The Slane Theocracy possesses six temples: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Dark, and Light. Each temple has an affiliated Witch Princess who can perform grand ritual magic, and the matching temples are not only filled with sacredness but also incredibly luxurious. Even the top nobles of the Kingdom could only kneel and worship there.
But now, the vast area that symbolized the Earth Temple has been transformed into a deep pit. Unprecedented purple, raging elements wreak havoc in the pit, and space and time seem to have been torn apart, like shattered mirrors, irregularly floating all around, occasionally reflecting the painful wails of the priests who once belonged to the Earth Temple.
"How... tragic..." The young man with long black hair almost dragging on the ground looked at the former site of the Earth Temple, which seemed to have been peeled away from the world, and felt a shiver of fear.
"You were just here before, did you see the culprit?" A woman dressed in a modern high school uniform, out of place in this other world, was also shocked by the sight and asked the young man beside her.
"I wasn't inside..." The young man smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I was planning to go in, but I instinctively sensed danger, a danger even deeper than that woman's... Ah, please don't tell her... Anyway, I quickly retreated, and then I saw a scene like hell..."
At this point, the young man's face darkened, cold sweat involuntarily streamed down his forehead, and his hands made creaking sounds from clenching them tightly.
"It was a dull thud, as if a curtain hidden beneath the surface of reality had been violently ripped open. In just the blink of an eye, purple light swallowed the entire Earth Temple. No one had time to react, and there were no survivors..."
The woman's lips parted slightly. She had also seen the light before, and even from a distance, that immense power made her heart pound. She couldn't imagine what kind of being could cause such terrifying destruction.
"Tearing space directly..." An old man in a blue magic robe, surrounded by four dark purple magic orbs, walked over. His slender finger slowly pointed to that forbidden area. "Their space-time is trapped inside, their lives or deaths unknown..."
"Such power, I absolutely have no confidence in blocking it." At this moment, people with various equipment and appearances gathered. A man holding a huge shield offered his opinion.
"Even a Demon God would be instantly devoured by such power, wouldn't it?" A hazy woman, slowly floating on a red sphere, also changed from her usual dazed state, appearing solemn and terrified. "Even I, with infinite magic power, cannot tear reality..."
"Everyone from the Black Scripture, proceed to the council hall. There is important information." Just as everyone was voicing their opinions, a slightly aged, plainly dressed old man walked over and ordered them.
"What's wrong, old man?" The long-haired young man turned his head, his brows tightly furrowed—it was the first time he had seen the old man with such a disgusted expression.
"The Sunshine Scripture, including its unofficial members, sent to ambush the Warrior Captain of the Kingdom, has been completely wiped out." The old man's eyes were like blades, not directed at the young man, but simply unable to hide his inner anger and anxiety.
"The Sunshine Scripture? Could it be that Warrior Captain?" A man as robust as a barbarian couldn't help but speculate, but then immediately shook his head in denial—impossible, absolutely impossible.
"Oh, right, the Earth Witch was monitoring the Sunshine Scripture's actions earlier..." The high school girl seemed to remember something and spoke up.
"...In any case, things are abnormal. The original planned external mission is temporarily postponed." The old man left that statement and turned to leave alone.
"Even that kind of external mission has been postponed... things have gotten serious..." The long-haired young man sighed, glancing back at the still raging ruins before he left.
"Sure enough, she's not inside..." The young man murmured, following the group away.
Meanwhile, in the House of Truth in the Frozen Prison on the fifth underground floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, a beautiful brown-haired woman was making desperate pleas.
"Please... no... boohoo... please..." The brown-haired woman's voice was already hoarse and broken from prolonged screaming and crying. Her lifeless eyes were filled with terror, and she was hovering between life and death, seemingly about to faint at any moment.
"Oh, my dear." Slimy tentacles glided back and forth over various blood-stained torture instruments. Finally, they chose a scroll—[High-Tier Magic: Greater Mental Stimulation].
"Ugh! Aaaaaah... No no no no no!!!" The brown-haired woman let out a desperate shriek the moment she felt the magic filling her, as if this magic, which could be greatly effective on the battlefield, was her primal fear. She struggled with all her might to break free from the magical light, but it was all in vain.
"Shh... shh... my dear." The tentacles slowly slid over the woman's already twisted and deformed cheek. The Mind Eater's swollen, octopus-like face slowly approached, soothing the woman's emotions with gentle breaths.
"You just have to immerse yourself and you'll find it's actually quite wonderful..."
Knock, knock, knock. The sound of knocking interrupted the Mind Eater's actions.
"Nilost, are you there?" A somewhat frivolous male voice came from outside the door.
"Oh my goodness, Niles, is that you? Oh my, oh my, I'm sorry, please wait a moment, the room is a bit messy..." Nilost, who had just been gentle and composed, became flustered by Niles's sudden visit. First, he shoved all the blood-stained torture instruments into a corner, then somehow produced a small coffee table made of unknown flesh and bones, quickly set out a pot of crimson liquid and two teacups. After a moment of thought, he added another teacup, then tidied his appearance, and calmly went to open the door.
"Ah, Nilost, you look well! This smell... are you engaged in artistic creation? Do you mind if I take a look?" As soon as the door opened, Niles, beaming, spread his arms and offered a heartfelt greeting to the bloated Mind Eater, who was two heads taller than him.
"Oh no, no, of course I don't mind, it's just that the artwork isn't finished yet, it might not be to your liking..." Nilost shyly moved aside, inviting Niles into the House of Truth.
At this moment, the woman lying on the torture bed seemed to see a ray of hope in the darkness, whimpering and calling out for help to Niles.
"Save... save me..." The woman didn't know how long she had been in this dark, sunless room. All she had faced were the Mind Eater, various torture instruments, and even unheard-of high-tier magic, which had made her lose the will to live. And now, she actually saw a human here! And he seemed to be on good terms with this monster. This was her only hope!
"Ah, my goodness, Nilost!" Niles walked forward with a shocked expression, which greatly encouraged the woman—her own kind cared about her!
"How did you manage it? With so much artistic processing, you still maintain the artwork's vitality! Did you hear that? She just called out for my help! Oh my goodness, Nilost, you are a genius!" Niles praised Nilost without reservation, making the latter blush and fidget.
The woman fell into despair again, but driven by the desire to live, she still cried out again, "Save me, please."
"Wait, did I just say 'genius'? No, no, Nilost, you are a connoisseur!" This time, Niles was even more delighted, because he discovered that this artwork had no scars at all! Even with the use of magical tools, the body remained intact and untwisted, which was an achievement very much worthy of Niles's special attention.
"Oh, you... Niles, you're going to spoil me..." Nilost was also invigorated by Niles's words, picking up the torture instrument again. While meticulously removing muscle from the woman's thigh, he used a tentacle to soothe the artwork that was attempting to bite off its own tongue—after all, resurrection items were still very precious.
"Let me help you, Nilost, this is also why I came here." Niles showed a rare gentlemanly smile and, after getting Nilost's consent, raised a scalpel to the woman...