Patricia, anxiously observing from the rear, exclaimed, “They possess a defensive artifact, and my supportive spells seem significantly weakened.”

Enzo, channeling elemental energy, called out, “Everyone, hold steady and search for their vulnerabilities.”

The leader of the Sloth Temple, seeing their attacks thwarted, grew even more arrogant, declaring, “Do not struggle. This is the Sloth Shield we obtained from ancient ruins, specifically designed to counter you.”

Tulane narrowed his eyes, “Ancient ruins? This Shield must have a weakness.”

Enzo inquired, “Mr. Tulane, have you discovered anything?”

After a moment of contemplation, Tulane replied, “I have heard that the Sloth Shield, after absorbing a significant amount of attacks, experiences a brief energy backlash. Let us concentrate our fire on one point and test it.”

The group nodded in agreement, and Enzo, Matilda, and Kosor unleashed their might in unison toward a single target while Patricia diligently maintained her supportive spells from the back.

The area under assault shimmered with the Sloth Shield’s light, seemingly nearing its limit.

“Now is our chance!”

Tulane shouted with fervor, channeling immense energy through his hands.

Simultaneously, Enzo and the others unleashed their strongest strikes. The Sloth Shield reacted violently, emitting a powerful wave before shattering.

“Seize the moment, attack!”

Kosor cried out with exhilaration as he charged into the fray once more, his great sword whirling with ferocity.

Matilda intensified the potency of her ice divine arts, spreading vast swathes of frost across the battlefield, ensnaring many of the Sloth Temple’s members in icy captivity.

Patricia swiftly cast a group enhancement spell, and Enzo and his companions felt their strength and speed surge dramatically.

The leader of the Sloth Temple, witnessing the destruction of his shield, changed his expression.”Damn it, how dare you breach my Shield! But do not celebrate just yet.”

He produced a gem radiating potent magical energy from his pocket and began to chant. The gem emanated immense power, further amplifying the breath of the Sloth Temple’s followers.

“What on earth is that?” Matilda complained.

Tulane replied solemnly, “That appears to be a magical enhancement gem, capable of temporarily boosting their strength. Everyone, be cautious.”

Enzo took a deep breath. “Regardless, we cannot falter. For the sake of protecting the Rage Temple, we shall fight with all our might!”

Both sides plunged back into a fierce battle, with the Sloth Temple’s attacks growing more ferocious, leaving Enzo and his allies increasingly beleaguered.

“This cannot continue. We need to devise a way to seize or destroy that gem.” Enzo declared.

Matilda’s eyes sparkled with inspiration. “I’ll conjure an ice prison to trap their leader while you all grab the gem.”

Tulane nodded, “It’s worth a try, but be careful. Their leader is formidable.”

Matilda swiftly formed hand seals, and a colossal ice prison began to rise, enveloping the Sloth Temple’s leader. Sensing the impending danger, the leader attempted to evade, but was momentarily ensnared by Tulane’s spatial binding spell.

“Now!” Tulane shouted.

Enzo and Kosor charged toward the leader, while the others from the Sloth Temple tried to intervene, only to be halted by Patricia’s wall of light.

As Enzo and Kosor closed in on the leader, Kosor clashed weapons with him, providing Enzo the opportunity to seize the gem.

After a fierce struggle, Enzo successfully wrested the gem from its holder and crushed it in his grip, causing its magical power to dissipate.

The morale of the Sloth Temple’s members immediately plummeted.

“How dare you destroy my magical enhancement gem! I will not let this go unpunished!” the leader roared in fury.

Yet at this moment, they were no match for Enzo and his allies. Under the onslaught of their combined efforts, the Sloth Temple’s forces began to crumble.

“Retreat!” the leader shouted helplessly, leading his dwindling forces away in defeat.

Enzo and his companions watched as their foes fled into the distance, exhaling a sigh of relief.

“This time, we owe it all to our united efforts.” Enzo remarked.

Tulane gazed into the horizon, “However, these temples are still casting a watchful eye upon us. New schemes are surely afoot. We must return to the Rage Temple to reinforce our defenses and devise ways to enhance our strength, lest we find ourselves out of luck next time.”

The group nodded in agreement and made their way toward the Rage Temple. Just as they reached the entrance, a guard rushed over, breathless, reporting, “My Lord, the Ancestor Meat within the temple has suddenly begun to glow, and the Magic Circle is unstable—it appears something is attempting to break free from its seal!”

Enzo and the others’ expressions shifted to one of alarm as they hurried inside the temple. There, they beheld the Ancestor Meat pulsating with radiant light, the runes of the Magic Circle swirling chaotically, the surrounding space warping and distorting.

“What is happening?” Matilda asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Enzo furrowed his brow, “I do not know, but it certainly bodes ill. Everyone, be cautious.”

Patricia, anxious, scrutinized the Magic Circle, “This power is formidable. It seems to have been triggered by something.”

Kosor gripped his greatsword tightly, “Whatever it is, whoever dares to sow chaos here will not escape unscathed.”

Tulane’s expression grew grave, “This power may be linked to the previous schemes of those temples.We must uncover the cause swiftly.”

Enzo nodded, “First, let us attempt to stabilize the Magic Circle. Patricia, do you have a solution?”

Patricia shook her head, “This force is far too potent. My usual methods may prove ineffective. We must ascertain its source.”

Just as the others grew anxious, a dark vortex suddenly manifested at the heart of the Magic Circle, exuding an overwhelming pull.

“This is bad. We are being drawn in!” Matilda exclaimed.

“Everyone, hold on to each other! Do not let yourselves be consumed!” Enzo shouted.

The group gripped one another tightly, yet the suction intensified.

“This won’t suffice. We need to devise a strategy to dispel this vortex.” Tulane declared.

Enzo fixed his gaze on the vortex, clenching his jaw, “I will attempt to strike it with elemental energy.”

With that, Enzo summoned all his elemental energy and hurled it at the vortex. The energy collided with it, emitting a brilliant flash, yet the vortex merely quivered slightly, its pull unabated.

“My power alone is insufficient. We must combine our efforts.” Enzo called out.

Matilda, Kosor, and Patricia unleashed their most formidable spells upon the vortex.

Tulane also formed hand seals, channeling a potent and mysterious force.

The collective might of their attacks converged, surging towards the vortex.

As this tremendous force struck, the vortex began to thrash violently, its pull gradually diminishing.

“With one final push, we shall succeed!” Enzo urged loudly.

Spurred by his words, the group intensified their efforts. At last, the dark vortex erupted with a resounding “boom” dissipating into nothingness.

“Phew, we’ve finally resolved a significant dilemma.” Kosor sighed in relief.

Yet Patricia remained furrowed in thought, “This is merely a temporary fix. Surely more challenges lie ahead.”

Enzo nodded, “Indeed, it is undoubtedly those temples orchestrating this mischief. We must take the initiative and cannot remain perpetually on the defensive.”

Tulane concurred, “Enzo is correct. However, before proceeding, we must first ascertain the methods they employed to manipulate the Ancestor Meat and the Magic Circle.”

At that moment, a mysterious voice echoed within the temple, “Do you truly believe you can so easily disrupt my plans? You are woefully naive.”

“Who goes there?” Enzo asked, scanning the surroundings with suspicion.

From the shadows, a human shadow gradually emerged. It was the leader of the Sloth temple, returning once more.

“It is you! What treachery have you wrought?” Matilda demanded.

The Sloth temple leader sneered, “During our previous confrontation, I clandestinely sowed dark seeds upon the Ancestor Meat and the Magic Circle. Once I invoke my spell, I can activate them and devour all of you, claiming the Ancestor Meat and the Magic Circle for myself.”

Enzo retorted furiously, “You despicable fiend!”

The Sloth temple leader shrugged dismissively, “Hmph, in this world, only the strong are entitled to possess anything. You are far too weak to deserve the Ancestor Meat and the Magic Circle.”

Tulane stepped forward defiantly, “Do you truly believe your scheme will succeed? We shall not allow it.”

The Sloth temple leader cast a scornful glance at Tulane, “You think yourselves capable? My earlier oversight will not be repeated.”

With that, he waved his arms, summoning a horde of dark creatures that surged forth, charging at Enzo and the others.

“These dark creatures appear quite formidable. Everyone, remain vigilant.” Enzo cautioned.

Kosor was the first to charge, swinging his great sword and cleaving one dark creature.Yet in an instant, the dark creature transformed once more into a mass of shadows, reconstituting itself.

“What shall we do? It seems we cannot kill them.” Kosor exclaimed anxiously.

Matilda pondered for a moment, “I shall attempt to use the power of purification and see if it can vanquish them.”

As Matilda cast her purification spell, a beam of white light surged towards the dark creatures. Upon contact with the light, they emitted anguished shrieks, yet they continued to resist fiercely.

“Allow me to assist you, Matilda.” Patricia called from behind.

Patricia invoked an enhancement spell, bolstering Matilda’s purifying powers. Together, through their combined efforts, the dark creatures gradually succumbed.

“You have managed to eradicate my dark creatures, but this is merely the beginning.” The leader of the Sloth Temple declared grimly.

From within his robe, he produced a black bottle, uncorking it as a cloud of black smoke billowed forth, swiftly enveloping the entire temple.

“This smoke is toxic. Everyone, hold your breath!” Tulane shouted.

Yet, the smoke seemed to permeate through their skin, and soon they felt dizzy, their strength beginning to wane.

“We cannot allow him to succeed. We must break through this smoke swiftly.” Enzo urged, fighting against his discomfort.

Enzo summoned the remaining elemental energy within him, forming an energy shield that encompassed them, preventing the smoke from infiltrating.

“This approach is not sustainable. We must take the initiative.” Tulane asserted.

Tulane cast a spatial spell, carving a path through the smoke as he charged towards the leader of the Sloth Temple.

Enzo and the others promptly followed, traversing the passage to engage in close combat with the Sloth Temple leader.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Enzo noticed a peculiar charm hanging from the leader’s waist, glimmering with a faint light, seemingly linked to all that was transpiring.

“The charm may hold the key. We must devise a way to seize it.” Enzo addressed the group.

Upon hearing this, Kosor deliberately revealed a weakness, luring the leader of the Sloth Temple into an attack. As the leader took the bait, Kosor capitalized on the moment, aiming a swift thrust at his waist in an attempt to claim the charm.

The leader of the Sloth Temple reacted with remarkable agility, sidestepping the strike, yet Kosor’s blade still grazed the pendant, causing its radiance to intensify.

“How dare you defile my treasure!” the leader of the Sloth Temple bellowed in fury.

In that instant, a brilliant beam of light erupted from the pendant, striking the leader of the Sloth Temple and enveloping him in a blinding glow, rendering him immobile.

“What is happening?” Matilda exclaimed in astonishment.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep