Outside the Crimson Realm, in a dilapidated church within the slums of Stellarburg, a middle-aged man dressed in priestly garb, with a kind face, stood beneath a statue, whispering prayers.
In front of him lay an infant, swaddled and pale.
A woman in tattered clothes, her face wan, knelt on the ground with hands clasped together, praying devoutly, "May the Lord bless my child and drive away the calamity from him..."
After a long while, the priest slowly closed the book in his hands and kindly said to the woman, "The prayer ritual is complete, the evil has been vanquished. After a good sleep, your child will be well."
Just as the priest had said, the infant, who had been on the brink of death, now miraculously began to look rosy.
He wriggled his little mouth, already deeply asleep, indistinguishable from a healthy child.
The woman hurried forward, carefully picking up the baby.
Seeing her child, who had been at death's door, truly improved, tears slid down her cheeks as she quickly thanked the priest, "Thank you, Father Rean, thank you for saving my child!"
The priest, nad Rean, wore a gentle smile as he soothed the woman's emotions before seeing her out of the church.
Then, Father Rean's smile slowly faded, and his expression beca as calm as still water.
He approached the statue and took out an envelope from the donation box that had appeared at so unknown ti.
Father Rean did not open the envelope, instead calmly stating, "Black Ghost and Owen are almost ready, let everyone prepare in advance."
The church was empty, yet several voices ca in unison, "Yes, Archbishop!"
Dusk Archbishop Rean, with a profound look in his eyes, declared, "The Descent of God plan is about to comnce. This ti, no one can stop the arrival of Dusk!"
In the air, voices echoed once again.
With fervent and devout tones, they proclaid, "For Dusk!!!"
...
In the Crimson Realm, amidst the trial.
Lucas, covered in wounds, was frantically running for his life.
"Boom!!!" A serpent of blazing flas exploded in the palace, the powerful blast nearly knocking him off his feet, the sll of singed hair wafting through the air.
Lucas dared not look back, using all his strength to flee.
Behind him, John, wearing a black mask and surrounded by a cyan shield, his Necrostaff glowing with an icy blue light, launched an ice spear with a whooshing sound towards Lucas.
Lucas sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the ice spear's attack, only to face several thunder arrows shot at him in quick succession.
He dodged in panic, looking extrely bedraggled.
He clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with humiliation and rage.
Lucas couldn't understand how this individual, rely of bronze-tier, possessed such overwhelming magical power.
Even after his own blood crystal had shattered, this person could still cast spells incessantly.
In reality, John's magical power was almost depleted too.
However, with Seraphina's skill aiding his MP recovery, he was able to continue unleashing skills without restraint.
Lucas realized that continuing this way was not a solution.
It wouldn't take long for John's skills to cool down.
Once that happened, John would soon return to his peak condition, while his own blood crystal wouldn't be able to recharge in a short period.
By then, he would surely be killed by John!
Lucas had no doubt that this crazed individual would dare to kill him, especially since others in the trial had no idea what was really happening.
At this mont, Lucas was unaware that everyone outside was watching this unfold.
Otherwise, he would definitely have used his status to threaten John, making him hesitate to harm him.
For Lucas now, pondering over anything else was aningless; surviving was all that mattered.
With his mind racing, Lucas finally gritted his teeth, madness gleaming in his eyes.
If they wanted him dead, then he would drag everyone down with him.
A bloody glow erged around Lucas, his speed bursting forth once again, using up the little strength he had just regained.
With all his might, Lucas headed quickly towards the palace's grand hall!
John, seeing Lucas's sudden burst and the direction of his escape, imdiately understood his intention.
He was heading for the coffin containing the body of the Crimson Demon!
John's gaze turned grave, and he quickened his pace significantly.
Allowing Lucas to reach the Crimson Demon's coffin was unthinkable; although he didn't know what would happen, it surely wouldn't be anything good.
Seraphina, trailing behind John, was starting to struggle and was soon left far behind.
The two figures, one red and one green, dashed rapidly towards the grand hall of the palace.
Before long, the imnsely large coffin appeared before them.
To the surprise of both Lucas and John, there stood a person in front of the coffin at that mont.
He was not very tall, fairly handso, dressed in noble attire, holding a bow and arrow.
It was Alex! At this mont, sothing was off about Alex.
His eyes were filled with a pathological frenzy as he gently caressed the coffin as if touching so imnsely sacred relic.
Simultaneously, wisps of blood essence seeped from the coffin into his body, making Alex's gaze even more manic, clearly under the control of this object.
Seeing this, a violent flash crossed Lucas's blood-red eyes.
He bellowed, "Get away from !" Lucas's figure instantly reached Alex's side, rudely sweeping him away.
"Bang!" Alex was sent flying several ters by Lucas's sweep, then harshly fell to the ground, rolling his eyes back and passing out, his fate unknown.
Maximilian's expression changed instantly, filled with anger.
He had only one son, and if anything happened to him, House Foster would be left without an heir!
But ultimately, Maximilian lowered his head, forcibly holding back.
Eldritch sighed, patting his shoulder without saying much.
House Foster was one of the top families in Stellarburg, but House Carter's influence was far beyond what House Foster could match.
No matter how angry Maximilian was, he had to swallow it.
Maximilian managed a strained smile, saying nothing.
In this world of the survival of the fittest, the weak have no right to reason.
Within the trial. John glanced at Alex, then turned his attention to Lucas, who had already reached the coffin.
Frowning, he asked, "What are you trying to do?"
Hearing John's words, Lucas grinned, revealing teeth stained with blood.
With a crazed look, he said, "Since you all want to kill , I naturally won't let you off easily! If it cos down to it, we can all die here together!"
John's eyes revealed a deep solemnity.
Lucas, now driven to a corner, might just do sothing desperate.
He wasn't sure if Lucas truly had the power to awaken the Crimson Demon, but he knew the Crimson Count of House Carter possessed the Crimson Demon's power, and such things were unpredictable!
Just as John was about to speak further, Seraphina arrived.
It was her first encounter with the coffin of the Crimson Demon.
rely a glance at the coffin's intricate patterns shocked her soul, leaving her eyes vacant.
However, quickly, a platinum light erged in her gaze, and Seraphina's eyes snapped back to clarity.
She stepped back, her face pale, and looked at the coffin with lingering fear, warning John,
"Be careful. I felt an imnsely terrifying presence from the coffin. Just one look seed to almost drag into the abyss. Whatever monster lies within this coffin is dreadful!"
John was, of course, aware of the terror within the coffin.
He turned to Lucas, coldly saying, "Lucas, do you have any idea what awakening a dark god would entail?"
Lucas laughed maniacally, "What do I care about the lives of others!"
Hearing their conversation, everyone's expression changed.
Outside, Baron shook his head in disbelief, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! This is supposed to be just a high-level dungeon; how could a dark god appear here? Even in a hell-level secret realm, that shouldn't be possible!"
Eldritch also expressed disbelief, "A secret realm housing a dark god would be at least of a demi-god-tier, but this is rely a high-level secret realm. The strongest creature couldn't possibly surpass the cataclysmic-level, how could the body of a dark god appear here? Even a slumbering dark god shouldn't be possible!"
The trial officially started only after John finished viewing the mural, so those outside were unaware that the Crimson Demon lay within the coffin in the palace.
Not just them, Seraphina and the others hadn't seen the mural either.
They had entered the twelfth layer and the final trial had begun; they were always on guard against hidden enemies, paying no mind to anything else.
Even Lucas's speculation was based on snippets from his family's heritage records combined with the aura he felt from the coffin, so it was natural that outsiders would be even more in the dark.
Alexander and Theodore looked gravely at Victor, asking, "Is this true?"
Among those present, only Victor had reached the trial of the twelfth layer and might have seen this giant coffin in the palace.
If a dark god truly existed, he wouldn't have discovered nothing.
Victor didn't speak, but he nodded calmly.
Seeing Victor actually confirm it, a tumult erupted among the crowd.
The expressions of powerhouses like Alexander and Theodore turned grim.
They knew all too well what the presence of a dark god ant!
If this were true, not just John and his group inside the trial, but even they would not be able to leave alive!
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