Gilgamesh, Law and Wyg stood before the towering pillars of the temple.
There didn't seem to be anyone at the front, however Gilgamesh noted that shortly after they got to the temple, people started to come out of their houses.
It was as though they were on a timer.
While they were walking up the steps to the temple, someone came running up from behind them.
It was a scrawny youth wearing animal fur, with numerous scars on his face.
"Are you guys servants of the temple!? Quick! There's been another murder-- four of them!"
Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissvely, "We know. We're on our way to report it right now."
"Oh," the boy said, looking dazed.
Gilgamesh and the others ignored him and proceeded to the top of the stairs, where they saw the giant open doors that led into the temple.
From outside, they could see a large hall filled with benches and prayer mats, and a long red carpet that led to a podium up front.
There were also several images of trees, vines, and a gate that looked just like the Forest-Gate.
"Odd, isn't it?" Law noted.
"It's like a religion or something." Wyg stuck his head in and also looked around.
Gilgamesh strode right in and headed toward a narrow pathway, as if he knew the place well.
Not surprised, Wyg and Law followed him.
Although the first room was empty, after they walked to the end of that pathway they arrived at a another large room.
In here, about a dozen women were sitting in wait, dressed like nuns.
When they saw Gilgamesh's group and no one else, they faltered for just a second before one of them produced a cerulean crystal.
The crystal was instantly shattered, and it's fragments faded away in a glittered scene before fading away into heaven and earth.
In that moment, a barrier was created that sealed the path Gilgamesh and the others had come in from.
"Where are the guards?" The nun who had shattered the crystal asked.
Wyg and Law turned to look behind them before realization dawned upon them. They had already stepped into the trap that Gilgamesh mentioned.
"I killed them," Gilgamesh said matter-of-factly.
"I see." The nun nodded.
"Why?" Another asked. "They wouldn't have leaked any information, so what reason did you have to kill them."
Gilgamesh suddenly looked down his nose at that nun and snorted coldly.
"If I've already made up my mind to waltz into this so-called 'trap,' then the last thing I want is an escort."
"So you killed them for no reason." A woman spat.
"This Gilgamesh really is insufferable. The Holy Shaman was right."
"Let's just take him to her," the nun that had activated the barrier said.
Hearing this, a nun approached the three of them.
"If we'd known that you were insane, we'd have come for you ourselves."
"We already know that you can fight against someone in the early levels of the Establishment stage, but we're all at the latter levels, and our Big Sister there is at the peak."
Gilgamesh looked to the central nun, who had broken the crystal.
"It doesn't matter now, does it? So shut up and take me to the one you serve. I'm eager to see your Holy Shaman." Gilgamesh sneered with ridicule.
"Tch!"
The nuns were already ordered not to harm Gilgamesh, and he already knew that the only person that would actually try to harm him was the Holy Shaman.
He could deduce, then, that they were likely ordered not to harm him.
The Omniscient Author's power was truly useful, and it shined even more brilliantly in the hands of someone like Gilgamesh, who was already quite sharp.
The nuns led Gilgamesh, Law and Wyg through a few halls and down some stairs, then brought them to an underground room.
Standing outside the room, Gilgamesh saw someone and instantly grinned.
It was Aerial Guardian. Wyg and Law were both astonished.
"There he is," Aerial Guardian folded his arms. "The star of the show has arrived, and he brought a few friends."
"You know, I actually never liked you. Now I know why." Gilgamesh stood before Aerial and looked up at him with a smirk.
"Oh?"
"Something about you just rubbed me the wrong way. It's cause, not only are you ugly, but you're also spineless! Haha!"
Aerial Guardian frowned and unfolded his arms.
"Get in." He coldly ordered.
The nuns took their leave, and Gilgamesh walked into the room with his companions.
"Some Guardian," Law spat, further enraging Aerial Guardian.
Once the three of them were in the room, he came in behind them and led them through the mist.
Eventually, bright purple candlelight came filled their eyesight.
Under that light, a woman was sitting on the floor beneath an altar.
"Welcome to the Temple of the Slithering Vine," the Holy Shaman said without looking back.
"And what a welcome that was," Wyg sarcastically remarked.
"I was surprised when I felt the guards die. I hurried to release the townspeople from their enchantment, thinking I would have to distract you. I see that it wasn't necessary, nor was it effective."
"You clearly figured something out, so why did you choose to come here?"
The Holy Shaman did not move when she spoke, so Gilgamesh was forced to stare at her back.
This irked him. It irked him from the very bottom of his heart. Therefore, he did something he was planning to do a bit later.
"Did you really think I'd allow myself to suffer a loss?"
His words and tone actually surprised both Aerial Guardian and the Holy Shaman.
They couldn't believe that he could still keep his arrogant facade going. Did he not understand the situation he was in?
"It doesn't matter whether you allow yourself to or not. You have no control in this situation." The Holy Shaman shook her head, but still did not turn.
Gilgamesh smirked, and proceeded.
"You think so? You think I, Gilgamesh, have no control?"
Gilgamesh took a step forward, and Aerial Guardian instantly acted. A single wing unfurled and cut a downward arc through the air, cleaving the mist.
He stopped just before his wing could cut Gilgamesh's body in two, and glared at him.
"Calm yourself, Aerial. He is no threat to me."
Aerial instantly retracted his wing and went back to the side.
The Holy Shaman stood up and turned to face Gilgamesh, and the latter finally smirked. He had succeeded in getting her to acknowledge him.
Now he could truly begin.
"Tell me, Gilgamesh. What is it that you think you're in control of? What do you think you know?"
Gilgamesh clasped his hands behind his back and suddenly relaxed.
He only then realized that he had been totally and utterly irritated by the fact that the Holy Shaman had her back turned to him. His entire body had been tense.
"I know that your true energy has been sealed," Gilgamesh said with closed eyes.
The Holy Shaman blinked, then looked to Aerial Guardian. When he saw her look at him, he shook his head.
"I also know that you've been relying on your inherent nature to enchant the people of this town, and have been extending your reach to the sect."
"Aerial Guardian would scout potential, and you would bring them here in quite the same way that I was brought. Then, you would enchant them while they're young, weak and unable to resist."
"In that way, you've created quite a large number of sleeper agents in the sect."
By now, the Holy Shaman felt like something was wrong.
"I also know that you acquired a soul-type treasure that can greatly amplify your abilities. I'm guessing it could even be that candle, which is why you brought me here and didn't come to me."
The Holy Shaman finally gasped and took a few involuntary steps backward, "Impossible..."
"Not even the old bastard knew! How could you know!?" For the first time, the Holy Shaman's youthful and exquisite face contorted in shock and horror.
Gilgamesh sneered in ridicule, "There's nothing that I do not know. I'm Gilgamesh; don't act surprised."
Aerial Guardian scoffed, "So what if you know it all? You still chose to walk in here like an idiot."
Gilgamesh just laughed.
"You're right, Aerial. Even if he's figured it all out somehow, he still chose to walk into our trap. No matter what, you won't escape."
"Is that so?" Gilgamesh smirked.
Wyg and Law saw the ways things played out and felt a wide range of emotions. Gilgamesh was talking them in a wild ride, and they still had no idea how things were going to play out.
They wondered why they were even there, and also why they had neglected to ask Gilgamesh to share some of his knowledge with them.
In the end, they just had to come along for the ride and hope Gilgamesh really knew what he was doing.
"Stand guard, Aerial. I'm going to begin."
The Holy Shaman walked to the altar and put a hand into the purple fire. With her other hand, she pointed directly at Gilgamesh and began to call upon her inherent power.
"Soul Grasp!"
The purple flame was immediately intensified by some strange force. As it engulfed her hand, her own aura was multiplied and her eyes began to emit white light.
That light eradicated the darkness, and illuminated the entire room.
Wyg and Law felt themselves beginning to panic, but the resolute image of Gilgamesh's unwavering figure provided them with a bit of reassurance.
If he wasn't worried, then they definitely didn't have to be.
What they didn't know was...
Gilgamesh was even more panicked than them!
'Shit! It's coming... Okay, okay... I really, really, REALLY, hope this works!'
Even with the Omniscient Author, Gilgamesh couldn't magically acquire a method to resist her soul-enchantment.
He was betting everything on the inherent nature of his soul, and hoping that's it cockiness was more than just hot air.
If not, then he would have just delivered himself to his enemy on a silver platter!
In that instant, the Holy Shaman's power reached an inestimable height as the purple flame raged, consuming her entire arm.
Then, her finger thrusted forward and a beam of blinding white light shot toward Gilgamesh's forehead.
His vision instantly went white, then was flooded with purple.