Celia, Is It Because of Him?

While Archbishop Terry led his team to surround the auditorium,

Echoes of Truth gathered every living and dead person they could find and piled them into the center of the black magic circle.

Looking at the mountain of corpses, Ansu felt a terrifying power brewing within the magic circle.

The sky outside grew darker, lightning flashing through the clouds, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere blanketed the entirety of Benalu City.

"Hurry up!" a cultist captain shouted, directing the others. "Move faster! If we don't gather enough sacrifices to please the god, He will be angry!"

Ansu's gaze shifted from the corpses to the bound, shivering students.

Some were wailing, some had already fainted from terror, and others kept their eyes closed in constant prayer, hoping a righteous god would save them...

These students were really no different from him; they were all just cruel death statistics in the background of a game.

Ansu took a deep breath, realizing that he wasn't just changing his own destined death...

"What are you thinking about?" Celia quietly approached.

Ansu noticed the scent of blood on her was even stronger now, likely because she had just single-handedly repelled three waves of attacks from the Inquisition of Heresy.

She truly was the strongest fighter in Echoes of Truth.

In fact, if not for that God-Descent today, the Church wouldn't have been able to do anything to the cult as long as she was there.

"Hmm... I was just thinking." Ansu looked toward the magic circle. "So this blood sacrifice ritual works for both the living and the dead?"

Wouldn't people who run incinerators and morgues be invincible then?

"Both can be used, but the forbidden power borrowed will be significantly reduced."

Celia leaned against the second-floor railing and joked with a smile, "If a living person is the main course, then the half-dead are merely dessert. As for the dead, they don't even count as spoiled leftovers."

Ansu muttered silently, "It seems the god is a picky eater..."

If the evil god wasn't fed well, he might just flip the table...

"Do you have nothing to do?" Elder Samantha walked over, her expression becoming irritated when she saw Ansu chatting and laughing with Celia.

"This is the most critical moment for the cult's survival. If you can't contribute to the battle, go down and help."

Ansu wondered why this old woman was so annoying. Did she finally hit menopause after three hundred years?

But he couldn't talk back to her; after all, she was the boss's boss.

"Fine, I'll go lend a hand, move some bodies or whatever..."

He curled his lip and slowly walked down the stairs.

Samantha was dissatisfied with Ansu's casual attitude, but seeing Celia staring at the boy's back made her even more frustrated.

She suddenly felt as if the wings she had painstakingly nurtured were gradually slipping from her control.

This sense of losing control made her wary; after all, this girl had that lineage...

"Celia, the assistant you chose is certainly... unique."

Celia withdrew her gaze and looked at her teacher's face, her heart becoming alert.

Knowing her teacher well, she knew this was a sign of suppressed anger.

"Eh... he's just average, nothing special."

Celia gave a faint laugh. "He's just a bit capable and thinks too much of himself. A toy like that is fresh at first, but once I'm bored, I'll just throw him away~"

"Since you don't care, I'll add him to the sacrifice list," Samantha said coldly.

"What!" Celia's expression changed instantly, and she immediately watched Samantha's every move.

But in the next second, seeing the mocking, half-smile on her teacher's face, Celia realized she had overreacted.

"Your concern has betrayed you. It seems you don't care as little as you claim," Samantha sneered. "Celia, you've changed quite a bit lately. Is it because of him?"

"Of course not." Celia furrowed her brows, looking directly into her teacher's authoritative eyes. "Teacher, please stop making such jokes! I will handle my own affairs."

Samantha narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning colder. "Celia, don't think you can do whatever you want just because I've always spoiled you. Do not forget our mission! Do not forget the meaning of our existence!"

Celia felt a headache coming on. She lightly pressed her forehead and looked away.

"I understand..."

"As long as you are alive, I will look after Echoes of Truth for you."

As for that so-called mission, she didn't have the slightest bit of interest in it.

Samantha huffed and said no more.

She slowly walked down the stairs, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the student who had made Celia act so out of character.

Ansu suddenly felt a prickling sensation on his back. He turned around and noticed Samantha's dark, brooding gaze.

This old woman... is she actually planning to kill me?

It seemed he should be more cautious around her after returning to reality...

...

The academy auditorium.

The blood sacrifice ritual was proceeding in a tense and orderly fashion, while the Church outside seemed to have sensed what the cult was up to, as their attacks became more violent.

Ansu thought to himself, wondering which side's god would be more powerful in this simulation...

Echoes of Truth wasn't well-prepared, and the quality of the sacrifices was poor, so they might lose.

But for some reason, the Church outside hadn't unleashed their ultimate move yet.

Even though they had brought their holy relic, they were still holding back, simply sending clergy members forward to die...

Was the casting condition for God-Descent very strict? Or was there a problem on the Church's side?

The battle between the two sides continued for nearly half an hour.

Just as Ansu was becoming more and more puzzled...

A blinding white light suddenly flared. Every cultist present instinctively covered their eyes, and some even began to scream.

"God-Descent! The Church's God-Descent is starting!!"

A sense of chaotic anxiety spread. Ansu covered his eyes, feeling the foul magical power being rapidly dispelled.

In the race to invite a god, Echoes of Truth was a step behind.

"Quick! There's no more time! Activate the sacrificial magic circle now!" Samantha immediately stepped forward.

She stood at the edge of the black magic circle with all her confidants, eyes closed, and began to recite a long, obscure summoning incantation that included the name of the evil god.

In the center of the magic circle, a sinister and terrifying power suddenly spread outward.

The evil god seemed to sense these ants. Under His gaze, Ansu felt an unsettling sensation like maggots crawling on his bones; goosebumps rose all over his body, and his heart pounded wildly.

The wailing students suddenly fell silent. Ansu felt that terrifying power consuming them.

After the Echoes of Truth sacrifice ritual began, the God-Descent, which had a long wind-up, finally landed.

The power of holy light clashed with the foul energy. These two destructive forces were almost enough to tear everything apart.

"Ansu!"

Celia's voice appeared behind Ansu. He turned around and saw a look of panic on her face for the first time.

"Something's wrong... we're going to lose!"

She grabbed Ansu tightly. "The cult is no match for the power of holy light. We have to leave, now!"