The Buried God’s Tomb had already stopped feeling like an exploration mission.

At the start, many groups still carried excitement in their eyes because every chamber held resources, techniques, old weapons, and hidden materials worth risking their lives for. However, the deeper everyone went, the clearer reality became.

The tomb was taking lives faster than it was giving rewards.

Several smaller guilds had already been wiped out completely, while others lost members one corridor at a time. Some died to monsters, others to formations, and a few simply disappeared after taking the wrong path.

Even the stronger groups were beginning to slow down.

The dead qi inside the tomb had thickened further, and the deeper sections no longer allowed careless fighting. Mana recovery had become slower, wounds healed poorly, and every battle consumed far more energy than it should have.

Broken Dawn was already feeling the effects.

The group had just cleared an undead nest after a long battle, and the aftermath left the entire area covered with broken bones, black fluid, and shattered stone. Several members rested against the walls while breathing heavily, while others remained standing only because sitting down would make it difficult to get back up again.

Sophie leaned lightly against the side wall with one hand resting near her sword.

Her breathing stayed steadier than the others, but even she looked exhausted now. A faint layer of frost still lingered around her boots from the last fight, and the dead qi in the air was slowing the circulation of her mana more than before.

One of the players dropped onto a broken piece of stone nearby with a heavy sigh.

"We cannot keep doing this. Every passage feels worse than the last."

Silence followed for a few moments.

Everyone’s mana was nearing its limit, and even recovering inside the tomb barely helped. The dead qi continuously polluted the surroundings, forcing them to stay cautious instead of properly resting.

Bunny sat cross legged near the back while tightly gripping a mana potion with both hands.

"It is not just the monsters," she said quietly. "This place itself is wearing us down."

Cassie gave a slow nod. Several cuts marked her clothes now, and dried blood stained part of one sleeve where a skeletal creature had nearly torn off her arm earlier. The healer beside her already looked drained after treating injuries repeatedly over the last few hours.

"We found useful things," Cassie added after a brief pause. "But going deeper like this is becoming harder."

Several members avoided eye contact after hearing that.

Most of Broken Dawn’s original players were already dead.

Some died during the earlier formations near the outer tomb, while others were overwhelmed during monster waves deeper inside. Every death inside the tomb cost levels, and for many weaker players, losing several levels this early already felt crushing.

Sophie’s gaze remained fixed on the deeper corridor ahead, but the tension in her fingers became more noticeable. The tomb had already gone far beyond her expectations, and she hated to admit it, but her teammates were right.

Even the usually loud and hot headed Ragnarok99 shared the same sentiments as he kept quiet while gulping a mana potion.

The latter had died twice and lost levels, officially going down to the number two player while IceQueen remained at the top.

’How did she survive this long?’ he thought with a click of his tongue. So far he could tell IceQueen had yet to lose any lives.

Ragnarok99 knew the strength gap between him and IceQueen was not that large, which meant she was being carried.

’It must be the white phantom dude,’ he thought.

Suddenly, faint footsteps echoed from deeper within the corridor.

Everyone tensed instantly, their gazes snapping toward that direction. The sound was calm and measured, completely different from the dragging movements of undead creatures. Several Broken Dawn members rose immediately despite their exhaustion, while others grabbed their weapons before fully understanding what was happening. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Ragnarok99 narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping his great sword.

The footsteps drew closer.

A few seconds later, figures finally emerged from the deeper corridor ahead. White robes entered the chamber first, followed by armored knights carrying weapons marked with holy symbols.

It was The Holy Church.

Although this was not the Church’s full force, the pressure coming from the group alone immediately changed the atmosphere inside the chamber. The priests moved calmly despite the tomb’s influence, and the holy energy surrounding them weakened the nearby dead qi enough for several undead corpses on the floor to begin smoking lightly.

The Church members slowed slightly after noticing them.

One armored knight stepped aside afterward, and the figure standing at the center finally moved forward calmly. The white helmet covering his face reflected the pale light from the corridor for a brief moment before he slowly reached up and removed it.

A familiar face appeared beneath it.

High Cardinal Alfonso.

A small grin spread across his face the moment he saw their reactions.

Several Broken Dawn members stiffened immediately after recognizing him. Even Cassie’s expression darkened because everyone present still remembered the humiliation Gabriel had forced on him during the Inter Guild Display Event.

Alfonso slowly swept his gaze across the chamber.

His eyes passed over every exhausted Broken Dawn member before eventually settling on Sophie. The smile on his face widened slightly afterward, though there was no warmth behind it.

"Interesting," he said calmly. "You all managed to survive this long."

Ragnarok99 tightened his grip on his sword. "What do you want?"

Alfonso ignored him as if a mere otherworlder was not worth his time.

Instead, his gaze moved across the group once more, carefully searching for someone. A few seconds later, the grin on his face turned colder.

Confirming that Gabriel was not here pleased him.

The holy energy around his body grew heavier, and even the nearby Church members straightened slightly after sensing the change in his mood. Broken Dawn noticed it immediately as well.

Sophie narrowed her eyes.

Alfonso spoke again while calmly tucking the helmet beneath one arm.

"Gabriel is not here to save you this time," he said softly.

Several Broken Dawn members felt their stomachs tighten at those words. They were already exhausted, and now this?

Alfonso’s smile remained calm and composed, but the killing intent in his eyes had become impossible to ignore now. The dead qi around the chamber twisted faintly beneath the pressure leaking from his body.

"I’ll give you all one chance to make this quick," Alfonso said calmly. "Kill yourselves."