The streets of the Holy Empire were always filled with the scent of incense and the quiet murmurs of prayers. Grand cathedrals stood tall, their golden domes shining under the moonlight. Statues of past emperors lined the roads, each carved to depict benevolent rulers chosen by the divine.
But Diana was not here to admire the scenery.
Dressed in black, her silver hair tucked under a hood, she slipped through the darkened alleys, moving like a shadow. The Holy Empire was a land of faith, but she had seen enough to know that beneath its divine facade, something rotten festered.
And she was going to find it.
The laboratory was hidden beneath an abandoned chapel.
At first glance, the place looked normal—dusty pews, broken stained glass, and an altar covered in a thick layer of neglect. A holy place forgotten by its own worshippers.
But Diana wasn't fooled.
Her fingers ran along the altar, feeling for any inconsistencies.
Then—there.
A faint groove under her palm.
She pressed down.
A soft click echoed in the silence, followed by the low rumble of stone shifting.
The altar moved.
Revealing a set of stairs leading deep underground.
The deeper she descended, the colder it became.
The scent of incense and old wood faded, replaced by the sharp, sterile stench of chemicals.
The passage was lined with metal pipes, some hissing as steam leaked through the joints. The stone walls were damp, and the further she walked, the more artificial the space became—polished tiles replacing old brick, mechanical doors instead of wooden ones.
Diana finally reached the main corridor.
And she wasn't alone.
Ahead, two men in white coats stood talking near a sealed door.
She pressed herself against the wall, listening.
"How long until the next phase?" one of the men asked, his voice impatient.
"Soon. We've managed to stabilize Subject 43, but Subject 28 didn't survive."
"Tch. Another failure?"
A sigh. "His body rejected the divinity infusion. The mixture of dark mana and holy energy… It's still unstable."
Diana's eyes narrowed.
Dark mana and holy energy?
That combination was impossible. Like mixing oil and water. Like trying to merge a demon and a saint.
But somehow, they were forcing it to work.
The first man clicked his tongue. "We need results. The Crown Prince won't be patient forever."
"He can't expect perfection overnight," the second man muttered. "This kind of research takes time. The undead project alone—"
"That project is secondary," the first man cut in. "The priority is still the Chimera Soldiers. The Emperor wants an army that obeys both divine commands and human orders."
The second man scoffed. "A soldier that's both undead and holy? That's insane."
"Insane?" The first man chuckled. "No, it's brilliant. Imagine an army that never tires, never questions orders, but is still recognized as blessed by the gods."
The second man hesitated. "...And the failures?"
A pause.
"...We dispose of them."
Diana's hand tightened around the dagger strapped to her thigh.
She had heard enough.
The door in front of the men was thick steel, but Diana had already spotted a ventilation duct along the wall.
Silently, she climbed up, slipping inside.
The duct was narrow, but she moved with practiced ease, crawling until she reached the main laboratory.
And what she saw made her stomach twist.
Rows of glass tanks lined the walls, filled with murky liquid.
Inside them were bodies.
Some were still, their skin pale and lifeless. Others twitched, their faces twisted in expressions of agony.
And all of them had sigils carved into their flesh.
Experiments.
Diana's expression darkened.
This wasn't just a laboratory.
It was a slaughterhouse.
Below, a group of scientists were gathered around a metal operating table.
A young boy lay strapped to it, his body covered in glowing symbols. His eyes were shut, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.
Diana's jaw tightened.
They were about to perform another experiment.
A man in priestly robes stood over the child, holding a vial of golden liquid.
"May the divinity of the Holy Empire cleanse your impure soul," he murmured, lifting the vial.
The scientists stood at attention.
One of them reached for a scalpel.
And Diana moved.
Before the scalpel could touch the boy, the room was plunged into darkness.
A sharp, electric crack echoed through the lab.
Then—
A dagger embedded itself in the throat of the nearest scientist.
Chaos erupted.
"INTRUDER!"
"SEAL THE ROOM—!"
Too late.
Diana dropped from the ventilation shaft, landing soundlessly.
In the dim emergency lighting, her golden eyes gleamed.
Someone rushed at her—she sidestepped, grabbing his wrist and twisting until it snapped. He screamed, but she had already grabbed his fallen scalpel and sent it flying into another scientist's thigh.
A priest swung a staff at her—Diana ducked, grabbed the edge of the table, and flipped herself over it, kicking him in the face as she landed.
Within seconds, the entire lab was in disarray.
A hand suddenly grabbed her ankle.
Diana turned.
The boy on the operating table had opened his eyes.
They were glowing blue.
"D-Don't..." he whispered.
Diana's eyes softened for a fraction of a second.
Then, she ripped the restraints off his arms. "You're coming with me."
Alarms blared.
Footsteps thundered from the corridors as guards rushed toward the lab.
Diana didn't hesitate—she grabbed the boy, lifting him onto her back.
Then, she ran.
She weaved through the chaos, dodging guards and hurdling over equipment. A spear barely missed her shoulder—she twisted, slammed her heel into the attacker's gut, and kept moving.
She burst into the hallway, sprinting up the stairs.
The boy clung to her, his breath weak.
"You'll be fine," Diana muttered. "Just hold on."
She kicked open the final door—
And stepped into the moonlight.
The abandoned chapel loomed around her.
But she wasn't alone.
A squad of Holy Empire knights was waiting.
Diana exhaled.
"Well," she muttered, shifting the boy's weight, "this just got interesting."
The knights raised their swords.
Diana smiled.
And drew her own.
*****
The Holy Empire knights surrounded Diana, their armor gleaming under the pale moonlight. Dozens of them—battle-hardened men who had trained in divine swordsmanship.
But Diana did not falter.
She exhaled, her golden eyes calm as she lifted her sword.
"Are you truly knights?" she asked, her voice carrying in the still air. "Or are you just watchdogs for a corrupt empire?"
Her words struck a nerve.
The captain snarled, tightening his grip. "Blasphemer! You dare insult the Holy Empire?"
Diana tilted her head. "Holy?" She glanced back at the ruined lab behind her, at the stench of suffering still clinging to her clothes. "You call yourselves holy, yet you let innocents be butchered in the name of divinity?"
The knights hesitated.
And in that moment—
Diana moved.
She lunged, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
The first knight barely raised his shield before she was already inside his guard—a quick slice to his wrist, and his sword clattered to the ground. She kicked him away and spun to meet the next attacker.
Blades clashed. Sparks flew.
She weaved between them like flowing water, her sword an extension of herself.
One knight swung down at her—she ducked, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder. Another rushed in, and Diana sidestepped, kicking his knee before slamming the hilt of her sword into his helmet.
The battle lasted minutes.
But by the end—
The knights lay groaning on the ground, their weapons shattered.
Diana stood tall, her breath steady.
It was only then that they realized—
Their opponent was not just any warrior.
She was Diana Hinsdale.
The Empress of Verdeca.
A woman alone had taken them all down.
"Your Highness!"
She turned sharply—
And froze.
A few meters away, standing in the light of the chapel, were three figures.
The Third Prince, Freien.
The Holy Empire's Hero.
And behind them, watching with calm eyes—
Cardinal Celline.
Freien looked shocked. His emerald eyes darted between the fallen knights and Diana, taking in the devastation she had wrought.
"...You…" The hero—still bruised from their last fight—gaped at her. "You're a monster."
Diana sighed. "Is that any way to greet someone who just exposed your empire's dirty secrets?"
The hero scowled, but before he could retort, Freien stepped forward.
His hands trembled, but his voice was firm.
"This… this place… it was real," he murmured, his eyes shadowed. "I thought you were just slandering my brother. But this…" He swallowed. "The Holy Empire is supposed to be righteous. This is not righteousness."
Diana watched him carefully.
Freien was young—only nineteen—and painfully naive. But there was something honest about him, something that made Diana pause.
He was not like his brother.
Freien turned to Celline.
"You knew," he said, his voice shaking. "You knew this was happening, didn't you?"
The cardinal met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "I knew something was wrong. But I had no proof."
"Proof?" Freien clenched his fists. "You needed proof when people were being tortured and killed?"
Diana watched quietly.
Freien was not stupid.
He was naive, yes. Sheltered. He had lived his life in the warmth of his family's love, protected from the kingdom's ugliness.
But now, his world was shattering.
And Diana knew what that felt like.
The hero finally found his voice. "We should report this to the emperor," he said. "The crown prince wouldn't—"
Diana laughed.
It was a cold sound.
"Oh? And what do you think the crown prince will do?" She raised a brow. "Apologize? Shut down the experiments?"
The hero hesitated.
Diana stepped closer, her golden eyes sharp. "He ordered this," she said. "This wasn't some rogue group acting alone. Your beloved crown prince wanted this."
Freien's face drained of color.
The third prince swayed slightly.
His hands curled into fists, and for a moment, Diana thought he might deny it again.
But then, he whispered, "What… what do we do?"
Diana studied him.
Freien was not a bad person.
And maybe… just maybe… he could still be useful.
"We don't have time to waste," Diana said, turning away. "There are more laboratories like this. We need to move."
Freien hesitated before nodding.
Diana gave him a glance. "If you slow me down, I'll leave you behind."
Freien gulped. "U-Understood."
The hero grumbled. "Why are we even trusting her—"
"Because she's the only one actually doing something," Freien snapped.
Diana smirked.
Maybe the holy prince wasn't as naive as he seemed after all.