Chapter 394

[Negative effect 'Unknown' has been removed.]

I knew it was effective as the pain sensation I had my skin was significantly diminished after activating that. Now only a slight itchiness bothered me. I was certain that the Old One's Mana had greatly influenced me to an extent. I straightened my posture while scratching the back of my neck.

I stated coldly, "Are you actually going to run away? You have witnessed what awaits you outside."

After I gave the Supreme Priest a questioning glance to clarify our location, she mentioned the term 'altar.' According to her, this place happened to be one of the three locations within the 'Hall of Lacryma' that could only be learned from Saint Cassian's archive. She added that there was no information about the other two places.

"Don't forget the...deal she said, but I ignored her and shifted my attention to the wizard Cereville.

An explosion had occurred in the corridor, and two people from the team died in the hall. Despite the commotion, he was still sitting comfortably with his eyes closed. He had three rings engraved on his heart, and now, the process of forming the fourth ring was underway as if he was weaving small chains.

Moreover, Basman was in a trance with a sword in his hand rather than grieving the death of his blood relative. Only the few who couldn't handle Mana were looking at me.

This place was strange. The commotion caused by the battle between Doom Entegasto and Saint Jayden had created chaos, yet the Mana of the Old One was overflowing. Furthermore, the Old One's Mana was interfering with my sensory network, making it difficult to determine the exact number and placement of the Grafs in the area.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to a lifeless corpse that had been propelled in front of my foot by an explosion. The torso had been ripped apart, revealing a mana stone nestled among the cracked ribs. Typically, the mana stone would be concentrated in a black hue, but this one looked cloudy.

Although I had never witnessed a mana stone that had a grayish color, I could make an assumption as to why it was like this. Given the tremendous excitement that the Old One's Mana had stirred within me, it would have undoubtedly affected the innards of any monsters present as well.

I observed the Supreme Priest, thinking that she might have some kind of reaction similar to those who dealt with Mana, who were all lost in their own minds right now.

The letters embedded on the walls, fallen debris, and pillars started to emit a radiant glow. The flow of Mana in the area began to swirl vigorously around the Supreme Priest, who had been gazing at the wall while briefing me earlier. Soon, a halo of light appeared behind her, and she began to shake uncontrollably.

However, that only lasted for a moment. Her arms soon stretched out straight, and her head tilted back as far as it could. Her eyes rolled up as saliva and mucus dripped down from her nose, and her tongue hung out below her mouth. Her face now had a hideous expression that didn't match the bright sacred light behind her. Moreover, the blood vessels on her forehead were visible as they were repeatedly swelled and subsided multiple times.

In fact, I debated whether or not to kill her because there was clearly something powerful happening inside her. If I wasn't going to cut her throat, then I should at least take some minimal measures...

Hiss-!

My Alpha and Gamma tails abruptly darted out, winding around each of the priest's outstretched arms, while the remaining Beta tail coiled around her legs. I formed a wall of fire with my wings, grabbed her neck with one hand, and pushed her against the wall.

Bang!

[* Storage box]

[Zeus's Thunder Spear has been removed.]

Odin's Wrath was still activated. I aimed the tip of the spear, which sparked with lightning, toward her side so that I could pierce her heart.

I whispered in her ears while keeping the posture, "Lacryma is not here, Priest."

My words triggered her, and she started resisting me.

***

The altar was undoubtedly affecting everyone present. Basman had leapt into the Sword Expert section, while Cereville had created four rings. Nevertheless, if this was converted into the Awakened system, then they had barely progressed out of the Bsilgol section.

The Supreme Priest, however, was unlike the others. She resisted my tails with gritted teeth, which was reminiscent of the original Graf species that had traversed the Continent of Death. In an attempt to subdue her, I forcefully slammed her face against the wall several times, causing bright flashes of light with each impact.

The ground where the altar was located shook, but the priest's face showed no signs of injury despite the repeated strikes against the wall. When I pushed her with all my strength, her face contorted against the surface. Her tongue was still lolling out of her mouth, and her eyes were blank. However, she was smiling as if she enjoyed the pain.

The altar and the priest made a well-matched pair. I had been keeping her alive because it was possible that there were more secrets associated with the altar, and my thoughts hadn't changed yet. Instead, I decided to rip her smile off her face and bring her back to reality from whatever had possessed her.

I grabbed her face, pulled it backward, and slammed it against the wall once more. Then, I twisted the tail's direction and hurled her to the ground. I climbed on top of her.

I had already thrown the spear in the air, so both of my fists were free. I maximized my Strength along with Agility.

Slam! Slam! Slaaaaam-!

With each blow, the force traveled through my fists like a spring, up toward my hips. She desperately attempted to break free with a mocking smile while exhibiting grotesque expressions. She continued to drool disgustingly, which contrasted sharply with her sacred aura. All these contradictions were coming to an end.

Suddenly, her face stiffened, and the swirling flow of Mana around her returned to its original state. The protective light that surrounded her vanished without a trace, and my fist stopped right in front of her face.

A scream finally burst out of her mouth. The resulting wind pressure had caused her skin to tear apart, causing blood to seep out from her tightly closed eyes. Her nose, which had been dripping with mucus, was already crushed.

She had returned to an insignificant priest, but...

Huh?

I detected the wild flow of Mana, which I had believed had ceased, now emanating from a different source. It was from Basman. His eyes had turned blank, and his tongue was lolling out, exactly similar to how the priest had looked.

I gripped the spear by gathering all the lightning streaks.

I announced, "This is tiring."

After successfully subduing both Basman and Cereville, I realized that something within the Mana had attempted to escape through their bodies. However, I didn't give them enough time to do so before they all collapsed.

I moved over toward the priest while scratching the back of my neck. Her face had become distorted due to the wind pressure of my fist, and she was reciting a prayer slowly and quietly. Once she had finished praying, she pleaded for her life. I wanted to hear what had happened directly from them.

I stepped back and allowed her time to recover. As her prayer concluded, the overflowing Mana on the altar merged with her. Then, the light not only healed her but also Basman and Cereville. However, when the light touched me slightly, I experienced extreme discomfort, so I kept my distance.

After having her face completely healed, the priest stood up. I was about to ask what had happened, but she seemed to fixate on something beyond the corridor momentarily. I realized that it was the entity that had tried to escape through the exploration team members, including the priest.

There was only one thing for me to say to her.

"Lead the way, Priest."

***

A number of Grafs appeared, and they all possessed grayish, mutated mana stones. They were reckless in attacking me, without hesitation. However, their minds weren't controlled by the Old One as they even tried to attack the priest. They didn't seem to move with reasoning, except for distinguishing their kin. They were uncontrollable to the point of attacking everything in sight.

It dawned on me that the reason why I had not encountered the winged original Graf species was that they likely had lost their sanity upon entering this area. I found it amusing to think of Doom Insectum, who was bound to the sea, longing to enter this place.

Anyway, the priest had apparently discerned the path when she had been swept up by the Mana. Her footsteps illuminated the ancient letters, and new passages appeared in her direction.

We eventually arrived at the site where Doom Entegasto and Saint Jayden had engaged in combat. The destruction was not limited to mere cracks and collapsed pillars. The entire area had been decimated, leaving behind massive impact craters reminiscent of a meteorite strike.

The priest pointed ahead with an arm that shook tremendously. I sensed her feelings of guilt for committing a cardinal sin and entrusting their fate to me. As I patted her shoulder and passed by, she collapsed, covering her face with her hands.

"You had no choice, but to do this, Ms. Manolia."

Basman's comforting voice provided solace to her.

This time, my pounding heart wasn't due to the Old One's Mana. Excitement coursed through me as I spotted an abandoned sword in the center of the crater.

Approaching the sword, it suddenly emitted a red flame that appeared threatening, but it only felt like a welcoming gesture to me. There was no sign that the sword held a dangerous energy, but the sword itself hadn't been completed. Its blade had been cut in half, and the tip of the blade was missing.

I grabbed the handle with my tail Alpha.

[Saint Jayden's Broken Sword]

However, the notification message began to shake before giving me all the information.

[Saint Jayden's Broken Sword]

As soon as a line crossed through the message...

[Half of the Great Red's Heart]

A new message replaced the previous one.