Compared to the Manus Met Cathedral, whose architectural structure remains largely intact, the Manus Celes Cathedral, located in the region of the Moonlight Altar, is undoubtedly nothing more than a crumbling ruin.
However, as far as ruins go, many of its walls and key facilities are surprisingly well-preserved—so much so that even great beings like the Two Fingers would, in moments of desperation, use the roots of the Erdtree to travel and hide in the depths beneath this cathedral.
A massive dragon, its body covered in glintstone scales, approached. Upon confirming that one of the two visitors was the Princess of the Dark Moon, Ranni, with whom it had once made a pact, the ancient dragon named Adula lowered its proud head in submission—for it was one of the twenty Carian Knights.
Aoko gazed curiously at this dragon, who preferred using glintstone sorcery over claws, fangs, or breath, pondering what sort of environment could give birth to such a being.
Moreover, unlike its siblings, Adula not only favored using glintstone magic breath but had also personally created the sorcery known as Adula's Moonblade... Aoko, having experienced its effects firsthand, had to admit—this dragon truly had a gift for magic.
Ranni, previously perched on Aoko's shoulder in her small doll form, floated into the air. Then, with a flash of glintstone magic, she returned to her human-sized appearance. Adula remained to guard the entrance of the Manus Celes Cathedral, while Aoko followed Ranni as they strolled through its interior.
The Manus Celes Cathedral was noticeably smaller in scale than the Manus Met Cathedral. Aoko estimated it to be only half the size of Ymir's former residence. However, its interior design was nearly identical—and very reminiscent of Nokron, the Eternal City, which Aoko had just explored.
This cathedral was, without a doubt, a relic built by the Nox people.
But what puzzled Aoko was this: if the Manus Met Cathedral was the structure used to seal and imprison the Mother of Fingers' birthing chamber, then what exactly was sealed within Manus Celes?
She knew that the Two Fingers currently hiding beneath the cathedral had fled here from the top of Ranni's Divine Tower in Liurnia. The pit it hid in wasn't even carefully constructed.
Could it be that this star-dust-scattered cathedral served another purpose entirely?
As Aoko silently pondered, Ranni had already located the pit on the cathedral floor that led deep underground. Even from a distance, she could feel the foul, unique aura that only the Fingers emitted.
Ranni took a deep breath out of habit (though dolls don't need to breathe). One of her four arms held the blood-stained Fingerslayer Blade, another gripped the Carian Royal Family's glintstone staff.
Like a drifting autumn leaf, she dropped silently into the dark pit. Aoko didn't even hear the sound of her landing.
After contemplating for a moment, Aoko cast several protective spells on herself and followed Ranni into the cave.
…The descent took longer than she'd expected. In other words, the pit was much deeper than the one in the game, which was barely ten meters deep.
Aoko landed lightly on the cave floor. Waving her staff, she summoned a luminous orb of pale, icy starlight to illuminate the surroundings.
The tunnel ahead was deep and pitch-black, seemingly endless. The starlight only lit up about five meters ahead—beyond that was impenetrable darkness.
Without hesitation, Aoko proceeded cautiously forward. The underground tunnel reminded her of the one in her grandfather's basement that led to the Root. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but it was unforgettable—it was the first time in her life she had been gravely injured.
As she moved forward, Aoko suddenly felt her Scarlet Staff begin to heat up slightly. Something at the end of the tunnel seemed to be resonating with the staff's core. Could it be because she had used Finger magic when crafting it to contain a microcosm?
Gradually, faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Aoko extinguished her starlight spell and stared toward the distant glow.
Suddenly, an invisible shockwave burst forth from the tunnel's end, making Aoko pause and focus on its essence—it wasn't a physical force, but more like a psychic tremor. She could sense emotions of "rejection" and "denial."
As she advanced, these psychic shocks grew more frequent and less coherent, conveying only anger and fear.
When Aoko finally reached the tunnel's deepest point, the final psychic tremor conveyed only the death wail of a dying being.
She narrowed her eyes and looked ahead—the massive Two Fingers were now battered and broken. The once-straight fingers had been snapped into multiple segments. The palms were covered in deep, bloody gashes—gruesome wounds that looked familiar to her.
They were the Death Curse marks of Destined Death—the same kind found on the body Ranni had abandoned. The Fingerslayer Blade carried some of the power of Destined Death.
Ranni's doll body now sat quietly atop the corpse of the Two Fingers. Her robe and large witch's hat were gone, her simple doll body exposed to Aoko's view, covered in the Two Fingers' blood—utterly still.
At first glance, it seemed Ranni had discarded this temporary vessel after slaying her destined foe without hesitation. But the corners of Aoko's mouth curved slightly.
She stepped forward, leaned close to Ranni's face, and whispered softly into her ear:
"What's the matter, Princess Ranni? Do you still want me to put an engagement ring on your finger?"
The silence lasted for about ten seconds. Then suddenly, the doll body before her disintegrated into shimmering glintstone dust—it was undoubtedly an illusion, likely set up by Ranni as a farewell gesture.
But clearly, she hadn't expected Aoko to be so shameless—forcing her to reveal her true form again. This time, she was properly dressed in a cloak and robe.
"...You outlander, you're utterly shameless. You test my patience," Ranni said expressionlessly, though her tone hinted at flustered irritation.
"To think... because of you, I've come to feel such entirely unnecessary emotions."