Chapter 175: Catacombs

[System Directive: The Warlord’s Authority]

[Your beautiful silver goddess is frustrated by the unbreakable shield. Ground her fierce temper with a firm dominant reminder of who commands the battlefield.]

[Objective: Walk up behind Seraphina. Place a firm hand on her armored hip, pull her back against your chest, and whisper that she needs to save her fire for the real boss.]

[Reward: +20 Strength, 550 Shameless Points.]

Leon smirked refusing to let the suffocating magical pressure ruin his chaotic romantic games.

He stepped smoothly behind Seraphina. He reached out resting his large calloused hand firmly against the crimson metal protecting her curved hip. He forcefully pulled her backward until her athletic back collided heavily with his solid muscular chest.

Seraphina gasped sharply her violet eyes flying wide open in pure outrage. She lowered her flaming broadsword struggling momentarily against his iron grip.

"Save your fire for the real boss Seraphina," Leon whispered his magnetic voice vibrating heavily against her ear. "I will handle the choir."

The blistering heat of his towering frame seeped through her armor violently scrambling her fierce military discipline. A brilliant furious red flush rapidly painted her pale cheeks. She stopped struggling leaning her weight back against him while trying to hide her breathless submission from the rest of the strike team.

[Quest Complete. Stat Rewards Distributed.]

A massive dense surge of raw physical power flooded his nervous system reinforcing his heavily corded muscles. His Strength climbed higher granting him the terrifying capacity to shatter mountains.

Leon released the flustered warlord stepping away from the glowing violet barrier.

"Valeriana," Leon called out looking toward the beautiful spy hiding near the pews. "Where exactly is the structural weakness in that floor?"

Valeriana hurried forward consulting her glowing tracking compass. She pointed a delicate finger toward a specific marble tile located just a few feet outside the barrier’s perimeter.

"The subterranean tunnels intersect right below that tile," the spy explained rapidly. "The foundational rock is incredibly thin there to accommodate the ancient drainage pipes."

"Perfect," Leon murmured raising his heavy blunt steel weapon.

The High Priest watched the magicless brute with mocking disdain. "You plan to dig your way under a divine shield? You are a feral fool."

Leon did not answer. He stepped onto the designated marble tile activating his Aura Hardening. He channeled every single drop of his monstrous physical mass into his arms utilizing his Kinetic Weight to make the dark steel blade unimaginably heavy.

He raised the weapon high above his head pointing the blunt tip directly down at the floor.

He unleashed a devastating catastrophic downward thrust driving the heavy steel directly into the marble tile. He simultaneously activated his Kinetic Shockwave at point blank range pouring the raw concussive force deep into the foundational rock.

The entire cathedral violently shuddered.

The marble floor shrieked in structural agony before violently exploding inward. A massive gaping crater opened up instantly swallowing the solid ground beneath the glowing barrier.

The High Priest’s mocking smile vanished replaced by pure unadulterated terror as the floor beneath his feet gave way.

The eight chanting priests fell screaming into the dark abyss plunging into the hidden catacombs below. The moment their physical connection to the runic array was broken the dense violet barrier violently flickered and shattered into a million harmless magical sparks.

The suffocating pressure in the nave evaporated instantly allowing the strike team to breathe freely once again.

The High Priest managed to grab the edge of the golden altar dangling desperately over the massive hole. He looked up his sunken eyes wide with fear as the towering warlord walked slowly toward the edge of the crater.

"Your song is terrible," Leon stated coldly before casually kicking the priest’s fingers.

The gaunt man screamed plunging into the darkness to join his broken choir.

Leon looked down into the gaping hole seeing the faint ominous glow of violet light pulsing from the deep underground tunnels. The path to the final anchor was wide open.

----

The jagged hole in the marble floor plunged deep into the earth radiating a damp chilling breeze that smelled strongly of ancient dust and decaying bone.

Leon stood at the edge of the crater staring down into the pitch black abyss. His advanced night vision easily penetrated the gloom revealing a massive stone landing located roughly fifty feet below. The shattered bodies of the fanatic choir lay scattered across the hard rock their dark chanting permanently silenced.

"The structural integrity of this building is surprisingly fragile," Leon noted casually resting his heavy dark weapon on his broad shoulder.

Isolde Vane walked cautiously to the edge her bright green eyes scanning the dark depths. "You just bypassed centuries of magical wards by breaking the floor. The Divination Court never anticipated a brute forcefully rearranging their architecture."

"I find that most problems can be solved with sufficient leverage," Leon replied offering the Emerald Knight a dark wicked grin that made her pulse hammer erratically.

Seraphina stepped forward her gray traveling cloak discarded to fully reveal her fierce crimson armor. "We are wasting time. Morgana will feel the disruption in her defensive array. The final anchor is down there."

Leon nodded turning his gaze toward the rest of the strike team. Beatrice and Elara stood ready their respective elemental auras pulsing with quiet lethal intent. Captain Nyx twirled her curved cutlasses looking eager for more violence.

"Julian," Leon called out looking toward the scrawny young noble standing safely near the back pews. "You studied the logistical blueprints of the inner keep. Do these catacombs connect directly to the throne room?"

Julian hurried forward pulling a small rolled parchment from his borrowed silk tunic. His hands trembled slightly but he forced himself to speak with newfound aristocratic confidence.

"Yes my lord," Julian confirmed unrolling the map. "The Divination Court used these burial vaults to secretly transport massive quantities of incense and ceremonial wine into the palace cellars. There is a primary smuggler tunnel that bypasses the main courtyard entirely. If you smash the anchor you can use that tunnel to march straight into the throne room."

"Excellent work Julian," Leon praised offering a firm approving nod. "Stay here and guard our exit route. If any surviving zealots crawl out of the woodwork you run."

The young noble nodded frantically deeply relieved to remain above ground.