Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Bottled Prisoner (Six)_1

“`

A kin-slayer? And even a Greek-style tragedy at that!

Fu Qian digested the information in Ailina’s words, realizing that her actions seemed to indicate a desire to show sincerity.

“Thank you for your honesty,”

he said, nodding his head.

“It’s just a pity, I don’t remember killing anyone.”

...
…

What Fu Qian said was, of course, the truth, though admittedly without much persuasive power.

Ailina, who had described patricide with a smile, now couldn’t help but twist her expression.

She stared at Fu Qian for several seconds, yet not a trace of guilt could be seen.

In the end, Ailina was defeated. Her eerie expression subsided, and she sighed deeply.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing…”

“In any case, Patrick is the most dangerous player in this contest, and because of his mad accumulation of Sinflame, he will only be harder to deal with when he appears again. We must be cautious.”

And you, knowing this, did not make a move just now.

Fu Qian glanced at Ailina, guessing why they had acted thus.

On one hand, they naturally wanted to keep the Butcher around to attract firepower.

On the other—Fu Qian himself hadn’t made a move either.

After all, he had just burst a head.

A cruel and powerful maniac watching from the side, they probably wouldn’t risk a lose-lose fight with someone with a potential ace up their sleeve before figuring out the details.

“Stop!”

At that moment, Cross’s voice came from ahead, suggesting a discovery.

Fu Qian and Ailina ceased their conversation and looked up together.

The direction they had initially headed was an imposing, round building surrounded by white pillars.

At this moment, the three of them had arrived in front of the building.

From this position, it was evident that the main entrance had collapsed long ago, with only a narrow spiral staircase visible on the side.

“Based on the information we have so far, there’s almost no pattern to the statues’ appearances. Since we’re just starting out, we’ll have to search one place at a time,”

Ailina explained beside them.

Mm.

Fu Qian agreed without objection.

“No signs of previous exploration.”

At that moment, Cross, after a brief inspection, turned back and said.

“Then let’s set off.”

As Ailina gave the order, Cross didn’t say anything, continuing to lead the way.

The group made their way to the side, ascending the precarious staircase and soon found a side door in the wall.

The side door’s interior was very narrow, and the dimly lit passageway turned a corner not far away, an unknown destination beyond.

Cross stopped in his tracks, looking back at Ailina with an inquiring look.

“Shall we take a look inside?”

Ailina asked Fu Qian.

“You make the call, I’ll listen to the experts,”

Fu Qian replied casually.

Without further ado, Ailina nodded at Cross.

The latter said nothing and went in first.

The passage inside was far more winding than imagined, the only certainty was that it led downwards.

The three of them advanced, turning this way and that, until at last they arrived at a flat expanse of ground.

This was a corridor far more spacious than the others, judging by the height, they seemed to have reached ground level.

Yet it was much brighter than outside, mainly due to a massive fire basin burning not far ahead, illuminating the surroundings brightly.

Without waiting for Ailina’s reminder, Cross immediately adopted a cautious stance and moved forward.

His weapon was a pitch-black Edge Hammer, its material indiscernible, but clearly very heavy.

And just as he approached the fire basin, his step suddenly faltered, his leg hanging mid-air.

“`

Clang!

In a shower of sparks, a golden spear descended from the heavens, embedding itself deeply into the stone slab half a step in front of Cross.

The aim was precise—if one had continued on the original path, they would have been skewered like a sugary hawthorn stick.

Fu Qian marveled from behind.

However, Cross’s reaction showed he was clearly prepared, the lessons learned before were indeed useful.

At this moment, following the direction from which the spear had come, one could see a massive, prostrate figure in the corner of the dome.

The creature had a human face and the body of a beast, with a pair of wings on its back, looking as if it had been entirely carved from gray stone.

“Gargoyle.”

Cross, calm and composed, said to Ailina, then held the Edge Hammer in front of him.

The next moment, the gargoyle that failed in its sneak attack leaped down from overhead.

Its massive stone wings spread open, it glided swiftly in front of Cross.

Surprisingly, Cross chose not to dodge or avoid, facing the ambush head-on.

Boom!

With a deafening explosion, the gargoyle’s huge head was smashed to bits, and its body crashed to the ground, breaking into pieces.

Killed with a single blow—it was horrifying!

But such a head-on attack was not without cost.

With a clang, Cross could no longer grip the Edge Hammer, and it dropped heavily to the ground.

Deep lacerations were visible on both his arms, clearly severe.

The next moment, however, a warm halo of light shone upon him, and the wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was a jarring sight!

Watching Ailina’s face of serene holiness, Fu Qian couldn’t help but shake his head as he recalled her momentous patricide.

But a combination of one warrior and one healer like them, in such deadly games, their combat strength was truly not weak.

“Thank you!”

Cross quickly regained his combat ability and picked up his weapon once again.

At the same time, a dark streak of blood flashed across him, and a ferocious look crossed his face.

Sinflame?

Fu Qian recognized it, noting it was the same as what Patrick bore.

Did this mean “sin” didn’t just result from the prisoners but under the Goddess’s blessing, any killing would be defined as Sinflame?

Then, wouldn’t it be possible to accumulate Sinflame by killing creatures, without the need to slay others?

No wonder most people forged ahead so eagerly.

“The Sinflame gained from such monsters isn’t much; it won’t have a significant effect for now. But we should still try to avoid conflicts later on,” Ailina said, after scrutinizing the situation, to Cross.

Hmm.

The latter grunted in response and proceeded to lead the way again.

They walked past the brazier, and at the end of the corridor was a flight of stairs leading upwards.

Cross took the lead up the stairs, and then all was silent.

…

Ailina and Fu Qian exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

Upon reaching the top step, a much smaller room lay before them.

At the top of the stairs, Cross was standing motionless, staring blankly at a figure at the end of the room.

It was a tall woman, lounging on a bench.

Covered in a heavy cloak, she gazed downward with an indirect gaze, her thick, long hair falling to her waist.

Her expression was gentle and tranquil, her body rhythmically moving with each breath.

“What’s the matter?” asked Fu Qian as he noticed Ailina had also frozen in place.

“Goddess of Sin and Punishment…”

After a long pause, Ailina finally spoke a title.

“But why is she alive?”