Chapter 13:The Ritual of Sacrifice

Chapter 13:The Ritual of Sacrifice

Figure something out!" Elizabeth snapped, her voice as cold and unyielding as iron. She didn't even lift her head, her full attention locked onto the intricate patterns she was carving into the ground.

Tom took a deep breath, swallowing his complaints. Now was not the time to argue. Clenching his teeth, he quickly scanned his surroundings, then reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a handful of slender iron nails. They were originally meant for emergency situations—he hadn't expected them to come in handy like this.

"Come on, you bastard!" he growled, flicking his wrist to hurl an iron nail. It sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound, aimed straight for the creature's chest!

Whoosh!

But the corpse puppet merely tilted its head slightly, allowing the nail to graze past its grayish skin and embed itself into the ground without causing any actual harm.

Tom's heart sank, but he didn't stop. He flicked his wrist again and again, sending multiple nails flying in rapid succession. Even if they couldn't inflict real damage, they could at least disrupt its movements and buy them a few more seconds.

Sure enough, the creature hesitated for a brief moment. It stopped, tilting its head to glance at the nails embedded in the ground around it. The crimson glow in its hollow eye sockets flickered, as if it was… confused.

In that fleeting moment, Elizabeth finished her work. She abruptly lifted her head, biting her fingertip and letting a single drop of blood fall onto the pattern's center.

In an instant, an invisible force rippled outward from the ground. The air thickened, the wind stilled, and an eerie silence settled over the altar.

The corpse puppet's body stiffened. Its glowing red eyes narrowed slightly, and—for the first time—its unsettling grin faltered, replaced by a flicker of wariness.

"It's working!" Elizabeth's eyes gleamed with determination. She pressed her palm against the stone tablet, her lips moving as she chanted an ancient, cryptic incantation. The words were deep and guttural, an echo of a long-lost language carrying an undeniable power.

The engravings on the stone tablet began to glow faintly, and a heavy presence stirred from beneath the ground. The entire altar trembled as cracks in the earth pulsed with an eerie blue light, signaling the reactivation of the seal.

Tom let out a shaky breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Shit, finally…" He kept his eyes trained on the creature, afraid it would lunge at them again.

But just as he allowed himself a moment of relief, the corpse puppet suddenly let out a sharp, ear-piercing screech.

Its body convulsed violently, and the markings on its chest split open on their own. Thick, black blood oozed from the cracks, as if something within was being torn apart. A split second later, its aura surged violently, an oppressive force exploding outward as it resisted the binding power of the seal!

Tom's face paled. "What the hell?! It can fight back against the seal?" His grip on the iron nails trembled slightly, his shock evident in his voice.

Elizabeth's expression darkened. "Something's not right…" she murmured. Her gaze locked onto the ruptured markings on the creature's chest, a heavy realization settling over her.

"It's… sacrificing its own parasites in exchange for temporary freedom."

Tom froze before the implication hit him like a brick. "You're saying… it's burning through its own strength?"

Elizabeth nodded, her brows furrowed. "This technique grants a brief power boost, but it comes at a steep cost. It means…" She exhaled, her voice dropping to a grim whisper. "It's willing to destroy itself just to kill us."

"It's gone insane!" Tom cursed, his grip tightening around the iron nails. He could feel it—the creature's aura had become even more monstrous. The red glow in its eyes burned with an unhinged madness, its body twisting unnaturally, claws gleaming like razor-sharp blades. Its speed had reached a terrifying new level.

"Tom, get back!" Elizabeth shouted, forming a series of quick hand seals. The light from the stone tablet flared intensely as an invisible force erupted from the ground.

A chain of ghostly blue energy shot out, wrapping around the creature's body in an instant!

"ROOOOAAAR!"

The corpse puppet let out a furious, guttural scream, thrashing wildly against its restraints. Its limbs convulsed, claws tearing at the spectral chains in a desperate attempt to break free. But the binding held firm, tightening inch by inch like shackles anchored deep within the earth.

The seal had finally been fully reactivated.

The creature was forced down, its struggles growing weaker, black blood pooling beneath it and staining the dirt.

Tom panted heavily, staring at the subdued monster before finally exhaling in relief. "Holy shit… it's finally under control…" He wiped the sweat from his face, his body trembling slightly from the sheer tension of the life-or-death struggle.

But Elizabeth didn't relax. Her eyes remained locked on the corpse puppet, filled with a deep, unsettling doubt.

"It's… still smiling," she muttered.

Tom stiffened. He followed her gaze, and his breath caught in his throat.

Even with its body restrained, its limbs crushed beneath the weight of the seal, the creature's lips were still curled into a grotesque, eerie grin.

There was no pain in that smile. No despair.

Only something cold. Something expectant.

Tom's throat felt dry. His voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "What the hell does that mean?"

Elizabeth didn't answer immediately. Her gaze slowly shifted to the stone tablet, her voice barely audible.

"It's waiting… for something even more terrifying to arrive."

The moment the words left her lips, the wind around the altar abruptly stopped.

A suffocating pressure filled the air.

Tom's vision blurred, his mind growing hazy. And then—

[Critical danger detected. System terminating dormancy. Activating exclusive game scenario.]

A voice he hadn't heard in a long time echoed in his mind.

A surge of violet light enveloped him and Elizabeth.

In the next instant, their figures vanished.

And just moments later, a colossal shadow emerged in the exact spot where they had disappeared.

Standing atop its head—was a man.