "Why... didn't you choose Retribution?"

  Lea widens her eyes. Because Retribution is far better than Malediction due to being one of the Neutral Paths. She wouldn't need to stoop so low as to ruin someone's life...

  "Because of compatibility, Bathory.", Lady Keter spoke, making everyone turn to her, "She is incompatible, as an existence, with Retribution."

  Compatibility... Lea and Bathory mulled over the same thing. That was the thing Lady Keter said to both of them, no, to everyone in the Argonaut.

  "For Malediction...", Zorro broke the awkwardness, "How about spreading rumours?"

  "Rumours?", Lea tilted her head.

  He nodded, "Yes, spreading some malicious rumours would ruin someone's life, since once a fire starts, it is very difficult to put out."

  "Thank you...", Lea bowed her head. It was a way for her to advance indirectly... and with a bit more thinking, she found that she could advance two Steps in one go if she tried hard enough. Ruin someone's life... then make them commit suicide...

  This is a truly evil Path... she let out a sigh.

  "Well, I have a mission for you all.", the Lady changed the topic.

  Everyone perked their ears up, curious about the mission. Especially Zorro, who was more than eager to.

  "Give me news. With Akasha Monodrama moving quite actively, I expect there to be some buzz."

  It was a request to gather information. Something simple, but depending on who has it, it could be more valuable than gold.

  And here were three people who could do exactly that. A princess with no excessive ties to politics, a vagrant who can go anywhere, and a member of the clergy.

  "And what out for any signs of...", her eyes gzed over all of them, smiling, "A Giant of Light."

  A Giant of Light... Lea frowned a bit, feeling the cryptic description of a being. She was not knowledgeable about other religions, only the bare minimum. Nowhere did she find such a description.

  Bathory was the same; her mind ran through the texts and books in the royal library and found nothing.

  But Zorro was different. He was more tense than usual, no, he was excited.

  Noticing his behavior. Lea activated her emotion radar... and she found it was weaker than before, only an eighth of it was effective, so she only saw dim light. This may be a property of this library...

  So she asked directly, "Mr. Zorro, what do you have in mind?"

  "Ehem...", he coughed once, "In a ruined temple I once explored, there was a tablet describing something simir."

  "It goes like this, 'The Giant who descends from the sky, lighting up night and banishing all evil. By the bde of light, mankind was given hope'. That was what it said."

  Bathory narrowed her eyes, "How old was the tablet?"

  "About four thousand years old, or older than that, based on the carvings.", he answered frankly, "And... there is a strange marking on it."

  "It's a rhombus inside a droplet at the bottom of the tablet. This symbol also covers most of the ruins.", his eyes turned to Lady Keter.

  To him, Lady Keter is a friendly being, like a hard-to-approach friend more than a god; her vibes are usually chill and rexing. But in the end, she was still an entity he could not comprehend. Asking her for help wouldn't do him good.

  Lea visualized the symbol in her head. A rhombus inside a droplet... it felt familiar, but not enough to say for certain.

  Bathory was doing the same, using her hyper cognitive to think...

  Both of the women's eyes lit up at the same time.

  "The Temple of Fire?!", they both realized at the same time.

  It was one of the most ancient religions in the world, and even its history was murky with an unclear founding. Ever since the Bckout, the beginning of the First Era - which was about 7,000 years ago. The symbol Zorro described could be an archaic version of the current-day symbol.

  "Temple of Fire?", Lady Keter mused, "It doesn't suit that guy..."

  Lea was curious about what the Lady said, but she kept her mouth shut. Being privy to gods is not a wise thing to do; this is religion 101's first rule.

  "Anyhow, I have some more names I would like to know information about.", and Lady Keter said something dangerous, making Lea internally scream.

  "The Primogen Almighty, Ascended One and All, and The Gamble Gambit.", she calmly said, her gaze flickering to Bathory, "Could you compile a list of all known gods in this world?"

  "Y-Yes! I'll present it in the next meeting!", she readily replied.

  "And Zorro, I hope your ritual goes well.", a faint smile formed on her lips, yet her eyes were still unreadable. He merely nodded.

  "Dantes, you stay behind.", she looked at Lea.

  It was the time for her lesson with the Lady of the Library... Lea composed herself, tensed about what would come next.

  "Today's book club meeting is over.", she cpped her hands, "See you all next week."