Chapter 509: Secret Room

He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, hoping to bring some warmth back to the two women.

But just then…

The already faint moonlight flickered as if obscured by a flock of crows, and a sharp shriek pierced the air.

At the end of the hallway, a woman in a white dress suddenly appeared.

Her hair was long, so very long, hiding her deathly pale face.

But it couldn’t hide her chilling gaze.

Even with the hair in the way, Sean could still picture the woman’s bottomless, dark eyes staring right at him.

In that instant, the hairs on Sean’s arms stood on end, and goosebumps erupted across his skin.

This time, he was genuinely terrified.

A look of terror spread across Elise’s face. “It’s her!”

“The woman who threatened us under the trees at the rest stop, the one who told us to stop investigating!”

In truth, Sean had already recognized her without Elise having to say a word.

The white dress and long hair were too distinctive to forget.

Just like before, the woman in white appeared for only a moment before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

“Chase!”

Suppressing her instinctual unease, Elvire summoned her Flaming Giant Sword and charged forward.

‘It was the same thought as before—the church was only so big. Where could that woman possibly hide?’

‘Once I get my hands on her, I’ll make that damn woman pay for scaring me twice with her cheap tricks!’

“Be careful!” Sean and Elise shouted as they hurried to catch up.

‘This girl…’ Sean thought. ‘She’s always calling me impulsive and reckless, but she’s even worse. She’s completely forgotten we’re on enemy turf. Ghost or not, that woman’s appearance means we’ve been discovered. We should be thinking about how to escape, not how to give chase.’

‘But my sister-in-law has already rushed off. I can’t very well cower behind her.’

‘Besides, it’s not like I can’t afford to die. If we’re charging, we’re charging.’

The three of them chased the woman in white’s trail all the way to the end of the long hallway.

But the woman wasn’t at the end of the hallway.

There was only a corner and a door left ajar.

Just as Elvire was about to press onward, Elise stopped her.

“Don’t. She’s deliberately luring us in.”

Elvire asked, “Does it make a difference?”

“Given the Potter Family’s power, they’ve already found us. Whether we walk into this trap or not won’t change the final outcome.”

Elvire wasn’t being impulsive. On the contrary, she was perfectly calm.

‘She had been willing to follow Sean to Cadola Royal City, which meant she was already prepared to face death. Since death was a certainty either way, why not charge ahead and see things through to the end?’

“Don’t forget why we came here.”

“The passage connecting the two worlds is likely hidden behind this very door.”

“You’re right.” Sean gritted his teeth. “Let me go first!”

‘He was always bragging about having lives to spare, about not being afraid to die, yet when push came to shove, Elvire was the one at the forefront. It was embarrassing.’

‘I can’t be a brother-in-law for nothing. It’s time to act tough in front of my sister-in-law for a change!’

And so, Sean began to chant a Spell. Characters swirled in his palm like the hands of a clock. He kicked the ajar door open and charged down.

Elvire and Elise were right behind him.

Then.

They saw a sight they would never forget for as long as they lived.

Behind the door was a spiral staircase leading down.

Wendos had been right; there was a secret chamber beneath the church.

And it was a very large chamber.

When Sean and the others descended the stairs into the secret chamber, their eyes fell upon row after row of human figures standing in neat formation, like the Terracotta Army.

Then, as if hearing their footsteps, the heads of these clay-like figures twisted around with the stiffness of turning screws, their gazes locking onto the intruders in unison.

The sight alone was enough to make a coward turn and flee in terror.

But what came next was even more shocking, making Sean’s eyes go wide with disbelief.

Among the figures, he saw an incredibly familiar face, so familiar that he cried out in shock—

“Chris?!”

“You’re not dead?!”