Nighttime, the distant outskirts of Adria, at the cliffside battered by crashing waves.
The grotesque half-shark, half-human monster rapidly transformed at a visible speed, quickly reverting entirely to human form. He became a man about forty or fifty years old, with deep yellow skin, thick black beard, drenched robes, and a clearly visible scar across his face. As soon as his transformation was complete, those gathered atop the cliff respectfully bowed in greeting.
Facing their respectful greetings, the man remained silent at first. Turning his gaze toward the distant city hidden beneath the veil of night, he spoke slowly.
"Has Antonio already left?"
"Yes, Mr. Garib. Antonio departed Adria this morning, heading back to Pezhi. By now, he should have covered quite a distance," answered Mufid directly as he stepped forward. Hearing this, Garib visibly relaxed, breathing out slightly.
"Finally, he’s gone… that old man. If not for him, everything would’ve ended long ago."
"Mr. Garib, the final donated item is currently stored in Pure Flow Cathedral. Now is the best opportunity to retrieve it," Salim interjected from the side. Hearing his subordinate’s words, Garib nodded silently.
"Let’s move. We don’t have much time left to waste."
With that, Garib rose and headed toward the distant city, closely followed by Salim, Mufid, and the rest of their group.
…Late at night, Adria’s Cathedral Plaza.
The wide plaza, bustling with activity during the day, was now empty and silent. Cold evening wind swept across the open area. Only a few inns on the edges of the square and the centrally located church remained lit with faint lights; the rest was swallowed by darkness.
At the edge of this darkness, Garib and his entourage hid silently, staring into the distance toward the cathedral. On top of the cathedral roof, a faint, flickering glow persisted through the darkness. Ordinary passersby might mistake that glow for the cathedral’s gas lamps, but Garib and his companions knew better—it was the light of Pure Flow Cathedral’s greatest treasure, the Crown of Emmanuel. It was precisely because of that glow that they couldn’t easily approach the cathedral.
Standing on the edge of darkness, Garib gazed silently at the distant glowing crown atop the cathedral roof. He took out a small, intricately carved bone fragment. With a slight shake, an ethereal figure emerged from within, rapidly growing larger—a vacant-eyed, young male ghost dressed in a trench coat.
After summoning the ghost, Garib didn’t hesitate. He waved his hand, causing the summoned spirit to twist momentarily in expression before swiftly merging into his body. After a brief pause, Garib raised both hands, beginning to consume his spirituality to activate the ghost’s original ability.
Suddenly, moisture in the air intensified, rapidly forming thick mist. Fog quickly enveloped the entire plaza, greatly reducing visibility. The already dim area grew even darker beneath the thickening haze.
A dense fog soon filled the square and adjacent streets, with the thickest portion centered on Pure Flow Cathedral. On the cathedral rooftop, the luxurious crown reacted immediately upon contact with the fog, emitting an intense reddish-golden glow.
Normally, the crown’s brilliance would easily illuminate the entire plaza, visible from far distances. But now, heavily obscured by the thick mist, its glow was severely suppressed, unable to extend very far.
By conjuring this dense fog, Garib successfully suppressed the Crown of Emmanuel’s radiant alert. Seeing the faint glow amid the fog ahead, Garib began moving forward. The others quickly followed behind him, advancing toward the distant church through the mist.
Garib hurried through the mist, heading directly toward the blurred radiance. Soon, through the haze, he began making out the cathedral’s silhouette. Garib was about to reach his destination when suddenly he halted, sensing something amiss.
"Disperse."
A powerful, authoritative voice abruptly echoed through the thick mist. Immediately afterward, an intense golden light erupted nearby—stronger even than the Crown of Emmanuel’s illumination. Despite the mist, the glare forced Salim and the others to shield their eyes.
"What is that…?"
Under Garib’s wary gaze and Salim’s startled expression, the dense fog began rapidly retreating beneath the overpowering golden radiance. Visibility drastically improved. Gradually, as the light faded slightly, a figure became visible at the epicenter of the dispersed fog.
Clad in ornate clerical robes and wielding a ceremonial staff, Archbishop Antonio stood quietly atop the steps before Pure Flow Cathedral, observing the intruders calmly. Behind him stood Oliver, the local bishop of Adria, and Paul, head of the Deep Concealment Guards, backed by several members of the Guards pointing their rifles forward.
"An—Antonio!"
"Impossible! Didn’t you leave this morning?"
Seeing the elderly figure atop the steps, Salim and Mufid exclaimed in shock and horror. Antonio merely smiled faintly and replied slowly.
"Indeed, I was originally scheduled to leave this morning. But when I heard thieves intended to visit this museum—which holds such important significance for Adria—I decided to stay longer. Yet even I didn’t expect that the recently infamous thief would not only be connected to a tomb-raiding organization, but also hold such a high Beyonder rank."
"Surrender now, you grave-robbing parasites."
As he spoke, Antonio firmly struck the ground with his staff, releasing an invisible force that rapidly spread, enveloping everyone in front of him. Instantly, the members of the Corpse-Sand Society experienced excruciating pain erupting throughout their bodies. Everyone except Garib collapsed in agony, writhing helplessly on the ground.
Grave robbing was inherently dangerous, frequently leading to various injuries. Even after healing, these injuries left hidden traces and internal wounds. Thus, these tomb raiders, who regularly ventured into dangerous ruins and crypts, bore numerous old injuries throughout their bodies.
Antonio, as a Crimson-rank Beyonder of the Holy Mother pathway, exploited these hidden injuries. Using his abilities, he caused every old and concealed wound on their bodies to flare up simultaneously and drastically worsen. In an instant, the accumulated damage overwhelmed these elite tomb raiders. Even Salim and Mufid, both White Ash-rank Beyonders, collapsed helplessly. Garib himself was bent over, momentarily suppressed by intense pain.
"We were actually… discovered?"
Garib growled through clenched teeth. Despite his deep confusion over how their operation had been exposed, he had no intention of surrendering without resistance.
Enduring immense pain, Garib quickly drew two intricately carved bone fragments from his robe. From these fragments emerged two semi-transparent animal spirits—a majestic eagle and a fierce lion.
These animal spirits swiftly entered Garib’s body, triggering rapid and dramatic transformations. In mere moments, Garib’s head changed into that of a roaring lion, complete with thick mane and sharp fangs. His hands became powerful claws, and his back tore open as massive eagle wings unfurled. In a heartbeat, Garib had transformed into a monstrous being, a chimera with a lion’s head and eagle’s wings.
"Roar!"
With a fierce roar, Garib fought through the agonizing pain to counterattack. Clutching a handful of bone fragments in his talons, he soared skyward with powerful wingbeats before diving down toward Antonio at terrifying speed. In response, Antonio swiftly raised his staff to block the incoming strike.
Clang!
With a deafening impact, Garib’s claws struck Antonio’s staff. The immense force shattered the ground beneath Antonio’s feet, creating wide fissures. Oliver and Paul, standing nearby, staggered backward due to the powerful shockwave. Just as they prepared to assist Antonio, Antonio sharply shouted.
"Stay back!"
Hearing Antonio’s command, Oliver and Paul froze in place. At this moment, Garib revealed another move. He forcefully crushed the bone fragments in his claws, causing numerous souls to erupt into the air.
Dozens, perhaps even a hundred human and animal souls burst forth from the crushed fragments. Wailing and shrieking, these souls rapidly spun around Antonio and Garib. The temperature plummeted sharply, and the rapidly rotating souls obscured Antonio and Garib within a blurred storm of spiritual energy.
"This is… a Nether Send? You’re really sparing no expense. But even this won’t hold me, thief," Antonio murmured, observing the countless spinning spirits around him.
Garib, with his lion-like head, immediately replied, "It doesn’t matter if I can’t trap you permanently—I’ll still be the first to return."
Saying this, Garib continued wrestling with Antonio, allowing the souls around them to reach a critical velocity. At that moment, they simultaneously emitted a piercing scream and burst forth with an eerie blue glow. When the blue light faded, all the souls had vanished, along with both Garib and Antonio.
This was the "Nether Send," a ritualistic ability used by high-ranked Beyonders of the Silence domain. By releasing a massive number of souls intended for the Netherworld simultaneously, they temporarily blurred the boundary between the living world and the Netherworld. The Beyonder could seize this brief moment to descend into the Netherworld with those souls, along with anyone nearby.
Within the Netherworld, Silence Beyonders held a distinct advantage. However, due to the huge consumption of souls required—often a hundred or more—this ability was rarely used except in desperate circumstances.
After Garib and Antonio vanished, Oliver and Paul stood frozen, staring at the now-empty space. Clearly, they hadn’t expected tonight’s thieves to be this difficult to handle. Just then, movement from the foot of the stairs recaptured their attention.
With Antonio gone, the Corpse-Sand Society members, previously immobilized by their injuries, struggled back to their feet. Facing these revived intruders, Paul immediately shouted a stern warning.
"Don’t move! All of you, get down!"
Faced with Paul’s warning, Salim, Mufid, and the others clearly had no intention of listening. After regaining their mobility, they each took out bone fragments and called forth their spirit attachments, allowing these entities—taking either human or animal forms—to possess their bodies. Seeing that his intimidation had failed, Paul immediately ordered his men to open fire. Instantly, bullets flew towards the members of the Corpse-Sand Society. However, the Beyonders, having already completed their spirit possessions, weren’t afraid of such threats. Some dodged the bullets with heightened senses, while others directly drew their weapons to intercept and block the incoming bullets.
"Charge straight in! Whoever gets their hands on it first will be heavily rewarded!"
Holding a curved blade embedded with a bullet, Salim shouted this order to his subordinates. With loud cries, the group charged forward, rushing toward the hidden policemen ahead. Paul and Oliver quickly organized their forces to respond. Paul began summoning water from the distant waterways, while Oliver held his holy scriptures and solemnly imposed decrees upon the Beyonders approaching him.
Immediately, the two groups engaged in fierce, close combat. An intense battle erupted in front of the Pure Flow Cathedral entrance, splashing water, gunfire, and beastly roars filling the air.
The Corpse-Sand Society members had a clear objective: breach the defenses before them and enter the Pure Flow Cathedral. Yet, this task was exceedingly difficult. Gathered here was the majority of Adria’s official mystical strength, ranging from ordinary people to White Ash-rank Beyonders, encompassing Church members and mystical police alike. Although the Corpse-Sand Society had dispatched elite members for this mission, penetrating the Pure Flow Cathedral remained an extremely daunting task. Recognizing the difficulty, some Corpse-Sand members started devising ways to infiltrate from alternate routes.
At the edge of the battlefield, a Corpse-Sand Society member possessed by the spirit of an agile animal quietly escaped through the mist at the battlefield’s perimeter. He intended to skirt around the conflict and enter the cathedral from another side. Unfortunately, shortly after attempting his detour, he was spotted by a Deep Concealment Guards squad member equipped with a rifle.
Facing the Corpse-Sand Society member trying to stealthily infiltrate, the squad member immediately raised his firearm, ready to shoot. Just then, a massive eagle abruptly emerged from the dense fog behind him, landing silently on his body unnoticed. The squad member immediately felt a numbing pain and convulsed, foam spilling from his mouth.
Under this sudden and intense sensation, the rifleman collapsed unconscious onto the road. The Corpse-Sand member who had been targeted crashed through a glass window and entered the cathedral. Once inside, he dashed swiftly among countless display cases, soon arriving at the Crown Chamber.
In the vast Crown Chamber, illuminated by the halo of the Crown of Emmanuel, the man began quickly weaving among the various exhibition cases, muttering a name repeatedly.
"Ebony’s donation... Ebony’s donation... Where is it exactly?"
While murmuring, the man anxiously examined all the labels on the display cases. Moments later, his eyes lit up as he spotted exactly what he was looking for.
At that very moment, another pair of eyes inside the Crown Chamber also observed the man discovering his target.