Roaring Heroes Battle the Overlord (Ainz) - Part 1 (Chapters 1 to 200)

Chapter 159: The Giant Altar

After attending the clandestine meeting of the Slane Theocracy and witnessing the grim outlook of humanity's top brass, EeDechi's conviction was reaffirmed: only she could face Ainz Ooal Gown in battle. Dragging others into the fray would only spill more innocent blood for nothing.

But she needed stronger gear, and that was why she was carrying out this plan tonight.

A half-crescent moon lay buried behind thick clouds, the night sky dead and dim, without a single star's glimmer.

Three bold thieves, faces masked in black cloth and clad in pitch-dark stealth gear, slipped past the round-the-clock guards, disarmed touchy detection spells, and scaled a towering wall studded with steel spikes. At last, they reached a hidden passage leading underground.

Slipping through a fence of iron spears, the passage was concealed inside an unremarkable stone shack.

Compared to the grand, towering cathedrals around it, the shack was practically invisible. If EeDechi hadn't been guided here by Alphonse himself, even her sharp instincts would've pegged the heavily fortified cathedral as the place hiding the real treasure.

The Slane Theocracy's defenses were no joke—airtight surveillance spells and concealed traps formed an invisible, thorned wall.

But with Franco, the (self-proclaimed) legendary mage beloved by the goddess of magic, Barrett, a seasoned adventurer moonlighting as an explorer and tomb raider, and EeDechi's knack for cracking locks with brute force, the trio breezed through.

In the long, stone-hewn tunnel, the three adventurers descended a staircase, only to stop short at a blank stone wall.

"Something's off," Franco said, tapping the wall lightly with his staff. After a moment's thought, he added, "This defensive spell's been tampered with. Someone's forced the 'door' open with a sloppy trick and tried to cover their tracks. But to me, it's as obvious as a bad lie."

Franco muttered a spell, and the heavy stone door inched open. Barrett gripped a crystal lantern, its dazzling beam slicing through the darkness, revealing a descending staircase.

The trio filed in, stepping cautiously down the stone steps into the depths. Barrett suddenly halted and snuffed out the lantern.

"Stay sharp. There might be guards," Barrett whispered. If anyone was stationed here, they'd be among the Theocracy's elite.

The space plunged into absolute darkness, save for a faint yellowish glow flickering on the walls far down the passage.

A spark of excitement flickered in EeDechi's chest. Alphonse had told her this place held the God of Death Surshana's most prized possession. The Slane Theocracy's histories recorded that before facing the Eight Greed Kings alone, Surshana had ordered this item be safeguarded at all costs.

The three masked adventurers, cloaked in black, moved like prowling cats, creeping toward the passage's depths.

After rounding a couple of corners, their view opened up. The trio slipped forward cautiously, bright magical light illuminating everything with stark clarity. Before them sprawled a vast temple.

It was hard to believe that after navigating a long, narrow underground tunnel, such an immense space could exist below ground. The four walls were seamless magical steel, etched with defensive spell arrays, while a dozen massive stone pillars, thick enough for two to embrace, propped up a golden dome.

At the temple's center, dominating the scene, sat a colossal disc-shaped object. The flattened cylinder was encrusted with precious gems.

Barrett squinted, picking out details: magic crystals as big as millstones, dozens of pounds of rubies, black crystals pulsing with raw magic, glowing red dragonstones... and countless other rare materials he couldn't even name.