"It's the God! The Ancient God has heard us!!"
"Grant me revenge! I want to burn every stone of the Empire!!"
"The God is here! The Mother Goddess has responded!!"
The shouts were like sparks falling into dry wood, instantly igniting the frenzy of the entire altar.
Tens of thousands cheered, shouted, cried; warriors kneeling on the ground struck the stone slabs with their heads, praying for the "miracle" to descend.
But slowly, something seemed amiss.
"Boom... Boom... Boom boom boom..."
A peculiar rhythmic vibration echoed from deep underground, not a response from the God, but a rhythm of hunger.
The Insect Cocoon began to convulse violently, bursting with countless insect eggs in the gaps. Bloody red tentacles broke through the cocoon and slowly entwined around stone bones and arrays, rolling like tides.
Blood mist began to seep from the ground fissures; the air became humid, warm, as if plunged into some kind of living cavity.
