Chapter 54

The Lazarus Pit is truly alarming.

Literally, it can heal any wound, revive, thus extending life, and even resurrect the recently dead.

They will come back to life as zombies if the Lazarus Pit is used to bring back someone who has been dead for too long.

These are the positive aspects of the pit, but there is no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

It wants something in return, which can range from crazy behavior to changes in mental state and personality.

In any case, those who bathe in the pit will undoubtedly have to pay the price.

Other than the stupid people who go into the pit on purpose, knowing or not, the woman hanging above it will have a worse outcome if she falls into it.

The person who goes into the pit must be injured physically or mentally in order to use its healing abilities.

It is a certain death for anyone who goes into it in good shape.

"Any luck?"

Dio asked while crouching in the upper part of the chamber where Speedy and Dio were.

"No, Robin isn't responding."

Speedy said while looking ahead.

With an army of fanatics in their way, along with Mammoth and his new friend, they are the only ones who can save a woman who is hanging four meters above the ground.

"Should we wait?"

Dio asked.

"Until the last moment, and if they don't show up, we'll act."

Speedy agreed while nocking an arrow on his bow.

During their brief conversation, the ritual conducted by the "priest" in front of the "faithful" continued.

The white woman hanging by a chain squirmed more as she tried to get free, and the pit of green, bubbling water behind him seemed to be getting more active with every word he read from his book.

After five minutes, the faithful in front of the priest knelt and placed their heads on the ground.

"That's good for us."

Speedy commented beside him and watched that.

Then, Brother Blood reaches behind him and grabs something with one hand while holding the book.

Dio recognized the gem stolen from the photos he saw—it was the Amulet of Arion, a hand-sized red ruby.

While holding the book and the amulet, which started to shine with a bright red light, Brother Blood raised his head and shouted with a voice filled with joy.

"We are close, my brothers! Our master is coming; I can feel it!"

Brother Blood could be right, as the waters of the pit were now boiling, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

"Speedy, shoot that gem now."

Dio said it as seriously as he could.

The reason he asked Speedy to shoot the amulet was because he understood its crucial importance in the ritual.

Brother Blood was not a wizard or sorcerer, and his summoning ritual seems to be very powerful.

It needs something to power it, and the amulet, which is linked to a magical realm, is the perfect thing to use.

"If we attack, they'll release the woman."

Speedy observed.

One of the cult members is right next to the chain that's anchored to the wall, ready to release it at the right moment of the ritual.

"I can save her, but we have to do it at the same time."

Dio replied.

Speedy nodded and stood while nocking an arrow.

"Whenever you're ready."

Speedy said.

Dio touches his pendant, and a sword with a black blade appears on his back.

After taking a few deep breaths, he stood up and gazed directly at the woman suspended.

"Now!"

Dio shouted.

Dio uses shadow movement at the same time Speedy releases the arrow.

Dio quickly pulled out his sword, cut the top part of the chain, and freed the woman as he appeared next to her in the air.

Before she could fall, Dio caught her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

While still in mid-air, Dio glances at Brother Blood for a moment; the arrow has hit his hand, and the amulet is in the air.

Dio used shadow movement again to return to where he was next to Speedy. From there, it would be easy to defend her and retreat.

But Dio appears in the wrong place, right in front of Mammoth and the bald woman who's looking at him with interest, her hands enveloped in a light blue energy.

She's a sorcerer.

"Hmmmmm!"

The woman Dio was holding under his arm squirms in an attempt to make him release her.

That woke him up, and he took advantage of everyone's shock and used shadow movement again.

Dio knows it's a risky move because the sorcerer has a spell to change his destination, but this time, he hasn't set a destination; he just thinks of going as far away from her as possible.

It is very risky because he might get stuck inside a wall, but she interferes with him before he can get very far.

Unfortunately, Dio's destination isn't much better than inside a wall; he reappears in the middle of the cultists.

"They disrupted the ritual; make them pay for their blasphemy!"

Brother Blood shouted and pointed at him.

Dio had to jump to avoid getting buried under all the people who were attacking him from all sides.

In mid-air, Dio looked to his left and saw Mammoth, who had also jumped towards him.

Dio throws the rescued woman toward Speedy so that she avoids injury from the impact.

At the same moment, Dio was hit by Mammoth's strong and powerful body, which sent me flying to the other side of the room and smashing into the rough stone wall, which caused the whole place to shake.

Mammoth is on top of Dio on the ground, but Dio twists his body to the right to escape him.

He then gets up and touches his pendant, which his ninja clothes are replaced by his armor, and his appearance returns to normal.

"You!"

Mammoth immediately recognizes him.

"Me!"

Dio knew it would be better to keep his identity hidden, but there's no way to defeat Mammoth without using everything he has.

Dio looks behind Mammoth and sees two arrows that were fired from above.

One of them heads toward the cultists and explodes in the air above them, which releases a red smoke that falls upon them.

The effect is quick; they start covering their eyes and screaming. Dio can smell the pepper spray in the air.

The second arrow changes direction and misses Brother Blood.

"He's trying to get the amulet again."

Speedy informs him through their communication.

It was a mistake; Dio should have tried to get the amulet too, but things happened too fast.

Seeing the situation Dio was in now, the chances of succeeding would have been slim.

Mammoth didn't give him a chance to respond to Speedy; he kicked him, and Dio moved his body to the side, which caused his thick leg to sink into the tunnel wall.

Dio placed his hand on the lower part of his leg and pushed with all his strength.

Mammoth does a somersault in the air and lands on top of some cultists. Dio hoped he didn't hurt them too much in the process.

Ignoring Mammoth as he gets up, Dio jumps and lands in the middle of the panicked cultists.

Dio jumped once more and landed between Speedy and the woman, who was still in chains and lying on the ground.

"Can you retrieve the amulet with a grappling arrow or something?"

Dio asks Speedy, who is firing multiple arrows to prevent Brother Blood from reaching the amulet.

However, Brother Blood is not harmless.

The arrows are not only intended to prevent him from touching the amulet but also to take him out of the fight.

He is an expert at dodging them, which is suspicious, and Dio can feel magic in the air.

At least this is slowing him down.

"It's impossible to get the amulet while he's close."

Speedy responded.

"I'll get it then."

Dio said.

Dio glances to the side and sees that the cultists have recovered enough to start climbing the stairs leading to them, and those are the only stairs.

"Unbelievers!"

"Heretics!"

"Demons!"

They shouted.

Dio can't let them come up here, so he grabs his shield and holds it out in front of him.

Dio then charges down the stairs and changes into a bowling ball, which knocks down the pins and scatters them all over the place.

When Dio reaches the bottom of the stairs, the people are too surprised to try climbing again. That's when Mammoth grabs Dio's body and brings him closer to his face.

"Let me thank you for the shoulder wound you gave me."

Mammoth said while holding his harm with his other hand, and then he pulled it.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Dio's shoulder was dislocated, and he screamed in pain.

Dio was about to use his strongest spell to attack him because of the pain when he saw Speedy fall behind him and carefully wrap his bow around Mammoth's neck and pull hard.

This took Mammoth by surprise, and he released him onto the ground.

Dio grabs his shoulder with his good hand and pulls it back into place with all his strength.

It's not a good method for treating this kind of injury, but his natural regeneration will only kick in once the bone is in the right place.

"FUUCCKKK"

When the bone returns to its place, Dio closes his mouth to avoid screaming in pain.

Dio stood up, picked up his sword, and stood.

Speedy is still holding on to the bow around Mammoth's neck, so he is running back and forth while trying to shake Speedy off.

There's no time to waste; they are being surrounded once again.

...

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