"Once the casualty reports hit the global network, the Church would have mobilized the Holy Knights immediately. We would have marched into the labyrinth under the guise of an emergency rescue operation—completely bypassing the academy's restrictive jurisdiction and overriding the portal owners' authority. We would have formally exterminated the anomaly, executed the Paladin, and seized the greatsword for our own holy armory while the public praised our divine intervention."
The pope leaned back into the shadows of his throne, letting out a frustrated sigh. "That was the flawless design."
Another pope spoke up from the right side of the semicircle, his silhouette shifting aggressively against the veil. "But this unregistered kid, Solomon, completely ruined the orchestration. He wandered into a restricted anomaly ahead of schedule, somehow survived the spatial distortion, and entirely cleared the labyrinth."
