The moment they entered the Tomb, everyone felt a wave of discomfort. A chilling, heart-stopping shadow aura swept over them, as if countless damp, icy tentacles were writhing in the darkness, trying to burrow into their bones.
Low, incomprehensible whispers echoed from deep within the passage, striking directly at their souls and bringing waves of dizziness and agitation.
Even Rod could faintly hear some hushed murmurs.
"Steady your minds! These are Shadow Whispers. Use the Holy Light to protect your souls!" Uther's voice was calm and firm. Holy Light blazed around him, forming a warm halo that shut out the whispers trying to erode everyone.
The Paladins and Tyr's Guards behind him followed suit. Golden radiance spread through the gloomy passage, and Rod also used Flash of Light to illuminate himself.
At the same time, he used the increased mental power granted by Arcane Intellect, combining it with the mental recovery provided by the Paladins' Blessing of Wisdom to build a solid barrier in his mind.
Jaina swept her staff, casting a pale-blue Arcane Shield around the group and further weakening the effects of the Shadow Whispers.
Luckily, these were only the hellish sounds unconsciously emitted by the Faceless Ones and other shadow creatures. If they were whispers from the Old Gods—
Rod wouldn't be able to resist them as he was now. Those whispers could corrupt even the Guardians.
"Watch your footing. Proceed with caution!" one of Tyr's Guards warned.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the shadows ahead writhed violently!
Dozens of twisted creatures, seemingly made of pure shadow, suddenly "grew" out of the walls and floor!
They had no fixed shape, like boiling black tar. Shadow energy bubbled across their surfaces as they made a nauseating gurgling sound. Malicious purple light glimmered in their fissures, which formed into tentacles or fangs, and they silently pounced on the intruders!
These shadow monsters were the low-ranking minions formed by Zakaz's leaking power over tens of thousands of years!
"My Holy Light, purify these abominations!" Uther barked. He pointed his warhammer forward, and a pillar of pure golden light shot out like a spear of Judgment, piercing the three shadow monsters at the front in an instant.
The struck monsters let out piercing shrieks. Their bodies boiled violently in the Holy Light, evaporating into wisps of black smoke.
The other Paladins, Rod among them, each unleashed Holy Light spells, summoning powerful holy energy to clear the shadow monsters from the passage.
These shadow monsters were difficult foes for practitioners of other classes, but they were no match for Holy Light spells.
"For Order! Long live Tyr! Destroy these minions of the Old Gods!" the Tyr's Guard commander roared, sweeping out the enormous sword in his hands, its blade gleaming faintly.
Terrifying holy power clung to the blade. Wherever it passed, shadow monsters burst apart like droplets of water tossed into boiling oil. Even the shadowy aura around them was scattered!
Their attacks held not only Holy Light but also runes born of ancient Titan technology—an Order Shockwave designed to counter chaotic energy. It was incredibly effective.
Jaina swung her staff, driving several Ice Lances precisely into the cores of a few shadow monsters. The extreme cold instantly froze them into rigid black ice statues, which the Paladins then easily smashed with their warhammers.
Rod didn't use the powerful Magic Arrow right away. These low-level monsters weren't worth wasting precious mana on. He raised his hand and cried, "Divine Storm!"
It was a powerful Paladin spell he had just learned from Uther!
Centered on Rod, a golden vortex of energy several meters across suddenly took shape! Holy energy swirled like a storm of blades, forming a whirlwind around him.
The shadow monsters trying to circle around the front line and attack the flanks and rear of the group were instantly swept into it. Amid a piercing sizzling sound, they were burned and purified in an instant, like snow thrown into a furnace!
Wherever the Holy Light storm passed, even the slimy moss on the passage walls and the black ooze seeping through them were cleansed away, leaving dry, clean stone behind.
"Well done, Rod!" Jaina's eyes lit up. Rod's speed in mastering Holy Light spells and their power continued to amaze her.
"Hold formation and keep moving!" Uther ordered gravely. The group advanced through the darkness like a sharp blade, woven from Holy Light and Arcane magic.
The deeper they ventured into the Tomb, the wider the passage grew, until it finally opened into a vast underground cavern.
The light here was even dimmer, and the air was thick with shadowy mist, severely limiting visibility.
A massive ancient altar, built from huge, rough-hewn stones, stood in the center of the cavern. The ground around it was covered in complex, faded sealing runes.
But many of the runes had now broken, and a viscous black substance, seemingly alive, kept seeping from the cracks.
And guarding the altar were no longer low-ranking shadow monsters, but something far more powerful!
The Faceless Ones!
These twisted creatures stood nearly three meters tall. Their skin was dark purple or deep gray, covered in slick slime and hard chitinous armor.
They had no distinct heads. Their upper bodies bore only a huge maw lined with spiraling fangs and several writhing tentacles tipped with suckers or claws. Their lower bodies consisted of thick limbs resembling those of insects or crustaceans.
They stood silently in the shadowy mist, radiating suffocating pressure and pure malice. They were extensions of Zakaz's power, more advanced minions.
"Roar—!" At the sight of the intruders, the three nearest Faceless Ones let out a soundless roar—a shriek that struck directly at the soul!
At the same time, several streams of viscous, foul-smelling Shadow Bolts shot from the tentacles in their maws, as fast as lightning!
"Raise your shields!" Uther shouted. The Paladins and Tyr's Guards in the front line immediately raised their heavy shields, and Holy Light gathered into a wall of radiance across them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Shadow Bolts struck the Holy Light barriers with muffled explosions, their viscous dark energy trying to corrode the holy radiance. The shields shuddered violently, and the warriors holding them felt their arms go numb from the impact.
"Frost Nova!" Jaina drove her staff into the ground, and a bone-chilling ring of ice instantly spread out from her! It swept across the three Faceless Ones' lower bodies, freezing them in place and making their movements sluggish and stiff.
"Now! Attack!" The Tyr's Guard commander seized the opportunity and led his men in a fierce charge.
Their greatswords, wreathed in Order Shockwaves and Holy Light, crashed into the Faceless Ones' hard armor with a piercing metallic scrape, leaving deep scorch marks and cracks.
The Paladins focused on purifying them. Holy Light and Flash of Light fell like raindrops upon the Faceless Ones under attack, scorching their flesh and releasing sizzling sounds and foul black smoke.
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