Heading into the Dead Lands, each Phantom was prepared for the dangers of the monsters.
The Phantoms could not rely on any other Phantoms for help, but... unlike the Citadel, which was all about survival and fighting against monsters, the monsters had nothing of the sort.
Dead Lands wasn't synonymous with Citadel in the monster world, because the monsters weren't some cohesive army or organization. They were disparate, had no common goal, and were willing to fight each other if there was a good reason.
The more experienced Phantoms were well aware of this, and Adam was among them.
He had seen monsters fight many times before, especially in Salt Village, the anomaly cluster. Then, Thunder Demon started a real massacre in which all monsters, anomalies, and Phantoms participated.
But... what Adam had never seen before was some monsters killing other monsters without attacking the Phantoms. As if doing so selectively by some special system.
Crackle.
The spear rained down on the Gray Stalkers, turning them into bloodstains. Next, without moving from its place, the statue swung the spear and tossed the pieces of flesh aside, not wanting the remains of their bodies to defile the entrance to Fume Cathedral.
Adam, Oskar, Katrin, and the others gulped with wide-eyed stares. Adam was the most shocked, for he felt that the statues were alive, but he couldn't find enough evidence to prove it.
Moreover, he and Oskar, along with the rest of the Golden Light Squad, managed to enter the Fume Cathedral without any problems, while Scarlet Pyromancer had done it before them.
Thus, Adam had no way of understanding how these statues worked.
"What the hell...?" Adam muttered in disbelief, "They didn't attack us, the Phantoms, they didn't attack Scarlet Pyromancer, the monster, but why did they destroy the Gray Stalkers...?"
The answer to that question was something none of them knew.
Osana frowned heavily, which rarely happened on her always-calm face with a cute smile.
"It's not only that which matters. One statue killed a lot of Gray Stalkers with just one swing of a spear. Fuck, if they were to suddenly attack us, the same thing would happen to us." Osana clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug into her delicate skin, releasing trickles of blood.
Oskar nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah, let's say all the weak monsters stay outside, but at best it'll be a third or half of them, the rest can get in, and the statues will let them through. That means we'll have to fight the strongest monsters to survive." Oskar said and drew his sword preparing for battle.
Adam looked around. He was wondering where the one who came here before them was.
'Where is Scarlet Pyromancer?' Adam pondered before directing his gaze upwards - towards the top of the Fume Cathedral that was at the level of the outer sharp peaks.
Just beneath the triangular roof supported by a multitude of stone beams connected to columns descending to the ground was a massive creature with flaming wings.
Right now, however, Scarlet Pyromancer decided not to take any chances and not to make any unnecessary movements. He was in complete control of his flames, not allowing it to come out.
Scarlet Pyromancer was sitting on one of these beams under the roof, almost completely concealing his massive silhouette with shadows.
This situation was as dangerous and stressful for him as it was for the others. He was lucky that the statues had let him inside and now he could hide here and watch the events unfold from above.
Sure, Adam, Katrin, and the others could get to Scarlet Pyromancer if they wanted to, but they had other more important problems - the monsters were getting closer.
Then, Adam's gaze traveled lower, inspecting Fume Cathedral from the inside. Deep behind the thick, massive columns, in the darkness, lurked a multitude of armored knights.
Adam narrowed his eyes. He immediately sensed a threatening aura from these armors. They, like the statues, looked like simple decorations for a Gothic structure, but now Adam was sure that they, like the statues, were alive.
However, if the statues were the guards who decided who could enter the Fume Cathedral and who could not, then the purpose of this armor was not clear.
"Hey, Silvana, what the hell is this...?" Adam muttered with a slight shiver passing through his entire body as he thrust his hand forward, pointing into the distance of the long, spacious hall.
At the very end of the Fume Cathedral, as if it were a real throne room, was a massive stone throne.
Half of the throne was illuminated by snow-white crystals protruding from the ground, while the upper half was covered in thick darkness.
Right now, just as Silvana had said earlier, the throne was empty. There was no especially strong monster in Fume Cathedral, but... could someone occupy this throne while it was empty?