Sacrifice

Zhen Qi's heart raced as he witnessed the translucent mist floating around the bodies of the victims, their souls wiggling and staring at him. Suddenly, one of the souls pointed towards the man who had been leading them, followed by many others doing the same. Zhen Qi's eyes widened in surprise as he realized they were pointing at Morbid.

"Hmm," Zhen Qi murmured, narrowing his eyes in surprise and confusion. What did the souls mean? Was Morbid the murderer, or did they want him to bless and send them to paradise? Uncertain, Zhen Qi attempted to communicate with the souls, but they seemed unable to understand his words, continuing to point at Morbid in silence.

"I don't care anymore," Zhen Qi muttered, his gaze shifting back to Morbid. Whether Morbid was the murderer or not was not his responsibility, and he had no intention of delving further into the matter.

With a determined resolve, Zhen Qi absorbed the 200 faithless souls. He didn't want to appear hypocritical by ignoring the pitiful souls, as faith was incredibly important to him. Now presented with the opportunity to gain a large amount of faith, he wasn't going to let it slip away.

However, he silently vowed that if he had the chance, he would ensure that the souls received the revenge they deserved.

Zhen Qi's attention was drawn to a message that popped up before him.

[Do you wish to absorb the 200 faithless souls?]

Zhen Qi nodded and accepted the offer in his mind.

[Successfully absorbed. Converted 200 faithless souls into faith.]

[Faith: 200]

After checking his status, Zhen Qi sighed with a sense of satisfaction. Now that he had enough faith, it was time to develop his territory and summon units. However, there was something he needed to take care of first.

The trio went around the tree and discovered a door behind it, with a staircase leading downward.

"The village has been guarding this ruin for many years. It's a pity for what happened to them," Morbid remarked solemnly. "Let's go. Inside is the ruin of Demetius."

Morbid led the way down the stairs, followed closely by the bard and Zhen Qi.

As they entered, they found themselves in a tunnel that led towards a grand hall. Torches lined the tunnel, flickering in the darkness, casting dancing shadows along the walls. The tunnel eventually opened up into the hall, which appeared larger than it seemed from the outside. Pillars rose to support the grand structure, and various doors lined the walls, hinting at hidden chambers beyond.

At the center of the hall stood a majestic statue of a hooded figure, one hand raised high with a torch, while the other held a book. Despite the accumulated dust, leaves, and roots that had attached themselves to the hall and the statue, the place still retained an undeniable beauty.

They entered one of the rooms, which was filled with books. It was a library, with shelves lined from floor to ceiling, stacked with volumes of knowledge. As they explored the entire place, they realized that it was far from a ruin. With a bit of cleaning and renovation, this could be a remarkable space.

The trio ventured further, examining each room and corridor, envisioning the potential of the place.

After exploring all five rooms in the hall, the trio converged at the center. Zhen Qi looked at Morbid, his expression thoughtful. "So, what now?" he asked, wondering about their next course of action.

“We will activate the formation of this place," Morbid declared. "While activating it, I want you to record everything that appears in the formation."

Morbid handed them the book he was holding before kneeling to the ground. Zhen Qi and Elandir exchanged glances, recognizing the gravity of the moment as Morbid prepared to activate the formation.

"When I give my signal, do it quickly. The information can only be activated for one minute!" Morbid emphasized, his voice filled with urgency.

As Morbid began chanting, Zhen Qi's perk allowed him to understand the words being spoken. He listened intently, ready to act swiftly when the time came.

“From the depths of shadows deep,

Where darkness reigns and secrets keep,

I call upon the ancient power,

To bring forth this demon's hour.

“By blood and bone, by sacred rite,

I bid thee come, reveal thy might.

Through veils of time and realms unseen,

Awaken now, arise, unclean!

“With incantations old and bold,

I break the chains that tightly hold,

The gates that guard the abyss' might,

Open wide on this fateful night.

“O creature of infernal flame,

From realms of chaos whence you came,

Hearken to my beck and call,

Answer now, come forth, enthrall!

“With words of power, I now decree,

Bound to me, your master be.

Serve my will, obey my command,

By this pact, forever stand.”

With every word uttered, Zhen Qi felt a strange tension in the air. Glancing at Elandir beside him, he noticed the bard's solemn expression. It dawned on Zhen Qi that Elandir had been unusually quiet since the beginning.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and a bright crimson light illuminated the hall. Zhen Qi's senses were overwhelmed as the brilliance extended beyond the confines of the hall, enveloping the entire village in a large magical circle.

"I summon you, the demon that hides in the damnation of the mirror!" Morbid slammed the ground as the crimson light intensified. "Zhen Qi, now!"

Words slowly began to appear in the hall, forming from illusionary smoke, as Zhen Qi recorded everything meticulously. The atmosphere crackled with energy as the ancient formation responded to Morbid's invocation, revealing its secrets in the ethereal script unfolding before them.

"From the depths of the abyss, I answer your call,

With fire and darkness, I shall enthrall.

Bound by blood and pact, I rise,

To claim my prize, the mortal skies."

The book suddenly began to glow with a crimson light, casting an eerie glow throughout the hall. As Zhen Qi watched in surprise, a magic circle appeared beneath the book, its intricate design pulsating with otherworldly energy. The air hummed with anticipation as the circle shimmered, seemingly ready to unleash its power.

"Throw it!" Elandir, who had been silent until now, suddenly shouted at Zhen Qi. With a swift motion, a sword materialized in Elandir's hand as he rushed toward Morbid, slashing his weapon with determination.

Morbid's head fell to the ground, and blood poured out as expected. However, it soon became apparent that the Morbid that had been attacked by Elandir was merely an illusion. With a flicker, the illusion of Morbid disappeared into thin air, leaving behind only the echoes of their deception.

At Zhen Qi's side, it was too late for him to react. A red hand filled with broken mirrors emerged from the magic circle, reaching out towards him, wrapping around his throat and choking him. Zhen Qi struggled against the grip,

[Your Authority: Soul detected a large amount of energy in a faithless soul!]

[Your Authority: Soul is investigating the faithless soul…]

[Because of your Authority: Soul, you gain a skill.]

[Soul Sense (D)]

[You can detect danger from within the depths of their soul, no matter how they hide themselves. As long as they harbor hostility, you can detect their danger.]

[Because of your low level strength, you cannot absorb the faithless soul.]

[The Authority: Soul has found an intruder attempting to take over the host. Your Resurrection (SSS) skill is reacting, your Devourer (SSS) skill is reacting…]

Suddenly, the hand fell to the ground as Elandir swiftly slashed at it with his sword. With a decisive blow, Elandir severed the grip around Zhen Qi's throat, freeing him from the choking grasp. Supporting Zhen Qi, Elandir helped him to the ground.

"What... What the heck was that?" Zhen Qi gasped, his voice trembling with disbelief. He still couldn't comprehend what had just happened, realizing that he had been too careless. “But who are you?”

"Morbid was trying to summon a demon, a powerful one," Elandir, or rather Klaudius, explained solemnly. "I'm still the bard you know, Elandir, but my true name is Klaudius. I've been hunting Morbid for months, but he was hard to kill because he was from the Temple of Eternal Eyes. If I kill him, the whole temple will be hunting me down."

“So, he is the one who kill the whole village?”

"It's likely," Elandir responded grimly. "The village may have been sacrificed to summon a demon. As for you, Morbid likely realized he was lacking one more sacrifice. Most people in this town, aside from nobles and merchants, cannot read or write. However, there was one exception, the hunters. Morbid wanted a hunter and their blood. It's strange that he accepted you."

Zhen Qi remained silent, contemplating the possibility. "Since I'm the god of death, I'm considered a god," he thought to himself. "Perhaps Morbid sensed the blood of a god within me and realized it was more powerful than the blood of a hunter. That could be why he accepted me as a sacrifice."

"Anyway, the sacrifice only works when the sacrifice writes the spell and reads it from the book," Elandir explained. "Basically, you are chanting the sacrificial spell without saying it out loud."

Zhen Qi nodded in understanding as he contemplated the information. Then, he posed a question to Elandir, "But why didn't you stop me? And back at the carriage, you could have easily killed him when he let his guard down."

Elandir sighed deeply. "If it were that easy to kill him, and I didn't stop you because I wanted him distracted. But I didn't expect that we had been fooled. It was an illusion; he had already escaped," he explained regretfully.

“Humm… but it seemed he failed.”

"Yes, indeed," Elandir agreed solemnly. "He gained something from this encounter. He now knows that the sacrifice will work, and that knowledge gives him an advantage."

Silence enveloped the hall as Zhen Qi and Elandir processed the events that had transpired. Eventually, they made the decision to leave the ruin behind. As they stepped outside, they found that the corpses had disappeared, leaving only the dirty ground stained with blood and the remnants of destroyed houses. The desolation of the scene served as a stark reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the village. With heavy hearts, they turned away from the ruin and began their journey elsewhere, leaving the memories of the harrowing ordeal behind them.

Zhen Qi suddenly asked, “Why don’t you reported him to Temple?”

"I've considered that possibility as well," Elandir replied gravely. "But I don't know if someone has been helping him, and if they are from the Temple, it could be even more dangerous. Reporting it would likely lead to my death before I could kill him."

…

As the duo arrived back in town, Zhen Qi headed to the inn to rest while Elandir set off on his own mission. Before parting ways, Elandir expressed his resignation, acknowledging that their plan had failed and they would not meet again. Despite feeling a strange sensation inside him, Zhen Qi chose to ignore it, focusing instead on finding respite and recuperation at the inn.

After waking up and having a meal, Zhen Qi found himself standing before the Void Gate. Without completing the quest and receiving the reward, the "Seal of the Void Gate," he could only return to his territory using the Void Gate. This realization emphasized the importance of completing his current quest and obtaining the necessary reward for his journey to continue smoothly.