The spiraling stone staircase beneath the Cathedral seemed endless.
Lucifer walked into the darkness, his armored boots echoing on the smooth granite. Elara followed close behind, the faint golden glow from her wings cutting through the shadows.
The Master of the Vault hurried ahead, holding a torch that flickered nervously in his trembling hands.
"The restricted armory is directly ahead, High Inquisitor," the Master of the Vault stammered. He did not look back. He kept his eyes fixed on the heavy iron-bound door at the bottom of the stairs.
They reached the landing. The Master fumbled with another ring of massive brass keys. He inserted a heavy, runic key into the lock and turned it. The mechanism clanked loudly.
"Open it," Lucifer commanded.
The Master pushed the heavy doors open with both hands.
Lucifer stepped into the vault.
It was a vast underground chamber. Shelves of heavily enchanted silver armor lined the walls. Rows of broadswords, glowing with pale holy light, rested on velvet displays.
Crates of powerful healing potions, resurrection scrolls, and protective talismans were stacked to the ceiling. It was the stored wealth and power of the Lumina Order, hidden away while their frontline paladins fought with worn steel.
Lucifer's eyes scanned the room.
"It is impressive," Elara noted, stepping into the vault beside him. She looked at a rack of golden halberds. "But it is standard gear. High quality, yes, but nothing that warrants a restricted classification."
"The Church doesn't hide swords in their deepest vault," Lucifer said softly. He looked past the shiny armor displays toward the back of the massive chamber.
There, hidden behind a row of towering stone pillars, sat a large, caged-off section. Thick, glowing chains of suppressing magic wrapped around heavy iron bars.
Lucifer walked past the Master of the Vault. He ignored the potions and scrolls. He headed straight for the cage.
As he approached, the temperature dropped further. The air inside the caged section was perfectly still, humming with a suppressed, volatile energy.
Inside the cage stood five hundred statues.
They were human-shaped, but they were not human. They were clad in dull, gray armor. Massive, stone-like wings folded tightly against their backs.
Their faces were smooth, emotionless masks carved from pale marble. They held heavy, double-bladed glaives resting on the stone floor.
"What are these?" Elara asked. Her voice dropped to a whisper. Her golden eyes widened as she sensed the dormant power radiating from the statues. As a Fallen Valkyrie, she recognized celestial constructs.
"Decommissioned units," Lucifer answered. He stepped up to the iron bars, looking through the glowing magical chains.
The Master of the Vault hurried over, wiping sweat from his forehead. "P-Please, High Inquisitor. Do not go near the containment cage. Those are Radiant Seraphs. Battle Angels forged during the First Crusade."
"I know what they are," Lucifer said.
In his past life, the Radiant Seraphs were deployed during the final, desperate defense of the capital. They were devastating shock troops. They felt no pain, required no food, and fought with absolute, terrifying fanaticism.
But their programming was flawed. They could not distinguish between enemies and retreating allies. When the Royal Army broke lines and ran, the Seraphs slaughtered them alongside the Abyssal demons for displaying cowardice.
The Church had panicked and permanently deactivated the entire regiment, locking them in this vault.
"They are incredibly unstable," the Master continued, wringing his hands. "The Holy Council ordered them sealed away a century ago. Their mana cores are corrupted by zealotry. They cannot be controlled. They are useless, Your Eminence."
"They are exactly what I need," Lucifer stated.
He turned to the Master of the Vault. He opened his system interface and projected his Faction Standing screen into the air between them. The glowing golden numbers hovered in the dim light.
[Contribution Points: 300,000,000]
"I am requisitioning the entire regiment," Lucifer commanded. "Five hundred Radiant Seraphs. Transfer the ownership sigils to me."
The Master's eyes bulged. He stared at the golden numbers, then looked at the caged Battle Angels.
"Requisition them?" the Master gasped. "B-But my Lord, they are restricted! The High Pope himself."
"I am a High Inquisitor," Lucifer interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. The Warlord's Sovereign Weight bled into his words, pressing down on the terrified man. "I have the points. I have the legal authority. Process the transfer, or I will consider your refusal an act of heresy and execute you where you stand."
The Master of the Vault whimpered. The sheer physical pressure of Lucifer's aura forced him to his knees. He didn't dare argue further.
He pulled a heavy, glowing crystal tablet from his robes. His hands shook nervously as he swiped his fingers across the runic surface, navigating the Cathedral's inventory system.
"Y-Yes, High Inquisitor," the Master stammered. "Processing transfer... transferring command sigils... transferring ownership..."
A blue interface flashed across Lucifer's vision.
[System: Faction Transaction Complete.]
[Purchased: 500 Decommissioned Radiant Seraphs.]
[Cost: 250,000,000 Contribution Points.]
[Remaining Points: 50,000,000.]
The heavy, glowing chains wrapping the iron cage shattered instantly. The magical suppression field dropped with a loud, ringing hum.
"They are yours," the Master whispered, cowering on the floor. "But the Light preserve you when they wake up. They will slaughter us all."
Lucifer ignored him. He reached out and grabbed the iron bars of the cage.
He channeled a fraction of his Void Arcanist magic into his hands. The heavy iron bars groaned, bent outward, and snapped like dry twigs. Lucifer stepped over the broken metal and walked directly into the center of the inactive Battle Angels.
Elara followed him. She gripped her silver spear, ready to defend him the moment the statues animated.
Lucifer stood surrounded by the five hundred dull, gray Seraphs. They were completely dormant. Their mana cores were locked in a century-long stasis, thick with corrupted, stagnant holy magic.
Lucifer did not try to wake them up normally. He did not possess the specific holy command prayers the Church used. He did not need them.
He raised his right hand. The Scepter of Cosmic Alignment he had given Sarah earlier resonated with his soul, but he didn't need a weapon for this. He needed raw, unfiltered power.
Lucifer extended his Warlord aura, wrapping it around the entire regiment.
[Divine Talent: Apex Multiplier Activated!]
[Target: Decommissioned Radiant Seraphs (Quantity: 500)]
[Applying 10,000x multiplier to Base Mana Cores & Unit Tier...]
Lucifer's chest flared with blinding, swirling void energy. A shockwave of pure, reality-bending power exploded from his core.
The shockwave hit the five hundred statues.
The dull, gray armor covering the Seraphs instantly cracked. The stone-like wings shattered, revealing brilliant, glowing pinions of solid gold light underneath.
The corrupted, stagnant holy magic inside their chests ignited, exploding outward in a massive wave of purifying heat that forced Elara to shield her eyes.
The Master of the Vault shrieked and covered his head as the vault filled with blinding light.
The change was sudden. The heavy double-bladed glaives they held transformed into massive, elegant halberds glowing with intense energy.
Their smooth, marble faces cracked, revealing perfect, angelic features and eyes of molten gold.
The deafening sound of five hundred pairs of golden wings unfurling echoed through the massive subterranean vault.
[System: Unit Upgrade Complete.]
[New Unit: Radiant Arch-Seraph (Tier 3 - Elite)]
[Quantity: 500]
[Traits: Absolute Flight, Holy Purge, Aegis of the Dawn (Grants temporary invulnerability to allied units).]
Lucifer stood in the center of the blinding golden storm. He did not flinch. The heat from the Arch-Seraphs washed over his dark armor, but it did not burn him.
The five hundred Arch-Seraphs lowered their golden halberds in perfect, terrifying unison. They turned their burning eyes toward Lucifer.
They saw a Tier 2 Warlord. They recognized absolute authority.
The lead Arch-Seraph, a towering figure clad in pristine white and gold armor, stepped forward.
The angel slammed the butt of its massive halberd against the granite floor. The shockwave cracked the stone. The Arch-Seraph dropped to one knee, bowing its head deeply.
Instantly, the remaining four hundred and ninety-nine Arch-Seraphs followed suit. The sound of heavy armor hitting the stone sounded like thunder.
Five hundred elite, Tier 3 Battle Angels knelt in absolute submission before the Lord of Obsidian.
"Command us, Sovereign," the lead Arch-Seraph spoke. Its voice was not human. It was a resonant, multi-layered chord of pure, divine magic that vibrated through Lucifer's bones.
"You are no longer bound to the Lumina Order," Lucifer declared. His voice cut through the hum of their golden wings.
"You answer only to me. You are the vanguard of my legion. You will protect the innocent, you will purge the rot, and you will show no mercy to those who stand in my way."
"By your will," the five hundred angels responded in perfect harmony.
Elara lowered her shield. She looked at the kneeling Arch-Seraphs, her golden eyes wide with profound respect. She was a Fallen Valkyrie; she knew the sheer destructive potential of a single Arch-Seraph.
Lucifer had just acquired five hundred of them, and he had upgraded them past anything the Church possessed.
Lucifer turned away from his new angels.
He walked back toward the broken iron cage doors. He looked down at the Master of the Vault, who was curled into a trembling ball on the floor, weeping in pure terror.
"Get up," Lucifer ordered.
The Master scrambled to his feet, keeping his eyes averted from the blinding golden light of the Arch-Seraphs.
"Take the rest of my Contribution Points," Lucifer commanded. He pointed at the massive stacks of healing potions, resurrection scrolls, and warding talismans lining the vault walls.
"I am buying everything. Empty the shelves. Pack it all into dimensional crates and send it up to the plaza."
"E-Everything, Your Eminence?" the Master choked.
"Every single potion. Every scroll," Lucifer confirmed. His void eyes narrowed. "I want this vault stripped bare. When the other noble houses arrive to buy supplies for the coming war, I want them to find nothing but dust."
Lucifer did not wait for an answer. He turned and walked toward the spiraling stone stairs.
"Arch-Seraphs, form up," Lucifer called back over his shoulder. "We are leaving."
The five hundred golden angels stood up in unison. Their massive wings folded neatly against their backs. They fell into a perfect, silent marching column behind Lucifer and Elara.
As they ascended the dark stairs, the heavy, oppressive silence of the Cathedral above was broken by the sound of shouting.
Lucifer could hear the angry, booming voices of rival noble lords echoing in the main nave. The other factions had finally arrived to purchase the Church's favor.
Lucifer smiled.
"They are late," Lucifer said to Elara.
He pushed open the heavy iron-bound door at the top of the stairs and stepped back out into the Grand Cathedral, leading his blinding, golden army right into the middle of the political storm.