Killing Death, clad in black stockings, took a step forward with her long, slender, and firm legs. As her knees bent, the stockings stretched, revealing a sliver of snow-white skin.
A soft "click" sounded.
Her short boots tapped against the marble floor, echoing faintly in the long corridor.
"Ara~ What unexpectedly cautious behavior," Killing Death mused with a smile in her eyes, forming a gentle arc. She thought to herself:
"This isn't what I expected."
She had initially thought that upon arriving at the Slane Theocracy, the other party would use forceful means to directly control the entire country.
Even if they didn't do that.
The ultimate goal would be to seize the Six Great Gods' legacy, but this method of infiltration negated her previous assumptions.
She had been defeated.
The entire Theocracy no longer possessed the power to oppose him.
The only remaining option.
Was likely the "True Divine Artifact: Nation and City Incinerating," but in their previous conversation, the other party clearly knew this information...
Over the past two days, Killing Death had carefully considered the situation, concluding that even with full armament and the entire country's might, the chance of victory remained terrifyingly low.
This conclusion was based on two factors:
First, her intelligence on the opponent was limited, with many uncertainties.
Second, in their last battle, she had used all her abilities, while he had not displayed his full strength.
As the nation's strongest combatant!
Surrendering without hesitation would be seen as humiliating by ordinary people. The "Four Elements" likely wouldn't understand such a decision, a shift from being "high and mighty."
However.
Killing Death believed it was the correct choice, and a form of protection for the Theocracy.
This young man possessed the power to destroy the entire Theocracy, yet even when facing a group of weak humans, he still showed caution, not wanting to reveal himself.
Inferring from this, the narrative about "future calamities" was not fabricated.
All of the above—
Were simply positive justifications to ease her mind about choosing to surrender!
In reality.
"Hah~"
Killing Death gazed down the corridor ahead, her heterochromatic eyes flashing with a morbid brilliance.
It was an acknowledgment of a powerful peer!
Like a fierce beast in the forest conquered by an even stronger one, or like finding a companion for a lonely journey.
Joy!
Satisfaction!
"We're almost there~" Killing Death's delicate lips parted, and she spoke softly.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum.
Tang Zheng's gaze shifted upwards, looking through the shadows toward the end of the corridor, which was gradually illuminated by the "Eternal Light" magic lamps.
There stood a thick, magical gateway.
Intricate magical patterns formed on the door's surface, like pale blue, faintly glowing runes spreading and intertwining like roots.
This was the sacred domain where the weapons of the "Five Pillar Gods" were stored, and where Killing Death normally served as one of its guardians.
That's right!
Killing Death was not the only guardian qualified to enter this place and protect the "Six Great Gods' legacy."
Even the God-Human Captain did not possess such qualifications!
But there was one individual... no.
It would be more accurate to call them an "undead existence" who also guarded this place!
"I'm back~, Divine Messenger." Killing Death's gaze settled at the end of the corridor, a trace of nervousness unconsciously appearing in her eyes.
It was a behavior akin to sneaking a friend home, afraid of being discovered by family.
Tang Zheng's gaze sharpened. Through the shadows, his vision fell upon the figure in red, and a sense of curiosity arose within him.
It wasn't to the extent of taking it seriously!
"Divine Messenger" was not a title, but the former "Dark God" Surshana's first attendant.
After "Dark God" Surshana went to confront the Eight Greed Kings and never returned, this "first attendant" assumed the identity of the Divine Messenger and remained within the building known as the "Guild."
The existence of that person.
It's also a top secret within the Slane Theocracy, almost on the same level as Killing Death's existence.
This information was also provided by Killing Death.
"A 'Divine Messenger'..."
Tang Zheng watched the gradually clearing red silhouette, thinking to himself, "I hope its detection abilities are limited. Otherwise, an unnecessary battle will be unavoidable."
According to Killing Death, the strongest in the Slane Theocracy was herself, followed by the God-Human Captain, then this "Divine Messenger" before him, and finally the third God-Human.
"Little Killing Death."
The red silhouette let out a hoarse hum, elegantly lifted its head, and looked at Killing Death walking towards it.
"...You've been acting unusually lately."
"Oh~ well, when you stay in one place for too long, you just want to move around a bit,"
Killing Death shrugged and responded with a grin.
While the two were talking, Tang Zheng had already gotten a clear look at the appearance of the red silhouette.
It was a rather petite creature, wrapped entirely in red cloth, resembling a mummified red cat.
A negative energy aura permeated its body.
This clearly indicated the creature was an Undead. However, unlike the usual scarlet or hollow eyes of normal Undead, the mummified red cat had two completely black, deep, gem-like eyes that occasionally flickered with magical light.
They were specially enchanted magic gems!
"A cat? An NPC!"
The instant Tang Zheng saw its peculiar appearance, this thought flashed through his mind.
The cat's mummified form was clearly not an Undead created through normal means. At least, Tang Zheng had never encountered this type before.
In the guild system of "YGGDRASIL," player-created guilds received a certain amount of data points.
Across the game's nine world maps, each map had only one top-tier guild stronghold. Powerful ones like the "Great Tomb of Nazarick" weren't even considered top-tier guilds.
The top-tier guilds possessed 3000 data points, which guild members could use to create NPCs according to their preferences.
In the game, NPCs actually had limited utility. They couldn't freely leave the guild as they could in the other world. The so-called points were more like a character creation mini-game.
Therefore, even the "Great Tomb" hadn't created all level 100 NPCs but had casually created them according to the preferences of its 41+ members.
This was the normal way guild points were utilized!
As for the guilds of the Six Great Gods, with their six player-created guild strongholds, they likely belonged to the ordinary type and thus received fewer data points.
"An NPC left behind by 'Dark God' Surshana. No wonder they didn't bring it along to the battlefield."
Tang Zheng carefully sensed the aura of the mummified red cat and estimated its level to be within the "Level 45-50" range.
With such combat power, it couldn't possibly influence a battle against players of the same level like the Eight Greed Kings, so there was no need to bring it.
After a brief exchange, the red mummified cat elegantly lowered its head again, its red-cloth-wrapped head gently rubbing a ring on its forelimb. Its black gem eyes held an unyielding sadness.
The corridor returned to silence!
Killing Death knew the "Divine Messenger's" personality well. Seeing that the Divine Messenger hadn't discovered Tang Zheng's presence, she felt a sense of relief.
It wasn't that she was worried about the powerful Tang Zheng, but rather about the "Divine Messenger."
In a sense, the "Divine Messenger" was her teacher, having personally instructed her in combat for a long time.
"I'm going in."
Killing Death raised her arm and waved, walking towards the heavy magic gate.
With a "clang,"
the large door opened.
A bright light shone from within, casting Killing Death's shadow long.
The red mummified cat didn't respond at all, merely lying quietly beside the door, enveloped by a faint aura of negative energy and desolation.
It seemed to blend into the dark corner of the area.
It didn't like to talk much to begin with.
Even when Killing Death greeted it frequently, it would only briefly respond about once every thousand times.
"Silent Guardian."
The word flashed through Tang Zheng's mind inexplicably. His sharp gaze noticed that the cat's forepaw wore a ring with a red round bead.
Within the translucent red bead, there was the shape of a cat's paw.
"A magic ring?"
Tang Zheng could sense that this cat NPC attached great importance to this ring.
It's a shame.
He didn't know much about the various items in "YGGDRASIL," so he couldn't judge the value of this magic ring.
Killing Death walked into the shrine where the "Six Great Gods' Legacy" was stored, her shadow following her.
Hummm—Dong!
The heavy magic gate closed again.
On the corridor illuminated by the "Eternal Light" magic lamp, the aura of the living was lost, and one by one, the lights extinguished, turning the corridor back into darkness.
At this moment.
Inside the shrine, a large magic lamp hung from the ceiling, emitting a gentle, bright white light that illuminated every corner of the great hall.
Swish~
The shadow beneath Killing Death's feet flickered slightly, and then a dark figure sprang out from the shadow, standing in the hall.
"Only I come in here, so no one will ever find me."
Killing Death looked at Tang Zheng, who appeared beside her, and let out a lighthearted laugh. She stretched her arms and yawned:
"Even the 'Divine Messengers' rarely come here voluntarily."
Tang Zheng, however, paid no mind to what Killing Death was saying. His pupils dilated slightly as he looked forward.
Six pedestals carved with divine statues were arranged in a line, each topped with a bright magic lamp.
On the first five pedestals.
Magic equipment radiating subtle energy fluctuations was placed, with various colored lights appearing on these magic items, even overpowering the white light from above.
The number of items on each pedestal varied, but each piece of magic equipment gave Tang Zheng an astonishing feeling.
As for the last pedestal, it was empty.
"This is the equipment of the Five Pillar Gods!"
"Each piece surpasses the understanding of ordinary people and holds immense power."
Killing Death crossed her arms over her chest and leaned forward slightly, looking at Tang Zheng expectantly, like a small animal waiting to be praised:
"Impressive, isn't it?"
Even with Killing Death's personality, she felt a sense of noble pride in being able to guard this place personally and protect the legacy of the Six Great Gods.
Was she inviting trouble by bringing him here?
Killing Death glanced to the side, feeling a slight disappointment that Tang Zheng wasn't showing the shocked reaction she expected.
Tang Zheng's eyes glazed over as he gazed at the dazzling array of powerful magic items, sighing, "It's quite blinding."
Whoosh!
Killing Death flashed to the side, arriving next to the empty pedestal of the "Dark God" Surshana.
She lightly pushed off the ground.
Killing Death leaped nimbly and sat on the edge of the pedestal, inserting "Charon's Guidance," which she had carried on her shoulder, into the weapon slot in the center.
"Feel free to ask me anything you want to know~"
Killing Death rested her elbow on her knee, propped her chin with her hand, and looked at Tang Zheng with a smile:
"If even I don't know, then no one in the Slane Theocracy can enlighten you. However, in exchange."
"I want to know how you managed to evade the 'absolute death' brought about by my ultimate move."
The white magic light from above.
It illuminated Killing Death below, but there was no "deathly light" as women in his past life called it.
Her black and white hair, shimmering with luster, formed halos of two colors, lending her a unique charm of sanctity and madness.
"Gladly, 'Victory'."
Tang Zheng snapped back to attention, offering Killing Death a gentle smile. He started walking towards the first of the six pedestals as he spoke:
"First, I'd like to know the names of the Six Great Gods."
As soon as he said this!
Killing Death's smiling expression faltered, and her face became unnaturally stiff, as if recalling something she found difficult to articulate.
In the Theocracy's religious beliefs.
Followers were forbidden from uttering the "divine names" of the Six Great Gods. According to religious doctrine, this was blasphemy against the divine beings. Therefore, in reality.
In the entire Theocracy, only a handful of people knew the complete "divine names" of the Six Great Gods.
However.
Killing Death knew that the reality wasn't quite like that; the prohibition on spreading the "divine names" of the Six Great Gods wasn't out of reverence, but because of the names themselves.
Tang Zheng arrived at the first pedestal, that of the "Wind God," and reached out to gently touch the exceptionally conspicuous silver full-body armor, calmly asking:
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"Alright~"
"The name of the 'Dark God' is Surshana, and the name of the 'Light God' is Aura Alaf."
Killing Death said, parting her pink lips slightly, and then turning her head away. Her voice dropped an octave for some unknown reason:
"The name of the 'Wind God' is Brilliant Angel Cat Meow."
"The name of the 'Earth God' is Riku Steals Fish Meow."
"The name of the 'Fire God' is Flath Meow Sensing."
"The name of the 'Water God' is Meow Dondon Meow Maru."
Killing Death's voice grew fainter and fainter.
However.
For Tang Zheng, who possessed the [Dragon Race Transcender] class and specialized in perception, it was still clear even if the voice was very quiet.
A strange expression appeared on Tang Zheng's face. It wasn't unusual for players to give themselves chuunibyou-esque names, but this naming style...
"The Six Great Gods... really like cats that much?"
The first two names were somewhat normal, but the subsequent ones... In any case, it wasn't surprising that the Slane Theocracy would hide the names of the Six Great Gods.
Also.
Given this naming style, were the normal names of 'Dark God' and 'Light God' the actual player names, or had they been modified by the Slane Theocracy?
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