Chapter 1013: Chapter 1012: Opening with an AOE to Show Goodwill
At the edge of the dark-colored pool, eight figures dressed in black robes and wearing masks formed a circle, holding hands and softly chanting blasphemous, evil spell texts. Their voices echoed through the dim hall, filled with a disconcerting eeriness and chill.
Not far behind them, hundreds of cultists knelt, chanting the spell texts as well.
And within the pool at the center, dark purple flames were burning, leaping with the chanting voices, spreading and gradually intensifying.
This scene further fueled the excitement of the cultists, their chanting grew louder, and the deep purple flames became even stronger.
"Great Lord of Darkness! King of Flames! Grand Duke of Blood! We offer our sacrifices here, imploring your descent!"
Accompanied by the cries of the crowd, within the deep purple flames, a dagger slowly rose. From its appearance, it seemed no different from a butcher’s knife at a street-side slaughterhouse, perhaps even more rudimentary.
If it were elsewhere, even thrown into a sewage ditch, no one would spare it a glance.
But here, as the dagger floated into the air, the surrounding air suddenly filled with a thick, metallic scent of blood, even making it hard for people to breathe. Moreover, at this moment, the eight robed figures widened their eyes, staring intently at the dagger as their eyes began to bloodshot, turning bright red.
"Ah... ah...!!"
After a moment, one of the black-robed figures suddenly let out a piercing scream, their body started trembling, and blood gushed like water from under their robes. The next moment, the man wrapped entirely within the black robe suddenly wavered, and the black robe fell lightly to the ground—as if no one was inside.
And that pool of spilled blood seemed to be attracted by something, flowing directly into the pool. The blood, upon entering the pool, began to spread, and in the blink of an eye, a face filled with painful expression coalesced and emerged from the blood. It opened its mouth, desperately trying to articulate something, but soon, the bloody filth along with that horrific, ugly face was completely swallowed by the purple flames.
"It’s coming..."
No one felt sorrow for their comrade’s sacrifice; in fact, they were overwhelmed with excitement at the moment. They could feel that here, the power of darkness was condensing, and a mighty presence hidden within the darkness had heard their summons!
"Hoo!!!"
At the moment when the blood completely merged with the purple flames, the purple flames suddenly erupted, transforming into a pillar of fire that shot straight into the sky!
Simultaneously, the surrounding scene underwent a sudden transformation!
"Swish---!"
In an instant, the cultists felt their vision blur, and the dim, eerie space around them transformed into a ruined, burning world. Then, the dark shadows descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground.
At the same time, a deep, terrifying voice echoed in the depths of every cultist’s heart.
"Kneel before the King of Fear!"
Amidst the bright red flames, a massive devil figure slowly emerged. It had dark red skin, pitch black sharp horns, a long lizard-like tail, and... an oddly indistinct body of gender.
"You dare disturb me? Mortals! You will pay for your foolish actions!"
With Diablo’s roar, a pentagram array suddenly appeared under each of them, and then the scorching hellfire instantly erupted, engulfing them all.
The surroundings instantly turned into a sea of flames.
Apocalyptic catastrophe!
Fang Zheng did not plan to pass by like a typical boss; this wasn’t a game. There was no need for the "players" to familiarize themselves with his battle skills and methods before defeating him. A competent boss, one determined to destroy the world, a truly unstoppable boss, had to display fiery enthusiasm in front of his enemies.
Going all out at the beginning is the best way to show friendliness!
Baal and Mephisto failed miserably at the hands of the Nephalem because they didn’t grasp this point.
Fang Zheng certainly wouldn’t make such a mistake.
Of course, normally, one of Diablo’s big strikes was enough to send everyone flying, but Fang Zheng wasn’t optimistic about that. He had investigated through "Ratziel," knowing that those attending this ritual were the elite of the Doomsday Church. Aside from the eight members of the Council of Destruction, the others also possessed formidable power. While no match for Fang Zheng, they were certainly not easy to deal with.
So, striking first was crucial, not allowing them to react!
With this thought, Fang Zheng acted swiftly. Diablo suddenly lifted its right foot and stomped hard on the ground.
"Boom---!!"
Flames erupted along the cracks Diablo created, instantly engulfing the cultists in front of him. This time, the cultists finally reacted, crying out for help continuously, but what caught Fang Zheng’s attention were the figures emerging from the flaming shadows.
They really survived!
With this thought, Fang Zheng acted immediately. Diablo lunged forward, grabbed one of the black-robed cultists, and with a strong grip, penetrated the cultist with sharp spines, turning him into a bloody pulp of flesh.
Simultaneously, Diablo’s tail swung swiftly to the side, sending the cultists on the other side flying away.
"Something’s wrong, this isn’t the being we intended to summon!"
The cultists, though evil, were not fools. After the initial shock and panic, they quickly gathered themselves, realizing that the current situation was unexpected. However, they were not without strategies for this, as devils by nature are wicked, and rituals often resulted in issues. Thus, the cultists naturally had contingency plans.
"Banish it, drive it out, and continue the summoning ritual!"
Quickly, several heretics shouted, raising their hands. Magic aura flickered from their palms, transforming into fireballs that shot towards Fang Zheng.
Meanwhile, other heretics swiftly regrouped, resuming their chanting. Soon, Fang Zheng felt a sudden heaviness in his body, as innumerable pitch-black chains materialized out of nowhere, tightly binding him.
Indeed, for the Doomsday to reach this scale, they had to be skilled.
However, Fang Zheng was no easy opponent either!
"Roar---!"
With a furious roar, Diablo’s whole body trembled. The next moment, the black chains that had bound it shattered instantly, and the cultists who had summoned those chains shrieked as they were consumed by hellfire.
Yet, at this moment, Fang Zheng suddenly heard a roar.
He suddenly saw a dazzling, splendid light appearing out of thin air, slashing towards him!