By the edge of the dark pool, eight masked figures in black robes stood in a circle. Holding hands, they murmured blasphemous, evil incantations. Their voices echoed through the gloomy hall, filled with an unpleasant, eerie chill.
Not far behind them, hundreds of Cultists knelt in worship, chanting the same spells.
Within the pool at the center, dark purple flames burned. They flickered and spread along with the chanting, steadily growing stronger.
The sight made the Cultists even more excited. Their chanting grew louder, and the dark purple flames became increasingly fierce.
"Great Lord of Darkness! King of Flames! Great Lord of Blood! We offer this sacrifice and beseech your descent!"
As the crowd cried out, a dagger slowly rose from within the dark purple flames. From its appearance, it seemed no different from the knives used to slaughter pigs in roadside butcher shops. It even looked cruder.
If this had been anywhere else, no one would have spared it a glance even if it had been tossed into a filthy ditch.
But here, as the dagger floated into the air, the surrounding air suddenly filled with a thick stench of blood that made breathing quicken. Moreover, the eight Black Robed Persons all widened their eyes and stared fixedly at the dagger. Their eyes gradually became bloodshot and crimson.
"Ah... ah...!!"
A moment later, one of the Black Robed Persons suddenly let out a shrill scream. His body began to tremble, and blood poured from beneath his robe like water. The next moment, the man completely wrapped in black swayed, and then the robe drifted lightly to the ground—as if no one had ever been inside it.
The blood scattered across the floor seemed drawn by something and flowed straight into the pool. The instant it entered, it began to