Fenfir continued to stroll through the forest. Its mighty trees with thick trunks and crowns so great that they have blocked all the sun made it hard for the giant wolf to walk around. Even Phantom had some troubles as he constantly needed to duck under tree branches. He managed to do so with ease after a third one hit him in the face. Samukai was busy examining a map in order to figure out where they even were. From what it seemed Otto was the part of the Vatican with the biggest number of forests, so the part of the map he was the most interested in was completely green.

This and the fact that only the biggest and most important town names were written on it had not helped in the slightest. It was a possibility that they were closing in to a border and might end up soon in Great Cracow for example.

- You are sure you haven't seen any landmarks when I was unconscious?- samurai asked, putting the map away.

- I'm sure I would have remembered any- demon responded.

- And you haven't destroyed anything that might have been one?

- None

- How about you Noktum?

- Well, there was one village or something like that in the distance, but it was so far away from us that I could only barely see what it was

- Great, so we just walk on forward- Samukai sighed. Once again they have needed to traverse through some unknown forest where gods know what could be living. The fact that they still haven't met with any carnivorous dragon or some lesser deity was a miracle. And the forest seemed to go on forever. The trees here grew even bigger than before. Each of them could easily cover Fenfir. And the branches were much longer than any of his weapons.

- Hey, can't you fly up and see what's ahead?- samurai asked the demon.

- Have you ever tried flying through branches this big? My wings are quite delicate if you haven't noticed- Phantom responded, caressing his left wing. Before Samukai could say anything, demon kept his head up as the tip of his tail started to vibrate. Demon let out some low growls. He definitely was sensing something. While Phantom wasn't exactly sure what he felt either, he could tell that it was similar to the aura he felt from that one village, Baszta or however it was called. That meant two things. Either they somehow made a big circle or somewhere around were those angels. And considering the strong smell of the aura it seemed to be the latter.

- What? What is it?

- If I'm not mistaken then probably there are angels somewhere nearby- Phantom said with a grin that hasn't meant anything good. Albeit he had to admit that there was just something off about that aura. Almost like it was fabricated.

- Are you sure?- samurai once again took the map out- The closest town according to the map is Cerkiev, but that's way after the forest

- There has to be a camp or something. Besides, there is no harm in simply following the scent, right? After all we might get out of this forest- warrior just remained silent. The next ten minutes or so were spent on demon telling Fenfir where to turn and where to go. One good thing of that, probably, wild goose chase was that they were at the edge of the forest. Where the forest ended, rose many hills accompanied by mighty mountains in the distance. No matter where any of them looked, the mountains spread. Samukai, giving one last glance at the map before continuing with the journey, guessed that they probably were somewhere close to a border. Most plausible of all was Erasm, considering that the entire east-south part of Otto was bathed in mountains.

Now the hills weren't anything too unusual, with the expectations of one on which a great gray wall rose upon. It surely wasn't Cerkiev since it was more in the north so it could've been some less important village. But then again which village can let itself have such walls around it?

Another possibility was that it could have been some sort of garrison. If so the it was the biggest warrior had seen in his entire life. Now the problem would have been getting there. Shadow arts would have been one way, but then what? Burning it down to make sure no one goes after them? Now that samurai thought about it, that was just the way Phantom was doing things. And got them Champions involved. So that one was out of the question.

Demon's tail continued to move as he gazed at the wall. Whatever interested him surely was there. Either that or he was getting senile. Yet the thought of another confrontation with the angels had not filled any of the demon's companions with hope. If there was another one like that from a stone forest, they would be in deep trouble.

- Say, how about we take a look inside?- spellcaster asked with a smirk.

- I'm pretty sure that it won't end well for anyone

- Heh, that's why we are going in. Who knows, maybe they have some artifact or spell book inside- while neither magician or samurai were too keen on going inside the garrison, the thought of gaining some aid to their journey finally got the better of them and they too have agreed on that.

Upon getting closer Chaos saw that it indeed was some sort of village or town instead of garrison. Reading the sign that was placed before the hill they saw that the name of this settlement was Korona. Demon had to admit that the name fit the village considering that it rested in the hill just like a crown rests on a head.

After getting much closer, samurai casted arts of shadow theater. This time he too went into the shadows. He somewhat regretted completely getting rid of his mask. The more he thought about it, the more foolish it was. But the only thing left to do was hoping that it won't bring them any problems. Who was he kidding? Of course it will, it's just their luck.

Once again they were stopped by wooden gates. Seriously, one would think that fire magic would be enough for people to stop using wood in defensive means, but it seems like as long as it will be cheap it will be the most popular material for barricades and stuff like that. If only they knew how it might end. Now sneaking around the entrance, the warrior tried to spot anything that might have given what Phantom had felt. For now he had not seen anything out of the ordinary. From occasional holes in the wall he saw that it was a village like any other. Or maybe he should have called it a town? Well it seemed to be in a better state than most of them, building mostly made of stone and bricks, but not marble. Few guards dressed in simple plate armor wandered here and there, but nothing stood out.

Just then the samurai saw a demon's shadow entering the town through one of the holes. The rest of Chaos quickly followed him, just to make sure he won't get out of the shadows in the middle of the town. They have stopped near the wall of one of many buildings. Demon waited there for a while, seemingly focusing on something. Then he went to the right, then stopped once again just to go left a while later. Samukai guessed that in this form his leader had some troubles in sensing what left that aura. He couldn't really blame him, that was one of the disadvantages of this art. They jumped from shadow to shadow, making sure that neither of them was spotted. The most tricky part was going from people's shadows to buildings. Both Phantom and Fenfir had some problems with that due to their large bodies, but after tenth time they got some hold of it.

After passing many more houses which were like stone or brick cubes he saw where probably the demon was going. At the eastern side of the town was some dome like building. Honestly samurai had no idea what it could have been. Some town hall? Possible, albeit why would that aura come from there? Unless that was some weird type of a treasury. But still using angels as guardians seemed to be somewhat strange, even a bit funny. He imagined heavenly warriors standing there just like some statues waiting until some day raiders or just some bandits dumb enough will try to breach it. It probably was the case in the Vatican, but in Otto? He doubted it.

When they arrived before the dome Phantom stopped. He was uncharacteristically quiet as he observed the great copper dome and as sunlight reflected from its walls. One thing made the rest worry. For some reason there were no guards, not even guard dogs. Either they believed that their walls were good enough defense or whatever was inside that dome could easily protect itself.

Chaos finally went into the dome. When they entered it, they expected a few things. Maybe many chests filled with gold and valuable gems and jewels. Maybe an armory full of powerful artifacts, such as Shield of Aegis. Or perhaps even a simple town hall. What waited for them inside instead was pure, impenetrable darkness. Not even a single torch was lit. Demon appeared from the shadows. He focused and sensed that whatever had that aura was close.

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- I think you can come out- Chaos did as he said. Noktum casted a small flame to even slightly illuminate the dome, but Samukai quickly ordered him to put it out in order to not give away their position.

- You know that now it won't change anything, right?- Phantom questioned samurai- If I felt that, then it probably felt me

- Maybe tell us that sort of thing before we go in blind- warrior said, ready to draw Izanagi just in case. He carefully traversed through the nearest area, when he bumped into something. It was hard, metallic and probably slightly bigger than he was. Just as he backed off, he felt something wet and somewhat squishy under his boot.

- Noktum, light- magician once again casted a small flame. At first he placed it near the samurai foot. From the ground was coming a blue, vein like string which was pulsating slightly. Then he moved it up just where the samurai stood. What they saw made them shocked to say the least.

Right in front of the samurai stood a white plate armor. Albeit it could not have been called human looking. Its head was like a wasp, with the place where eyes should be was empty space. Its legs and arms sickly thin, ending with sharp claws. Walking around the figure warrior saw weird blue veins like things attached to the figure which went from the ground. But the most interesting feature beside the helmet were great bug-like wings.

- Just what the hell is that?- Samukai asked as he carefully drew Izanagi.

- I don't have the slightest idea. But whatever aura I felt is coming from it- demon said getting closer to the figure.

- Then is it some kind of an angel?

- I doubt it- Phantom then kept on looking at the armor. The way those "veins" were connected to it was somewhat familiar. He was sure that he had seen it before. Of course! This one time when Lord Beelzebub showed him a part of the tower where shadows have been made. It was a great chamber with many artificial lakes of black substance from which red veins came.

- Golems- Phantom said out loud, confusing his teammates.

- You mean that one? But there is only...Noktum can you cast the fire on the other side?- Samukai asked the magician. He simply did as he was told. Just as the demon said there were other armors like that before them. While samurai knew what golems were, this way of producing them was new to him. He always was told that to make a golem you first have to build it, from earth, mud or whatever was sturdy enough and then use adequate art of puppeteer. But to cover them in some veins was something that he had never heard of.

- Well Noktum, if you ever had questions on how you came into existence, here's your answer- the demon placed his hand at the shadow's head.

- I'm sure that I had not needed this information- Noktum said slowly as he made sure that he heard everything right.

- But I must say, if someone really tried to make themselves some angels then they have surely succeeded. They are as ugly as the originals- the demon then slightly hit the helmet of the golem, which made a hollow noise- And are as empty as them. Albeit I have to say that their aura is pretty convincing

- So it is fake? They are fake too? I don't have to be afraid that they will smite us?

- Yes, yes and I cannot say for sure. Did they too have enough of the normal ones and had to build their own? If so then I can agree with them

- I don't think it is the case- warrior went closer to other armors- You usually make golems to guard something, right? Or maybe even use them as soldiers

- What are you getting at?

- I think that whoever made those was preparing for something. You won't happen to know if there is any active war in which the Vatican could be participating?

- I'm pretty sure if there was one, I would know about that- as the two were talking, Noktum took the liberty of further exploring the dome. Passing beside the many identical armors he made sure to take a good long look at each of them, just in case he had found anything off about them. Traversing the dome he noticed something out of the ordinary. There had not seemed to be any doors on either side of the dome. The only other option would have been an exit from the basement if there was any. Another potential way always could have been a simple teleportation spell. Either of those seemed to be a good idea, especially if anyone wanted to keep in secret what was stored inside. Despite the armors and those blue veins the dome was rather empty. Noktum had to admit that bypassing so many golems made him anxious to some degree, for a while he was sure that some of them even slightly moved. But that had to be his imagination. Each of them stood as still as a statue, so there was no way that they were active. If that was the case then probably his master would have acted as for now.

While the magician was exploring the dome, warrior and demon still examined the one statue with Phantom making snarky remarks from time to time. They still were trying to figure out any reasons why someone would try and make fake angels. Did the Vatican even know about that and if so why would they agree to that? From what the demon could tell considering the aura, the angels from Baszta too seemed to be fake. He was ashamed to not figure that out sooner, but to his own defense, or so he wanted to think, using a ninth tier tended to completely destroy the bodies of weaker angels, not leaving any corpse to burn and release the soul, which could return to where it came in peace.

- Do you think that whoever made those might use them in any future wars?- Samukai questioned, walking around the other armors.

- As long as it will be a good weapon then probably- Phantom slightly hit the armor with his scythe- What would you say if I were to smash that little angel to pieces? You know, to see if they are good weapons?- he smirked, already prepared to swing his weapons.

- I am betting ten golden coins that it will awaken the rest. Five that it will blow up in your face. But seriously don't do that

- Oh come on, stop being so scared of everything. You start to sound like Lamb- demon then hit the armor with full force. A loud bang echoed through the dome, but the armor had only a slight dent on the left side of its chest- Huh? They are tougher than I expected. Good for them I guess- he added with a slightly disappointed tone. He wished for it to crack or break completely. Oh well, he always had magic. Just then samurai came closer to see just how badly the angel was hit. While the scythe only left one minor dent, the blue vein that was close to it broke, releasing a blue fluid which stained the left side of the armor. As he wanted to check what it exactly was, the armor's hand started to budge slightly. Before the samurai noticed it, the angel grabbed his head and threw him at the demon. Both of them took a battle stance as the armor let out a blood curdling scream.

In the meantime castle Gniew also wasn't an oasis of peace. The coming of Iscariot had caused an uproar, especially when the angel demanded for his weapon to be brought back from the Vatican. And the visit from champions surely had not helped to calm down the situation. While the visit was short lived and they only managed to exchange a few words with the angel through closed doors, it made the servants even more curious. As for the champions they have not learned much about Iscariot himself or what even he planned to do with that demon.

For now they have been on one of the four guard towers. Natalia stood close to the edge, looking at the court and how soldiers trained. Igor sat beside her and observed how her blond hairs were blown by wind. Johan and Victor stayed downstairs to help in the armory and to prepare the soldiers. Even though the captain had not looked like someone who could deal with the task, he quickly mobilized the troops and came up with a good strategy for the upcoming fight.

- Aren't you nervous?- Igor asked as he stood up.

- About what?

- About our upcoming battle

- I will worry about that when we will be on the battlefield. Now let me just enjoy the view. It's not everyday when you can be at the top of royal castle

- I think I got what you mean- champion then too joined to the sightseeing as Natalia called it. Just as he looked down he saw Iscariot going somewhere with king Leopold. Right after them were four priests. He and Natalie simply nodded and went down to inform the remaining two.

King Leopold commanded the priests to open great doors on the eastern side of the court. Then he and the heavenly warrior vanished inside a long and dark corridor. Going downstairs, the king opened the doors to what could have been called a treasure room. Walls of brick were illuminated by many torches, but they might have been as well lit up by the shine coming from many richly decorated weapons, mostly swords.

- My telepath has already contacted the Vatican Armory. Your weapon should arrive soon

- I truly hope so. My current spear isn't durable enough. I really need to lower my strength in order to not completely break it

- I guess this is one of the downsides of having such great strength- Iscariot ignored that comment. Both of them waited for a while until a bright orange light appeared in the middle of the room. Then it turned into a vortex that seemed to suck the air around it, albeit doing no harm to anything that was anywhere near it.

From the portal came two monks dressed in brown robes, carrying a big wooden case with a glass cover. Right after them came another two monks which were carrying the rear part of the case. After all of them exited the portal they placed the case on the ground and bowed. Angel paid little to no mind to them and just went to retrieve his weapons. It was a fine spear. Its shaft was shaped like a thick cross made of gold. The head of the spear could easily belong to a sword considering its length. It truly was a weapon worthy of him. Yet it had not always looked like this. At first it was no different from a normal roman spear. But it was no normal spear. Or rather it wasn't a normal one after a certain blood that stained its head. The only spear to pierce the divine body. And it was his and his alone, even if he only wielded it for no more than three centuries, no one else was capable of wielding it.

- It's good to have you back- he then carefully took out a spear from the case and held it dearly yet with a strong grip as if it would disappear if he was to even slightly loosen the grip.

- I've truly missed you, Longinus