The woman's words crashed over the squad like a colossal ocean wave.
Yet the shock did not register equally among them.
The most stunned were Ventura and Richard.
In the entire squad, only the two of them had genuinely believed Karen's "background": raised in an orphanage, studied under a few teachers, demonstrated talent that gradually shone through, and climbed step by step to where he stood today.
Ventura found the captain remarkably grounded. From that very first visit to Ventura's home—chatting warmly with his grandfather and praising his grandmother's pastries—Karen had radiated a profound, authentic serenity.
That impression had led Ventura to assume subconsciously that the captain shared a past similar to his own, or at least comparable experiences, making him eager to draw close to Karen from the start.
As time passed, the captain's conduct toward him—especially when Karen had volunteered to take his place on the mission to welcome back the "dignitary"—had earned Ventura's absolute devotion from the depths of his heart.
Yet there was an unseen factor at work, a subtle resonance woven by fate.
Diss had once treated Ventura's parents, making it possible for Ventura to be born at all. And Karen was Diss's grandson. Though Karen had never confessed this truth to Ventura, that hidden thread had always been pulling them together, naturally fostering a deep sense of mutual trust.
As for Richard, things were even simpler and more direct. The day the Church Affairs Building collapsed was the day he and Karen first met, and right from that first encounter, Richard had felt an instinctive kinship with Karen through their shared connection to the Arte family's bloodline.
In human relationships, regardless of gender, once goodwill took root, everything else followed easily.
Coupled with Richard's naturally generous temperament, he had no trouble admiring Karen's excellence. Even if Karen had no noble heritage and was merely an orphan, he was an undeniable genius.
Richard never resented feeling like deadweight compared to Karen; instead, he was sincerely thrilled by every ounce of progress Karen made.
Consequently, the woman's words struck the two of them the hardest.
Even so, neither felt any anger. Karen had never used a hidden identity to deceive or exploit them. If anything, they felt that having an extraordinary family background was wonderful news for him!
True brothers and friends never envied sudden fortune; they rejoiced in it wholeheartedly.
Bart and Ashley were surprised, but the ground had already been prepared in their minds. Bart's parents had analyzed the situation long ago, concluding that Karen's background could not possibly be so simple.
Ashley, meanwhile, had noticed that ever since her parents visited the funeral parlor to examine Karen's two pets, their attitude toward Karen had turned rather excessively... abnormal.
Her parents were senior researchers with immense pride, habitually looking down on climbers and opportunists.
Yet even with all their haughtiness, they regularly held private meetings just to deliberate on what nutritional supplements would best suit the next stage of Karen's pets' development.
Mars and Blanche exchanged a glance. Neither belonged to the Yorktown clique. Though their families had gathered intelligence on Karen, their information networks were not centered in Yorktown, so their knowledge remained superficial; in truth, they were deeply shocked.
Philomena was reminded of her grandmother's remark: *This Karen is a genius. Whether he came from an orphanage or somewhere else makes little difference by this point; it hardly matters. If he truly intends to climb higher, coming from an orphanage is actually more convenient.*
Muri twisted his neck. *The captain's family background is even more prestigious than mine?*
*So all those times the captain sighed to me that 'the waters of great clans run deep,' he wasn't teasing me—he was lamenting his own lot?*
Alfred was fraught with anxiety. He was the one member who possessed no team ethics whatsoever, because in his eyes, only his young master possessed vibrant color in this world; everything and everyone else was merely grayscale scenery.
Anyone else could suffer misfortune; anyone else could be left behind; only his young master could not.
Alfred knew the woman must have sensed something, and whatever she sensed placed the young master in extreme peril—an outcome Alfred could never tolerate.
In the entire squad, the calmest person was actually Memphis.
*Family background?*
From the moment he had entered that spiritual space and beheld that colossal, gold-rimmed, glowing red sphere, Memphis had never doubted Karen's identity.
He did not even consider Karen to be a descendant of a Temple Elder; he believed Karen *was* a magnificent Temple Elder himself, merely weakened and wounded by some special circumstance, forced to start over from the beginning.
That neatly explained Karen's caution and meticulous care when planning missions—because his power had not yet recovered.
As for why a Temple Elder needed to recuperate through such unorthodox means rather than within the Temple of Order—well, that surely involved factional conflicts among the Temple Elders, or perhaps Karen's own distinct path. Regardless, it was beyond his comprehension, and there was no need to pry.
In short, Uncle Aisen had long since forged a perfectly closed loop of logic in his own mind.
Only now did Karen recall what the woman had told him earlier:
*"No, you will agree."*
As a captain, he could never accept selecting one of his team members for sacrifice under such circumstances. But what if the person chosen was himself?
The main issue was the atmosphere. If this had been during a desperate pursuit where time ran short, designating one or two people to hold the rear, or having someone volunteer to sacrifice themselves for the team, would have been entirely normal.
Yet in this quiet, deliberate setting, everything was different.
"Will you keep your word?" Karen asked.
The woman smiled. "I can follow your example and swear upon my loyalty to the God of Order."
"I refuse."
"Refuse my oath?"
"I refuse this choice altogether." Karen pointed toward the ceiling. "I don't know how many of those stone lizard dragons above can actually breathe fire, nor do I know whether your earlier mercy was genuine or merely a performance."
"Mm, I understand. As a captain faced with the choice of sacrificing himself, you can always invent all manner of excuses to evade it. This truly is an exceptionally qualified Whip of Order squad; its only shortcoming seems to lie in the position of captain."
"Prepare for battle," Karen commanded.
Everyone snapped back into position without a shred of hesitation.
The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. The cohesion of this squad was far greater than she had anticipated.
Karen walked to the very front of the formation, resting the Sword of Arius upright before him. Looking up at the woman, he said, "We cannot trust your promises. Rather than being foolish dogs toyed with until our deaths, we might as well choose a more dignified end for ourselves."
"A promise, is it?" The woman raised her hand.
In the next instant, every spectator seated along the surrounding tiers rose to their feet once more, crossing their arms over their chests.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest as well. When she spoke, all the spectators around them spoke in unison:
"Praise Order!"
The scene left everyone stunned.
The woman lifted her head, looking toward a stone lizard dragon's head directly above her. A dense torrent of the Fire of Order cascaded down, transforming into a coiling black fire dragon that circled her body, radiating a majestic aura emblematic of Order.
"Taking a mission to investigate my domain... hehe. How could the upper echelons of the Church of Order not know what this place is?
"Running short on point coupons, hoping to rob a grave and earn a few coupons—why not just say so plainly? Hehe."
The woman openly revealed her identity as a priest of Order. This sudden shift caused everyone present except Karen to visibly relax.
Only Karen's expression grew graver than before.
"Now then, do you believe my promise?" the woman asked.
Everyone looked toward their captain.
"We do," Karen replied.
"Wonderful. Shall we discuss the particulars, then?" The woman lowered herself as though settling into an invisible chair that steadily supported her frame.
"I have stayed here for far too long, and it has been far too lonely. Perhaps the world outside assumes I have lost my consciousness, yet I cannot leave this place."
She blinked, and the floating mirror drifted back toward her. Gazing into it, she smoothed her hair.
Karen stroked the hilt of his sword with his fingertips. *She's lying... She's composing her falsehoods right now.*
"Three conditions. First, you must stay behind to serve as my shadow. You have already witnessed the shadow's ability; I can bestow that very power upon you."
*That is by no means a desirable power. Otherwise, why wouldn't Raniedal have happily remained in that state instead of fighting me for control of a physical body?*
"Second, those who leave must keep the secret of this place. I dislike being disturbed."
*A self-contradictory demand. If she wants the secret kept, why let anyone leave? Once people are released, how could she expect the secret to hold?*
"Third, if you find any bloodline descendants of the Congers family outside, you may capture them and bring them here to trade for your captain."
*I already told you that finding someone named Congers outside is nearly impossible, yet you still expect them to hunt down people of that lineage to trade for me?*
*This is an impossible condition to fulfill, and she isn't in any hurry for it anyway. So this third condition is merely filler?*
"Do you agree?" The woman looked down at Karen.
"I agree."
"Captain?"
"Young Master?"
Karen looked at Alfred and spoke in Chinese. "Walk slowly."
Alfred blinked, then fell into deep thought.
Karen was momentarily taken aback as well. *Wait, is Alfred's grasp of the language that advanced?*
*I wasn't telling you goodbye.*
Karen immediately added, "Take your time leaving."
Alfred nodded. "Understood."
Karen let out a quiet breath of relief; Alfred had clearly begun reading far too much into his words.
"Alfred will lead the squad. The rest of you leave first; I will remain behind. That is an order. Once outside, locate a Congers descendant as quickly as possible and bring them here to trade for me.
"Enough talk. I have no interest in offering perfunctory reassurances to each of you."
Alfred said, "Obey the captain's orders. We are leaving."
Many wanted to say more, but Karen had already walked over to the platform, stepped over the altar's railing, and sat down inside.
Seeing this, the squad could only bid Karen farewell with their eyes. Led by Alfred and Muri, they retraced their steps back toward the corridor through which they had entered.
The woman clapped her hands. Every spectator turned toward the departing squad members and began applauding in farewell.
Only after the squad members had fully exited the central crystal chamber and entered the passageway did the spectators retake their seats, leaning forward once again.
"Mm, they truly obey your every word. When you told them to leave, they didn't even bother putting on a final show of sentimental reluctance," the woman noted.
Karen shook his head. "Because that would be meaningless."
"Indeed, meaningless." The woman turned toward Karen and opened her hand. The crystal whip that had struck Ventura reappeared in her grip, and she lashed it viciously toward Karen.
Karen immediately raised his sword to parry.
*Clang!*
He blocked the blow, but his entire body shuddered violently. The sheer ferocity of the impact shattered his Sea God's Armor three times in an instant.
*Had I known, I would have let myself be sent flying; the direct pressure would have been far lighter.*
The woman tilted her head and studied Karen. "I truly despise scions of prestigious clans like you. Why is it that when we are all believers of Order, all priests of Order, your kind still gets to establish ranks and hierarchies?"
*Crack!*
Another whip lashed down.
Karen blocked with the Sword of Arius, his feet leaving the ground as he rode the kinetic force backward, sliding across the stone floor before regaining his footing.
*Phew...*
This felt far better than absorbing the blow directly.
The woman advanced on Karen step by step. She did not seek to kill him; she merely wanted to vent her fury.
"I genuinely cannot fathom it. Under Order, all are meant to be equal. Why, then, even within the holy church that worships Order, can that equality never be realized?"
*Crack!*
Karen was sent flying once more. But this time, just as he sought to bleed off the momentum as before, her whip suddenly recoiled and struck again. Karen was forced to parry mid-air, and upon landing, he was swept backward once more, skipping and skidding repeatedly across the floor.
Scrambling to his feet, Karen kept a tight grip on the Sword of Arius. He did not retaliate—not because he believed he had no chance against her, but because he intended to approach this through other means.
"I want to talk with you."
"Talk?"
*Crack!*
Another lash struck, hurtling Karen backward again.
"Of course! You noble scions always feel entitled to negotiate, always believe you possess bargaining chips! But the more you act like that, the less I want to talk with you!"
*Crack!*
The whip descended once more.
Karen shifted sideways, deflecting the lash with his blade.
In the next instant, the crystal whip shattered into dust. The woman materialized before him, driving an open palm straight toward his face.
The power of Order within Karen erupted completely, propelling him backward in an explosive retreat. The woman's slap hit empty air.
"I know you aren't a priest of Order, and I know you never intended to let my squad leave safely."
"Oh? How did you deduce that?"
The woman reappeared before Karen, kicking downward with crushing force.
Karen retreated again, but her figure flickered and appeared behind him, her foot snapping toward his lower back. Yet her strike met nothing but air, passing cleanly through Karen's lingering afterimage.
Infuriated, she let out a low snarl, a cloak of black flames igniting around her body as she surged sideways.
*Boom!*
She slammed into Karen with brute force, sending him flying across the chamber. His back crashed hard into a massive crystal boulder, and a metallic sweetness welled up in his throat as blood spilled past his lips.
"Because your acting was atrocious. I can tell you're desperate to leave this place, aren't you?"
*Hum!*
The crystal behind Karen seemed to liquefy, sprouting thick crystal tendrils that wound tightly around his arms and wrists, with another wrapping securely around his neck.
The woman stepped up to Karen and looked into his eyes. "You truly are remarkably calm. Up until now, you haven't struck back even once."
Karen managed a faint smile. "I couldn't win anyway. Fighting back would only make you angrier, Madam."
The woman's gaze fell upon the ring on Karen's left hand. "From the reactions of your subordinates, I gather they have no inkling of your true identity."
"Believe me, Madam, my true identity is nothing like what you imagine."
"Oh? Enlighten me."
"My grandfather is old and bedridden. My uncle and aunts are ordinary people, and they even took on a mortgage just so I could purchase a home in Yorktown..."
"Are you joking with me?"
The woman raised her hand, and the crystal tendril around Karen's neck tightened.
"That is the difference between perceived truth and actual reality, Madam."
"Hehe. Do you know what my surname was before I married my husband? It was Voss.
"This ring of yours might deceive everyone else, but it cannot fool me. Through this ring, I can perceive the spiritual imprint of a Temple Elder dwelling within."
"Thank you for pointing out that vulnerability, Madam. Is there any way to remedy it?"
"Remedy it? Do you think there is any need? Do you know what awaits your squad when they reach that platform? I have arranged for more than half of them to perish, and the survivors will be driven utterly mad.
"And then..."
The woman reached up, parted her hair, and extracted a tiny sliver of crystal from her scalp.
"I will plant this crystal, containing all my memories, into one of their minds. In this manner, I shall depart this place. As for you, you will take my place inside that crystal coffin, remaining here to watch over this home for me.
"I truly must thank you. You and your companions were exceptional enough to breach this place and awaken me, granting me this opportunity. Had you not arrived, in a few more decades, I would no longer have had the strength to sustain my existence."
"I appreciate Madam's praise."
"Hehehe." The woman laughed in mild disbelief. After a long pause, she reached out and gently stroked Karen's cheek. "I am truly curious. What is it that sustains you, allowing you to maintain such optimism even now?"
Karen held her gaze and replied:
"Because just now, you only praised Order... not God."
Chapter 412