[The First Day of Destruction][Inner Sanctum: The Eye of the Water God]
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To reveal the specific name of a summoned entity to one's enemy is, in a tactical sense, the height of folly. It is giving away intelligence for free, allowing the opponent to deduce resistances, weaknesses, and skill sets.
However, Deputy High Priestess Shannon O. Vian did it intentionally.
It was a gamble born of desperation. She hoped that the majestic title of "Cherubim Gatekeeper," a high-ranking servant of the Gods, would strike fear into the heart of the undead abomination. She hoped the weight of the name alone would force a retreat.
And indeed, the effects were immediate.
The Cherubim Gatekeeper was a tank-class angel. Its passive aura, [Sanctuary of the Silver City], flooded the sanctum. The suffocating pressure of the Eternal Death's necrotic aura was pushed back. The paladins felt strength returning to their limbs; the priests felt their terror dampened by magical serenity. Evil was weakened. Righteousness was exalted.
But this miracle came at a horrific price.
The [Seventh Trumpet of Heaven] was a Forbidden Art within the Theocracy. It required no physical sacrifices, but it exacted a toll on the soul. Once the angel returned to the heavens, every participant in the ritual would suffer a violent backlash. Their life force would be drained to compensate for the mana debt. They would age forty, perhaps fifty years in an instant.
Shannon knew this. The priests collapsing in the water knew this.
Yet, they chanted without hesitation.
Shannon smiled, a grim, skeletal expression on her aged face. If my life can buy the Black Scripture even five minutes... then it is a low price to pay.
Her only regret was that the enemy standing before them was merely a subordinate. If they had forced the Sorcerer King himself to retreat, the sacrifice would have been legendary.
We are on a timer, Shannon realized, her eyes darting to the Miko Princesses.
To maintain a Cherubim-class summon safely, five Miko Princesses were required to share the mana burden. There were only three left. Their petite bodies swayed in the water like dying reeds in a gale, blood already trickling from their noses.
(May the Six protect you... hold on just a little longer.)
Shannon hardened her heart. She glared at the Eternal Death, who was perched nonchalantly on the balcony railing.
"Listen, servant of the Sorcerer King!" she shouted, her voice amplified by the angel's aura. "If you retreat now, we shall overlook your trespass into this holy domain. Leave, and take your life with you!"
The Eternal Death tilted its skull. The purple flames in its eyes flickered.
"A retreat?" The creature's voice was dry, amused. "Yes... Engaging a Level 80 tank with high holy resistance would be a time-consuming annoyance. It would be inefficient."
"Then…"
"However," the Undead interrupted, "efficiency is not my only directive. My orders are absolute."
Before Shannon could process the shift in tone, a sudden displacement of air screamed through the sanctum.
"Look out!"
Clemence's roar came a split-second too late. He was the only one in the room whose senses could even hope to track the movement.
Zip. Smack.
It happened with the cold, mechanical speed of a bullet.
A chain, wrapped tightly around the Eternal Death's right arm, shot out like a striking python. It was a high-tier projectile attack, designed to bypass armor and flesh alike.
It crossed the distance between the balcony and the pool in an instant, slicing the surface of the water, and…
Squish.
The sound was wet. Like a ripe melon being dropped from a tower onto pavement.
Shannon felt warm liquid splatter across her cheek. She blinked, her brain struggling to reconcile the sudden intrusion of gore into the holy space.
She turned her head mechanically.
Beside her, the youngest Miko Princess, the Fire Miko, was gone.
Or rather, her head was gone.
The chain had impacted her skull directly. There was no resistance. The bone, brain matter, and blood had vaporized into a fine red mist. Her headless, petite body stood frozen for a horrifying second, then swayed and collapsed into the water, twitching violently like a fish out of water.
The pool, consecrated to purity, bloomed into a giant red lotus.
"Ah..." Shannon's heart skipped a beat. She stared at the headless corpse, her mind blank.
Zip.
The blood-stained chain retracted with the same terrifying speed, snapping back into place around the Undead's torso.
"So," the Eternal Death rasped, "it is far easier to kill the summoner than the summon."
The creature paused, tilting its head again.
"Hmm? The angel remains? Do these rituals allow for mana sharing even after death? Or perhaps the connection lingers..."
Clemence and Valerius didn't wait for it to finish.
"You bastard!" Clemence roared, abandoning all defense.
He leaped, his spear aimed directly at the creature's chest. Valerius flanked, swinging his greatsword. But the Eternal Death dodged Clemence with a casual sidestep and parried Valerius's strike, slicing the paladin's arm and leg off in a blur of motion.
"Shannon! Do it now!" Clemence screamed, his voice raw.
Shannon snapped out of her shock. A sob caught in her throat, but she swallowed it down.
"Unleash the Divine Retribution!" she commanded.
The remaining two Miko Princesses, the Water and Light Mikos, didn't flinch. Their eyes were glazed over, their minds lost in the ritual trance. Even as their companion died beside them, they obeyed the command.
The Cherubim Gatekeeper opened its leonine jaws.
[Skill: Roar of Divinity]
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Author's Note
Thank you so much for sticking with me and reading every chapter - I truly appreciate your time and support. If you've enjoyed the story, please drop a review in the app: tell me what you liked and what I can improve. Your feedback really helps.
Quick update on scheduling: I'm shortening chapters so I can post more often, aiming for Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday (maybe a fourth update when possible). Shorter, frequent updates should help the novel reach more readers.
I've already got about 10–15 chapters drafted. Would anyone be interested in reading advance chapters on another platform? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks again, see you in the next chapter!