NOVPUB"....!"
A pair of white eyes glowed within the darkness.
As the coral embedded in their necks pulsed with a faint red glow, the white eyes came into focus, part of a twisted silhouette hanging just above. A person, their body contorted and mangled, was fused to the ceiling of the corridor, limbs bent at different and unnatural angles.
'Crap!'
An'as was the first one to move as he hastily moved back, pushing his back towards the entrance of the temple.
His figure was fast as he moved, covering several meters at once.
'Wait, there's no need to panic just yet.'
Lazarus's voice brought An'as out of his panic. It was only then that he stopped and realized that the body was not moving.
'Eh...?'
'Come and take a closer look.'
Lazarus pointed at the body above.
'The body isn't one of those hollowed. No, maybe it is... but it looks like it had fought someone beforehand and the result was it getting smashed towards the top of the tunnel.'
'Oh, you're right.'
An'as felt a little embarrassed once he saw that this was indeed the case.
He had been so on edge when discovering the hollowed that he had instantly panicked when he saw the pair of white eyes.
As his mind sobered up, he began to closely analyze the situation, and soon, a thought crossed his mind.
'Do you think this was done by the two captains?'
'Yes, it's most likely them.'
Lazarus replied calmly.
Taking a look at how one-sided the fight appeared to be, this was the only reasonable assumption he could make. Only they would be able to do something like this, and taking a look to see how fresh the wounds were, he could tell that the fight had happened not too long ago.
The only thing that made him confused was the hollowed at the opening, not far from where the two were.
Did the two captains not fight those?
His brows furrowed as he began to think about the situation.
But right as he did, the entire building rumbled.
Rumble! Rumble!
'Uh? What's going on?'
An'as and Lazarus both looked around, their expressions changing as they felt the rumbling coming from deep within the temple.
That was soon followed by a series of terrifying presences as the ground beneath them started to crack.
The situation quickly became obvious to them.
'A fight is happening below. Did the two captains figure out the ones responsible for this?'
As An'as questioned, Lazarus didn't answer but kept his gaze directed down. He flicked his hand and made several statues charge ahead, as the hall from before came into his view.
From the familiar hall, he caught sight of several Hollowed slipping into a chamber beyond the statue of the Goddess.
They were...
Going away?
'Let's go.'
He shared the vision with An'as and charged ahead, following the hollowed from behind.
RUMBLE!
The rumbling persisted, growing more pronounced as the very foundations of the pyramids started to shake.
If this persisted like this, then it wouldn't be long before the entire pyramid crumbled.
They didn't have much time.
Lazarus sped up his movement while An'as followed from behind.
The two slipped past the statue and entered the chamber, where a long flight of stairs came into view, descending into the depths below. Lazarus flicked his hand, and the remaining statues he had brought moved down, providing an extra eye for the two of them.
RUMBLE!
The deeper they descended, the more intense the rumbling grew, echoing through the stone around them.
The rumbling added to the silence around them as they moved with caution, letting the statues survey their path ahead.
'There!'
Spotting something, An'as's expression changed subtly.
Lazarus noticed it too, his steps slowing as his eyes narrowed. Ahead, the faint amber light marked the outline of an opening. From within, an overwhelming pressure emanated, multiple powerful presences stirring in the dark. The two exchanged a glance, tension crackling between them.
'...Should we go in? Maybe you might be able to do something, but at my current strength, I might just become a burden.'
'That's fine.'
Lazarus's eyes narrowed as he looked at the opening.
He also thought about just leaving and letting the two lords handle the situation. Furthermore, he could also tell that the current commotion was sure to attract the attention of those from within the temple.
But at the same time, he also understood that there was a very good chance that this was a trap.
The clue was obvious.
Suddenly and out of nowhere, one of the victims from the mysterious flyers comes to them and jumps down into the water?
Sure, there was a chance that it was indeed some sick coincidence.
However, Lazarus didn't think so.
He also felt that the same was true for the two captains.
Whatever was causing this was trying to lure them deep within the temple to do something. At this point, they had no other option but to enter the opening and see what the situation was.
Waving his hand, Lazarus activated [Lament of Lies].
Their figures blended with their surroundings, and the two began to move ahead. Another reason why he had to move forward was because of the hive monster.
Lazarus was a lot more confident in handling any situation with it attached to his body.
The more he engaged with the power it offered, the more boundless the possibilities seemed. He even felt his control over emotive magic starting to improve. He started to understand things that he didn't understand before.
This was what he had been searching for the entire time.
He wanted to bask in the feeling for longer.
RUMBLE!
As the surroundings shook again, Lazarus and An'as moved towards the light, their steps as light as possible.
As they stepped through the amber glow, a vast cavern stretched open before them. At its far end loomed a towering altar, suspended above a void of inky black light. Lazarus's gaze was drawn to it, compelled, almost, as if the altar itself were reaching out, trying to lure him in.
His hand reached forward, almost as if he was trying to grasp it.
But then—
[Snap out of it!]
The hive monster's voice snapped him out of it as cold sweat trickled down the side of his face.
Lazarus then hastily looked at An'as but was shocked to see him doing fine.
'Eh? Why...?'
Lazarurs tried to ask, but his eyes once again were drawn towards the altar.
That was when he spotted the several dozen figures that flanked the altar. The figures all donned black hoodies, hiding their figures, but what they couldn't hide was the skinny frame of their pale hands as black veins lingered on the surface of the skin.
Not far from it, the two spotted the captains, locked in a fierce fight with several dozen such figures.
BANG! BANG!
The surroundings shook, and the water rippled.
Their clash was fierce, threatening to make everything collapse at any given second.
'This is bad...'
An'as came to the same observation that Lazarus had.
With just one look, they could see the two captains were in a disadvantageous situation. This alone felt shocking when taking into consideration their status as overlords of the seas.
For them to be pushed this far...
It really did seem like they were up against extremely powerful opponents.
Lazarus's eyes narrowed as he looked around.
He was trying to see if there was some sort of leader, but as he looked, he didn't spot anyone who particularly stood out. His eyes narrowed further.
'Could the leader already be fighting the two lords, or is he not here...?'
The thought made his heart palpitate.
He couldn't imagine just how powerful the leader would be if he existed. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
'What now...?'
An'as asked, his eyes sweeping across the vast chamber. He opened his mouth to speak...
...but stopped as he caught the shift in Lazarus's expression. A faint smile tugged at his lips, his gaze fixed on the captains locked in battle above.
'What else?'
His body slowly floated, turning in their direction.
He scratched the back of his neck at the same time as he slowly closed his eyes and deepened his connection with the hive monster.
Then...
With a single step forward, he faded from the spot, leaving An'as at a complete loss.
'...Shit.'
***
BANG!
Anne let out a quiet groan as a powerful blow struck her hand, the impact sending her skidding across the surface of the water.
"How in the fuck are these things so strong!?"
Anne groaned as several silhouettes appeared around her, attacking her in different directions. Her eyes grew sharp as their movements traced across the water, and she just barely managed to avoid the attacks.
"Shit!"
Avoiding wasn't the problem for her.
The problem was the fact that they wouldn't stop coming at her!
When one attack failed, they'd attack again, almost as though they had infinite stamina. This made her mind hurt as her skill relied heavily on her mind.
Swoosh!
Swiftly lowering her head to avoid another attack, she hastily looked back to see Sylas also struggling to deal with the hollowed.
Bang!
Still, he fared a little better than her, thanks to his resilient build and surprising agility. Despite his broad frame, he moved through the water with startling speed.
Most likely, he was the fastest amongst the seven lords.
But even he had a hard time against the hollowed.
Bang, Bang!
"Damn it! How are these things so fucking strong? What in the world is going on?!"
Hearing Sylas's scream, Anne looked around, her gaze settling onto the large altar at the center of the cave. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she more or less had her own guesses.
'Whoever is responsible for this entire thing isn't stirring the primordial one just for the sake of worshipping it. No, their goal is to destroy the entire city...'
Her first thoughts were on the other lands.
They'd be the first ones she'd assume would want Virith-Anash to be destroyed.
However, she also quickly realized this wasn't possible. There was something else at play.
Something that she couldn't understand, and just as she was avoiding another attack, her pupils dilated as she heard a scream from beside her.
"Arkhhh!"
"What!?"
Her eyes widened in horror when she spotted a hand pierce right through Sylas, his body stopping mid-motion.
Blood seeped into the water as the world around her seemed to freeze.
She couldn't make out the current situation.
Sylas...? Dead? No... how? This makes no sense? He was strong. Really strong. How could he be defeated like this?
It made absolutely no sense.
Then...
All eyes gradually turned on her as Sylas's body fell onto the seabed.
Thud!
Her body grew weak at the sight.
She might just be fucked...
