Activation

Scanning the corridor, it felt as though sinister gazes were hidden everywhere, as if a terrifying giant hand might reach out from every corner at any moment to drag them into the abyss.

But all that met their eyes were the deep corridor, monotonous stone statues, and the omnipresent, hazy green light.

Hmm? Green light?

Lynch suddenly felt drenched in sweat. This isn't nuclear radiation, is it?

"What is nuclear radiation?"

"It is a form of destructive energy radiation," Lynch explained simply.

"Strictly speaking, most influences from deities count as radiation, and a small portion are even more threatening than that. The secret medicine in your nose plugs is for countering 'radiation' and toxins."

Miss Valente stood very close to Lynch while she explained, her muscles trembling even more violently than his. Two people with such courage delving deep into a death trap was likely a rare sight indeed.

"I see. So the sacrifice must be killed slowly by the green light."

However, this clumsy attempt at self-comfort had no effect. Various classic scenes from horror movies were already flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern. After a moment of thought, Lynch simply grabbed Miss Valente's hand and led her toward the exit.

"I shouldn't have closed the door earlier. It couldn't stop the Son of the Formless and it cut off our own retreat. Let's go open the door and secure our path back."

"Mm."

Miss Valente followed obediently, glancing back from time to time. Fortunately, the path behind them remained as it had been, with no abnormalities.

The massive stone door sealed the entrance to the temple. It had felt safe when they closed it, but now it looked like it had only blocked their escape route. Lynch grabbed the handle and slowly pulled the door open.

The door hinges seemed unaffected by any corrosion. With little effort from Lynch, the heavy stone door was pulled open just enough for a gap. However, just as Miss Valente let out a soft sigh of relief and relaxed slightly, bang, Lynch slammed the door shut again.

"Mr. Levive? What is it?"

Lynch swallowed hard, pulled Miss Valente back from the door with caution, and said with a stiff expression, "I... I think we might have chosen the wrong door. No, I think it might be better to just keep it closed."

Miss Valente was completely bewildered, but before she could ask again, a sound of shattering came vaguely from behind the door.

It was the sound of ice and stone breaking, crisp yet filled with the omen of death.

"Those stone statues outside?" Miss Valente's expression turned bitter.

"Yes, they are cracking, and..."

"Roar~~"

A bestial roar cut Lynch's words short. Clearly, the statues outside had suddenly come to life.

Bang, the stone door was shoved open with force. Several inhabitants, still covered in shards of ice and stone, appeared at the entrance. Their movements were numb and stiff, their mouths, filled with sharp fangs, agape as they roared in anger at the people in the corridor, looking as if they were about to pounce in the next moment.

Miss Valente instinctively raised her shotgun, but Lynch immediately pressed it down.

"Don't waste bullets yet. Watch their feet; they haven't stepped into the temple at all."

It was true. Miss Valente realized that these monsters, perhaps like the Son of the Formless, would actively avoid the temple. She breathed a sigh of relief: "So the residents of Zur Baha Sahr never disappeared; they simply turned into stone carvings, abandoned with the city, and are sleeping forever underground. But how did they all wake up?"

"I suspect we activated them with our backward behavior. We can't leave anymore, we can only hurry... hiss, this is bad."

"Clack, clack."

A subtle, shattering sound interrupted Lynch. The sound was very faint, but in the chaotic environment, it remained exceptionally clear.

Because the sound was coming from behind them.

Both of them felt their scalps tingle, and with stiff necks, they turned to look.

At some point, cracks had appeared on the surface of the ice covering the robed stone carvings in the corridor.

Damn it, how could I forget there were stone carvings in the corridor too?

Cold sweat began to pour. They both realized that these robed stone carvings were likely the second insurance measure beyond the green light; their very purpose was to kill.

Now there was no time to consider if this was a trap aimed at the sacrifices. Although the situation in the depths was unknown, it was still easier than being forced out to fight for their lives against tens of thousands of ghouls. It was best to run into the deepest part of the temple before these robed ghouls awoke; otherwise, once they were caught in a pincer attack, the two of them would truly become sacrifices.

Run.

Lynch grabbed Miss Valente behind him and charged into the depths of the temple. The sound of shattering behind them was incessant, one crack after another, like a funeral bell tolling, hammering heavily against their hearts.

The two of them didn't even dare to look back, bypassing the stone statues that blocked their path, charging headlong into the depths of the corridor.

"Roar~~"

The roar was close at hand, deafening. As the thick, putrid stench spread, heavy footsteps and ragged breathing could be heard rapidly closing in from behind.

"Watch out."

Miss Valente let out a low cry and pulled Lynch to a sudden, sharp stop. Because they were moving too fast, they couldn't control their momentum, and Lynch had to slam into the curved wall to barely stop himself.

A gust of wind whipped over their heads, lifting a few strands of black hair. A monster nearly three meters tall leaped over them. Its thin, bony, but incredibly sharp claws passed over the pair, leaving white marks on the wall with a heart-stopping scratching sound.

Their expressions were grim. Taking advantage of the moment the monster landed, they nimbly skirted around it. Lynch gritted his teeth, kicked the cracked stone statue beside him to gain distance, and simultaneously pushed the statue onto the revived ghoul.

Bang, the heavy statue was dodged by the target and slammed into the ground without any cushion, sending a sky full of ice chips flying. Yet, it was unharmed; the statue didn't shatter, and instead, another dark shadow broke through the ice chips, pouncing on them on all fours like an animal.

This is bad.

Lynch's pupils contracted. Subconsciously, he gripped his cane and held it horizontally in front of him. The next moment, the ghoul was upon them, its claws slashing down from above, slamming into the cane.

With a teeth-grinding sound of nails scraping against metal, blood rushed to Lynch's face and his arms trembled slightly, but he managed to block the ghoul's claw strike. However, he could no longer control his footing and stumbled back repeatedly, slamming heavily into the wall of the corridor.

Before he could stumble back further, Miss Valente's petite figure darted out from behind him, positioning herself just beneath the giant monster, her shotgun and folding fan raised, nearly pressed against the ghoul's massive maw.

Point-blank shot.

With a roar, the monster's massive body was blasted backward. Before it could even land, a figure shot out from beside Miss Valente.

Lynch, having hit the wall, kicked off it to instantly accelerate to his maximum speed. He was faster than the momentum of the blast, catching up to the ghoul in mid-air. The ghoul had taken a shot to the face; its massive head was pitted and cratered but still intact. While it was still in mid-air and even twisting its limbs, Lynch had already caught up, his cane transformed into a serrated sword, stabbing fiercely into the ghoul's neck, which was now uncertain if it was made of stone or flesh.