The cultists rushed to execute the Archbishop's will. However, they had barely taken a step when the ceiling came crashing down on them, killing most while injuring a lucky few who jumped out of harm's way.
Dust and debris blocked their vision, making the Archbishop anxious about the stranger's arrival. He was sure he had fooled the first seatholder and doubted he knew about their arrival. Therefore, the intruder couldn't be him.
"But if it isn't him, then who?" Archbishop mumbled as the cultists rushed to surround him in an attempt to protect him from harm.
However, no sooner did they get into battle formation than an invisible force pulled them apart, slamming them into the cave's walls. Those who could blindly fire their weapons into the cloud of smoke and dust, hoping their bullets would hit the stranger.
But their attempt ended in vain as the bullets didn't even pass through the dust cloud. It looked like the dust cloud was a barrier protecting whoever was inside.
Archbishop's mind raced as he struggled to devise a solution to the strange situation they found themselves in. However, while thinking about a scenario, he sensed something move behind the dust.
He turned to warn his soldiers, but it was too late. Ashton's shadow soldiers charged out of shadow, straight towards the cultists, dragging the duct behind them, and it was then the Archbishop got a close look at the invader.
Ashton was standing there, staring at the Archbishop. His face was marred by the blood of those who wasted their lives trying to stop him from getting to the final chamber of the cave.
While the summons dealt with the cultists, he calmly approached the Archbishop, who subconsciously moved out of Ashton's way.
'What is happening to me?' the Archbishop struggled to get the situation in control, but no matter what, his body didn't move. At first, he thought it must be Ashton's doing, but in reality, his own fear and survival instincts were stopping him from interfering with Ashton.
"Move aside," Ashton calmly spoke to the engineers busy drilling holes into the door, but to no avail.
Fearing for their lives, the engineers immediately moved away. If their famed Archbishop was scared shitless, what could they do other than follow Ashton's command?
Even though they had moved, their eyes were fixed on Ashton as they wondered what he could do to open the doors they couldn't. But to their shock and surprise, Ashton did not have to do anything.
He just placed his hand on the door, and it disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. The cultists were left with their mouths wide open, but the Archbishop finally snapped out of his fear as he knew what was at stake.
He mindlessly charged behind Ashton, hoping to enter the room before Ashton could. However, when he reached the door, the latter grabbed him by the nape and threw him backwards.
The Archbishop went through half a dozen natural pillars spread across the cave before coming to an abrupt halt as someone grabbed him.
"Thank you-"
The Archbishop barely saw his benefactor's face when he realised the one who had thrown him and the one who caught him were the same people.
His eyes frantically darted towards the gate and saw no one there. Even the engineers standing there roughly a moment ago had disappeared. The Archbishop took a deep breath, realising all his men had been dealt with. He was the sole survivor there, but at that moment, surviving was the last thing on his mind.
"Who are you?" he asked Ashton.
"Does it even matter?" Ashton shrugged before slamming the Archbishop's head into the floor.
The force wasn't enough to kill the cultists, but it was enough to make him aware of their difference in strength. Upon impact, the Archbishop's vision turned hazy. Still, he did not lose sight of his objective and removed a needle from his back pocket before stabbing Ashton with it.
The objective was clear: if he couldn't take out the intruder through conventional means, he would do so through cheap tricks.
Unfortunately for him, the potent concoction of poison he tried injecting Ashton didn't penetrate through his new amour. Ashton's <Poison Immunity> would have saved him even if it had.
"This seems useful," Ashton mumbled as he snatched the injection from the cultist's hand before injecting the unfortunate bastard with the same.
The look of horror on the Archbishop's face was enough to shake anyone as his skin turned a dark shade of blue. The man began fidgeting, trying to find the antidote. All the while, Ashton watched him without any expressions on his face.
Ten seconds was all the Archbishop had to inject himself with the antidote. It took him a few seconds, but he finally found the cure and prepared to inject himself.nOvE-lB)1n
The Archbishop took another look at Ashton as if he wanted to ensure he wouldn't interfere. But just when he was about to push the needle through his skin, an invisible force seemed to take hold of his hands.
The Archbishop struggled with all his might, trying to inject himself, but he couldn't. He looked up to Ashton, whose eyes kept watching him without a shred of emotion. At that moment, the Archbishop knew it was Ashton's doing.
Having no other way to live, he thought pleading with Ashton would save him. After all, he was the Archbishop of the cult! The information he had would undoubtedly help Ashton in his fight against the cult.
However, Ashton interrupted him before he could speak his mind, shattering his fantasy of life.
"You know nothing that I don't," he said as he squatted down to Archbishop's level. "Maybe I should rephrase my words. There's nothing you can say or do that'll save you now. Not even the gods you want to resurrect can save you now."
With that, Ashton left the Archbishop to live his final moments as he entered the chamber where the Medallion awaited his arrival.
