Inside the temple.
In the dim tunnel, two figures moved forward.
[Magic Light]
Countless orbs of light floated in the air, pushing back the darkness.
Naohara and Pandora observed their surroundings with interest.
Even in this unknown place, neither of them showed the slightest tension. Their attitude carried the confidence of people who knew their own strength.
"Naohara-sama, there is a statue here."
After turning a corner, a new passage appeared ahead.
It was a stone corridor with no moss or mildew. The air carried a faint, refreshing fragrance.
The passage stretched straight into the depths, and from the ground it was clear that someone had cleaned the area recently.
On the wall of the corridor, Pandora unexpectedly noticed a small statue.
The statue was entirely black and shaped like a cat.
Its ruby-inlaid eyes emitted a faint red glow, its fangs were long and sharp like a vampire's, and around its neck hung an Egyptian-style golden ornament.
It gave off a strangely dangerous kind of cuteness.
"This is…"
Naohara walked over and examined the statue carefully, a hint of confusion appearing in his eyes.
He felt like he had seen this style of statue somewhere before.
His dark golden pupils shifted slightly as he studied it, eventually stopping at the statue's neck.
At the center of the Egyptian-style ornament, a special pattern could be faintly seen.
It was the image of a howling cat.
"That symbol… it belongs to that guild."
Memories flashed through Naohara's mind until they finally stopped on a specific one.
His expression paused.
He remembered.
The game guild [Great Cat Kingdom].
(Note: This is not made up. One of the Six Great Gods really came from this guild.)
Although it was only a small guild, it was extremely popular among players.
The reason was simple. Every NPC in the guild had been designed as cats or other feline creatures.
They had even opened shops in all nine worlds of [Yggdrasil].
Essentially, they were the game's version of cat cafés where players could go and pet cats.
Naohara, and even many members of Nazarick, had visited them before.
After all, petting cats was a great way to relieve work stress and lift one's mood.
"So this is your test?"
Naohara's eyes flickered slightly as he looked deeper into the corridor.
That faint sense of being watched ever since entering the Theocracy.
The lack of magical barriers when entering the temple.
The complete absence of traps or enemies along the way.
And now the cat statue before him.
All of these confirmed his guess.
The Six Great Gods were not all dead.
At least one of them was still alive.
And that one had been a member of the guild [Great Cat Kingdom].
This was both a test and a warning.
A test of his personality, and a warning not to harm the Theocracy.
Placing the cat statue here was a way of revealing their identity and expressing goodwill.
"Haha… do they really think they have me figured out?"
Naohara covered his face with one hand and let out a laugh.
As expected of someone who had lived for five hundred years.
And this completely undisguised attitude. Did they truly believe they had absolute confidence they could suppress him?
"Naohara-sama?"
Pandora asked with concern from the side.
He had never seen Naohara-sama like this before.
Although he did not know the full details, Pandora had roughly guessed part of the situation from the conversation just now.
Without realizing it, they seemed to have been calculated against.
A trace of killing intent flashed through Pandora's mind.
He could not accept a Supreme Being being treated like this.
Especially not Naohara-sama.
Just like his own creator, Momonga-sama, Naohara-sama had never abandoned them. He had stayed with the NPCs and remained by Nazarick's side until the very end.
"I request permission to contact Albedo, notify all Floor Guardians and Area Guardians, activate the Mercenary NPCs of the Eighth Floor, and summon Rubedo."
"Erase this place and the entire Theocracy from the map completely."
Pandora's Actor dropped to one knee at once, speaking in a deep voice.
The playful tone he usually carried was gone.
"Erase it…?"
"There's no need to rush. For the sake of old times, back when I used to pet cats here, let me meet this fellow countryman first."
Sensing the increasingly heavy feeling of being watched, Naohara shook his head and rejected Pandora's suggestion.
He wanted to see what the other party was planning.
If the answer didn't satisfy him, it would not be too late to carry out Pandora's plan afterward.
Did they really think they had him cornered?
His fingers unconsciously rubbed the [Ring of Ouroboros] on his hand.
At the same time, nine items within his body were quietly emitting faint light.
"Let's go."
After speaking, Naohara walked deeper into the tunnel without hesitation.
Pandora hesitated briefly, but ultimately did not initiate the Message.
However, unlike before, the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy as the two continued forward.
Passing through the tunnel, they arrived before a massive gate. As if it had been waiting for them, the gate suddenly rose upward.
A vast platform appeared before their eyes.
Luxurious structures surrounded the magnificent grounds. Above them, dazzling crystal chandeliers illuminated the entire space.
Six enormous statues stood firmly upon the earth, each radiating an ancient and desolate aura.
Beneath one of the statues, a figure drew Naohara's attention.
"So this is where you were…"
Naohara walked forward, gazing at the Captain of the Black Scripture, who was bathed in golden light.
Back in the Theocracy, he had asked Pandora to search for him, but nothing had turned up.
He never expected to encounter him here.
"Naohara-sama, what is he doing…?"
"He's replacing his blood. The blood of the Six Great Gods is merging with his original blood."
Naohara nodded, confirming Pandora's guess.
He was quite familiar with the process unfolding before him.
When the Bloody Emperor and Renner fused with human blood before, they had appeared in the same state.
"So that's what a God-kin atavist really is."
Pandora was quick to understand the Theocracy's plan.
They intended for descendants who inherited the bloodline to undergo the ritual and merge with the blood of a Level 100 human Player.
This minimized rejection while allowing them to break past their natural limits and gain the possibility of reaching higher levels.
At the same time, the fused blood would alter some of their class levels, granting them traits unique to Players.
That would allow them to freely equip the weapons and items left behind by the Six Great Gods, and perhaps even activate certain Player-exclusive abilities.
"No wonder those priests pretended nothing had happened."
Recalling their earlier conversation, the contradictions that had puzzled Naohara now made sense.
The priests had been stalling.
They were buying time for the Captain of the Black Scripture.
If they could delay things for a decade or two and allow him to produce descendants, the Theocracy's power would inevitably surge.
"In that case, I'll give you a little help."
Naohara flicked his finger.
A golden droplet of blood shot forward and silently merged into the Captain of the Black Scripture's body.
The watching presence in the air paused for a brief moment before returning to normal.
Naohara ignored the Captain of the Black Scripture and turned his gaze toward Pandora's Actor.
What he had done was also a test.
Yet the other party had chosen to allow it.
That left Naohara somewhat puzzled.
"Pandora, wait here."
Naohara said, glancing to the side.
A spatial node there was flickering.
He knew this was the player inviting him over.
"…Please be careful."
Pandora hesitated for a moment at Naohara's order, but eventually nodded.
Although he knew the other party was also a Player and had already outmaneuvered them once, Pandora still believed without reservation that Naohara could suppress them.
After all, this was Naohara-sama.
The undisputed strongest Supreme Being of Nazarick.
"Mm."
Naohara nodded.
Then, under Pandora's respectful gaze, his figure gradually faded away.
Just as Pandora continued waiting patiently, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from a nearby tunnel, drawing his attention.
...
Elsewhere.
The calm space rippled like water.
As Naohara stepped out of the portal, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"You've finally arrived, my friend."
"My apologies. Please forgive my earlier rudeness."
Naohara turned toward the direction of the voice.
A somewhat familiar figure came into view.
Within the empty eye sockets burned two crimson lights. The body had not a trace of flesh, only spotless, pale bones that looked like a carefully crafted work of art.
It was a humanoid skeleton.
One of the Six Great Gods.
The God of Death, Surshana.
(PS: He is the God of Death, but he is no longer a Player.)
A name surfaced in Naohara's mind.