Back at the ritual site, dozens of guards were trying to descend the fissure and retrieve the fallen stones, but it was all in vain.
"Hey! Did you find anything?" a guard shouted into the large fissure that opened right in front of the Svarga temple.
"Only a few that got stuck in the walls, but all the rest are lost," a voice echoed hundreds of meters below.
When the stones fell, due to the earthquake itself, the rocks in the hole broke loose and partially covered the fissure, so the only way to rescue the Conjuration stones would be to excavate, but that was unfeasible considering the difficulty, the risk of destroying what they wanted to rescue, and the chance of another earthquake happening.
"Tch! Why did this have to happen today of all days? At least we have some reserve stones saved."
"And what shall we do about the ritual site?" asked the sage who performed the conversion ritual, his voice tired. "We'll have to change it."
"We'll do it far from here; we can't let anyone know what's inside the Svarga temple."
While all this discussion was happening, six people walked among the countless guards and monks without being noticed, and for the most part, they were unconcerned.
"How can you stay so calm? I know we're invisible and inaudible, but..."
The only one showing nervousness was Ashoka, who feared making any sound or being seen, staying close to Shiina for fear that being far from her would expose him.
"Apparently, what we're looking for is inside the temple." The traveler looked at the entrance. "Let's go in."
Carefully passing by the people, the group headed to the temple entrance and found themselves facing a large stone gate, as wide as Krimisha's main streets.
When they entered, they found themselves before a long corridor carved into the rock, faintly lit by some Alteration stones, revealing various artworks of bizarre creatures; some vaguely resembled tormented and deformed humanoids, others more like a kind of apparition or spirit. Statues similar to these paintings were also very predominant.
They didn't pass by anyone in the corridors, but Luna, who was constantly using Alteration, knew that, deeper inside, there were numerous people with Conjuration auras.
After some time, they arrived in a circular room with eight different corridors leading to other places. For the first time since entering, they saw up close the true perpetrators of that problem: people wearing dark cloaks and partially hiding their faces with hoods.
These people came and went through all the corridors, except the one leading to the temple exit, and briefly exchanged words about a ritual and a portal.
It seemed they would have to rely on luck to find the right path, but there was a concentrated and unpleasant energy coming from one of the corridors in particular.
"Luna, in which of these corridors do you feel the Conjuration element most intensely?"
The princess concentrated for a few seconds then pointed to the northwest corridor.
"Definitely there."
"Very good, your senses are keen."
Following the pointed direction, the group walked down the corridor which was very similar to the first one they had just passed.
"What are these paintings?" Luna asked. "Do these things exist?"
"I've never seen any of these creatures before..." Sariel replied.
The deeper they went, the more different creatures appeared in the paintings and statues; some were even a bizarre mixture of animals, or even animals with humans.
The group walked for several minutes down the long corridor filled with the same strange paintings from the entrance. The movement was even greater there, with dozens of people constantly transiting.
These people exited and entered through various secondary corridors connected to the main corridor, bringing with them several Conjuration stones.
"This Sect is really quite large; there are many devotees here..." Sariel intently watched the activities of those people.
"Don't they know the concept of bathing?" Shiina covered her nose. "A skunk smells better than them."
"You say that, yet your smell isn't exactly pleasant right now," Sariel provoked.
"I'd be relaxing in a bathtub right now if it weren't for those bastards," the assassin grumbled.
"But I don't smell anything coming from you," Raymond said.
"Oh... well..." Shiina suddenly looked embarrassed.
"She's using Illusion magic to disguise her smell from you," Sariel chuckled. "It might work on all of you, who have no resistance to Illusion, but since I have part of my power with that element, I can clearly smell something rather unpleasant from her."
"Sh-Shut up!"
Sariel couldn't help but laugh at Shiina, which made Ashoka a little more relaxed as both were completely ignoring the surrounding danger and conversing normally.
The group continued along the long corridor until the flow of people gradually decreased, with half a dozen priests traversing the side passages.
Eventually, after walking for a long time, they reached a point in the corridor where no one else was passing through, and Luna suddenly stopped with an alert expression.
"I can sense three powerful auras ahead."
"What are their elements?"
"All of them are Conjuration."
"Very good, they are probably the leaders, let's approach carefully."
Quickening their pace, everyone walked rapidly, and the corridor finally opened into a large circular space. The area was even larger than the Fire Mountain pyramid and had no ceiling, allowing the moonlight to naturally illuminate the interior.
Unlike the corridors, the stones that formed that room were not carved and smooth. In addition, the place had large cylindrical Conjuration stones about two meters high, as well as other strange dark metals positioned in a circular manner on the floor around the entire room, forming a kind of ring.
That place could easily be mistaken for a construction site and that something was being built, were it not for a certain throne at the other end of that room.
Floating above this throne was a figure. He was a tall, bald man with his eyes closed. He wore golden clothes and had his thin, parched-looking chest exposed. His skin was wrinkled, contorted, full of scars, and pale as if it had never been touched by sunlight.
However, his most bizarre aspect was his number of limbs: six arms and six legs.
Two pairs of legs were crossed while the third pair was stretched out and dangling, while all six of his palms were joined in a prayer sign, one above his head, another at chest height, and another resting in his lap.
The skin of his head stretched abnormally upwards, forming a kind of crown of hardened, dried skin whose tips had a blood-like hue. His limbs also had a different color from the rest of his body, becoming yellowish from the middle and with reddish nails, toes and fingers.
All the skin on his body grew abnormally and hardened, forming plates like armor.
To his left was a woman in a long red dress with dark hair, and to his right was a man in a dark cloak, with long blond hair and sharp green eyes.
"We almost have enough souls to build the portal," the cloaked man said in a deep and raspy voice. "The earthquake was an unfortunate setback, but tomorrow we can begin its construction."
"After years, we will finally show Shiva's glory and goodness to the world!" The woman had a hopeful voice. "Kura will be forgotten and abandoned just as she did to us!"
As soon as he saw his own son, Ashoka became visibly nervous.
"Are those Sharaad and Bhavna?" Sariel asked.
"Yes, it is us," Sharaad replied with a booming voice from across the room. "Why don't you drop this illusion and present yourselves properly?"
The King of Krimisha's head was turned directly towards the group, and he would probably be looking at their position if his eyes weren't closed.
Surprised to be discovered, everyone went on alert and drew their weapons. Although Sharaad's eyes were closed, they could perfectly feel as if they were indeed being seen.
"Who are you talking to, my son?" Bhavna tried to look in the same direction Sharaad was staring and find someone.
"Why so much hostility? We are all civilized beings here, aren't we?" the King of Krimisha asked, still with his eyes closed.
Shiina looked at Sariel, who nodded in agreement.
Realizing that Sharaad was indeed able to perceive them, the assassin dispelled her illusion, revealing the group to the two people who hadn't been able to see them.
"Intruders? How did you get here?" the cloaked man asked with a raspy voice.
"Come, approach!" Sharaad extended one of his arms in a receptive manner. "Tell me your names, my guests."
The group remained still for a while until Sariel took the initiative and slowly approached the king with caution; the others followed close behind.
"I apologize. These stones affected my perception." Luna blamed herself for the group being discovered.
Since there were countless Conjuration Gems, most of them larger than a human, that ended up fooling her detection.
"Conjuration is able to mix with other elements; he has Alteration, but mixed with Conjuration, it's difficult to detect the Alteration," Sariel explained as he approached. "So, he even tricked my perception; if I had a greater percentage of Alteration, I would have noticed it sooner."
When they reached a distance of about ten meters, they stopped and waited attentively for Sharaad's next action.
"It's been a long time... father..."
Ashoka remained silent, not knowing how to speak to his son. There was something intimidating about him that deeply bothered him, a kind of malice in his voice that wasn't there when he was younger.
"You..." The king looked at Aegreon. "You are the Conjuration Pillar. Aegreon, right?"
Upon hearing that name, the cloaked man assumed a battle stance.
"Wait, Keya," Sharaad said. "This is a golden opportunity."
Realizing the king's plan, the devotee calmed down and waited.
"My name is Nungal," Sariel said. "These are Emi, Luna, and Leopold."
"I've never heard those names before, but you..." The king turned his face to Luna. "That illusion trying to disguise your eyes doesn't fool me, you are that angel from Fordurn."
When he heard the word angel and noticed her eyes, Keya's eyes lit up as if he saw an invaluable treasure in place of the princess.
The princess, however, did not notice the predatory way the priest looked at her, and only looked at Sharaad.
"Since you've arrived here, you must already imagine what is happening, therefore, I will not delay my proposal." The king spoke eloquently. "Join me, convert, and Shiva will give you any answer you desire. You, Nungal, Aegreon, and Luna are at the same level of power, therefore Shiva will answer any question you have!"
"And what do you intend to do with our souls?" the traveler asked.
"So, you know the procedure..." Keya commented.
"Yes, I've destroyed other Sects before, so I know very well how you operate." Sariel glared at the devotee with a cold look, making him gulp.
"We are different!" He responded nervously. "Unlike other Sects and Kura, Shiva has helped the people of Krimisha! If it weren't for him, Sharaad wouldn't be alive and Krimisha wouldn't have prospered so much!"
Upon hearing this, the traveler turned and pointed to the stones and metals placed on the floor around the room.
"And these portal materials?"
"Portal? These are materials to decorate this room."
"Don't take me for an idiot! We clearly heard you mention a portal." Sariel's fury, this time, made the devotee involuntarily take a step back.
Noticing the traveler's agitation, Ashoka tried to defuse the situation.
"Calm yourselves, my guests," Sharaad interrupted. "Remember you are in my kingdom; therefore, any act of violence is an unforgivable crime."
"I wonder how the Council would act if they knew about this." The traveler pointed his glaive at him.
Realizing that the traveler wouldn't be fooled, the King of Krimisha sighed heavily.
"Well, then we'll have to tear your souls out by force!"
Sharaad's eyes snapped open, revealing yellowish eyes and blood-red pupils. His gaze was mad and bulging.
Noticing this, Sariel immediately touched Aegreon, Raymond, and Luna and undid the seal he had placed on them.
"You fool! We could never defeat a single Pillar! Let alone three people at the Council's power level!" Keya shouted.
"Then do something useful and call for help."
"Damn it!" Keya, irritated, began running towards a corridor behind the throne.
"Tch! You won't escape!" Sariel dashed towards the priest.
However, before he could reach Keya, a powerful gust of wind and a purple flame flew towards the traveler, creating a tornado of dark flames and preventing him from approaching the fleeing priest.
Looking at the one who cast this magic, he saw Sharaad's lower pairs of arms glowing with a purple flame, and his upper pairs with a black wind.
"Four elements… Huh."
"Please! Stop this!" Ashoka shouted, running towards Sharaad.
Noticing his approach, the traveler ran towards the Emeritus King, grabbed him, and threw him high enough into the air to go through the opening in the ceiling.
His ascent slowed until gravity pulled him down again and he began to fall.
However, before his body could fall half a meter back into the hole, a golden dome appeared beneath him and stopped his descent, preventing him from getting hurt in the process.
It was as if he had stumbled into an abyss, but a floor had appeared beneath him so he wouldn't fall.
Meanwhile, Keya pounded against the golden wall, trying to break it to get out. If he had been a little faster, he would have been able to escape, but someone had isolated the exits with Protection magic.
Sharaad looked at Sariel with surprise, for he could clearly see his aura changing from a silver color to golden.
"Be careful! His magic, there's something strange with Sharaad!" Luna shouted.
"What do you mean?" Raymond drew his sword, Indra's swords, and approached her.
"I don't know, he..."
Meanwhile, the king, realizing that Keya had failed to escape, created a strong dark wind to surround him, with purple flames mixing with the wind and creating a black tornado, protecting him and making it difficult for anyone to approach him.
"I feel the aura of three people in his body." Sariel stared intently at the king.
"What the hell does that mean?"
Sharaad levitated from his throne with one pair of legs crossed, another in a yoga position, and another swinging in the air. His intermediate hands made a sign of meditation.
Noticing the purple fire and wind furiously spinning around Sharaad, Keya gave up on fleeing and approached his opponents with his hands covered in purple ice.
Bhavna realized that both were ready for battle, lifted her hands while glowing purple, pointed at Sharaad and Keya and tried to physically strengthen their physical might. The glow in her hands moved towards both like a river of floating purple and polluted waters and covered their bodies, but the light weakened as soon as it touched them.
"What?" Bhavna looked at her own hands, not understanding why her magic had weakened.
"This Sariel not only created a shield to prevent exit and entry, but also mixed Sealing into the barrier, weakening our magic." Sharaad glanced at his mother.
"What? But wasn't his element Illusion? How is he capable of using such high-level Protection magic?"
"He must be a Volatile..." Keya said. "We must kill him first."
"Impossible with him using the Protection element," Sharaad said. "He's capable of creating shields with the same resistance as Clementius and out heal our attacks."
"Tch! Then let's focus on the others!"
"Don't hesitate in this fight." Sariel looked at the princess. "Understood?"
"Ye-Yes," Luna stammered, nervous to suddenly be in a situation where she would most likely have to kill someone.
Both sides stared at each other for a brief moment while Ashoka watched everything from above, punching the barrier in hopes of getting back down and preventing the fight from happening.
"STOP, PLEASE!" he desperately screamed as he futilely punched the barrier. "DON'T DO THIS!"