"Daring to sacrifice a child like this, the gods will cast you down into hell."
"Disgusting cultist."
"You beast."
"F*ck"
"You deserve the most painful death, demon."
Countless curses rang out from the crowd storming the cavern.
Whether they were soldiers, members of the Solvaris Church, or adventurers, all were consumed by fury at the unforgivable crimes of the cultists.
If sharp gazes could wound, the cultists would already have been pierced through with countless holes.
Hearing the flood of insults, the cultist only sneered and replied:
"You will be the ones to fall into hell first."
He tore out and raised the heart of the sacrificed child. Fresh blood spilled across the stone altar.
"Please descend upon this place, O great White God."
Immediately, the cavern shook violently. Yet judging from the cultists' calm demeanor, everyone realized they had long anticipated this tremor.
'This can't be just an earthquake. What is it?' Will thought anxiously.
The answer came at once—an answer he dreaded.
The towering statue behind the altar seemed to awaken. Its single eye glowed, shifted, and "looked" down upon the crowd.
Suddenly, their bodies felt unbearably heavy, as if forced to kneel under the crushing pressure.
The priests of Solvaris whispered in terror:
"Impossible… A heretical god dares to descend and project its will upon this sacred land? How can this be?"
Normally, lands under the influence of the true gods were protected, and no heretical deity would dare trespass.
Eldoria had always been known as the realm safeguarded by Solvaris, god of light, and Amariel, goddess of love.
Thus, they could not fathom how such a vile god could be summoned here, even if only a fragment of its consciousness.
Faced with such peril, though shaken and fearful, the three priests of the Solvaris Church stood firm and refused to yield.
They quickly cast protective magic over the group, fulfilling their sacred duty.
Though the oppressive influence could not be erased, minds and bodies were steadied somewhat.
Yet before relief could take hold, danger struck again.
Busts carved into the cavern walls came alive, breaking free and surrounding the group.
Their lower halves revealed grotesque centipede-like bodies with countless sharp legs.
"Rip them apart and offer them to our master!" the cultist commanded.
The statues lunged like bloodthirsty beasts, plunging the battlefield into chaos.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Damn it, arrows barely work on them!" Kate the archer cried in frustration, though her hands remained swift, loosing shots to aid her comrades.
"Hah!" Tanker Liv roared, swinging her mace to shatter another statue.
"Ever since that statue looked down, my body has felt as heavy as lead." Though she complained, her voice still carried its usual calm, teasing tone.
Yet the beads of sweat rolling down her face revealed the truth—behind that nonchalant façade, she was straining with all her might to hold the frontline, shielding her comrades standing behind her.
"Careful!" Coris shouted, intercepting a sudden strike aimed at Liv.
"Thanks!" Liv replied.
Their foes were not only statues. Hidden among them, cultists slithered like venomous snakes, striking with deadly precision.
Behind magical barriers, black-robed mages hurled lethal spells, barely held back by Erik and a few others.
The battle worsened by the moment.
Another statue lunged at Coris. She blocked its punch with her sword, countering to sever its arm.
But before she could finish it, a blade thrust from behind the statue, aimed at her chest. A cultist had used the statue as cover to launch a deadly ambush.
Caught off guard, Coris deflected with her wrist guard, but pain shot through her arm as the blade cut flesh beneath the armor.
Testing her fingers, she sighed in relief—the wound was shallow, not crippling.
The cultist tried to retreat, but two water whips suddenly lashed around the statue and struck his back.
The brutal strike dropped him, his spine seemingly shattered.
Before he could react, the whips coiled again and smashed his head, bursting it like a melon. His life ended instantly.
"I've been watching you for a long time," Mira spat angrily.
Yet in her voice lingered a trace of satisfaction, relief, even delight—like the feeling of finally crushing a mosquito that had been buzzing around one's ear for far too long.
Maintaining her water magic, Mira tossed Coris an antidote vial.
"Drink quickly—their blades are poisoned."
In fact, Mira noticed that several soldiers were already showing signs of poisoning after sustaining minor wounds from the cultists
"Thanks!" Coris replied, gulping it down as relief spread through her arm.
Without pause, she returned to the frontline.
"Liv, fall back and catch your breath. I'll hold the front. Mira, keep suppressing them with magic. Kate, save your arrows—focus on those cultists hiding among the statues."
Issuing commands, Coris scanned the battlefield.
Sadly, the situation only worsened. Cutting down another statue, she silently prayed for a miracle to save them.