Chapter 182 (1): That Won’t Stump Him

Cathedral of Full Moon.

There were four cathedrals in the Church of Moonlight’s base, representing the waxing crescent, new moon, waning crescent, and full moon respectively. The moon phases corresponded to the different types of magic in the

Book of Moon Shadow

, as well as the departments in the Church of Moonlight.

Walking gingerly to the entrance of the cathedral, Wayne saw a ravaged ground. With no one to shield him, he popped his head out to look into the dark opening of the door.

┴┤´≖)

It was pitch dark inside with black mist rolling like tides, so quiet that one could hear a needle drop. The eerie atmosphere made it seem like a trap to lure a voluntary visitor in.

Usually, Wayne wouldn’t have taken the risk. Even if he was going to venture forth, he would’ve tossed two teammates inside to scout the place, confirming there was no danger before entering. But not today. The information he gleaned from Dorrin’s mind was too horrific. He had to go inside for justice if nothing else.

And he had to hurry, or Kristen would no longer be Kristen!

He walked up to the black mist and transformed his hand into tentacles to stir it. Cursing his bad luck, he strode through the black veil.

He found himself in the well-connected tunnels of what looked like a bunker. The rock corridors were dark, with only the occasional flickering fluorescent stones providing some luminescence. The air was smothering and smelled of decay. Walking along the corridor, he could only hear his own footsteps echoing.

He looked around with his senses extended. The tunnel changed in width, winding and twisting with no end in sight. The humid, dark environment was bugs’ favorite domain.

Suddenly, he frowned and hurried in a certain direction. He had ‘seen’ a spatial cut section. He couldn’t tell what was on the other side, though, since his senses detected only darkness.

The end of the corridor was a mirror. The Wayne in the reflection had pure black eyes and a face distorted into a chilling grin. He was even letting out repulsive, piercing laughter.

“Kekekeke—”

Sounds like a typical villain.

Wayne frowned in disapproval and swung his fist.

He wasn’t aiming for the reflection, but the wall on the side. Breaking off a fist-sized rock off the wall, he hurled it toward the mirror.

With a clink, the mirror cracked, and swarms of skittering bugs cascaded down in such an incredible amount that they seemed like a flood crashing through a dam, splattering toward Wayne. He remained unmoving, surrounding himself with Death and tamping down his disgust for the dense swarms while he squeezed through the opening he made.

There was no other path but this one.

“A demon’s mischief. This isn’t an attack, but purely a nuisance.”

The bugs had some offensive power. They could bite and inject venom, and when they were crushed, the splattered fluid was corrosive. Facing the indiscriminate power of Death, however, they were merely parlor tricks that weren’t even worth taking to the stage.

Wayne made his way through the hundred meters of black flood, finding another mirror. The ‘him’ in the reflection danced around in a silly manner like a clown. Without hesitation, he once again carved out a piece of rock and hurled it at the mirror.

Bang!

Before the rock left his grip, a mana bullet broke the mirror and struck his chest, too fast for him to react to. He paused when he saw the woman on the other side of the broken mirror, collapsing to the ground with a hand on the wall, eyes rolling back into his skull.

“Ah!” Filomina rushed up to him, blanching when she saw that she had shot her beloved. Kneeling beside him, she pulled him into her bosom. She apologized and explained herself while pressing a hand to Wayne's chest.

Moonlight gathered in her palm in an attempt to mend the wound, but there was nothing to mend. Death did not fear Death, and the bullet left no wound.

Filomina clicked her tongue, swallowing a coquettish complaint. She shoved the face breathing against her chest away. Although it was annoying, it didn’t annoy her. She found Wayne’s mischievous side endearing.

She rose to her feet and turned her back to Wayne to sort out her hair. Then she asked in pleasant surprise, “Why are you here? The Ministry of Magic is under attack. Shouldn’t you go there?”

“My mission is to protect the High Reverend twenty-four seven. Without the ministry’s order, I must not leave my post.” Wayne stood up and gave a practical reason to lower Filomina’s expectation, but then he added, “Besides, the ministry isn’t as important as you. I’m worried about you, Mina, so I rushed here as soon as I could.”

He truly cares about me!

Filomina was beside herself with joy. It had been a long time since she last brought up the bet. It no longer mattered to her. All she thought about was their genuine exchanges of feelings and their reciprocal relationship.

Wayne coddled her like a dependable, earnest boyfriend, stopping at nothing to demonstrate his charm. Then he got to the point, “This is an underground lair projected by a demon. Have you found a way out?”

“I found the pattern.”

Filomina knew this wasn’t the right time to talk about their feelings. She explained her exploration of the chaotic space. The demon was unwilling to confront her and kept buying time with trickery.

All mages of the Church of Moonlight were gone. Based on the typical behavioral pattern of a demon, she suspected a large-scale sacrifice.

While talking, she led Wayne through the corridor and tore down walls and mirrors as she encountered them, counting her steps along the way like she was solving a math problem. And it was. Despite the chaos of the space, it wasn’t an unsolvable puzzle. They could escape by identifying the pattern and solving a formula.

It was proof that advanced education did not prevent one from being fooled.

Filomina was intelligent and an exceptional problem-solver. Her mastery over magic was impressive, and her magical sword and gun showed that she was open-minded and willing to embrace new things.

But then she got fooled by a scumbag and believed it to be love.

Anyhow, Wayne had found a teammate. He enthusiastically kept her before him and told her what he had found out. “I encountered Priestess Dorrin outside. She betrayed your church and colluded with a legendary mage of the Ministry of Magic, even working with a demon. She wanted to kill you and became the next high reverend.”

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Filomina didn’t deem that a response. She walked faster, and only after a moment did she say, “Did you kill her?”

“No. You are the High Reverend. You should be the one to deal with her.”

“Thank you.”

Filomina marveled at her young boyfriend’s understanding and consideration. On the other hand, she had been growing more childlike. If this was love, she hoped for it to sweep her off her feet with greater power.

“I defeated Dorrin with an Astral Beast’s flesh and interrogated her while her thoughts were in chaos. The traitor among the Ministry of Magic is Vice Minister Obed Windsor, a member of the royal family. He met Dorrin a long time ago, and through her, he controlled the church’s power in Londan.”

“Obed deceived Dorrin with the lie that he would join the Church of Moonlight...”

Wayne summarized their history. As the local priestess of the Church of Moonlight, Dorrin had met many obstacles in Londan, frequently picked on by the Ministry of Magic. Obed offered her a hand and helped her overcome the difficulties. After gaining her trust, he acquired the faith magic of the Church of Moonlight.

Their seemingly mutual feelings grew into a romantic relationship. Dorrin believed that Obed would never lie to her, and under his instructions, she adopted many homeless children under the pretense of cultivating elites for the church.

“Silly woman, thoroughly brainwashed by Obed.”

Filomina sighed. How pitiful of her to blindly believe in a nonexistent love. A misstep led to many more, and the chain reaction resulted in the tragedy today.