Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

The quiet throwing gun dissipated in the night sky, turning into countless tiny specks of light, like fireflies on a summer river, shining briefly before being completely extinguished in the darkness.

Shalltear also wanted to use her special ability to summon a Cleanse Throwing Gun.

But it was too late.

Her consciousness had completely turned white. It was a blankness more complete than death, as if something had completely ripped away her own thoughts, leaving only an empty shell standing in the same place.

Then, Shalltear knelt down before the old woman dressed in "Peerless Beauty".

Her movements were incredibly fluid, without the slightest hesitation, as if she was born to do so.

The sound of the knees hitting the ground was soft, yet it was like the final hammer blow of some kind of ritual, announcing that the guardians of the first to third underground levels of the great tomb had become a thing of the past at this moment.

"grown ups."

His eyes were full of respect.

Her gaze was devout and fervent, a stark contrast to the bloodthirsty and violent True Ancestor she had just been. She knelt there, her long silver hair spread out on the ground like a piece of silk soaked in moonlight.

The battlefield fell silent at that moment.

The black-haired man with the gun lowered it, a complex light flashing in his sharp, red-jade eyes.

The other members of the Dark Scripture also lowered their guard, but did not completely put down their weapons.

Old woman Kerry stood there, her wrinkled face expressionless.

Her stunning beauty gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight, and the five-clawed dragon embroidered in gold thread seemed to sway gently in the night breeze.

Jue Si Jue Ming withdrew the hand that had blocked Qing Jing's thrown gun.

The pale yellow armor still retained a faint afterglow of divine power, with tiny specks of light slowly drifting down from the edges of the armor plates, flickering like fireflies in the night breeze.

"What are you doing here?"

The voice of the chief of the Dark Codex broke the silence.

He took two steps forward, his gaze falling on Zesshi Zesshi, his androgynous face showing obvious confusion.

As the highest-level combat force of the Theocracy, Zesshi Zesshi was not supposed to be involved in this operation, let alone suddenly intervene without prior notice.

Zetsu no Shiki did not answer this question directly.

She merely tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the moonlight. Her left eye was pure white, her right eye jet black; the two strikingly different colors achieved a strange harmony on the same face.

The quest related to the [Destruction Dragon King] has been cancelled.

Her voice remained in that detached tone, as if she were talking about something trivial. But her eyes remained fixed on Shalltear, who was kneeling on the ground, with a scrutinizing, thoughtful look in them.

The chief of the Dark Codex frowned slightly.

"Cancelled?"

"Our task now is to take her with us."

Zetsuki raised his chin and nodded in Shalltear's direction. The True Ancestor, who had just struck fear into the hearts of the entire mercenary group, was now kneeling quietly in the moonlight, like a delicate doll whose soul had been ripped from its body.

"Take her to the sacred domain of the Holy Kingdom."

Zesshi Zesshi finally shifted his gaze from Shalltear to the chief of the Black Codex. His heterochromatic eyes held no superfluous emotion, only a calm, unwavering certainty.

"This is the order of the High Priest."

This statement was like a pebble thrown into calm water, creating subtle ripples among the members of the Dark Scripture.

Some people exchanged glances, and some subconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons, but no one voiced any objection.

The chief of the Dark Holy Scripture remained silent for a moment. The expression on his face changed several times, first with doubt, then with contemplation, then with sudden realization, and finally with calm.

He nodded, his movements swift and decisive, as if he were executing an instruction he had rehearsed countless times.

"In that case..."

He turned to face the other members, his voice regaining the coldness and hardness characteristic of a commander.

"All personnel, prepare to retreat."

Upon receiving the order, everyone sprang into action without hesitation. This highly trained response was an instinct honed through countless real-world combat experiences.

[Teleport] The blue light of magic began to illuminate the crowd.

Jue Shi Jue Ming stood at the edge of the blue light, his heterochromatic eyes looking into the distance through the closing light curtain.

A place far from the battleground.

Beside an inconspicuous bush, a small piece of broken armor lay quietly among fallen leaves and soil.

It looks as if it was blown away by the aftershocks of a battle and landed here.

This is the shattered armor of the True Dragon King.

Five hundred years ago, after the Eight Desire Kings fought a great battle with the True Dragon Kings, countless True Dragon Kings perished.

This piece of armor was one of the materials the Theocracy collected from the ruins. It was kept in the deepest treasury of the Holy Land, alongside the artifacts left behind by the six great gods, and was never shown to anyone.

until today.

Looking at the direction of the shattered armor, Jueshi Jueshi could roughly guess the little guy's purpose in doing this.

However, as she looked at the location of the shattered armor, a faint doubt arose in her mind.

Is it really possible for the enemy to find such a small fragment, placed so far away from the point of battle?

The blue light engulfed her figure.

The forest fell silent again.

All that remained on the ground were traces of the battle: upturned soil, broken branches, and several charred marks left by divine power.

The air still held a lingering magic, like the faint dampness after rain, slowly dissipating.

A piece of armor lay quietly beside a bush in the distance.

The moonlight shone on its surface, and the faint luster flowed gently in the night, like a half-closed eye, waiting for a destined gaze.

The blue light dissipated, and the group appeared deep within the sacred domain.

The High Priest was already waiting there. His wrinkled face visibly relaxed the moment he saw everyone return safely. His tense shoulders slumped slightly, and his clenched hands loosened.

"You're back." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of relief.

His gaze swept across everyone's faces, finally settling on Shalltear, who was kneeling on the ground, and lingered for a moment.

"No detail of this mission shall be mentioned to anyone." The High Priest's tone turned stern. "This is the highest level of gag order."

"Yes," the members of the Dark Holy Scripture replied in unison.

The group left the sacred area, their footsteps fading into the distance until they disappeared completely.

The sanctuary fell silent once more.

Shalltear knelt on the ground, saying nothing. Her red eyes were wide open, filled with reverence, but devoid of any spirit of their own.

Jue Si Jue Ming has added another task: to guard Shalltear.

She sat down opposite Shalltear, took out a Rubik's Cube, and flipped it between her slender fingers, making a soft, rhythmic clicking sound.

The Rubik's Cube, which is usually extremely difficult, was solved quickly today, revealing one side to be a bloody red.