The Glass Knife contained the string of fate that belonged to Sevirax, the Chain Lord of the Ivory City. It was his death, which the War Maidens had received from the Saint of Shadows hundreds of years ago.
Now, two Shadows came back to retrieve it.
Sunny suspected that none of the sect members that had been alive all those centuries ago lived still, including the particular Maiden to whom Shadow Lord had sent the Glass Knife before taking his own life. As such, none would remember the four-armed Demon who had delivered it… most likely.
And yet, the current disciples of the cult had to know what was being kept in their temple, and how it got there. So, there was a chance that they will just hand it over to the original owners… no matter how slim.
…But Sunny was forced to lie due to wearing Weaver's Mask. Instead, he simply implied that they had come for the Glass Knife under the cover of coming for the sole reason of satisfying Saint's nonexistent bloodlust.
The tall woman who had spoken to them grew still as soon as Sunny finished speaking, a somber expression appearing on her face. She studied Saint's motionless figure, then said coldly, her raspy voice growing slightly hoarse:
"...So the day has come. How fortunate we are, to witness it! Someone finally dares to challenge the Red Sect for the ownership of the ancient relic. Who knew that I would witness this children's story come true?"
She smiled darkly, then tilted her head, no humor in her sharp, grey eyes.
"...However, the Glass Blade does not belong to you, or any of your kin. It had been entrusted to our foremother, who passed on the duty of protecting it to her wards, and through them, to us. At the very least, it seems you understand that."
The woman lingered, then sighed.
"However, it is not my place… to put you in yours. Come, Demoness. Let me welcome you to the Temple of the Chalice!"
With that, the War Maidens slowly lowered their weapons, and then followed their leader as she turned to walk on the path through the graveyard of swords. Surrounded by them, Saint, Sunny, and Veliona had no choice but to walk forward. After a few moments, the taciturn Demon gracefully jumped down from Nightmare's back, who then dissipated into shadows and returned to Sunny's soul. At the same time, Sunny removed Weaver's Mask, slipping it under his clothing as he discretely dismissed it.
Although it didn't seem like any of the War Maidens recognized Weaver's Mask, if Sunny ever ran into March, he didn't want her to recognize him as Mongrel. That was a secret he had to take to the grave… otherwise, the whole world would become his enemy.
On the other hand, Veliona was rather ignorant of many things. He wasn't concerned about her knowing his criminalistic identity.
…Of course, very few secrets can be hidden for long. As such, Sunny wanted to become powerful enough to face the world before that time inevitably came.
Despite the fact that the beautiful female warriors had sheathed their swords, their hostility remained aimed at the three strangers, and their gazes were still as sharp and dangerous as steel blades.
'What an unfriendly bunch…'
Sunny sighed inwardly, and then looked around through his shadows, paying attention to the countless swords thrust into the ground all around them. Somehow, he felt that each of these weapons had a history… a violent story of battle and bloodshed that ended in death. Perhaps some of these blades had once belonged to the War Maidens of the past, but most must have been wielded by those warriors slain by the members of the sect.
…There were really, really many swords thrust into the ground around the stone temple.
Soon, they approached the gates of the magnificent structure and were led inside. Sunny was somewhat familiar with the interior of the ancient shrine, but it was hard to bring together two pictures that lived in his mind — one of a desolate ruin, the other of the austere, but formidable and perfectly maintained temple fortress.
They were ushered into a spacious entrance hall, where Saint followed his command and stopped, as though unwilling to go further.
The tall Maiden with grey eyes glanced at her and smiled coldly.
"...Wait here, Demoness. I will inform the elders of your arrival. And your challenge."
***
Saint stood with the blade of the Soul Serpent resting on her shoulder, motionless like a beautiful statue cut of black onyx. Her presence was aloof and indifferent, as though the three of them were not surrounded from all sides by fearsome warriors, with no way to escape.
The tall Maiden left, but the rest of the sentinels remained, surrounding them in a wide circle. Their faces were calm, but their eyes remained sharp, steady hands laying on the hilts of their swords.
Under their gazes, Sunny didn't dare to send one of his shadows to scout around the temple… however, he also didn't need to. Instead, he listened to the sounds surrounding them with curiosity.
The Temple of the Chalice seemed silent, but somewhere far away, a repeating sound could be heard… the sound of something blunt hitting flesh, over and over again, and an occasional rattle of chains. Disturbed, he frowned slightly.
His shadow sense spread out, observing and differentiating the different silhouettes.
'Knife, knife… where are the damn knives?!'
Actually, there were plenty, but based on how they were jumbled together, Sunny figured that they must have been mundane knives, whether for cutlery or to be used as weapons.
'Huh?'
Sunny detected a knifelike silhouette, but… it was constantly dancing and shifting, as if it was surrounded by a dancing flame.
A shape began to take form in his mind; in the center of the temple, there was a large hall, and in the center of the hall was a giant stone chalice. The chalice was filled to the brim with a raging flame…
And at the bottom of the chalice, was a Glass Knife.