Under the light emitted by the pure light element crystal, the girls proceeded along the narrow passageway.

 

The ground was littered with the remnants of mechanical spheres that were no longer operational. Some appeared to be sliced by Leila’s gun blade, but most were merely shattered metal pieces from self-destruction.

 

It seemed these spheres had limited combat capabilities, mainly relying on controlling transparent threads and self-detonation, serving as the lowest-tier cannon fodder soldiers.

 

The underground passage, despite appearing ordinary, was remarkably sturdy. It remained intact despite the intense explosions and battles, with only some charred marks on the stone walls. This reminded Violet of a facility on Earth known as a nuclear bunker, similar to the underground cities in the Aibus world.

 

Lost in her thoughts, they walked for a long time until Rene’s slightly irritated voice broke the silence.

 

“How deep is this place? We’ve been walking for almost as long as it took to come from the caravan.”

 

Her impatience was understandable. Her sister was fighting alone up ahead, and although logic assured her that with a certain priestess around, there shouldn’t be any unexpected dangers, familial bonds filled her heart with worry. The strange occurrences and seemingly endless dark passageway only added to the unease.

 

Therefore, while continuing to walk, the priestess nodded in agreement.

 

“It is indeed an impressive construction. Based on the direction, we should be very close to the underground area beneath the Holy Spirit Trail. If I’m not mistaken, the structure of this underground facility likely centers around a ‘command post’ near the Holy Spirit Trail, with various ‘barracks’ radiating out like a spider web and connected by passages like the one we’re in.”

 

“Remember what ‘The World’s Top 100 Unsolved Mysteries’ said? The Holy Spirit Trail wasn’t built by the local church of the Holy Empire. It mysteriously appeared around three hundred years ago. Because of this mystery and the occasional sightings of ‘holy spirits’ and attacks, the name Holy Spirit Trail gradually spread.”

 

The dragon girl leading the way turned back, looking somewhat surprised.

 

“Miss Dawn, do you mean to say that both the upper and lower paths were made by the same hand?”

 

“Exactly. If the aim was to make this place a base or stronghold, they would need a convenient road for transporting supplies. But perhaps they didn’t want this place to be discovered, so they decided to hide it underground, instructing these ‘soldiers’ to occasionally attack passing merchants to create a mysterious legend and reduce traffic on the Holy Spirit Trail.”

 

The white fox girl spoke with a hint of amusement in her voice.

 

“You see, doesn’t this explain a lot?”

 

“Huh? So that’s what it is…”

 

Holding the glowing golden stone a bit higher, the girl glanced over the motionless mechanical remains scattered on the ground in various positions. Her silver-blue eyes narrowed slightly beneath the mask, as if she were quietly questioning herself.

 

“But if that’s the case, these things should attack any intelligent beings indiscriminately or randomly. Did you notice that whether it was the White Dove Merchant Guild or the attacks we encountered, the targets they chose had specific characteristics? Or rather, only those who met certain criteria were attacked by these mechanical orbs hidden in the forest underground.”

 

“This clearly doesn’t fit the behavioral logic. If they are deliberately mimicking the so-called ‘Holy Spirits’ to make the rumors about the Holy Spirit Trail more believable, then the question arises: how do these machines distinguish between true believers and false ones? And why do they rarely attack non-believers, targeting only the followers of the goddess?”

 

“……”

 

“Uh…”

 

The dragon girl walking ahead had already turned back to face forward, remaining silent. It was clear she had given up trying to follow the complex thoughts of someone behind her.

 

Meanwhile, Theresa and Rene were scratching their heads, looking utterly confused by the fox girl’s consecutive deductions.

 

It couldn’t be helped. After all, the one best at thinking, Leila, wasn’t here. Expecting any constructive suggestions from these few was unrealistic, especially since Violet had only just “seen” certain things, which prompted these questions.

 

At that moment.

 

“Boom!!!!!!”

 

In the distance, a powerful explosion caused the ground to tremble violently once more, this time even more terrifying than any previous one, as if a massive dragon were awakening. Even the incredibly sturdy tunnel they were in shook intensely, as if it might collapse at any moment.

 

“Hmm?”

 

The white fox girl, who had been walking and pondering, suddenly sounded surprised, as if she had seen something incredible. Although she quickly calmed down again, the dragon girl, who had been keeping an eye on her, noticed this brief change in emotion.

 

“What’s wrong, Master?”

 

“To think they’d resort to such drastic measures… It’s nothing. It’s just that things are developing unexpectedly. Let’s pick up the pace, Leila has almost finished over there.”

 

“Understood.”

 

In fact, although this tunnel was indeed extensive, perhaps spreading throughout the entire forest’s underground, the forest where the Holy Spirit Trail was located wasn’t very large. With the speed of Violet and her companions, it wouldn’t take long to traverse it from west to east. Besides, this was just the distance between a “barracks” and a “command post.”

 

When the explosion occurred, they were already close to the exit. After walking for about another ten minutes, the girls emerged from the underground tunnel and reached their destination.

 

It was still an exceptionally spacious underground stone chamber. The construction style here was clearly similar to the previous “barracks,” with the ceiling also covered in a dense network of tiny holes that connected to the outside and emitted a faint, shadowy white light.

 

Upon entering, the number of winged spherical mechanical remains immediately decreased significantly, as if marked with a no-entry sign.

 

Compared to the empty “barracks,” this place was filled with items. There were technologically advanced instruments and facilities as well as many materials and equipment clearly intended for magical research.

 

However, like the aftermath of an extremely violent impact, the scene in the stone chamber was a complete mess, with most things shattered beyond recognition.

 

There was no doubt that the intense explosion that shook the earth earlier had occurred here.

 

Not far away, a white-haired girl with four slender wings fluttering gently was holding a weapon, moving around the chamber and inspecting things.

 

Sensing the arrival of Violet and her companions, Leila, who was not surprised, turned around and quickly approached them, making eye contact with the white fox girl at the forefront.

 

After a moment, she lowered her head with some embarrassment.

 

“I’m sorry, Miss Dawn. Although I successfully found the target who should be the mastermind here, their resistance was very fierce. Seeing that they were losing, they chose without hesitation to destroy this place along with themselves. I didn’t anticipate such a move…”

 

“If I had been more careful, I might have had a chance to stop them. I’m sorry for letting you down again.”

 

Looking at the tall girl who, despite having defeated the opponent, was repeatedly apologizing, with her white wings stained with dust and looking quite disheveled from the explosion, the white fox girl reached out and brushed over the bloodstains on Leila’s side face, which seemed to have been scratched by metal fragments from the explosion.

 

When she withdrew her hand, the marks had already disappeared.

 

Wanting to comfort her as she had in the past, Violet hesitated for a moment but ultimately just patted her shoulder instead.

 

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s good that you’re alright. As a newcomer who has just advanced to the transcendent level, you’ve done very well. The opponent’s actions were unexpected even for me, so it wasn’t your fault. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just keep working hard next time.”

 

“Miss Dawn…? Yes, I understand.”

 

Seeming to have read something from these few words, Leila gradually withdrew her anxiety and unease, nodding earnestly.

 

Without saying much more, Violet simply nodded back at her, then withdrew the soul avatar that had followed Leila, leaving it still in place. After instructing everyone to explore on their own, she began to move around the shattered stone chamber destroyed by the explosion.

 

The first thing Violet noticed was a humanoid wreckage lying in a charred corner of the wall, which was no longer recognizable.

 

From the perspective of her earlier avatar, Violet knew that this body had once belonged to a black-haired young girl who looked indistinguishable from a human. She was the only humanoid being in this underground stone chamber at the time.

 

Not idly staying here, when Leila entered, the girl was seated with her eyes closed on a peculiar “throne” in the center of the room, which was a bizarre blend of technological and magical elements. Countless strange lights from surrounding devices were being channeled into her body through unknown pipes and then slowly radiated outwards. The scene was almost indescribable.

 

The stone chamber also had some winged mechanical spheres that were slightly different in design from those in the “barracks”—likely an upgraded version of them. These were all directly controlled by the girl, who herself seemed unable to leave the strange throne that combined technological and magical styles.

 

After the angel girl burst in, the girl immediately began to control the mechanical spheres in a fierce battle.

 

Although these upgraded spheres were much more powerful, capable of firing lasers, forming cannons, and even transforming into blade-like structures, the gap between them and a transcendent-level mythical being was still too great.

 

Leila’s intention was probably just to reduce their defensive capabilities and eventually capture the girl, so she had always been holding back and did not attack the girl on the throne.

 

However, just as the number of mechanical spheres dwindled and defeat seemed imminent, the remaining spheres suddenly split in half.

 

One half charged at Leila, while the other half flew back, enveloping the girl’s body and adhering to the peculiar devices in the stone chamber.

 

This was followed by a catastrophic explosion.

 

That’s why Violet referred to it as a “total destruction.”

 

Violet had seen plenty of high-tech items in this world. Although the surface development level was average for a medieval setting, the presence of otherworldly beings and gods made bizarre inventions fairly normal.

 

What truly deserved attention were other aspects.

 

While the other companions were exploring the room, Violet lifted the red hem of her shrine maiden outfit, crouched down, and casually poked at the humanoid remains with her staff.

 

“Indeed…”

 

The girl was not a normal being at all. Even in her destroyed state, Violet could easily identify the metallic structure in the remains, meaning that, like the spheres outside, she was mechanical in nature. Calling her a “magical bio-android” might be more appropriate.

 

No wonder she so easily and decisively chose to end her life. It was likely that the command to “self-destruct before defeat or revealing secrets” was given by her creator.

 

Violet had recently encountered and interacted with a similar type of “being,” known as a Spirit Puppet.

 

However, it was clear that this girl was not a member of the Spirit Puppet Tribe, at least not one known to Violet, like those led by Ewan, Ini, and Eilush. The cold, mechanical feeling she sensed from this girl was markedly different from those earlier spirit puppets.

 

Here… is it related to the spirit puppets, or rather, the spirit puppet’s 【Father】, the traveler companion of Minchen, 【Vast Dream】? If a player were to build an underground base like the 【Holy Spirit Trail】, it would be quite reasonable.

 

But what is the purpose? What is this place actually for?

 

The white fox girl, with such questions in mind, stood up. Meanwhile, a loud exclamation came from Rene.

 

“Hey, hey, come and look! There’s a hidden entrance here!”

 

“?”

 

Following the sound of the girl’s voice, everyone quickly gathered around.

 

It was an entrance to a basement. The design was not complex at all. It was simply blocked off with partitions or similar materials, and there was no concealment or hiding involved, which is why Rene could easily find it.

 

A basement within a basement might sound odd, but it’s likely just a structure similar to having two floors.

 

At this moment, Rene had lifted the partition, revealing the true nature inside.

 

It was a vast space, no less impressive than the upper stone chamber.

 

On the floor was a blood-red magical circle that covered the entire lower area as if part of a ritual.

 

No, it wasn’t just red.

It was a magic circle drawn in blood.

 

A strong smell of blood filled the air.

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Theresa, who had the least experience, turned pale and immediately vomited, and the others didn’t look any better.

 

In the magical circle, there were numerous “crosses” embedded in the ground, and most of them had 【Sinners】 pierced with chains and silver nails.

 

Among them, Violet recognized some familiar figures who had once been part of the White Dove Merchant Guild team, all of whom were long dead, their eyes wide open, expressing their final unwillingness and fear.

 

The blood of the 【Sinners】 dripped down, slowly turning into red light as it seeped into the blood-colored magic circle.

 

“Drip… drip…”