Chapter 68: Chapter68-Dusk Archbishop
Chapter 68: Chapter68-Dusk Archbishop
Outside the Crimson Realm, in a dilapidated church within the slums of Stellarburg, a middle-aged man dressed in priestly garb, with a kind face, stood beneath a statue, whispering prayers.
In front of him lay an infant, swaddled and pale.
A woman in tattered clothes, her face wan, knelt on the ground with hands clasped together, praying devoutly, "May the Lord bless my child and drive away the calamity from him..."
After a long while, the priest slowly closed the book in his hands and kindly said to the woman, "The prayer ritual is complete, the evil has been vanquished. After a good sleep, your child will be well."
Just as the priest had said, the infant, who had been on the brink of death, now miraculously began to look rosy.
He wriggled his little mouth, already deeply asleep, indistinguishable from a healthy child.
The woman hurried forward, carefully picking up the baby.
Seeing her child, who had been at death's door, truly improved, tears slid down her cheeks as she quickly thanked the priest, "Thank you, Father Rean, thank you for saving my child!"
The priest, named Rean, wore a gentle smile as he soothed the woman's emotions before seeing her out of the church.
Then, Father Rean's smile slowly faded, and his expression became as calm as still water.
He approached the statue and took out an envelope from the donation box that had appeared at some unknown time.
Father Rean did not open the envelope, instead calmly stating, "Black Ghost and Owen are almost ready, let everyone prepare in advance."
The church was empty, yet several voices came in unison, "Yes, Archbishop!"
Dusk Archbishop Rean, with a profound look in his eyes, declared, "The Descent of God plan is about to commence. This time, no one can stop the arrival of Dusk!"
In the air, voices echoed once again.
With fervent and devout tones, they proclaimed, "For Dusk!!!"
...
In the Crimson Realm, amidst the trial.
Lucas, covered in wounds, was frantically running for his life.
"Boom!!!" A serpent of blazing flames exploded in the palace, the powerful blast nearly knocking him off his feet, the smell of singed hair wafting through the air.
Lucas dared not look back, using all his strength to flee.
Behind him, John, wearing a black mask and surrounded by a cyan shield, his Necrostaff glowing with an icy blue light, launched an ice spear with a whooshing sound towards Lucas.
Lucas sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the ice spear's attack, only to face several thunder arrows shot at him in quick succession.
He dodged in panic, looking extremely bedraggled.
He clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with humiliation and rage.
Lucas couldn't understand how this individual, merely of bronze-tier, possessed such overwhelming magical power.
Even after his own blood crystal had shattered, this person could still cast spells incessantly.
In reality, John's magical power was almost depleted too.
However, with Seraphina's skill aiding his MP recovery, he was able to continue unleashing skills without restraint.
Lucas realized that continuing this way was not a solution.
It wouldn't take long for John's skills to cool down.
In this world of the survival of the fittest, the weak have no right to reason.
Within the trial. John glanced at Alex, then turned his attention to Lucas, who had already reached the coffin.
Frowning, he asked, "What are you trying to do?"
Hearing John's words, Lucas grinned, revealing teeth stained with blood.
With a crazed look, he said, "Since you all want to kill me, I naturally won't let you off easily! If it comes down to it, we can all die here together!"
John's eyes revealed a deep solemnity.
Lucas, now driven to a corner, might just do something desperate.
He wasn't sure if Lucas truly had the power to awaken the Crimson Demon, but he knew the Crimson Count of House Carter possessed the Crimson Demon's power, and such things were unpredictable!
Just as John was about to speak further, Seraphina arrived.
It was her first encounter with the coffin of the Crimson Demon.
Merely a glance at the coffin's intricate patterns shocked her soul, leaving her eyes vacant.
However, quickly, a platinum light emerged in her gaze, and Seraphina's eyes snapped back to clarity.
She stepped back, her face pale, and looked at the coffin with lingering fear, warning John,
"Be careful. I felt an immensely terrifying presence from the coffin. Just one look seemed to almost drag me into the abyss. Whatever monster lies within this coffin is dreadful!"
John was, of course, aware of the terror within the coffin.
He turned to Lucas, coldly saying, "Lucas, do you have any idea what awakening a dark god would entail?"
Lucas laughed maniacally, "What do I care about the lives of others!"
Hearing their conversation, everyone's expression changed.
Outside, Baron shook his head in disbelief, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! This is supposed to be just a high-level dungeon; how could a dark god appear here? Even in a hell-level secret realm, that shouldn't be possible!"
Eldritch also expressed disbelief, "A secret realm housing a dark god would be at least of a demi-god-tier, but this is merely a high-level secret realm. The strongest creature couldn't possibly surpass the cataclysmic-level, how could the body of a dark god appear here? Even a slumbering dark god shouldn't be possible!"
The trial officially started only after John finished viewing the mural, so those outside were unaware that the Crimson Demon lay within the coffin in the palace.
Not just them, Seraphina and the others hadn't seen the mural either.
They had entered the twelfth layer and the final trial had begun; they were always on guard against hidden enemies, paying no mind to anything else.
Even Lucas's speculation was based on snippets from his family's heritage records combined with the aura he felt from the coffin, so it was natural that outsiders would be even more in the dark.
Alexander and Theodore looked gravely at Victor, asking, "Is this true?"
Among those present, only Victor had reached the trial of the twelfth layer and might have seen this giant coffin in the palace.
If a dark god truly existed, he wouldn't have discovered nothing.
Victor didn't speak, but he nodded calmly.
Seeing Victor actually confirm it, a tumult erupted among the crowd.
The expressions of powerhouses like Alexander and Theodore turned grim.
They knew all too well what the presence of a dark god meant!
If this were true, not just John and his group inside the trial, but even they would not be able to leave alive!
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