Chapter 209 The Villain Lady Arrives 37
At the moment when Luna tapped Tariq, her voice, although soft, exploded like thunder in the tense atmosphere, instantly attracting the attention of the people around her, but was instantly drowned out by the "rumbling" sound coming from the depths of the altar.
The voice was deep and powerful, like the whisper of an ancient god, shaking everyone's heartstrings. Luna's eyes were full of disbelief. She pointed at the two animal-shaped puppets that were originally motionless, and her voice trembled: "Look... their eyes... are moving!"
As she finished her words, everyone's eyes involuntarily focused on the two puppets carved from huge stones. Upon hearing this, Tariq's face suddenly changed. He turned around quickly and examined the two huge monsters with a sharp gaze.
Their eyes blinked slowly, as if giant beasts that had been sleeping for a thousand years were about to wake up. An ancient and powerful aura emanated from their bodies, which seemed to lower the temperature of the entire hall a few degrees.
"Hurry! Alice, we have to leave here!" Tariq shouted anxiously, rushing towards Alice while keeping a vigilant eye on his surroundings.
Alice was also shocked when she heard this. She quickly put away the staff in her hand, ready to deal with any possible crisis at any time. "What's wrong? Tariq?"
There was a hint of uneasiness in Alice's voice, but she still maintained the calmness and rationality of a wizard.
"The statues... they are alive!" Tariq answered briefly and forcefully, his tone full of urgency.
Upon hearing this, Alice immediately understood the seriousness of the situation. She quickly looked around and saw that everyone was either panicking or greedily continuing to collect treasures, completely unaware of the impending danger.
Her heart tightened and she shouted loudly, "Retreat immediately! The statue has come back to life!
However, driven by greed and fear, not everyone can react immediately.
The third prince had already obtained the red dragon egg. When he heard Alice's words, his eyes flashed and he quickly winked at Orlando and the others, signaling them to quietly retreat to the stone door next to the altar.
Orlando understood what he meant and immediately called the captain of the knights and several loyal knights to follow the third prince, moving silently.
Most of the explorers around were immersed in the frenzy of picking up treasures, and only a few smart people noticed the unusual behavior of the Third Prince and others.
They were startled and immediately realized that a greater danger might be approaching, so they followed without hesitation.
Just as the Third Prince and his companions were about to reach the stone gate, the changes on the altar reached their climax. The surface stones of the two beast-shaped puppets began to crack, and huge pieces of stone fragments flew everywhere. With a deafening roar, they finally woke up completely, and their huge bodies began to move slowly, with a dark green light flashing in their eyes, as if they were messengers from hell.
"Hurry! The stone gate is just ahead!" the third prince urged in a low voice. Although there was some anxiety in his voice, it was more of a desire for the upcoming victory.
Orlando and others followed closely behind, each step appearing to be extremely firm. However, at this moment, a strong sense of crisis suddenly hit.
The third prince turned around suddenly and saw the huge feet of a giant stone beast stepping towards them. The enormous force was enough to crush all living things into dust.
He was startled and immediately drew his sword, ready to fight.
"Everyone, get ready to fight!" Orlando roared, his voice full of strength and determination.
The knights responded, drawing their weapons and preparing for the sudden battle.
At this moment, a powerful wave of magic came from Alice. She knew that it was difficult to fight such a huge monster with force alone, so she released her most powerful magic without hesitation - the Wall of Light.
A dazzling white light instantly condensed into an indestructible barrier in front of everyone, blocking the giant stone statue's first attack.
"Hurry! Now is the time!" Alice shouted loudly, her voice full of encouragement and hope. Seeing this, the Third Prince and others immediately seized this rare opportunity and rushed towards the stone gate at an accelerated speed.
However, the attacks of the giant stone statues did not stop. They seemed to be completely enraged and attacked the wall of light even more frantically. Although Alice tried her best to maintain the stability of the barrier, her magic power began to run out as time went by.
"This is not a solution!" Tariq shouted anxiously. He knew very well that Alice could not sustain such powerful magic for long.
Tariq's eyes flashed with determination and wisdom in the chaos. He knew that every second at this moment was crucial.
Seeing that Alice's Wall of Light began to show cracks under the endless attacks of the giant stone statue, an indescribable courage and urgency surged in his heart.
He quickly glanced around, looking for an opportunity to escape. At this moment, a member of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group, driven by panic, ran towards them desperately, seemingly seeking shelter.
Tariq's eyes instantly became cold and firm, and he made a bold decision. In the astonished eyes of the crowd, he kicked the ground hard, and his body rushed out like a cheetah, kicking the mercenary in the waist accurately. With this force, the mercenary flew towards the giant stone statue that was about to attack again.
"I'm sorry, brother, but this is our only chance!" Tariq said silently in his heart. At the same time, he grabbed Alice's hand and used the momentum to rush towards the stone gate.
The mercenary who was kicked away drew an arc in the air, and before he could even scream, he fell heavily at the feet of the giant stone statue, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The giant stone statue seemed to be angered by this sudden "gift". Its huge body suddenly stopped and it turned its target to the unfortunate mercenary, temporarily ignoring Tariq and his group who were fleeing.
"Tariq! You..." Alice was so shocked by this series of events that she was speechless, but her eyes soon regained clarity. She knew that this was the sacrifice Tariq made so that everyone could escape.
"Don't just stand there, run!" Tariq growled, and the long sword in his hand turned into a series of cold lights, slashing rapidly along the edge of the stone corridor. Every time the sword fell, stone chips flew everywhere, and the solid stone wall seemed as fragile as tofu under his sword.
In just a few breaths, he built a simple stone wall behind the two of them, temporarily blocking the giant stone statue's pursuit. "Hurry, now!"
Tariq urged again, pulling Alice's hand, and rushing towards the stone gate with almost all his strength.
Although the stone wall behind them was simple, it bought them precious time to escape. The members of the Iron Blood Mercenary Group witnessed this scene and were shocked at first, then furious.
A big man with a beard roared: "Tariq, you bastard!!" He waved the giant axe in his hand, vowing to fight to the death with the giant stone statue to avenge his sacrificed teammate.
"Don't waste time. Staying alive is the most important thing!" Tariq's voice came from a distance, with a hint of helplessness and determination, "We will wait for you outside, if... if you can still come out alive."
Before he finished speaking, Tariq and Alice had already rushed into the stone gate, which slammed shut, isolating them from all the noise and danger from the outside world.
Inside the door was a narrow and winding passage that led to an unknown place, but at least it was safe for the time being. Alice stopped and looked at Tariq, her eyes filled with gratitude and confusion. "Tariq, you..."