A tremendous force struck towards the statue.
Boom!
In that instant, everything exploded.
Everything in its path was split in two, and everyone watched in horror as the scene unfolded.
Those affected, like Archibald, seemed to be slowly regaining their senses, though they were still somewhat groggy.
The eyes of the frenzied cultists on the ground grew even more arrogant.
They looked at John as if he were their father's murderer.
How dare he?
How dare he harm their true god?
This was their only true god, their only deity!
Since this man had harmed their god, his life was the only suitable repayment.
The power of the dark god was too overwhelming. Stay ahead with m v l em pyr
Even though John and the others were prepared, Archibald was still affected, as were Amelia and the rest.
A look of painful struggle appeared on Amelia's face, as if she was trying to fully awaken from this controlled state, but she was still unable to manage her emotions.
Archibald's hands trembled slightly as he held his staff, his eyes filled with conflict and struggle as he looked at John.
One voice incessantly told him that anyone who dared to harm the divine lord deserved only death.
Yet another voice ceaselessly reminded him, "This is your friend, your companion, the one who saved your life. How can you harm him? How could you possibly harm him?!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Isabella's mouth, and her eyes gained a moment of clarity.
John had just unleashed the Godslayer Blade!
Now his MP was reduced by 80%!
If it were a silver-tier, there might still be a chance of failure with this move.
But now that he had ascended to gold-tier, it was different.
He could execute this move completely almost every time, though it consumed a great deal of MP.
Fortunately, he was no longer afraid of running out of MP; otherwise, after using this move, he would be rendered useless.
The sound of numerous chaotic footsteps came from above, as if people were rushing towards them.
John gasped for air, looking towards the direction of the noise.
The Hidden Stars had arrived, though they were still assessing the situation.
"Leave this place!"
John shouted loudly, his voice so piercing that it startled the people outside.
Even the resolute minds of the Hidden Stars were affected; if this were to spread, the ordinary citizens would truly be doomed.
John bit down on his tongue again, the sharp pain snapping him back to clarity.
Even with the mental defense boost from the Heart of Dwarf, he was still tainted to this extent; if he allowed this wooden statue to continue unchecked...
The contamination would only intensify, possibly affecting the entire population of the Imperial Capital!
With this thought, John clenched his teeth and struggled to maintain his clarity, desperately moving towards the wooden sculpture.
The frenzied cultists around him, though debilitated, still made frantic attempts to grab at him and bite him as he passed.
It seemed they would do anything within their power to hinder John.
Finally, John reached the sculpture.
He dared not touch it with his hands, instead he wielded the Bloodthirsty Blade and struck it fiercely.
Boom!
Although it was a wooden statue, it felt as hard as crystal at that moment.
Sparks even flew when the Bloodthirsty Blade struck it!
No good, again!
He slashed viciously once more, and the sculpture visibly split into four pieces.
Simultaneously, John acutely felt the people around him become even more frenzied.
He distinctly saw a thick black mist emanating from the splitting statue.
The people around, upon sensing this odor, became even more manic.
Amelia and Isabella, who had been somewhat lucid, now plunged back into madness, their eyes turning blood red.
In an instant, it seemed as if everyone's skills were hurled towards John.
At this moment, there was no kinship, no rational thought, only one idea in their minds: to kill this disrespectful blasphemer!
John gritted his teeth, unsure how to resolve the bewitched state of those around him.
But perhaps destroying the target completely could solve it!
Before all the skills could crash onto him, he aimed to utterly pulverize the wooden sculpture.
But the next second, all the skills came smashing down!
The glow from the skills even brightened the entire basement, and John was about to be overwhelmed by them.
Light shield!
At the crucial moment, he swiftly raised a protective shield.
However, the barrage of skills from the crowd was too much and too fast; even John's shield couldn't withstand it.
Almost instantly, the shield shattered completely.