Chapter 70: (8)Messiah's path
Warning: This chapter is rated R18 for violence.
A horrified look crossed the Prophetess's face as she realized Apophis was holding the child hostage!
She set her stick down on the ground as a sign of peace. "Listen to me, Eternal! This child is the reincarnation of the God of Truth! He is pure and uncorrupted! If you kill him, forces you cannot even imagine will consider it an unforgivable crime. You will be hunted down by all the luminous gods, Eternal! Think carefully about what you are about to do!"
Apophis didn't say a word. Every moment, his flames did more damage that the Prophetess couldn't evade. Every second he gained brought him closer to victory!
Annoyed by Apophis's lack of response, the Prophetess waved her hand.
The corpses of Apophis's fallen teammates appeared at her feet—with their heads in another pile beside them.
"I can resurrect them!" she said. "I'll do that and then let you all leave this place if you release the child! I swear to you by the creator of the universe! Put down your weapon and leave this dimension in peace."
Apophis was astonished. This was an interesting opportunity. Even if they'd lose out on the ultimate treasure of the Dungeon, everyone would get their characters back...
But just as Apophis was about to agree, Enclabossa whispered, "Master! If you contract with a God of Light, you will lose all your dark powers and I will probably be exorcized from your body! I advise you to find another way out."
Apophis responded to neither Enclabossa nor the Prophetess, but released the terrified child.
The moment he was free, the child scrambled toward the Prophetess, who seemed relieved.
Killing an innocent child, even if it was only an NPC, was just too cruel for even Apophis.
But Apophis suddenly had flashbacks of his old life. He remembered the social and financial misery which had consumed him... the death of his mother, his girlfriend losing him, the years spent in slavery to his old guild...
Tears flowed from Apophis's eyes at the thought of experiencing all that again.
And if he let this child live, and therefore gave up all his power, he would indeed live the same pain all over again.
The child finally reached the Prophetess, who immediately embraced him and began comforting him...
The black flames surrounding the Prophetess formed into a heavy blade that sprouted from her own chest and pierced the child's. Her own embrace killed her ward in an instant.
*[Reincarnation of the God of Truth] killed. Gain 5,602,354 EXP and -1000 Alignment.*
*Level 25 achieved*
The Prophetess stared at the corpse in her arms with shocked horror while Enclabossa laughed in surprised joy.
Apophis activated his Pheonix form and threw a jet of black flame at the Prophetess of Truth! He beat the phoenix's huge wings, hurling more than a hundred huge fireballs at his enemy!
And thanks to the huge alignment shift he'd just received, ~Eternal Flame~ gave him a horrifyingly huge damage bonus of +10,000%!
The Prophetess was still in shock, and couldn't avoid the attack. The full force of Apophis's fire slammed into her and hurled her to the ground, causing her body to burn away under the black flames.
Just before she died, Apophis saw her smile. "You've doomed yourself, Eternal! Your soul is cursed, and the gods will come to take their revenge!"
*Boss [Prophetess of the God of Truth] killed. Gain 7,568,568 EXP and -100 Alignment.*
*Level 26 achieved*
*********Server Announcement*********
"The player 'Apophis' has committed sacrilege by killing the [Reincarnation of the God of Truth.] The title of 'God Slayer' has been bestowed upon him. A bounty of 10,000,000 GC + 1000 Alignment has been placed on him."
*********Server Announcement*********
"Congratulations to the party led by the player 'Apophis' for being the first to clear the Dungeon 'Messiah's Path' on IronMan difficulty! A reward of 1,000,000 GC level has been awarded to each member of the party, as well as a 50% EXP bonus, which will last until their next death."
System: The players "Chocolate," "Hulk," "Lotus," and "White" have joined your guild "Eclipse." The players "Chocolate," "Hulk," "Lotus," and "White" have been added to your friend list.
Apophis was almost stunned! Despite them being removed from the game when they died, they'd been restored upon him beating the Dungeon! That was fantastic!
The four other players didn't understand what had happened, as the game seemed to have put them into a kind of coma once they died, so Apophis spoke up. "I finished the Dungeon! We won!"
Everyone burst out in celebration! Of course, Hulk was completely lost. All the others had seen him die, but from his perspective, he'd answered the question... and then been teleported here! He asked Apophis for more explanation, and everyone listened in amazement to his tale.
Finally, though, it was time to check out their Dungeon rewards!