The monster relentlessly pursued John, as if determined to annihilate him on the spot no matter where he fled.
John narrowly dodged one of the tentacles.
He was only 30 meters away from the wooden sculpture!
Faster, just a bit faster!
If he could just speed up a little more, he was sure he could lead everyone to safety.
Only 30 seconds left!
John's HP continued to decrease; he clenched a HP recovery potion between his teeth.
The rate at which his HP was falling had become terrifyingly fast, and he replenished it as soon as it dropped below half.
Thankfully, the stored HP in the Bloodthirsty Blade also helped automatically restore a portion, or he would not have been able to withstand the loss.
HP recovery potions, after all, had a cooldown time!
So, he generally prioritized using the HP from the Bloodthirsty Blade, followed by his own HP recovery potion.
Faster, just a bit faster!
Only 10 meters to go!
John swiftly passed by Archibald and Isabella.
But he noticed that these two seemed to be contaminated already, their pupils beginning to dilate.
Their necks stiffly turned towards John, as if they might charge at him any second.
Disaster!
It seemed that these two were thoroughly contaminated.
If he couldn't resolve this soon, he feared he too might become contaminated.
Only 25 seconds left!
John fought against the vexing voices in his mind as he swiftly grasped the wooden sculpture.
The moment he touched it, a dense fog seemed to envelop his entire body instantaneously.
Endless murmurs echoed around him, countless voices urging him to let go, to succumb.
Yet, he gritted his teeth, struggling to clear his mind.
He did not know what would happen if he continued like this, but he knew giving up would lead to no good end.
He did not want to sink further into this abyss; he had to get away.
Yet, his hands clung tightly to the sculpture, unwilling to release it, instead biting down hard to steady his emotions, to calm himself.
No, he must resist; he had to hold on!
With the Bloodthirsty Blade in his hand, he struck fiercely at the sculpture.
Thud!
The blade, sharp as iron, merely left a scratch on the sculpture, unable to break through.
However, as more marks appeared on the sculpture, the black fog in the air thickened.
Only 10 seconds left!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Just stay here, in the home of the gods."
"Only here can you have everything you desire, for you are the most perfect being in this world."
"The divine will fulfill all your wishes, granting you everything you yearn for."
"Why would you leave?"
"Clearly, as a favored one of the gods, you know that staying here is where you can truly thrive."
"You are a child of the divine; if you wish, you will one day rule the land of the gods as the sole sovereign!"
Murmurs incessantly buzzed around John's ears, as if there were countless voices, yet it seemed there was only one.
Too many voices clamored at him, flaunting their corruption incessantly.
John's head ached terribly, and his spirit seemed to slowly turn black.
He bit his tongue sharply, a fierce pain spreading throughout his body, momentarily clearing his mind.
But soon, he realized his consciousness was drifting upwards, floating to the highest point where he once again saw the temple adorned with mysterious and eerie patterns.
The temple radiated a dark red glow, its patterns particularly sinister, as if a mere glance could dizzy and bewilder.
John found his thoughts uncontrollably drawn towards the temple.
Subsequently, his emotions began to darken and despair set in.
It felt as if he was about to pull out a knife and destroy everything here in the next second.
"Destroy it, destroy everything!"
Only this way is best, only this way can you obtain everything you desire!
Everyone in this world has wronged you; you are the sovereign of this world.
Even if you destroy everything here, no one would fault you.
You are divine, you are the child of a god!
Countless voices echoed in John's ears.
Uncontrollably, he drifted towards the temple, where the patterns on the ground seemed to come alive, twisting like snakes, banners weaving and intertwining with each other!
No...
Wake up...
Wake up!
John struggled to regain clarity, but the force was overwhelmingly powerful.
He couldn't resist!
As he drew closer to the temple, its grand doors slowly opened.
John could almost see what lay beyond those doors.
But in the next moment, he felt a burning sensation within his body, slowly igniting.
The fire grew fiercer, heating his very soul.
Stay updated with m-v l|-NovelFire
The pervasive black mists around him seemed to detest the fire within him, swirling towards him as if to extinguish the blaze inside.
Yet, the fire burned more vigorously, mingled with a black and red glow, as if blood itself were ablaze!