Chapter 82

“Utes.”

The priestess of Pluto, Kore, recalled the moment she had gazed into his soul.

Her vision had been filled with a blinding blue light, so bright it felt like her eyes might go blind.

Though it’s often described as reading the color of one’s soul, the sacred art that Kore wielded was far more than just perceiving hues. It revealed whether someone had amassed good or evil deeds and allowed her to discern the trajectory of their life thus far.

To put it metaphorically, the soul viewed through this sacred art appeared like an embroidered tapestry. Some parts would shine like gold, while others were darkened by murky stains.

But Utes’ soul showed none of these characteristics—it wasn’t even clearly visible.

A piercing blue radiance. She couldn’t comprehend what kind of life journey had led to such a soul. It was strange indeed.

As a priestess of Pluto, Kore possessed unparalleled divine power in both scale and mastery. If properly prepared, she believed she could even perceive the souls of demigods from ancient times.

Throughout her career, there had only been one other person besides Utes whose soul she hadn’t been able to fully see: the Pope.

The immense divine barrier surrounding the Pope distorted her sacred art, making it impossible to discern his true form, much like looking through a warped kaleidoscope.

Once, the Pope had briefly lifted his barrier to reveal his soul, but Kore didn’t trust what she saw then. At the level where one can manipulate divine power like the Pope, showing only what they wish is entirely possible.

“Is Utes in the same category as the Pope?”

Someone whose presence distorts the sacred art must possess formidable divine power, yet the distortion caused by Utes’ soul was of a completely different nature compared to the Pope’s.

Kore decided to use this exploration of the Grand Temple as a litmus test for understanding Utes.

Demos, a priest of Enyalius, once again took on the role of guiding Utes to the temple.

“Perhaps Demos will lead the assault team while hiding among them… No, I think I spotted him.”

Although uncertain, during their last meeting, Utes seemed aware of her presence. Given that Hyacinth, another Priest of Phobos, could sense her existence through foresight, it wasn’t implausible.

“Hyacinth needed to activate his sacred art to see me. Utes didn’t seem to use divine power during the gathering. Could it be the artifact of Phobos he carries? Or was his sacred art already activated from the start?”

Abandoning the plan to infiltrate among the followers of Enyalius to monitor Utes from the beginning, Kore decided instead to track him inside the temple.

As a priestess of Pluto, Kore possessed the ability to detect people within the temple using sacred art. Not only could she identify whether someone was a follower of Pluto, but she could also distinguish individuals based on their unique energy fields.

“If I could resonate with the emblem of the Grand Temple, my accuracy would improve.”

In ancient times, when the sect thrived, temples had cores similar to the magic cores of towers. These emblems, usually shaped like symbols of their respective deities, acted as focal points.

The emblem functioned much like a crown, granting appropriate powers to its rightful bearer.

If Kore could attune herself to the emblem of the Grand Temple, she could effortlessly wield the defensive sacred arts inscribed throughout the temple with a mere gesture.

The sacred art for detecting outsiders would manifest at a vastly superior level. Instead of merely sensing intruders, she could precisely identify every item within the temple—like knowing that one room contained Glaupicos’ relic and another held Erimon’s.

However, legend has it that the emblem of the Grand Temple was destroyed by the Wizard King. Even finding remnants would be difficult since the temple itself was sealed beyond reality.

Kore shook off these musings inherited from past memories. The future was more important than dwelling on the past.

Among the energy signatures detected by her sacred art, any particularly unfamiliar ones would likely belong to Utes.

She would follow his movements and observe his actions.

“At first, Utes will probably stay close to the followers of Enyalius.”

Demos would likely ask Utes to find relics of Enyalius. Despite his supposed prophetic abilities, there must be limits.

If Utes harbors another hidden purpose, he might refuse Demos’ request. Even prophets don’t offer their visions for free.

But if Utes readily agrees to help, it would suggest no ulterior motives beyond his stated goal of opposing the Ten Towers and preparing for the coming Wizard King.

If Utes truly cares for the religious order, perhaps…

“He might become a counterbalance to the Pope.”

***

Kore felt an indescribable emotion.

She couldn’t quite name it. Her inner world, burdened by the accumulated memories of her predecessors, was filled with calm resignation and worry.

In fact, the emotion she was feeling was irritation.

Or perhaps something closer to frustration.

She hadn’t witnessed Utes betraying the Theistic Order in secret—not exactly.

Simply put…

Utes was too fast.

Kore ran hard after him, moving quickly away from the priests of Enyalius. But something about Demos’ movements seemed off.

If Utes had refused Demos’ request and gone his own way, the priests would either scatter to search for their relics or abandon the mission to explore each room systematically regardless of affiliation.

Yet they remained fixed in one room.

Since she was en route to Utes anyway, she decided to take a quick look. It wouldn’t delay her significantly.

Surprisingly, the room was filled with relics of Enyalius. Demos’ subordinates were methodically categorizing and preparing to transport them.

“Did they find them immediately upon entering the temple?”

How accurate must prophecy be to achieve that?

Suppressing her curiosity, Kore tried to resume tracking Utes. But his energy signature had vanished.

“What?”

It shouldn’t be possible. She expanded her detection range. Meanwhile, other branches of the Theistic Order began slowly exploring the upper levels.

Utes was heading deep underground alone.

Kore clenched her teeth and sprinted.

Still, she couldn’t catch up to him. His path wasn’t linear; she could sense him entering and exiting rooms.

To understand what he did inside, she’d have to peek inside.

What struck her as odd was what followed. Every room Utes entered contained relics. Yet there was no noticeable empty space indicating anything had been taken.

Of course, this was because Utes carefully selected compact, high-performance relics, which went unnoticed by Kore in her haste.

As each door she opened greeted her with untouched relics from ancient times, a thought began to form in her mind.

“Could it be…”

Does he know I’m chasing him and is playing with me?

Surely not.

Kore suppressed her rising irritation and attempted a rational analysis. Utes was searching for something specific, leaving everything else untouched.

Depending on what Utes seeks, he might become an enemy of the Theistic Order.

While the Pope’s choices weren’t ideal, they weren’t the worst either—a lesser evil. If Utes posed a greater threat to the identity of the order than the Pope, Kore had a duty to expose him.

She searched again for Utes’ trail.

He had stopped moving.

Something, however, was heading toward him. Analyzing the energy waves, it wasn’t a priest wielding divine power.

Rather, it resembled a mage.

Regardless of how a mage managed to infiltrate the newly unsealed Grand Temple, the question of why they were heading toward Utes persisted.

Kore ran toward his location.

***

“This feels intense.”

My field of perception extends beyond normal vision.

360 degrees of information flows directly into my brain. Even the scene behind me, unseen by my retinas, is vividly clear.

In this state, if I wait a little longer, my sight won’t just process visual data but will connect to broader, more encompassing information.

The life journeys of those who’ve passed by. The origin of the stone beneath my feet. The distribution ratio of divine power in the air.

And just now, the emergence of an unusual magical structure.

“No. Is this even magic?”

It feels closer to mana. Raw, unrefined by human hands, bizarre, and extradimensional.

“It’s approaching.”

I activated the high-frequency blade.