CHAPTER 35: WEIGHED

The mechanisms and magical conflux that made up the Temple Seals all began to turn.

A magic of ancient heritage, one made by Angels, began to turn, and the seal began to open.

The platform where Libra stood began to shine a bright light. A six-pointed star glyph below the platform shot a powerful light.

"Impressive Holiness, Child! To think one of your purity would exist in this false world!" The being laughed as it mocked Seraphina.

"But you... are doing me a favor... You see, as the seal opens, it means I can send out my powers without suffering pain! Indeed, I have suffered, but I am still... Libra! Once more, the angel of judgment shall ravage this world! Once more... all sinners will be judged! I, who weigh your sins, decree my judgement!"

Instantly, Libra dropped his scale as if one side became heavier.

"You have been weighed, and your sins are found to be plenty! Your sins... are coming to judge you!"

Instantly, a dark magic awakened the Mist, and the dark mist gathered and created wraiths and ghosts that howled.

"The wages of sin are death! And death shall come after you for your sins!" Libra laughed as the entire room changed, and everyone found themselves in an endless, wide darkness with the mist appearing.

All of a sudden, numerous figures formed in the darkness around the temple. Creatures of foul flesh, dogs, orcs, and many other undead beings appeared as the figure of Libra vanished.

Even the orcs and Groundlings that Thane slew appeared as corpses within the mist!

"Do not panic! It’s hiding itself! It’s using smoke and fear to scare us! But if it hid itself... it means..."

"It means, what? Child!" The laughter of Libra was heard as all the creatures rushed at them.

Sayla, Stratus, and Vayne quickly went to fight.

"At the Center, princess! Master Expert!" Vayne called and stood before Thane.

"What’s with the master expert thing?" Thane was confused but followed.

"Ray!" Seraphina shouted, and from her sun, shot out numerous beams of light that surrounded the entire room.

The creatures that were struck by it were pushed back and squealed in pain as the light was burning their bodies.

"These creatures! They are of the dark! Holy is effective against them!" Seraphina declared.

But as the light of Ray began to constantly shine and shoot beams at them, many other creatures ran towards the group, and it began to crowd over them.

Stratus began to reveal her triple casting spells as she also weaved and fought with her staff. Her staff glowed with a bright golden glow as she cast a spell of blessing on her staff.

Her staff exploded with Holy fire as she swung it at the incoming Oroks.

"What’s the worst thing your party has killed?" Thane asked.

"What?! Why?" Vayne was confused at the sudden question.

"A Hobgoblin!" Stratus answered instinctively.

"Prepare for that! This spell is calling all that our hands had slain to life!"

"The Hobgoblin only scared you, Stratus! But based on what Master Expert is saying, then we’d best prepare for the Cyclops!" Sayla cried.

"What?! We’re fighting that brute with our party of four members?!" Vayne complained.

"This is a battle of attrition! That Libra is on its last legs! The fact that he is casting such a high-tiered spell is because it is weak! Endure until the temple fully unseals him! Protect me!" Seraphina ordered as she began to pray.

The rest began to face the horde of creatures that it attacked.

The weaker ones appeared first.

Groundlings, Oroks, massive bats, and humongous feral rats.

Giant Centipedes, Slimes, and other strange beasts began to pour out from the mist.

Then the stronger ones slowly appeared.

Orks, Goblins, Clay Golems, Skeleton Knights, Zombie Knights, and numerous other creatures that even Thane could not name.

"What have you guys been killing?!" Thane cursed as he saw the creatures rush from the Mist.

The group maintained a triangular formation with Seraphina at the center and Thane within the triangle to deal with every creature that was moving inside it.

STAB!

Thane grabbed the spear that the Groundling held and gave a spirit pinch at the core.

The Groundling’s face distorted in great pain, and they lost all strength.

"Huh? Thane was amazed that this beast was actually... real!

"... These beasts are real...? Then...? Thane tested it, and the spear in his hand entered his Item Storage.

"Even the items are real?!" Thane was amazed and began to secretly activate his Item Storage to store the creatures and weapons one by one as he fought.

The trio showed their skills and expertise as they did their best to hold the line and would alert Thane of any threat that slipped their defences.

"Thane!" Vayne cried out.

Thane closed the distance and met the Orc, smacking it with a heavy axe that was on the ground.

"The corpses are disappearing!" Thane spoke as he absorbed the orc he slew into the Channel Storage.

"These things aren’t real! Focus!" Stratus answered.

"S-Sorry!" Thane smirked.

"I didn’t lie... I told the truth... Hehe..." Thane thought in his head as he began to absorb the beasts one after the other.

In the commotion of the battle, the group didn’t care but fought on.

"These things feel very real!" Vayne cursed as he pulled the sword from the slain Orc. The body of the orc vanished.

"It’s coming!" Stratus cursed as she saw a familiar figure at the back.

The Hobgoblin oozed with strange pus around its body. It had many holes, like pores all over its skin, and howled in disgusting rage as it charged at the group.

Even with the beams of Ray shooting at it, it continued forward with rage.

"It’s close to level 20! Stratus! Cover us!" Vayne shouted.

Stratus quickly began to cast her strongest area spell to clear those on the sides.

Two massive flame throwers shot at the side as Vayne and Sayla braced for the wild incoming Hobgoblin.

Thane was still in deep thought as he heard Vayne talk about levels.

"Huh... So levels are real in this world. I thought it was just something I have or can see..."

Thane readied a spear and ran to hurl it towards the Hogbolin to aid the two.

The Hobgoblin saw Thane move and roared.

[ENEMIES DETECTED.]

[Celestial TV shutting down...]

[5]

[4]

[3]

Thane readied the familiar movements.

[2]

[1]

The spear turned into a dagger and flew towards the Hobgoblin that tried to slap the spear away.

But just like the Orgarath, the dagger was too small, and it penetrated right into the eye.

"ROAR!" The Hobgoblin’s rush crumbled as its eye was struck!

"Nice! Sayla! Chopping Block!" Vayne called, and with a quick dash, Sayla leaped forward, but his rush suddenly took a 90-degree turn, and with a hard dash, she slammed on the Hobgoblin’s left side.

BANG!

Vayne gathered momentum as his giant sword glowed a powerful, bright white light.

"Holy.... Slash!"

The blade slashed at the Hobgoblin, and with Sayla pushing on the other side, the combined technique, the ’Chopping Block’, was performed.

The Hobgoblin’s body was hacked clean, causing it to quickly fall.

"Flaming Serpents!" Stratus shot her spells as several serpents of fire that rushed out and pierced through one monster after the other.

The entire group of monsters around them was all slain by the fire.

Vayne and Sayla kept fighting in close combat to fend off the remaining monsters nearby. But their other eye was on the forming Mist.

"Princess! The Cyclops is being summoned...! Kill it now!" Vayne warned.

"Wait! No! Princess... Save your prayers for later!" Thane spoke as he secretly took in the corpse of the Hobgoblin.

"What?! We have to-"

"A threat far greater than the Cylcops is coming! Trust me!"

Sayla tapped on Vayne.

Seraphina kept praying and praying to gather the holy light. Her eyes were fixed on the large pile of mist beyond them.

Seraphina’s hands trembled, and Thane saw her shaking hands that were pressed together in prayer.

Thane’s hand firmly clasped the two and stopped them from trembling.

"I see the magic. Trust my eyes. I haven’t failed you yet." Thane whispered as he tapped on Seraphina’s shoulder.. His eyes could see the end of the holy magic around the seal.

Seraphina took a deep breath and continued praying. The tap and the words of assurance somehow sank deep in Seraphina’s innocent, possibly Christian heart.

At that moment, the entire temple began to shake.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

"Sayla! Protect us! It’s gonna blow!" Thane warned.

Sayla quickly harnessed her mana and poured it over her shield.

"Grand Shield!" She roared as a magical shield appeared in front of them, as the rumbling reached its limit.

"I.... am... free!" A sinister laugh was heard.

BOOOOM!

It was as if there was a volcano under the platform. A smog of Mist erupted as the being and wickedness inside was unleashed.