25 The Temple of The Monster

"Whew, so this is the temple, from far away it looks big, but seeing it upfront is…" Whistled the red-haired blacksmith as he inspected the huge architecture up and down.

"What's the purpose of this temple, anyway?"

"It was once for worship, sealing, and keeping nearby monsters in-check as to not harass human settlement nearby."

With how expanse and fertile the area is – it was no wonder that it became a prosperous monster breeding ground. Artemis followers with their distaste behavior towards men secluded themselves deep inside the mountainous region and built a temple dedicated to herself.

The temple had a moment of its former glory, but now only moss and weathered marble stone that stood against the test of time. In the entrance stood a gigantic gate that etched with numerous epithets depicting and praising Artemis.

It must be Opulent in the ancient time with how intricate these designs are. And to be honest, the temple exuded an aura of excessiveness, in contrast to the current owner who must be a reckless and ditz of a woman.

Though, from Hestia's statement that she wasn't like this before, preferring solitude with her followers rather than fawning over a boy like she is now.

"We've arrived."

We stopped at the door, that blocking us from our objective. A few people were already stood in front of it before us. They're the advance party that swept any monsters in advance, as the rear will escort the divines to the temple.

So far, there are only a few stragglers that dare to tread on our path. The most challenging one was perhaps, the Daedroth. They're basically a bipedal crocodile with triple the strength but very bulky and slow. Though the one that appeared was, thankfully, only some ordinary one. Their strength was compared with the Minotaur but without the level of ingenuity, minotaur possessed.

Since lesser daedroth was nothing more than animals, relying on instinct, rather than an intelligent Daedra.

Back to present, Artemis slice a bit of her finger skin to elicit blood beneath. Once the blood seeped out, she put the red finger to the circular object that etched on the wall.

Reminding me of the Skyhaven temple where I have to slice my finger.

No sooner than later, the sound of deep mechanism tremble as the gate split and revealed a corridor illuminated in blue from the wall to us.

Sword was brandished, the chant was cast, and bolt was leveled.

We circled protectively around the divines in case if there's a nasty surprise inside once we open the temple.

"Clear." Said Asfi, the blue-haired andromeda of the Hermes Familia.

"Maintain caution, we never know what would happen."

I cast detect spell, there's nothing in the long corridor as we trudged on the cold dark hallway, reminding me of Nordic crypts.

I glanced behind, as Ereshkigal wandered her gaze freely to the murals on the wall, and the Elf still following me from behind.

It's annoying at first until I learned to ignore her. Lyu, I've ever seen the elf wearing a waitress apron in the Hostess Fertility, though I'm not their frequent patron. What can I say, when I have a pushy mistress of the underworld cooking every day for me.

Soon the calm blue corridor turns darker, as numerous sounds of critters were masked by whatever substance that blocked the pathway.

"Listen," Lyu said gaining our attention as she moved to the front. "Once we destroy this obstacle, they will swarm us in no time." She referred to those sounds made by the monster inside.

With a clear tone and sharp eyes, everyone nodded at her. Then Lyu's eyes were set towards me.

"Fine."

I shrugged nonchalantly at her, hoisting the shield on my left hand. A shield that more looks like a piece of a wall made portable.

"–Rise. The bell toiled and the kingdom cometh. The light never guides but ruins before us. Sold thee soul, and salvation shall come in this wretched past!"

"Illuminate! [Aspect of Brilliance!]"

A circle of light passed and manifested around everyone then dissipated after to their core.

Ugh, I want to bash my head in shame. Then chop it off and threw it down to the gutter.

It's for the sake of disguise, disguise! Believe in yourself. All of those chants were just gibberish so I can hide the fact that I don't have to chant to cast magic.

It's trivial but the fewer know the more advantage I can get should we face an opponent. Information is vital, but a piece of wrong information can be proven fatal if it should be manipulated enough.

Ugh, but still… my inner pride…

"What is this?" Everyone just gawked to what happens to their condition. The feeling is rather exhilarating after all, with your regeneration upped in everything therefore more reserve of energy can be diverted into other tasks instead.

"It will help you to stay alive," I said half ambiguously. I didn't really trust any of them anyway.

The thing that blocks us seems very familiar, ah, it was the door that block players in Apocrypha. No wonder I felt a tinge of nostalgia, though this one did not run in the distinct green of Mora realm blue instead.

"What does it exactly do, Mr. Knight."

Said the white-haired boy, still persistent or he didn't get my cue. It must be the latter if his oblivious and dense personality comes by.

An adventurer's lifeline is their trade secret. Ability, skills, and magic are top guarded amongst each adventurer, and often they will only be divulged to those trustworthy enough to keep the secret.

Still, I amused him if not for killing time as we still yet encountered any enemies despite the loud screeching in front of us.

"Overall Regeneration, stat increase, and importantly damage reduction."

"Eh!?"

Well, the reaction is within expectation, after all.

It was normal for a buff type spell to increase stamina and magic, regeneration amongst the other thing. But more than one buff in a single spell is counted very rare as usually it manifests in skills rather spell category. Though it was something that shouldn't be fussed about he thought. He still can stack those buff with many of his magic repertoire and skill.

What he didn't realize was that adventurers tend to specialize in their skills. Mages will be mages; a warrior will be a warrior. If you overstretch yourself, then it will just be a waste of time and life. They don't have the entire lifespan to master everything.

He instinctively raised his shield in alerts, activating [Detect] spell as numerous blue dots finally reached into their path. He had observed them from afar knowing full they will come in a mere minute.

"Alert! enemy waves incoming."

The hallway was large and sufficient enough to support all the fighting members.

"GROOOOOO!!!!!"

"KRRRR!"

Clannfear, Imp, and Daedroth, and a variant of scorpion shaped monster he never saw. All charging into the front like a raging wave of the ocean.

The [Paladinus Auream] skills instantly activated the moment I entered battle stance, automatically casting Fortification spell and strengthen the armor and equipment integrity.

Still, I won't waste any time in this small hallway. There's 4 liab- I mean gods that need to be protected.

"Activate shield sequence. Preparation to fire."

Four spell sigils forming around the shield, giving an illusion that it actually was fired from the shield. While I reality it only the skill of [Multi-casting] in my skills repertoire. The situation while grim is yet dire enough for me to throw away all the disguise.

"Everyone braces yourself!" I shouted to them, no doubt knowing full what I was about to do with the shield glowing because of the effect of the spell sigil in front of it. "Fire!"

Four lightning beams were projected into a single straight path in front of it. The loop-hole I found from the [Multi Casting] is that I was able to cast a spell that usually requires two hands to concentrate into a single hand.

Though It's also taxing to use as it required a great amount of concentration to cast.

To my surprise, the four beams collided into one, creating a devastating and much larger beam as monsters after monsters disintegrated.

"Good Job. Mr. Knight. Now leave the straggle to us."

Welf chimed in, followed after everyone who finished off the remaining monsters. After seeing those lethal beams, he was fascinated that such a magic shield could exist. Though he frowns that the exquisite design and integrity of the shield will be left compromised due to it being used as a magic weapon.

Not he knows anything.

They proceed further deep to the temple, weaving and repelling monsters, and only after 1 hour they reached the inner sanctum when it only takes about 10 minutes walked if not for the monsters that blocked them.

"W-What is that!"

There's only 1 monster inside the expanse of the circular room.

So that's how is it, Molag Bal. I squinted my eyes, as everyone was dumbfounded when they saw a goddess trapped inside a crystal.

"Why, why Artemis-sama is in there?" Asfi asked, her tone laced in disbelieve, then she turned around, "Lord Hermes! What is the meaning of this?"

A few mental breakdowns here and there, Artemis the one on our side clutched in pain when she saw her counterpart.

Bell and Hestia comforted her as Artemis begged them to kill the aberrations.

Numerous appendages traveling to the aberration, leeching off the land, corrupting it into its own desire. Or perhaps its new lord? He says a new champion, but I don't expect the champion to be a horror version of Drapion.

[AN: See Pokémon for references]

Though I must say… It's quite the patient boss monster, right? If it were to be a game there usually a dialog skit before the boss battle. But to think it will apply to real life. And here I foolishly thought 'kill now, talk later'

I seek a glance at my goddess who intently studied the monster from afar.

"What do you think," I said, filling the silence between us. It's not fair everyone has dialogue but I'm not.

"It corrupted the land, and possibly absorbing the energy?"

"You mean those purple trees we saw outside? Then most likely. There's quite a dense mana concentration in the appendages too… Ah, the monster directed the mana into the gem." I plainly remarked at the last statement.

"EH!?"

"ROOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

That's what I wanted to hear goddess. The boss monster like an opening sequence erupted a dark beam towards the sky. Then as heaven erupted, a plentitude of giant arrow beam fall to the land.

I raised my shield, knowing it won't be enough to protect everyone I instead grab ahold my goddess close to my clutch as I tanked most of the damage. I'm not concerned about others. They are the protagonist anyway, I'm sure they have the thickest armor than mine here and there.

… Then again, it just my own escapism. This is the real world, a true reality where every variable must be counted.

Well to my unfounded worries, it seems not even a single arrow managed to hit them. But here I've painfully endured these arrows with my shield.

The ground collapsed beneath us, and I instantly hold the goddess close to me. Without looking I silently cast [Drop Zone] below us to mitigate the fall damage.

"It seems we've been separated."

The goddess said as she looked around the rubbles and debris.

"There." I hurriedly run to the corner, a bloodied pallum, or those hobbit races.

"Are you fine," I asked her in worry as I lifted the debris that impacted her tiny body. Though somehow, she didn't mince into meat paste thanks to her small frame.

"Somewhat, Lily feel dizzy." She clutched her head. It looks like a fracture, and internal bleeding as blood flows freely.

It will become worse should not be treated.

"Goddess do you bring a towel?"

"Towel? Ah, sure, here." She rummaged through her waist-bag she hid behind the cloak of hers.

I'm not really an expert in treating a wound, but at least I know basic first-aid. I wiped clean the blood on her forehead. She groaned in pain, please, be patient.

The restoration magic I have didn't clean the blood after all and any debris left that lodged inside her wound won't be removed on its own. I have a few scalpels which I summoned from [Planar Gate] to remove the debris.

"It hurts!"

"Don't worry, after this, it will be done."

Wiping the remaining blood, then I cast, with another cheesy line.

[Fast Healing]

The fracture rapidly closed before my eyes; the skin was like undergoing a time-reversal back to its pristine state.

Wonder how advanced my old-world societies if we have something remotely close to this. I faintly remember that they recently published a bio-foam that capable to treat first injury wounds.

Though [Fast healing] is just an advanced form of the basic restoration spell. It won't replace the blood loss.

"You should take it easy."

I'm sure she will experience a mild headache after losing so much blood.

She nodded at me, while still clutching her head.

"Yes."

"Can you walk."

"I-I'm fine." She tried to stand, but it seems not to her expectation as she splendidly slumped back to the stone wall behind.

I lifted her small frame, huh, she's lighter than I thought.

"Hey! What're you doing, put me down." She flailed.

"Just be a little good girl, won't you?"

Seems she still has energy left, that's good then. Even though I can fight with one-hand just fine, I fear that I will accidentally mistake her as a shield… meat shield that is, so I place her on my shoulder.

"Goddess here." I give her two vials, one green, and one blue.

"I'm not agreeing to this yet! And I'm not a little girl!"

The pallum said, while snuggly fit to my shoulder. What a cheeky brat.

"Yes, yes. Lily is an adult little girl. This knight understands really. Here take this." I hander her the same variant of the potion as the goddess to her.

"This is?"

"It's a potion duh."

"I know that! But what's the green one."

"Stamina potion, it should restore your fatigue and stamina."

"Eh? There's something like this."

"Yes, now can you fight."

"Of course." She nodded while showing me her magic dagger and a hand-crossbow that tied to her wrist.

"Good. We'll depart now."

We left the area through the available path that leads us downward while hearing another shriek of the boss monster behind the rubble.

Seems we have to circumvent the path.

"So, do you know anything goddess, of that monster."

"Eh!?" She startled to my sudden question. We walked through the cavernous path, and there's no monster presence insight. "Only a little bit. I ever read the legend back in Tenkai. Though it was thousands of years ago, so don't expect to remember everything."

"Just a quick rundown will suffice."

"Antares. The monster was known as Antares, the paradox monster that has been sealed in this area after battling 10 night and 10 days with the heroes at the time."

"Any clue of how its abilities work."

"It was said, that it devoured the land it trudged upon. Trees will wither, ground polluted, and the air will become foul."

"So, it absorbs the essence of the land or something like that?"

"Well, the general estimation would be that. But I never thought it could also devour the divine and access our arcanum." She said in a grim tone, pondering how the monster will use that power. Though no less than world destruction.

"Can the god do something about this, Goddess."

Lily asked from my shoulder.

"I wonder. Even with a global-scale threat looming, we will never be able to deploy our arcanum in the lower world. We were more or less an observer in this world. We can only intervene through an indirect approach such as bestowing you with Falna."

"No way…" Lily seems dejected from the answer. "Then how do we defeat that aberration if it can control a god power!?"

"I don't know… I'm sorry, I don't know. There's a reason why it was sealed instead of outright destroyed, I presume."

Sigh, this will be troublesome if her description of the monster were like that. Now, I wonder how Molag will play his card in this game. Injecting the monster with extra firepower seems the largest possibility.

I should assume the worst.

Oh Fels, what trouble you involved me with this time.