With a single step forward—
The next second, Edward, along with Lilith and Phoenix, passed through the invisible bone wall without resistance.
As expected.
Magic defeats magic.
And only the power of Death can counter the power of Artificial Death.
The moment Edward stepped onto the altar, the Numinous Episcopate members who had been wildly performing their death dance suddenly froze mid-movement, all turning to stare at him.
Their faces were pale, deathly so—like corpses long deceased. Their pupils were pitch-black voids.
At the same time, the sacrificed Sea God followers—who had dropped dead moments before—also began to twitch and rise, letting out guttural growls as they lunged at Edward like crazed undead.
"Tch…I'm still visible even with an Invisibility Cloak?!"
With a flick of his wand, Edward summoned raging Fiendfyre, reducing the first wave of undead into ash. Multiple spells and Beyonder abilities were launched in rapid succession, sweeping toward the cultists.
More than half of the dozen-plus Numinous Episcopate members were killed instantly, while the rest narrowly dodged behind the black coffin, using it as cover.
The survivors began sprouting feathers, transforming into grotesque, feathered monsters smeared in yellowish oil. Their movements grew sharp and agile, and in the same moment, they launched an aggressive assault toward Edward.
"Phoenix!"
Edward began blinking across the battlefield while tossing the Death Ring back to Phoenix. The creature hesitated for only a moment before flaring its wings and charging toward the feathered abominations.
Suddenly, a strange scene unfolded—
A few of the feathered monsters from the Numinous Episcopate bowed low, prostrating themselves before Phoenix and kissing the floor.
Even after being warped by the power of the Artificial Death, they instinctively obeyed the hierarchy of the Death pathway—A lower Sequence must submit to a higher one.
Edward paused and turned to look at the dimensional rift torn open by the feathers.
In just a few short minutes, under the double assault of Kottman and the Artificial Death, Sea Serpent Kalvetua had sustained increasingly severe injuries.
If it focused on defending against Kottman's attacks, it was overrun by feathers. If it resisted the feathers, it was drained by Kottman, who was maintaining the sacrificial gate with precision.
At this rate, even if Kalvetua hadn't lost the Book of Calamity, it might still fall here tonight.
But something else puzzled Edward—
The Sea God cultists standing nearby had clearly seen what was happening. They could tell Numinous Episcopate was turning on Kalvetua.
So why weren't they resisting?
No…not all of them were blind.
Some of the Sea God cult's hierarchy, especially those who collaborated with the Numinous Episcopate, likely knew exactly what was going on.
They just…didn't care.
After all, faith is rarely ever simple.
I worship you because I believe you will protect me…bless me…bring me hope.
But what has Kalvetua actually brought to the native peoples of the Rorsted Archipelago
in all these years?
Nothing.
Only primitive, bloody sacrifices.
So why should I continue to worship you?
Why not place my faith in a god who actually delivers?
And thus came the Numinous Episcopate alliance.
In the world of the Mysteries, those who rise to power are never fools.
ROAR!
Kalvetua bared its fangs, mouth crackling with electric light, and bit into the invading feathers within the ruins. With a violent thunderclap, the feathers—manifestations of the Artificial Death's power—were torn to shreds.
But that brief moment of triumph came at a terrible cost.
A thunderous lightning spear shot through the sacrificial gate, piercing deep into the ruins—launched by Jahn Kottman.
It slammed Kalvetua against a stone wall, nearly severing its body in half.
The sea serpent screamed and writhed in agony. Even with its potent regenerative powers, this level of injury was almost beyond repair.
——
Meanwhile, back at the altar—
The severed feathers had triggered another wave of deaths among the Sea God followers. A new flood of feathers sprouted from the black coffin.
But this time, they changed direction.
Rather than continuing toward Kalvetua, the feathers swerved, locking onto a new target—
Edward.
BANG!
A torrent of feathers soaked in yellowish oil poured out. And with it, a black shadow shot from the coffin, beelining toward Edward.
Thanks to the violent fluctuations of spirituality, Edward was warned in advance. He blinked to the side, twisting the shadow's trajectory with a spell mid-air. At the same time, he unleashed a massive Avada Kedavra charged with multiple spiritual magnification.
CRACK!
The dark green Killing Curse struck the black shadow head-on.
It let out a shrill scream, then crashed to the ground, twitching for a few seconds before falling still.
Edward approached carefully, finally getting a good look at the creature.
It was a feathered serpent, about the length of a human arm.
Its scales were black with a green sheen, feathers grew from between its scales, all tainted with pale yellow filth.
Each feather sprouted a phantasmal black vein that extended and pulsed faintly.
"Hissssss…"
More hissing emerged from the coffin.
All around, the Sea God worshippers withered, their vitality draining into undeath.
Dozens of feathered serpents slithered forth from the feather-covered coffin, each flicking out an inky black tongue and fixing their gaze on Edward.
A chill crept up Edward's spine.
Most of these creatures were only arm-length, and while their Sequence wasn't immediately clear, Edward could feel the threat radiating from them.
Without hesitation, he launched a sea of Fiendfyre.
The illusory book in his eyes flipped once more. He summoned the blood-slick form of the Spear of Longinus, and hurled it directly at the coffin.
BOOM!
The bloodstained spear shot forward with unstoppable momentum, obliterating the black coffin and everything inside it—including the feathered serpents—down to the last trace.
And yet, where the coffin had once been, a black vortex now remained.
From within it, feathers and feathered serpents continued to pour out, as if from a bottomless pit.
A fresh wave of Sea God cultists collapsed lifelessly, drained of their vitality.
Edward realised that he could no longer afford to worry about whether these followers were innocent or not.
If he didn't eliminate them now, Artificial Death would continue drawing power from their life force, fueling an endless cycle of strength and death.
So, he tore off his Invisibility Cloak and shouted, "Danitz! I'm giving you 30 seconds to run. After that—I'm going on a killing spree!"
"30…29…"
Hissss—
Dozens of shadowy, black streaks streaked toward him.
Edward quickly activated his defences, blinking rapidly through the vast underground chamber, casting spells and Beyonder abilities with high frequency—managing to destroy one or two feathered serpents along the way.
But the black vortex seemed inexhaustible.
For every one serpent Edward killed, three or four more emerged.
Soon, he was being chased by over a hundred of them.
Phoenix attempted to use the authority granted by the Death Ring to suppress the serpents.
But the effect was limited. Whenever one group was suppressed, another broke free—and Phoenix was forced to run back and forth like a frantic firefighter, barely keeping up.
——
Meanwhile, Danitz, who had been waiting for an opportunity all this time, grew increasingly anxious as he watched wave after wave of Sea God cultists fall dead.
At this rate, even if no one came to force him to retrieve the sealed artifact, he'd eventually be reduced to sacrificial fodder like the rest.
Then, without warning, the cultists stopped dancing.
Half of them dropped dead inexplicably, and the remaining half suddenly grew feathers and began attacking the air itself.
Danitz was confused—until a large black-and-red bird flew by overhead.
Instantly, the mutated cultists cowered, kneeling down and kissing the floor.
"Huh? That bird…is that Edward's messenger?"
Phoenix had undergone quite a transformation recently, from pure black to a mix of black and red. Danitz couldn't be sure, so he decided to wait and observe.
Just then, the archbishop kneeling beside him turned and spoke, "Bishop Ace, it's time to show your loyalty to the Church of the Sea God."
"Use the sealed artifact granted to you by our lord. Kill the intruder."
"…Archbishop, the intruder you speak of…is it the bird?"
The archbishop shook his head.
His pupils suddenly turned into void-like black holes.
"The god tells me—the intruder is cloaked in invisibility. Find him. Kill him. Do so—and you shall become the next High Priest of the Church of Sea God."
Danitz looked utterly baffled.
"But…if he's invisible, how am I supposed to find him?"
Just as he finished speaking, Edward's voice rang out again:
"Danitz! I'm giving you 30 seconds to run. After that—I'm going on a killing spree!"
Danitz's heart jolted.
It's Gehrman—no, Edward!
He came for me?!
Did he notice all those fake 'Fire-Fist Ace' doppelgängers outside and come in to save me?!
Danitz was nearly moved to tears.
"Quick! Kill him! Kill him!!"
The archbishop's face contorted, black veins bulging hideously across his skin.
"KILL HIM!!!"
"…Yes."
Danitz slowly stood up, fixing his eyes on Edward, who was still dodging dozens of black serpents.
All around him, the cultists echoed the archbishop's words:
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Their insanity spread like a plague, infecting all those who heard it.
Even the ones who had been kneeling and chanting their Sea God prayers rose up one by one, their eyes now pitch-black, all turning their gaze on Danitz.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
The repeated chanting echoed endlessly in his ears, like voices bouncing through a cavern, digging deeper and deeper into his mind.
Then, somewhere deep in his soul—
A voice whispered: Unlock the bone shard bracelet. Use its power. Kill Edward.
Danitz's pupils turned completely black.
Like a puppet, he silently untied the bracelet of bone shards from his wrist and raised his hand, aiming straight at Edward.
"Da…ni…tz…Stop f*cking standing there…Just run…"
Edward's voice was faint and choppy, as if coming from miles away.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
The archbishop and the cultists' voices, by contrast, were loud and persistent, as if someone whispering sweet, sinister nothings right next to his ear.
Danitz moved.
One step…then another…
He slowly advanced toward Edward.
Electric arcs flickered over the bracelet.
Feathers began to sprout from his wrist, creeping up his forearm and spreading across his body.
Then suddenly—Danitz's eyes flashed with violent, manic defiance.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
WHOOSH!
Two blazing white spears of fire erupted from his hands and hurtled forward—
BOOM!
In an instant, the area fell silent.
The archbishop and six or seven Sea God cultists were all impaled through the chest, their ribcages scorched with smoking black holes.
The pitch-black madness in their eyes faded instantly, replaced with astonishment.
They didn't even have time for dying words before they collapsed lifelessly.
Danitz gasped heavily, then turned to look at his left arm—now covered in feathers.
With gritted teeth, he grabbed a clump and yanked it out.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
The pain pierced straight through to the bone.
His vision went black for a second—
When it cleared again, he saw that the feathers he had ripped out had already regrown, and had spread to his shoulder and chest.
"Yeah…I'm definitely dead this time."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.