It was past midnight, and all but a few souls were asleep.

In this serene silence, The Cathedral of Salimoor rose like a monument to divine authority.

Its white marble spires reached toward the heavens, stained glass windows depicting the Five Ancient Holy Gods in their eternal glory, mystical wards so powerful they made the ambient air shimmer with sacred energy.

Paladin Seris limped through the grand entrance, her injuries from the Devil encounter still healing despite advanced restoration techniques.

The Cathedral’s ambient divine power accelerated her recovery, but catastrophic damage required time even for those blessed by the Gods.

She made her way to the Council Chamber—a circular room at the Cathedral’s heart, accessible only to those with appropriate clearance and divine favor.

Six seats arranged in a semicircle faced the entrance, each one occupied by a figure whose mystical pressure suggested power that transcended normal mortal limitations.

Five Archpriests, each representing one of the Five Ancient Holy Gods and their respective divine authorities.

And at the center, elevated above the others, sat the Angel—a being whose very existence proved the possibility of mortal ascension to divine status.

Seris knelt formally, her armor gleaming in the sacred light.

"Paladin Seris reporting investigation results from Dungeon of Malice expedition," she stated with ritual formality.

"Rise and report," the Angel commanded, his voice carrying harmonics that made mortal consciousness ache from mere exposure.

His name was Raphael, Angel Leader of Salimoor’s Church authority, his wings spread in a casual display of divine power that could level cities if fully unleashed.

Seris stood, her report delivered with professional precision.

"Tier 5 corruption source confirmed in dungeon depths. Upon investigation with Guild Master Theron, we discovered the source was not an evolved corrupt entity but an injured Devil—Devil Valdris Morgath, Third Circle classification under Archduke Marbas."

The five Archpriests exchanged significant glances while Raphael’s expression remained impassive.

"The Devil claimed he was investigating triggered ancient arrangements in the Labyrinth of Darkness," Seris continued. "He confirmed existence of passage connecting Nether and Aether territories through the dungeon system. Before we could secure him for detailed interrogation, he self-destructed to prevent capture."

"Injuries?" one of the Archpriests asked—Archpriest Freya, representative of the Lord of Spirit Authority.

Her silver hair and luminous eyes marked her as blessed by the Goddess Lucia.

"Significant but manageable," Seris replied. "Guild Master Theron and I survived through defensive preparation. The Devil’s weakened state made his final attack survivable where full-power detonation would have been lethal."

"And the Nephilim Searcher who rescued survivors from a previous expedition?" This came from the Archpriest of the God Ciel, representing Order Authority, his stern features suggesting decades of enforcing divine law.

"Was there evidence connecting him to the anomalies?"

"None conclusive," Seris admitted. "His conduct during investigation was impeccable. Detection techniques found no corruption influence beyond unavoidable Chaos Art affinity inherent to Nephilim heritage. Spirit Art capabilities suggest genuine divine blessing."

Archpriest of the God Aegir—Soul Authority representative, ancient beyond mortal reckoning—spoke with a voice that carried the weight of centuries. "Yet the timing remains suspicious. Solo Nephilim appears exactly when needed to rescue survivors, demonstrates capabilities exceeding his apparent age and training, and shows interest in Church detection methodologies."

"Suspicious but insufficient for accusation," Archpriest of the God Klaus countered, his scarred features and dark robes marking him as Curse Authority representative. "We cannot condemn based on the convenience of timing alone. The Gods work through unexpected vessels—Nephilim heritage doesn’t preclude divine favor."

The fifth Archpriest was blessed by the Goddess Sif.

She represented Null Authority, her features so ordinary they seemed deliberately constructed to avoid notice—remained silent, her expression unreadable.

Raphael raised one hand, commanding attention.

"The Nephilim matter can be monitored through normal surveillance. The Devil incursion represents more immediate concern. Paladin Seris, you are dismissed. Recover fully and await new assignments."

Seris bowed formally and withdrew, leaving the six Council members in private deliberation.

***

Once the Paladin departed, Raphael’s expression shifted from formal authority to calculating concern.

"We have complications," he stated without preamble. "The Dungeon of Malice connection to the Labyrinth of Darkness was known to us. In fact, we deliberately provided that information to certain parties three years ago."

The Archpriest of Lucia’s expression showed understanding. "The Sunlit Order. We gave them passage coordinates as supposed escape route from Nether persecution."

"Knowing the Prince of Darkness guarded the entrance," The Archpriest of Ciel added coldly. "Any Nephilim attempting passage would be destroyed by a Tier 4, or even a Tier 5 entity. We used them to probe Nether defenses and create internal chaos without direct Aether involvement."

Archpriest of Aegir nodded slowly. "The Desgarron massacre was their doing, sponsored through intermediaries we controlled. It accomplished multiple objectives—destabilized Nether nobility, tested their response capabilities, provided deniable operation that couldn’t be traced to Church authority."

"But nothing happened afterward," The Archpriest of Klaus observed. "Three years of silence. We assumed the operation concluded successfully and Nether authorities remained ignorant of our involvement."

The Archpriest of Sif finally spoke, her ordinary voice somehow carrying more weight than the others’ divine authority. "Now a Devil investigates the same passage and dies in Aether territory. The Nether will connect these events. They’ll realize the Sunlit Order had Aether sponsorship, that the passage was deliberately revealed, that we engineered their internal conflicts."

"Which could mean war," Raphael concluded grimly. "The Archdukes will not tolerate such manipulation without response. And we cannot deny involvement if they present sufficient evidence."

The Archpriest of Lucia leaned forward.

"What evidence could they possess? We used intermediaries, destroyed documentation, ensured no direct connection between Church and Sunlit Order operations."

"Soul searching," One Archpriest stated flatly. "If any Sunlit Order members were captured alive, Devils could extract memories through Soul Art techniques. They’d discover our sponsorship, the passage coordinates we provided, everything we tried to conceal."

The Council fell silent, each member processing the implications.

"We need to bring this to the Archangels," Raphael finally stated. "This exceeds local Church authority. If war is coming, the Five Ancient Holy Gods themselves will need to coordinate response."

"Which Archangel?" Ciel asked.

"Archangel Michael," Raphael replied. "He commands military operations and has authority to coordinate with other Archangels as needed. I’ll prepare a formal report and request an immediate audience."

He stood, his wings spreading to full extension—a gesture suggesting both divine authority and barely controlled concern.

"Until the Archangels provide guidance, we maintain normal operations. Monitor the Nephilim Searcher but take no action against him. Secure the dungeon passage and establish surveillance to detect any further Nether incursions. And prepare for the possibility that this fragile peace between our realms is ending."

The Archpriests rose in acknowledgment, each one immediately beginning mental calculations of how their respective divine authorities would be deployed if war came.

******

Meanwhile...

The Land of Nether, Devil Council Chamber

The chamber existed in a pocket dimension accessible only to those with appropriate clearance—twelve thrones arranged in a circle, each one representing one of the Twelve Archdukes who ruled Nether territories under the Ancient Chaos God’s ultimate authority.

Currently, only representatives occupied the thrones—powerful Devils acting with their respective Archdukes’ authority for matters requiring immediate coordination.

The representative from Archduke Marbas’s faction spoke first, his voice carrying controlled fury.

"Devil Valdris Morgath, Third Circle under Archduke Marbas, has been confirmed dead. Investigation of the sole survivor—Category S Guard Amara Desgarron—revealed the circumstances through Soul Art examination."

He activated mystical projection showing extracted memories—Valdris’s investigation of the triggered ancient arrangement, descent into the Labyrinth of Darkness, encounter with the Nephilim civilization, assault by the Prince of Darkness, and finally his death fighting the resurrected entity.

But the projection continued, showing additional memories that made every Devil representative lean forward with sharp attention.

Rey’s confession to Amara before killing her.

"I allied with the Sunlit Order. I was involved in the Desgarron massacre. I personally killed your brother Augustus."

The projection showed Rey’s cold expression, his calculated manipulation, his complete lack of remorse.

"Cross-reference this with Sunlit Order intelligence," the Marbas representative commanded.

Another Devil activated secondary projection—interrogation records from the hidden and captured Sunlit Order supporters, their memories extracted through techniques that left nothing hidden.

The connections became clear.

Sunlit Order received coordinates for passage between territories from Aether sponsors. They were promised safe escape route to Aether lands if they completed assigned operations—specifically, destabilizing Nether nobility through targeted assassinations.

The Desgarron massacre was one such operation.

And Rey—the Nephilim slave who’d been present during the attack—had been their inside agent.

"The timeline matches," observed the representative from Archduke Bael’s faction. "Rey enters the Labyrinth a few months after the Desgarron massacre. Three years later, Devil Valdris investigates a triggered arrangement and encounters anomalous threats that kill him. Rey somehow survives and escapes."

"Which suggests Aether sponsorship throughout," concluded the representative from Archduke Paimon’s faction. "Rey wasn’t working alone. He had support from forces powerful enough to defeat a Third Circle Devil and facilitate escape to Aether territory."

The Marbas representative’s expression showed cold calculation. "The Aether Church orchestrated this entire operation. They used the Sunlit Order as proxies to attack our nobility, provided passage coordinates they knew would lead to conflict, and likely extracted Rey afterward to preserve their asset."

"This is an act of war," stated the representative from Archduke Asmodeus’s faction flatly. "They attacked our nobility, killed our Devil, and manipulated our internal conflicts through deliberate deception. The Archdukes cannot tolerate such provocation."

Murmurs of agreement circulated through the chamber.

"We need formal determination from the Archdukes themselves," the Marbas representative stated. "This exceeds representative authority. If we’re declaring war against Aether territories, it requires coordination at the highest levels."

"I’ll present findings to Archduke Marbas directly," he continued. "Given that Valdris was his subordinate and the Desgarron family fell under his territorial protection, he has primary grievance. But this affects all twelve factions—Aether aggression threatens every Archduke’s authority."

The other representatives nodded agreement. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Coordinate with your respective Archdukes," the Marbas representative commanded. "Present evidence, document grievances, prepare for the possibility that this becomes a formal conflict. The Aether Church has gone too far. They thought they could manipulate us through proxies and remain untouched."

His expression hardened with lethal intent.

"They’re about to learn the cost of that miscalculation."