Four Hundred and Fifty-Sixth Theft
During the night in Adria’s church square, a fierce battle continued as official Extraordinary Beings came to steal from and guard against the Boneyard Society. Amidst the chaos, a man from the Boneyard Society successfully slipped into the Pure Flow Church and made his way to the Crown Hall, where he could find what the society had been seeking.
In the vast Crown Hall, the young man from the Boneyard Society moved swiftly, his eyes scanning row after row of glass display cases filled with exquisite exhibits. He read the labels on each case, looking for the name of a specific donor.
“Hashid… Sheikh… Karim… Ebenee… Found it…”
Suddenly, the young man found what he was looking for and stopped beside a display case. After confirming the donor’s name on the label, he punched through the glass, shattering it. He then took out a necklace inside and placed it in his bag.
The young man continued searching the Crown Hall for another display case labeled “Ebenee.” Soon, he found a cup and smashed the glass to take it.
Just as he was about to continue searching, a sound came from above.
“Who’s down there!”
Hearing this, the young man looked up in shock and saw two members of the Hidden Guard, dressed in uniforms and holding guns, standing on a small platform where the Emmanuel Crown used to be. They had lowered the curtain to conceal the crown from the battle raging below. Now, they aimed their rifles at the intruder.
Unprepared for anyone above, the young man fled, but the guards fired, bullets ricocheting through the hall. The young man, relying on the soul of a wolf, narrowly dodged the bullets.
The guards continued shooting, shattering countless glass cases. The young man was pushed back, eventually cornered in a dark spot where someone was watching him.
Suddenly, a figure attacked from behind, but the young man, sensing the threat, dodged and saw a hooded woman with sharp eyes. She wielded a kn*fe, and the young man recognized her as another Soul Binder.
Without hesitation, the woman slashed again. The young man parried with a short sword. In that moment, he felt intense pain from his hand, causing him to drop the sword and stagger back.
At that moment, another gunshot echoed from above. A b*llet struck the young man, piercing his chest, and he fell, eyes wide open.
Seeing this, the masked woman put away her kn*fe and confirmed the young man was dead. She sighed in relief.
“Huh, Miss Dorothy’s support always brings peace…”
Nephnis murmured, then looked up at the platform where the guards gave her a thumbs-up.
“Let’s hurry, we’re running out of time.”
These guards were now under Dorothy’s control. Nephnis nodded and picked up the young man’s bag, transferring its contents to her own. She then turned her attention to the remaining displays.
Nephnis quickly searched the Crown Hall, smashing any cases labeled “Ebenee” and taking the items. Within minutes, she had gathered all the Ebenee donations.
Meanwhile, the controlled guards watched the luxurious crown hanging above. When Nephnis finished gathering the donations, she took the crown down and wrapped it in a cloth to hide its light.
After securing everything, Nephnis returned to the young man’s body, placing the bag next to him and making it look like he held it. One of the guards climbed down, pretending to d*e next to him, creating a scene of mutual destruction.
The guards saluted Nephnis, who nodded and left with the stolen items. She hid outside the church and quickly escaped the area. The last guard also collapsed, appearing unconscious.
The battle at the church entrance continued intensely. Elite members of the Boneyard Society clashed with official Extraordinary Beings. High-ranking Extraordinary Beings fought fiercely on the church square.
Sharp water arrows pierced sturdy bodies, sharp claws tore through armor, expert swordsmanship deflected bullets, and ghostly souls possessed devoted clerics…
In the midst of the chaos, a sudden change occurred. On the cracked steps of the Pure Flow Church, where Antonio and Garib once confronted each other, a blue-green glow appeared with ghastly wails. A bloodied, massive figure emerged.
Garib, with broken wings, bent claws, bloody mane, and numerous wounds, stood weakly on the steps, gasping for breath. He had just fought Antonio in the Netherworld, leaving him battered and exhausted.
Antonio and Garib, both Red Tiers, had different levels of power. Garib had recently ascended with resources from Azamu and aid from the Dark Gold Society. His ascension was only two months ago, lacking solid foundations.
Antonio, however, had been a Red Tier for nearly a century, more proficient and rich in Extraordinary Items. Thus, Garib suffered many injuries in their Netherworld duel.
Nonetheless, the Netherworld was the domain of Silence, and Garib used it to escape rather than fight. This strategy worked, allowing him to return before Antonio.
Garib’s goal was clear: steal Azamu’s donation from the Pure Flow Church. Despite Antonio’s unexpected appearance, he needed only to detain Antonio long enough to retrieve the items.
Garib, fresh from the Netherworld, rushed into the Pure Flow Church and headed straight for the Crown Hall. Upon seeing the destroyed cases and missing items, including a corpse of one of his loyal members, he realized his plan had failed.
Seeing the bag in the dead youth’s hand, Garib opened it and found various artifacts. Recognizing the items, he understood his loyal member had taken them and was killed by the Hidden Guard.
“Good boy, I remember you…”
Garib muttered, then grabbed the bag and flew off, shouting, “Mission accomplished! Retreat!”
He flew toward the sea, changed into his shark-man form, and swam swiftly, hoping to escape before Antonio’s Tiered Vision detected him.
…
The scene shifted back to the church square. Blue-green light flashed again, revealing Antonio in his bishop’s robe, though damaged. His hat was gone, and his face pale.
“I apologize, sir. We were careless, and the Emmanuel Crown was stolen!”
Paul and Oliver apologized loudly as they stood among injured officials and fallen Boneyard Society members.
Antonio sighed, “It’s my fault. I underestimated the thieves, especially those with Red Tier status.”
Oliver added, “Sir, the Deep Mark Sigil is still active! We can track them through the sigil!”
Antonio and Paul looked surprised.
