Beneath King’s Campus, in the torture chamber of the Eight-Spired Nest.
The sudden darkness plunged the torture chamber into chaos. Prisoners screamed, guards panicked, and the cultists struggled to relight the lamps. In the pitch-black environment where nothing could be seen, this proved exceptionally difficult.
Finally, one of the guards managed to fish out a matchstick he usually used for lighting cigarettes. After fumbling to strike it, a faint flame flickered to life in the darkness. Just as he prepared to use this tiny light to relight the other gas lamps, he suddenly noticed the cold, unfamiliar face of a man illuminated by the match’s glow.
"Who are you... Ah!"
Before the guard could say more, his body was pierced by a blade. He let out a scream and collapsed, the only source of light extinguished in an instant, plunging the space back into darkness.
After the first scream, more cries followed in quick succession. Dorothy’s corpse marionettes, acting as assassins in the dark, closed in on the disoriented guards and stabbed them one by one. Their frantic movements betrayed their positions.
As the screams continued, the number of guards rapidly dwindled. Soon, only two Shaders remained. Though they couldn’t see in the darkness either, their keen hearing and reflexes allowed them to evade the assassins’ attacks repeatedly. They even managed to counterattack, severing the head of one of the corpse marionettes.
For these two Shaders, Dorothy had her puppets draw their guns and fire continuously toward the sources of movement in the dark.
Shaders could dodge bullets, not because they were faster than bullets, but because they could sense when a gun was aimed at them and began evading before the trigger was pulled.
In this pitch-black environment, the two Shaders were already struggling to avoid close-range attacks. With no visibility, they couldn’t detect when guns were aimed at them. By the time the guns fired, it was too late to dodge.The continuous gunfire echoed through the narrow, dark space, the muzzle flashes providing the only flickers of light. When the gunfire ceased, the last two Shaders had fallen. The torture chamber was now filled only with the cries of the prisoners.
After dealing with all the guards, Dorothy had one of her marionettes light a pre-prepared gas lamp. Using its light, she relit the other lamps, restoring illumination to the chamber.
With the light restored, the prisoners in the cells, their bodies covered in wounds, gasped in shock at the sight of the numerous corpses on the ground. They stared in fear at the two blood-soaked men still standing—Dorothy’s two corpse marionettes.
"Calm down, gentlemen. We mean you no harm. In fact, we’re here to save you."
Seeing the frightened and panicked prisoners, the corpse marionette Brandon adjusted his blood-stained hat and spoke.
Brandon’s words left the prisoners momentarily stunned. Meanwhile, the other marionette had retrieved keys from the fallen guards and began unlocking the cell doors one by one, freeing the wounded prisoners.
Once freed, the prisoners erupted in cheers. Many gathered around Brandon, some expressing their gratitude.
"Oh... Holy Mother, I thought I’d be tortured to death by those monsters. Thank you so much! You must be angels sent by the Mother to save us from these demons! What should we call you?"
Seeing the emotional prisoners, Brandon lit a cigarette with his blood-stained hand, took a drag, and smiled.
"Rose Cross... That’s all you need to know.”
"Go home, prisoners. This path leads to the exit, to your freedom."
Brandon pointed to the exit passage. The prisoners, after expressing their heartfelt gratitude, helped each other toward the exit and soon disappeared. Once they were gone, Dorothy emerged from behind a cover near the chamber entrance and looked at the now-empty torture chamber.
Dorothy wasn’t worried about the prisoners triggering the alarm in the webbed corridor. The people who could receive the alarm had already been killed by her.
After Nephthys successfully gained access to the Inner Area, she had obtained information about the webbed corridor from Eli. The corridor sent silent alerts to nearby Eight-Spired Nest members when it detected unusual contact.
This was why, even though Thorn Velvet was entangled with the Hunters far away, Dorothy still needed Nephthys to carry her in. There were still Beyonders stationed in the Inner Area, so she couldn’t risk triggering the alarm.
Now that the two Apprentice-rank Beyonders stationed in the Inner Area had been dealt with, Dorothy no longer had to worry about the web.
After freeing the prisoners, Dorothy quickly cleaned up the battlefield. She stored all the guard corpses in her magic box, replenishing her corpse reserves, and then continued her exploration.
This time, Dorothy left a small corpse marionette in the torture chamber to monitor the area while another small puppet led the way ahead. She followed behind, descending further into the ruins via the stairs from the torture chamber.
Carrying a gas lamp, Dorothy walked downward and soon reached a new level below the torture chamber. This level was a similarly spacious area, but no one was present. However, in the dim light, Dorothy noticed a large, indistinct outline.
“There’s... something there?”
Thinking this, Dorothy walked to the edge of the underground space and found a gas lamp hanging on a stone pillar. After some effort, she managed to light it.
“The gas lamp still works... It must have been installed recently. This means those guys have been active on this level too…”
Dorothy thought to herself, then proceeded to light the other gas lamps in the area. As several lamps gradually illuminated the space, the scene on this level slowly came into view.
And then, she froze.
Unlike the torture chamber above, this level appeared to be the ruins of a shattered altar.
The altar, built in an unknown era, had long since fallen into ruin. All the ritual vessels and instruments were gone, leaving only a raised platform, cracked stone steps, and faint carvings. The most striking feature of the altar ruins was the statue standing at its center.
The statue appeared to be a young goddess with a slender figure, dressed in simple, flowing robes. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, holding a round mirror.
If one only looked at the body, it was a serene and beautiful statue of a goddess. However, the head of this exquisite statue had been severed and replaced with a grotesque spider’s head, complete with multiple eyes, sickle-like fangs, and a menacing expression.
Staring at the statue, Dorothy stood frozen in place. She had seen this scene before.
Not long ago, on the train to Tivian, among the goods intercepted and belonging to the Ulster’s Serenity Bureau, there had been a photograph depicting an almost identical scene—a goddess statue with its head replaced by a spider.
“Interesting... There’s one in the Razor Mountains, and now another so far away. What kind of deity is this? Why are there statues of it in different parts of Pritt? And one even appeared in the ruins of the Star Numerology Scriptorium. Could this deity be connected to the Star Numerology Scriptorium?”
Dorothy pondered as she carefully examined the details of the statue. She first focused on the head.
“The cut on the head looks quite fresh, very different from the other weathered parts of the statue. It must have been done recently. Moreover, the material of the spider head is clearly different from the body of the goddess statue. These two parts were definitely not originally one piece.”
“So, the goddess statue and the spider head are two separate works, forcibly combined. The goddess’s head was removed and replaced with this spider head, and this was likely done recently, probably by the Eight-Spired Nest.”
As Dorothy analyzed, she began to suspect why the Eight-Spired Nest had gone to such lengths to control this ruin.
“The Eight-Spired Nest corrupted the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge to gain access to the school and find the entrance to the ruins. Their main goal was probably this altar hidden within the ruins.”
“They removed the goddess’s head and replaced it with a spider. I wonder what significance this holds. And based on the current situation, the strange occurrences in the Razor Mountains might also be connected to them.”
Dorothy continued to think, now suspecting a possible connection between the goddess statue and the Star Numerology Scriptorium. She held up the lamp and circled the statue, carefully observing it for any further clues.
“The style of this altar... seems somewhat similar to that of Radiance Church cathedrals. Could this statue be related to the Radiance Church? Is it a statue of the Holy Mother?”
“No, I’ve seen many depictions of the Holy Mother, usually as a mature, full-figured woman. This statue, even without the head, has a slender figure, particularly in the chest area, which is quite different from the Holy Mother’s depictions. It seems more like a young maiden. Also, statues and paintings of the Holy Mother usually don’t include mirrors. This might be a statue of a young goddess.”
Dorothy continued to analyze the statue. As she carefully examined the surroundings, she noticed something unusual on one of the walls.
On the mottled wall, a black cloth hung conspicuously. Looking around, no other walls had such an addition.
“A piece of cloth?”
Curious, Dorothy took out her magic box and summoned a human corpse marionette. She had it approach the black cloth to investigate.
“It looks new, probably hung there recently by those guys. Are they trying to cover something up?”
Thinking this, Dorothy had the marionette slowly pull back the cloth.
What appeared before her was a cracked brick wall. In one corner, a small section of the bricks had crumbled away, revealing a second layer of wall behind it. On this hidden layer, intertwined characters were inscribed.
“There’s something behind this brick wall? Was this wall built later to cover up what’s inscribed on the real wall?”
Seeing this, Dorothy’s eyes lit up. She had the marionette remove the black cloth and began carefully dismantling the loose bricks. Soon, many bricks were removed, and the inscribed characters hidden behind them gradually came into view.
There were two lines of text, written in different languages and serving as translations of each other. One was in Pritt Common, and the other... Dorothy realized with surprise that she recognized it—it was Old Imperial!
When dealing with the Deer Skull, Dorothy had obtained an Old Imperial translation from Aldrich. That translation had been filled with poems praising a monarch known as the "King of Light," celebrating his alliance with allies to drive out evil gods and demons and establish an empire.
Now, the text on the wall was also in Old Imperial, the same language as those poems. The author of the "King of Light" poems and the person who inscribed the wall might share some connection.
Dorothy began to carefully read the text on the wall. Fortunately, someone had later added a Pritt translation alongside it, allowing her to understand.
After a quick glance, Dorothy realized it was a farewell message.
...
"It’s over. All the altars and churches on the island have been closed and taken over.”
"Both public and hidden. Those in towns and those in the wilderness. Even this one, built within ancient ruins for training and meditation, is no exception…”
"According to the agreement, the worship of the Goddess will completely withdraw from the Three Islands. If we wish to continue following the Goddess, we must leave our homeland and journey east.”
"I am reluctant to leave this place, my homeland. But for the Goddess, I must give up everything. I have long sworn an oath to the Mirror Moon.”
"People of Pritania, do not fear. Though we, the servants of the Goddess, must depart, her blessings will remain upon this land."
...
North Pine Forest, north of King’s Campus.
In the dark forest, the brutal and bloody battle was nearing its end. Thorn Velvet and Amin’s forces were no match for the well-prepared hunters. Ambushed perfectly, their collapse was swift.
Soon, Thorn Velvet’s subordinates were completely wiped out. His comrade Amin was beheaded by the hunter captain in combat, and Thorn Velvet himself was injured.
Now, Thorn Velvet, dragging his wounded body, raced through the dark forest. Alone and desperate, he pushed himself to the limit to escape, while the hunters pursued him relentlessly.
Led by their captain, the hunters closed in on their prey. One after another, black shadows darted through the trees, drawing closer to the fleeing figure.
Thorn Velvet was a Black-rank Shadow Beyonder, known for his speed. However, his injuries now hindered him, preventing him from moving at full capacity.
"Huff... huff... Damn... those... black dogs..."
Feeling the pursuers closing in, Thorn Velvet gritted his teeth and forced himself to accelerate, but it wasn’t enough to create distance.
The Hunter Captain, an Aeromancer, and several squad members ran at the front of the group. Seeing their prey drawing nearer, the captain smiled behind his mask and tightened his grip on a small stone dagger.
Just as the captain prepared to use a wind blade to bring down the fleeing Thorn Velvet, a dense, rustling sound suddenly filled the dark forest. From the shadows, a large swarm of bats emerged, rushing toward the Hunters.
"Take cover!"
The captain immediately warned his team, slashing his stone dagger to summon a gust of wind that scattered many of the bats, creating space for his team to evade.
However, three Hunters were too slow. They were instantly engulfed by the swarm, their bodies wrapped in darkness as they fell to the ground, struggling and screaming in agony.
"Ahhh!!!"
Within five or six seconds, their struggles ceased. The bats dispersed, leaving behind three bloodied corpses. The bats then flew in unison toward a single direction.
In full view of everyone, the bats coalesced into a human figure.
When the bats vanished, a tall, thin man in a black suit stood on the ground. He had a bald head, pointed ears, pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, and prominent cheekbones. His crimson eyes coldly scanned the surroundings.
"Lord Claudius!"
Seeing the man, Thorn Velvet exclaimed with relief, while the Hunter Captain clenched his fists, his expression grim.
"White Ash Vampire..."