At the deepest part of Theocracy's Great Cathedral, at the entrance to the sanctuary where the Six Gods' divine artifacts are stored.
Zesshi Zetsumei, as usual, held the scythe of the God of Death, Slishana, in her arms, her small hand flipping a Rubik's Cube. Although she could only ever get one side, she showed no sign of frustration.
Playing the Rubik's Cube wasn't her main goal; it was just to pass the time.
Zesshi Zetsumei's heterochromatic eyes looked at the Rubik's Cube in her hand, but her thoughts drifted far away.
Today was an important day for Theocracy and Lock to begin their plan. After a decision by Theocracy's Priest Council, she would carry all the armaments of the Six Gods and lead Theocracy's strongest unit, the Black Scripture, into the Holy Land to resume her training.
Before their return, Theocracy would enter a state of full defense. During this period, the nation's top combat forces would be absent, making the entire country at its weakest.
Perhaps she could ask Lord Lock for help, to send some Tiger Knights to garrison Theocracy. If there were a thousand warriors of that caliber, Theocracy would be safer.
Zesshi Zetsumei thought to herself.
Suddenly, aight, shallow footsteps entered her ears. Her heterochromatic eyes shifted slightly, and she was somewhat surprised to see that man, but only for an instant.
"Anti, how have you been lately?"
Lord Lock smiled brightly, waving at her like an old friend of many years.
After their battle in the Royal Capital, he had asked her name. Adhering to the rule of 'the loser eats dust,' Zesshi Zetsumei did not refuse and told Lord Lock her true name—Antillina Heran Fouche.
"You must be very busy today, right? What brings you here?"
Zesshi Zetsumei asked calmly.
Lord Lock walked to her side and leaned against the wall next to her, saying with a smile, "I am a bit busy, but I can still make some time to see you. I didn't expect you to still be guarding this place. Isn't the weapon I gave you much stronger than the armaments left by the Six Gods? Since it's not the strongest treasure, why do you, Theocracy's strongest combatant, still need to guard it?"
"You don't understand," Zesshi Zetsumei glanced at him, then returned her gaze to the Rubik's Cube in her hand, saying, "These armaments may indeed not compare to your weapon, but to Theocracy, they are not just tools; they are a form of faith. The six great gods who allowed humanity to survive in times of crisis are sacred beings in the hearts of Theocracy citizens. Regardless of their strength, this grace needs to be remembered for generations. What I guard is the belief in Theocracy's continuation!
"It's just a pity, how many people in Theocracy today can still firmly remember the divine grace of the Six Gods? That era is too distant for short-lived humans," Lord Lock smiled, looking up at the ceiling of the dark passage."One day, the faith in the Six Gods will slowly weaken and eventually become just a slogan."
Zesshi Zetsumei rotated the Rubik's Cube in her hand, offering no comment on Lord Lock's words.
Because she knew that what this man said was correct, even in Theocracy now, many in the new generation had started to have a blurring faith in the Six Gods. Even with rigorous and complete propagation of their ideals, instilling faith in them from childhood, this situation was still unavoidable.
"I think the fundamental reason why the faith in the Six Gods is fading is that they themselves no longer exist," Lord Lock took the Rubik's Cube from Zesshi Zetsumei's hand and said calmly, "Faith requires both grace and majesty. If they could reappear in their divine glory before Theocracy's people, I believe with the existing foundation of faith, every Theocracy citizen would become a fervent zealot."
"What are you trying to say?"
Zesshi Zetsumei turned to look at this man, feeling that he had another motive for saying this.
Lord Lock lowered his head and met her gaze, softly uttering, "I want to become Theocracy's seventh deity."
"..." Zesshi Zetsumei fell silent, then after a moment, spoke, "Then you should go tell the High Priest and them. I am merely a guardian of sacred relics."
She did not doubt Lord Lock's power, but Theocracy would not rashly agree to enthrone him as a deity just because of that; there were many matters involved.
However, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Theocracy's motto is 'Humanity First.' Since Lord Lock possesses power on par with the Six Gods and is a pure-blooded human, he is not an entirely unacceptable existence for Theocracy.
Rather, with the emergence of the unknown force—Nazarick—Theocracy needs stronger power to protect its citizens and ensure the nation's continuation.
Choosing Lord Lock would be a good decision.
Snap!
"In my eyes, you are more important than the entire Theocracy." Lord Lock presented the Rubik's Cube, now solved with six matching sides, to Zesshi Zetsumei, his lips curving slightly, his light red eyes gazing at the half-elf before him, "I want you to become Theocracy's eighth deity! The guardian deity of existence and the present world!
Zesshi Zetsumei's heterochromatic eyes widened slightly in surprise. After a moment, she took the Rubik's Cube from his hand, turned her head, and said, "Don't mess with my Rubik's Cube next time."
Although she didn't answer, Lord Lock already knew her response.
"Let's go, I'll take you to witness a miracle." Lord Lock grabbed her small hand and, without explanation, pulled her outside.
Zesshi Zetsumei didn't resist, putting the Rubik's Cube into her pocket and steadying the God of Death's scythe on her shoulder.
"Hey, I still need to guard the Six Gods' divine artifacts."
"Regarding that, I have an alternative solution," Lord Lock said with a smile.
After they walked a few steps, at the corner of the passage, they saw Brian and two armored Tiger Knights waiting there.
Lord Lock pointed his right thumb towards the Holy Land behind him and said, "You three, temporarily guard this great door for me. No one is allowed to enter."
"Yes, Lord Lock!" The Tiger Knights immediately straightened their backs and responded loudly.
"Hey, hey! Boss," Brain looked at Lord Lock speechlessly, "You didn't call me here just to be a doorman, did you?"
"Otherwise?" Lord Lock looked at Brain strangely, his face full of 'Don't you know your own level?'
Brain could only shrug. What else could he say? At this point, he was basically no different from a slightly weaker Tiger Knight, and indeed, he couldn't take on any major responsibilities.
"But this should be a secret stronghold of Theocracy, right? Is it really okay for us to be so reckless?"
"Good question, Brain." Lord Lock smiled and looked at Chief Priest Raymond on the other side, asking, "What do you think, Raymond?"
"I don't think His Excellency the High Priest will have any objections," Raymond said calmly.
Even if he had objections, he couldn't do anything to Lord Lock! After all, even Zesshi Zetsumei couldn't stop this man. If he truly wanted to seize the Six Gods' relics in the sanctuary, Theocracy would have no power to resist.
Moreover, both sides were currently cooperating, so Lord Lock probably had no such intention.
Lord Lock had also said earlier that he needed to take Zesshi Zetsumei as a guardian for the ritual. Although he didn't know if it was true, it was at least a reason.
"That's good, we'll be going now."
Lord Lock waved to Raymond, opened a teleportation gate, and walked in with Zesshi Zetsumei.
"Then I'll leave the guarding here to you all. I'll take my leave first." Raymond said to Brian and the others, then turned and left cleanly.
It would be better to inform the High Priest about this matter.
Inside the magnificent underground city.
A large team of Magic Casters dressed in Theocracy's uniforms, led by Tiger Knights, divided into squads of about a hundred people each, advanced towards their designated positions.
A deep black teleportation gate opened in the central plaza of the underground city, and Lord Lock appeared there with Zesshi Zetsumei.
Zesshi Zetsumei looked around, immediately filled with surprise.
Twelve colossal stone pillars stood at the edge of this plaza, carved with various rare and exotic beasts. The eyes of these beasts were all adorned with jewels, and their bodies were covered with various profound magical patterns, suggesting they were more than simple decorations.
And in the very center of the plaza was a huge, majestic stone statue.
Zesshi Zetsumei couldn't help but look at the man beside her and asked, "Is this one of the ritual locations?"
Lord Lock nodded and explained, "And it's the core of the entire ritual. Although I don't think anyone underground should be able to obstruct the ritual, especially with the blessing of one hundred and fifty thousand Magic Casters, it won't take much time. But just in case, while I perform the ritual, I need you to provide protection."
Although not very familiar with ritual magic, Zesshi Zetsumei knew one thing: a ritual would immediately stop if it received a certain amount of attack during its execution, leading to its failure.
The enemy worthy of Lord Lock's caution must be of that intensity, right?
At once, Zesshi Zetsumei also nodded with a serious expression, "I understand."
This was not just Lord Lock's concern; it was also greatly related to Theocracy, not to mention that the one hundred and fifty thousand Magic Casters represented a significant portion of Theocracy's power.
A super-large ritual involving so many people, if it backfired, could endanger the lives of those one hundred and fifty thousand people.
"But before that, you need to change your equipment. The armaments of the Six Gods should remain in Theocracy as sacred relics; things of that level won't be needed," Lord Lock teased, then took her hand and walked towards the treasury. "Let's go, we'll pick out a set of equipment suitable for you."
The two left the central plaza and entered the most luxurious palace in the underground city. Through a special teleportation passage in the palace, they entered the treasury at the deepest part of the city.
In the dark passage, as the two figures appeared, the automatically sensing magic lights immediately illuminated, brightening the path ahead.
After walking for a while, the two finally stopped before the five-meter-high treasury door.
Lord Lock took the staff of light from his storage space, then inserted its top into the groove on the door, activating a certain magic of the staff.
Sacred light flowed continuously along the seams of the treasury door. After forty-nine circles, the great door slowly opened.
"Let's go! I'll show you my collection."
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