Chapter 1436 Protect The Temple Of Bastet I

Knowing their next courses of action, the groups split up once more. The players that saved Adrian minus Frey were split into two as they became reinforcements. Adrian sent them to the locations specifically as he teleported all of them personally to see the situation.

Seeing that they could handle the rest, Adrian and Frey went straight to the Temple of Bastet. The two of them were greeted by the priests of Bastet in their battle armor. It seems that the temple has been getting attacked sneakily during the march of the Shadow of Apophis.

They have been defending the city ever since the Shadow of Apophis started to move. The logistics in the temple is also messed up as merchants have not visited ever since the monsters started running amok. Only a few merchants that have great guards would dare move and they would jack up their prices to cover the loss.

"In other words, this place is just a ticking time bomb that is dying to explode." Adrian stated in front of all the elders of the Temple of Bastet.

"Thank you for your great observation, Champion Equinox. We already know that which is why we are trying to make use of the Endless Desert as a means of food transportation. It is much safer than the sands that the Shadow of Apophis occupies." The High Priestess Estet stated with a strained smile.

"The addition of the warriors that came to support us is also straining the food as they also need to consume something. They may be able to revive but that only makes their stomachs more bottomless as they get hungry with each revival." One of the priests reported as they will go into food shortage in a matter of days if something does not change.

"I can alleviate that problem." Adrian stated which made the elders silent.

"Care to give more detail?" The High Priestess Estet asked.

"I am the Champion of the Twin Gods." Adrian stated.

"Does that mean you can turn a barren land into something that could bear fruit?!" The elders all asked in excitement.

"Chill! I am the Champion of the Twin Gods not the Envoy of the Twin Gods. Although, I might be able to shift a whole forest if it is very close to this location." Adrian mumbled.

"Can you do that?!" The elders asked.

"I might if I have the help of other Arch Demons, but they are busy fixing the mess that the angels created. If the angels did not cause a disturbance, then the other Arch Demons would have been able to help freely. Anyway... the help that I am speaking of is distributing some food here as there is already a greater demon stationed here." Adrian stated as he pointed to the greater demon behind him.

"But Lord Equinox!" The greater demon was about to say something when Adrian interjected.

"You will be compensated for your work. All you need to do is have Piggy Bank come and go with supplies here." Adrian told the Greater Demon, and the latter did not reply back as the former used his aura.

"The supplies will not be free though as I know that you have collected a lot of monster materials. You can trade that for food supplies that will last for quite some time." Adrian stated as he knew that everything is not free.

Adrian already told Piggy Bank about the war supply and the latter became delighted. Piggy Bank could smell money and he knew that Adrian is someone that could print it. Piggy Bank immediately told all the merchant guilds across the central continent to procure supplies for the estimated number of people.

The elders of the Temple of Bastet suddenly eliminated one of the worries with just the help of one individual. They cannot help but greatly admire what Adrian has done for them. It is to the point that they would do anything for him should he needs them.

[You have gained the absolute trust of the Temple of Bastet.]

[You can move their entire army should you need them for something.]

[The Goddess Bastet is giving you her heartfelt appreciation in helping her followers.]

"Do not thank me yet as we are not even in the most difficult part." Adrian stated as they are receiving reports that the Shadow of Apophis is only six hours away from the Temple of Bastet.

"We are eternally grateful for the help that you have given us, Champion Equinox. Due to that, I think you also need to know something else that we must protect in the Temple of Bastet. Please follow me to the secret vault." The High Priestess Estet stated.

"Are you coming?" Adrian asked Frey.

"Should I come with you? I think that I am not worthy of knowing that secret since I just arrived here with you." Frey replied.

"I think another one knowing would not be that big of a deal, right?" Adrian asked.

"As Frey is a Valkyrie and a friend of Champion Equinox, she can know of the thing that I am about to show you. If she also knows what is at stake, then she might unlock the true power of a Valkyrie as she knows that she is protecting something." The High Priestess Estet stated.

"I will come if you want me to go with you." Frey replied with a rather blushing face.

The High Priestess Estet led them down a spiral staircase which led to a sealed room guarded by two powerful feline monsters. These two feline monsters would have attacked if they were not stopped by an artifact that the High Priestess Estet used. These feline monsters are called Supreme Lynxes as they were monsters trained by the Goddess Bastet herself when she was in the mortal realm.

"Why are powerful monsters here? If you used them against the Shadow of Apophis, then you might get the upper hand." Adrian stated.

"Because they are guarding something even more dangerous than the Shadow of Apophis." The High Priestess Estet stated as she activated the artifact once more to open the stone door with the carvings of a feline goddess clad in the burning flames of the sun.

When the door opened, Adrian and Frey saw the whole room is actually frozen to the point that even they could feel the chill. The whole room was being frozen by an artifact that absorbed all the heat inside the room. A figure was encapsulated in pure ice in the middle of the room, and it has the same likeness of the being etched in the stone door.

The only difference that the being encased in ice is that she was not burning in hot flames. She still has the fierce demeanor that the stone door emanated, and she was clutching something in the middle of her hands. Adrian could feel the powerful miasma inside the thing that the being encased in ice is clutching.

"She is the Goddess of Hot Desert Sun, Plague, Chaos, War, and Healing. She is the Goddess Sekhmet. The goddess that is the fiercest blade of the Sun God Ra who also once threatened to get rid of all humanity." The High Priestess Estet stated.

The two of them are shocked to see a goddess being sealed inside a temple in the mortal realm. They thought that it was not possible as even the Distorted God Apophis needed to be split into many pieces to manifest. If she was sealed in the mortal realm, then her current state is of a goddess that only has the power that is weaker than a demigod.

"Wait! If she gets released, then she would be the first goddess to have the power of a lesser goddess in the mortal realm. Are you telling me that the thing that she is clutching is the Spirit of Apophis?" Adrian suddenly stated.

"You are correct. The Shadow of Apophis wants to claim that thing that the Goddess Sekhmet is clutching." The High Priestess Estet stated.

"If the Shadow of Apophis were to get the Spirit of Apophis, then the Goddess Sekhmet would just be released. She will join the fight against the Shadow of Apophis if that happens right?" Frey asked.

"If only life was that easy, but it is not because she was sealed here when she was angry at humanity. That rage is still burning bright because it was humanity that helped the Sun God Ra get struck down. She was sealed with the Spirit of Apophis unwillingly as well as we sealed her with it when she was stricken by madness." The High Priestess Estet stated.

"This is the consequence that you want us to see. If the Shadow of Apophis reaches the depths, then it will not only become more powerful but also release a rage of a goddess driven by madness. Great to know that our options are getting swallowed by a distorted god or burn in the flames of a goddess' fury." Adrian stated.