Sacrifice's Rise: I Became Invincible After Entering Godslayer Temple

The following day, after a wild night, John was awakened from his sleep by the ringing of his phone. 

Groggily, he picked it up and found an unfamiliar number displayed. 

However, he'd seen this number the night before — the very number that had sent him a message.

Upon answering, the calm voice of Shadowswift echoed, "I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. John. It's Shadowswift. We met last night at the opera…"

Instantly alert, John sat up, the vestiges of sleep entirely banished from his face. "I know. I saw you there last night."

Shadowswift responded with a soft chuckle, "Might you have some time this morning, Mr. John? I'd like to meet. There are matters best discussed face-to-face."

Glancing at Amelia, who was still deep in slumber, resembling a peaceful baby, John replied with a light smile, "Of course…"

Having settled on a meeting spot, he hung up the phone. 

Just then, Amelia began to stir. 

Stretching out with a yawn, her face still bore traces of the passion from the previous night.

Almost instinctively, she wrapped an arm around John's, her eyes yet to fully open, she murmured, "Who was that? Calling you so early. Could it be that young girlfriend of yours?"

With an amused smile, John caught the hint of jealousy in her voice. "Are you, perhaps, jealous?"

By now, Amelia had opened her eyes, which shimmered with mischief and affection, fixing him with an intense gaze. "Of course I am. Watching the man you love not wholly belonging to you? I think no woman would enjoy such a feeling."

John pinched her rosy cheek gently, his smile growing even warmer, "True, but there's an order to things. She knew me way before you did…"

A faint look of desolation appeared on Amelia's pretty face, but it vanished almost instantly.

She playfully huffed, "Ugh, you jerk! How did I ever fall for a jerk like you?"

John, with a resigned shake of his head, quickly tried to reassure her, "Come on, don't overthink. It was a man who called me!"

Feigning shock, Amelia exclaimed, "A man? That's even more terrifying!"

John was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a few more tender moments with Amelia, John began to get dressed. 

Together, they took an indulgent bath before John finally departed from Amelia's apartment.

...

By morning, the city had awakened from the quietude of the night. 

Streets were bustling with vehicles and hurried pedestrians. 

Yet, on their faces, John discerned no traces of concern. 

It was clear that the horrifying attack at the opera house the previous evening hadn't attracted much attention. 

Perhaps the city hall had intentionally downplayed the incident.

John had arranged to meet Shadowswift at a café adjacent to the city hall. 

The familiar private booth awaited. As John entered, he found Shadowswift seated at a corner near the window, his gaze fixed on the busy streets below, fingers rhythmically tapping on the tabletop.

Shadowswift's grave expression instantly made John tense. 

Just as he settled into his seat, Shadowswift extended a cup of coffee towards him.

Accepting the coffee, John looked up at Shadowswift, patiently awaiting an explanation. 

Yet, Shadowswift remained silent, deep in contemplation, seemingly pondering some grave matter.

After a moment, he finally shattered the silence.

"The terror attack at the opera house last night was carried out by a member of a cult," Shadowswift said, weariness evident in his voice.

John remained unflappable, replying coolly, "I'm aware. And I also suspect that this cult you speak of is connected to the Godslayer game world, isn't it?"

Shadowswift gave a wry smile, "Exactly. The abyss they worship in the Godslayer game world is what they believe in. I have no idea how they managed to link their consciousness to that world, allowing their in-game abilities to manifest in reality."

A chill flashed in John's eyes as he said icily, "To worship the abyss is essentially to willingly succumb to darkness. Why would you allow such an organization to exist in our world? If one day the two worlds were to merge, and the parallel world were to invade, these people would be the gravest threat to our civilization."

Shadowswift was momentarily taken aback, not expecting John to view the matter with such gravity. 

Yet, recalling Elder Anderson's prior admonition – to prioritize John's opinion in matters related to the Godslayer world – he immediately straightened his stance. 

After a moment's reflection, he said somberly, "To be frank, it's not that we don't want to act against this cult. Internationally, they've already been labeled a terrorist organization. But they are so deeply concealed that we haven't been able to eradicate them completely."

John nodded, lifting his coffee for a light sip, "However, the existence of these extremists remains a significant threat. How much do you know about this cult?"

Taking a deep breath, Shadowswift replied gravely, "The cult worships a Dark God called the 'Lord of the Abyss'. They believe that the world will inevitably be engulfed in darkness, and that the Lord of the Abyss embodies that darkness. They think that when he descends, they will attain eternal salvation…"

"So they aim to awaken the dormant Lord of the Abyss by causing widespread chaos and slaughter, hoping to plunge the world back into perpetual darkness," John concluded, a cold smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Fools, all of them. There's no such thing as the 'Lord of the Abyss'. It seems they're merely being manipulated by some Devil behind the scenes," John scoffed.

Shadowswift furrowed his brow, looking at John with a puzzled expression. "From what you're implying, the Dark God they worship doesn't exist? But if that's the case, how can they manifest such incomprehensible powers in the real world?"

John replied nonchalantly, "Their abilities do stem from a Devil, but certainly not this so-called Lord of the Abyss. Even within the Godslayer world, no Devil would dare proclaim themselves the embodiment of eternal darkness..."

Shadowswift appeared contemplative.

After a moment, John inquired, "How large is their organization? Are there any distinctive features that could help identify them?"

Shaking his head gravely, Shadowswift said, "Our current understanding of them is very limited. Their operations are incredibly covert, and they don't have many core members, making it akin to searching for a needle in a haystack."

"However, we do know they have many peripheral members globally. And those core members are far from ordinary. Many of them possess abilities that are beyond the norm, just like..."

Stopping mid-sentence, Shadowswift gazed oddly at John, murmuring, "I assume, John, that you are more familiar with these powers than any of us. When we first met, Elder Anderson mentioned that you had awakened your abilities from the game."

John slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

Continuing, Shadowswift said, "The department I oversee is actually in charge of monitoring and handling gamers like you who have awakened special abilities. This naturally includes organizations like the Cult of the Abyss..."

"Uncontrolled abilities should be regulated. After all, not everyone can suppress their inner desires," John voiced his thoughts calmly.

Shadowswift nodded in agreement.

After a moment's reflection, John asked softly, "Why did you send me that message at the time?"

Sipping his coffee, Shadowswift explained, "I was monitoring the entire opera house at that moment and noticed you were there. So, I sent you a text as a warning."

Hearing Shadowswift's explanation, John nodded thoughtfully.

He continued, "Have you dealt with last night's terrorist attack? Was the guy called Magician captured?"

Shadowswift responded with a light chuckle, "We successfully neutralized all the terrorists, but that man eluded capture. Currently, we're making every effort to track him down."

John furrowed his brows, a hint of unease stirring within him. 

The fact that someone named Magician had escaped wasn't good news. 

With his abilities, he might wreak further havoc in the city, endangering innocent citizens.

Shadowswift continued, "However, we've already gathered some leads. There's a strong possibility that he's hiding somewhere within the city. We're fully committed to locating him."

John nodded and remarked, "I hope you can deal with him swiftly. Such degenerates, with no sense of morality, pose a threat to the public as long as they're alive..."

Then, he questioned, "Speaking of which, if you had anticipated that these terrorists might target the concert, why did you let them massacre the audience?"

Shadowswift gave a bitter smile and said helplessly, "Because we hadn't expected the concert's organizers to be connected to this cult..."

"One of the top figures in the organizing committee turned out to be a peripheral member of the cult. Using his influence, he stealthily arranged for the terrorists to infiltrate the concert."

"All our preparations revolved around the perimeter of the opera house. We had thought the terrorists would attack from the outside. Little did we know they had already sneaked in disguised as audience members, catching us completely off guard!"