Although Gauss felt that the hunger didn’t originate from himself, Aaliyah had given it to him, and he didn’t want to dismiss her goodwill.
"Thanks."
He tossed a few magical berries into his mouth, and their energy quickly spread throughout his body.
As expected, even after eating the berries, Gauss’s hunger did not improve; the white egg still conveyed a feeling of hunger, affecting him.
You’re thinking...
Gauss looked at the writhing door in front of him and swallowed.
Though Sorin and the others were puzzled by Gauss’s untimely hunger, now was not the time for gossip; their attention was focused on the rock wall in front.
"Is this the aura of the evil god of Rudug?"
Feeling the ominous and evil aura emanating from it, everyone frowned simultaneously.
Especially the dwarf Sorin, who instinctively gripped the handle of his warhammer, feeling a visceral disgust.
The writhing dark red splotches released an aura that made the air thick and filthy, as if inhaling would corrode the lungs.
Fortunately, Elton’s holy emblem emitted a luminous barrier, or most of those present would soon fall unconscious.
Nancy’s magic staff tip shone with an even brighter detection light, probing toward the arch’s texture, her tone becoming solemn: "This aura of the evil god is stronger than imagined... Sorin."
They had received prophetic information long ago, knowing that an aura of an evil god was awakening here, but the strength details weren’t clearly foreseen.
The aura of the evil god before them had apparently been awake for some time, not only maintaining its form, but also slowly polluting the main world.
Elton’s expression was stern: "We must destroy it! Otherwise, over time, it will stabilize as a source of pollution and a coordinate, making the evil god’s interference and influence on the real world much easier."
His faith would not permit him to let this happen.
Elton’s deity was the Lord of Dawn, Lathander, a neutral and benevolent deity with strong divine power, widely worshiped on this continent, symbolizing dawn, rebirth, hope, revival, youthful vigor, and other divine domains.
The doctrine of the Church of Lathander encourages people to dispel darkness, bring new beginnings, and strive to cultivate hope for all humanity and its allies, which is eternally at odds with the filth, decay, and attempts to draw life into stagnation of an evil god’s aura.
Luckily, even though this evil god’s aura was stronger than expected, he was prepared.
Thus, he extended the rose-red round emblem forward.
He also began chanting prayers.
As he chanted, a dazzling light sphere like sunlight slowly emanated from the holy emblem, the first ray of golden sunlight carrying warmth, full of hope, yet possessing the fierce power to purify darkness.
The sunlight reacted immediately upon contact with the dark red splotches.
The two forces collided in the air.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"
At the contact points between the light and the dark red splotches, sizzling sounds emerged, with thick black smoke rising, and the outer layer of the splotches began to char and wither.
"Roar!!"
Gauss even vaguely heard a silent roar in the air.
The aura of the evil god seemed to be restrained, shrieking as it pulsated even more frenziedly.
This counteroffensive was aggressive, and the light that had initially held the advantage quickly receded, growing dim.
Witnessing this, Gauss breathed a sigh of relief, glad he hadn’t rashly approached due to the white egg’s conveyed desire.
The power of the divine was at such a high level that even a mere aura, a seed, or an imprint might possess a force that low-level adventurers could hardly resist.
Elton, as a priest of Lathander, whose divine art essentially invoked divine power, was falling behind in battling this evil god’s aura; rushing forward rashly could have resulted in dire consequences.
The dark red arch’s power grew even more potent, and suddenly, at its dark center, darkness began to slowly swirl.
Several pitch-black shadows struggled out from within, resembling no known creature, more like twisted humanoid forms shaped by pure malice and negative energy.
Without features, clear limb boundaries, only continuously writhing, stretching dark silhouettes, and sharp tendrils extending from the torso, with a viscous, tar-like liquid incessantly dripping off.
A faint shackle could be seen around their necks, the other end attached to the black vortex at the arch’s center.
Upon their appearance, the cave’s light seemed swallowed in half, and the brightness of Elton’s holy emblem was further suppressed.
A chilling cold spread through the air, reaching everyone.
"What the hell are these things!" Sorin spat.
Seeing them pounce toward Elton, he hurriedly swung his shield to meet them.
But in the next moment, the warhammer and shield passed straight through the shadows.
The shadows, instead, coiled upward along his weapon, and where they passed, the runes on Sorin’s armor dimmed rapidly.
Fortunately, as they ascended to his neck, the pendant hanging there emitted a gentle glow, instantly dispersing the shadows.
"Huff—"
Sorin broke out in a cold sweat, the brief suffocating sensation leaving him weakened.
"Everyone be careful, physical attacks seem to be ineffective against them!"
"Stand behind me." Elton gritted his teeth.
He squeezed his strength to drive the holy emblem, the light biting the darkness once more, forcing those shadowy humanoid figures shackled by chains back.