No. 9, No. 6, and Bonesaw arrived at the state capital, their figures suspended in the sky. At the same time, the six elders of the Church of the Netherworld also appeared behind them.


    "I don''t recall informing you about our n," Jake, who was also No.9, said.


    "We have our own n. Perhaps it''s the same one you''re talking about?" the Great Elder said mysteriously.


    "Oh? Is that so? Interesting. Let''s hear it, then." Jake prompted cautiously. Although the Church of the Netherworld had agreed to coborate with them, they were not part of their organization, so caution was necessary. "Our n is simple." The Great Elder pointed his finger at the two, and the other elders readied themselves. "We intend to... eradicate the Illuminion survivors!"


    The five elders charged toward the two, and a fierce battle erupted above the city center.


    ...


    The discussion in the meeting room had just concluded when Zaafea suddenly entered.


    "Mr. Zaafea, what brings you here?" Ryan asked.


    Zaafea did not respond to Ryan but instead went straight toward Philix.


    "What''s the matter?" Philix asked, hisposure intact.


    "General Philix, may I conduct an inspection?" Zaafea asked mysteriously.


    Everyone exchanged puzzled nces.


    "You were kidnapped by the Illuminion. I need to perform a check on you. I hope you''ll cooperate."


    The crowd tensed at Zaafea''s words. Having just witnessed the power of the clones'' strength, the possibility that Philix could also be a clone was rming.


    "Hmm..." Philix hesitated, looking uneasy. Benedict stepped forward then and said, "General Philix, this is Zaafea. He fought alongside us against our enemies. You can trust him."


    Hearing Benedict''s assurance, Philix rxed slightly. However, Zaafea had already.sensed something off He had met Philix at the Unyielding Truth and they had conversed. Yet now, Philix seemed wary of him, indicating possible issues with his memory.


    Zaafea conducted a thorough inspection of Philix. He extended his hand that was enveloped in dark energy and pushed it into Philix''s body. A yful smile briefly crossed Zaafea''s face before he stood up.


    "No issues here. Now, may I check the others present? I apologize for the intrusion."


    "Sure! I don''t see a problem with that." Kaden stood up and


    continued, "This way, we can prevent what happened before from happening again. Let''s all let this


    young man check us. Since Benedict vouched for him, I have no objections."


    Setting an example, Kaden walked up to Zaafea for inspection.


    After inspecting everyone, Zaafea finally felt relieved. "Everyone, I''m done checking each of you. You can rest assured now. Thank you for your cooperation."


    After expressing his gratitude, Zaafea quickly walked out of the meeting room. Benedict followed him.


    "Wait... Zaafea."


    "Oh? What is it, Benedict?"


    "Did you... discover anything?" Benedict asked.


    "What do you mean?" Zaafea replied with a question of his own.


    "When you were inspecting General Philix, you... smiled."


    "How observant," Zaafea teased.


    "So, what did you find?"


    "Benedict, you''ve always possessed the aura of ancient gods, right?" Zaafea asked suddenly.


    Knowing he could not hide the truth from Zaafea, Benedict simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, you''re right."