Chapter 304 Cult Leader?
Twenty minutes before.
Within a secret room in the Lancaster aqueducts, a red-robed man sat upon a stone throne-like chair as devotees prayed to him.
Remaining impa.s.sive, he gently touched his left eye which was covered beneath an eye patch.
‘It appears that the city watch had found out about the ritual,’ John Dhana mused.
He then turned towards the ‘believers’ who were completely unaware and were still repeating chant after chant and bowing at him, slight irritation rousing within him.
Now appears to be the time to give up on this bunch of witless fools. He must act even though preparations were not complete, and move on to another city to take in new ‘believers’ whether he succeeded or failed.
It was fortunate that the Lancaster city watch reacted slowly to any incidents, and he would definitely have a lot of time to plan for his next move.
And yet, that very thought evaporated from John Dhana’s mind just a moment later.
He touched his left eye again, sensing that a believer’s soul had entered.
That could only mean that more of his believers were discovered and slain despite their resistance.
Even if he was ready for it since multiple rituals meant greater risk of exposure, the rate at which the rituals were being found were too quick-as if the enemy had already found out most of their pattern.
‘No, it must be a coincidence since the rituals is laid throughout the city in the formation of a spell circle… they should have come knocking here if they noticed that secret.’
But even as that thought crossed his mind, two more ritual sites were exposed with every believer in it killed.
‘No more waiting! Right now, I have to…’
Even before he could finish that thought, one of the walls of his secret room collapsed as several figures rushed in. “Don’t move!” A young man brandishing a torch (Happy Flames) was shouting. “All of you has the right to remain silent, but anything you would say is meaningless!”
“Surrender now or be prepared to fight!” A young woman with bra.s.s knuckles shouted beside him as well.
“I’m not being prejudiced; I’m just saying that everyone here is wubbish!” A steel bucket that sounded like a middle-aged man appeared by the entrance of the secret room as well, calmly lifting his sword at the direction of the two youths.
“Ahem.” The youth cleared his throat.
“Sorry. The Mark 8’s optics act weird even though all parts are plus seven…” Thus, the middle-aged man turned, this time aiming his weapon at the rump of one of the cultists who shuddered even as he clutched his backside.
‘M-My lord… G.o.dchild…”
The dozens of cultists who were surrounded all turned towards John Dhana, but were not panicking soon enough after seeing him being unaffected as if they had gained backbone. In fact, they were even trying to outflank the three Players now.
“Humph… believers of traitor G.o.ds, I see.”
John sneered even as he rose from his stone throne-standing around 1.7 meters, he was around Edward’s height. Nevertheless, a horrific atmosphere extended from him even as he got to his feet, suffocating those caught in it as if a giant was looking down upon ants. “To think that you few could see through my city devouring formation and picking up on my intentions to claim the souls of Lancaster… I must praise you for your sharp instincts.”
“Wait a minute. Do you mean to say that you weren’t trying to start a war by a.s.sa.s.sinating the envoy of the new emperor with your ritual?” Princess Leah did a double take and asked by reflex, even though she was caught off guard by John’s rising aura.
“Envoy of the new emperor? What the h.e.l.l is that?”
Leah: “…”
John: “…”
In the briefest exchange of looks, both sides realized that they were mistaken as an awkward air swirled in the secret room.
“You were about to sacrifice the whole city!?” Leah then shouted. “I shall punish you for your grievous deed!”
“Woof, the traitors of the G.o.ds bark!” John shouted as well. “Stop me if you can!”
The two determinedly and cooperatively kept quiet as they moved on to the next stage—with John raising his right hand and snapping his fingers.
Darkness filled the room in a split second!
“What vile trick is this!? I can’t see a thing!” Marni cried out in surprise since his weird helmet weakened his vision in the first place.
“Nothing, he only turned off the Illum lights…” Edward replied, his vision still clear thanks to Happy Flames.
That being said, Happy Flames itself has a limit to its illumination-couple that with the fire dancing unsteadily on its tip, the shadows around them appeared to be wild dancing fairies, even though the cultists themselves were fidgeting around in confusion as well.
Nonetheless, when Edward eventually brightened Happy Flames to illuminate the entire secret room once again, John was already gone from his seat.
Right now, he had mixed himself into the crowd of cultists and changed his appearance.
How naïve, to attempt surrounding him with just three humans!
Being a serial criminal who wreaked havoc across the land, this was not the first time John Dhana had been surrounded by followers of orthodox churches.
Only
In fact, he was rich with experience on how to handle such situations.
‘Now, I just have to drive these foolish believers and stay with them as they make a break for the exit… even though those two younglings over there look weaker, they must be elites since they are brave enough to confront so many of us… on the other hand, although that clumsy heavy infantry looks powerful, his movements would be slow. The believers only have to knock them down for me to slip away…’
John’s mind moved swiftly as he planned his next move.
But he soon paled in shock when he found the youths standing at the opening of the wall and the steel bucket near the door turning simultaneously towards himself.
‘No way! How could they see through my disguise?!’
“A level thirty-two elite mixed amongst a bunch of level eight small fry? Do you think we’re blind?”
Hence, before John could react, the girl just now had dashed ahead of him and punched him viciously in the cheek with her fist that was surrounded with golden bolts of holy power, causing his face to cave in as teeth flew out!
That was such a horrific sight that Edward felt his teeth ache just by watching.