Archibald jumped in shock when he suddenly heard John say that, instinctively looking back.
Only then did he realize that the red cloth on the high platform had been shaken off at some unknown time, revealing the statue hidden beneath it.
At the same time, the statue emanated an indescribable oppressive force, instantly bearing down in their direction.
The moment they saw the statue, everyone's breathing began to become strained.
It seemed as though countless murmurs were echoing in their ears.
In that instant, everyone's nerves started to tense up, and a different emotion began to spread in each person's heart.
Rage and fury mixed with an uncomfortable oppression filled the air—destroy everything here, all of it!
These people all deserve to die; they should not exist in this world!
They should just die like this, completely disappear from this world!
All the malice buried within everyone seemed to be amplified at this moment.
Archibald and Leopold were the first to be affected; their eyes had already begun to turn blood red, clutching their weapons as if about to erupt at any second.
Amelia and Isabella were slightly better, but their hands were already trembling slightly.
If it weren't for John having activated the effect of the Heart of Dwarf just moments before, he too might have been overwhelmed by now!
No, this cannot go on; this absolutely must not continue!
John struggled to look towards the wooden sculpture.
It seemed to carve the upper body of a creature, but its face was shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible for them to discern the details of the face on the sculpture.
It was indescribable, as if unspeakable.
A fear of the unknown instantly enveloped everyone. Find your chapter at m_v_l_e_m_p_y_r
Though they had never seen the face clearly, everyone felt only one thing: it was terrifying, truly terrifying.
That face seemed like the most horrifying thing they had ever encountered in their world.
It stood silently in place, as if at that moment, everyone was frozen there.
The air was tinged with the faint scent of Rosie flowers, now mixed with the smell of blood, dizzying and overwhelming.
John felt his nerves begin to blur.
He knew very well that if this object were to be revealed, it would be a disaster for the entire Imperial Capital!
He couldn't believe that the people of the Dusk Sect were so deranged as to place this statue of the dark god here!
Madness, this was sheer madness!
Now Archibald and the others had completely succumbed to the oppressive force.
In desperation, John bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, the sharp pain snapping him fully awake.
He struggled against the dizziness clouding his vision and picked up a broken stool from the ground.
With all his might, he hurled it towards the statue.
"To hell with this! Who am I to obey? I make my own choices, who are you to dictate what I do? Even if you are a god, I will destroy you!"
Boom!
The stool hit the statue precisely on the platform.
But the statue seemed as if it were welded to the spot, unmoved and unmarred, not even a scratch on its wooden surface.
Somehow, John felt as though the statue had adopted a mocking expression.
Despite being unable to see anything clearly, veiled as it was by the fog, that feeling intensified.
It seemed to mock John's impotence, as well as their desperate struggles.
Already agitated by the dark god's influence, John felt his anger intensify.
He tried hard to control his emotions, but the anger inside him grew stronger, urgently needing an outlet for release.
John's eyes were bloodshot, heaving with heavy breaths, his hands clenching the knife with a death grip.
He gritted his teeth in the direction of the statue, tasting blood in his gums, yet he did not loosen his hold.
With both hands on the Bloodthirsty Blade, John stared fixedly at the statue.
"You're going to..."
"Die!"
Boom!
A fierce blade energy surged towards the statue, cleaving everything in its path in two.
Godslayer Blade!
Boom! Boom!
The blade energy seemed to meet some resistance when it struck the statue, but in the next instant, it exploded violently!
The cultists, who had lost their ability to move, were instantly reduced to a bloody mess.
The statue merely trembled slightly, as if shuddering from a gust of wind.
John was furious.
If once wasn't enough, he would do it again! He gripped the knife tightly and slashed towards the statue once more.
"Just die!"