Infinite Adaptation: Starting As A Level 1 Slime-Chapter 55: Cathedral [PART 2]

Next, the frame.

Stone pillars rose from the foundation - massive columns carved from bedrock he pulled from deep underground. He shaped them carefully, adding decorative flourishes as they climbed toward the sky.

Between the pillars, he raised walls of fitted stone blocks. Each one cut perfectly, slotting together with barely a seam.

Wooden support beams appeared next, spanning the gaps.

The walls climbed higher and higher.

Thirty meters.

Forty meters.

Fifty meters.

Arched windows took shape along the sides. He filled them with glass - silicon dioxide heated white-hot and then rapidly cooled into perfectly clear panes.

Flying buttresses extended from the outer walls, providing additional support for the towering structure.

The roof came next.

Massive wooden trusses formed the skeleton, reinforced with metal brackets he created on the spot. Stone tiles materialized and laid themselves in overlapping rows, creating a watertight seal.

At the front, a grand entrance took shape. Towering double wooden doors reinforced with iron bands. Stone steps leading up to them. Decorative columns flanking the entryway.

A bell tower rose from one corner, spiraling upward another twenty meters. At its peak, he placed a massive iron bell he had forged moments before.

Finally, the interior.

Stone floors polished smooth. Wooden pews arranged in perfect rows. An altar at the far end, raised on a platform of white marble he had transmuted from limestone and a huge stone statue of his beastman form holding a slime.

Stained glass windows depicting the moon in various phases lined the upper walls.

...

Beastmen began to gather after noticing the commotion.

The crowd grew larger and larger, their eyes wide with awe.

Lunaris continued polishing the building until finally...he lowered his hands.

He stood before the completed structure.

A massive cathedral stretching over seventy meters tall.

"There."

He exhaled heavily.

"Problem solved."

The crowd erupted into cheers and praise.

"ALL HAIL THE ETERNAL MOON!"

"GLORY TO THE ETERNAL MOON!"

"THE LORD’S POWER IS LIMITLESS!"

Lunaris barely heard them.

His vision was swimming.

What’s happening?

The world looked strange.

Colors were bleeding together. Shapes were distorting.

Why do I feel so...

His legs gave out.

He pitched forward...

And felt arms catch him before he hit the ground.

"My Lord!"

Roselle’s voice cut through the fog.

She held him against her, her expression shifting from awe to concern in an instant.

She looked up at the gathered crowd, her eyes sharp.

"Everyone, return to your duties! The Lord is feeling unwell!"

The beastmen hesitated.

"NOW!"

They scattered immediately, though many cast worried glances back as they left.

Roselle looked down at Lunaris’s barely conscious form.

"My Lord, can you hear me? My Lord!"

But his eyes had already closed.

...

A woman in maid attire pushed a wooden cart laden with covered dishes, the wheels creaking softly against the cobblestones. Her steps were measured and unhurried as she moved through the garden.

As she rounded a hedge, her gaze drifted toward the training grounds.

Knights in armor moved through formations, their instructors barking commands. Sweat glistened on their brows as they sparred.

She watched for only a moment.

Then she continued on, pushing the cart through the mansion’s rear entrance.

...

The corridors were quiet.

Her footsteps echoed softly against the polished marble floors. Servants passed her occasionally, offering brief nods that she returned politely.

She moved deeper into the mansion.

Past the guest quarters. Past the library. Past the servants’ wing.

Until she reached a set of large ornate doors.

She stopped.

Her eyes swept left, then right. She listened carefully for any approaching footsteps.

Nothing.

Satisfied, her form shimmered - and vanished entirely.

...

"...unacceptable! The Abyss Cult attacked us on our own soil, and you want us to simply ignore it?"

A gruff voice. Male. Filled with barely restrained anger.

A second voice joined in, equally heated.

"Lord Varen is right. They slaughtered an entire patrol. If we don’t retaliate immediately, we’ll appear weak. Other factions will see us as easy targets."

"And what would you have us do?" A calmer voice cut through. This one distinctly feminine. "March our forces into the shadows to hunt cultists? While the Demon King grows stronger by the day?"

A fourth voice agreed.

"Lady Serina speaks wisdom. The Abyss Cult is a nuisance, but the Demon King is an existential threat. Our focus should be on accelerating the Hero’s development. That is the only path to true victory."

"The Hero is still too young! Too inexperienced!" the first voice shot back. "By the time they’re ready, the cult will have..."

"Enough."

A fifth voice. Older. Authoritative.

The room fell silent.

"We will not tear ourselves apart over this." The elder’s tone was firm but patient. "Both threats are real. Both require attention. But infighting serves neither cause."

A pause.

"There is also the matter of the Beast Forest."

The tension in the room shifted.

"Reports indicate that monsters and beastmen have begun moving strangely. Patterns we haven’t seen before. Until we understand what’s happening there, we cannot overcommit our forces in any single direction."

"Then what do you propose, Your Majesty?"

"I propose we..." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Suddenly, the room went silent.

They stopped talking. Why did they...

The wall beside her exploded.

Stone and plaster erupted outward. The force struck her like a battering ram, sending her flying across the corridor. She crashed into the opposite wall with a heavy thud, her concealment shattering instantly.

She coughed as she struggled to rise.

Through the dust and debris, a massive figure emerged from the ruined wall.

A man. Enormous in stature. Muscles like coiled rope beneath his formal attire. In his hands, he held a greatsword nearly as tall as he was.

He stepped over the rubble and pointed the blade directly at her throat.

"Who sent you?"

The maid clicked her tongue.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, her expression shifting from pained to annoyed.

She looked past the giant before her.

Through the hole in the wall, four other figures observed her. Two men and two women, their expressions ranging from hostile to coldly curious.

Then she glanced behind her.

Knights were already rushing down the corridor, weapons drawn, voices overlapping in urgent shouts.

"What happened?!"

"Intruder! There’s an intruder!"

"Protect the King!"

The large man didn’t take his eyes off her.

"You’re surrounded. Don’t even think about leaving."

The maid looked up at him.

And smirked.

"Is that so?"

The man’s eyes widened.

The shadow beneath her feet stirred.

It rippled like water disturbed by a stone - then opened like a mouth. The maid sank into the darkness, her body dissolving into the floor as if she had never been there at all.

In an instant, she was gone.

"What...?!"

The large man’s blade cut through empty air.