Just when he had finally gotten the chance to play the final boss, someone had to interrupt before he could even enjoy it.

It was the ultimate tease.

Phield was thoroughly annoyed, but seeing the Empress of the Ancient Moon Empire wearing such a serious expression, he decided it wasn’t worth risking the reward by slaughtering everyone indiscriminately.

Thinking about the incredible prizes awaiting him at the end of the trial, he chose to let it go.

"Very well, Your Majesty. I’ve always been a merciful man."

Seeing Phield relent, the lingering soul of the Empress smiled gently and stepped back a few paces.

"There are still two treasure chests remaining. The Goddess of Wealth’s collection contains treasures gathered from every corner of this world. They will undoubtedly be of great benefit to you."

"Of course, the final treasure is the one that truly matters."

"Could you tell me about it?"

Phield asked curiously.

"It shouldn’t affect the trial if you explain it, should it?"

The Empress nodded seriously.

"The key to defeating Calamity is a Calamity Divine Artifact."

"It can open the Gate of the Dead, allowing the legendary figures of ancient times to return. With their wisdom, humanity will stand together against the coming Calamity."

"A Calamity Divine Artifact?"

Phield blinked in surprise.

"That’s right."

"The creature that destroyed the Third Era was the Nether Divine Chosen."

"We discovered the only surviving Nether Divine Chosen still in hibernation and imprisoned her beneath the capital, waiting for the one destined to arrive a thousand years later."

"Once you kill her, her Divine Artifact will become yours."

"Nether..."

Phield rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It sounds kind of weak."

Compared to Destruction, Chaos, and Corruption, the word Nether sounded almost... cute.

It hardly felt threatening at all.

Maybe I should just capture the Nether Divine Chosen instead... and discipline her thoroughly.

After thinking for a moment...

"Very well. Thank you for your generosity."

Only then did the dissatisfaction in Phield’s heart finally fade.

His attention returned to the people before him.

Now then... how should I deal with Riemann and the others?

I’ll squeeze every last drop of value out of them first.

Once we’re out of these ruins... they still won’t be getting away.

"Your Majesty!"

Farlo became visibly anxious.

"Phield has already fallen under the influence of Calamity! You can’t possibly hand those treasures over to him!"

"The Calamity is standing right beside him! He’s absolutely not the Chosen of Destiny!"

The lingering soul of the Empress merely blinked innocently.

"According to the formation I left behind, my judgment cannot be wrong."

"It’s only a guiding projection."

Contily shook her head.

"No matter how powerful someone once was, nothing can escape the erosion of a thousand years."

"If this were the real Empress, Phield probably would’ve been slapped to death the moment he stepped inside."

Farlo gritted his teeth in fury.

"Despicable..."

"You actually deceived Her Majesty."

"Save your breath."

After signaling Rosalia to stand down, Phield looked toward the others.

"Take out everything valuable you’re carrying."

"If anyone hides even a single item..."

"I’ll kill every one of you."

"...Understood."

The group clenched their fists in humiliation before reluctantly handing over everything of value.

Besides the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, the Floating Shield, five hundred Demon Cores, and the gold bars they had already surrendered earlier, Phield also obtained another Tier One Divine Artifact from the Twilight Knights.

Divine Artifact: Elixir of Grace (Tier 1, One-Time Consumable)

Origin: Goddess of Life

Effect: Completely heals all injuries and restores any lost limbs or disabilities. Usable only by non-Divine Chosen.

"The Goddess of Life really is a wonderful person."

Phield couldn’t help sighing.

Meanwhile, Riemann painfully produced a certificate, his face twisted with anguish.

"This is a three hundred thousand gold voucher."

"It can be redeemed in any nation allied with the Stormsea Mercantile Nation."

"As for your Empire, you can sell it to merchants in the south. It should be worth at least two hundred and fifty thousand gold."

"Excellent. That’s exactly the kind of thing that promotes unity."

For the first time in his life, Phield experienced the indescribable joy of collecting money until his hands almost went numb.

The smile tugging at the corners of his mouth became impossible to suppress.

With a single sweep, he had emptied all of their previous treasures and even forced them to hand over their personal fortunes.

It was deeply satisfying.

Of course...

He still intended to kill them eventually.

He would claim the Empress’s treasures first.

"Time to happily open another treasure chest."

This chest was clearly of an exceptionally high grade.

Divine Artifact: Plutus’s Royal Treasury (Racial Heritage Grade, Tier 4, One-Time Use)

Origin: Goddess of Wealth and Collection

Description: Consume an enormous amount of Soul Power to unlock it, and you will obtain the treasure you desire most. Any reward below Tier Four is guaranteed to be Legendary quality or higher.

After refining the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover to increase his luck, Phield rubbed his hands together expectantly before placing them on the treasure chest.

Buzz...

This time, the light was even more dazzling.

A breathtaking rainbow glow spread across the space above the chest.

At the same time, however, it felt as though an enormous hammer had smashed directly into Phield’s head.

An overwhelming wave of dizziness struck him.

His ears rang violently.

Each treasure chest required the expenditure of Soul Power.

It was both agonizing...

and exhilarating.

Fortunately, the rewards continued becoming better and better.

A tiny blue crystal floated into the air.

The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly.

A layer of white frost rapidly spread across everything visible.

Phield immediately dripped blood onto it to bind it before it had any chance of exploding.

Divine Artifact: Frost Ancestor Dragon’s Tears (No Rank, Racial Heritage Grade, One-Time Use)

Origin: Goddess of Winter

Effect: Grants an exclusive Divine Skill and Talent. Usable only by Winter Divine Chosen.

"As expected."

"They’re all useful."

"This is practically the same as advancing another rank."

Phield nearly burst into laughter.

The Goddess of Wealth’s treasure chests only produced items that were genuinely useful to him.

Every single reward could be used by one of his Divine Chosen.

Because the Sacred Griffin Empire did not worship the Primordial Pantheon, Ashina had never received any additional Divine Artifacts.

Now she had finally been compensated.

"I’m actually looking forward to seeing what’s inside the last one."

Phield eagerly rubbed his hands together.

"Phield..."

Tisiana stepped forward and gently supported him.

"Don’t keep opening treasure chests one after another."

"You look terrible."

"You look like... well..."

"...like you’ve been doing something very strange."

"Either way, you need to rest."

"She’s right."

Rosalia sheathed her greatsword and walked over gracefully.

Her eyes were filled with concern.

"Master..."

Even Firomina wore a worried expression.

Gently rubbing his temples, Phield admitted that he was feeling rather dizzy.

At that moment, the gate leading deeper into the trial slowly opened, revealing the path toward the core chamber.

"No."

The Empress shook her head.

"The trial grounds are sustained by my grand formation."

"They cannot remain active much longer."

"If the allotted time expires, you will have to wait another ten years."

"If a trial does not resemble a painful rebirth, then it holds no meaning."

"There is only one treasure chest left."

"Stand up."

"This much hardship..."

Phield smiled faintly.

"I can still endure it."

Just thinking about the mountain of treasures he might receive was enough to keep him from sitting still.

He took a step forward, preparing to continue.

Then, despite the lingering dizziness clouding his thoughts, something suddenly occurred to him.

Wait a second.

The Empress sacrificed her entire nation to suppress Corruption and the demons.

Meanwhile, I’m literally standing beside a Corrupted monster right now.

How could someone like me possibly be chosen as the Chosen of Destiny?

Especially considering his own condition was steadily worsening.

Could the others actually be right?

Is this lingering soul nothing more than a mindless program following predetermined instructions?

What if...

...this woman actually wants me to play through a scripted defeat scene?

What a greedy little cat.

Phield narrowed his eyes and secretly glanced toward the Empress of the Ancient Moon Empire.