The small episode in the square quickly came to an end.
Apart from Deputy Inquisitor Lucien, who was hung from a lamppost, all other captives were divided and escorted away. High-ranking warriors and spellcasters were taken to two large pyramids, while ordinary captives bypassed the pyramids and were thrown into dungeons...
As participants in this war, the magicians were naturally invited to the sacrificial ceremony. What? Sacrifice people? What? Live sacrifices?
Oh my, it's rare to see a large indigenous ceremony. Even if it's just to gain knowledge, we should at least watch it!
Thus, the next morning, when the first rays of dawn illuminated the earth, Garrett was pulled out by his senior brother. From a high vantage point, he overlooked the orderly ranks in the square.
White Eagle warriors, Black Eagle warriors, nobles, and adult men stood in formation. Two White Eagle warriors served each prisoner, dragging them across the square towards the pyramids.
At the base of the pyramids, pairs of Golden Eagle warriors stood in neat rows on the steps. Each pair received a prisoner, dragged them up to the highest step, and laid them face-up on a stone trough.
Tlatoani held an obsidian dagger and plunged it down. The first to be dragged onto the altar, the golden-robed Archbishop, was already dazed and unconscious, but at this moment, he still let out an ear-piercing scream.
Even though Garrett was hundreds of meters away, he instinctively shivered. He murmured:
"No anesthesia, no disinfection... at least kill the person first! They're not even killing them, just dissecting them alive..."
Hands reached out from both sides, gripping Garrett's hands. The hand on the right was dry, strong, warm, and delicate. Garrett looked in that direction and saw Cirilla gazing at him, nodding gently.
The cold silver light in the Silver Dragon girl's eyes had not faded. It was clear that the scene below also made her very uncomfortable, but she still smiled at him comfortingly. Garrett forced a smile in return and turned his head to the left:
Lynn's hand was cold and clammy. Garrett looked up at the black-robed necromancer's unusually pale face, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Garrett took a deep breath and squeezed his hand tightly:
"It's alright."
"I know..."
Lynn's voice was weak. When he was previously locked in the dungeon, although he was often threatened with "If you don't obey, we'll use you as a sacrifice," he had no direct concept of a live sacrifice.
Only now, sitting on the high platform overlooking the sacrificial ceremony, with the full scent of blood and malice assaulting his senses, did he realize:
So, this is what it would have been like if I were tied up and sacrificed...
Tlatoani's movements were swift and skillful, clearly indicating that this was one of his main duties. With one cut, he opened the chest of the sacrifice and extracted the heart, holding it up with both hands. He stood up and raised the enemy's heart high, showing it to the people below—
"Sacrifice!"
"Sacrifice!"
"Sacrifice!"
"Eagle God!"
"Eagle God!"
Thunderous cheers erupted. After showing the heart around, Tlatoani stepped forward, bent down, and placed the heart in a special stone trough.
Above the trough, an obsidian statue of an eagle, inlaid with large quantities of sunstone, goldstone, fire opal, and ruby, with wings outstretched and a pecking posture, suddenly came to life, snatched up the sacrificial heart, and swallowed it whole. Soon, golden light enveloped the body of the golden-robed Archbishop, making it disappear without a trace.
The horrifying sounds of pecking, tearing, and swallowing echoed across the square.
"So barbaric."
"So disgusting."
"They actually eat people... The way these native gods absorb energy is too primitive..."
The magicians discussed incessantly through their mind link.
Only Grand Mage Haines remained silent—Garrett glanced quickly to the side and saw the black-robed mage staring intently at where the body had disappeared, his face showing undisguised disappointment—while the others expressed their disgust in their own ways.
However, the natives' cheers continued unabated. After the golden-robed Archbishop, one sacrifice after another was dragged up the pyramid and offered to the Eagle God. The flowing golden light on the obsidian statue grew thicker, and the golden light that swept up the bodies became increasingly substantial—
"Is it advancing?"
"No, this amount shouldn't be enough for it to advance... It might just be accumulating power, possibly even sharing it with its subordinates—"
Before the words were finished, a golden light descended upon the Golden Eagle warrior who had offered the sacrifice. The warrior's body shook, his bones creaked, and his muscles swelled. He turned to face the crowd, raised his golden axe, and roared:
"Ahhhhh——"
The cheers in the square grew even louder. In the mind link, the magicians exchanged information more urgently. More than one magician took out their portable instruments and aimed them at the Golden Eagle warrior from a distance:
"Energy readings have increased..."
"Not by a full level, but there is a noticeable increase. Half a level? Or a third of a level?"
"It's a pity we can't measure it up close or compare it with previous readings..."
After the golden-robed Archbishop, one high-ranking spellcaster and warrior after another was dragged up the pyramid. On the other side of the square, the Moon Pyramid was undergoing the same ritual:
Chivacoatl, wielding a golden mallet, struck hard, causing the sacrifice's brain to splatter. At the top of the pyramid, an obsidian statue of the Serpent God, adorned with opal, turquoise, blue amber, and tourmaline, bent down and sucked the brains.
Black mist spread, swallowing the sacrifice and making it disappear. After a pause, another sacrifice was brought up...
The black mist continuously expanded, solidified, and expanded again. Occasionally, a bit of black light flew out, landing on the snake woman or a priestess. The priestesses, who received the blessings, showed immediate increases in power.
"This scene is truly unbearable."
"Yes, so barbaric... If they were doing this among themselves, it would be one thing, but inviting us to watch, what are they trying to prove... a show of force?"
"Hardly a show of force. I think they know they can't defeat us. But sacrificing people from the Radiant Church... that’s just revolting..."
"I feel the same! As much as I hate those guys, seeing them have their brains and hearts ripped out and directly fed to the native gods... I feel like throwing up..."
The magicians continued to vent through their mind link. Garrett remained silent, tightly holding Lynn's hand and listening intently. After a while, Grand Mage Byerbo coughed, interrupting the discussion:
"The key issue is not whether it's disgusting or not, but that we must set some rules for these natives. No one from the Old World should be allowed to be sacrificed by them!"
"That's right!"
"Absolutely!"
"If sacrificing becomes a habit, the adventurers we bring over might easily be captured by them. Previously, I heard them say that outsiders are the best live sacrifices!"
"This rule must be established!"
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