Amid the chaos and destruction that constantly shook the entire island, there was one portion of it that remained unaffected.
It was the Nether Cult headquarters' main building.
It stood wide and tall, almost as though daring whoever challengers to venture inside and face the consequences. Not only did it ooze out such power, but the strong field around it was so dense that nearly anything that tried to venture inside without the proper authority would instantly die.
Despite all of that, a certain figure still approached the building with resolve.
She swiftly moved like the wind, easily passing through the barrier without suffering any harm, and passed through the walls of the buildings with her powerful Magic.
A cloak was around her, and it shrouded her body, revealing very little of her face. This culprit was none other than Aloe Vida… or rather—
Kazen herself.
'I apologize, everyone. You all have good intentions, and your plans were well-meaning. However… you have no idea who you're up against.' She thought to herself as she stealthily strolled through the massive hallway within the building.
'It's pretty. As expected…' Kazen thought as she took a good look around while advancing in Aloe's body.
She inhaled deeply, still feeling the sting of guilt for abandoning her supposed teammates and ruining their plans.
'I interfered with the teleportation to separate them all. That way, they won't interfere with my actions. As much as it pains me to have done that, it was for the best…'
Kazen had to do what she had to do—and she had to do it alone.
That was the reason she came from the grave, after all.
'Apologies, Aloe. Apologies, Jared. Apologies, everyone.' Her gaze was now fixed on a massive door that ominously stood in front of her.
So far she had stealthily traversed the Nether Cult's center of power, but Kazen was not foolish enough to believe that the master of this building would not have noticed her presence.
Her stealth was meant to prevent any annoying pests from getting in her way.
'In the end… you're the one I have to face!'
In one swift move, Kazen made her way past the door and found herself in a massive hall.
Murals decorated the place, and the tiles were paved with white. The chandeliers glimmered marvelously, and the ambiance within it brought back old memories within her. This place… the homely feeling of this room… Kazen could not forget it if she tried.
A distance from her, she saw the twelve seats around a round table, and she was once again reminded of her comrades—her friends.
The Apostles of Aether.
"Tch. So you recreated even this…" Kazen murmured as she stepped forward.
The seats were fewer than in the original setting, considering the Apostles were 21 in number. Compared to the memories she had, the twelve seats felt lacking. They were also empty.
The chairs were not well-rounded, unlike how she remembered them. Instead, six chairs were located to the right, and six went to the left. At the head of the table, that is, the top front, was a much more grandiose seat.
This thirteenth seat resembled a throne, and someone sat on it. He resembled a young boy, having an aura of darkness around him. As he sat on his throne and watched her, Kazen could tell… this was the leader of the Cult.
His steely gaze and malevolent eyes were fixed on her as she stepped forward. Her steps were careful, yet steady. Nothing about the determination on her face had changed the slightest bit.
"I have been expecting you, intruder." The Cult Leader spoke, his bone-chilling voice spread through the hall.
The power in his voice, and the darkness he depicted, were enough to make anyone tremble before him. However, Kazen did no such thing. Her gaze remained determined.
She kept moving forward.
"I'm surprised you came alone. Do you really think you can defeat me alone? Or, are your allies so occupied that only you could make it here?"
Kazen did not respond to the Cult Leader's obvious attempts at provocation or information probing. She wasn't going to waste her breath talking to him.
"It's a bit sloppy of the First Seat, I must say—letting one of the targets slip under his watch. Then again… he must be occupied with the Singularity." The Cult Leader chuckled to himself.
Suddenly, his malevolent aura increased over tenfold, and a sheer quantity of Nether danced around him. An instant wave of tension consumed the entire area, causing Kazen to finally halt and glare at the young lad.
"Haha… oh, well. We should conclude things no—"
"Enough with the theatrics. I didn't come here for you." Kazen finally spoke, her tone indicating the impatience and annoyance that she felt.
"What?"
Kazen's scowl intensified as soon as she heard the Cult Leader speak again. Instantly, a gust of Aether swirled around her. In a flash, it fought off the Nether that the Cult Leader emitted… and it prevailed.
Her power suppressed his, causing the seated young man to let out a gasp of shock.
"I have no interest in a pawn. I want to speak to the true master of this place. Reveal yourself, Ciel!" Kazen roared.
For a moment, her voice invoked nothing but echoes, and finally silence.
The Cult Leader seemed frozen in shock—his bloodshot eyes focused on Kazen, and a very deep frown formed on his face.
"What… are you talking about?"
"I said its enough! Bring me Ciel… NOW!"
Kazen released more of her aura, causing the entire area to tremble as a result. The Aether she released was so pure that even in such an area dense with Nether, her power prevailed.
Even the Cult Leader shook at this point, unable to bear it.
"Hahaha! That's quite enough, Kazen." A voice suddenly echoed across the massive hall.
The moment it did, the trembling ceased and Kazen swiftly lifted her gaze around. She swiftly attempted to find the origin of the sound, but failed.
"I'm right here." The voice came from where the Nether Cult Leader sat—or rather, beside him.
The sonorous, gentle tone belonged to a woman clad in white. She elegantly stood beside the Cult Leader's throne, a smile placed on her face.
"Y-you… you're Ciel…?!"
"Haha… it makes sense that you don't recognize me. I've gone through a bit of a makeover since our last encounter over a thousand years ago."
Kazen was speechless, but she maintained her stance regardless.
"It has been ages, hasn't it, old friend?"
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[A/N]
I imagine some of you already guessed it before the big reveal. I remember someone actually guessed it.
Well, there you go, everyone… Ciel herself!
