Our Family Has Fallen

Now, he needed to solve some problems first. He looked back at those tormented, spreading his arms and speaking in a calm yet profound voice with a unique rhythm.

"There is no need to fear. Fear and despair cannot defeat us, because I am right here beside you."

The voice seemed to have magical power, resonating in the mind and even touching the soul.

Two forces battled within their hearts, the fear looming over them melted like ice under a blazing sun.

"Then send me to hell! Ah-ka-oo-ooh-ah—!"

Boudica was the first to respond, resisting the force of fear. A firm belief sprouted within her, rapidly expanding, and she let out a battle-like shout to adjust her breathing rhythm.

"Perhaps destiny is in our hands." Amanda revealed a face of bitter smile, lowering the raised cards in her hand, teasing herself with a mocking comment.

Because it seemed that as long as she was by Lance’s side, her divination results were almost always wrong, but viewed the other way, the results might not be too bad.

They both so easily broke free from the anomaly due to the effect of Holy Water and their deep feelings or rather trust towards Lance.

But Audrey did not believe this. She showed less intense reaction to Lance’s words, as despair still gripped her heart, refusing outright while they declared their positions.

"A decent lady would not willingly accept death!"

Her words already revealed her selfish nature, but this should be a normal human reaction, as she was unaware of the evil cult’s dangers or Lance’s real strength.

In her view, Boudica and others were as crazy as those cultists, behaving idiotically.

"Take this and leave, you’ve completed your task, now you’re free." Lance didn’t force anything upon her, instead handed her a bottle of Panacea as a gesture.

Lance had no interest in acting as a babysitter; he just wanted to tear apart this dungeon, and Audrey was rather a burden.

Audrey stared at the potion in her hand, momentarily unsure of what to do. Was he really letting her go?

However, the commotion earlier had already garnered attention from certain existences within the dungeon, and as they delayed here, a true devotee was closing in on them.

"Enemy!"

Amanda shouted, leaving no room for doubt since any appearance here could only mean an enemy.

Lance turned to see a figure cloaked in a gold-trimmed black robe, drifting rapidly towards them without apparent steps taken.

Having browsed secret files on the evil cult leaders, Lance had a fair understanding of the personnel structure and habits of the Sect of Ascension.

To differentiate from ancient deities, the ancestor referred to himself as the New God.

Among the cultists gathered on this land, a small portion’s fervent dedication and worship was so immense, that they received the New God’s "Great Blessing."

Lance had previously encountered related impressions during battles with cultists, yet he termed them as [Seed], more precisely, the flesh corruption.

The ancestor’s creation carried a failure rate, which the cultists dubbed as [Ascension Trial].

Successful ones gradually controlled the implanted power, using the Great Blessing to reform their bodies.

Failure led to their bodies spiraling out of control, transforming into incomprehensible distorted amalgamations of flesh, teeth, eyes, and tentacles.

Unlike previous failed attempts, many cultists controlling the blessing force were present, but only those fully shedding human flesh, mastering the new form, could become Heretic Priests.

Due to these "Great Blessings," they ranked among the highest levels within the evil cult, and their gold-trimmed ceremonial cloak differentiated them from regular congregants’ plain black cloaks, indicating their status.

Being of noble status, they rarely appeared outside the Dark Dungeon, with only leaders and a small portion of high-level cultists knowing of their existence.

The Heretic Priest’s duty involved executing mysterious and evil rituals, one of which was opening the door right now.

For the Ascension Sect’s cultists, only genuinely pious devotees could receive their god’s blessing.

Likewise, only controlling the Great Blessing’s power marked a true trial completion, allowing them entry to open the [Door of Oblivion] here.

These devoted followers would typically be retrieved by a Priest, explaining the Priest’s presence here.

Unfortunately, this time, it wasn’t a devoted follower entering.

But an infiltrator!

"Witness my courage!"

Under the oath-like shout, Boudica ignited long-suppressed rage, the erupting fury utterly consuming the fear.

She raised her axe-gun and charged ahead of Lance, only to find the Heretic Priest’s reaction unbelievably swift, twisting away in exaggerated humanly impossible moves, the vigor flaring up the ceremonial cloak, exhibiting reactions unlike any Spellcasters.

However, Boudica’s attack was equally fierce, missing the first strike, she swung the axe-gun upward attempting to tear the foe apart.

And then the Heretic Priest finally responded, two tentacles extending from beneath the cloak grabbing the axe-gun, the freshly honed sharp axe edge couldn’t sever the tentacles, instead, Boudica’s movement was halted abruptly.

Such an opening in this level of battle was fatal, the Heretic Priest lunged forward, unveiling a bizarre, purple-black, and spiked tentacle from the darkness under the cloak.