Eva and Lorena's eyes widened in shock.

"What do you mean… sea of blood? What are you talking about?" Eva swallowed hard as she spoke.

She couldn't understand what Azarath meant. What was the sea of blood? And what did any of this have to do with the founder of the Elthanor Empire?

"You're talking nonsense. This definitely isn't the tomb of the founder's father," Lorena snapped, clearly refusing to believe a word.

"Oh, I wish we had more time… I'd love to explain what kind of man your so-called hero really was." Azarath stepped forward calmly.

"But unfortunately, some uninvited guests have arrived…" he paused for a moment, then frowned and whispered under his breath:

"Take care of them. No one is allowed to ruin our plan." Then his voice rose.

At that moment, fifteen shadowy figures leapt out of the darkness. They had no faces… only a misty aura of death and hatred. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared.

"With this hidden sea beneath the Empire, we're going to summon something that history itself has forgotten… one of the Seven Calamities."

"And you, the last heir of Irenwald… you'll soon play your part in this disaster." Azarath said with a calm, yet dangerous tone.

—

Meanwhile, Leia, Daniel, and Kayn were walking down a dark, winding corridor.

Broken pillars, walls covered in ancient scripts, and a thick scent of rusted iron and blood filled the air.

"This was supposed to be a tomb… but it doesn't look anything like the tombs from my world." Daniel glanced around and said.

Leia exhaled slowly. She had never been here before—this tomb of the founder's father was considered forbidden, even hidden from public knowledge.

Even to her, this place felt wrong.

Ahead of them, Vorak stomped forward with awareness, sniffing the air and shaking his head.

"Do you sense something?" Daniel asked quietly.

Vorak growled. There was a strange scent in the air… blood, maybe? But it was far too strong—whatever it was, there was a lot of it.

"Be careful!" Leia suddenly stopped and called out in a warning tone.

From the wall, a shadowy ghost leapt out. Long hands, lifeless eyes, and a body that was more mist than flesh.

The three of them dodged. But instantly, fifteen more shadows appeared around them.

"If we fight them, this is going to take forever." Daniel drew his sword.

"These are Shadow-Eaters. Their rank is low, all D-class… but damn, they're way more annoying than they look, and they always attack in groups," Kayn said, scanning the ghosts quickly.

As a wanderer, he traveled a lot—and that meant he knew quite a bit about monsters like these.

Their rank wasn't high, but the way they fought made them a real problem.

"You two go ahead. I'll take care of them." He gave a crooked grin.

Daniel paused.

"You sure?"

Instead of answering, Kayn pulled out his longbow. He charged the arrowhead with a bluish energy and muttered:

[Silver Rain.]

In an instant, several arrows pierced the darkness.

Two shadows who were lunging forward vanished silently into particles of darkness.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kayn said with a calm smirk.

"Just watch yourself." Daniel gave him a look.

Then he and Leia moved through the stone corridor, deeper into the tomb.

The further they went, the darker it became—until suddenly, the space opened up.

They reached the edge of a cliff, and what they saw beyond… was unreal.

Daniel and Leia's eyes widened in disbelief.

A vast sea, red as blood, stretched out beneath them.

In the middle stood a tall, black rock, connected to their side by a narrow stone bridge.

"…This place… how is this even possible? How the hell is there a sea hidden under a tomb?" Leia said, her voice shaky.

Daniel was speechless. He didn't know what to say.

"Leia?!" A familiar voice called out from the rock.

Lorena stood at the top, her hands in chains, her face pale and full of worry.

"My lady?!" Leia gasped at the sight.

Daniel quickly looked to the side.

Eva was there too, also chained.

"Eva! Are you okay?!"

They began to cross the bridge, but suddenly…

A cold, mocking voice cut through the air.

"Oh? So those little ones couldn't stop you, huh? And that other one's still alive. Interesting." The voice came from the rock.

A man in a black cloak stood in the center of the stone platform, like a shadow.

"Who are you?!" they both shouted at once, raising their guard. Strangely, neither of them had sensed his presence.

"I… am Azarath. One of the Bishops of Corruption." The man stepped forward, his gaze calm but piercing.

"So you were behind all of this?" Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"To some extent. But I'm just another piece… in a game far bigger than anything you can imagine." Azarath replied coldly.

"You bastard! How dare you kidnap my lady?! You think the Duke will let this slide if anything happens to his daughter?!" Leia shouted furiously.

"He's trying… to summon one of the Calamities… Don't let him—" Eva's weak voice called out, gasping for breath.

But before she could finish, Azarath raised his hand.

A magical barrier covered the mouths of Eva and Lorena. Their voices fell silent.

With his other hand, he slashed the air.

Four powerful shadows, C-rank, emerged from the darkness and lined up behind him.

"You shouldn't have interfered. Maybe you had a chance to escape before… but now? Now you just have to die." His voice turned cold and heavy.

In that instant, a dark and overwhelming aura burst from his body.

It froze the air, shook the walls, and weighed down on them like a mountain.

B-Rank – Peak.

Daniel dropped to one knee. The pressure of the aura felt like a rope tightening around his throat. Leia was sweating, struggling to stay on her feet.

She was also a B-rank, but just mid-level. This guy was B-rank at his peak—and clearly a monster.

"Ugh, I usually don't like getting my hands dirty… but for killing you two, I'll make an exception." Azarath said