Gathering intelligence was Herohero's specialty. As an [Elder Black Ooze], devouring brains to obtain information was practically routine for him.
"Just to be safe, I'll directly consume them and search their memories."
After a brief thought, Herohero decided to handle it himself. Interrogation wasn't their strong suit, and dragging them back to Nazarick would only be a hassle.
Since these people might be connected to Players, it was better to resolve things quickly.
Herohero walked over to an elderly figure. Out of everyone present, the one he chose was the old woman wearing [Downfall of Castle and Country].
Anyone entrusted with a World-Class Item had to hold higher status than the others. Naturally, she should know more as well.
Pitch-black tendrils wrapped around her head as Herohero began carefully examining her memories.
However, it didn't take long before the surface of his slime-like face rippled unpleasantly. He withdrew his tendrils, and Kaire's headless body fell to the ground with a thud.
"Her core memories are sealed. Just like Nigun back then."
Herohero sounded annoyed.
"So she's from the Slane Theocracy too. Most likely one of the Six Scriptures."
Momonga pondered briefly before speaking.
Nigun had once claimed to belong to the Slane Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture, and his mind had also been implanted with a sealing spell. The similarity was hard to ignore.
"Based on the accessible memories, that's almost certainly the case."
Herohero nodded in agreement.
"Heh, what a coincidence."
Naohara chuckled softly.
"By that logic, we've now captured two of the Slane Theocracy's Scriptures."
He bent down and removed [Downfall of Castle and Country] from the headless corpse. Looking at the fallen members of the Black Scripture scattered across the ground, he couldn't help but sigh slightly.
"Since we can't get the intelligence we want, what do we do with them? Kill them?"
Herohero glanced at the dozen or so unconscious figures, and a faint chill seemed to pass over his expression.
"That would be a waste."
"Just because we can't extract the information we need doesn't mean they're worthless."
"We could hand them over to Kyouhukou. He's been complaining that his children are tired of eating their own kind."
Momonga shook his head and offered his own suggestion.
In his view, everything had value. His strength lay in discovering that value and making use of it.
"There's no need for that. We have another option."
Seeing Momonga enthusiastically discussing how to squeeze every last bit of value out of the Black Scripture while Herohero listened and nodded from time to time, Naohara couldn't help but interrupt.
When both of them turned to look at him, he continued,
"They all have sealing magic in their minds. But don't we happen to have a World-Class Item that counters magic?"
His words caught Momonga and Herohero off guard. After a brief pause, Momonga spoke hesitantly.
"Naohara, are you planning to use the World-Class Item [Eternal Seal] on them?"
"That's right."
Naohara nodded without hesitation.
"In theory, it should work. Let's give it a try."
Momonga took out the rune-covered crystal orb. He first released the sealed golden dragon, allowing it to return to the World-Class Item [Downfall of Castle and Country].
Then he pressed the crystal orb against the forehead of one of the Black Scripture members. Streams of runes flowed into the target's mind.
Under the watchful eyes of Herohero and Naohara, Momonga gave a small nod and stepped aside.
Herohero immediately extended his tentacles, eagerly going in for another memory extraction.
"Well?" Naohara asked.
"There's quite a bit of information. One piece of good news, one piece of bad news."
Herohero shook his head.
"The bad news is that there's an eighty percent chance the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings were Players. The Slane Theocracy was founded by the Six Great Gods, and they possess six World-Class Items."
"Oh, and World-Class Item is our term. The Slane Theocracy calls them True Divine-class Items."
He paused, glanced at the serious expressions on Momonga and Naohara's faces, then continued with a faint smile.
"The good news is that the Six Great Gods and the Eight Greed Kings have all been confirmed dead."
"I see… That's good. That's really good."
Momonga let out a long breath, his turbulent thoughts finally settling.
That bit of information had honestly rattled him.
"Six World-Class Items…"
Naohara's eyes shifted slightly.
To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure about the Slane Theocracy's situation either. The original story had never gone into much detail. He had suspected they might have more World-Class Items, but he hadn't expected the number to be this high.
Aside from the [Downfall of Castle and Country] now in their possession, the Slane Theocracy still had five more.
"We'll need to take this slow. The Slane Theocracy is too dangerous."
Momonga sounded resigned.
Five World-Class Items meant he couldn't afford to act rashly.
World-Class Items were immune to the effects of other World-Class Items, but they weren't immune to direct attacks. If the enemy possessed that kind of item, they had to be cautious.
"Albedo, go to E-Rantel and bring Clementine here."
Naohara turned to the Guardians standing respectfully nearby. After a moment of thought, he issued the order. A bold idea had just formed in his mind.
"As you command."
Albedo immediately accepted and vanished from sight.
Naohara and the others had not bothered to conceal their conversation, so the Guardians had heard everything. Their expressions grew solemn.
[Message]
"Momonga, Blackie, I have a plan…"
Naohara activated the spell and quickly explained his idea to the two of them.
At first, Momonga and Herohero looked surprised. Gradually, however, their expressions shifted to contemplation as they considered the feasibility.
"Will this really work?"
Momonga sounded hesitant. The idea was clever, but the risks were not small.
"I think it's possible. But Naohara, are you sure about sending Clementine?"
Herohero looked at him. He agreed with the plan itself, but he had some reservations about the one carrying it out. He didn't have a bad impression of Clementine. The two of them had formed a sort of bond after crossing blades.
"I'll ask her what she wants first. If she truly refuses, I won't force her."
Naohara shook his head slowly.
His plan did carry risks.