Chapter 770 : Pressuring

Northern Main Continent, Frisland.

Beneath the pitch-dark and somber sky, in the underground of the Forgotten City, Stinam, inside a blood-drenched ritual chamber like a slaughterhouse, one of the Seven Living Saints of the Church, the Cardinal of Secrets, Artcheli, stood indifferently with her longsword in hand. Her cold gaze swept over the mutilated corpses of several Beyonders she had just slain, including three Crimson-rank individuals.

Although her memory was riddled with gaps, there was not a trace of confusion in Artcheli’s eyes. As the Cardinal of Secrets, even without her memories, being in this place and time, she instinctively knew what needed to be done.

This… was the instinct of a warrior. While all Seven Living Saints of the Church were powerful, most held more clerical than martial authority. Only the Cardinal of Holy War and the Cardinal of Secrets belonged to the martial faction—warriors and assassins, they were the true combatants among the saints. They possessed unparalleled muscle memory and battlefield intuition, not out of dullness, but because of a razor-sharp subconscious understanding of situational dynamics.

Having eliminated the last line of defense, Artcheli now turned her attention to the suspicious ritual still operating at the center of the blood-soaked chamber. She didn’t know what it was, but her instincts and experience told her it was undoubtedly related to the mission she was currently executing. Evil cult rituals saturated with malevolent energy were to be destroyed without question.

Raising her longsword—still unstained by blood due to how swiftly she had killed—Artcheli fixed her gaze on the half-complete remains within the ritual center. After a moment of focused resolve, she stepped forward decisively, her body turning into a blur as she dashed toward it at high speed.

Witnessing Artcheli’s actions, the Death Curse Jerak—integrated into the ritual and a member of the Nether Coffin Order—had no means of saving himself. In despair, he could only cry out.

“Help me!!!”

Before Artcheli's stride ended and before Jerak’s soul-speech fully echoed, a Silence ritual array abruptly lit up on the ceiling of the blood-soaked underground chamber, casting a pale and chilling glow. Upon seeing this, Artcheli’s heart skipped a beat.

“That’s… Spirit Summoning?!”

From the abruptly activated summoning circle, she felt an overwhelming, dangerous aura. It was summoning something terrifying.

Her attempt to destroy the ritual was about to be interrupted.

…

Across the ocean, the New Continent.

A little earlier in time, in the barren, frozen outskirts of the Ancestral Valley deep within the Starfall Continent, Nephthys stood silently. Her eyes were fixed on the flickering, dying soul-flame within the twisted, struggling remains before her. An ethereal, translucent robe of orange-yellow light draped over her figure, giving her an uncharacteristic air of solemn authority.

By channeling half of the soul of Church Inquisitor Kramar, Nephthys had easily vanquished three Crimson-rank subordinates assigned by Kudoshum of the Nether Coffin Order to guard outside the Great Wild Rite. Seeing their souls completely incinerated by the Flame of Judgment, she allowed herself a slight breath of relief. Ignoring the other Nether Coffin’s Soul Rebirth Coffin, she turned her gaze toward another direction—to the central ritual site of the Great Wild Rite, encircled by powerful barriers and marked by towering totem pillars.

Without ending her possession state, Nephthys slowly ascended and flew rapidly toward the ritual barrier at the valley's center. Soon after, Harald, Rachman’s spirit, and Kapak stood nearby on the icy plain, gazing into the distance.

“She can summon such a powerful Lantern-aligned spirit… That’s a higher level than even the southern army commanders. This girl really has some skill,” Harald remarked while watching Nephthys fly off.

Rachman, meanwhile, looked toward the twisted corpse and the battlefield, speaking with awe.

“That must be… the spirit of a Radiance Saint. Why would such a soul be summoned here… and why help Miss Boyle? The Rose Cross Order’s hidden network is truly unfathomable.”

As Rachman sighed in admiration, Kapak’s thoughts were more inward and solemn than the two Crimson spirits. Watching Nephthys vanish into the sky, he prayed earnestly.

“May the wise God Aka watch over her… May Miss Thief help Teacher thwart the evil spirit’s schemes…”

…

Ancestral Valley, at the heart of the ritual barrier, within the Great Wild Rite site.

Because Uta had disseminated information about the Forgetting Curse, the Great Wild Rite—attended by hundreds of shamans—entered a prolonged, meaningless loop without most participants even realizing it. However, once the Nether Coffin Order voluntarily withdrew the related curse content, the ritual gradually resumed its normal course.

After Dorothy severed the curse targeting Kramar’s half-soul, she immediately instructed Uta to stop broadcasting anything related to Kramar’s curse. Instead, he was to talk about Stinam—the Forgotten Land—to push the ritual into further looping, thereby forcing the Nether Coffin Order to cancel more of their Forgetting Curses.

But Kudoshum had already prepared for this. Uta had hacked into the ritual using knowledge on par with a Great Shaman, exploiting a small vulnerability to preempt Kudoshum’s authority and seize the chance to speak.

Now that one broadcast strategy had failed, Uta needed to input a new one, which required re-hacking critical sections of the ritual. This gave Kudoshum an opening. Now alert, he too entered the ritual, and while Uta was busy inserting the new broadcast, Kudoshum extended his will into the same ritual vulnerabilities and blocked Uta from seizing control again.

Thus, when Uta tried to replicate the previous steps under Dorothy’s direction, he found that the ritual’s exploitable holes had already been sealed by Kudoshum. Unable to transmit new content through the ritual, the Great Wild Rite finally exited its meaningless loop and resumed properly.

“Damn… that guy’s guarded against me now. He suppressed me while I was swapping input. I can’t project my voice to all the shamans through the ritual anymore…”

Uta muttered with a frown as he sat cross-legged, reporting to Dorothy via their communication channel.

Dorothy promptly replied.

“I see… looks like this Pasadiko does have some skill. Don’t worry though. I’ve got a backup plan.”

Uta paused briefly before speaking up again.

“No… maybe it’s not Pasadiko.”

“What?”

Dorothy asked, surprised.

“What do you mean it’s not Pasadiko?”

“I mean… if what you’re saying is correct—that the followers of the evil spirit want to tamper with the Great Wild Rite to influence the Soul Eagle—then a soul of mere Great Shaman level wouldn’t be capable of that.

“To be precise, by my estimation, if Pasadiko is just a typical Great Shaman-level soul, even in the right ritual position, he couldn’t modify the ceremony enough to influence a deity. That would require additional divine support and a much stronger soul. If he’s working alone, there’s no way he could achieve your described goals… no way.”

Hearing this, Dorothy fell into a long silence before replying slowly.

“According to your ritual theory… the one conducting the ritual might not be Pasadiko himself?”

“At least, not in soul. If it is, that means Pasadiko has secretly raised his soul rank to near True Spirit Shaman level. Otherwise, he couldn’t perform such modifications to the Great Wild Rite.”

Dorothy grew quiet again, seemingly deep in thought, before finally saying,

“Thank you, Shaman Uta. That was a crucial insight. I have a new idea now… I may need to postpone my plan to disrupt the ritual. For now, just wait—don’t provoke them again.”

“Postpone? Why? Isn’t this urgent matter better handled as soon as possible?”

Uta frowned, responding seriously. But Dorothy replied with ease.

“You’ll understand soon enough. Just hold off for now… Trust me, alright?”

Uta was silent for a moment. After wrestling with his doubts, he finally nodded silently and, filled with concern, stopped interfering with the ritual, following Dorothy’s advice to wait in peace.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Tch… giving up already, huh…

Once this is all over… I’ll scatter your soul to the winds…”

Seated in the Great Shaman’s position, Kudoshum breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing Uta cease his interference. With vengeance in mind, he renewed his focus on the Great Wild Rite, continuing his covert alterations.

…

After retreating from the battlefield, Nephthys swiftly flew to the edge of the Great Wild Rite's barrier. To avoid provoking hostility or misunderstanding from the shamans performing the ritual within—which might sabotage their efforts—she chose not to break the barrier with force. Instead, she slowly descended at its perimeter.

Although Nephthys showed no hostility, the moment she landed, the wild spirits—sensing her powerful spiritual presence—appeared en masse. The instant her feet touched the ground, countless spirit forms of various animal shapes emerged around her, growling in warning. Their number was dozens of times greater than when they’d previously confronted Kapak.

Facing the wary wild spirits, Nephthys made no move to attack. She instead looked up at the massive shimmering barrier and the towering totem beyond it. Clearing her throat, she prepared to speak.

“Wait a moment…”

Just as she was about to raise her voice, a familiar young woman’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind, halting her action. Nephthys froze slightly.

“Miss Dorothy?”

Nephthys asked inwardly, somewhat confused. Dorothy’s voice calmly continued.

“Now is not the time… wait a few more minutes. Follow my signal.”

Hearing Dorothy’s calm message, Nephthys’ face held a trace of doubt, but she instinctively responded with discipline.

“Understood. I’ll wait, then…”

Without questioning Dorothy’s reasons, Nephthys calmly waited, surrounded by the wild spirits. Watching her sudden pause, the soul of "Kramar," which she was channeling, also wondered curiously.

“Another command…? That person behind the scenes must be weighing broader factors…

“After all, the battle on this New Continent is just one corner of the war with the Nether Coffin Order. That strategist must be seeing a bigger picture…”

And so, Kramar remained quiet and waited alongside Nephthys.

…

Time passed steadily. The Great Wild Rite, now free from its looping, progressed methodically. Gradually, it reached its final stages.

“Awaken… Rise… O Great Soul… Wake from your long slumber… Descend upon this land once more…”

Atop the great totem, the True Spirit Shaman chanted loudly. Led by the four Great Shamans, all the others echoed his words devoutly. In that instant, spirituality surged throughout the ritual site, and glowing spirit-light orbs began to manifest in the air, casting dreamlike hues across the sky.

From the center of the ritual site, delicate threads of light extended outward in all directions. The ritual array of the Great Wild Rite expanded swiftly, and even after it filled the entire Ancestral Valley, it continued to stretch further outward. Across the forests of the valley and even into the wilds of the Starfall Continent’s heartland, countless wild spirits seemed to sense something. They all raised their heads and howled at the sky in unison.

The spiritual howling echoed far and wide.

Witnessing this, Uta froze in place. He recognized this as a sign that the ritual was nearing completion. Anxiously, he asked inwardly.

“Scholar… is it not time yet?”

On the opposite side of the ocean, in her hotel suite balcony in Aransdel, Frisland, Dorothy was observing Artcheli’s status in Stinam. Upon hearing Uta’s words, she paused for a few seconds, her eyes flashing with resolve. Then, through the communication channel, she addressed Nephthys.

“Begin—now’s the time!”

At that moment in the Ancestral Valley, standing at the edge of the ritual barrier, Nephthys—who had long awaited the signal—stirred. Gathering her focus, she gazed at the towering totem within.

The surrounding wild spirits, seeing her shift in demeanor, mistook it as intent to attack. They bared their fangs, preparing to strike. But instead of attacking the barrier, Nephthys cleared her throat and solemnly proclaimed.

“In the name of Saint Kramar… I hereby declare—listen well!

“O ancient chieftains of the Starfall Continent… cease the Great Wild Rite at once! Within your ceremony, a follower of the evil spirit who calls himself the King of the Underworld has taken root. He uses the body of Western Shaman Pasadiko and has covertly tampered with the ritual. Their true goal is the Soul Eagle, Suun. Do not let them succeed!”

With her mastery of soul-speech, Nephthys shouted loudly toward the center of the valley.

She channeled the might of Kramar’s soul, transforming her words into a piercing soul-speech perceptible to all spirits. This soul-speech, empowered by the sacred name used in judgments and declarations by the Church’s Inquisition Cardinal, gained even greater spiritual force.

Under the authority of the Inquisition, no one could ignore the declaration of judgment. Even if it was not formally a verdict, her solemn and dignified voice, bolstered by multiple layers of spiritual power, pierced the ritual barrier and echoed throughout the Great Wild Rite site, reverberating even into nearby inner realms.

Thus, every shaman inside the barrier, Great Shamans included, heard Nephthys’ proclamation. Their expressions shifted.

Many lower-ranked shamans were puzzled. Though they continued to chant mechanically, their eyes now roamed curiously. Some exchanged glances and began whispering while looking toward the western section where the Western Great Shaman stood.

The Eastern, Northern, and Southern Great Shamans, too, paused in shock at Nephthys’ voice. Though they continued the ritual, their eyes subtly drifted toward Kudoshum, who currently inhabited Pasadiko’s body. Kudoshum, outwardly calm, was seething inside.

“What’s going on?! How did such a powerful soul-speech get in from outside?! What are those three idiots outside doing?! Weren’t they supposed to guard the ritual?!”

His fury bubbled within. But scolding his subordinates would not help. The real concern was the True Spirit Shaman!

Feigning composure, Kudoshum continued the ritual while surreptitiously glancing at the shaman above. The True Spirit Shaman seemed unaffected by Nephthys’ message and carried on. However, as more shamans began whispering and losing focus, he sternly declared:

“Focus… Concentrate… Silence…”

His soul-speech swept across the vast ritual site, snapping many distracted shamans back to attention. Kudoshum exhaled in relief. Evidently, the True Spirit Shaman would not halt the entire ritual based on some inexplicable outside accusation—not without hard proof.

The True Spirit Shaman didn’t immediately respond to Nephthys’ warning. Instead, he directed the wild spirits outside the barrier to attack and subdue her. Nephthys flew into the sky, using Kramar’s power to suppress the onslaught of wild spirits, while continuing her broadcast.

“O Chieftains and Great Shamans… do not disregard my warning! The one occupying Pasadiko’s body has introduced the power of a great evil spirit into the ritual. The curse of Forgetting has already seeped deep within. If you don’t believe me—look to the moon! Those among you who are perceptive should notice something strange…”

Nephthys’ voice rang out across the ritual site. Hearing her, many shamans instinctively looked up at the moon beyond the screen. Some saw nothing amiss, but others noticed immediately.

“The moon… it’s in the wrong position… It shouldn’t be there at this time!”

At the heart of the ritual site, the Eastern Great Shaman took a moment between ritual rounds to observe the moon. He immediately sensed something odd. Thinking carefully, he realized the lunar position was off and reported it to the True Spirit Shaman. Several elder shamans had also noticed and voiced their confusion.

“She’s right… something’s wrong…”

“Cough… why is the moon… there tonight…?”

“Has the moon moved faster than it should?”

For the scholarly Great Shamans and elder shamans, observing celestial bodies and interpreting their mystic significance was essential. Like the experienced mystics of the Main Continent, they were acutely sensitive to lunar positions and could spot irregularities.

The Eastern Great Shaman, based on Nephthys’ hint, realized the moon was farther west than it should’ve been. According to his astronomical knowledge, at this time of year and night, the moon shouldn't be that far to the west.

Was time suddenly speeding up? Or had his senses deceived him? But seeing the reactions of other elders, he quickly ruled out personal error.

Either time had accelerated… or they all suffered a collective illusion. The truth, in some sense, was the latter.

This odd phenomenon stemmed from the earlier battle between Uta and Kudoshum. When Uta hijacked the ritual to broadcast Kramar’s half-soul and its Forgetting Curse, the shamans heard the message—forgot it due to the curse—and heard it again, repeatedly.

This loop didn’t just stall the ritual. It also disrupted the shamans’ perception. Repeatedly forgetting the same event caused their awareness to constantly reset.

In a way, their consciousness was paused, stuck in a time freeze, while real-world time continued. The moon above moved along its natural path, while to the shamans, time seemed to vanish.

That was why the shamans familiar with celestial phenomena were so astonished when they saw the moon's position. It directly contradicted decades, even centuries, of accumulated astronomical experience. The moon had shifted noticeably westward, as if it had suddenly accelerated, clashing sharply with their expected perceptions.

“True Spirit Shaman… the position of the moon really does seem off… That voice we heard may not be groundless after all!”

“It truly seems so… Something must be wrong here.”

“It does appear that… the moon is moving faster than usual tonight…”

During a brief intermission between ritual cycles, the True Spirit Shaman—floating above the great totem pillar at the center of the Eastern Great Shaman’s ritual position—spoke gravely. The Southern and Northern Great Shamans also looked up at the night sky and echoed his concern.

“True Spirit Shaman, the ritual is paramount right now! Do not be deceived by such lowly illusions!”

At that moment, Kudoshum—standing in for the Western Great Shaman—responded with a stern expression, trying to downplay the warnings. But the True Spirit Shaman did not immediately reply to either the Great Shamans or Kudoshum. Instead, he silently began verifying the facts while continuing to preside over the ritual.

He reached out to his own wild spirits—those patrolling high in the heavens and beyond the valley—asking them to confirm the moon’s authenticity from multiple angles. By syncing with them, the True Spirit Shaman clearly sensed a “time discrepancy” between his awareness and the actual flow of time. His expression darkened.

This verification confirmed that the broadcasted warning was not baseless—the power of the evil spirit truly was interfering with this sacred ritual.

At that moment, Nephthys’ voice once again echoed powerfully across the ritual grounds.

“The evil spirit’s power is that of Forgetting! Through it, His followers are covertly corrupting this ritual. That power is already at work here!

“Shamans… stay alert! Guard your minds and steel your willpower. I can feel it—the evil power is coming again!

“It will strike you once more and make you forget! You will forget the very doubt now budding in your hearts. Be vigilant!

“That power will erase your memory… just like the Forgotten City across the ocean—Stinam!

“Just like the Forgotten City of Stinam!”

Nephthys’ soul-speech—infused with extraordinary might—continued to reverberate above the ritual site. The shamans all heard her clearly, but when she mentioned Stinam, the Forgetting Curse took effect, erasing much of what she had just said.

However, this time the shamans had been warned in advance. Nephthys had repeatedly emphasized the power of forgetting, urging them to monitor their mental states and stay alert. Many had already begun checking their own consciousness and clarity.

And so, when the Great Shamans and the True Spirit Shaman found themselves suddenly unable to recall anything about Stinam, the sharpest among them instantly realized:

I just forgot something important.

Unlike Uta’s earlier broadcasts, where all the critical information about Kramar’s half-soul was packed into a single block and erased wholesale by the curse. Nephthys had delivered a long, segmented speech. Only the portion mentioning Stinam had been affected.

The warnings remained intact, but everything about Stinam had vanished from their minds. This caused a profound reaction: the very act of forgetting—especially when warned in advance—became proof of the evil spirit’s interference.

Hearing Nephthys’ ongoing broadcast from beyond the ritual barrier, the True Spirit Shaman’s expression darkened. Glancing at the equally grim-faced Kudoshum, and now harboring real suspicion, he finally announced.

“Pause the ritual… prepare for a full investigation…”

As he spoke, he halted the nearly completed ritual. Then, looking toward Kudoshum, he continued slowly.

“There is no conclusive evidence for the accusations against you. This pause is merely a precaution… You’ll have ample opportunity to prove your innocence.”

The True Spirit Shaman spoke calmly, but Kudoshum did not respond. His face turned ashen.

He knew the truth: he needed no trial. The moment suspicion fell on him and the Great Wild Rite was suspended because of it, his plan had failed.

It was time for the emergency plan.

“Hmph… no more verification needed…”

With a cold snort, Kudoshum rose from his ritual position and raised his hand, shouting.

“It’s time to act!”

Before his speech even ended, a massive Silence ritual array abruptly manifested in midair above the ritual site. All the shamans immediately recognized it: a Spirit Summoning array!

“Expel it!”

Seeing Kudoshum abandon his facade and begin the summoning, the True Spirit Shaman's eyes widened in alarm. He moved to disrupt the ritual array Kudoshum had formed. The three other Great Shamans followed suit, breaking away from their positions and summoning their own wild spirits to strike back against Kudoshum.

“Seize the traitor!”

“Disrupt it!”

In response to the three Great Shamans’ Spirit Summoning efforts, Kudoshum merely glanced at them and gave a flick of his eyes, instantly distorting their hastily formed summoning paths. The channels they’d opened linked instead to dangerous regions of the Nether Realm.

In the next moment, amid piercing screams and wails, a tide of savage evil spirits poured from the three disrupted summoning arrays: a madly cackling female ghost with half her body rotted away; a masked killer wielding a club of shattered bones; a headless knight clad in bloodstained armor; and enormous hound-like beasts with human faces…

All of them monstrous, hideous, and grotesquely deformed undead—feral evil spirits reared by the Nether Coffin Order in the Nether Realm. Their viciousness and power far surpassed ordinary spirits.

With screeches and howls, thousands—countless—evil spirits burst from the three Great Shamans’ arrays and rampaged through the ritual grounds. The three Great Shamans, injured by Kudoshum’s interference, were caught off-guard and overwhelmed. Even Uta and other shamans at the scene rushed forward to assist.

As the horde of evil spirits continued to pour forth, the True Spirit Shaman—still locked in a struggle to prevent Kudoshum from completing his summoning—attempted to divert some of his power to exorcise the spirits in one blow.

But at that very moment, something changed again.

From Kudoshum’s summoning array, which the True Spirit Shaman had been trying to suppress, an immense force suddenly surged forth. Under this unexpected pressure, the shaman began to falter.

“This is… two-way summoning…

“There’s an immense power on the other side…

“The one being summoned… also possesses summoning power?!”

From the moment Kudoshum created the summoning array, the True Spirit Shaman had begun interfering. The balance had held for a while—neither could overpower the other.

But now, the shaman sensed that another mighty force had joined from the other side of the summoning path. It was as if the entity Kudoshum was calling forth was also summoning itself, working in tandem with Kudoshum to overpower the shaman’s resistance.

There was only one explanation: the being Kudoshum sought to summon was itself a summoner. And its power rivaled Kudoshum’s.

Two against one, the balance was shattered.

At last, the True Spirit Shaman was overwhelmed. The summoning array Kudoshum had created flared with radiant brilliance, and a terrifying wave of spirituality surged forth.

Every shaman present could feel it.

Something… is coming.

…

At the edge of the ritual site, the barrier originally meant to preserve conscious stability was gradually fading and disappearing. Following a command from afar, the countless wild spirits that had been preparing to attack halted their assault.

These various wild spirits all turned around and charged toward the center of the Great Wild Rite. Upon realizing that Kudoshum had revealed his true colors, the True Spirit Shaman immediately ordered the wild spirits to stop attacking Nephthys and withdrew the barrier, opening the path for them to rush into the center of the battle.

That removed barrier wasn’t only for the wild spirits. It was also for Nephthys. Upon seeing the barrier vanish, Nephthys let out a breath of relief.

“Phew… looks like the other side got through. And a fight broke out, too. Time to lend a hand!”

She muttered under her breath, then—still cloaked in her phantasmal ceremonial robes—flew at high speed toward the ritual center, where the massive totem pillars stood.

At the same time, the soul of “Kramar,” residing within Nephthys, sensed the aura radiating from the blazing summoning array in the sky above the ritual’s core and spoke with grave seriousness in her mind.

“Be cautious… Something ancient and ominous… is about to arrive…”

“Ugh… Something ancient and ominous?”

Nephthys swallowed hard at the words, steadying herself mentally.

…

Northern Main Continent, Frisland.

At night, inside a luxurious hotel suite in Aransdel, Dorothy sat upright on the balcony. Through various information channels, she kept watch over the Ancestral Valley's situation.

When she saw the ominous light flaring from the summoning array created by Kudoshum, she picked up the cup of coffee on the table, took a slow sip, and murmured to herself.

“So… in the end, you chose the Ancestral Valley, huh?”

Still speaking softly, she set the cup back onto its saucer and continued reflecting.

“Looks like the Corpse Consumption Ritual wasn’t your top priority after all… Such a pity, considering how much someone suffered, reduced to a pitiful husk, less than a living corpse…”

While Dorothy sighed in contemplation, beneath the Forgotten City of Stinam, Artcheli’s mission was also reaching its conclusion.

Inside the blood-soaked ritual chamber below Stinam, Artcheli pressed forward with a resolute expression. Just then, a massive summoning array suddenly appeared on the ceiling. The moment it lit up, Artcheli felt an intensely dangerous aura emanating from it—something was coming, something that triggered her instincts with dread.

“Reinforcements…?”

At the sight, Artcheli immediately halted her charge and fully focused on the incoming threat. But just as her guard peaked, something unexpected happened.

The glowing summoning array on the ceiling suddenly dimmed. The ominous aura it had emitted dissipated entirely, and the looming sense of crisis vanished in an instant.

The summoning array had appeared suddenly and then disappeared just as abruptly, as if it had never existed. Artcheli, who had been ready for battle, was left puzzled.

“What… what’s going on? Weren’t reinforcements supposed to arrive?”

What she didn’t know was that this unexpected turn was the result of Dorothy’s strategic maneuvering.

Based on information obtained from Kramar’s half-soul, Dorothy confirmed that the Nether Coffin Order possessed at least three Death Lords—three Gold-rank members.

She needed to determine the status of all three. Given that the Corpse Consumption Ritual was a massive ritual involving tens of thousands and required a powerful sacrifice at its core, one of those three Golds was almost certainly its linchpin. From her earlier conversations with Uta, Dorothy deduced that a Crimson-rank soul couldn’t have infiltrated and modified the Great Wild Rite, so Pasadiko had to be another Gold. Either disguised or possessed.

Having accounted for two of the Golds, Dorothy began to wonder: where was the third?

Initially, she suspected that this third Gold might be stationed in Aransdel to oversee the Earth Grievance Ritual. But then she reconsidered from the Nether Coffin Order’s perspective and realized another possibility.

A reserve unit.

The Nether Coffin Order’s operation spanned three major rituals simultaneously: the Great Wild Rite in the Ancestral Valley, the Corpse Consumption Ritual in Stinam, and the Earth Grievance in Aransdel. Assigning one Gold to each location made sense. However, Kramar, despite his irrationality, technically counted as a half-Gold. With him active in Aransdel, there was no need to assign a second Gold there.

The third Gold, then, was likely a strategic reserve.

If anything went awry in any of the three sites—beyond what the local Gold could handle—this reserve would act as a fire brigade, dispatched to the most critical point. From the perspective of overall planning, this made perfect sense.

Once Dorothy realized this, she restructured her own plan. She deliberately delayed Nephthys’ broadcast in the Ancestral Valley until after the Corpse Consumption Ritual in Stinam had begun and Artcheli had moved in.

Her intent was to pressure the Nether Coffin Order from two sides simultaneously—with Nephthys and Artcheli acting in tandem, while Amanda placed pressure on Kramar from the Aransdel side.

This would force the Nether Coffin Order’s third Gold to choose—only one front could be reinforced.

If Dorothy had followed her original timeline—triggering each operation sequentially—the reserve Gold could have moved from one site to the next, extinguishing crises in succession and maximizing effectiveness.

But by synchronizing all three fronts and exerting Gold-rank pressure across the board, Dorothy forced the enemy to make a choice.

From the current developments, it seemed they chose to reinforce the Ancestral Valley. That meant… the Corpse Consumption Ritual in Stinam had been abandoned. Which explained why the summoning array Artcheli had seen ultimately vanished: the one who was supposed to arrive had gone to the valley instead.

Back in the blood-soaked chamber, Artcheli stood in brief confusion before her eyes regained their sharp resolve. She turned toward the heart of the wicked ritual and resumed her advance.

She didn’t understand why the summoning was canceled, but now, with no interference, she could destroy the ritual.

Such an evil ritual… must be obliterated!

Artcheli quickly reached the center of the chamber. Before the corpse-laden altar, she raised her longsword high—then brought it down in a heavy thrust.

“Perish!”

Her blade pierced straight through Jerak’s shattered skull, stabbing into the heart of the Corpse Consumption Ritual. Channeling her spirituality through the sword, she flooded the ritual’s core.

Razor-sharp Shadow spirituality surged into the massive Silence array. Under Artcheli’s control, the Shadow spirituality shredded the ritual’s core structure. The tight spell matrix disintegrated instantly, and under her assault, the entire Corpse Consumption Ritual—spread throughout Frisland—collapsed from within.

And with it crumbled the soul of Jerak, who had fused with the ritual. When he first saw the summoning array ignite, hope bloomed in his heart. But when it faded without a trace, that hope was crushed.

In despair, he screamed furiously, cursing the ally who—in his eyes—had broken their pact.

“You wretched coward! You damned traitorous scum! I curse you! Even if I’m torn to pieces, I’ll curse you still!

“I curse you to a fate a thousand times more wretched than mine! May your soul be shattered into ten billion fragments and dissolve into the void! The Church’s mongrels—none of you deserve salvation!

“My curse shall never fade! Fabrizio!”

As the Corpse Consumption Ritual unraveled, Jerak’s ragged soul howled one final, hysterical curse. His voice echoed weaker and weaker through the chamber, until at last… it vanished completely.

Thus, the Nether Coffin Order’s Corpse Consumption Ritual was finally nullified.

Artcheli stood firm at the center of the wrecked ritual. After hearing the fading echo of that final scream, she whispered coldly.

“Fabri…zio…”