Back when he first arrived at the building and saw the sabotaged obelisk, Byrne had considered using the Live-Action Video Camera's playback function to identify the culprit. Now that he was alone on the second floor, it was the perfect time to act.
Unsure of when the saboteur had arrived, Byrne began to rewind the footage slowly. When he reached the two-day mark, a figure walked into the room in the recorded images. Byrne focused his gaze; it was indeed Lacy Valen.
Heh, it really was him.
But immediately after, another person appeared behind Lacy. This individual was clad in a grey robe, their entire face concealed by a large hood, making their features completely invisible. After entering the room, the grey-robed figure spoke first.
"Is this the place you chose? Make sure no blunders occur that might affect our plan."
Lacy Valen turned around and sneered, "Rest assured. This place is close to the outbreak point of the Dark-corrosion ten years ago. The residual Chaos energy is dense enough, and it's deep within the Old District where few people venture. Even if it's discovered, it will be too late."
The grey-robed figure replied, "I hope so. Let us begin."
Immediately, Lacy raised his hand, condensing a wisp of dark red energy at his fingertips before flicking it toward the floor. The energy hit the ground and instantly transformed into a blood-colored streak. The grey-robed figure stood to the side with hands behind their back, watching silently.
As Lacy raised his hand, Byrne's eyes fell upon his index finger. He was wearing a ring set with a sapphire, and the crest of the Lenian family was clearly visible—it was the other ring Byrne had been searching for.
With successive movements of Lacy's fingers, blood-colored lines intertwined and eventually outlined the eerie magic circle. Seeing the array complete, the grey-robed figure pulled a small black box from their robe. Inside was the Heart of Blood-Feast.
With a toss, the Heart of Blood-Feast hovered in the center of the magic circle. The dark red patterns on its surface lit up instantly, connecting with the array on the floor and beginning to drink in the local Chaos energy. Lacy Valen then walked to a corner of the room and dragged out four corpses from an unknown spot, placing them at the four corners of the circle. Then, he condensed dark red energy and tapped each of the four bodies. Drops of blood flowed from the gashes in their chests, merging into the blood array.
Having finished this, Lacy looked at the grey-robed figure. "The blood array is complete. Now for the next step."
Just as they were about to leave, the grey-robed figure at the back suddenly stopped. As if thinking of something, the figure turned and pointed at one of the corpses. A wisp of pale purple Chaos energy seeped from their fingertip, burrowing into the corpse's head like a venomous snake before vanishing.
"This way, even if someone breaks in, it will give them more than they can handle."
Lacy Valen stopped and sneered at the robed figure's actions. "You're a bit too cautious. This place is deserted; who would break in for no reason? Even if some fool does stumble in, they'll just become nourishment for the Heart of Blood-Feast."
The grey-robed figure turned toward Lacy. "Caution keeps the ship sailing for ten thousand years. Don't forget, the Bureau's sense of smell is far sharper than you imagine."
Lacy laughed. "Heh, I haven't forgotten. Otherwise, I wouldn't be cooperating with you."
The grey-robed figure walked toward the door, saying as they went, "As long as you remember."
Lacy Valen watched the robed figure's departing back, a trace of gloom flickering in his eyes. He touched the sapphire ring on his right index finger and muttered in a low voice:
"Heh. The Heretic Inquisition... even if they do come knocking, they will only be stepping stones on my path to world destruction. Let all of Koror pay for the debt from a century ago."
With those words, Lacy followed the grey-robed figure and left. Shortly after they were gone, the five-minute playback time ended.
No wonder the Captain was caught off guard; it was a trap set by that grey-robed figure.
Although the figure's face remained unknown, it was certain that this person was a follower of Tzeentch. The cooperation between Lacy Valen and the grey-robed figure was clearly no impulsive act. From their conversation, they had long since reached a consensus, and the Heart of Blood-Feast was only one part of the plan.
What is the plan itself? Is it related to his world destruction?
Unfortunately, the information revealed in this playback was too sparse. Byrne shook his head, pushing aside his cluttered thoughts for the moment. Regardless, the priority was to destroy the Heart of Blood-Feast before it could finish gestating.
Byrne walked to the magic circle and took out the amplification rune Marco had given him. Following Marco's instructions, he focused his mind and slowly injected his psychic energy into the rune. Upon injection, the rune flew from his hand and hovered above his head. The moment it activated, Byrne felt his psychic energy strengthen significantly.
Staring at the Heart of Blood-Feast, Byrne began to recite the Sacred Word incantation. The chant was low and solemn, carrying the unique majesty of the Emperor's Word. It echoed through the ruined room, clashing violently with the bloody, unholy aura of the Heart.
Simultaneously, Byrne swung his hands, and a diamond-shaped orb of light gradually condensed in his palms. The orb was pure white, emitting a soft yet penetrating glow. This was the core energy of the Sacred Word Purification, mixed with the power of the amplification rune. From a distance, it looked like a bonfire lit in the darkness.
Sensing a fatal threat, the Heart of Blood-Feast flared with dark red patterns. Its pulsing rhythm became violent and rapid, and the previously weak heartbeat now roared in the room like thunder.
Byrne raised his hands and thrust the fully formed light orb toward the Heart. Wherever the orb passed, the smell of blood in the air vanished. The Heart of Blood-Feast emitted a piercing roar as if struggling in agony. The dark red patterns on its surface began to snap, and its greedy absorption of energy was completely halted.
The pure white purification light enveloped the Heart of Blood-Feast instantly. The piercing roar reached a crescendo, then rapidly weakened before disappearing entirely. The black crystal melted within the holy fire, and the dark red patterns receded like a tide. Numerous fine cracks spread until it shattered with a boom, turning into countless black powder particles that were incinerated by the purification light, leaving no trace of Chaos behind.
As the Heart was destroyed, the magic circle on the floor dried up and turned to dust, scattering in the wind.
Whew, finally done.
Byrne let out a long breath. Despite the boost from the amplification rune, the Sacred Word Purification had nearly drained all the psychic energy from his body. After resting for a moment, Byrne walked out of the room.