Arranging divine rituals wasn’t a simple task. It demanded in-depth knowledge of sacred arts, sufficient materials, and a team to help. And most importantly, it couldn’t be interrupted.

But… all of that could be bypassed—if you had a set of high-grade divine scrolls prepared in advance by a senior clergy member.

Maria wasn’t surprised at all to see Phoenix holding several of those scrolls. After all, he was one of the [Luminous Cathedral]’s most prized prodigies.

She didn’t doubt it for a second.

If it ever came down to a death match between her and Phoenix, the man wouldn’t even need to lift a finger—his arsenal of divine scrolls alone could bury her alive.

That was the difference between an NPC’s foundation and a player’s.

When you can’t beat them, join them. Since her promotion, Maria had found herself increasingly well-equipped and flush with resources. She too was beginning to invest in her own combat prep. Honestly, if she weren’t tied up here, she would’ve gone back to retrieve the gear Selena had stashed away for her long ago.

Fwooo!!

A sharp whistle screamed skyward, trailing a faint blue hue—it marked the completion of one of the major ritual anchors for a large-scale detection spell. Along with it, a low-res communication spell was activated. Phoenix gave a quick report of the current situation through the divine channel.

Maria understood exactly where that report was going.

All the data from these spell anchors would eventually be relayed to the [Luminous Cathedral] and the military's command HQ to form a crude map of the frontline situation. Still, even that would be imprecise. The truly refined detection, communication, and illusion-type divine spells would only emerge after open beta—when thousands of players fed the system with data through constant experimentation. Otherwise, relying solely on the creativity of NPCs in the [Fractured] world... who knew how long they’d be stuck?

“...Good news,” Phoenix muttered as he kept in contact through the divine link. His usually arrogant, handsome face lit up with a rare flash of excitement.

“That pack of spineless conscripts found traces of the heretics. The [Webweaver] is laying down a massive net. Sister, it’s time to go sewer-hunting.”

“Well, that’s unexpected,” Maria murmured.

She felt a flicker of surprise but quickly shook it off. Of course they weren’t the only ones doing the work. Others were executing their missions too. Maybe your end was still struggling, but your comrades might already be making breakthroughs—that was the immersive charm of the world of [Fractured].

“One of the noble army’s officers bribed a heretic. They’ve been feeding intel directly to the command hall,” Phoenix added as he began cleaning up the scrolls scattered at his feet.

Bribed?

Heretics were extremists. Back when the [Root of Man] attacks began, the military barely had a clue they existed. Who the hell could bribe them?

No—this was something else.

Some player embedded in the [Kasath Reclamation Army] had clearly decided it was time to jump ship, cash out, and sell the whole operation to the highest bidder.

Maria twitched.

She recognized this kind of move far too well. Back in early game days, when death penalties were light, some players would purposely infiltrate NPC factions just to act as double agents or sleeper cells—laying the groundwork for future warbands and operations. These unpredictable tactics once had the world of [Fractured] in a state of perpetual paranoia.

Thinking about it…

The black-robed nun shifted her gaze downward, nudging a piece of rubble with her toe.

Guilt prickled at her.

Yes, she knew the [Radiant Church] was destined for tragedy. Her whole motivation was to reduce meaningless NPC bloodshed. But even so, standing by and watching fellow clergy—people she saw every day—die for a doomed future… just the thought of it made her heart ache.

If she were still the player known as Rick, maybe she could’ve done it—cold-faced and remorseless.

But she wasn’t.

She was Maria. The kind lady who once held the [Astral Clocktower] alone, stopping an entire top-tier raid team of players and NPC elites alike—a boss no one could clear.

“What’s wrong, Sister? Time to move,” Phoenix called out.

“Ah—sorry. Zoned out a bit.”

She snapped back from her storm of thoughts. Her face looked even paler than usual as she gazed at the [Flame warrior] who had turned his back to her, completely trusting.

And in that moment, a cruel thought hit her.

If the day ever came when she had to raise her sword against this man—could she do it?

That guilt she felt toward others...

That was the reason Maria, Lady of the [Astral Clocktower], died in the end.

………………

Upon learning that the [Kasath Reclamation Army] was planning to release [Root Serpents], the commanding officers behind the current operation broke into cold sweat.

Even a single [Root Serpent] could devastate [Torrent City] if it released its toxic plague spores. If it came to that, even if they succeeded in publicly executing every one of those heretics in the most brutal way possible—it would be too late. The city would be ruined.

Thankfully, the plan had been discovered early.

And the one who uncovered it? Young and brash Officer Cerys. Now she basked in glory, issuing purge orders over the [Webweaver]'s divine comms with all the haughtiness of a triumphant hero. Her arrogance wasn’t weakness here—it was the spark of youth on the battlefield of achievement.

Five [Root Serpents].

These incomplete, malformed serpents were being raised in five separate sewer regions beneath Flowingstream City’s lower district. If allowed to merge into a full larval body, they would become a true, complete [Root Serpent].

Just as Maria had suspected back in Emerald Harbor—

Somewhere within the city, there had to be a source leaking [Abyssal] corruption. Without it, the First Flame alone would’ve been enough to keep the Abyss suppressed. There was no way [Root of Man] would’ve emerged in such overwhelming numbers otherwise.

………………

In one of those very sewers, in the lower district—

Su had just completed his little transaction with Officer Cerys. With a smile on his face, he mentally tallied up how much he stood to gain once this whole incident blew over and he washed his hands clean.

“That’s it. I’m off this damn sinking ship for good. Sick of hiding in these sewers, getting hunted like a terrorist. Only an idiot plays the evil faction.”

It was true.

In [Fractured], the world was too realistic. Evil-aligned players were instantly public enemies the moment they were exposed. Party members, shopkeeper NPCs, city guards—they all looked at you like you were a raw fish tossed onto the cutting board.

Capturing evil players and handing them over to the Church for a reward?

Common pastime.