Chapter 60: Chapter60-The Storm Before the Sacrifice
Owen surveyed the fully assembled Infernal Scavenger with a deep sense of satisfaction.
Now, both Mia and Edgardo had reached Tier-3, alongside five Tier-2 Advanced Captains, and forty-five Tier-2 Beginner Infernal Envoys.
This force was now strong enough to stand against the Awakeners of Annasi.
Their rapid growth in power surprised Owen at first, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
There were many ways to enhance Infernal Envoys and increase their combat strength. However, methods to advance Awakeners were extremely limited, with the only known method being Awakening Scrolls.
Naturally, this made Awakener progression much slower.
"Right now, I have 20 Beginner Awakening Scrolls, 5 Mid-tier Awakening Scrolls, and 1 Advanced Awakener Scroll in my possession."
"I'll reserve these for the upcoming Annual Grand Sacrifice. There are only a few days left until the ceremony."
Owen muttered to himself, his face filled with anticipation.
"But... these are still too few to serve as divine blessings for the ceremony."
After a moment of contemplation, Owen's expression turned serious.
Although Annasi already had a decent number of Awakeners, most of them were only Tier-1. Even Tier-2 Awakeners were scarce.
Their strength needed to improve drastically—
After all, the Divine War would begin in less than half a year!
Despite his current advantages, Owen knew he had to prepare thoroughly to prevent any unexpected developments.
With this in mind, he opened the system's trading interface.
"The price of Beginner Awakening Scrolls has skyrocketed to 6 Divine Points? That's a bit too much..."
"Mid-tier Awakening Scrolls are now at 50 Divine Points each?! What kind of daylight robbery is this?!"
Owen was dumbfounded.
The current market prices were beyond his expectations.
After all, 50 Divine Points could be used to summon three Tier-2 Advanced Infernal Envoys.
Yet despite the outrageous cost, with the Grand Sacrifice approaching, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and buy more.
He also foresaw that as the Divine War drew closer, the demand for Awakening Scrolls—items that directly strengthened devotees—would cause their prices to soar even higher.
Besides, I have 4,880 Divine Points right now...
I'm practically a tycoon!
Most of his Divine Points had been acquired by trading Hellish Artifacts with other deities.
"Since it's the Grand Sacrifice, I need to make it truly spectacular!"
After only a moment's hesitation, Owen decisively swept through the Trading Channel, making large-scale purchases.
80 Beginner Awakening Scrolls, bringing his total to 100.15 Mid-tier Awakening Scrolls, making 20 in total.
As 1,230 Divine Points drained from his reserves, golden Awakening Scrolls materialized before him.
Had other gods witnessed his extravagant spending, their jaws would have dropped!
Most deities were still struggling to accumulate 1,000 Divine Points, hoping to become 1-Star Pinnacle Ancient Gods.
Some were still scraping together enough resources just to reach 1-Star Ancient God status.
Meanwhile, Owen was casually burning over 1,000 Divine Points just to buy Awakening Scrolls!
In these times, Divine Points were incredibly scarce, and most gods would meticulously calculate every single use to avoid waste.
No one could have imagined someone spending so recklessly!
The Arrival of the Grand Sacrifice
Time passed swiftly.
Ten days flew by in an instant.
As dawn broke, Annasi erupted into activity.
Every household busied themselves, preparing ritual garments, fragrant incense, and offerings.
Today marked the second and final Grand Sacrifice of the year.
During the first Grand Sacrifice, the village had witnessed the arrival of Deus Initium's generals.
Now, with this second Grand Sacrifice, the villagers' reverence had reached an all-time high.
They all knew that their peaceful and prosperous lives were entirely thanks to Deus Initium!
As the missionary of Deus Initium, Thomas was already awake before dawn, making preparations for the ceremony.
Village Chief John, Deputy Chief Eric, and Kevin had also risen early, ensuring that everything was in order.
"For this sacrifice, everyone must be completely devout," Thomas declared.
"This is the first official Grand Sacrifice since Deus Initium descended upon our village—nothing can go wrong!"
"You all know how Annasi has transformed from a small, struggling settlement on the brink of collapse into the strongest, safest, and most envied village in the mountains.
This is all because of Deus Initium!"
"Honoring Deus Initium through sacrifice is the most sacred duty of our village!"
His expression was incredibly solemn as he swept his gaze over John, Kevin, and the others.
He was personally overseeing the ceremony, allowing no mistakes.
John and the others nodded seriously.
They had taken this Grand Sacrifice very seriously, having started preparations days ago.
With everything now set, the golden morning light pierced through the mist, bathing Annasi in a radiant glow.
From a distance, the village seemed shrouded in divine splendor, as if coated in a thin layer of gold.
The villagers, having made their final preparations, began emerging from their homes and gathering toward the temple.
Dressed in their finest garments, reserved only for the most joyous occasions, their expressions were reverent and solemn.
To sacrifice to Deus Initium—
This is the most sacred act of our lives!
A Desperate Flight
Meanwhile, deep in the mountains outside Annasi—
"Hurry!"
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"Move faster!"
"We're close to Black Iron! Just a little more, and we'll reach Annasi!"
"Once we're under the protection of Deus Initium, we'll be safe!"
Covered in wounds, Tommy carried a weary Amelia on his back, rushing frantically toward Annasi.
Behind him, Revan and his wife, their clothes torn and bodies battered, struggled to keep up.
Despite their dire condition, Tommy's gaze remained resolute.
Though their situation was perilous, he refused to believe that his family would die here.
A faint, golden mist clung to their bodies, like an ethereal protective veil, moving with them as they ran.
From behind—
"Tommy, Revan, if you surrender now, we'll grant you a quick death!"
"That's right! Why struggle? You killed Dark Troll's offspring—there's no escape for you!"
A rolling wave of black smoke surged forward, stretching into the distance, filled with countless spellbeasts.
Within the darkness, a fox-like creature with sinister eyes grinned and taunted them.
But Tommy ignored them all.
He had faced these spellbeasts before—their power was terrifying.
He couldn't win.
But Annasi had a god!
Once inside, no spellbeast, no army, nothing—would dare to act out of line.
"Deus Initium is a god of unfathomable power!"
*If I can just reach the village—we will be saved!"
Ignoring the pain of his torn wounds, Tommy sprinted even faster.
Closer!
Even closer!