After a careful day of planning, and preparation, the fated day came. It was time.

With a sliver of fuel remaining in the lamp, the trio decided to commence their escape plan. It wasn't exactly sophisticated, but they could only work with what they had.

Trapped in the bowels of a dark cavern for the better part of a week, Argo was slowly losing his sanity. He would say he wanted to feel his body bathed in sunlight; but he remembered he was in a world where the sun would never shine.

He wanted to sleep in a proper bed, shower, and eat a warm meal; preferably without the feeling of death hanging over his head like a guillotine. He truly had taken such simple, mundane things for granted. Ms. Amber's words truly were right.

'You only know the value of things once you've lost them.'

Argo felt a twinge of sadness recalling her say that, when he had accidentally lost his silver necklace. Carrying it with him all the time had caused him to slowly neglect its value. Only when he had misplaced it, and was left without it did he truly feel its value to him.

But he also felt her words applied to when he had lost her, and everything he had cherished back at the village. If he could go back he would try to spend as much time with them as possible, make every moment count instead of kicking back like the lazy bum he was back then. But, he couldn't do that.

Sweeping him out of his thoughts, he glanced at his two companions that were packing their things, preparing themselves for what lay ahead. Argo had convinced Aria to heal Faye, allowing the trio to maximize their current strength. Argo was somewhat disappointed with not being able to raise all of his stats to F, but that was a tall goal he had set himself.

Stats: [Strength: F-], [Endurance: F], [Dexterity: F], [Agility: F-], [Mana: G+]

His agility and endurance had risen by a sub-rank, but it was still nonetheless impressive given the time constraints. He had trained as hard as he could for this day, there was no point in feeling disappointed now.

Faye had decided to move forward with her plan. Argo had briefly summed up his ability to Aria, convincing her to trust him. He would begin charging [The Miracle] about fifteen meters from the hall entrance, while the girls kept watch at the front. They would protect him in case the army sensed the abnormal concentration of energy, and attempt to stall for time.

He would then unleash all the full might of [The Miracle] into the passageway, hoping to decimate all of the adventurers with one attack. Once he managed to inflict wide-scale destruction- they would make a hasty break to the other end of the hall. Argo would've preferred avoiding a straight-on confrontation, but Faye had convinced him otherwise.

If they had managed to leap over them with the miraculous power of his ability, there were too many hidden variables. Upon landing what if they weren't close to the other side of the grand passage? His legs would also be knocked out of commission, receiving a backlash from the explosive power.

With one of them knocked out of commission, and faced with an a legion of manipulated humans, there was a slim chance they could get out alive. So they all agreed on a frontal assault, with his Inherent-fueled attack serving as the starting gun.

From what Argo had observed, there were about fifty humans within the corridor. Like ants within a gigantic box. He hoped his attack would drown them in a wave of death. He would have to place his trust in Faye and Aria when he suffered the backlash of his Inherent. He needed them to safely carve out a path for him- while alerting him of any stragglers.

The trio crept along the dark passageways of the sunken temple, following Argo in tense silence. They didn't want to risk using light to attract unwanted attention. They had to be cautious, any misstep or miscalculation could end in their deaths. Each of them had a hand on his shoulder, as he guided them through the dark corridors. Every now and then he would point out a brick sticking out, or pothole.

Finally, after a couple of minutes, they spotted the entrance to the hall in the distance. Well, Argo could see it but the others only knew when he stopped.

"Okay, I'll begin now," he said quietly over the dim silence. With a terse nod from Faye, he called upon his Inherent.

Prismatic particles suffused with a multitude of colors lit the space around them. They slowly gravitated toward Argo's mana-coated blade, brightening its white hue. Tangible energy appeared around him, a thin pressure slowly strengthening with the accumulation of divine particles.

Aria's eyes widened, surprised with the sight before her. Argo couldn't blame her, even he had never seen something so divine. It was hard to believe this power belonged to him.

Faye moved forward, twin ivory blades manifesting themself from light. Aria quickly followed, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword. They planned to observe the reaction of the corrupted humans, and by extension the Abhorrent controlling them. Any oddities they noticed would be relayed, allowing for a hasty retreat.

Argo slowly followed them in a leisurely walk, at complete odds with his mental state. He tried to calm his anxiety, but to no avail. He couldn't control his thoughts that drifted.

'What happens if something goes wrong?'

Argo's hold over his sword tightened, the angelic particles now radiating with a deeper intensity. The energy in the air thickened considerably. His sword surrounded in a maelstrom of pure, multi-colored light. It was like he was holding a blade infused with pure divinity; created to slay anything reeking of defilement.

Sweat pouring from his brow, time seemed to slip away as Argo came closer to the gate. Flanking both sides, Aria and Faye had tense expressions on their faces. Nothing had came to investigate the strange energy fluctuation, which was odd.

The white glow that encased his body was now shining with an ethereal radiance, a beacon of light within the dark confines of the corridor. The humans would be blind to notice such light from the entrance.

Arriving before the opening, Argo's aura had reached a peak. The energy condensed in his blade filled the grand passage with immense pressure, the radiant glow cleansing the darkness. The grand hall that had failed to experience light in decades was now bathed in the luminosity produced by a miraculous power.

Scattered below him, a crowd of adventurers stared at him with hollow expressions. They all wielded different weapons and wore a variety of armors; but they all had an emptiness in their eyes. Devoid of any semblance of life, forced to move against their will by the whims of a creature reigning behind the shadows.

Argo was unnerved by their inaction, they simply watched him raise his sword. It was like the being behind them was silently taunting him, curious about what he would do.

'What is it planning?'

He quickly banished all thoughts from his mind, purging any hesitation. He raised the sword in his hands, an incandescent blade of lustrous light. Eclipsed in a mantle of pure white energy, Argo released a massive burst of mana into mana reinforcement.

Followed by a torrent of mana infusing his sword, bolstering its already abundant energy and lethality; Argo released a horizontal sword slash. His form and attack were very similar to the same blow he had previously used against the Deep Kraken. But this time, it contained significantly more mana and an intricate control of energy that sharpened its destructiveness to a new zenith.

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FWOOM!

A thirty meter crescent flew out of his blade, splitting the dark horizons with an effulgent light. The dark stones heated with an orange incandescence, the structure of the corridor shaking under the immense influence of one strike. The stone foundations quaked under the gargantuan strain- cracks forming a web of cracks all over the floor.

It was like a deity had descended into the dark corridor, sundering the air with an iridescent sword to cleanse all that was corrupted. Everything before it crumbled, followed by a cacophonous roar; like a demonic beast had been released from its eternal bindings. The world itself was reeling from the attack.

Argo watched some of the adventurers move, attempting to take cover or create defenses. Circular shields raised to produce yellow barriers, spells formed hasty blue shields, and others launched attacks in an effort to dampen the slash's potency. They lacked purpose and clear intent, seeming like a haphazard attempt fueled by instinct.

It was all futile, all were equally cleansed with light.

The white crescent slammed into the army of adventurers, a luminous explosion blinding the world. Mana whipped in an explosive frenzy, shearing the walls and pulverizing the ground. The victims of the attack vaporized under the miraculous power, or burned to charred husks.

[You have slain...]

[You have slain...]

[You have slain...]

...

[You have received...]

[You have received...]

[You have received...]

...

A cascade of notifications rang through his mind from the Records, causing a dark grimace to paint Argo's expression. Essence flooded into his being, absorbing the strength of the fellow humans he had just slain. The torrent of power surging through him managed to stabilize Argo's condition, and negate the brunt of his ability's drawback.

After eradicating that many adventurers, Argo wondered how far his stats had risen. Combined with the expedited growth from [Hero of Finality], his strength must've risen considerably. But he felt utterly disgusted at the moment, almost keeling over and puking.

He had closed his eyes upon unleashing the attack, shielding himself from the aftershock. But he also didn't want to see what he had done. He had killed humans in cold blood. It wasn't for any noble or higher purpose, it was simply because they stood in the way of his survival. It was like he had blood on his hands now.

He knew they weren't people anymore, but he didn't want to see fellow humans dying at his hands. He should've felt overjoyed at the skills and items he had received, but it couldn't dampen the horrible feeling that caused him to retch.

When the roaring halted, he slowly opened his eyes to a cataclysmic sight.

'I caused this?'

The once grand corridor was pulverized in multiple places, the remaining columns barely able to keep the ceiling from caving in. A giant slash separated the space into halves, and Argo couldn't make out its exact depth. A scattering of corpses and ash filled the ground, like the remains of a fiery explosion.

Before he could take in the sight, Faye and Aria had shot forward down the steps. With seemingly practiced intent, they split the air as they thundered down the crumbling floor in a mad bid for the exit. It was like they were used to such scenes of carnage, or they simply didn't care.

They had agreed that after Argo would unleash his attack, everyone would concentrate on making their way to the other end of the hall. Argo had tried asking Aria to briefly heal him after he received the backlash, but she refused. It was simply too dangerous to risk stopping.

Argo's joints creaked as he quickly followed.

He felt his face pale, and limbs shake. The energy required to utilize the full effects of his Inherent nearly debilitated him, he was only able to keep moving by using mana reinforcement. But he could only keep it up for so long, before he collapsed from over exhaustion.

It was a miracle in it of itself he didn't faceplant into the ground.

Faye's shadow summon led Argo through the smoking debris, leaping over glowing tiles of stone. She had sent her squire to protect him, as he was balancing on the edge of consciousness.

Despite darkness once again overtaking the space, glowing embers and bricks provided slight illumination. They were plentiful like the stars in the night sky. From what Argo could tell, no one had remained unscathed.

He still felt a faint sense of nervousness, and suspicion. Everything felt too easy. It felt too coincidental to conclude the sheer power contained within his attack was something the abomination had failed to account for.

On instinct, Argo slightly tilted his body with a premonition of danger. The distinct sound of the air splitting passed his face, ending in the pulverizing of stone. He had dodged a sword slash by a hair's breadth- his attacker's weapon lodged into the floor. Argo silently cursed, confused how no one had notified him.

He quickly raised his sword into a defensive stance. Argo was unable to discern his attacker with the thick fog pervading the air. A hard blow slammed into his rib cage abruptly. It sent him reeling, sliding across the scorched floor in a heap.

Argo wheezed, coughing up dust as he righted himself. He heard the sound of metal sheering from the direction of his unseen attacker. Faye's shadow summon had most likely engaged it in battle. Argo sensed it was a straggler who had somehow managed to avoid the brunt of his attack. Fortunately, it seemed to be slow. He couldn't tell if it was a result of injuries or the Abhorrent's faltering control.

Argo coalesced a surge of mana around him in a spiral. He then dispersed it in a circular blast, clearing away the dust obscuring his surroundings. It lacked the raw power of an attack since it was more focused on clearing away the dust. At the edge of the clearing, he watched a burly man in leather armor engage a squire molded from shadows.

Before he could assist Faye's summon, another adversary decided to make their move. A purple ball of energy blew through the soot-filled air, piecing the clearing with a whirl of light. Argo would've been toast if he didn't create a clearing for himself. He would've had to solely rely on instinct and his vague mana senses with all the soot in the air.

He hastily dodged to the side. He avoided using [Hex Barrier] in favor of conserving his mana. He could always forcibly fill his core with the blessings granted to him. But any attempts at doing so would be a dead give away he was a Tower-Blessed to the people near him. He could sense Faye and Aria in the distance engaged in battle. He didn't want to disclose such information to them, or the Abhorrent either.

The purple ball reeking of corruption pulverized the stone bricks, showering him in shrapnel. Argo recalled the direction it had came from. It was straight ahead and slightly to his left. They were out of the range of his visibility.

He plunged into the dust cloud, zigzagging in an attempt to make him a harder target to hit. He wondered how the mage was capable of peering through the smokescreen. Their spell was pretty accurate, but lacked potency. Argo made a gamble, banking on possible injuries inflicted on his assailant.

He repeated his earlier movements of creating a blast of mana round him. The dust parted before him, revealing a handful of corpses and a staggering figure. It was previously a women, her dark hair and lavender robes scorched beyond recognition. Her skin was charred with multiple pale white bones jutting out of her body.

Argo refrained from retching, trying to suppress the bile building up in his throat. He had did this. He had inflicted such devastating damage to an actual person.

He quickly pushed his thoughts away. She was heavily injured- neglecting to only cast two more purple spheres from earlier. They lacked power, but she was somehow able to still guide them accurately. Her mana core must've been damaged- but the being behind her was still able to think clearly. She was anything but human now.

Argo cut her down with ease. He uttered silent words of prayer to the fallen mage. He had never been a religious person, but he sincerely hoped she could fine peace.

The film of dust had gradually cleared, allowing Argo to meet up with his companions. They looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise unscathed. No one was spared from his earlier attack, leaving any survivors heavily injured. They had no issues dispatching them.

After running for a handful of minutes, the exit loomed before them. They engaged in small skirmishes here and there- but they didn't last for very long. A grand archway appeared before their vision, reaching nearly fifteen meters in height. With Argo's night vision. he could make out a grand foyer beyond. But it exuded a faint light.

His companions also took notice of the vague glow, and sped up. Freedom was so close, but a sense of unease loomed over his heart like a shadow. Was the being responsible for all of this waiting in that light?

Without question, the three barreled into the space pulsating with a silver hue. Argo was shocked by the space that unfolded before him, his eyes trying to adjust to the light.

They were inside a cathedral, complete with a row of pews and altar. Constructed out of smooth marble, elaborate columns held up a ceiling embellished in silver. Stained glass adjourned the sides and center, depicting images of piousness. Elaborate murals and carvings decorated the marble, holding whispers of ancient history.

What must've been a grand space devoted to worshipping a deity was only a former shell of itself; much like the temple they had explored the past week. The pews were damaged, some smashed beyond repair while others bore the wear of time.

The once beautiful tiled floors were smashed beyond repair, reduced to stone fragments and dust. The beautiful glass windows were filled with cracks, and some were completely shattered.

But the condition of the cathedral wasn't the thing that shocked the trio; it was the being sitting on the grand altar at the back of the room. Argo didn't know much about religion, but the enigmatic being leisurely settled on the marble shrine was not a priest.