NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 373: The Temple of the Sun
At the exact moment Jeremy picked up the note left by Kean, Kean was meeting with The Son of the Sun inside the abandoned cathedral in the western district of the capital.
"How are things going? You didn't leave Jeremy with more clues than necessary, did you?" The Son of the Sun asked bluntly.
"Why would I do that? He's bound to come here ahead of time. When he does, we'll simply turn the tables on him," Kean replied with a sly smile.
The Son of the Sun nodded, though skepticism lingered in his eyes.
In truth, The Son of the Sun didn't fully trust Kean.
He had always considered Kean to be relatively weak.
If given the choice between aligning with Kean or Jeremy, The Son of the Sun would have much preferred Jeremy.
However, he also understood that such an alliance was impossible. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire
Jeremy's sole purpose was to eliminate every planner of the Apocalypse Game.
As the offspring of the great Sun, The Son of the Sun could never betray his divine parent.
Walking over to Bonnie, who was lying unconscious on the ground, The Son of the Sun observed her with a calculating gaze.
He believed that Bonnie would be instrumental in completing their ritual.
Though the location they occupied was the abandoned cathedral in the western district of the capital, it was also the secret base of The Person in the Mirror.
The Person in the Mirror had outfitted the cathedral with intricate and powerful defensive arrays.
The Son of the Sun had decided to use this hidden stronghold to execute their plan to resurrect the great Sun, one of the planners of the Apocalypse Game.
Under The Person in the Mirror's influence, the dilapidated cathedral had been transformed into the Temple of the Sun.
With enough power, the Temple of the Sun could be used to bring the great Sun back to life.
Bonnie was, in fact, the lynchpin of the entire plan.
She served two critical purposes.
First, she was bait to lure Jeremy to the temple. Without eliminating Jeremy, they wouldn't be able to gather the immense power required to complete the ritual.
Second, during the ensuing battle, Bonnie would serve as a distraction to hinder Jeremy.
The Son of the Sun and Kean both knew that their strength paled in comparison to Jeremy's.
To secure victory in the coming battle, they had no choice but to use Bonnie as leverage to threaten Jeremy.
After staring intently at Bonnie for a moment, The Son of the Sun slowly turned his head.
"I can already sense Jeremy's power. He should be arriving here shortly. The rest is up to you. I trust you'll fulfill your promise," The Son of the Sun said before dissolving into a ray of sunlight and vanishing.
Kean's eyes gleamed with determination.
The promise he had made to The Son of the Sun was clear: with the support of the immense power The Son of the Sun provided, Kean vowed he would defeat Jeremy in battle.
Within the Temple of the Sun, Kean would be granted near-infinite solar energy.
Additionally, as someone who could channel the power of a deity, Kean had the ability to summon one of the Apocalypse Game planners to temporarily inhabit his body.
Because of this, Kean believed that no matter how dire the situation became, he could still turn the tide in his favor.
Not long after The Son of the Sun left, the massive doors of the abandoned cathedral were kicked open with a resounding crash.
Jeremy strode inside, gripping Mortal Combat tightly in his hand.
At the far end of the cathedral stood Kean, a smirk on his face as he fixed his gaze on Jeremy.
"So, you've finally arrived! I thought you'd get here sooner. Seems your speed isn't as impressive as I expected," Kean mocked.
Jeremy paid no attention to Kean's taunts. After scanning the surroundings, he asked in a calm, measured tone,
"Where is Bonnie? You're the one who took her. Since you left me that note, you clearly wanted me to ask about her whereabouts."
As soon as Jeremy finished speaking, Kean snapped his fingers.
Bonnie's figure appeared beside Kean.
The moment Jeremy saw Bonnie, he immediately shifted into battle mode.
Gripping Mortal Combat, Jeremy used his flashing ability to close the distance between himself and Kean in an instant.
But just as Mortal Combat was about to strike, Kean's body dissolved into a burst of sunlight.
At the same time, Bonnie's figure vanished as well.
"So it was fake all along! You've been anticipating my moves from the start. If you truly believed you were much stronger than me, why won't you face me head-on?" Jeremy demanded, his voice cold and sharp.
Jeremy wasn't surprised in the slightest by what had just happened.
He had never expected this mission to succeed without significant challenges.
After he posed his question, Kean's voice echoed through the abandoned cathedral.
The sound seemed to rise from beneath the ground.
"Of course, I think I'm stronger than you. But if I have an easier way to defeat you, why would I take unnecessary risks? If you truly want to save Bonnie, then come down to the underground. I'll be waiting for you!"
Kean's voice faded as quickly as it had appeared.
At the same time, a grinding noise of gears turning filled the cathedral.
Directly ahead of Jeremy, the base of the altar opened, revealing a hidden trapdoor. It was clear that this door led to the underground chambers of the cathedral.
Jeremy knew full well that stepping into the trapdoor would put him in immediate danger.
But he had no other choice. Saving Bonnie was the only thing that mattered.
Without hesitation, Jeremy descended through the trapdoor.
As soon as he was fully inside, the door shut behind him, sealing off any way back.
In complete darkness, Jeremy pressed forward, making his way deeper underground.
After walking for about half an hour, he finally reached a large hall.
The walls of the hall were covered in intricate symbols, all of which were clearly related to the sun.
The moment Jeremy saw the symbols, he understood who Kean's ally was.
"So, you've aligned yourself with the remnants of the Sun. I have to wonder—do you really think teaming up with them will lead you to success? Or have you forgotten that in one of the Apocalypse Game instances, I was the one who brought down the Sun?"
Jeremy aimed his words at Kean, hoping to unsettle him.
But instead of Kean responding, a furious voice thundered through the hall.
"Silence, sinner! You, a Blasphemer, will meet a fitting end!"
It was The Son of the Sun who spoke, his tone filled with wrath.
At the far end of the hall, The Son of the Sun stepped into view.
Despite The Son of the Sun's obvious hostility, Jeremy felt there was no need to waste time arguing with him.
"Who are you? If you're Kean's ally, then go ahead and attack me. If you're not, then there's no reason for you to be here. I don't intend to kill innocent people," Jeremy said firmly.
His focus was singular—finding Kean as quickly as possible.
Only by locating Kean could he rescue Bonnie in time.
Upon hearing Jeremy's words, The Son of the Sun chuckled.
"There is no one innocent here. Everyone in this place is working toward the resurrection of the great Sun. Your plans are doomed to fail because you will never gain the blessing of a deity."
Jeremy's patience was wearing thin.
He had no interest in The Son of the Sun's speeches.
Nor did he believe that receiving a deity's blessing guaranteed success.
"Oh, really? Didn't The Person in the Mirror have the blessing of a deity? And yet, why have their plans failed one after another?" Jeremy shot back coldly.
Jeremy had encountered The Person in the Mirror before.
He knew well that their plans had failed time and time again.
In the face of Jeremy's provocation, The Son of the Sun's demeanor unexpectedly calmed.
"The failures of The Person in the Mirror were not due to a lack of a deity's blessing. They failed because they crossed paths with the most wicked individual imaginable."
"That most wicked person is probably me, isn't it? To be called the most wicked by you—it's honestly flattering. After all, the one you see as most wicked is likely the one humanity sees as most virtuous," Jeremy replied with a sharp edge to his tone.
The exchange between Jeremy and The Son of the Sun produced no immediate consequences.
Both were clearly testing each other.
The Son of the Sun wanted to see if Jeremy could maintain his composure under pressure.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was buying himself time.
He could feel that the array embedded in the surrounding murals had already been activated.
If The Son of the Sun launched a sudden attack, Jeremy might not be able to react in time.
"So, you've figured it out—you're already in a trap. But do you really think stalling for time will make you any safer?" The Son of the Sun said, his gaze piercing.
Jeremy chuckled at the remark.
"Don't act so enigmatic. We both know exactly what the other is after. Your goal isn't just to destroy me; you're after the immense power I possess. But let me make one thing clear—you will never succeed.
Even if you manage to defeat me in battle, I will ensure that my power dissipates before you can claim it. No matter what, I won't let the planners of the Apocalypse Game be resurrected."
Jeremy's voice was steady, unwavering.
However, to The Son of the Sun, his words were nothing more than empty bravado.
The Son of the Sun was confident that his plan was foolproof, especially with Kean's unwavering support.
As soon as Jeremy finished speaking, Kean materialized beside The Son of the Sun.
Kean was already prepared for battle.