At the same time, a new notification appeared in front of the fifty players inside the church:
[The symbiotic plant " Boston Ivy " of Apostate Leader Yiden has now joined the battlefield; all players inside the castle have received an environmental debuff:]
1. Slowing Down: This special plant softens the ground, causing all non- Yiden faction creatures to have their movement speed reduced by 10% and their stamina consumption increased by 10% when moving on the ground.
2. Climbing: This special plant will attempt to grab onto passing creatures. Any non- Yiden faction creature that stays in a fixed position for three seconds will be forcibly imprisoned for one second.
3. Escape: (Currently unavailable)
"Wow, there's even a terrain buff?"
One player exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the new content on the panel, while [ Zhongde ] had already begun his analysis:
"This is the real BOSS battle!"
"That priest just vanished right before our eyes. I think that ability corresponds to the third one, unless... that old guy has more hidden abilities he hasn't revealed yet."
Inside the White Wax Town Church, the players who had already achieved some success discovered that the half-dead priests in front of them had mysteriously disappeared from the ground.
Some of them already had minor wounds and were assessing whether to continue exploring or follow the markers on the minimap to find Ed for a drink first.
The nine people underground continued to climb the stone steps, only to be blocked by a wall.
To avoid being restricted, the group, like college students undergoing military training, began to pace back and forth with their left and right feet in place.
In this dead end, their brains began to work quickly. First of all, they came out of the underground area of the church, so there must be a passage that could lead to the surface.
Secondly, the priest had been guarding the door the whole time, and the fact that they had been ascending as they came indicated that they had not gone astray.
So it's quite obvious that there must be some kind of mechanism here that can open this wall.
The players understood immediately and began banging on the surrounding walls. Soon, one of them pressed down on a protruding brick.
However, the expected "open sesame" did not happen. [ Zhongde ] scratched his head in confusion, feeling that things shouldn't be like this. [ Dark Archmage ] then said:
" Yiden can already control the stone bricks on the ground using special plants, so sealing off this door in front of him with Boston Ivy shouldn't be too difficult..."
"Then how do we get out?"
One player asked:
"If we retreat the way we came, is it still possible to launch an attack from the outside?"
Zhongde's lips twitched awkwardly. It wasn't a matter of whether there was enough time or not. Even if they could make it in time on the battlefield, the passage might already be blocked because of his boastful words earlier...
This is really embarrassing. I shouldn't have shown off like that in the first place...
A wave of regret washed over him, when [ Zhongde ] suddenly heard heavy but hurried footsteps coming from a crack in the wall in front of him, and the sound grew louder and louder.
"Everyone, retreat!"
Rewind a few minutes, the instant Ed stepped into the church, a Boston Ivy drooped down from above, trying to cling to his neck.
But Ed reacted swiftly, slicing the parasitic plant into several pieces with a swift blade, leaving it to fall to the ground and wither away.
Sheathing his long blade, Ed looked up at the high place ahead, as if sensing something.
The church in White Wax Town has a very standardized structure. After entering the gate, you are greeted by a large prayer hall that is perfectly symmetrical.
On the altar, a colossal statue of the World Tree, its surface covered with gold leaf, stood tall, and every devout believer who saw it naturally bowed their head.
But Ed didn't.
Firstly, Ed was not a devout believer, and secondly, the icon in front of him did not look very holy at the moment.
The World Tree statue in front of me was now covered with Boston Ivy. These shade-loving plants were growing on the altar statue, which received most of the sunlight throughout the day, making it look completely different from its original state.
The moment Ed raised his head, his right eye met that of an eye hidden among the Boston Ivy branches.
After a brief silence, an aged voice rang out in the great prayer hall:
It's you! It's actually you!
I knew you weren't dead!
Ed smiled and nodded in agreement:
"I'm not dead, you old man, but you're the one who's going to die."
Hahahaha.
Yiden's laughter echoed in the prayer hall:
"You think you can defeat me by bewitching Duolin? That coward hasn't dared to step into my church yet, which is proof enough."
"Is this the baron's golem? Duolin must have had a lot of trouble controlling it, right? Hahahaha, after I've dealt with you all, I'll go take care of him."
Ed's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. To be fair, the discrimination in Dragonborn Village wasn't entirely without reason.
Even now, Yiden still believes that Duolin was the mastermind behind all this, and it seems there's some truth to the accusation that he's been driven to the extreme by these things.
Ed had no intention of arguing at this point; after all, he was going to die anyway, so what was there to say?
Looking at the desecrated icon before him, he calmly waved his hand.
Several volunteers carrying boxes wanted to do something, but because there was no prior agreement, they didn't know what Ed's action meant.
It wasn't until the alchemical golem behind them moved that they realized the gesture wasn't actually aimed at them.
The golem strode forward, its Boston Ivy covered in thick, carpet-like ivy, heading straight for the altar where the holy statue stood.
These desecrated religious artifacts no longer have any reason to exist.
With a deafening crash and a collapse, Yiden's eyes, hidden beneath the Boston Ivy, were smashed open.
Vines belonging to Ed stretched out from under his robes and trousers, beginning to strangle the surrounding Boston Ivy, clearing a small area free of debuffs for his teammates.
Although her eyeballs were squeezed into popping beads, Yiden's voice still echoed in the prayer hall:
"Come find me, Test Subject Number Three, I will remind you of the pain you once suffered."
"Old man."
Ed snorted and replied in a low voice:
"Don't let me catch you."
The heavy golem, after smashing the holy statue, continued its momentum and crashed directly into the stone wall in front of it with a loud thud.
In the midst of the collapse, the passage behind the stone wall was exposed. Players who had taken cover after [ Zhongde ]'s warning peeked out from the opening and stared into the huge, dark eyes of the alchemical golem.
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, the [ Dark Archmage ] spotted Ed standing at the church entrance. She quickly realized who had helped them escape their predicament.
Well, if this isn't part of the storyline, then the way this game breaks free from its bottleneck is truly unique.