Imdiately after, they began preparing. Kaiser got as much information as he could from the sisters, then began evaluating the threat level of the statues.
According to Anna, the strongest statues she had faced had strength compared to Awakened Horror. The possibility of stronger statues appearing at the center of the island was also very high.
"I see."
Kaiser said in a low voice, staring at the broken head of a statue on the ground. It had the face of a woman, but her lips were curled eerily.
’All these would rearrange themselves—impressive.’
"What are you thinking?"
Alex approached his crouching figure, bending forward curiously. She had a silver light armor on her body, and a bow was hung on her back.
Without raising his head, Kaiser answered. "I was thinking... what is the purpose of this island? The number of statues here is quite high."
Alex frowned in confusion. "Hm? Perhaps it was a museum?"
"No," He shook his head. "I think it’s actually a worship ground."
"Why do you think so?"
"Its simple, actually." His finger traced the wide smile on the statue’s face. "Nothing in the Nirad Realm is mundane. The angel represents a thing of faith and worship. These random statues are their worshipers."
Anna walked over, holding man-made arrows in her hand. "You’re right. From the files I read, they claim this place was dedicated to worshiping their god. However one day, their god cursed them to beco statues. Then that deity destroyed the place."
She passed the arrows to her younger sister, her expression turning solemn.
"We can’t underestimate them in the slightest. You’ll witness it tonight."
"Yes. I will." Kaiser nodded.
Sothing dark writhed in the depths of his eyes.
......
They waited till nightti, leisurely patrolling the island. As the environnt eventually darkened, they returned to the edge of the island where they had found Kaiser.
After all, it’d be unwise being caught up in the middle of the chaos.
Suddenly, Anna muttered. "It’s starting."
At first, it ca faintly, then turned into a great rumbling over ti. The island shook like it was experiencing an earthquake. The broken pillars and stone structures rose as if carried by unseen forces.
They rearranged themselves, coming in place until it beca a fully decorated worship ground.
Candles lit up from the pillars, illuminating the ground and chasing the encroaching darkness away.
Then, the statues lying on the ground rose. A broken foot in the distance flew over, reattaching itself to a shattered leg. Other scattered pieces ca together, forming a whole being.
Kaiser watched everything happen with narrowed eyes.
’This is really artistic. Rearranging broken patterns is quite an art.’
"Well? Are you ready to advance?"
Anna asked, a round shield on her left arm and a long heavy spear in her right hand.
Kaiser answered by covering his lower face with a mask. The Virtuous Sorrow appeared in his hand, and he dashed forward.
Anna grinned, her red hair flailing behind her as she charged forward.
Alex followed right behind them, knocking an arrow on her bow.
The instant Kaiser stepped onto the cented ground, all heads turned to him. The statues moved unhindered, as if they weren’t made from stone.
The closest one, which was carrying a basket of fruits smacked the basket towards him. The stone fruits shot at him in a flash.
Before they even reached him, Kaiser had already moved. His sword sliced through them easily, though he felt the recoil in his arms.
’Strong!’
He exclaid internally, taking a few steps back. He felt danger approaching him from behind and prepared to duck.
Anna intervened, blocking the kick for him while she stabbed the statue with her spear.
The weapon broke through the torso and sent the statue flying.
"Alex, support him. I can handle myself."
The girl clenched her jaw, then nodded. She turned her attention to Kaiser, who was getting engaged with three statues at once. His kick broke off the head of one statue, while he forcefully cleaved another into two parts.
The last one reached towards his neck, but she imdiately intercepted it with her arrows.
"Explosion!"
The statue shuddered, then got blasted apart violently. Kaiser shielded his eyes from the sudden flash, then glanced at her.
He looked... unreadable.
’Damnit! Have an expression for once!’
Internally frustrated, she concentrated her firepower on the other statues surrounding Kaiser while they moved deeper into the worship grounds.
Behind them, Anna was like a beast. Anywhere her spear passed, statues shattered. Her large round shield was impenetrable, tanking several hits without a single dent.
She paid a little attention to Kaiser, studying his battle pattern.
’He’s surprisingly strong despite his lean build. And the way he fights... it’s strange. He doesn’t fight like a swordsman. He’s always fighting like a strategist.’
The boy moved about the statues, deliberately making them hit each other while he delivered the final hits.
’Indeed, having him with us might help, if not for this damned effect!’
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the island shuddered again. The destroyed statues were quickly repaired, becoming a whole again.
Kaiser thought flatly. ’They’re being repaired? Annoying.’
He deflected a palm strike with his sword, then shattered a jaw he had once broken monts ago.
’There must be a runic formation engineering this mystical repair process.’
His eyes gained the white eight-spoked wheel, and he imdiately spotted the runic formation. It was large, covering the entire island.
’...!!!’
The instant Kaiser saw it, he felt his eyes sting. He imdiately deactivated the Eyes of Sequence, cutting off the divine view.
’Goodness gracious... it’s too profound to be understood. That is definitely not sothing created by a mortal.’
The brief lapse almost earned him a punch in the face, but Anna appeared and blocked with her shield.
"Done observing? Now concentrate."
The young lady said, destroying the statues before her. Kaiser quietly admired her strength, then stepped forward to support her.
She took the left flank, he took the right flank, while Alex supported them from behind.
Gradually, their formation moved deeper into the worship ground. Although the statues were being repaired every few minutes, they eventually arrived at the location of the angel statue they saw during the day.
Unlike the other statues, this angel statue floated in the sky, its two wings spread wide. Its hands were clasped as if praying, its expression devout.
The instant Kaiser saw it, his skin crawled.
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