Lord of the Mysteries:Voice of the Stars

"These old geezers in the church have been brainwashed into stupidity. How boring."

Vahar Soren scoffed as he glanced at "Unshadowed" Colic, who was deep in prayer. He secured his short sword at his waist and prepared to leave for his bedroom to rest.

But as soon as he took a step with his left foot, his expression suddenly changed. His body lost control as if he had stepped on a slick surface, and he fell backward, landing hard on the floor.

For a moment, Vahar sat there, dazed. Then, he instinctively stood up and examined the spot where he had just stepped.

Since ascending to Ironblood Knight, he had never fallen outside of combat. This was too bizarre.

As a demigod—especially one on the Hunter pathway, which greatly enhances physical attributes—slipping like this should have been impossible. Even if he hadn't noticed anything amiss, his spirituality should have warned him in advance.

Brushing the dust off his clothes, Vahar cast a suspicious glance at Colic, who remained kneeling in prayer. Could it be his doing?

Sensing Vahar's gaze, Colic did not open his eyes. He simply shook his head slightly and said,

"You just weren't careful. It wasn't me."

"Hmph, you'd better hope so."

Vahar snorted and once again stepped forward.

Yet, the moment his left foot touched the ground, that strange sensation returned—his balance completely vanished, and he crashed to the floor a second time.

"That's enough, Colic! Just because you're the High Priest of the Eternal Blazing Sun doesn't mean I won't turn against you! If you keep toying with me, I'll make you pay!"

Climbing to his feet once more, Vahar's eyes burned with rage. Crimson flames erupted around his body as he glared at Colic, who had now opened his eyes, a hint of solemnity on his face.

"Silence!"

The elderly "Unshadowed" priest abruptly stopped his prayer and stood up, his voice sharp with reprimand. His gaze swept across the room as he continued,

"Fool. Why did the Soren family send you here? I have no idea how you even digested the Conspirator potion."

"You really think I was the one making you fall? Haven't you realized we have a guest?"

"An intruder?"

Vahar's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he drew his short sword and scanned every corner of the room warily.

Even though they weren't in a battle-ready state, for someone to slip past the senses of two demigods… That meant the intruder was at least a Saint.

 Colic's expression grew even more serious.

Suddenly, he spread his hands wide, releasing waves of pure light from his body. The radiant glow illuminated the entire room, banishing every shadow. No creature could hide from this brilliance.

"Unshadowed Domain."

This was the core ability of a Sequence 4 Unshadowed priest on the Sun pathway. As a demigod, Colic could construct a domain that purified corruption, filth, decay, darkness, evil, and disease—erasing them entirely.

This ability could even cleanse mental pollution from Beyonder characteristics. If a Beyonder stayed within the Unshadowed Domain for too long, their characteristics would begin to seep out.

Yet, despite the domain's brilliance flooding the room, no figure was revealed. It was as if no one besides Vahar and Colic was present.

Frowning, Colic lifted his hands in a gesture of reverence to the sun and solemnly declared:

"The divine decree: What is false shall vanish; what is hidden shall be revealed!"

The Unshadowed Domain shone even brighter. The intense radiance made Vahar feel a trace of heat.

This was Arbitration, the ability of a Sequence 6 Arbiter!

Arbiters could validate the authenticity of supernatural knowledge, including potion formulas, while also significantly enhancing their own physique.

Effective abilities would be temporarily strengthened, while ineffective ones would be weakened or forcibly dispelled.

Arbiters also specialized in contract-making. Once they signed their name, even a Sequence 5 Beyonder could not break the agreement. Even a Sequence 4 demigod would have to pay a hefty price for violating one.

The Eternal Blazing Sun's dominion over commerce and contracts stemmed from this very ability.

Yet even after invoking Arbitration, Colic still couldn't detect the intruder.

Vahar, growing impatient, let out a cold snort. His entire body ignited with roaring flames. The fire leapt and danced, gathering upon his short sword until it transformed into a terrifying flaming greatsword.

The intense heat instantly set fire to the surroundings, engulfing the entire hall in scorching flames.

"Hah!"

With a single-handed swing of his blazing sword, Vahar sliced through the room itself, reducing the second floor of the lord's manor to a sea of flames. The screams and cries of those inside echoed through the night.

"You're too reckless."

 Colic scowled at Vahar's indiscriminate destruction.

"Hmph, just a bunch of locals. If they die, they die. Finding the intruder is more important."

Vahar's flames flickered wildly, feeding on his growing frustration.

"This enemy is strange—exceptionally skilled at hiding. The fire tells me something is amiss, yet I still can't find them!"

"Where's Fred Eggers? He should've noticed all this chaos by now!"

"He's not here. He won't be back until the day after tomorrow."

"What? I just saw him this morning—where the hell did he go?"

Vahar's expression darkened further.

"Damn him! If that bastard were here, his spiritual senses would've already exposed this intruder!

Tch, I knew I preferred working with the seer of the Secret Order. At least with them, I wouldn't be stumbling around blindly like this."

Wrapped in his flames, Vahar's face was twisted in frustration. He loathed dealing with enemies that relied on strange and elusive supernatural abilities.

In direct combat, as an Ironblood Knight, he was nearly unrivaled. Flame Mastery, Weakness Strike, Crowd Control, Steel Reinforcement, Weapon Enhancement—his abilities made him a devastating force against any demigod of the same level.

But when it came to handling bizarre powers, his combat-oriented pathway left him sorely lacking.

Just as he was about to command his fire crows to bombard the entire manor, a soft chuckle echoed in his ear.

"A member of the Soren family? Now that's a rare sight. I thought Roselle wiped all of you out."