Chapter 639 612-The Despair of the Dark God
After confirming that all his divine scrolls were ready, John took a step forward.
"Then let's not waste any more time. I've checked all my scrolls and weapons. I'm ready to fight at any moment."
Duke Arsena, standing by John's side, quickly added, "I've also made all necessary preparations! As a Paladin, I'm not afraid to sacrifice myself!"
Legendary Warrior Aike glanced at John and then at Duke Arsena, recalling battles fought alongside his comrades.
"It's an honor to fight alongside you! You truly are the strongest warriors of the Order Faction in this era!"
After expressing his respect, Aike unhesitatingly advanced towards the dark lair, with John and Duke Arsena promptly following.
As the trio calmly proceeded towards the dark lair, they felt an increasing mental corruption the closer they got.
John's mind was flooded with various voices, some belonging to enemies, others to friends, and even some from himself.
These voices continuously dissuaded him from proceeding.
He could hear Emma's advice one moment and Darklord's taunts the next.
Regardless of the source, all voices in his mind opposed his current actions, aiming to halt his advance.
John glanced at his attribute panel, noting, as expected, a continuous decline in his stats.
"How are you holding up? My attributes are steadily dropping! The Saint of Mystery must have started his attack on us!"
John shared his condition with Legendary Warrior Aike and Duke Arsena.
Aike seemed relatively unaffected, understanding that the impact on John was normal under the circumstances.
"It's natural for you two to be affected, as you haven't directly combated the Saint of Mystery before. I've battled him and am thus unaffected."
Despite the mental onslaught from the Saint of Mystery, the trio finally reached the entrance to the dark lair.
At the entrance, John could hear terrifying roars from within, eerily familiar to him.
"The sounds from within the lair are very familiar! They seem to be the voices of Devils from the Dark Realm, not the Saint of Mystery!"
John quickly deduced that the horrifying roars were indeed those of the corrupting Devils, confirming Legendary Warrior Aike's speculation.
"The Saint of Mystery is indeed battling the Devils! Perhaps we should seize this opportunity to launch an attack on the Saint of Mystery," suggested Duke Arsena.
Given that the Saint of Mystery hadn't fully defeated the Devils opposing him in the Dark Realm, their plan stood a higher chance of success.
The moment Aike's weapon made contact with the swirling Mystery forces, he was torn apart, instantly killed by the overwhelming power of the Saint of Mystery.
John, along with the Corruptor, was taken aback, unable to react or offer any assistance to Aike before his swift demise.
In the face of this shocking turn of events, John wasted no time in pulling out his Book of the Astral Realm.
To guarantee an uninterrupted teleportation, he also used a divine scroll specialized in teleportation skills.
With the combined power of the two sacred relics, John instantly transported himself to a location not far from the entrance of the dark lair, where he encountered Duke Arsena.
"John, why are you here? Weren't you far ahead of me? I couldn't keep up with you and Legendary Warrior Aike! How did the battle go?"
Duke Arsena encountered significant difficulties after entering the dark lair.
As a Paladin, he could summon the power of Holy Light to illuminate his path in the darkness.
However, the Saint of Mystery's overpowering influence rendered the Holy Light incapable of lighting up any part of the lair, significantly slowing Arsena's progress compared to John and Aike.
Faced with Duke Arsena's questions, John had no time to explain.
"There's no time to discuss this now! The Saint of Mystery's power is overwhelming; our approach was too reckless! We must escape the Dark Realm as quickly as possible!"
John grabbed Duke Arsena's hand and sprinted towards the entrance of the dark lair.
Confused and still wanting to inquire about Legendary Warrior Aike's whereabouts, Duke Arsena was hurried along by John.
Upon reaching the entrance, John once again utilized the power of the Book of the Astral Realm.
The consecutive uses of the Book's power in a short span had taken a significant toll on John's mental state.
"Where's Legendary Warrior Aike? Is he still battling the Saint of Mystery?! If he is fighting, why are we running away?!"
Still brimming with questions, Duke Arsena could receive no answers from John, who was now rendered speechless by the ordeal.
As Arsena was about to probe further, a harrowing scream echoed from the depths of the dark lair, signaling the complete annihilation of the Corruptor Devil by the Saint of Mystery.
This realization dawned upon Arsena, who then understood the grim fate that likely befell Legendary Warrior Aike at the hands of the Saint of Mystery.
Without hesitation, Arsena moved to John's side, and John, gathering the last of his strength, activated the teleportation power of the Book of the Astral Realm.
With the book's assistance, John and Arsena were swiftly teleported back to Storm City.
As they departed the Dark Realm, both John and Arsena witnessed a Shadow emerging from the dark lair, marking the last glimpse of the realm they left behind.