Liliana had already clashed with the people in the ruins. The reason was obvious: the cultists gathered there wanted to perform a special ritual. Given the context of this world, it was highly likely they were trying to summon a God.
But is a God that easy to summon?
Luo Guang narrowed his eyes. He saw that besides the cultists, there were several unconscious ordinary people, clearly the unlucky ones captured for sacrifice. Furthermore, several bodies had already been dismembered by sharp objects, filling the air with a heavy, rusty smell of blood. Because they were cultists, the ritual was definitely not a pleasant sight.
However, the ritual clearly could not proceed now. The righteous maiden had launched a surprise attack, disrupting its rhythm. The cultists were furious, as the summoning of the deity was only a hair's breadth away.
But no one noticed that as the battle continued and the amount of blood on the ground increased, the blood gradually flowed along the almost-dry lines on the floor, forming a blood-red pattern.
After watching for a while, Luo Guang sensed that a slight wind had begun to stir in the enclosed cave. However, neither party in the fight noticed anything unusual.
It wasn't until the breeze intensified into a gust that Liliana finally realized something was wrong. The wind continued to strengthen, and even the cave began to vibrate. Yet, the blood on the pattern remained perfectly still, not stirring at all.
Liliana swung her sword, knocking a cultist away, and stared with wide, beautiful eyes at the sudden change.
"What is happening here?"
As a witch, she was more sensitive to the flow of magical power—than others. The maiden could feel a powerful surge of the energy intensifying. Her azure eyes looked down at the ground, and the pattern of a snake-haired beastman, formed entirely of blood, seemed to be staring back at her. Even for a Great Knight like Liliana, goosebumps covered her body.
And she quickly realized it was not her imagination. The pattern on the ground had truly come alive. The outline formed by the blood was trembling. This sight utterly terrified her. The pattern gained an expression, looking as if it were suffering some kind of pain and was extremely angry. The raging wind also carried what sounded like the roar of a beast.
At this moment, the remaining cultists, upon seeing the scene, were overcome with ecstasy.
"It has begun! Sacrifice all that we are to the Great One!" one of the men yelled.
Hearing him, the others immediately turned their weapons on themselves, plunging them into their own hearts or cutting off their own heads.
Luo Guang watched the magic circle grow brighter.
Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne?
Liliana in the clearing knew she could not wait any longer.
"O mountains of Gilboa, I pray that the sweet dew of rain may descend upon you! Offer the desired sacrifice to the thirsty beast! Abandon yourselves and become the shield of the hero on the other side! Shield of Thor, infused with fat, dedicate yourself here!"
The maiden chanted a beautiful Spirit Word/Incantation. A powerful Incantation erupted from her body, quickly causing the White Silver Masterpiece in her hand to radiate a scorching light. She was preparing to destroy the area.
However, just as she was about to swing her sword, a venomous snake emerged from the blood sea with a hiss and lunged at the girl.
This is bad.
Her entire focus was on the magic circle itself, and she was now utterly defenseless. Her proud magic and sword skills were useless, and she could only watch helplessly as the snake struck at her.
But in this moment of crisis, an arm appeared from behind her, grabbed her by the collar, and pulled her backward like a puppy. The venomous snake struck air, but Liliana was still unable to launch an attack.
Immediately after, a potent and savage Divine Essence emanated from outside the void. Accompanying this energy was an overwhelming sense of terrifying oppression.
The magic circle also underwent a change. The bodies of the dead cultists were wrapped up by the snakes, which then pierced their foreheads with their fangs, causing bright red blood to spray out. The mouths of some cultists who weren't completely dead opened and closed in agony; they were likely regretting their actions now. Yet, only blood from their chest cavities flowed out of their mouths.
The snakes fully burrowed into their bodies, supporting them like pillars, making them look like living people. Liliana stared at the scene, her mind a blank. At this point, she could no longer stop the ritual.
"Why can these people summon a God so easily?" she asked, her voice tinged with panic. If it were that easy, would the Marquis Voban need to investigate the whole world?
"What if it's not a summoning, but an awakening?"
An unfamiliar voice came from behind, startling Liliana. Like a startled rabbit, she sprang away and stood three steps back. She held the White Silver Masterpiece in a defensive stance, confronting the figure behind her.
But after clearly seeing Luo Guang's appearance and attire, her expression froze. He wasn't a local, and... his looks made her pause for a moment.
"Who are you?" Liliana's voice softened slightly.
"Is my name more important than the Unrighteous God?" Luo Guang replied with a faint smile.
He has such a beautiful smile. The thought suddenly occurred to Liliana, but she violently shook it off. She steadied her mind, no longer questioning him, but instead invoked a spell to channel the power of her White Silver Masterpiece and attack the magic circle.
But it was useless now. A barrier made of blood blocked the attack. This only made the presence more frenzied. The cave shook violently, and loose soil rained down from the ceiling. The tremor even affected the outside world, causing immense changes to the mountains and the celestial phenomena.
The calm sky turned into a raging storm under the intense magic. Countless raindrops, carried by the wind, swept across the land, hitting car bodies with enough force to cause dents. A branch of the Ganges River experienced a river surge, and the two-meter-deep water immediately flooded an area of several dozen kilometers nearby.
These were events that were currently happening and could not be stopped. Liliana watched the submerged area, her expression grim. But she was now completely overwhelmed.
"Is there any way to stop Him?" Escaping the cave, she anxiously paced on the hillside.
"It's simple," Luo Guang said.
"Just kill Him."