Missionary Altar

In the conference room of the Azure Haven Clan, the group assigned to the mission was gathered. 

Rhea and Damon were there too, waiting for Darian to arrive. This would be his first mission—a moment where lack of experience could be fatal. Since everyone had been through this before, they gave him time to be with his family before departure.

Meanwhile, they discussed potential issues involving Raon. In this mission, he would have his blessing fully active and be at maximum power, which carried significant risks. But in the end, they all felt that idiot didn't have the brains to pull off anything big. As for his clan, they wouldn't do anything to tarnish their image even further.

As soon as Darian arrived, Leander handed him a three-centimeter silver crystal. "This is your group crystal. Put a bit of your energy into it."

Darian followed the instructions, and the crystal turned red. Leander continued, "It's mandatory for everyone on missions to keep it out of their spatial rings. This ensures that everyone can see your location and communicate with you. Also, it has a recording system. If you make a mistake but still complete the mission, the Empire will know."

Darian nodded, thoughtful. "There's no way to bypass this? Couldn't Raon and his father do something?"

Rhea scoffed. "Tampering with the recording is impossible. The group crystal is an extremely valuable artifact for the Empire, designed to be untouchable. No external power can interfere with it. But... if Raon does something and no one directly witnesses it—if it only shows up in his recording—his father could work in the shadows to keep it from being exposed."

"Unfortunately, that's common among the powerful," Damon added dryly. "You all need to stick together at all times. If he acts while being watched, the Empire won't ignore a collective report. And Raon isn't that stupid. If he tries to screw everyone over, this mission—which is already extremely dangerous—might end up costing him his life."

Darian listened carefully. An artifact that couldn't be influenced by external powers? The Empire sure had a lot of these things. But he'd seen that his power could affect things like this when he used it on those daggers. Would it work on this too?

'Better not test it without a good reason,' he thought, focusing back on the main issue.

In the last battle, he had clearly seen what Raon was capable of. He had seen what happened on the previous mission, where Oliver died. But that was nothing compared to what Raon had done before.

'He's definitely going to try something… perfect. I'm looking forward to it.'

After teaching Darian how to use the group crystal, they all got into cars and set off.

Not long after, the tallest building in the city stood before them.

It wasn't just tall—it was massive, pentagon-shaped, with a long history. This place had existed for centuries and had played a role in many past events on Earth. It had been rebuilt and renovated several times, growing more and more vertically. Now, it looked like a gigantic fortress—imposing and impenetrable.

Outside, the first thing they saw was Raon and his allies staring at them coldly. They ignored him completely and turned to the others waiting behind.

"Oh, Lady Rhea." A feminine voice called out, approaching with a slight smile.

The owner of the voice wore a black and red outfit—an embroidered short top and a flowing skirt that moved with the wind. She was a beautiful young woman, slightly taller than Darian, with lightly tanned skin. Her long, wavy black hair was tied in a side braid. Her face was expressive, and her dark eyes seemed to take in everything around her.

"Nayara, did you get that thing?" Rhea asked as she approached.

She smiled in confirmation but said nothing else.

From a distance, Raon heard this with a serious expression. Clearly, Rhea had said it loud enough for him to hear on purpose.

After greeting Rhea, Nayara acknowledged Leander and the others she knew. Finally, her eyes landed on Darian—and she studied him carefully, eyes sharp and focused.

Darian was momentarily caught off guard by that piercing gaze. But he didn't look away. He'd been under pressure that no one would believe if he told them.

"Hmm..." She let out a thoughtful hum and nodded in approval. "I've heard about you. It's good to have a support fighter who doesn't cower and actually fights when needed. Usually, they're all cowards. The moment things get dangerous, they stop using their power on their allies and focus only on themselves."

Darian activated his curse and observed her carefully. He quickly exhaled. He saw a very light gray aura around her, almost white. It wasn't as clear as Rhea's, but it was close.

"You're a healer, right? I'll be counting on you in this mission," Nayara added with a cheerful smile.

Darian nodded but felt a little strange. Her sharp eyes seemed to read and analyze everything around her, including people. She smiled a lot, but there was a charisma about her—the kind that only competent leaders had.

"Let's get this shit over with," a dry voice echoed.

Raon spoke and moved, entering the building with his group. Everyone scoffed coldly, but honestly, there was no time to waste.

Everyone here had only one ring, so there wasn't much of a power gap between them—aside from their blessings. The mission would be split into three groups, each operating independently but all following Nayara's direct orders. As long as she knew everyone's basic roles and abilities, that would be enough.

As they crossed the massive glass doors, an old-looking man dressed in military attire was waiting for them. Nayara nodded, and he led them through the hallways.

Darian already knew a bit about how this place worked. Every empire had two points of extreme importance. The first was the Celestial Altar, which he had already visited on that island in the middle of the ocean.

This altar was used to transport them to the Divine Protection Universe while keeping their human bodies safe. Its location had been established ages ago, with six identical islands on the planet. Each empire had one, and everyone knew where the other empires' Celestial Altars were.

The place they were heading to now was called the Missionary Altar. Unlike the Celestial Altar, this was a mobile strategic point, positioned at the heart of the Empire.

If the Celestial Altar was attacked, nothing would actually happen. It was impossible to destroy, and the Empire had ways to bring back those who were in the other universe.

However, the Missionary Altar concentrated all of the Empire's accumulated power—gathered by Spiritual Guardians through missions or from the other universe. In short, even though it couldn't be destroyed, it could still be stolen.

Yeah, there were plenty of records of thefts between empires in the past.

Before the Empires were consolidated—when there were barely any Spiritual Guardians on Earth—there was an era of conflict, theft, and brutal battles. But back then, 99.9% of the fighters were just regular humans.

Over time, the number of powerful High Humans skyrocketed. This led to a situation similar to the early nuclear age of Earth's 20th century.

Nobody wanted to fight directly anymore because High Humans were way more destructive than an atomic bomb.

Their blessings were unpredictable, creating all sorts of possibilities. Even killing a High Human was complicated—the strongest ones could even survive or seal away a nuclear bomb. That kind of weapon became obsolete.

Once the leaders realized how serious the problem was, that shadowy organization stepped in to facilitate communication between the powerful.

That's how the Empires solidified, bringing stability and peace to Earth. But distrust remained, and everything was closely monitored.

Back in the present, the fifteen young warriors arrived at a colossal altar, hundreds of meters wide, positioned at the center of the structure.

It was similar to the Celestial Altar, but instead of a celestial blue glow, it shimmered in multiple colors. At the center, there was no floating object—just a small staircase leading to nothing.

The old man stopped in front of them and stared them down. "You all know the rules and have received all the mission details. Remember this—failure means a deep wound to the Empire, which will impact your families and everyone living here."

His gaze swept across the group, carrying an unspoken threat. "Forget your differences and work together. Follow the mission leader's orders exactly, and give your best to complete it."

Everyone took a deep breath and nodded. The old man snorted and activated an artifact in his hand.

Immediately, something at the top of the staircase began to glow, forming a five-meter-wide circular portal.

The young warriors stepped forward. As soon as they reached the stairs, a light engulfed them, freezing their bodies completely.

For five seconds, nobody could even breathe. Then, suddenly, they regained control. It was a mechanism to confirm their compliance with the mission's rules.

"Everyone, be ready for any emergencies," Nayara's voice rang out firmly from the front. "Once you regain consciousness, focus on hiding and figuring out our location. We'll move carefully until we're sure of the target's true strength."

Raon narrowed his eyes in dissatisfaction. Darian wasn't sure if he agreed with that, but he would follow orders without hesitation.

"Let's go!"

She spoke and climbed the steps with steady strides. Behind her, the others followed, stepping through the portal without looking back.

The moment exactly fifteen people crossed, the portal vanished completely.

***

Darian felt like he was sinking into an ocean of darkness. He couldn't feel his body or anything around him.

He had no idea how much time had passed until, all of a sudden, light returned to his eyes.

"Hahaha, perfect!"

The first thing he heard was a mocking voice, not too far away. He instantly recognized who it belonged to.

"Activate it!"

Before Darian could even focus his vision, he felt invisible walls closing in around him.