บท 14: Chapter 14: Suthia (Part 1) [4/5]
About half an hour after Renji and Eileen left, a strange twist in space occurred near the entrance of the cave they had just exited on the barren Blackhole Plains.
The surroundings took on a weird, dark red hue, almost like a liquid flowing in the air, quickly becoming thick and sticky.
This could only be the work of one thing: Miasma.
And judging by its intensity, the concentration was at least a "B-level" or higher in terms of pollution.
Finally, when the whole area was filled with this dark red color, the spatial fluctuations seemed to reach a peak. The next second, the thick, dark red liquid solidified into three human shapes.
They were dressed in religious attire, mainly in pure white, but their headscarves and thigh-high stockings were pitch black. Each had a cross pendant on their chest. Their outfits made it easy to identify them.
Nuns from the church.
The tallest nun leading them had a scarf covering her eyes, which was now stained with faint traces of blood.
She seemed exhausted, kneeling on the ground and panting heavily. Her exposed skin showed dark red patterns similar to those Eileen had, a sign of being tainted by Miasma energy.
Without a doubt, this nun was also an Eclipse.
The strange occurrence and their sudden appearance suggested they had used some sort of teleportation ability or Miasma item, and they had traveled a considerable distance.
However, unlike Eileen, the dark red patterns on this nun covered almost her entire body, spreading wildly like the roots of an old tree underground. It looked terrifying.
Fortunately, the crosses on their chests began to glow with a pure white light. Under this light, the dark red patterns gradually receded and eventually disappeared into the nun's body.
"Archbishop Maria!" The two nuns behind her rushed to support her.
The blindfolded nun named Maria waved them off, signaling she was fine. She slowly stood up and looked around the area, finally focusing on the cave entrance. Her cross pendant also started to flicker intensely.
"Let's go. The location Her Holiness has guided us to is down there."
Maria took the lead and walked into the cave, while the two nuns behind her exchanged puzzled glances. Both could see the confusion and questions in each other's eyes.
After all, they'd gone to great lengths, even using a sealed "A-level" Miasma item from the church's underground vault, just to end up in the middle of nowhere?
But even if they were puzzled, they didn't dare slack off. They quickly followed Archbishop Maria, their hearts filled with a mix of tension and excitement.
And for good reason.
This was guided by the Holy Maied herself! Ever since Suthia, who founded the Holy Kingdom and the church 300 years ago, went into her "Chamber of Repentance," she's rarely been seen. Her lack of communication had her loyal followers worried.
Now, she'd actually reached out to them with a holy mission. How could they not be thrilled? Even Archbishop Maria had come in person.
If it wasn't for Her Holiness's message emphasizing the need for immediate action and utmost secrecy, they believed the church's crusaders would have surrounded the entire Blackhole Plains in less than a day.
They walked in silence through the dark, winding cave tunnel, guided only by the glowing crosses on their chests.
Finally, Maria, who was leading the way, stopped.
"This is the place."
Even this tall, masked nun seemed a bit tense. The cross on her chest was glowing brighter than ever, even making a faint humming sound aimed at something up ahead.
And that something was a big hole in the ground.
As they cautiously approached the hole, the first thing they noticed was a strong burning smell coming from below. Maria jumped down without hesitation.
She didn't become Archbishop just through faith; she was also a powerful Eclipse.
As soon as she landed, she frowned at the chaotic scene around her, which looked like the aftermath of a fire.
It seemed like a hidden chamber, but almost everything inside had been burned to a crisp, making it hard to gather any useful information.
Maria touched the ash on the wall. Judging by its temperature, the fire must have been put out recently. As for what started it...
"Archbishop, there are many bodies here!" The two nuns who had jumped down after her were also clearly Eclipses.
They found several charred bodies, unrecognizable but likely human and kobolds based on their shapes.
With this, they started to get a clearer picture of what went down.
So, it looks like a group of human explorers found this underground chamber. Unfortunately, they got attacked by local monsters, before they could get out. From what they can see, it seems like the explorers and monsters fought to the death. Sadly, everyone lost, and the fight sparked a fire that burned everything in the chamber.
So why did Her Holiness rush them here? Fires can hide a lot of things, but they can't hide the lingering smell of Miasma in the air. Maria sensed it the moment she jumped down.
Could it be that this chamber isn't just some random treasure room, but actually holds something super valuable?
Maria and the other two nuns were all thinking the same thing.
They exchanged glances, and their hearts started pounding like crazy.
It all makes sense now.
In this world, only the "Emperor" would be important enough for their Goddess to care this much, right?
"Archbishop, what do we do now?"
"Don't rush, let's keep looking," Maria said as she walked deeper into the chamber.
What she didn't expect was that as she moved, a seemingly ordinary stone coffin came into view. The moment it did, the cross on her chest lit up like daylight, emitting a brilliant white light.
Along with it came a terrifying aura.
As the three nuns stood there in shock, just like how they had appeared out of nowhere on the Blackhole Plains, a hazy, holy figure started to form in front of them in the chamber, illuminated by the bright light.
Although it was just a blurry silhouette, you could still make out the details. Long, flowing blue hair peeked out from beneath a hooded robe. The top of her outfit had a crisscross neckline that framed a full chest, and an elegant sash cinched her slender waist. Her form-fitting skirt also had a crisscross opening, revealing long, straight legs wrapped in pure white stockings. è [like the picture in first chapter]
You could tell the nuns' outfits were inspired by the magical light they were seeing.
As the light dimmed, Maria was drenched in sweat.
She was so excited and amazed that she didn't dare look directly at the figure appearing in the room. The other nuns had already bowed their heads out of respect. Maria kept stealing glances at the figure.
The person had a smooth forehead, long eyelashes, bright blue eyes, and a really pale neck.
The flawless features were breathtaking. A cute but prominent nose paired with cherry-like lips made her look not just beautiful, but also endearing.
Even Maria, who's a woman herself, felt her cheeks heat up, her eyes filled with admiration.
After all, this was the most perfect person in her eyes, the unchanging focus of her faith throughout her life.
Their Goddess.
Suthia.
"Your Holiness" Maria's voice was shaky with excitement.
She never dreamed that the Goddess would actually appear here, even if it was just a projection. This was the first time in a hundred years.
However,
This dream-like projection of Suthia didn't respond to the three most loyal nuns standing behind her.
Or maybe,
In the eyes of this projection of the Goddess, in her entire world, there was only one thing that mattered now.
The stone coffin.
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Suithia's illustration has been released in chapter 00,
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