After listening to Thor's report, Domoko's expression also turned extremely solemn.

He stood on the Dragon's back, overlooking the brightly lit ghost town below, as the night wind blew through his long hair.

After a long while, Domoko said,

"Divine Artifact."

"Divine Artifact?!"

Thor was stunned, looking at Domoko with eyes full of incomprehension, "What kind of Divine Artifact could possess such heaven-destroying and earth-shattering might? To directly wipe out a population of one million out of thin air?"

Domoko turned his head, looked at Thor, and repeated word by word, "That's right, it's a Divine Artifact."

"To be precise, it's—the sky mirror."

"sky mirror?"

"It is said that this Divine Artifact has a huge space inside." Domoko's voice came over: "It doesn't need to kill people. As long as it activates the power of Law, it can immediately open a spatial rift and contain all things. Let alone one million people, even putting the entire Newt City inside would be more than enough."

Thor widened his eyes and retorted, "But how is this possible?!"

"Hasn't the sky mirror always been kept as a national treasure in the deepest part of the Holy City's Holy Radiance Secret Vault?" Thor's voice rose in excitement: "That place has thirteen layers of sacred Restrictions known as absolute defense, and is personally guarded by Grand Elder Raphael, who is as high as Level 82!"

"Even if an SS-Rank Expert barged in by force, it would be utterly impossible to steal the sky mirror without a sound! This simply doesn't make sense!"

"That's right..."

Domoko looked at Thor, who wore an incredulous expression, and suddenly chuckled.

"You see, kid. This is the most interesting part of the whole matter."

Domoko cast his gaze back toward the empty city below, looking downward.

"The Divine Artifact that even you knew was absolutely impossible to be stolen has now quietly taken away one million people here in Newt City, thousands of miles away."

"Tell me... who on earth is behind this? It's really hard to guess."

Thor stood rigid on the Dragon's back, deep blue lightning flashing in the depths of his eyes.

He stared at Domoko's weathered face, replaying the other party's recent deduction in his mind.

The sky mirror!

That national Divine Artifact sealed in the deepest part of the Holy Radiance Secret Vault, possessing thirteen sacred Restrictions and personally guarded by Grand Elder Raphael!

If it wasn't an invasion by external enemies carrying out a forced plunder, if even an SS-Rank Expert couldn't quietly take it away... then the only person who could legally use that Divine Artifact was one person.

The supreme ruler of the Freedom Federation—Holy Lord Francis!

"You mean..." Thor swallowed a mouthful of saliva: "All of this... could all of this be the Holy Lord's will?!"

Domoko lowered his head, pulled out the cork of the flask at his waist, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp of ale.

The liquor flowed down his bushy beard and dripped onto the Dragon scales.

"But why?!"

Thor stepped forward, gripping mjolnir tightly with both hands, "Why would he do such a thing?!"

"A full one million people! Losga City and Newt City, the ones living in there are all his most devout subjects! They are the Foundation of our Freedom Federation!"

Thor's chest heaved violently, "He is the spokesperson of the gods, the Incarnation of mercy and light! How could he use the sky mirror to wipe out all of his own subjects?! Domoko, tell me, why would he do this?!"

Domoko raised his hand and wiped the wine stain from the corner of his mouth with the back of his rough hand.

"Calm down, kid."

Domoko looked at Thor, "I said just now, all of this is merely my speculation, don't rush to conclusions."

"Speculation? How can I treat this as mere speculation!" Thor gritted his teeth, his eye sockets turning crimson from blood congestion.

"Because we don't have any substantive evidence in our hands right now! Relying solely on deductions, if you run back to the Holy City right now to question him, you will only end up with the crime of heresy and treason, and then be sent to the stake and burned to ashes!" Domoko said.

"How else do you expect me to stay calm..." Thor closed his eyes, letting mjolnir hang by his side.

"Use your brain!" Domoko stepped forward and patted Thor on the shoulder: "If you really want to figure out whether that lofty Holy Lord is behind this, then keep working. You, go down and investigate again."

"Go down and investigate?" Thor opened his eyes, looking at the empty city below, "What else is there to investigate? I just used thunder perception to search every corner of the city, there are no living people, no corpses, no traces of any battle. This city is already empty!"

Domoko shook his head.

He pointed down at the Cathedral of Light and said, "Have you forgotten another purpose of our coming here? Andrew's elite Holy Judgment Knights, whose members are all S-Level Experts!"

Thor looked along Domoko's finger.

"The strength of the Holy Judgment Knights is a bit weaker than yours and mine, but they are not fools to be slaughtered at will!" Domoko's tone was certain, "A hundred elite knights exceeding Level 70, proficient in various reconnaissance and defensive Formations. Even if they faced the sudden spatial devouring of the Divine Artifact sky mirror, it's utterly impossible that they didn't even have room to struggle!"

"You mean..." Thor's eyes lit up bit by bit.

"I believe they must have left some clues before disappearing!" Domoko said, "If it really was the divine punishment bestowed by the Holy Lord, the person leading the team would sense something was wrong. They couldn't escape the sky mirror's lock, but they have ways to leave something behind in this city before being sucked into that independent space! Go, don't use that large-scale perception, go to those hidden corners that only high-tier knights would notice, and use your eyes to search carefully!"

Thor nodded.

"I understand!"

Before his voice faded, Thor's body disintegrated, turning into a blue thunderbolt that plunged from the Dragon's back straight into the central area of Newt City!

Thunder rumbled—

Lightning flashed across the streets. Thor slowed down, concentrating his Mental Strength on capturing traces of sacred magic.

He shuttled through the underground secret room of the city defense headquarters, swept past the archives of major guilds, and finally plunged headfirst into the tallest Cathedral of Light.

The interior of the church was dim and lightless, and the stained glass windows cast reflections under the moonlight.

Wrapped in lightning, Thor walked step by step toward the prayer room in the deepest part of the church. He looked at the rows of empty pews and finally locked his gaze on the edge of the statue's base.

There, there was a faint fluctuation of sacred energy.

"Found it!"

"Crackling!"

Blue lightning cut through the night sky, and Thor landed back on the spine of the giant Dragon, panting heavily.

He gasped for breath in large mouthfuls.

He did not return empty-handed.

"Lord Domoko, you guessed right! They really left something behind!"