Chapter 10: The Sacred Raid

The Holy Temple of Aethelgard stood upon the highest cliff overlooking the capital, its towering white-marble pillars gleaming beneath the midnight sky.

To the common people, the temple was a sanctuary of divine light—a sacred place where prayers were answered and the gods watched over the empire.

But Evelina knew the truth.

It was a lie built upon centuries of blood.

Beneath the temple’s magnificent halls, ancient blood magic flowed through hidden channels, binding the empire’s royal bloodlines to the Core Engine.

And tonight, Evelina and Lucien had come to cut the chain.

Evelina stood before the grand obsidian gates of the inner sanctum, dressed in sleek black leather armor.

Her expression was calm.

Her pulse was steady.

Only the flickering red warnings at the edges of her vision betrayed the battle taking place inside her mind.

[WARNING!]

[RESTRICTED ZONE: HOLY SANCTUM.]

[Direct hostility toward High Priest Malakor violates Core Directive 2.]

[SOUL SHOCK PROTOCOL INITIATING IN 10…]

[9…]

Evelina's amber eyes narrowed.

“Mute.”

The command was barely a whisper.

Dark magic surged through her consciousness.

The System’s metallic countdown abruptly distorted.

[8…]

[7—ERROR.]

Then—

Silence.

Evelina allowed herself a faint smile.

Much better.

Beside her, Lucien raised one gloved hand.

His shadow moved before he did.

Black tendrils erupted from beneath his feet, crawling across the obsidian gates like living serpents. They wrapped around the enormous iron locks.

A quiet pulse of northern magic followed.

Crack.

The locks shattered into dust.

Not a single alarm sounded.

Lucien lowered his hand.

“The temple guards have been incapacitated.”

His ice-blue eyes shifted toward Evelina.

“Malakor is inside, performing the midnight ritual.”

His gaze lingered on her for a moment, carrying a strange mixture of fierce protectiveness and dark pride.

“Are you ready to cut the parasite’s leash?”

Evelina reached beneath her cloak and drew a sleek dagger forged from dark steel.

Northern magic pulsed along its edge.

Her lips curved into a dangerous smile.

“I don't just want to cut it, Lucien.”

She stepped toward the open gates.

“I want to make the owner bleed.”

Together, they entered the sanctum.

The temperature dropped immediately.

The air was thick with incense, but beneath its sweet fragrance lingered something far more disturbing—

The metallic scent of fresh blood.

The enormous chamber stretched before them, illuminated by hundreds of pale candles.

At its center stood a massive marble altar.

And above it floated a crimson orb.

It was beautiful.

Terrifying.

Dark veins of energy pulsed inside its translucent surface, stretching outward into countless threads that disappeared into the walls.

Evelina's eyes narrowed.

The nexus.

The physical connection between the empire's bloodlines and the System's Core Engine.

A figure stood before it.

High Priest Malakor.

His ceremonial white robes were covered in black runes that crawled across the fabric like living insects.

Slowly, he turned.

His face was ancient and weathered.

His eyes were completely black.

No irises.

No whites.

Nothing human remained within them.

“Lady Evelina…”

His voice echoed through the chamber.

But it didn't sound like one voice.

It sounded like two grinding stones speaking through the same throat.

“Grand Duke Lucien…”

Malakor's lips curled into a twisted smile.

“You dare disturb the altar of the World Script?”

He raised his staff.

“You are nothing more than puppets.”

His black eyes fixed on Evelina.

“You were brought into this world to play your role.”

His smile widened.

“To become the villainess.”

“To suffer.”

“And ultimately…”

His voice dropped into a whisper.

“Die.”

Evelina continued walking.

One step.

Then another.

Her heels clicked against the marble floor.

“I don't do tragic endings.”

Malakor's smile faded.

Evelina stopped several feet from the altar.

“I read your System's code, Malakor.”

Her voice was cold enough to freeze the room.

“You aren't a servant of God.”

She lifted her dagger.

“You're a parasite.”

Malakor's expression darkened.

“You've spent centuries feeding on royal blood to preserve your immortality.”

Evelina's gaze shifted briefly toward the crimson orb.

“And you've been using transmigrated souls to keep your Core Engine alive.”

Malakor's fingers tightened around his staff.

“You insolent—”

He suddenly slammed the staff against the marble floor.

BOOM!

A circle of crimson magic erupted beneath Evelina's feet.

“System Unit 009—EXECUTE HOST!”

A blinding red beam shot toward Evelina's chest.

The System immediately screamed inside her consciousness.

[FORCED SELF-DESTRUCTION COMMAND DETECTED.]

The beam was less than a heartbeat away.

Then—

A wall of black shadow appeared before her.

Lucien.

He had moved so quickly that even Evelina barely saw him.

His gloved hand caught the crimson beam.

The impact shook the entire sanctum.

Dark northern magic erupted from his body, colliding violently with Malakor's holy energy.

The marble beneath Lucien's boots cracked.

Yet he didn't move.

Not even an inch.

His ice-blue eyes burned with terrifying fury.

“She is no one's puppet.”

His voice echoed through the chamber with an almost demonic authority.

Lucien's hand tightened.

The crimson beam shattered.

The fragments dissolved into black sparks.

Before Malakor could react, Lucien drew his broadsword.

One sweeping motion cut through the air.

A crescent wave of black ice erupted from the blade.

It tore across the chamber.

Malakor's staff shattered.

The High Priest was thrown backward and slammed against the marble altar.

Black ice immediately spread across his body, binding his arms and legs.

“ARGH!”

His scream echoed through the sanctum.

His holy magic froze beneath the unnatural northern power.

Lucien lowered his sword.

Evelina walked past him.

Her heels clicked against the marble.

Click.

Click.

Click.

She climbed the altar platform and stood above the trapped High Priest.

The dagger remained steady in her hand.

“You created the original contract with the System three centuries ago.”

It wasn't a question.

Malakor coughed.

Dark blood stained his lips.

Evelina pressed the dagger against his throat.

“Tell me how to sever the soul-harvesting link at Chapter 150.”

For several seconds, Malakor simply stared at her.

Then he laughed.

A broken, manic sound.

“You can't.”

Evelina's expression didn't change.

Malakor's black eyes gleamed.

“The System is bound to the Imperial Throne!”

His laughter grew louder.

“As long as the royal bloodline exists, the Script will continue to force your death!”

He coughed violently before continuing.

“Kill me if you wish! Destroy this temple! It won't matter!”

His smile became grotesque.

“The Core Engine will simply find another way to execute you.”

Silence settled over the chamber.

Then Evelina smiled.

Not with fear.

With satisfaction.

“Bound to the Imperial Throne?”

She repeated the words slowly.

Malakor's smile faltered.

Evelina leaned closer.

Her amber eyes burned with ruthless clarity.

“Then the solution is simple.”

She lifted her dagger.

“I'll simply have to annihilate the royal bloodline…”

Her smile sharpened.

“…and take the throne myself.”

The System suddenly erupted inside her mind.

[CRITICAL SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED!]

[HIGH PRIEST MALAKOR'S AUTHORITY: NEUTRALIZED.]

[SYSTEM UNIT 009: FORCED RE-CALIBRATION INITIATED.]

The interface flickered violently.

Then a new notification appeared.

[NEW UNOFFICIAL MAIN QUEST UNLOCKED.]

[THE EMPRESS'S UPRISING]

Evelina's eyes narrowed.

Interesting.

She didn't hesitate.

With one swift, precise movement—

She drove her dagger into the crimson orb floating behind Malakor.

CRACK!

The nexus shattered.

Millions of crimson fragments exploded through the chamber like pieces of shattered stained glass.

A deafening metallic screech tore through Evelina's consciousness.

[CORE LINK—SEVERED.]

[SOUL-HARVEST CONNECTION—TEMPORARILY DISCONNECTED.]

For the first time since her arrival in this world…

Evelina felt something she had almost forgotten.

Freedom.

Malakor's body began to crumble.

The black ice binding him dissolved into smoke as his flesh turned to ash.

The marble altar cracked.

The entire sanctum began collapsing around them.

Lucien walked through the falling debris.

He stopped behind Evelina and wrapped both arms securely around her waist.

His chin rested lightly against her shoulder.

His gaze traveled across the shattered altar.

Then toward the woman standing before it.

The woman who had just challenged the very fate written for her.

“Annihilating the royal bloodline…”

His voice was low.

Dark.

Almost amused.

“And taking the throne?”

His arms tightened around her.

“That sounds like a bloodbath, my Empress.”

Evelina slowly turned her head.

Her lips brushed lightly against his cheek.

Her amber eyes gleamed with absolute ambition.

“Not a bloodbath, Lucien.”

Her smile was beautiful.

And utterly ruthless.

“A coronation.”

Behind them, the Holy Temple continued to crumble.

And somewhere deep within the shadows of the empire…

Something ancient had just awakened.