The safe house was an underground bunker designed to withstand attacks from low-level Spirit Beasts in case of an outbreak.
There were many of these bunkers throughout the city.
Given that there were three Portals in Ishtara and an outbreak could happen at any moment, these bunkers served as safe havens for people during emergencies.
However, the bunker for the High Priest was different from the rest.
It was grander and more luxurious, larger in size, and filled with various supplies along with high-end internet support.
The High Priest could easily live there for over a year without ever needing to surface if he so desired.
Hence, it was called a safe house.
But High Priest Bowden wasn’t going there to live for long. He merely wanted to wait out the chaos.
The laboratory beneath his church was several times larger than the one under the Overlord’s mansion, meaning there were more monsters in his lab.
Now that he was about to unleash these abominations into the city, the scale of death and destruction would be unprecedented.
He was confident that at least half of the city would be in ruins before the Central Monarch could intervene.
Until then, he needed a place to stay safe.
So, surrounded by at least a couple dozen bodyguards, High Priest Bowden stepped out of the church and headed for his sanctuary.
The safe house was just a five-minute walk away.
As Bowden stepped onto the cracked pavement, the chaos of the city greeted him with open arms.
Distant sirens wailed, horrified screams filled the air, and guttural roars echoed from the abominations.
Fires raged in the distance, buildings crumbled, and dust and smoke rose to obscure the sky.
The bodyguards formed a tight perimeter around Bowden, vigilantly scanning the streets for any potential danger.
These elite bodyguards were handpicked for their loyalty and skill, but even they were not immune to the unease gnawing at their nerves.
Some of them were low-ranked Awakened, while others were trained mundane humans armed with enchanted artifacts.
A soldier at his side adjusted his grip on his rifle.
“Your Eminence, we should move quickly,” he urged.
But Bowden didn’t respond. He already knew that.
Five minutes was all he needed.
He nodded and started walking.
Soon, they arrived at their destination.
Their short journey was largely uneventful, aside from a few beasts attempting to attack them, which the bodyguards easily dealt with.
Unfortunately, they lost about five men in the process, but aside from that, nothing much happened.
High Priest Bowden was safe, and that was all that mattered.
The entrance to the underground bunker was located inside a house, which thankfully had yet to be affected by the spreading fire, so it remained intact.
The bodyguards provided cover and let the High Priest enter the house first, before closely following after him.
Inside the house, they quickly found the entrance to the bunker and opened it, allowing Bowden to go in first again.
The High Priest immediately began descending the stairs leading underground, landing on the sturdy metallic floor of the bunker in a few seconds.
It was dark inside, as he had yet to switch on the lights.
…But he immediately sensed that something was off.
And as if to validate his suspicions, the lights flickered on on their own, and a deep voice called out to him from behind.
“Hello, Bowden. Didn’t think you’d meet me here, did you?”
•••
Bowden froze. A cold chill ran up his spine.
This place… No one but him was supposed to know about it.
Only he knew this safe house’s location.
So why was there someone else present here?
And more importantly, why did that voice sound so familiar?!
The High Priest swallowed hard, and slowly turned around.
His breath hitched as he saw someone casually sitting on a leather chair in the middle of the bunker.
It was a man draped in a dark coat, one leg crossed over the other.
His presence was unnervingly relaxed, as if he belonged here more than Bowden himself.
His face was partially hidden by the dim lighting, but the smirk on his lips was unmistakable.
Around that man, several guards in crisp black uniforms were present, armed with a variety of enchanted weapons.
Bowden couldn’t believe his eyes.
He knew that smirk. He knew that voice.
He knew that face.
“…Everan?” he rasped.
The figure chuckled and leaned forward slightly. “Surprised?”
Bowden’s mind raced. This was impossible. Everan was either supposed to be dead or on the run. He shouldn’t be here.
How did he even know about this place?!
By then, Bowden’s guards had also entered the bunker. And the moment they spotted Everan and his retinue, they drew their weapons.
In response, the Overlord’s guards brandished their own weapons and took a fighting stance.
Both groups stood at the brink of violence, waiting for their leaders to give the command.
“W-Why are you here?” Bowden asked, disbelief still lacing his voice. “And how did you find my hideout’s location, Everan?”
The Overlord chuckled again, though this time, he sounded more threatening than amused.
“You think you’re the only one who knows how to backstab, Bowden?” Everan tilted his head before pointing at a hooded man standing beside the High Priest. “You should be proud. Your pupil learned well. He betrayed you, you fucking snake.”
Bowden’s eyes widened as he turned to face his informant.
But the hooded man looked just as shocked by that ridiculous accusation. He exclaimed and turned to Bowden, “What?! No, High Priest! That’s a lie! I would never betray you!”
Bowden’s gaze hardened as he studied the man.
His informant’s wide eyes darted between him and Everan, looking genuinely bewildered as sweat formed on his brow.
Everan laughed. “That’s what they all say. But tell me, Bowden, if your guy didn’t sell you out, then how the hell did I get here?”
Bowden clenched his fists.
That was a good question. Only he and his informant knew about the existence of this safe house.
There was no way for Everan to know about this place or even get here unless his informant really did betray him—
No! Bowden shook his head.
This wasn’t the time to doubt his own people. Especially not his informant.
He had found this boy starving in an alley. He had taken him in, clothed him, fed him, and taught him.
He raised him like he was his own blood.
He raised him like a son.
Bowden refused to accept that his own son would do this to him.
“I don’t believe you,” he said coldly. “He’s my right hand. My family. He’d never betray me. Not for the likes of you.”
The informant hesitated before pulling back his hood, revealing his face. He had a bald head just like Bowden’s, and from the looks of it, he was a young man barely past his teens.
Tears welled in his eyes as he turned to the High Priest. “Thank you, Your Eminence!”
Everan rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. “Whatever. Believe what you want. It makes no difference to me. What I do care about, however, is this — Why did you send those Cadets after me?”
Bowden snapped his head toward Everan.
“What?! I didn’t send anyone after you!” he spat. “If anything, you sent a thief to steal the sensitive data of our dealings from me! That thief then double-crossed you and sold everything to those Cadets for money, and now you’re here blaming me? You dug your own grave!”
Everan scowled. “What the fuck are you talking about? What thief? What data? I didn’t send anyone. Don’t try to twist this, Bowden. We had a good thing going. And you ruined it for your own selfish gain.”
“My selfish gain?” Bowden barked back. “You’re the selfish one here! The church is a thorn in your path, so you want us gone! That’s why you’re trying to pin this on me — on the church!”
“Oh, shut the hell up!” Everan shouted. “You sent those Cadets after me! You tried to put all the blame on me!”
Bowden’s patience snapped. His voice rose. “For the last time, I didn’t send any fucking Cadets after you! And I only tried to pin the blame on you after what you did—”
But Everan had heard enough.
“Silence! I will not hear any more excuses from you!” He roared and turned to his guards with rage flashing in his eyes. “Kill them. Kill them all.”
“You conniving son of a whore!” Bowden snarled before spinning toward his own men. “Bring me his head!”
And just like that, the whole underground bunker was drowned by the sounds of gunfire, the clash of steel, and the screams of the dying.
Within moments, the safe house became a blood-soaked battlefield.
But unbeknownst to all these poor souls, the true mastermind behind this chaos — the one man who had set everything in motion — was waiting just above the bunker’s entrance.