Chapter 926: Alternate Timeline: The Prison (5)

But what puzzled him was not whether he should obey.

It was the identity of the prisoner that was important enough to make such a terrifying figure attack the most secure prison in the world.

Irontraz Prison had not housed truly untouchable individuals for many years.

Anyone with connections powerful enough to threaten empires was quietly dealt with elsewhere.

The inmates here had backgrounds, yes, but none so formidable that their allies would dare challenge both Celestra and the great empires.

And yet someone had come.

Someone who erased a seven-star rank expert with a single lightning strike.

The thought sent a chill through him.

Without another word, Edrin personally led Kiara and Zion into the prison, stepping around the fallen bodies as though they were merely shadows cast by the night.

Kiara followed, but she remained alert.

Her fingers brushed against her inventory controls, ready to activate Absolute Freezing at the slightest hint of betrayal.

Trusting a stranger inside a prison was like sleeping beside a snake. It might remain still, but wisdom demanded one eye stay open.

As they moved deeper into the prison, they encountered groups of guards hurrying toward the disturbance.

Edrin raised his voice and issued firm orders.

"The situation is under control. Return to your posts. No one enters the prison. Not even the guards from the outposts."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but none dared question the highest-ranking officer still standing.

They saluted and obeyed.

Kiara watched with quiet satisfaction.

By choosing fear over defiance, Edrin had saved many lives and spared her from needless distractions.

The prison’s inner structure unfolded before them like a great stone wheel.

Beyond the central gate, circular corridors branched into rings lined with cells.

Iron bars cast long shadows under flickering lantern light.

The air smelled of rust, mildew, and old despair.

One by one, they passed the cells.

Some prisoners slept.

Some sat silently in darkness.

Others stared with hollow eyes at the masked strangers walking through the heart of the prison.

Kiara activated Sage Eyes repeatedly, scanning each inmate.

Edrin could not understand why she did not simply state the prisoner’s name.

That would have ended the search in minutes.

But Kiara remained cautious.

Words spoken in a prison had a way of spreading farther than footsteps.

More than three hundred and twenty cells later, after nearly two hours of searching, Kiara finally stopped.

In the far corner of a dimly lit cell lay an old man.

His beard was long and tangled.

His hair hung in disordered strands.

His clothes were worn, and his body was thin.

Despite the explosions, the battle, and the turmoil outside, he had not moved. He lay still, like an ancient tree stump abandoned by time.

Kiara focused her Sage Eyes.

Caleb Crescent

Race: Human

Age: 68

Rank: N/A

Spirit Path: Mage

Attribute: Dark

Affiliation: Celestra Kingdom

Description: The former king of the Celestra Kingdom. After being defeated by his twin brother in a coup led by a Supreme General, he was sent to Irontraz Prison in secret.

Note: The person has the Doom Seal placed by the Church of Doom, resulting in the loss of ether particles.

Kiara’s eyes lingered on the final line.

"Doom Seal?"

The term was unfamiliar.

And so was the Church of Doom.

A shadow of curiosity passed through her mind.

Instead of questioning the system, she turned to the man who stood obediently beside her.

"Mr. Edrin," Kiara said, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the silence of the corridor, "tell me about the Church of Doom."

Edrin blinked in surprise when he heard Kiara’s question.

For a moment, he simply stared at her through the dim torchlight of the prison corridor, as though he had just been asked whether the sun rose in the east.

To any citizen of Celestra, the Church of Doom was as familiar as the moon hanging over the sea or the sound of temple bells at dawn. It was one of those truths children learned before they could properly write their names.

Still, he did not dare question her ignorance.

When a person could summon lightning from the heavens and erase a seven-star rank expert as easily as a child wipes chalk from a slate, one learned to answer first and wonder later.

Edrin lowered his voice, though the prisoners behind the bars were too weak and too weary to care.

"The Church of Doom," he began, "is the strongest organization in the Kingdom of Celestra. Though it is called a church, many believe it resembles a cult more than a holy institution. They worship the evil Taotie, and every member wears a Taotie mask."

"Hmm? Taotie? I heard about it..." Kiara’s brow drew closer when she heard the name. She remembered the Eastern Continent, where the culture was quite similar to that of the Chinese from her past life, but the entire continent was isolated from the rest of the world. It was too far east from the other four.

Meanwhile, Edrin continued.

"No one knows where they came from. Some speculate that they might be from the Eastern continent, while some say that they were from a higher plane of existence. Three centuries ago, they arrived on our shores like a storm emerging from a clear sky. At that time, the Church of Light denounced them as heretics and tried to drive them away, but the Church of Doom was too powerful. Their leader was said to have reached the Supreme Realm."

Even in the retelling, Edrin’s voice carried a trace of awe.

"They destroyed half of the kingdom’s army, hunted the Church of Light until not a single member remained within our borders, and slaughtered more than two million citizens."

The prison corridor seemed colder as those words settled into the air.

Kiara narrowed her eyes behind the mask.

Two million.

The number struck her like an invisible blow.

That was not a conflict.

That was a warning written in blood.

Edrin continued.

"In the end, the Supreme Beings of the world intervened. A treaty was formed. The Church of Doom was granted territory within Celestra and allowed to recruit our citizens. In return, they swore never to interfere with the kingdom’s internal affairs or attempt to control the throne. As part of the agreement, the Church of Light was forced to leave Celestra forever."

He exhaled softly.

"For many decades, they honored that oath. But even a tame tiger sleeping in your courtyard keeps the household awake at night. It may not bare its fangs, but every sound of its breathing reminds you what it is capable of."

Kiara’s gaze drifted to the unconscious Caleb Crescent lying inside the cell.

The analogy was fitting.

A king might wear a crown, but if a stronger force lived within his borders, the throne would always feel a little smaller.

Edrin went on.

"Two centuries ago, King Geoffrey Crescent struck another agreement. The royal family would offer the Church of Doom regular tributes in wealth and resources. In exchange, the Church would provide sealing techniques and defend the kingdom if an empire or great martial clan ever invaded."

He spread his hands slightly.

"Perhaps they have some grand design. Perhaps they simply value stability. No one knows. But they have honored every promise for two hundred years."

Silence followed.

The flickering torchlight cast shifting shadows across Caleb Crescent’s weathered face.

Kiara stood still, absorbing the implications.

An organization with a 9-star rank Spirit Warrior.

Sealing techniques powerful enough to cripple a king and bury his consciousness.

For the first time, she felt she had glimpsed the true foundation beneath Celestra’s independence.

She had assumed this small kingdom survived by balancing treaties between larger powers, like a boat staying afloat by avoiding the waves.

Now she realized there was something far more dangerous beneath the water.

No wonder Edward Crescent dared to challenge the Imperial Palace of Phoenix.

A man who knew a dragon slept in his backyard could afford to bark at wolves.

Kiara murmured under her breath, almost to herself.

"No wonder Edward Crescent is so bold."

"Pardon?" Edrin asked at once, his ears sharp enough to catch the whisper.

Kiara did not repeat herself.

Instead, she gestured toward the cell.

"Open it."

Edrin stepped forward and unlocked the iron door.

The hinges groaned, the sound dry and rusty, like an old man complaining after years of silence.

Together, Kiara and Zion secured Caleb Crescent and carried him out of the prison.

The old king remained unconscious, his body limp and unnaturally still.

Once they reached the prison yard, Kiara chose speed over secrecy.

Without warning, she summoned the attack helicopter.