Our Family Has Fallen

Amanda was rather proficient with these things; just by glancing at the item, she knew its condition.

Lance, though, just chuckled and tossed the item back into the Exhibition Room.

It seemed that at some point, an heir had spent money to hire tomb raiders to come here.

And to be honest, it wasn’t a bad idea since tomb raiders are, after all, a professional team.

It’s just a pity they perished here.

After finding Gold Coins and Extraordinary Equipment, even Amanda couldn’t help herself. A bit of her Romani instinct kicked in, and she joined in searching through the items.

Only Alhazred did not join this little game; he took out materials to begin preparing some rituals. The recent battle had required casting many Spells and consumed quite a few of his readied rituals. He needed to replenish them to be prepared for the enemies ahead. The scrolls on him were visibly significant. It was likely they contained rituals stored in advance, ready to be unleashed when needed.

The methods of Transcendents were myriad and bizarre, and although Lance was somewhat curious, he wasn’t about to rashly interfere.

Meanwhile, Lance and the others quickly found some assorted valuables among those items, but unfortunately, they did not find more Extraordinary Equipment.

”Come on, everyone gets a share,” Lance said, taking out the money and distributing it among the group.

Don’t think that Spellcasters can cast Spells out of thin air; each battle represents a consumption for them. The power of Spellcasters among Transcendents is elusive and tricky to handle. They also require various materials and time for preparation. For instance, the ritual scroll Alhazred had just completed might have been worth hundreds of Gold Coins. No one wants to mess with a well-prepared Spellcaster, but the cost behind it is not at all trivial.

Alhazred, as a Champion-level fighter, clearly had resources. He seemed unconcerned about the money, casually tucking it into the pouch at his waist.

But for Amanda, who had left her organization, these Gold Coins in hand brought more security than any comforting words. While the money wasn’t much, it signified recognition; her considerable efforts were finally yielding some reward.

”Boss, you hold onto this for me,” Boudica said with a look of distaste, tossing her money bag to Lance. She disliked carrying money bags as they hindered her in battle. After all, she practically lacked nothing, with people arranging everything for her. All she needed to do was fight.

This scene somewhat transcended the usual nature of mercenary work, and Amanda couldn’t quite understand Boudica, or perhaps, they couldn’t understand Hamlet.

However, before she could think too deeply, Alhazred suddenly looked up as if he had discovered something, murmuring with a serious expression, ”Something’s not right... Why is there still a corruptive force, and a stronger one...”

Originally, he had thought the corrupt and evil power he sensed came from the Pigman Priest’s sacrificial rituals. But now, he felt an even greater evil, a feeling he couldn’t be mistaken about!

Alhazred’s reaction immediately subjected the group, who had only recently finished battling, to the pressure of impending conflict once again.

”Is it Heretics?” Lance ventured.

Alhazred, snapping back to attention, didn’t answer directly but pondered for a moment before speaking. ”Uncertain, because the corruption is very unstable.”

But that didn’t trouble Lance, who decisively made a decision. ”Since that’s the case, let’s go take a look. Whatever it is, we absolutely cannot allow the corruption to spread.”

Regardless of what it might be, anything associated with corruption was definitely related to the old ancestors. Attacking Pigmen was to strike at the power of the ancestors, so it would be better to directly fight the corruption, eliminating any middleman profiting from it.

Lance spoke righteously, but to Alhazred and Amanda, two Extraordinary beings, it sounded slightly off...

Wasn’t this too reckless? If anyone else had dared to say this, they certainly would not have agreed. Just go because he says so? Everyone knows what the corruption from the Abyss signifies. Who would rush in like this? Under normal circumstances, when encountering something uncertain, shouldn’t one prepare first, investigate thoroughly, and then consider retreating based on the findings?

But if it was this man speaking, they could understand.

It was simply because he was strong.

The team quickly reformed and advanced rapidly under Alhazred’s guidance.

...

A battle that erupted within the Beast Lair was reaching a fever pitch.

In the darkness, the Pigmen’s screams nearly shattered eardrums, accompanied by intense human shouts. But listening to those words and the intertwined mad laughter, it was clear these were definitely not sane individuals.

Indeed, this was a battle between Heretics and Pigmen.

A Pigman butcher swung its Serrated Butcher Knife at a Heretic. The Heretic didn’t dodge or evade, taking the blow with his body. The serrated edge brutally embedded in his chest, tearing open a wound so deep one could see his damaged heart. Yet, this seemed to have no effect on the Heretic’s movements. Amidst maniacal laughter, he staggered forward. He then drove his clawed hands into the Pigman’s chest and violently tore out flesh and skin, along with large gouts of spurting blood.

The wounds were of similar severity, perhaps even worse for the Heretic. However, no matter how great their Life Force, the Pigmen couldn’t withstand a pierced heart and slashed lungs. The final squeals were muffled by blood welling up into its lungs, leaving the Pigman to struggle and collapse, its chest wound still gushing blood. SPURT! SPURT!

Conversely, the wound on the Heretic began to heal. After the last act of pleasing their god, the Heretics had received a divine blessing and become even stronger. This self-healing ability became even more apparent after killing the Pigman.

Flesh writhed and knitted back together…

But this was a melee. The Pigmen wouldn’t wait for him to recover. Two sharp knives suddenly appeared, slicing through his leg and severing his Achilles tendon, causing him to stagger and kneel from instability. He couldn’t even see his attacker before a flash of white light suddenly appeared and slit his throat, blood gushing out instantly.

The Heretic tried to say something, but all that came out was a continuous spray of blood and bloody foam, along with bizarre wheezing sounds. ”UHH... UHH...”

Such a critical hit would be fatal for an ordinary person, but the Heretic showed no fear. Even as his Life Force was nearly drained, he still swung his claws, forcing the stealthy Pigman Concealer to reveal himself. But that was all he could do. The Pigman Concealer seemed familiar with the Heretics’ combat methods. He knew such a wound wouldn’t be fatal, so after landing the hit, he quickly created distance.

Reappearing didn’t hinder the Pigman Concealer’s swift movements. Taking advantage of the enemy’s still-unhealed leg, he charged again with his knife raised, clearly aiming for the neck to sever the head. From these details, it was evident the Pigmen knew how to kill a Heretic.

But the Heretic wasn’t stupid. Now alert, how could he be taken down so easily? He swung his claws wildly, stabbing repeatedly. No matter how crafty the Pigman Concealer was, the small knife’s damage couldn’t kill the Heretic.

The two became entangled in a fierce struggle. The Heretic’s body was soon riddled with knife wounds, his blood nearly covering his entire form. But finally, he seized an opportunity, plunging his claws into the Pigman Concealer’s head.

He lifted the Pigman Concealer’s body, indulging in the flowing pig blood. Even though the wound in his throat hadn’t yet healed and was still gushing blood, the other injuries on his body were visibly repairing themselves.

After killing two Pigmen, he felt the gaze of his god and couldn’t help but shout, ”Hahaha! Who can kill me…”

But just then, a whistling sound cut through the air. Before he could react, the black iron helmet failed to withstand the brutal blunt force. The entire helmet caved in, its iron decorations bending out of shape. Under that force, his entire body flipped over, the Pigman he had just lifted landing on top of him.

The Heretic’s robust self-healing ability was no longer effective, leaving him only a final moment of consciousness.

Even in death, I am still...

The figure of a Pigman Mob appeared among them, the wild swinging of its Bone Hammer invigorating all Pigmen.

For the Heretics’ slaughter of their kind, only death could be the reply.