Chapter 60: Sudden Terrible News
In the deepest chamber of the Radiant Sanctuary, heavy velvet curtains completely blocked out sunlight. Flames danced in the fireplace, yet couldn’t dispel the bone-chilling cold in the room.
The man in the shadows leaned back in his leather sofa, slender fingers rhythmically tapping the armrest. In the firelight, one could vaguely see the silver ouroboros tattoo coiled around his wrist.
“The Proxy has announced that Phase One of the plan has begun.”
The man’s voice was low and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.
“That mental pacification ability user is key to the entire plan.”
“I recall you sent a puppet saintess to retrieve him, Doctor?”
The veiled woman sitting across from him gently swirled her wine glass, the crimson liquid spinning within as her voice carried mockery.
“How did that go? Failed?”
The youth in the duck-billed cap snorted, playing with the dagger in his hand. The blade flipped between his fingers, cold light cutting dangerous arcs in the dim room.
“That puppet went missing. Probably broke.”
The man’s tapping paused, his expression calm but voice containing suppressed anger.
“The artificial Origin was completely purified by the Radiant Saintess’s holy light. Not even worth retrieving.”
“Haha, Doctor.”
The youth suddenly laughed, the dagger “thwack” embedding in the coffee table before him.
“Should’ve let me handle it from the start. That kid would already be lying in the lab by now.”
“Calm down. The Authority Saintess already noticed the library’s anomaly last night. Acting within the Sanctuary is too risky.”
The man raised a hand in indication.
“Then what do you suggest?”
The youth pouted, pulling out the dagger to resume playing with it.
“Don’t worry. I still have a card to play.”
The man withdrew a letter from his breast pocket, the Celestine family crest on the wax seal particularly striking in the firelight. His lips curved in a cruel arc.
“The Crimson Saintess, Cynthia.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this name, the youth’s eyes immediately brightened. He licked his lips, revealing a beast-like grin.
“I’ve already arranged it. We’ll use that saintess to lure out the mental pacification ability user. Then he’s yours to retrieve.”
The man seemed confident.
“What about the Crimson Saintess afterward?”
The youth stopped playing with his dagger, looking up at the man with eyes already burning with heat.
“Do whatever you want with her.”
The man tossed the letter on the coffee table, as if discussing an insignificant object.
“The Celestine family is already in my grasp.”
“Leave it to me.”
The youth pocketed the letter, lips curving in a sinister smile.
“What about my assignment, Doctor?”
The veiled woman elegantly set down her wine glass.
“Helaris. She’s gotten too close to that boy recently.”
The man looked toward the veiled woman.
“That woman might provide close protection for the mental pacification ability user. Your job is to draw her away.”
“Perfect. I’ve long wanted to test the Radiant Saintess’s abilities.”
The woman laughed softly, red lips visible beneath her veil.
“Wonder whether my moonlight or her holy light is superior?”

Hien stood in the center of the training ground, holding a pitch-black handgun condensed from pure shadow elements. The gun body gleamed with an azure light, as if swallowing surrounding light, with faint dark purple energy flowing at the muzzle.
After witnessing Skadi’s convenient shadow elements, he’d had her generate new weapons for him. These handguns made from shadow elements could be hidden normally and transformed when needed, eliminating exposure concerns.
Since Hien lacked a magic Origin, Skadi needed to grant him homologous authorization, giving him limited shadow element control. The only drawback was he could only manage fixed transformations between shadow elements and finished products, not freely alter completed items, but this was sufficient for him.
“Ready?”
Skadi stood ten meters away, white hair floating gently in the training ground’s breeze. Shadow wisps coiled around her fingertips like living creatures wrapping around her arms.
Hien took a deep breath, gripping the gun handle, feeling that power that wasn’t his own yet briefly controllable.
“Begin!”
Before the words finished, Skadi’s figure suddenly blurred, becoming a shadow streaking sideways.
Hien immediately raised his gun to aim and pulled the trigger—
“Bang!”
The shadow bullet shot out, but Skadi’s figure was already gone. She appeared ghost-like at Hien’s left side, fingertip tracing to form a slender shadow blade, stabbing directly.
Hien jerked sideways, the shadow blade grazing his shoulder, its icy touch sending chills down his spine.
He quickly retreated while flicking his wrist, fingers slightly curling. Black energy streams coiled around his left hand. The next second, two shadow handguns materialized – sleek bodies with azure patterns glowing in the darkness.
Hien crossed his arms, dual guns tracing intersecting shadow arcs before him—
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”
Two rounds of continuous fire sealed off Skadi’s escape routes. However, she simply raised her hand, instantly manifesting a shadow barrier. The bullets struck it like mud into the sea, completely absorbed.
“Hien, you’re too slow.”
Skadi’s voice came from all directions, as if the entire training ground was her domain.
“What about this then?”
Hien held both guns horizontally before him, muzzle energy compressing violently before converging into powerful magic. Just as Skadi expected him to release an enhanced shadow shot, the gun body’s patterns suddenly gleamed with golden light—
“Wait, this is—?!”
Skadi’s pupils dilated sharply.
“Boom—!”
A spiral beam of intertwined shadow and holy light roared from the merged muzzle. Black energy streams wound with fine golden patterns, like lightning tearing the night sky. Where the beam passed, Skadi’s carefully constructed shadow barriers shattered like fragile glass.
“Hien, you’re cheating! Using Helaris’s power.”
Skadi approached him, hands on hips, lips slightly pouting like a full cherry, particularly striking on her pale face.
“Hah~ Since it’s combat simulation, naturally I should use everything available.”
Hien exhaled long, slumping to the ground. Sweat dripped from his chin, forming a small puddle on the floor.
“The power is indeed strong though. Thanks for the hard work.”
Skadi knelt beside him, offering a towel.
“Thank you.”
Hien accepted the towel, fingers accidentally brushing her hand. Skadi flinched as if burned, ear tips flushing light pink.
Just then, the communication sigil suddenly lit up, Helaris’s image appearing in the air with an unusually grave expression.
“Hien… I have something to tell you. Prepare yourself mentally.”
The Radiant Saintess’s voice lost its usual lightness.
“What happened?”
Hien’s heart sank. He’d never seen Helaris with such a serious expression.
“It’s about Cynthia. The Celestine family just issued an announcement…”
Helaris’s pupils held complexity.
“Cynthia has been accused of colluding with the Ouroboros Cult. The family wants to reclaim the Crimson Saintess’s authority.”
“Reclaim?”
Hien paused.
“Reclaim means execution. Only after the current saintess dies can authority transfer to a new Celestine family member.”