Chương 95: 1-94 Shine bright

Walking slowly, Josef's gaze was fixed on the man at the far end of the chapel. It would normally be hard to tell at that distance, especially from behind, but there was little doubt as to who was praying there. It had been some time since he had last seen the old elf before he led the expedition into the dungeon. Or rather, the sacrifices towards his ritual site. The sheer audacity of that setup was almost worthy of applause, if the act wasn't all around sickening. Was he truly unaware of their presence?

Josef doubted it, but the bishop showed no signs of movement, even as he approached. The others were following closely, letting him lead despite it not being strictly necessary, considering he no longer had to carve a path through the order mana. Maybe they should have had a proper discussion about tactics prior to this, but the utter lack of information outside of the elf's apparent overwhelming might had been a severely limiting factor.

On top of that, none of them could have predicted this kind of environment or setup. Still, none of them spoke up, though Bezzo had to clamp his brother's mouth shut, making it feel like the choice of approach was up to him. If Thaladur was truly too preoccupied with whatever magic he was casting, then they might just have an opening. Maybe he had not accounted for a possible loss on Borea's side. That line of thought would imply he had no defenses left and was utterly vulnerable.

In that case, one decisive strike could end this whole fight before it even started. Josef didn't believe that would work. Looking at the poor souls sacrificed upon the slabs, he wanted to try the sneak attack, anyway. He had not yet spotted Cana's whereabouts, but if an extended fight broke out, he had no delusions about all the sacrifices surviving. The sooner he finished, the less likely it was for her to be affected.

Clearing the last stretch of distance, he had to ascend several small steps to step onto the bishop's platform. From there, he could finally see clearly what object was on the altar the elf was praying to. It was the golden staff Josef had seen him carry outside the dungeon. Only now it was no longer in his hands, acting like a crutch, but floating in front of him. With his manasight, he could tell that it was no ordinary object, though that much was easy enough to guess just by context.

However, it did tell him without a doubt that the implement was currently taking in unbelievable amounts of mana that rose up from the void below, which started only a few meters behind the altar. From there, it released a thick stream of white mana towards the mass that was forming the ceiling. Additionally, though, he could see some very fine tethers spreading out into the room.

Those became indiscernible at a distance, but from the rough directions, he could surmise that they were somehow connected to the people and the slabs. As only a handful of meters separated them, Josef made his move. It was nothing elaborate, but sometimes simple was best. Also, he had learned from his last attempt to surprise someone strong, so he was not about to get within arm's reach of his target.

Silently coordinating with Pretzel, he summoned his familiar, and together they immediately unleashed a small barrage of projectiles, as they both used their Water Shot spell in tandem. A single projectile might not be all that lethal, but a whole avalanche of them could likely devastate a body. Unfortunately, none of them struck the bishop. A thin film of white spread between them and the elf, and it caught all the projectiles, halting them in their flight, as if frozen.

Then, one by one, they popped like soap bubbles, their mana dispersing and getting absorbed into the ceiling.

"An uncouth greeting, though it fits a creature of the dark, I suppose," Thaladur's voice sounded like a chime echoing all around them. As the elf stood up and turned to face them, Josef focused on revealing his status, now that the element of surprise had gone out the window.

'Menelaos Thaladur': Bishop of Sanctum - Level 83 That was bad, he understood immediately. Worse than bad, even. Just as Onyx had so aptly put, the guy was strong enough to squash them like bugs. While they were used to fighting uphill battles, this one looked to be a sheer cliff face.

"You're one to talk, sacrificing people at the bottom of the dungeon. I see only one dark creature here, and it stands in front of me," Josef engaged in the verbal spat. He had plenty of words, which he was more than happy to throw in the face of this elf. Thaladur showed no hurry, straightening out his robe before answering.

"There are no sacrifices here, only the lost on their way to redemption."

"Sure, redemption," Linda replied sharply.

"What did you redeem them from? Being in your way?" The way she tightly gripped her sword at those words, it was clear what she was thinking about. The old elf shook his head.

"They were suffering from a darkness that befouls the soul. It tempts and corrupts, hiding the path to salvation." Josef wanted to laugh at the audacity, but he felt rather like spitting.

"The only thing that corrupts people here is your so-called light. We have seen what it does to them."

"Poor thing. You are so deeply immersed in the dark that you cannot see the light right in front of you." Surprisingly, Thaladur's face drooped in a genuine appearing display of sadness.

"You have become a wellspring of darkness, harming all those around you without noticing."

"What's that supposed to…" his angry retort petered out as he remembered the dog-person he saw right by the entrance. The people Thaladur had picked out, they couldn't be… This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Unable to contain the sudden suspicion, he turned to look over his shoulder, throwing another glance at the slabs they had passed. Most of the beastkin and scalefolk had felt somewhat familiar.

And now that he was actively looking for the similarities, even the distorted, bleached bodies could no longer hide the truth from him. He had met many of the people on those slabs before. Possibly most of them, even.

"Bastard!" The word came out with cold fury.

"You are targeting my patients." He didn't know how the elf could identify them, if there really was some kind of magic residue on them, but it ultimately didn't matter. Those people had been under his care, and now they had been hurt for it. A horrible feeling spread in his chest, as if he wanted to weep while tearing that bishop limb from limb.

"And those who weren't treated by me?" Josef had to work hard to get those words out coherently. There was no way all these people had been healed by him before, even if many of his patients were adventurers. He had only rarely treated elves, and there were quite a few of them as well.

"Sometimes, responsibility lands on our shoulders, even if we do not look for it. The sin might not have been theirs to commit, but the penance is still theirs to bear." Did a tear just slip from the elf's eye? Collateral happened and was acceptable to Sanctum, at least that was what it sounded like to him. Or maybe they had simply run out of people with his 'taint' on them before they had enough to fuel the ritual, forcing them to expand the roster.

"So you even admit there are innocents!" Zippa roared.

"How could you?"

"Because we will save you." Thaladur's mood immediately changed at this declaration, a solemn determination settling over his face.

"You, and all of Aurum, because that is our sworn duty. And even if not all can endure the incandescence of light, it will welcome them as a part of itself. Eternally." The conviction behind those words made everyone present shudder. They painted a clear picture, and it told them that they would be saved, whether they liked it or not. How very nice of Sanctum. Was there more they could learn about Sanctum and this ritual if they kept talking? If they endured those ravings and fished for information?

Most likely, but Josef's capacity for enduring zealous preaching had been overdrawn. As it turned out, he wasn't the only one to feel so, as one of their adventurer companions boldly shot at the bishop using a bow. Credit where it was due, that was a solid way to stop a conversation. Unfortunately, the projectile was frozen in flight before it could hit its target, falling harmlessly to the ground. It did, however, work as the signal to attack for everyone, as fists were raised and magic was hurled.

Josef renewed his barrage alongside Pretzel, aiming to keep the bishop's defenses occupied with intercepting the magic. Zippa, Bezzo, and Linda all charged, taking different angles to swarm around the elf. One adventurer joined them on that front, whereas another mimicked the first with his own bow. The last, surprisingly, began hurling bolts of lightning, causing enough noise to draw everyone's attention. How did Thaladur react to their fierce omnidirectional onslaught?

He merely raised a hand, creating one fluid motion as if pulling a curtain. The light responded, surrounding him near instantaneously in a protective barrier. Once again, despite its flimsy appearance, it proved to be impenetrable. Projectiles stopped dead in their tracks, magic froze, and even Linda's sword was halted mid swing, getting firmly stuck. Bezzo and Zippa, though, had it the worst, as their claws were embedded into the barrier, regardless of the mana they had used to reinforce them.

From there, their limbs notably began to lose color. Josef immediately reacted, calling upon the chaos affinity within him. It moved more sluggishly than ever before, as if shying away from the light. This was probably the equivalent of using fire underwater, as the light above was clearly suppressing the magic. At least the formation of mana streams with it functioned about as well as always, even if they lacked substance.

Forcing his flowing energy into the intersection between flesh and barrier, both reptiles were able to forcefully pull themselves away. However, doing so came with a cost, as a loud cracking noise occurred at the same time. The thing that broke, however, wasn't the barrier, but the claws caught within it. The conflicting forces of chaos and order were likely too much for them. Thankfully, the affected limbs quickly regained their usual color after the connection was broken.

Otherwise, their limbs might have suffered similar fates under an impromptu cure. They might be very capable with their claws, but he really ought to get these two some actual weapons. Unfortunately, that meant they were highly limited in their combat approach right now. Pulling back to his side, they were just about to try to come up with an alternative, when Josef felt it even before his eyes caught up. A massive amount of the mana overhead began moving. And it all flowed toward the bishop.

"Watch out, he's casting!" his warning came just in time, as a spell took form. Not wanting to experience the brunt of an unknown spell, he went for the most sensible option. He decided to get into cover and pray he didn't get hit. Sprout, surprisingly picking up on his intention, grabbed him with a vine, hauling him off the elevated platform. Thanks to her speed, they made it far enough to use a nearby slab for cover.

Pretzel joined them not a half-second later, but before Josef could even consider whether to pull the stone's occupant into cover as well, the world turned white. The magic that washed over him flowed like a tsunami, even though the wave itself felt dead silent. The order mana had somehow formed a concerning dichotomy of stillness and movement as it spread over the surroundings. Fortunately, it didn't move quite like actual water, but more like a burst of light, expanding outwards linearly.

Which meant his cover held, protecting him from the fallout of the attack. As several seconds passed before the light finally receded, he could only pray the others had found some cover of their own. Finally, blinking his eyes to adjust to the change in lighting, Josef peeked over the stone slab to take note of the situation. The beastkin right on top appeared to be about as lively as he was before, making it seem like the spell had little effect on those already in that ghastly state.

Not all of his companions were quite so lucky, though. The lightning-slinging adventurer, as well as one of the archers, had clearly been too slow to evacuate, having turned into nightmarish white sculptures. Linda and the other two adventurers were nowhere in sight, suggesting they had disappeared behind a stone slab as well. Bezzo and Zippa hadn't made it quite so far, as both of them lay flat on the ground, bodies pressed close to the nook created by the raised platform, on which the bishop stood.

He could see their bodies marred by another spontaneous bleaching, covering large swathes of their backs, but at least they were still moving. Thaladur himself, the one who had cast that devastating spell, looked almost bored as their eyes crossed. The elf wasn't even breathing heavily, as if the magic had been negligibly easy for him. Standing up, gathering another load of chaos for his scaly friends, Josef wondered how they were supposed to survive this.