The Cathedral of Saint George was a monstrosity of white marble and gold spires, dominating the skyline of the Upper District. It was designed to make people feel small.
Ren stood at the bottom of the massive steps, looking up. The Shadow-Weave Mantle fluttered in the wind.
Beside him stood Seraphina. She had cleaned herself up, her golden hair perfectly braided, her heavy white robes hiding the torn lingerie and the bite marks on her neck. She looked like the Saintess again—except for her eyes. They were no longer lost. They were fixed on Ren with fanatical devotion.
"The Crypt entrance is in the South Vestry," Seraphina whispered, clutching her staff. "Only High Priests and the Bishop have the key."
"And you," Ren reminded her.
"And me," she nodded.
They walked up the stairs. Two Paladins in full plate armor stood guard at the massive oak doors. They crossed their halberds.
"Halt. The Cathedral is closed for Evening Prayer."
Seraphina stepped forward, pulling back her hood. The moonlight caught her face.
"The Saintess!" The guards gasped, immediately dropping to one knee. "Forgive us, Your Holiness. We didn't know you were... accompanied."
They glanced suspiciously at Ren in his black trench coat.
"He is my... Confessor," Seraphina lied smoothly. "We are here to pray for the souls of the lost. Open the doors."
The guards didn't dare question her. They pushed the heavy doors open.
The Descent
The main hall was empty, lit only by thousands of candles. The silence was heavy.
Seraphina led Ren quickly to a side chapel. She pressed a hidden stone on the wall behind a statue of an angel.
Click.
The floor slid open, revealing a spiraling stone staircase going down into the darkness. A smell wafted up—sulfur, iron, and rotting meat.
"The smell..." Seraphina gagged, covering her mouth. "I never knew it was this bad."
"That's the smell of hypocrisy," Ren said, stepping onto the stairs. "Stay close."
They descended. The air grew colder. The walls changed from marble to rough, damp stone.
At the bottom, they found a heavy iron door. It wasn't locked with a key; it was locked with a Holy Seal. A glowing barrier of golden light blocked the path.
"I can open it," Seraphina said, raising her hand. "But it will alert the Bishop."
Ren pushed her hand down.
"No need."
Ren placed his palm on the golden barrier.
Usually, a Void Mage touching a Holy Seal would be burned to ash. But Ren had just spent an hour mixing his mana with Seraphina's. His core had adapted.
[Skill: VOID EATER]
[Attribute: Holy Compatibility 50%]
The barrier didn't burn him. It rippled around his fingers. He pushed. The light turned grey, then black, then shattered like glass.
The door swung open.
The Nursery
The room beyond was massive. It looked like a dungeon.
Rows of iron cages lined the walls. Inside the cages were children.
Some were crying. Some were sleeping. But the ones in the back...
Ren walked over to a cage in the shadows. Inside was a boy, maybe ten years old. But one of his arms was huge, muscular, and covered in red scales. His eyes were glowing red. He was drooling black sludge.
"A failed experiment," Ren whispered, his fury rising. "They're trying to force Demon Blood into developing cores."
"Monsters..." Seraphina covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. "I funded this... my gold paid for this..."
"You didn't know," Ren said, though his voice was hard. "But now you do."
CLANK. CLANK.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the far end of the room.
From the shadows emerged four figures.
They wore the armor of Paladins, but the metal was twisted and black. Their helmets were fused to their skulls. Red light leaked from their visors.
[Enemy Detected: Corrupted Paladin (Level 18)]
[Status: Mindless / Berserk]
"Intruders..." one of them rasped, its voice sounding like grinding gears. "The Bishop... must not be disturbed."
They drew massive greatswords that hummed with unstable crimson energy.
"Level 18," Ren noted. "Higher level than me."
He looked at Seraphina.
"Buff me," Ren ordered.
Seraphina snapped out of her horror. She raised her staff.
"Yes, Master!"
[Spell: Divine Blessing]
[Spell: Haste]
[Spell: Shield of Light]
Ren felt a surge of power. His muscles felt lighter. A golden aura surrounded him.
"Stay back," Ren said. "I want to test something."
He stepped forward to meet the four monsters.
The lead Paladin charged, swinging its greatsword in a horizontal arc meant to cut Ren in half.
Ren didn't dodge. He raised his left hand.
[Skill: DIVINE REGENERATION (Active)]
He caught the blade.
SHING.
The blade sliced deep into his palm, cutting through skin and muscle, hitting the bone.
Seraphina screamed.
But Ren smiled.
Golden light flared from the wound. In a split second, the flesh knit itself back together. The bone healed. The skin closed.
[Regeneration Successful]
Ren gripped the blade that was still stuck in his hand, twisting it. The Paladin stumbled.
"My turn," Ren said.
He stepped in close. He placed his right hand—the one wearing the Void Gauntlet—against the Paladin's chest plate.
But he didn't use Void Mana. He used the Holy Mana he had stolen from Seraphina.
[Skill: HOLY SMITE (Void Infused)]
BOOM.
A beam of black-and-gold light blasted through the Paladin's chest. The armor imploded. The monster was blown backward, crashing into a cage and dissolving into ash.
[Enemy Defeated. XP Gained.]
The other three Paladins hesitated. They sensed the Divine energy.
"He is... chosen?" one rasped confusedly.
"I am the reckoning," Ren corrected.
He drew the Heavy Greatsword from his inventory—the one he had bought with his tournament winnings.
"Seraphina! Bind them!"
"Chains of Light!" Seraphina shouted, casting a spell. Glowing chains erupted from the floor, wrapping around the remaining three Paladins, holding them in place for two seconds.
Two seconds was all Ren needed.
He moved like a blur.
Slash. Slash. Slash.
He decapitated the first. He cut the second in half at the waist. He drove his sword through the visor of the third.
Three piles of ash. Three sets of armor clattering to the floor.
Ren stood in the silence, breathing heavily. He wiped the black blood from his face.
"We're clearing the room," Ren said, pointing to the cages. "Open them. Get the kids out."
"But the Bishop..." Seraphina started.
"The Bishop is behind that door," Ren said, pointing to a massive ornate door at the end of the hall, pulsing with red light. "I'll handle him. You get the innocent out."
Seraphina looked at the children, then at Ren. She nodded firmly.
"I will protect them with my life."
"Good girl."
Ren walked toward the big door. He could feel the aura behind it. It wasn't Level 18. It was Level 30.
This wasn't a skirmish. This was a Boss Fight.