Chapter 427 Cult Ambush (2/2)
None of the people around the encampment could react—apart from Brandon. He widened his eyes and stared at the familiar life radiation as it swept through the foot of mountain, before extending even further into the distance.
Then, the blond swordsman's eyes were filled with shock.
”Jo… Joshua?!”
When on earth did he arrive?!
Because of his familiarity with his friend, Brandon easily identified the owner of the lifeforce which had seemed tyrannical and ignorant towards all.
It was certainly the Liege of Modavia, Joshua van Radcliffe. As for why he would be here, the blond warrior could come up with the answer with just the hundredth of a second thanks to his swift brainwork.
Herlas the Witherer! Only a Perfect Supreme-tier champion could get that combat-thirsty friend of his to leave his domain and get him to use such a tremendous tracking method!
Now, not just Brandon, the other seven factions beneath the mountain were in an uproar too after sensing that shockingly majestic life radiation. Everyone instantly pulled out their weapons and anxiously guarded against their surroundings. They still could not single out the source of the radiation, believing that there was some horrendous daemon sneaking a peek at them.
And right then, at a part of the Dark Forest close to Mount Mordus, a team of people who wore black or gray robes was also caught by the horror.
When Randall, the priest of the Cult of Pestilence was swept through by the life radiation, he sensed his heart being pinched by an invisible hand. Extreme terror rendered the gray-robed priest temporarily speechless and breathless, unable to respire even as his lungs drummed.
He only managed to recover his spirit after quite some time—the cult members around him were far worse off. They peeked at their surroundings nervously, wailing shrilly with words that nobody understood, as if that would get the person who unleashed the life radiation to show himself, allowing them some form of comfort.
”Silence!”
Randall had to calm his group despite the lingering fear in him. He scolded the more agitated few, before moving on to soothe every single one of them. After that was done, the gray priest took a deep breath.
”That might be some special detection skill of Moldavia,” he said with a sinking voice. ”One way or the other, we have been found out by the factions under Mount Mordus. The plans to lie low are now moot, it's time for a full-charge!”
Then, Randall's voice turned to one of fervor. ”Obey the will of the Merciful Father, offer Him the blood of the infidels!”
”Merciful Father above! Blood for Offering!”
”The Light of Life protects us, all things return to the bosom of the Merciful Father!”
The many cultists roared in reply, their expression fanatical as they tore apart their own clothing. In an instant, their bodies started to expand, each one of them turning into three-meter tall monsters.
Splat.
With muffled sounds, small gaps opened over the body of those expanded cultists. Fresh blood and muscle streamed out as jointed tentacles resembling that of arthropods stretched out and cut into the ground. The ballooned bodies then utterly exploded, revealing a bizarre shell that had a myriad of colors as more than ten slimy tentacles waved around, spraying highly corrosive mucus.
In no time at all, the tens of cultists had all become gigantic spider aberrations over three meters tall, with human heads adorned at their cranium and tightly shielded by a translucent armor.
Blasphemous Spider-Demon, a human reconstruction secret technique of the Cult of Pestilence. This malevolent remolding grants incomparable power when needed, while the terrible spider-demon itself is a carrier of incurable toxic and diseases, possessing a sturdy shell that easily withstands blades. The weaker ones were already armed with Silver-pinnacle ability, while the stronger ones could hold against Gold-tier opponents—unquestionably, they were meat -grinders when placed on the battlefield.
Still, only the finest cultists had the chance to be reconstructed as a Pestilence daemon. After they changed, their rationality would gradually vanish and could only be regained if they returned to human form. Somehow, these spider-demons were not moving—they obediently stayed where they were and stared in front of them at Randall.
The priest was transforming too—after a cold grunt, the gray-robed priest body bloated hurriedly too. Two tentacles that looked unbreakable punched out from his eye sockets, before fusing to form a huge horn akin to a beetle's.
Another human reconstruction secret technique, Abyssal Giant Armor.
Noises that resembled cracking bones and rubbing steel rang incessantly. In a flash, the creature that was half-insect half-human, covered in augmented chitin shells and possessing muscles that were about to burst raised its skull, its mandibles crying out in a sharp insect sound.
”Ka-ka-ka!”
”Hiss-hiss! Hiss-hiss!”
The spider-demons responded with their own fluctuating sound. Soon, these horrific demons that seemed to have come from the otherworldly Abyss raised their appendages and dashed towards Mount Mordus.
The observers who stood at the perimeter around Mount Mordus quickly noticed the monsters that seemed to have no intent for concealment. The crowd who had been uptight after the life radiation thus found an outlet immediately, and made the utmost preparations before facing them head-on.
”It's those Cult of Pestilence zealots!”
Brandon and Vale Dani naturally noticed the monsters in the distance. The purple-haired mage furrowed her brow, stood by the edge of the watchtower and used a spell to amplify her voice as she called out to the people in the camp.
”Listen up! Prepare for battle!”
On the other hand, the blond swordsman appeared distracted, his gaze remained latched to the distant horizon. Through his spiritual sense, Brandon could tell that at a distance of tens of miles away, a crimson star that resembled a sun was unleashing endless amounts of life radiation, breaking through the atmosphere rapidly as it flew towards the banks of Magel's Unfrozen River.
There, a black vortex of utter darkness stood, seemingly capable of consuming and obliterating everything.
Meanwhile, at the banks of the Magel's Unfrozen River.
Here, the snowstorm was yet to pass. The suffocating and compact snow plummeted from above as if spilled over by a deity, covering the plains and forests with layers upon layers of ice and frost.
However, the sky above the southwestern riverbank remained clear for miles. The crimsons star broke through the air at speeds ten times above supersonic velocity, arriving over the river bank. The sharp whistle, coupled with rolling thunder and impact waves spread across all directions, easily breaking away half the cloud layers of this sky.
In that very second, the sky was distinctly divided in two. Half of it was sunny, bright red and scorching, with two suns—one above and one below—unleashing unstoppable radiance that blazed.
The other was completely silent, all colors and sounds being swallowed by some existence, leaving a cold emptiness and desolated grayness.
In the sky, the man with black hair and red eyes looked below upon the earth.
On the earth, the man with dark-green hair looked up towards the sky.