Hate me, Miss Witch!

Black flames flowed.

As the pale golden script fully formed in mid-air, the black-robed elder's expression solidified.

What in the world?

As a Legendary powerful pro of the Fresta Empire, even though he hadn't had much interaction with the evil cult before, he still possessed the insight a Legendary figure should have.

The Ashes Cult? What is that? They're just a lump of pure, sticky dog feces, obsessed with burning everything—loathsome to both humans and dogs.

And at this very moment, the Ashes Cult was contacting him to secretly prepare for the Godly Descent Ritual.

According to my original estimates, the ritual for the Lord of Ashes's Godly Descent wouldn't work unless they sacrificed hundreds or thousands of people. I might even have to sacrifice the lives of an entire street or even half a city district. I had even prepared in advance, moving my devoted death-sworn warriors and gathering a batch of prisoners and slaves from the black markets and hidden bazaars for the Godly Descent Ritual.

But now, the pale golden script hovering in the air was so distinct and clear, leaving no room for misidentification.

HUMMM—

The sound of the mana crystal vibrating echoed in the empty room.

On the black-robed elder's finger, a ring emitted a bright magical radiance, diffusing throughout the room. This was a top-tier alchemical artifact, engraved with formations designed to dispel Illusion Techniques and misperceptions.

However, even after more than ten seconds passed and the magical radiance that dispelled illusions faded, the text displayed on the King of Giants' skull remained utterly unchanged.

That's right, the black-robed elder thought, taking a deep breath. After all, a Godly Descent is such an important matter. It directly involves the destiny of the entire Empire, and even the redistribution of faith among the people of the Western Continent after the great upheaval. The Lord of Ashes is, after all, a True God. He doesn't usually constrain His followers too much, letting them go mad and focus solely on burning, burning, burning. That's usually fine. But facing such a critical event now, He must be taking it seriously, ensuring the ritual proceeds in utmost secrecy to avoid detection by outsiders and prevent any interference with the plan. And these ritual preparation requirements... though they seem quite simple, they are at least related to His Authority over burning.

After all, the main power that invokes the Godly Descent comes from that Sacred Relic within the skull. The ritual's greatest function is merely to provide a catalyst; as long as the intent is there, it should suffice. The Ashes Cult has sacrificed countless Souls over millennia; perhaps they truly don't need the few hundred or thousand I had prepared.

Thinking this, the black-robed elder grasped that sliver of inspiration.

"My lord..."

Seeing the black-robed elder lost in thought, the confidant beside him couldn't help but approach, speaking hesitantly.

But he saw the black-robed elder wave his hand.

"What are you standing around for?" the elder snapped. "Why aren't you following the instructions of the Lord of Ashes?"

"Following the instructions of the Lord of Ashes... Are we really to buy beef and dice it finely?" the confidant asked, still hesitant.

"What else?"

"This is an oracle bestowed by the Ashes Cult's supreme Sacred Relic. Could it possibly be false?" The black-robed elder shot his confidant a cold glance.

In truth, he too had harbored doubts due to the unexpectedly simple preparation requirements. But whether it was the method of the Sacred Relic transaction or the terrifying aura emanating from that bone-white skull, everything attested to its high Rank and authenticity.

"Mobilize the entire Empire's network of contacts and perfectly meet the ritual's requirements," the elder commanded.

"Pay special attention to the heat control. Remember to hire professional Fire Element Beastmasters to manage it. The final product must be cooked just right, especially the degree of doneness—it cannot be off by the slightest."

"Furthermore, everything must be conducted in secret. We absolutely cannot let those hounds from the Jurisdiction Bureau or the Military Department discover even the slightest trace."

"You should be very clear about the consequences if even a minor error occurs during this process."

"Naturally," the confidant nodded in agreement.

Both he and the black-robed elder were well aware that this was a venture with potentially fatal consequences.

The confidant raised his head and meticulously memorized the ritual requirements, written one by one in pale golden script in mid-air.

Just before leaving, the confidant hesitated at the door and asked uncertainly, "My lord, what about the living sacrifices we collected through various secret channels earlier, those prepared for the fire sacrifice...?"

"Alter their memories and send them back where they came from," the black-robed elder responded after a moment's thought.

The Empire is vast, but the sudden disappearance of hundreds or even thousands of people could still attract the attention of the Jurisdiction Bureau, the Military Department, and the newly established Swordbearer Organization. Now that these living sacrifices are no longer needed, it's naturally better to send them back unharmed.

"Remember," the elder added, "buy the best quality beef and hire the finest chefs..."

"Yes, my lord."

「Thus.」

「Several days later.」

Famous chefs from all over the Western Continent, along with many 5-Ring and 6-Ring Beastmasters specializing in the Fire Element, were invited to the Empire Capital under various pretexts, such as a "Chefs' Symposium" and a "Fire-Attribute Pet Beast Exchange Forum."

Ostensibly, it was for a chefs' competition and a seminar on culinary skills.

In reality, their clandestine task was, indeed, cooking beef.

「Imaginary Zone: Embers. Garden of Eden.」

"Wow, they've really made this into a bustling affair," Shiayar remarked. He sat on the sofa in the spacious villa's living room in the Garden of Eden, enjoying some skewers while observing everything in the Empire Capital through the mark he had left on the King of Giants' skull.