Within a mountain range of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
This was one of the Witch Cult's strongholds, the territory of the "Sloth Archbishop," Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
As one of the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishops, he possessed a thoroughly deranged personality, preaching love while seeking to summon the Witch of Envy's descent.
He had originally been a spirit named Geuse, someone deeply connected to Emilia's adoptive mother, Fortuna. However, under the manipulation of the "Witch of Vainglory," Pandora, Geuse had mistakenly killed Emilia's adoptive mother. From that moment, he fell into complete mental collapse and was brainwashed by Pandora.
"The Royal Selection of that kingdom is about to begin. Once it ends, it will be time for me to test whether that half-elf has the qualifications to become the Witch's vessel."
Petelgeuse spoke with a twisted, ferocious expression.
Just as he was muttering to himself, more than a dozen ninjas with blood-red eyes crawled out from the darkness, emerging from the shadows and rapidly hurling shuriken at him.
"Unseen Hands!"
Faced with the sudden ambush, Petelgeuse reacted in time. More than a dozen invisible hands burst forth. Under the control of his Authority, the approaching ninjas were swiftly smashed apart into their original black mist.
"Ahhh! It's shadow—how can there be a power similar to that of Lady Witch of Envy?!"
Clutching his face, Petelgeuse twisted as if seized by madness.
"Sloth Archbishop, consult your Gospel and you will understand."
Just as Petelgeuse was puzzling over why those ninjas had appeared so suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness.
Through the faint remnants of light, he saw a girl of about ten years old, with white hair and blue eyes, standing before him.
"Oh, Lady Pandora. How diligent of you."
Recognizing Pandora's arrival, Petelgeuse showed a flicker of surprise before opening his Gospel.
If Beatrice's and Roswaal's Gospels were degraded versions of the Book of Wisdom, then these Gospels were degraded versions of degraded versions.
Only events capable of changing the world itself would appear within them.
When Petelgeuse opened his Gospel, he saw six simple words written within: "The Ultimate Darkness Descends."
Those six plain words made his eyes shine. Covering his face in exaggerated excitement, he looked at Pandora eagerly.
"Lady Pandora, it says the Ultimate Darkness descends. Could it be that Lady Witch of Envy is about to be reborn?"
He could hardly contain his excitement. The Witch Cult's purpose had always been to release Satella, to allow the Witch of Envy to devour the entire world.
The seal Emilia had once encountered in her childhood—the black door—imprisoned the legendary Witch of Envy. And the key rested upon Emilia herself.
"That is a possibility. It seems you will need to find time to test that daughter of the Witch. Investigate this matter thoroughly."
Pandora's face revealed no expression, yet she calmly issued her command.
"Yes, Lady Pandora."
Petelgeuse replied with a distorted grin, accepting his new mission.
It was said that the Witch of Vainglory, Pandora, had already lived for more than four hundred years. Originally, there had been eight witches, but for reasons unknown, Pandora had been jointly expelled by the other seven.
Her Authority of "Vainglory" was practically bug-like in its existence, capable of replacing outcomes according to her own will.
At present, her power was undoubtedly among the strongest Authorities in this world.
Pandora was also known as the most mysterious witch. On one hand, this was due to her rare appearances—over four hundred years, she had manifested only a handful of times.
Throughout the long river of history, there were virtually no records concerning her.
On the other hand, it was because she had never personally fought in earnest.
Either she arranged for her subordinates to complete her tasks, or she manipulated others into achieving her objectives.
The Sloth Archbishop himself had ultimately fallen into depravity under Pandora's control. Once a handsome and spirited youth, he had transformed into the frenzied Archbishop of Sloth.
...
After Petelgeuse finished speaking, Pandora had just turned to leave when, without warning, a ninja with razor-sharp steel claws for hands emerged from the shadows and launched a sneak attack at her.
Slash!
Pandora quickly collapsed to the ground. Petelgeuse was momentarily stunned before once again using his Authority to eliminate the ninja.
"Ahhh! Lady Witch, how could you possibly die so easily?"
Petelgeuse's expression was strangely animated, a mixture of surprise and something indescribable.
"No. I am unharmed."
Just as the Sloth Archbishop stood in astonishment, Pandora reappeared completely intact. She gazed at the ground thoughtfully.
"It seems someone has already noticed my presence. But it does not matter. We will meet one day."
Her tone remained utterly expressionless as she spoke each word. She could sense faint traces of magical energy lingering within the surrounding shadows.
She truly did not know who had begun targeting the witches. In four hundred years, she had never encountered such an existence.
After seeking out the Sloth Archbishop, Pandora had also learned that Witch Cult branches across the world had suffered attacks from black-clad ninjas.
Upon learning this, she grew certain that something was amiss and thus entrusted the entire investigation to the Sloth Archbishop.
Meanwhile, after dispatching the Shadowkhan to launch their first wave of attacks, Shendu had gained insight into the Authorities possessed by the various Archbishops of the Witch Cult. Each seemed distinct from the others.
For example, the nearby Sloth Archbishop wielded the Authority known as "Unseen Hands," capable of launching invisible attacks. The other Archbishops were equally troublesome.
Only the two Archbishops of Gluttony possessed glaring weaknesses. Since the Shadowkhan were not human and had no souls, their Authorities were nearly ineffective against them.
"Haa... The Witch Cult is truly troublesome. This world may be far deeper than we imagined."
After pondering for a moment, Shendu voiced her assessment while looking at Akane in the hall.
"Indeed. But as long as we don't go too far, there shouldn't be major issues. Our goal is simply to make a name for ourselves and complete our mission. We have no intention of ruling the world."
Akane smiled cheerfully. As visitors from another world, they were essentially doing good deeds. No matter how deep the waters ran, they would not drown in them.
"True enough. The Royal Selection is fast approaching. For now, we won't announce that the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild supports Emilia. When the time comes, we'll give everyone a surprise."
Shendu shared her thoughts with Akane.
"Hehe, understood!"
Shendu possessed a rather mischievous streak. With the Royal Selection imminent, her layout was nearly complete. It was unlikely the Witch Cult would dare launch a sudden attack.
After all, the royal capital currently gathered the majority of its forces. To attempt a strike there would be no different from seeking death.