Chapter 263 Chapter262-Devil Slave, Abyssal Malevolence
Berserker Baelgar was the first unable to restrain his curiosity.
He opened his wide mouth, asking in a muffled voice, "Hasn't your Holy Light Church dispatched people to explore the Soulstone Temple in this thousand-year span?"
With a bitter smile, Hills pulled out a blank scroll, embossing the patterns from the grand gates onto it, and explained, "How could that be? The Soulstone Temple, along with the vast expanse of the surrounding Mystic Forest, has always been a focal monitoring area for our Holy Light Church. For thousands of years, this area would sporadically witness the emergence of one or two dark-attribute creatures."
"It's just that the Holy Light Church has been too busy, and the appearance frequency of those creatures isn't high enough to warrant persistent attention. This task has always been handled by the Holy Light Church staff from nearby towns coming on excursions."
"They probably didn't recognize the origin of this sealing barrier, treating it as a common Holy Light Seal all along..."
After transferring all the patterns from the stone gates onto the scroll, Hills finally took a long breath of relief.
He turned his head towards John who stood at the center of the team, asking with a light smile, "Captain, if there are no issues, may I proceed to open this gate now?"
From the moment the squad embarked on their journey, every member harbored deep respect for John.
Even Berserker Baelgar, who had clashed with John before, showed no signs of resistance or intentions of disobedience.
Such was the charisma of a top-tier powerhouse.
They all understood the most crucial element in team cooperation — the imperative of following the captain's commands without a second voice.
Particularly during battles, any chaos in the commands could spell disaster for the entire team.
John pondered for a moment before gently nodding, "Open the gates. Since we are here, we must venture inside to explore…"
Hills placed his hands on the massive stone doors, his eyes slightly closed as he murmured something under his breath.
Suddenly, the patterns on the door burst into brilliant light. In the next moment, all the Holy Light energy converged towards Hills' hands.
Bathing in the Holy Light, Hills' handsome face appeared extraordinarily sacred.
A moment later, he released his hands and said faintly, "It is done. I have temporarily opened a breach in the seal here; we only need to push the doors to enter."
"Let me do it!"
Baelgar took the lead, bracing the stone doors with both hands before exerting a tremendous force.
His grotesquely bulging muscles surged as he roared, slowly pushing the stone doors open.
Suddenly, a surge of extremely evil energy sought to burst out from within the gates.
The energy came incredibly fast, giving no time for anyone to react.
They felt the immense evil and distortion contained within the energy but couldn't act in time to stop it.
Just as the evil energy was about to erode their bodies, John, standing in the middle of the group, hummed lightly and waved his hand.
The next second, the fearsome energy that had seemed somewhat desperate struck something immovable and was directly repelled.
Everything happened in a blink of an eye; only after the evil energy was repelled did everyone come back to their senses.
Almost everyone felt the cold sweat breaking out on their backs.
Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, they could all feel how high the evil energy's level was. It far surpassed their own.
With grateful eyes, they looked at John.
Had he not taken action, they feared that by now all of them would have been consumed by this energy.
Though unsure of the exact damage this evil energy could have inflicted, they knew it wouldn't have been anything good.
"Thank you, Captain!"
"Thanks for your timely assistance, Captain!"
"The Captain acted just in time…"
...
Everyone voiced their thanks in turn, including Baelgar who acknowledged with a gesture of his hand.
This earned him a smidgen of favor in John's eyes.
Although impulsive and not the sharpest tool in the shed, Baelgar conducted himself with straightforwardness, devoid of petty malice.
With keen eyes, John silently stared into the dark abyss beyond the open gates, as if trying to pierce through the layers of darkness to see the deepest scenes within the Soulstone Temple.
"Let's go, let's see what's inside."
At John's command, Baelgar promptly raised his shield and led the way, marching into the unknown first.
The others followed closely, vigilant of their surroundings as they proceeded, not daring to let their guards down even for a moment.
After all, there was a high probability that an abyssal devil lurked here, and no one dared to take it lightly.
The grim and terrifying atmosphere within the Soulstone Temple sent shivers down their spines.
Entering this gloomy space felt like trespassing into a spectral domain.
The overwhelming darkness engulfed the vicinity, giving off a suffocating pressure.
Moss spread across the walls like ghostly faces, silently witnessing each step they took.
The faint glow of their torches barely illuminated the path ahead, casting shadows that carried a hint of unnatural distortion.
As they delved deeper, a pervasive stench of decay became increasingly apparent, giving off a nauseating odor that was almost taboo to even mention.
The damp air was filled with a sickly combination of moisture and the smell of rot, accompanied by eerie whispering sounds that felt as though countless tormented souls were groaning and wailing in the distance.
These fragmented souls lingered in this malevolent place, sinking into fear.
From the profound depths of the darkness came the faint sound of wind, as if the roars of demons from an endless abyss were reaching out, instilling a bone-chilling dread in their hearts.
The entire Soulstone Temple was shrouded in shadows, with corners filled with bewildering dust reminiscent of withered flowers that had lost their vitality.
The paintings on the walls were blurred, seemingly depicting terrifying scenes of endless hatred and agony frozen within the canvas.
Shattered coffins lay strewn across the floor, bearing silent witness to countless instances of sorrow and death.
In this place where silence should prevail, eerie whispers often drifted from afar, making the skin crawl with an indescribable sense of dread.
Every nook and cranny reeked of death, emitting a palpable threat of evil.
Suddenly, John halted everyone, his piercing eyes fixed on the dark abyss.
The faint, fragmented sounds gradually intensified, indicating something rapidly approaching them.
"What is coming our way?" Saphir whispered.
John slowly shook his head, replying calmly, "We will know soon enough. Be ready for battle, everyone..."
Moments later, a monstrous entity emerged from the darkness.
It resembled a gigantic crawling lizard, yet devoid of flesh, revealing only ashen bones.
Its head remained intact, adding a grotesque touch atop its skeletal frame, emanating a suffocating aura of malevolence.
[Abyssal Malevolence (Lord-level boss): A creature subjected to Dark Erosion, fallen into the abyss of evil, becoming a complete slave to the Devils while acquiring formidable powers. It harbors a penchant for tormenting and slaughtering all flesh-bound beings...]
[Level: 260]
...
John slightly raised his eyebrows, not expecting to find a genuine abyssal Devil here. The creature before them was proof enough of a Devil's existence in these parts.
"Handle this monster, you can deal with it, can't you?" John said, his voice carrying an undertone of indifference.
Baelgar burst into maniacal laughter, responding, "Captain, leave this opportunity to me. I've been eager to witness the might of the abyssal darkness first-hand!"
John spoke calmly, "Hills, you are a practitioner of the Holy Light discipline, best suited to counter such creatures. Assist Baelgar, make it quick and decisive."
Hills nodded, lifting the scepter in his hands, ready to face the looming threat.
Baelgar stepped forward assertively, holding his shield and battle-ax firmly, his eyes burning intensely as he stared down the malevolent spirit.
"Come on, servant of the abyss! Let me gauge the extent of your power!"
Standing behind Baelgar, Hills began to recite prayer incantations rapidly.
A surge of Holy Light energy emerged from him, forming a gigantic orb of light hovering above his palm.
"Baelgar, I'll back you up! Accept the protection of my Holy Light!"
With Hills' chants, he raised his scepter, and a beam of Holy Light energy condensed and shot towards Baelgar, instantly enveloping him in a shining radiant shield.
Abyssal Malevolence contorted its face, letting out a ghastly howl before launching a powerful strike.
Swinging its wicked bone claws, it slashed towards Baelgar.
Undaunted, Baelgar met the spirit's attack head-on, brandishing his ax to activate his skill.
"Wrathful Thunder Break!"
A lightning-like slash cleaved the air, striking Abyssal Malevolence's body in an instant.
A powerful explosive force swept through, detonating with a thunderous blast.
Abyssal Malevolence was sent flying, its skeletal frame horrifically exposed for a moment before slowly reverting to its original state, its evil power still vigorous.
Baelgar's face darkened, not anticipating the immense strength of the Abyssal Malevolence.
Determined to launch another attack, Baelgar raised his enormous double-handed ax, his eyes blazing fiercely as he fixed his gaze on the Abyssal Malevolence before him.
With a roar, he charged angrily at the monster, the sound of his ax slicing through the air resonating with a whistling roar.
Following Baelgar, Hills gripped his Sacred Staff tightly, his eyes twinkling with bright, sagacious light.
He calmly analyzed the creature's weak points while quickly casting Holy Light spells.
The Holy Light pierced through the creature, finally managing to reduce some of the dark energy permeating its body.
However, it was far from enough to kill the grotesque and terrifying monster.
If anything, it only enraged it even more!
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel