Counterattack

Pain! Pain!

The moment Macefield was bitten, a violent pain tore through his body. Then the pain vanished. An icy sensation of Paralysis spread through him, freezing even his soul.

Damn it... Macefield's heart sank. He tried to raise his hand and call on the Scepter of God, but his fingers would not obey. He tried to open his mouth, but that would not obey either.

The Divine Power infused into his soul seemed frozen as well. No matter how he tried to summon it, nothing happened.

A middle-aged man's face, twisted with madness, pushed out from among the countless faces inside the Elder Evil.

It was the very "Black Scholar" Macefield had hanged moments ago.

He came before Macefield, looked him in the eye, and gave him an eerie smile. "First, the Elder Evil known as the Crawling Walker is not mindless. We are its mind. Its consciousness is the consciousness formed by all of us together."

"Second, how could your Father compare to my Lord? If I am to listen to anyone, it will be to the faithful singing my Lord's praises."

"Third, stop struggling. The Crawling Walker's power has already corrupted your mind. Soon you'll become one of us. No, you won't. Your soul will feed the Crawling Walker, and we'll take over your body. Then we'll lure more clergy here to nourish its recovery and growth."

Fear filled Macefield's eyes as he stared at the "Black Scholar." As a son of God, he did not fear death. Death merely meant returning to his Father's embrace, and he could be resurrected at any time. But if the Crawling Walker devoured him, he would never reach the Sevenfold Heavenly Mountain.

"Frightened? Afraid? Heh. Be more frightened. The Crawling Walker feeds on your fear."

*They've actually turned the tables...