A sanctuary suspended on the skyline—a temple cradled among the clouds.
Darkness from the ancient Black Rift reached this height still, but this temple, its divinity, couldn't be blocked. It absorbed the sunlight that was reflected by the moon, creating a wonderful scenery of gold strands of energy.
It swirled and poured in through the open roof.
So effective that every ivory column and gilded cornice was kissed by sunlight.
Moreover, the celestial plants wrapping around towering pillars exuded a pungent, sweet scent.
Akin to a constant perfu that kept the air fresh and serene.
Many knew about this heavenly temple, but a few had the privilege to see it first-hand.
It was the High Cathedral of Noracci—the heart of the Sun Ecclesia church.
Kneeling on a devotion pad, facing the sky was a woman—her hands folded delicately in prayer.
Her hair, like cascading molten sunlight, flowed freely around her, absorbing the gathered sunlight that roams around the temple. Her golden, glittering ground spread long across the pristine floor behind her while her silhouette shimred like a mirage.
As she continued to pray, the two elegant horns curved from her head like crescents, pulsed with power.
Such a sight created this façade that her prayers were being answered by a higher power.
Just then, her brows furrowed, sothing troubled her mind as the power from her horns pulsed down to her sand-kissed skin before she finally opened her eyes. A pair of sun erged from her eyelids, and the power from those eyes is breathtaking.
Almost like she controlled the whole world.
"High Priestess Alana…" The woman called, her voice eclipsing other sounds around her.
A priestess, who was lined up and praying like all the others, a good distance away from the woman, the one who was supposed to be Alana, stepped forward. She kept her gaze downward in reverence before she asked, "This humble servant is ready to fulfil your wish, Saintess."
"To whom is Priestess Viora assigned?" The woman of sunlight asked.
"House of Aurelius, Saintess," Alana answered swiftly. "Assigned to Marquess Hadrian."
Once Alana answered, the woman of light closed her eyes again.
Her horns glowed once again, vibrating with power, until finally, they stopped again.
Alana waited for the Saintess to continue, but she was surprised—and concerned when she saw, for the first ti in a long ti, the Saintess frowned. She was always graceful, divine, and stoic, devoid of emotions like a Goddess.
But today, she actually frowned.
"Divine Saintess, is there a problem?" Alana asked worriedly. "Is it the Voidal Monarch?"
"No, it's worse," the woman of light smiled faintly. "Priestess Viora has encountered a Scion of Vertex, a candidate, and she didn't inform . Your slip of tongue incites curiosity within her, and now, she was in the presence of a Scion, face-to-face."
"What…?" Alana's face turned pale and crumpled.
She would've never guessed this.
It was as the woman of light said, a slip of tongue, she got too comfortable and told Viora about the Scion of the Vertex. But she never guessed that Viora would actually et one, not when the other Scions were far away and had no interest in the woman of light.
At least, not anymore.
"I would apologize to the Scion and handle the situation myself to atone for my sins," Alana knelt.
Since this was caused by her, it was natural for her to take responsibility.
Knowing how a Scion was, Alana fird herself.
Even if it would cost her life, she would make this problem go away for the woman of light.
"No, it's okay…" the woman of light answered.
But Alana heard a slight tremble in her voice, it was… odd.
Her voice never sounded like that before.
Just then, as Alana lifted her gaze from the floor, she sucked in a cold breath when she ca to realize that the woman of light was crying. Golden tears drizzled down her face, creating two fine streams on her cheeks.
"D-Divine Saintess…?" Alana called, confused, worried, and shocked mixed into one.
Seeing the woman of light frown was already rare, but to see her cry like this?
It should never happen, even the sight felt taboo for her.
"Let borrow your body, let handle him." The woman of light stood up and turned to face Alana while still crying. "He's… new, he's still learning to crawl in this race—and he's not from this realm. I have never seen him before, so he must be new. I have to see him, no, warn him…"
Despite her confusion, Alana was quick to accept.
"Then please, use however you want," She said, surrendering herself. "If that is what you wish."
Smiling, the woman of light placed her hand over Alana's head.
Golden energy seeped into Alana's head, and before long, her consciousness was taken over.
Once Alana was under control, she stood up, and without saying a word, she dissipated into sunlight.
…
anwhile, in the Mahkan Ruin, things are gradually evolving under control.
People who were wounded got healed by Viora's sunlight dominion.
Once they were healed, they quickly got up and rallied with Grant and the people in formation that was fending off the Voidal Monsters while also sustaining an umbrella above them to fight the harsh and troubleso Black Rain.
Compared to earlier, the situation was now ten tis better.
Viora nodded to herself, the ruin would survive at this rate, but then, he turned in a direction.
It was where Rex had run off to, luring the Singing Lady with him.
'My hands are tied. I can't help you right now, not until the people here are safe.' She thought inside.
Earlier, Rex told her to focus on the people while he handled the Singing Lady.
Naturally, she called him insane.
He could beat the Singing Lady's doll body, which was half her strength, yes, but he wasn't at full power right now. To top it off, the Singing Lady was stronger with the Black Rain. If he barely won earlier by giving it his all, there was no chance right now.
But Rex wouldn't take no for an answer, and the situation was urgent.
Both of them needed to move fast or else their chance would slip away.
All Viora could do now was hope that Rex survived until the people got to safety.
On the other hand, half a mile away from the Mahkam Ruin, a shadow was sprinting across the land.
Behind it, chasing it was a ghost—its white astral body stark against the dark backdrop.
Rex was pulling the necklace of chorus-bearers while sprinting full force, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to check how far the Singing Lady was. Surprisingly enough, she was still far. Perhaps, as her Soul Artifact was a support-type, she wasn't that fast.
Despite being at the Master Immortal Spirit rank, she was only a bit faster than Rex.
Slowly, she would reach him, but that was plenty of ti for Rex to do a lot of things.
Stone-cold, without any expression, Rex stopped abruptly.
He grabbed one of the chorus-bearers, yanked the golden chair upward.
Naturally, the chorus-bearer squealed in excruciating pain as the motion tore through her flesh and broke her collarbone. Once she was freed from the chain, Rex cut his left hand and shoved it into her mouth.
He forced her to drink his blood before he continued sprinting, leaving behind the chorus-bearer.
Just then, a notification surprised Rex.
'Oh…? What's this? I was doing that to wear down the Singing Lady's mind, but I could get stronger from transforming others and expand the pack?' Rex thought incredulously. 'Then why hasn't he done it more if it could make him stronger? He's stupid.'
'Being a Werewolf is repulsive,' Rex looked down at his body. 'But it has its perks.'
Swoosh!
Seeing a chorus-bearer being tossed to the side, the Singing Lady took a detour.
She went over to the chorus-bearer and found her convulsing and twisting—but what horrified her the most was when the chorus-bearer was turning into sothing she wasn't supposed to be. It started from furs appearing, then her bones reforming, and then her muscles condensing.
For a second there, the Singing Lady tried to use her voidal energy to stop whatever this was.
But she couldn't.
No amount of voidal energy could stop the transformation.
Earlier, she took pleasure in seeing the Mahkam Ruin's people turned into Voidal Monsters—but now, when the situation was reversed, it wasn't delightful anymore, "Demon Spirit!" She screeched, holding the chorus-bearer dearly. "You will pay!!"
Glaring at where Rex was, the Singing Lady's eyes burned with rage.
Having no other choice, she killed the chorus-bearer before chasing after Rex again.
But this ti, fueled by rage, she was faster.
Rex continued his mind ga—along the way, he killed a chorus-bearer with a savage bite to the neck and tossed the corpse for the Singing Lady to see. But this ti—as he savored the sweet taste of flesh in a Werewolf's tongue, a different notification appeared.
'I can devour Echoes too…? But Mind Control Echo? What do I need that for?' Rex thought.
Just then, however, an invisible power grabbed him.
He could hear a lodious tone from behind, and it was getting closer.
Glancing over his shoulder, he realized that the Singing Lady was already near him.
She wasn't particularly close, but he was now within the area of her power.
Deg!
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