Six Hundred and Twenty-First Golem
Behind the mirror, within the hidden space of Twinkling Star Lake, Audric, dressed in plain windbreaker, stood on the lake surface, curiously examining the colorless space around him. When he heard the voice beside him, his gaze shifted to look at the familiar young girl before him, who quietly spoke.
“When I gave you that stone statue, I kept wondering when you would use it to seek my help. I once imagined some scenarios where you might be in trouble, such as being discovered by the An Yin Bureau or the Church in some place, leading them to try and capture you. Or perhaps you got involved with the leaders of some minor cults or high-ranking officials of major cults, cornered by several black earth…or maybe one or two white chalks. I was confident that I could easily solve these problems for you.”
Audric said this to Doro, then raised an eyebrow and continued.
“I never imagined that when you truly called upon me, you would be facing not just two Red Tiers, but also the higher-ups of the Eight Pinnacle Nest… That’s really remarkable. A year ago, you were only causing trouble with black earth as an apprentice. Now, a year later, you managed to get entangled with two Red Tiers simultaneously. It seems I underestimated you back then…”
Audric sighed and mused, gazing at the serene yet mysterious Doro floating in the space, recalling how she was still not an Extraordinary Being a year ago in Igewent. The century-long experience in his heart couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions.
“Why? Are you regretting your decision now, Mr. Principal?” Doro responded to Audric’s words, and the other person slowly answered.
“Not exactly regret, more like feeling cheated. The price for fighting against two Red Tiers shouldn’t be so low. This is a lesson for me. Promises should not be made lightly, even if the person was just a young apprentice at the time. Who knows what kind of scene she would have created a year later…”
Audric said with a smile, hinting at Doro’s connections with the Night Sky Empress and the Deep Web Queen. He had caught a glimpse of the statue in the Mirror Moon Church and guessed at the connection between Doro and the faith.
“Alright, now those people might indeed be getting restless as you predicted. Send me to the church, I need to prepare myself.”
Audric said to Doro, and Doro prepared to send him out of the hidden space and into the church, asking:
“So, are you ready? If they attack, how long can you hold them off?”
“Not for too long. First, my condition hasn’t fully recovered, and my spiritual energy is limited. Second, based on the neutral stance of the Artisan Guild, I must act without revealing my identity, limiting my options. We agreed on this before. I can help you, but I cannot openly confront powerful forces. Don’t expect me to defeat them for you.”
Audric said solemnly, and Doro nodded.
“I understand. All I need is time, just a little more time.”
Doro said, waving her hand to use the authority of the ring to send Audric out of the hidden space and into the church. Then, Doro herself began waiting for the right moment to go to the chapel and start her next ritual.
…
In the present world, inside the Lake Heart Church of Twinkling Star Lake, in a dark corner, Gethsmoor and Ed were standing together investigating the current state of the church. After confirming the unusual state of the church, they both looked extremely shocked.
“It has been replaced… But it’s not the Deep Web Queen’s temple… So whose temple is this? Which deity has taken over here?”
Ed asked directly, looking at the surprised Gethsmoor, while Gethsmoor replied solemnly.
“I don’t know… The ritual was very brief, we can’t probe deeply into the information. We can confirm that the influence of the Deep Web Queen isn’t here. The replacement ceremony should have succeeded.
“But why! All the details of the ritual were correct. I could represent the Deep Web Queen, and the nun’s incantations were flawless… The entire ritual should have gone smoothly. Why did this happen!”
Gethsmoor murmured, her voice trembling slightly, showing her inner frustration and anger. At this moment, Ed spoke again seriously.
“Now is not the time to dwell on this. The key question is what to do next? The entire temple has been replaced under another deity’s name. How should we deal with this? Do we need to evacuate? But if we leave like this… How will we explain this to our nest?”
Ed asked Gethsmoor, and after a moment of hesitation, she seemed to make a decision and spoke.
“Hold on a moment.”
With that, Gethsmoor closed her eyes silently, seemingly meditating or praying. After a few seconds, she let out a painful sound.
“Ugh…”
Holding her head, Gethsmoor opened her eyes with a pained expression, and bl**d tears flowed from her eyes. Seeing this, Ed couldn’t help but blurt out.
“How is it? Did you receive any revelation?”
“Yes… Breathing heavily, Gethsmoor murmured, then wiped away the bl**d tears and continued.
“The temple of the Moon wh*re has just been replaced… We still have a chance to recover. We must act immediately to control the entire temple. Otherwise, it will be too late after tonight…”
Gethsmoor gasped, and Ed frowned in response.
“Control the entire temple now? But the nun and her guards are still here. Acting now means direct confrontation with them. What will the consequences be…”
“There’s no time to worry about those consequences! Since the revelation has indicated this, what else can we hesitate about! We must act while there’s still a chance. This is the will of the Deep Web Queen!”
Gethsmoor said sternly, and hearing this, Ed paused for a moment and then slowly replied.
“Alright… Let’s go.”
With that, Gethsmoor and Ed turned into a bl**d mist and dispersed into the air.
…
Under the full moon, in the Lake Heart Church of Twinkling Star Lake, after sending off the local nuns who came to rehearse, Vania chose not to return to Gramorn with them but stayed at the church, exchanging with the patrol guards stationed there.
“Nun Vania, the rehearsal of your ceremony was excellent. I didn’t expect such good results in such a short time. Were you really not good at ceremonies before?” Gaspare, standing on the wide platform in front of the chapel, said to Vania, who smiled in response.
“You flatter me. I used to work at the Historical Records Office, so I didn’t have much experience with ceremonies. This time, I owe it all to Sister Gray’s training.”
“That Sister Gray… Speaking of which, I feel he sometimes acts a bit…”
As they walked on the wide platform, Vania and Gaspare continued their conversation. At this moment, invisible bl**d mist was lurking in the air, silently spreading towards them, unnoticed by anyone.
Just as the invisible bl**d mist was about to touch Vania, a sudden gust of strange wind swept through the church’s platform square. The wind blew the patrol guards and Vania, who covered their faces, and scattered the approaching bl**d mist, preventing them from getting close to Vania.
“What’s going on… This wind is…”
“This wind is abnormal! It might be an Extraordinary Being’s creation! Protect Sister Vania!”
Gaspare exclaimed, noticing the anomaly in the wind. The patrol guards quickly gathered around Vania, closely guarding her.
Then, they saw two dark red bl**d mists rapidly condensing in the sky not far away, soon forming two human-shaped figures, male and female, with blurry faces, shrouded in shadows, and with wings sprouting from their backs, hovering in the pitch-black night.
“Enemies!”
Gaspare shouted, and his guards drew their guns, aiming at the two figures in the sky and firing.
The gunfire erupted, and countless bullets flew towards the two figures floating in the sky, but they passed through them harmlessly, revealing that their bodies were not solid but dense bl**d mists.
“What’s happening with this wind? There shouldn’t be a Wind Sorcerer here…” Berard puzzled, while Gethsmoor beside him immediately responded.
“They’ve acted. The Pritt vigilantes who have been disturbing us are finally taking action. Control the church, and force them out!”
Berard, half-bl**d mist, nodded and waved his hand, summoning several bl**d spears that shot towards the guards below. Gaspare reacted, drawing his sword and slicing through the air, instantly creating a blazing wall of fire that rose and blocked the incoming bl**d spears.
Facing the flames, Berard merely waved his hand, and the bl**d spears deflected around the fire, continuing their assault. The guards dropped their guns and drew their swords, accurately striking the bl**d spears, which shattered like ice under the sharp blades.
Just as the guards were relieved and preparing to counterattack, an unexpected situation occurred. The fragments of the bl**d spears, which had shattered mid-air, suddenly grew numerous sharp spines, rapidly spreading in all directions. The guards, caught off guard, were stabbed, with the fine needles piercing their flesh. Most of the guards were affected.
These red, fine needles were very small and should cause minimal damage, but unexpectedly, these tiny wounds caused unbearable pain!
“Ahhhhh!!!”
The guards, experiencing unprecedented pain from wounds the size of mosquito bites, dropped their weapons and rolled around in agony. If not for the ascetic monk of the Holy Father’s Path using commandments to maintain their mental state, most would have fainted from the pain.
“Ahh… Sister Vania… Run quickly!”
Gaspare, kneeling painfully, shouted, his mind unable to sustain the fire wall due to the excruciating pain. Vania, who had been protected and unharmed, hesitated to escape immediately and instead worriedly said.
“Please endure a little longer. I will alleviate your pain.”
Vania began using her abilities to treat the surrounding guards, trying to ease their suffering. Floating in the air, Berard summoned a thin bl**d spear and aimed it at Vania. Without the barrier of the fire wall, the bl**d spear flew straight towards her.
Unexpectedly, a loud noise echoed from all sides, and a stone wall suddenly rose from the ground, blocking the bl**d spear. The spear shattered upon impact, and the subsequent fine bl**d needles were halted by the wall.
Seeing this, Gethsmoor and Berard paused, and before they could react further, a strong wind blew from inside the church, blowing them far away.
“Those guys… They’ve attacked again! d*mn, where are they hiding!”
Gethsmoor, stabilizing herself, gritted her teeth, and just as she and Berard were about to fly back to the church, they witnessed something astonishing.
“Clang… Clang… Clang…”
The bell rang, the heavy steel bells of the church suddenly started swinging automatically, producing deep, resonant sounds echoing across the entire Twinkling Star Lake. Along with the bell sounds, an earthquake shook the massive church, causing the floor to tremble violently, and the vibrations spread to the water surface, creating waves.
“What’s happening… Is the ground… shaking!?”
The guards on the platform, who had slightly recovered, were astonished by the phenomena, and even more shocking events were yet to come.
The earthquake intensified, and the giant structure, over forty meters tall and even more magnificent than the Saint Hymn Cathedral of Tivyan, began to slowly rise from the water, floating in the air. This transformation was so incredible that even Gethsmoor and Berard, far away, widened their eyes in disbelief.
“The Night Sky Empress’s church… is flying?”
“Are you kidding!? What power is this!”
Just as everyone was amazed by the church’s transformation, inside the church, atop a high tower, Audric, wearing a gray windbreaker, stood at the top, his hands behind his back, looking down at the vast church below, speaking in a deep, old voice.
“Temple of the night sky… By the name of the Creator, I build intelligence and form, manifesting as a guardian, fulfilling duties, driving away intruders…”
Audric declared to the entire Mirror Moon Church, and the church, gradually turning into a golem, began to transform under the moonlight.
