A terrifying surge of spiritual power rushed through the spatial passage and swept across the entire city. In an instant, every movement within the city—no matter how small—was laid bare before York's eyes.
At the same time, countless streams of golden energy spread outward. At the distant edges of the city, layers of golden crystal rapidly stacked together like building blocks.
In just a few moments, the once-dim city was completely enveloped in a radiant golden world.
Only then did York step out of the spatial gateway.
But the old King of Chui-de was nowhere to be seen behind him.
Clearly, York's entry into the Witch Underground Palace had been nothing more than a decoy—a lure to draw out whoever had been lurking in the shadows, preparing to cause trouble.
"Still not coming out?" he roared.
"You rat hiding in the dark!"
A gigantic hand formed from countless grains of golden sand shot toward a castle tower near the banyan tree.
With a thunderous explosion, the tower—standing for thousands of years—was reduced to flying rubble, which rained down from the sky.
The deafening impact forced the former kings of Chui-de, who had been hidden within the royal palace, to reveal themselves one after another.
They stared in horror at the golden world that now covered the entire city, their faces pale with shock.
"A Mental World? Has a Saint-rank powerhouse appeared?"
The oldest of the sixth-rank experts gazed at the massive golden hand in the distance, both stunned and confused.
He had no idea why a Saint-rank expert would suddenly attack their royal palace. But this was the capital of the Kingdom of Chui-de—the face of their nation.
They could not simply let it be destroyed.
"Quick! Bring out the sacred relic left behind by our ancestor!"
Before his words had even finished, a figure in a white cloak rose beside the golden hand in the distance.
"E-Eight-Winged Angel Cloak…Great-Grandfather, he's from the Church!"
"The Church?!"
The old man froze, staring blankly at the cloak behind York. It took him a long while to recover.
A younger expert beside him hesitated and asked,
"Great-Grandfather, should we still bring out the sacred relic?"
"Of course!" the old man shouted excitedly.
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Quick, follow me! Let's help the Church's lord purge the evil!"
With that, he charged toward the golden hand.
Several sixth-rank experts were left behind, exchanging glances.
Then, as if reaching the same conclusion, they rushed forward as well.
These people had been stuck at the peak of the sixth rank for hundreds of years.
It wasn't because they lacked talent—the refinement of body and soul was simply far too difficult.
Of the three steps to reach Saint rank, the second step alone was enough to stop most people for a lifetime.
Only a rare few with extraordinary talent could cross it naturally. For everyone else, special alchemical potions were the only option.
But such potions were tightly controlled—only the royal families of the Three Great Empires were allowed access.
Just as the royal families of smaller kingdoms controlled the potions for breaking from fifth to sixth rank, this system existed to preserve the current balance of power.
Now, however, a Saint-rank expert from the Church stood before them.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If they helped him defeat his enemy, even a casual reward could restore the glory of the Chui-de royal family.
And if he were generous enough to grant them a potion for the second step to Saint rank…
Then the Commercial Nation might even surpass the Scholars' Nation and become the foremost vassal of the Ymir Empire.
With that thought, the remaining experts also charged forward with excited roars.
Only one beautiful middle-aged woman wore a strange expression.
She glanced at those who had rushed ahead, speechless, and followed at an unhurried pace.
Yet her positioning subtly placed everyone else in front of her, as if shielding herself behind them.
On the other side, Niv was almost losing her mind from the workload.
"Damn it, the signal's gone again!"
One of the surveillance screens showed a massive explosion before going dark. Niv immediately summoned another screen—but it didn't last long either.
In clashes between such powerful beings, the surveillance insects made from ordinary creatures were instantly crushed into paste by mere shockwaves.
Fortunately, Niv had deployed a massive number of undead insects throughout Chui-de City,just enough to keep the feed from completely cutting out.
"Found it!"
Niv suddenly exclaimed and pulled up another screen.
On it, a red-eyed crow darted through countless golden chains and flew higher into the sky.
As it ascended, its form began to change.
Black feathers rained down from the sky.
In their place appeared a small, black-haired, red-eyed girl with demon horns, wearing a cloak of black feathers.
The moment she appeared, thin purple-black veins spread across the golden world barrier.
They expanded rapidly, covering the entire space.
If one stared at them long enough, they seemed to pulse—contracting and expanding like a beating heart.
The black-haired girl finally widened the distance between herself and the pursuing chains.
With a casual flick of her finger, purple-black mist surged out.
The golden chains were corroded instantly.
Within moments, they reverted into golden sand and crashed to the ground.
At the same time, York realized he had completely lost control over the golden sand.
"Golden Eye of the John Remedy Family, huh? I thought you wouldn't be able to resist merging with the Golden Knight's Mental World."
"Surprisingly, you held back."
The girl spoke expressionlessly.
Her voice was soft and adorable—enough to stir pity in even the coldest heart.
Even York, a Saint-rank powerhouse, felt a moment of compassion rise within him.
But he was a veteran of the Holy See.
He had seen such techniques before.
After a brief moment of daze, he immediately realized what was happening.
Golden, wealth-aspected magic wrapped around his body, snapping him out of the strange sensation.
Only then did he look up at the girl with a grave expression.
"Who are you?"
The girl replied calmly:
"Under Desire's command—one of the Seven Demon Apostles, Sadness."