Atop the main teleportation stage, in the middle of the Sanctum ground, a group of people emerged. A few of which immediately took off in the air.

"We have plans for this scenario, right?" Vidalia asked, flying beside Sam.

"Yes," he replied.

'They all depend on what comes out of those spheres though.'

"I don't think it's wise to bring Thal there, daughter," Ilvanya added.

"She won't go there," Vidalia replied without explaining.

Despite his mind racing, thinking all the possibilities, Sam could not help but sense the slight tension between the mother and daughter. He had noticed something going on between Damian's family and Eldoris royal family, even the Shadowborn queen was involved somehow in that. But all that was their personal bussiness and he had never intruded on their privacy.

Lucian was using her receiver while flying on his other side. Sam himself was receiving texts and calls from the sanctum officials continuously. Multiple energy reading runic sensors were going off, and the sanctum was in code blue.

Mundane soldiers clad in runic armor were escorting the sanctum officials out.

Sam gave the command on his receiver, and the top of the sanctum building opened up, the runic lift sliding away to give a clear path to the basement. Souldealer, Torwin, and Einar were already standing outside the sealed sacrium room. Damian had made it to keep the people inside safe. Only Sam and Damian himself could open it.

Before leaving with Damian, the three leaders of Highswords had decided to shift their unconscious members to the Sanctum basement for better security. They already had Damian's weirdly human-like metal golem here.

A group of sanctum officials, including Bron, Valen, Hester, and other sanctum heads' assistants, came running to find their bosses.

"Damian is not replying. Alex and Hellstorm said he was doing some experiment in the new dungeon, and now they can't find him anywhere." Valen reported.

'Fuck, what timing!'

Sam nodded at him. The people moving inside the room shouldn't be hostile to them, but even if they were, he could easily handle them. The issue was—

'People that serve no god? You bastards have hidden more?' The voice of the Sun God questioned him.

The sacrium room was designed to block any mana leaking out, but for some reason, it didn't seem to work as intended. Will all their work be undone in just one moment?

"Evacuate everyone out of here. Only transcendents remain." Sam ordered, and his assistants and the sanctum officials left immediately, checking each floor thoroughly before leaving themselves.

Vidalia handed Thalindra to Hester. One of the few people the Sunblade family trusted fully. Hester was a follower of Astraea, so it was relatively fine.

Soon, Sam sensed Hellstorm and Alex near the teleportation stage.

"Stop those two from coming here," Sam asked.

"I will go," Lucian understood what he meant and left as well.

Before the sacrium room, now only five transcendents remained. Sam, Einar, Souldealer, Vidalia, and Ilvanya.

"Goddess asks, who are these people? Why were they hidden?" Ilvanya asked.

None replied.

"You will open it?" Einar asked, looking towards him.

"There is a built-in waygate inside that I can open. It will take them far from here." Sam replied. "I hope words are enough even if they are disoriented, but if they aren't, I might need some of you."

"Some should stay here," Souldealer added, and all agreed.

"Lady Ilvanya and Lucian will remain."

"I won't disobey, but you will have some serious explaining to do afterwards," Ilvanya replied, and Sam just glanced at her once, then focused on the sacrium room that had no door. Sun God was demanding answers in his mind as well.

Sam himself barely knew what the hell was going on, but Damian had told him that if these people ever woke up, they would most likely be like him. He mentioned something about evolving or undergoing a way to ascend that the pigman Sun God had shown them.

Back then, Sam had no idea what he meant by 'like me,' but now it was clear. All these people had somehow become Godless.

Sam had a dreadful feeling realizing the Sun God had probably heard everything that he just thought of, but he didn't have time to think about it. If the gods could read the memories, they should have already known.

Once the signal came that the sanctum was fully evacuated, He placed his palms on the wall and sent a wave of mana flowing from one side to another. He could not see inside, but he could activate the waygate, and his voice should reach inside as well.

"Members of Highsword and the friend of Damian. I am Samuel Stormcaller, third keeper of the sanctuary. Enter the waygate. It shall take you to a safe place. We will welcome you there." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Thankfully, all moving figures inside the room walked through the waygate and did not try to break the sacrium room. The Sanctum building was safe.

Sam opened a waygate connecting some distance away from the island and entered inside with Souldealer, Einar, and Vidalia. They could sense the awakened Highswords and flew towards their direction from the dungeon opening, to which the waygate was connected.

The island was not far. It was a small thing with barely 50-60 kilometers in length. Mostly sandy and full of rocks, but there was a green patch of trees in the middle and a small mountain as well.

On the beach, five familiar people stood in a group, looking at the sixth individual, who did not look fully human but still had some similar features.

"They are not as powerful.." Einar commented. "Out of mana?"

"No, the quality of mana is that of an Enlightened, except the old mage Silverspell, purple-haired lady Sesha, and that metal creature. The quality of their mana is transcendent level." The Spellmaster explained.

If a mage said that, then it had to be true.

'Weren't they ascending? Why did they lose power instead of gaining?'