“Just what is going on?!” Audrey shouted as she ran behind Celeste, who had come to her room as soon as the attack on the Palace of Light started.
“The Palace of Light is under attack,” Celeste replied. “Presumably, this is a counter-offensive by William’s subordinates after the Holy Order’s repeated attack on the Ainsworth Empire.”
“But how? Isn’t the Palace of Light’s whereabouts supposed to be a secret? How did they manage to find our location?!”
“Isn’t the answer to that question very obvious? We have a spy, or spies, among our ranks. That is the only reason I can think of as to why the location of the Palace of Light has been compromised.”
Audrey gritted her teeth as she ran alongside Celeste. What her sister said was right. There was no way someone could just take a stroll and find the Palace of Light, which had remained undiscovered for thousands of years.
“What about the others?” Audrey asked. “Cherry, Lira, Ephemera, Shana, and Melody?”
Celeste shook her head. “My plan was to get to you first, so that we can work together to ensure our sister’s safety. However, judging by the explosions as well as the presence of several strong individuals in the surroundings, I’m afraid that William’s forces got to them first.
“However, you don’t need to be too worked up. Our sisters aren’t that easy to defeat. They will be able to protect themselves just fine.”
Audrey reluctantly nodded her head as she followed Celeste’s back. Claire, who had already taken her battleform, was flying at the rear, making sure that neither of them were being followed.
The sounds of fighting could be heard everywhere as the defenders of the palace clashed with the invaders who had taken them completely by surprise.
Time and time again, Audrey had told Celeste that they should help their allies, but the Virtuous Lady of Chastity told her that if any of them fell, or were captured then the strength of the Holy Order would decrease drastically.
Because of this, Celeste had insisted that they escape, instead of fighting, which made Audrey frustrated.
Deep inside, she agreed with Celeste’s reasoning, but knowing that their allies were dying around them made her unable to accept the current situation. If not for the fact that Claire had been pushing her from the back to keep herself from turning back, Audrey might have already joined the fight and helped their allies push the enemy back.
After taking a right turn, the three ladies came to a complete stop when they saw a beautiful Succubus, who looked exactly like Celeste, blocking their way.
“Y-You!” Audrey pointed at Chloee, who had decided to remain in the World of Hestia at the last minute, and didn’t accompany William to the Underworld. “What are you doing here, traitor?!”
“Traitor?” Chloee replied. “Well, I guess you can indeed call me that.”
Audrey glared at the familiar who used to always be by Celeste’s side. “Why did you attack us? What’s your aim?”
“Why?” Chloee snorted. “We were just minding our own business and living peacefully, but your faction kept on attacking us almost everyday and you ask why? William didn’t want to fight your stupid Holy Order, and yet you guys kept on harassing us day after day. Even now, your Pope has launched a blitzkrieg attack to capture, and even kill, our beloved Master. Tell me, who are the real bad guys here?”
Audrey gritted her teeth because she couldn’t refute Chloee’s words. Although the Pope hadn’t included the Seven Virtues in her plans to attack the Ainsworth Empire, the fact still remained that their organization had been going on punitive expeditions against those garding the borders of William’s territory.
Seeing that she had remained silent, Chloee smiled and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Also, to answer your other question, we came here for you girls,” Chloee said mischievously. “So, why don’t you obediently come with us. If you do that, I promise that we will hold back when it comes to killing your allies, and just knock them unconscious.”
Audrey took a fighting stance. She knew that there was no other way out of this mess, so she prepared herself to fight Celeste’s familiar, who possessed extraordinary strength, making her—who was also good at fighting—feel pressured.
“Do you think we will believe your wor–”
Before Audrey could even finish her words, she felt a pang of pain at the back of her head, making her fall towards the ground, dropping the sword in her hand.
“W-Why?” With great difficulty, Audrey turned her head to look behind her. She couldn’t believe that Claire, who was Celeste’s familiar, would sneak attack her.
“To prevent unnecessary casualties,” Claire answered before shifting her gaze at her twin, who was standing in front of her with a smile. “You will keep your promise, right?”
Chloee nodded. “From the start, we haven’t killed a single person in the palace. We’ve simply knocked them out.”
Celeste sighed in relief, while Claire nodded her head.
“Let’s go,” Chloee answered as she turned around. “The Pseudo-Gods that belong to your order will be coming soon.”
As if waiting for that moment, a beam of light passed through the four of them.
A moment later, Chloee, Celeste, Claire, and Audrey disappeared from the hallway. They were teleported to the Floor of Asgard, where William’s subordinates were already waiting for their arrival.
Celeste glanced at a small bed where a little girl was currently sleeping. She wasn’t tied up or anything, but she was wearing black bracelets on her wrists.
“Good job,” Nisha said to Chloee before shifting her attention to Celeste, and the unconscious Audrey who was being carried by Claire. “Put the bracelets on her.”
Owen took two bracelets from his storage ring and casually attached them to Audrey’s wrists. These bracelets were forged by the power of Darkness, preventing anyone from using their Divinity.
Only those who possessed the power of Darkness could use their powers while wearing these bracelets. They even enhanced the strength and scope of their powers.
“Must I wear them too?” Celeste asked.
Nisha chuckled. Although her face couldn’t be seen because she was wearing a veil, everyone around her could tell that she must be having a very amused expression right now.
