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Daji didn't care about Kiara, Mordred, or the others, but Ayaka was her Master, so she had to explain everything clearly.

"Archimedes is probably the person on this planet who understood the White Titan best. He studied Umbral Star during his lifetime and even discovered White Titan's burial ruins. The Huns later followed his lead to find the burial site."

"He joined the Council because they could help him research Umbral Star," Daji said. "So when he learned about Altera, he rushed to this connection point and started working with Archbishop, who was struggling to deal with those game bosses. Together they developed the God King Plan."

"God King Plan? Does it involve using Altera?" Ayaka asked.

"It involves using White Titan, my dear Master," Daji said, smiling as she corrected Ayaka.

"What about you?" Shirou's gaze locked onto Daji. "What role did you play in all this?"

"Just a merchant fishing in troubled waters," Daji said with a smile. "Selling some information and items, like the Seed of Yggdrasil from Norse connection point, and the Eye of Gandhara."

He looked at her intently. "What exactly is the Council planning?"

"The Council is just a big platform; everyone has their own goals. Archimedes' goal is Umbral Star, and my goal... well, my goal has been achieved, so there's no need to discuss it."

Daji's smile didn't waver.

Shirou looked at her for a moment, then turned to Ayaka, who looked worried. Finally, his gaze settled on the Pyramid. "Let's rescue Altera first."

"Okay."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

...

Archbishop stood at the altar, waving his scepter. He controlled the Wandering Star Warriors as they battled against a sea of skeletal monsters. The priests beside him watched excitedly as the Warriors pushed back the monsters.

"Archbishop," one said enthusiastically, "the God Warriors have suppressed those evil spirits! They're stronger and more reliable than those lowly adventurers. It's working! We can drive out those invaders and reclaim our era!"

Archbishop glanced at the excited priests. "The mana source of the God Warriors isn't stable yet," he cautioned. "Record the data and give it to the Sage."

"Yes, Archbishop." The priests nodded in unison.

Archbishop turned his head, looking down from the altar at the tangible resentment within the sea of bones.

"Gandharan..." he murmured. "A group of eliminated savages, returning as evil spirits. However, they're suitable test subjects for the God Warriors. Let's lower the output of Civilization Destruction slightly. We can't allow those adventurers to falter and flee before the God King Plan is complete..."

Archbishop pondered. He was the leader of the Sanctuary and the highest-ranking priest in this connection point. Like Enos, he was once a High Priest of the local gods.

When UOs used this connection point as a gamble and invaded, destroying South American gods, Enos lost her power and became an ordinary person. Archbishop, however, rode the wave of the changing era and became Archbishop of the Sanctuary, remaining at the peak of power.

With the rise of adventurers, Archbishop knew the world was changing. As leader of the Sanctuary, he diligently assigned missions, directing them to subdue the invaders. But each mission only deepened his understanding of UO's terrifying power.

His high rank also gave him access to disturbing information. He learned of UO's wager and their impending judgment from Mooncell. While adventurers reveled in the excitement and wonder of this new age, Archbishop felt a growing sense of dread, like a noose slowly tightening.

He felt powerless to stop it. Then, in the midst of his fear and helplessness, a man calling himself a sage appeared. This sage revealed the truth about their world and the only way to confront the UO.

– the White Titan born of chaos, destroyer of planets and civilizations.

Using invaders to fight invaders was the only way.

So, he worked with the sage to develop the God King Plan.

"The God Warriors are ready... now we simply await the birth of the God King."

Archbishop looked up at the sky, where the full moon shone brightly beside the sun. This phenomenon, which appeared alongside the UOs, was the source of the adventurers' existence – the location of Mooncell!

"I fear the God King may never be born."

A woman's alluring voice suddenly cut through his thoughts. Archbishop turned to see Daji and Ayaka approaching, Artoria and Mordred at their side.

"Fox Spirit?" Archbishop's brow furrowed. "I have no assignments for you right now."

"But I have one for you," Daji replied with a smile.

Archbishop frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ayaka could no longer contain herself. "Return Altera to me!" she demanded.

"Altera... I see," Archbishop's gaze settled on Daji. "So, you've betrayed us."

"I was never on your side to begin with," Daji said with a smile. "Consider this a return to its rightful owner."

Archbishop's frown deepened. Archimedes, the human sage he'd collaborated with, had assured him that Daji was one of them. She had provided many materials for creating the God Warriors, leading him to believe she was their ally. But now, at this crucial moment, she had betrayed them.

Archbishop knew the God King Plan hinged on the White Titan, and Altera was the White Titan. That's why he had always been wary of Shirou and the others. He had even gone against the NPC system protocols, directly revealing the path to level 9 and relocating them to the Resurrection Pyramid, hoping Manaka Sajyou would eliminate them.

As a high-ranking NPC, like Arcueid, Archbishop could sense the anomaly within the Resurrection Pyramid and Manaka's immense power. He planned to use her as a weapon against them. However, Shirou and the others had not only survived but also uncovered the truth about the God Warriors and were now targeting him.

"Very well. I see I have no other option." A glint of malice flashed in Archbishop's eyes. God King Plan could not be exposed to the adventurers. If it were, his facade of benevolence and righteousness would crumble, making it impossible to maintain control over them.

He had to eliminate them.

With a subtle gesture, the surrounding priests moved to encircle Ayaka and the others.

Mordred's lips curled into a sneer. "Eliminating disobedient pieces? Hmph. How predictable."

As a player, she knew the first step was to remove any unruly elements that threatened to disrupt the plan. This tactic was all too familiar to Mordred, who had orchestrated the fall of the Eternal Kingdom by first eliminating the most dangerous element, Agravain.

The priests shed their masks of piety, revealing expressions of cold fury. A strange light emanated from their foreheads, and their flesh split open, revealing a third eye.

The Eye of Gandhara!

No adventurer would have suspected that the leader of the righteous faction was, in fact, the mastermind behind this scheme.

Artoria drew both Holy Swords, her gaze fixed on the priests radiating divine light. "Mordred, be careful," she warned quietly. "These priests, like Merlin, are magi from the Age of Gods!"

A flicker of warmth touched Mordred's heart, but she quickly masked it with a scowl. "Worry about yourself!"

"Eliminate them!" Archbishop commanded coldly.

The priests' third eyes blazed with blinding light. Their bodies erupted in brilliant flashes, and suddenly the lost power of the gods flooded back into them. Each priest became a channel for divine powers that hadn't been seen since the gods' disappearance.

Raw power poured from their bodies—death that withered all it touched, plagues that darkened the air, sunlight that burned like molten gold, floods that formed from nothing, thunder that shook the sky... Divine powers representing both abstract concepts and natural forces surged towards Ayaka and the others.

Artoria unleashed her mana. Both Holy Swords in her hands rang out, radiating light. She spun the left blade in a defensive arc while bringing the right overhead. With a powerful slash, she released two blasts of energy - one sweeping low, one cutting high. The blades cut through and shattered the approaching divine powers, forcing the priests to dive for cover as their own spells rebounded.

A beam of sunlight suddenly shot towards Ayaka, curving around Artoria's defense. Daji reacted instantly, stretching out her hand and opening her fan to block it. She angled the fan's surface, redirecting the beam into the ceiling while stepping forward to shield Ayaka's flank.

"Th-thank you," Ayaka breathed, grateful for the save.

"No need for thanks, after all, you took good care of me at Chaldea."

Ayaka was puzzled by her words, but she knew that rescuing Altera was the most important thing right now.

Daji snapped her fan closed with a sharp crack, black mist swirling behind her and pooling at her feet. An aura of resentment, malice, and hatred radiated from her, forming five black tails that lashed through the air, knocking the Age of Gods magi off their feet.

She tapped her chin with her fan, her eyes fixed on the Pyramid. "Eternal King and the others should have infiltrated it by now..."