Working together, the two cultists tried to buy as much time as possible for the dark priest. "River Veil"
The water mage poured a vast amount of spiritual energy into conjuring a flowing river that blocked every incoming strike.
"Bone Wall"
Following that, the necromancer unleashed his defensive magic. A wall of white bones rose, halting the advance of those who sought to attack them.
But before they could even catch their breath, the two cultists heard a loud shout:
"Iron Strike"
Part of the bone wall was cleaved apart, opening a path straight toward them.
The one who delivered the blow was Will, who had just crushed a high‑level undead and joined the battle.
His appearance was terrifying: eyes wide and bloodshot, fresh blood streaming from his nose and across his skin, as though he had bathed in it.
These wounds were not inflicted by the undead but were side effects of the drug he had taken earlier. That drug granted Will immense physical strength, stamina, and regeneration, but at the cost of his own lifespan.
By drinking it, Will had already accepted that this would be his final battle. Yet if he could slay the cultists here and ensure his young soldiers survived, then the sacrifice would be worth it.
With unstoppable resolve, Will raised his sword and charged at the fiend who toyed with human corpses. But before he could strike, a sudden twist left him stunned.
The chests of both cultists were pierced and torn apart — by none other than the dark priest they had been protecting.
"Why…?" they whispered, before their voices faded forever.
Ignoring their dying words, the dark priest lifted the two corpses with his grotesque demonic hands — the very same that had impaled and killed them.
Blood streamed from the bodies, rising into the air instead of falling, staining the statue of the god like a living tattoo.
Immediately after, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath everyone's feet. Yet upon closer look, it was not the earth that quaked, but their very bodies.
The pressure radiating from that statue intensified, striking directly at both the bodies and minds of everyone present. It made even standing firm difficult and forced the Mage to struggle to cast their magic.
Then, the statue raised its hand slightly and pressed downward. Two soldiers standing nearby were instantly crushed — flesh, organs, and armor mangled together.
On the ground where they had stood, a massive handprint was imprinted, as if the statue's hand had truly slammed down.
Witnessing this horror, panic spread among the ranks. They now seemed like helpless swine awaiting slaughter.
Under the crushing aura of the statue, only six were strong enough to remain able to stand and fight: three priests of the Solvaris Church, guild vice‑master Erik, commander Will, and finally, the puppet Mage Tris.
* * * * * * * * * *
The sudden empowerment of the statue was something even Tris had not foreseen.
Or perhaps, more accurately, it was the heretical god pouring more of his power into it.
'Because of the level of the sacrifices? No… that's not what matters now.' Tris pondered briefly, then set aside the thought to focus on survival.
The statue's increased strength had expanded its sphere of influence. As a result, Tris, who had been in a safe zone, was now dragged into danger.
His retreat was cut off. To live, he too would have to destroy the statue.
'If retreat is impossible, then the only path is forward.' Resolving himself, Tris quickly devised a strategy.
'We must make full use of the manpower we have.'
With that conclusion, he cast the magic "Echo," silently linking himself to the other five fighters…
* * * * * * * * * *
The statue's hand moved again, pressing down toward Will.
A violet projectile sliced through the air, aimed at the statue's face.
Once more, a barrier rose to block the devastating strike. But at the same moment, Erik launched his own spell at the statue's fist.
The result: the fist veered off course, smashing the ground near Will instead of crushing him directly.
Saved from certain death, Will shouted:
"Thank you!"
His gratitude was not only for Erik, but also for the mysterious ally who had joined their battle.
That stranger had earlier helped break the barrier, weakening the statue.
Now he fought alongside them, silently relaying commands to coordinate their final stand.
"Well done. It seems the statue can only defend one spot at a time. We must exploit that. Always attack in pairs at different points."
"Will, keep the dark priest occupied. Draw him closer to the statue to create chaos."
"Its laser attack is deadly. When it prepares to fire, the three priests and Erik must immediately defend the spot it targets."
The statue turned its gaze upon Tris and unleashed its beam. Seeing this, Tris relayed:
"Three of you defend me, that's enough. Erik, keep attacking."
The beam was stronger than before, piercing through the priests' barrier and even Tris's layered Spatial Shields. But this time, Tris had prepared more shields, weakening the deadly blast.
Thanks to that, he managed to time his Flash Steps perfectly and evade.
Erik's attack struck simultaneously, forcing the statue to defend again.
"Erik, I need you to create an opening…"
"Priests, when I signal, please…"
"Will, right after Erik's strike, you must…"
Through "Echo," Tris continued to direct their moves.
* * * * * * * * * *
Though only minutes had passed since the statue's transformation, to the fighters below it felt like an eternity.
Draining the last of his spiritual energy, Erik knew this was the decisive moment — life or death for them all.
He silently thanked the brave stranger. Without him, they would never have had even this chance.
"White Tempest!" Erik shouted the name of his spell, unleashing it with all his remaining strength.
A storm of paper filled the air, striking the statue's upper body.
Any ordinary human caught in it would be shredded into countless fragments. But against the colossal foe, it was not enough.
At the same time, Will turned from the dark priest and swung his strongest blow at the statue's leg, abandoning all defense.
"Will, right after Erik attacks, abandon all defense and strike the statue's leg with the strongest blow you can."
That request was tantamount to asking Will to commit suicide.
Yet even so, he did not hesitate.
After taking the pill, his life had already begun its countdown. To be able to use every last drop of his existence to its fullest was, in truth, the greatest happiness Will could have at that moment.
Clearly, the mysterious ally understood this completely, which was why he did not hesitate to give such an apparently unreasonable command.
Exposed, he was struck down by the cultist's claws, his body pierced.
Yet his sacrifice was not in vain. His strike severed one of the statue's ankles, toppling it to its knees with a thunderous crash.
His mission was complete. Knowing his death had meaning, Will smiled in satisfaction as he breathed his last.