Chapter 633 632: Cult of Ambition (2)

Chapter 633 Chapter 632: Cult of Ambition (2)

"Are we keeping them alive or are we wiping the slate clean?"

Jahi's nonchalant question was given an equally nonchalant answer from the Marquess, who looked at the approaching crowd with ruby eyes as she replied "Budan, do they seem to have any artifacts on their persons? If not... wipe the slate clean."

Baroness Witrani let out a choked gasp as she trembled behind the Marquess, tears welling in her eyes as she watched her people - the people she had come to care about and represented - raise arms against a Noble.

The monk crouched and ruffled through the pockets and searched the rest of the guard's and Erica's bodies before shaking his head, saying "They're clean. This is no control, no blackmail. Just pure, unadulterated belief it would seem..."

The Marquess nodded, and without another word we unsheathed our weapons as we allowed the crowd to draw closer, observing them with each step they took.

"Somethings beginning to connect between them... more of that mana from before, I believe. Might not be as simple as we think."

Kolia's words made the Marquess nod again, though the Demoness just hefted her claymore and replied "Even more of a reason to cut them down... No reason to risk anything by taking chances with such a large assembly of cultists. Though... Kolia, keep studying the connections, tell me how this affects it..."

The Arch Mage barely had the chance to nod before a bolt of fire hurtled through the air and enveloped one of the guards, the man falling to his knees as flames shrouded his body, consuming him alive.

His screams made the Baroness begin to shake as she looked away, and some of the people approaching looked back towards him, only to return their gazes towards us, almost uncaring of the sacrifice.

"Nothing besides the threads of mana binding him to the others dissipating. It's only getting stronger by the second though... I don't know what it's for, so..."

Leone nodded beside Kolia, staring intently at the approaching crowd as she set aside her gentler side, focusing on how they were all cultists threatening us.

"So kill them quickly then, I guess... There's about a hundred. Roughly ten each then."

The Khopesh in my hands felt great as I nodded, and knowing that I was about to test it out was even better.

"Get to it then. I want to be done with this all..."

The Marquess' dismissive tone was felt by us all, and without any further adieu, the Wisps, Jahi, Anput and I made our way forwards, while the Marquess began to stroll forwards casually, leaving Budan to protect the two mages and the Baroness.

Darting forwards, I felt a grin tugging at my lips as the Khopesh in my hands arced wonderfully through the air, the red metal looking gorgeous when it was joined by the crimson of blood when I slashed into the neck of the woman in front of me, the serrated teeth chewing through flesh and slicing messily through her spinal cord as I decapitated her, sending her head rolling while her body stumbled forwards.

None of the cultists seemed to expect us to be this quick, gasps and shouts as they tried to organize themselves filling the air alongside the screams and groans as they were cut down quickly, their numerical advantage wiped clean in front of elite talent.

My mind remained untainted by the slaughter around me as I chopped off the limbs of a guard before slitting their throat, their ties to a cult that desired to bring harm to my loved ones enough reasoning to put them to the blade as I acted first, and would ask any questions I had later.

It was entirely one sided, and as I danced through the crowd, I left behind a trail of carnage as I whet my Khopesh's thirst for blood, seeping it in its first ever battle against weak opponents.

Even though I wasn't focusing on the mana connections between the citizens, I could feel the spike in pressure as more of them were cut down, until only a handful remained stationed at the back, their eyes now black orbs with blue specks glowing randomly across the surface, mana leaking from their pores as they became the catalyst of whatever these citizens had done before hand.

I donned a Water and Wind Cloak as I collapsed on the remaining cultists with the others, my blade coated in a sheen of ice that shone a ethereal blue, contrasting the bloody red beneath.

With mana swirling around my body, I prepared myself to dodge a spell as I drew closer to the five cultists that were left, only to frown as nothing came to be, my Khopesh slicing cleanly through the skull of the closest cultist, and a flick of my wrist sent the blade arcing towards the next, lopping off their leg and slicing through their chest as I bisected them, bringing the total down to three.

The pressure mounted, making me leap back as I observed the three remaining cultists closely, Jahi and Anput on either side of me as they too observed on, while the Wisps remained behind us, ready to support if need be.

"Something's coming! Their mana is spiking again! Cut them down, quick!"

Kolia's voice broke the eery silence that had descended over the plateau, and we leapt forwards without hesitation as soon as we heard her words, the three of us cutting down the three cultists with swift slashes, hoping to sever their mana connection as well. n)(o/-v.-E/(1-.B/-I-.n

We didn't need a warning or a reminder as we leapt back again, creating space between the dead cultists and us as we waisted for something to happen, our guard still up even as the plateau fell quiet again, the only sound coming from the soft breeze that blew over the area, but besides that...

I scanned the dead bodies of the cultists in front of us, focusing hard on them and trying to understand what happened; what was that spike, and what was their goal?