Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

After confirming that all his divine scrolls were ready, John took a step forward.

"Then let's not waste any more time. I've checked all my scrolls and weapons. I'm ready to fight at any moment."

Duke Arsena, standing by John's side, quickly added, "I've also made all necessary preparations! As a Paladin, I'm not afraid to sacrifice myself!"

Legendary Warrior Aike glanced at John and then at Duke Arsena, recalling battles fought alongside his comrades.

"It's an honor to fight alongside you! You truly are the strongest warriors of the Order Faction in this era!"

After expressing his respect, Aike unhesitatingly advanced towards the dark lair, with John and Duke Arsena promptly following.

As the trio calmly proceeded towards the dark lair, they felt an increasing mental corruption the closer they got.

John's mind was flooded with various voices, some belonging to enemies, others to friends, and even some from himself.

These voices continuously dissuaded him from proceeding.

He could hear Emma's advice one moment and Darklord's taunts the next.

Regardless of the source, all voices in his mind opposed his current actions, aiming to halt his advance.

John glanced at his attribute panel, noting, as expected, a continuous decline in his stats.

"How are you holding up? My attributes are steadily dropping! The Saint of Mystery must have started his attack on us!"

John shared his condition with Legendary Warrior Aike and Duke Arsena.

Aike seemed relatively unaffected, understanding that the impact on John was normal under the circumstances.

"It's natural for you two to be affected, as you haven't directly combated the Saint of Mystery before. I've battled him and am thus unaffected."

Despite the mental onslaught from the Saint of Mystery, the trio finally reached the entrance to the dark lair.

At the entrance, John could hear terrifying roars from within, eerily familiar to him.

"The sounds from within the lair are very familiar! They seem to be the voices of Devils from the Dark Realm, not the Saint of Mystery!"

John quickly deduced that the horrifying roars were indeed those of the corrupting Devils, confirming Legendary Warrior Aike's speculation.

"The Saint of Mystery is indeed battling the Devils! Perhaps we should seize this opportunity to launch an attack on the Saint of Mystery," suggested Duke Arsena.

Given that the Saint of Mystery hadn't fully defeated the Devils opposing him in the Dark Realm, their plan stood a higher chance of success.

Aike strongly agreed with Duke Arsena's suggestion, nodding and saying, "This seems to be our best moment to strike!"

John, Aike, and Duke Arsena checked with each other to ensure they were all in good condition before proceeding.

After ensuring they were all in good condition, the trio entered the dark lair without hesitation.

The moment they stepped inside, their connection to each other was severed.

John wasn't overly alarmed by this situation, as he had experienced communication disruptions before.

He skillfully opened his own communication channel.

Instead of messaging Legendary Warrior Aike or Duke Arsena, John sent a message directly to his allies Adam and Blue Sea.

[Be ready with potions and materials for experience gain! I might need them after this!]

After sending the message, John didn't wait for a reply from Adam or Blue Sea.

He proceeded deeper into the lair with the Book of the Astral Realm and a magical map from his backpack.

On the map, John saw two bright red dots almost overlapping, indicating a battle—most likely between the Saint of Mystery and the corrupting Devil.

Not far from his own location, two weaker dots likely represented Legendary Warrior Aike and Duke Arsena.

With the aid of the magical map, John was the first to reach the bottom of the dark lair.

There, he witnessed the Saint of Mystery engaged in battle with the corrupter.

The situation for the corrupter, a powerful Devil, was dire, nearly on the brink of total destruction by the Saint of Mystery.

John's arrival altered the dynamics of the battle between the Corruptor and the Saint of Mystery.

The Corruptor, in a weakened state, turned to John, his adversary, seeking assistance.

"Help me quickly! The Saint of Mystery is about to annihilate me! If you aid me, I can join forces with you to defeat the Saint of Mystery!"

The Corruptor's tone, once full of dominance, now bordered on pleading.

Almost simultaneously, the Saint of Mystery unleashed a potent wave of mental corruption, causing John to feel as though his head was about to explode.

Just when John thought he'd be overwhelmed by the Saint's psychic assault, he felt a reassuring pat on his shoulder, and the intense headache subsided significantly.

Turning around, he saw Legendary Warrior Aike beside him.

Without hesitation, Aike, having ensured John was out of immediate danger, leaped forward, weapon in hand, and struck towards the Saint of Mystery, whose form had become entirely enveloped in darkness, surrounded by tumultuous waves of Mystery power.

The moment Aike's weapon made contact with the swirling Mystery forces, he was torn apart, instantly killed by the overwhelming power of the Saint of Mystery.

John, along with the Corruptor, was taken aback, unable to react or offer any assistance to Aike before his swift demise.

In the face of this shocking turn of events, John wasted no time in pulling out his Book of the Astral Realm.

To guarantee an uninterrupted teleportation, he also used a divine scroll specialized in teleportation skills.

With the combined power of the two sacred relics, John instantly transported himself to a location not far from the entrance of the dark lair, where he encountered Duke Arsena.

"John, why are you here? Weren't you far ahead of me? I couldn't keep up with you and Legendary Warrior Aike! How did the battle go?"

Duke Arsena encountered significant difficulties after entering the dark lair.

As a Paladin, he could summon the power of Holy Light to illuminate his path in the darkness.

However, the Saint of Mystery's overpowering influence rendered the Holy Light incapable of lighting up any part of the lair, significantly slowing Arsena's progress compared to John and Aike.

Faced with Duke Arsena's questions, John had no time to explain.

"There's no time to discuss this now! The Saint of Mystery's power is overwhelming; our approach was too reckless! We must escape the Dark Realm as quickly as possible!"

John grabbed Duke Arsena's hand and sprinted towards the entrance of the dark lair.

Confused and still wanting to inquire about Legendary Warrior Aike's whereabouts, Duke Arsena was hurried along by John.

Upon reaching the entrance, John once again utilized the power of the Book of the Astral Realm.

The consecutive uses of the Book's power in a short span had taken a significant toll on John's mental state.

"Where's Legendary Warrior Aike? Is he still battling the Saint of Mystery?! If he is fighting, why are we running away?!"

Still brimming with questions, Duke Arsena could receive no answers from John, who was now rendered speechless by the ordeal.

As Arsena was about to probe further, a harrowing scream echoed from the depths of the dark lair, signaling the complete annihilation of the Corruptor Devil by the Saint of Mystery.

This realization dawned upon Arsena, who then understood the grim fate that likely befell Legendary Warrior Aike at the hands of the Saint of Mystery.

Without hesitation, Arsena moved to John's side, and John, gathering the last of his strength, activated the teleportation power of the Book of the Astral Realm.

With the book's assistance, John and Arsena were swiftly teleported back to Storm City.

As they departed the Dark Realm, both John and Arsena witnessed a Shadow emerging from the dark lair, marking the last glimpse of the realm they left behind.