Chapter 227 - 226: Tyrannical Prayer
Most importantly, there wasn’t a single trace of rust on it!
Considering the time that had passed, this Ancient Castle had been abandoned for over thirty years.
Any metal left behind back then should have been rusted beyond recognition by now.
But this metal fragment...
It looked as if it had just come out of a Blacksmith Shop’s forge.
An ominous premonition arose in the hearts of both Zelir and Marcus.
"You guys, come take a look at this."
From another direction, Valles’s voice called out.
The two of them immediately hurried over.
Valles wasn’t holding a metal fragment, but a tattered piece of paper.
The light from the Moonstone on the ceiling was too dim for reading, so Zelir cast a Lighting Skill, and an orb of light floated above their heads.
It was actually a commission from the Adventurer’s Association.
"An investigation mission concerning Rose Castle..."
Valles read the opening lines, his expression strange.
An indescribably strange atmosphere began to spread.
"Wait... how is this the same as the mission we accepted?"
It wasn’t just the commission’s name; the mission description, the reward amount, and the objectives were all basically identical.
And the signatory on this commission...
...was the Cyan Wood Town Adventurer’s Association.
"There’s one here, too!"
Gray, who had been wandering about, also found a tattered piece of paper on the ground.
It was the same investigation commission for Rose Castle, with the same content, except for the signatory.
This one was issued by the Waterfall Town Adventurer’s Association.
"What’s going on...?" Even the usually slow-witted Maki sensed that something was wrong.
The unease in Zelir’s heart intensified, and he immediately expanded the range of his Lighting Skill.
He hadn’t realized it before, but the sight that met his eyes was a shock.
As the light spread out like a tide, it revealed that the ground was covered in vast, dark-red stains.
Moreover, behind the massive stone pillars and in the shadowy corners, they could see even more Armor fragments.
In addition, as the illuminated area grew, the squad discovered something even more bizarre.
The very ground they were standing on was painted with a massive Array in dark red pigment, encompassing the entire circular, arched hall.
The lines and patterns within the Array were filled with a blasphemous, twisted intent. Just looking at them was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
"What the hell is this...?" Gray muttered, instinctively taking a step back.
A chill crept up everyone’s spines.
THUD...
A distant thudding sound suddenly echoed.
THUD...!
The thudding grew clearer, hammering at everyone’s hearts.
"On guard!" Marcus roared.
The squad immediately assumed a combat-ready stance.
Longswords were drawn, bowstrings pulled taut, and lightning flickered!
Zelir’s expression grew solemn as he scanned their surroundings, searching for the source of the sound.
But the sound seemed to come from everywhere at once—from the walls on all sides, from the dome above, and even from the ground beneath their feet!
In an instant, the entire Underground Tomb had become a deadly, tightening trap!
"What in the world is going on...?" Maki gripped his Two-Handed Heavy Sword, his voice hoarse.
He had traveled far and wide and seen countless things.
But this time, for some reason, fear bloomed in his heart, even though he hadn’t even seen the enemy.
"We’ve all been played...!"
Zelir’s expression turned grim.
Without a doubt, the broken Armor and the bloodstains on the ground indicated that many Adventurer Squads had been here before them.
And now, they were all dead.
They had all been lured here by Vance!
’That damned lie!’
And, to avoid arousing suspicion from too many Adventurers disappearing from the same town...
Vance had deliberately recruited his victims in batches from the Adventurer’s Associations of different regions!
’Why would he do this?’
Zelir’s mind raced.
’What could he possibly gain from luring so many living people here to die?’
Zelir’s gaze swept across their surroundings, and he suddenly noticed that the blood-red pattern of the Array on the ground had begun to distort.
It writhed like a venomous snake, exuding a malevolent aura.
’Wait... why does this pattern look so familiar?’
Memories flashed wildly through Zelir’s mind, and he successfully grasped the flicker of inspiration.
It was from the previous commission, "Clearing the Undead Creatures from the Graveyard."
After they had eliminated the Evil Remains and Skeleton Soldiers, the squad had discovered a peculiar corpse in an excavated grave.
The flesh had been scraped clean from the man’s skull, and strange patterns were carved into the bone.
And now, the pattern of the Array on the floor was remarkably similar to the markings on that man’s skull!
The light from the Array enveloping the entire circular hall flared brightly.
A semi-transparent, dark red Force Field, like congealed blood, rose from the ground and stretched all the way to the dome.
It sealed them all completely inside!
The heartbeat-like thudding suddenly stopped.
The entire Underground Tomb fell into a deathly silence.
This silence was even more terrifying than the thudding had been.
As the group watched in horror, the stone door directly in front of them opened.
A foul wind, a mixture of decay, death, and potent Negative Energy, surged from behind the pitch-black door!
Immediately after, a towering creature emerged from the darkness, its steps heavy and deliberate.
It was a Centaur!
No, that’s not right...
It wasn’t a living creature at all.
Once they got a clear look, it felt as though the entire squad’s breathing hitched.
It was a Bone Centaur pieced together from human skeletons!
Insane, blasphemous, evil!
A thick black aura swirled around its ghastly white bones.
Its skull was hollow, but two points of scarlet light burned deep within its eye sockets, filled with endless cruelty and killing intent.
"Have... have you ever seen this kind of Demon in the *Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas*...?" Gray’s eyes widened.
"Never..."
Marcus slowly shook his head, his grip on his Sword and Shield tightening.
However, even though it wasn’t recorded in the atlas, judging by the strength of the aura radiating from this Bone Centaur...
...it was definitely a Challenge-rated Demon!
And a very powerful Challenge-rated one at that!
That wasn’t all.
As the central stone door swung open, the doors to the left and right opened in a chain reaction.
From the dark tomb chambers, more Demons shaped like Skeleton Soldiers emerged one after another.
But they too were wreathed in that black aura, and they looked just as formidable.
"I think I know how those other Adventurer Squads died now..." Maki swallowed hard.
Just then, the writhing of the Array beneath their feet ceased.
In that instant, an extremely powerful wave of Spirit swept over them!
BOOM!
There was no sound, but it felt as if a great bell had tolled inside each of their minds!
The violent mental shock caused their consciousness to scatter.
The scene before them blurred and twisted.
A piercing, female aria, wrapped in fanatical belief, echoed in the minds of the squad.
"Oh, Old Master, who slumbers beyond time, ancient and tyrannical..."
"You are the avatar of hatred, the embodiment of fear, the darkness that ends all things."
"We, your humble believers, praise your deeds. We prostrate ourselves and pray to follow in your footsteps."
"Slaughter ought to be pure. Slaughter ought to be a joy."
"In this long night, in this age where Pseudo-Gods run rampant, we take your supreme will as our guide. We cast aside useless tools and tear away fragile flesh..."
"And here, we offer you the purest of sacrifices!"