"…Sir Knight, are you really planning to go through with this?"
Lorena asked timidly as she followed closely behind Duanmu Huai. She was wrapped tightly in a black cloak, and Olgis beside her was dressed the same. Duanmu Huai strode confidently ahead like their bodyguard. The three of them blended into the crowd of worshippers heading toward the church, drawing no attention to themselves.
Well, except for one of them.
"What else? Wait until the place closes at night and climb over the wall?"
Duanmu Huai snorted softly as he advanced toward the cathedral, sweeping his eyes across the surrounding believers. The worshippers all walked with their heads down, muttering as if in a trance, their entire demeanor lifeless—like a horde of the walking dead.
"Are your followers always like this during prayer?"
"No, everyone is usually very sincere, very enthusiastic…"
Lorena looked around with growing concern. It was clear something was deeply wrong with how vacant and lifeless the believers appeared.
What surprised Duanmu Huai most was that there were no guards, priests, or nuns stationed around the church. Once inside, the cloaked worshippers moved like preprogrammed machines, forming orderly lines and heading in different directions. The three of them, not expecting this, paused for a moment, unsure where to go.
Just then, a voice called out from behind them.
"Hehehe, you all seem a little lost. Care to talk with me?"
A smiling young nun appeared from behind. She waved warmly at the trio. Dressed in a plain black habit and headscarf, her face was pure and bright, radiating youthful vitality. She looked every bit the kind, lovable nun.
"Welcome to this dreamlike cathedral! Isn't it amazing how fantastical this place is?"
She danced a little step as she spoke, coming up to them and gesturing cheerfully.
"Come, come, don't be shy. Let me, Melucot, your friendly cathedral guide, lead the way."
"...…"
Duanmu Huai frowned slightly as he looked at the nun. Though her demeanor and speech seemed normal, her voice had an odd quality to it. Maybe it was the acoustics, but it sounded like her voice came from every direction, laced with a syrupy, seductive tone—like those old online clips of cutesy "clamp voices" that were just... unsettling.
"We're just here to look around."
Duanmu Huai stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Olgis and Lorena.
"And also, we have some matters to discuss with Mister Ivel. Can you take us to him?"
"Oh, you mean Archbishop Ivel? Of course, please follow me."
The nun twirled playfully and began leading them down a corridor deeper into the church. The three of them followed closely behind.
Under the nun's guidance, they passed through a hallway and then began descending a spiral staircase.
But…
"S-Sir Knight… I don't feel well…"
Lorena reached out and tugged Duanmu Huai's cloak, whispering softly behind him.
"What's wrong? Are you ill?"
Duanmu Huai lowered his voice to ask, but Lorena just shook her head with a teary look.
"I-I don't know. The air here… it feels horrible. It's making me uncomfortable, and it's so cold…"
"Cold?"
Duanmu Huai blinked and checked his helmet's sensors. Temperature readings showed nothing out of the ordinary—well within human tolerance. But Lorena looked visibly pale, lips tinged blue, arms trembling as she clutched herself.
Could she be cold-sensitive?
"Wanna come in?"
After thinking for a moment, Duanmu Huai lifted his cloak. Lorena nodded eagerly and slipped under it. On the other side, Olgis silently observed, then also lifted the cloak and slipped inside.
"How is it? Pretty amazing, right? Archbishop Ivel worked so hard to build this cathedral…"
The nun leading the way didn't seem to notice what happened behind her and continued her enthusiastic commentary. But Duanmu Huai was now fully on alert. He could tell that they had reached the church's depths. Normally, a temple didn't need such an extensive underground complex.
Well, normally.
If someone was planning something shady, that was another matter entirely.
And indeed, Duanmu Huai could feel the environment subtly shifting. The wall sconces still burned bright, but an inexplicable wind now swept through the dark space, causing the flames to flicker. Shadows on the walls began to writhe and twist—as if alive.
"Right this way."
Finally, the nun stopped before a large bronze door. She extended her hand and pushed it open, then gestured for them to enter.
Duanmu Huai gave her a glance, then walked through with Olgis and Lorena.
Boom!
The heavy door slammed shut behind them. A moment later, the nun's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Lord Ivel, I've brought your guests."
"Thank you, Melucot."
Before them was a wide, circular hall—completely unlike any cathedral Duanmu Huai had seen. All along the walls stood grotesque statues, their twisted visages utterly unconnected to any true deity.
But Duanmu Huai had expected no less.
"Welcome to my sanctuary, lost lambs."
Standing before them was a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, dressed in a white priest's robe and sporting a thin mustache. He wore a polite smile as he looked at Duanmu Huai, Olgis, and Lorena.
"I am Archbishop Ivel. What brings you here?"
Duanmu Huai shrugged.
"To be honest, at this point I don't see the need to follow the usual script, but out of respect for the story's pacing, I'll ask anyway—why did you release all those killer puppets into the Holy City?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Really now? Come on, at this point, pretending to be clueless is just insulting our intelligence, Mister."
Duanmu Huai silently tightened his grip on his warhammer.
"Since you've already invited us this deep in, I assume… there's no need to waste more time."
"Quite right."
Ivel nodded in agreement, then snapped his fingers. At once, dozens of masked puppet-women emerged from the shadows, surrounding the trio from all directions.
"No matter the reason, your journey ends here. I don't explain myself to the dead."
Wow, this boss doesn't play by the rules.
Duanmu Huai rolled his eyes. Seriously, by the usual story flow, wasn't this the part where the villain blabs out their entire plan like a moron? And this guy just skipped it entirely? What a waste of a dramatic reveal.
This boss had zero respect for narrative conventions!
Fine then—if you're heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Duanmu Huai clenched his right hand and pressed a button.
BOOM—!!!
A thunderous explosion shook the entire cathedral. Hearing the commotion outside, Ivel's expression changed slightly as he turned to glare at Duanmu Huai.
"What did you do?!"
"You think I'm gonna tell you? Attack!!"
Before he finished the sentence, Duanmu Huai charged forward with his warhammer raised high. His cloak flared behind him, and in that instant, hundreds of puppets materialized out of thin air and surged toward the masked puppet army.
"Tch… Javey!"
Seeing Duanmu Huai rush him, Ivel's face twisted. He shouted, and from the shadows, Javey leapt forth, commanding her giant puppet to strike. But Olgis and her guardian puppet quickly intercepted her, blocking the attack.
In truth, this was all part of Duanmu Huai's pre-set plan. The moment he confirmed something was wrong, he would detonate the explosives planted around the island—not to destroy the cathedral, but to signal Melodie. Upon receiving the signal, she would return immediately, requesting reinforcements under the guise of "firefighting." Duanmu Huai wasn't worried no one would come—he'd really set the place ablaze. If no one responded, the entire city might go up in flames.
What gave him the confidence to barge in here?
He wasn't fighting alone!
Aside from Olgis and Lorena, Duanmu Huai could summon his [Constructs] and puppets as combat units. And since they weren't in the Material Realm but a fragment of the [Warp], he didn't have to worry about [Psychic Overload]. He could summon everything at once and max out his [Psy Rating] on the spot.
So what if the enemy had numbers? He wasn't afraid in the slightest!
Ivel, on the other hand, had clearly never imagined this scenario. He thought that within his own territory, his own forces would be more than enough to subdue three intruders.
But then…
What the hell is going on?!
Ivel could hardly comprehend what he was seeing. The cathedral interior was now crawling with an endless tide of summoned puppets. Strange contraptions zipped overhead, firing lasers, bombs, and beams, joining the puppets in wreaking absolute havoc across the sanctuary.
Against this swarm, even his prized masked puppet assassins were useless. Their strength had always been stealth and ambush tactics—but now the hall was so packed with summoned puppets that they couldn't even turn around. What was the point of stealth in a room you could barely breathe in?
"RAAAAAAARGH!!!"
At that moment, the puppet horde suddenly parted as Duanmu Huai burst forth, warhammer raised, bellowing as he launched himself toward Ivel.
"You bastard!!"
Ivel, now enraged himself, let out a furious roar. In response, a massive metal hand shot out from behind him, lunging toward Duanmu Huai.
(End of Chapter)