148. The Roaring Fire p1
An hour ago.
Reina had let the Knight King go, ordering the undead to retreat.
Mura had killed the last of the undead. She was panting, drenched in sweat. The ground was covered in the marks of her explosive assassination magic.
Paris also looked a little tired, but her expression was still cold.
Compared to the others, Reina seemed much more composed.
Dealing with these opponents was less than an appetizer.
And, in total, she had only opened her eyes for half a minute. Twenty seconds of that half-minute was to intimidate the Knight King.
When the smoke cleared, the Pope’s group arrived in a hurry.
It was clear they didn’t know that the Knight King had left.
“We won?”
“Great!” White Cone raised his hand, his injuries mostly healed.
“Don’t let your guard down.”
Mura said. She looked up, and everyone else seemed to have noticed something and also looked up.
Suddenly, as if in response to Mura’s words, a huge object descended from the sky.
It was a giant mechanical gear with a steel claw embedded in the ground. Then, as a large amount of dust spread out, some “cone metal” textured platforms began to fall from the sky.
Then, small black dots were faintly visible on the platforms. Countless exploration teams, holding searchlight-like light sources, and some even eagerly leaping down and landing on the ground, began to explore the Goddess’s ruins. For a moment, the dark, deserted city was no longer mysterious. Batches of exploration teams descended from the sky and began to carry out the mission given to them by the God Slaying Society.
The machine actually worked, and it was safe enough.
While the others were still celebrating, Mura had already started to look at her fellow dark elves in the exploration teams with a smile.
But the Pope’s expression was panicked:
“Damn it, the Shadow of God has delayed us for too long! Follow me!”
With a single command, everyone gathered together and walked towards the mist in the center.
But something strange happened.
Just as everyone arrived around the mist, the mist here actually vanished into thin air, turning into a manhole-cover-like sealed gate.
The Pope leaped onto the “manhole cover” and began to use various methods to pry open this “well.”
“I have a bad feeling. Is this really the destination? And aren’t we a little too hasty?!” White Cone said.
“Don’t forget our purpose,” Short Wind glanced at White Cone and said. “We have to get the Goddess of Light’s treasures before anyone else.”
“Only I know where the Goddess’s treasures are, and only I can open it.”
The Pope shouted.
30 seconds later, like picking a lock, he finally turned the complex switch on the “manhole cover.” With the sound of machinery, he opened a path leading downwards.
Below the stairs was a dim corridor.
Reina stood up, and before she could do anything, Pesa proactively picked up her wheelchair.
…Making me look like a disabled person in need of care.
Suddenly, in the distance, the sound of fighting and clashing swords could be heard.
Everyone raised their guard, subconsciously thinking it was an enemy attack.
“Boom—!”
In the distance was an explosion caused by fire magic, igniting a deserted large building.
“It looks like a chaotic battle,” Paris said seriously. “Could there be a traitor?”
“Isn’t it the undead? Are those guys back again!?” White Cone asked.
“Of course not. Those guys all retreated after the Goddess killed the Knight King.”
“Let’s go!”
The Pope shouted.
He urged everyone to run into the cave.
…I see, so that’s how it is.
Reina stopped moving.
Then, Pesa, having “finished” moving the wheelchair, quickly ran out and pulled Reina into the cave.
And so, only Mura was left.
“What are you doing?!”
The Pope roared, “Get in here, this is an order! Do you still want the dark elves to survive?!”
“But…”
Mura looked into the distance.
The flames of magic were raging, and the ones being chased were two male dark elves.
They were helpless, holding their weak bodies and waving at Mura, as if seeking refuge.
Suddenly, the Pope released his light attribute magic, using a golden chain to pull Mura, directly dragging her into the cave! Then, he drove the “manhole cover” mechanism to close it, sealing it tight!
“Click!”
“What are you doing?” Mura stood up, furious. “This way, what will happen to them?”
“What will happen to them?” the Pope’s voice turned into a strange tone, and he laughed maniacally.
His face was ferocious, like a demon, as if he were asking a question, and also as if he were mocking her: “Miss Mura, do you really think we’d be safe if we let them in?!”
“But they’re my kinsmen! How could I…”
“Do you know why the dark elves couldn’t defeat the humans in the Primordial Era? Because you know nothing about [malice]!”
“Boom—!”
Before Mura could refute, an explosion came from outside the door.
The violent vibration made everyone subconsciously lean against the wall, and some dust fell from the ceiling, landing on Mura’s angry face.
She rushed to the top of the stairs and bombarded the door with magic.
But the metal door didn’t budge.
She wanted to use magic to blast open the wall and get out, but these walls seemed to have some “insulating” material, and the magic disappeared the moment it touched them.
“This level of flame, damn it…”
Suddenly, the desperate cries of the dark elves came from outside:
“Is anyone in there? Lady Mura, Lady Mura?”
“Let us through! Save us!”
“Ugh, ahhh…!”
But the next second, the Pope opened the door slightly, loosened the manhole cover, and shot out three beams of light with a raise of his hand, passing through the crack in the metal door!
Then, there was the sound of tearing flesh and struggling.
Finally, the wails and the blood of the dark elves seeped in through the crack, and Mura took a few steps back.
Mura’s face turned pale.
If looks could kill, she would have already torn the Pope to pieces.
“Do you know what you just did?”
The Pope walked forward and completely locked the loose gear, confirming that no one could get in before sneering: “They were people who wanted the Goddess of Light’s power and would stop at nothing to obstruct us. If they had come in, we would have been finished.”
“Is that your reason for killing my kinsmen?”
“No one here is innocent. It doesn’t matter how many dark elves die, because you will ultimately succeed. All of you will be saved, not toyed with by fate.”
“You…”
Mura opened her mouth, but the next second, she didn’t say anything more.
Seeing that Mura didn’t continue to speak, the Pope began to walk deeper into the tunnel.
The dark elf miss still stood there, stunned.
A few seconds later, she finally looked up and said fiercely, “The Pope of [Roaring Fire], you bastard! You…”
“Do you know how many of our elven compatriots were in the exploration team?!”
“So what? What do you want to do? What can you do?”
The Pope turned around, his voice raised.
His eyes burned with a different kind of anger from Mura’s.
“Without sacrifice, there is no salvation. Why don’t you understand such a simple truth?”
“Follow me. We still need a dark elf to open the seed of the [God’s Tree]. You are the best candidate. For the sake of the elven kingdom, you have no other choice!”
