Bab 22: Chapter 22 Tonight, the hunt for the Church
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The solemn Red Apple Church.
Under the nightfall, the side profile of an angel reliefs on the outer walls of the spire overlapped with the Purple Moon, casting an enchanting glow.
A dense flurry of footsteps approached from the end of the street.
Two heavily armored Guardians with the Red Apple emblem on their chests led the way, holding torches as they advanced toward the church.
Dozens of church sentries formed a long procession behind them.
Some guards even held dog leashes, the rotting hunting dogs draped in red cloth obediently following the group.
Upon arriving at the church, the procession streamed inside through The Great Gate in an orderly fashion, leaving only two sentries at the entrance.
Inside the church.
The prayer room.
A young woman lay crumpled on the floor in disheveled clothing, a deep gash on her throat, her blood spread all over the ground.
Clearly, she had been dead for some time.
Sturton's plump figure, garbed in a Monk's robe, stood not far from the body.
In his hand, he held a beautifully crafted short knife, its shining blade still dripping with blood.
"Rose above, why is there no response yet..."
Sturton wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief in his other hand, his beady eyes fixated on a Golden Goblet upon the praying altar.
The goblet was filled with fresh blood that occasionally rippled outward.
After a long while.
An old voice came from the goblet:
"Sturton, this is the third time you have called upon me... I hope you can provide a convincing reason."
"Bishop, sir!"
The rotund Monk was overjoyed, hastily drawing closer to the goblet.
"When will you journey to Emerald Town? The Transcendent who destroyed the Red Apple prison is likely hiding right here...
As long as you arrive, that guy won't have a chance to escape!"
The blood in the goblet stilled for a moment, and just as Sturton began to doubt, the old voice spoke again:
"Will warned me before, and now it seems that the criminal is most likely a Transcendent from the History and Ritual Association, who disguised himself as a sacrifice to infiltrate the prison, and eventually rebelled and killed our Priest Carter…"
"Their goal is clear; it's the Sunflower [Mysterious Object]...
The upper echelons of the church have made some guesses about it; it's highly likely to be what remained from a Saint who caused the collapse of the Royal City of Beryl over ten years ago."
"Had not the Sun Church and the Shelter put on dual pressure, Lafa would not have secretly transferred it to a remote small town like Emerald Town...
But how exactly did those damned rat people come to know of this...?"
Suppressed fury resonated within the old voice, and Sturton mopped his brow frequently.
He wanted to remind but dared not remind the Bishop, not wanting to know these secrets at all.
"Could there be a traitor within the church?"
Sturton asked in a low voice.
The blood in the goblet paused again.
"You really have a pig's brain, Sturton! Who among the followers of Rose would dare to betray!?"
The old voice scolded, then seemed to temper its rage, gradually calming.
"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you…
Right now, all you need to know is that the sinner will not escape, the church will make him into fertilizer for the garden."
"After Carter's death, there's a gap in the church's Transcendent Combat Power in Emerald Town, but you don't have to worry about him...
No matter where he flees, he will eventually reunite with his accomplices, bringing along the stolen items."
"The church has already identified those behind this operation, such that I cannot leave at the moment... but their time of death is near."
"Just keep yourself hidden for a while, and do not call upon me again unless it's for something significant."
The old voice faded, and the blood within the Golden Goblet became still.
Sturton felt more anxious rather than reassured after hearing the Bishop's words.
Since the Priest's death, he had been in a state of extreme insecurity.
"I'll just stay in the church and not go out for a while..."
He exhaled deeply, turning to leave.
Suddenly, he noticed a large black rat on the floor, staring up at him.
"A rat...?"
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Sturton was startled.
The large black rat squeaked, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
The portly monk, watching the mouse flee, felt an increasing unease.
"Why has a rat suddenly appeared..."
He had heard of some strange transcendent abilities in the Mystic Realm and, just to be safe, he hastily chased after the rat in the direction it had gone.
But as he stepped out of the prayer room into the courtyard outside, he unexpectedly saw a chaotic array of guardian corpses on the ground.
Without exception, each of their necks was twisted 180 degrees, and their bodies bore numerous tiny bite marks.
The flesh was a mutilated mess, utterly horrific.
"!!"
Sturton jumped in fright, trembling as he took a few steps back.
"It's... it's here! That guy really did come to kill!"
Why didn't I hear anything? How did it get all the way inside the church?
Sturton immediately ran back to the prayer room, picked up the Golden Goblet, and grabbed a hand crossbow hidden underneath the prayer altar.
Then he returned to the courtyard and ran towards the back door of the church.
As he pushed open the iron gate of the courtyard, he suddenly heard a shrill dog yelp.
Followed by that, the rotten carcass of a hunting dog was flung at his feet.
It was gasping for air, clearly on the verge of death.
Looking up, he saw a man concealed in a cloak seizing a short sword from the hands of a church guardian, forcefully piercing it through the other's body.
The guardian let out a scream, spraying out glaring fresh blood.
Thunk!
The body fell, the rimmed hat rolling off to one side.
Then Sturton saw several large black rats gathering around the cloaked man, one of the familiar rats jumping into his palm, squeaking.
As if it was whispering secrets to him.
The scene was exceedingly eerie, causing Sturton to feel chills down his spine.
This man, could he be the criminal who killed the priest and stole the "Mysterious Objects"…?
Chen Lun let out a wry smile upon hearing the little rat's report.
Turned out the nonsense he had spouted on the spur of the moment was actually reported to Red Apple Church by that guy, Will.
No wonder they were so off the mark; the Transcendents of the History and Ritual Association, who walked the path of the Earth Faction, did indeed love to steal, especially from other people's graves.
However, what Chen Lun didn't know was that it was precisely because the History and Ritual Association had recently excavated the grave of a certain high-level member of Red Apple Church that they were utterly convinced of this deduction.
Chen Lun bent down to let the rat go, then turned his head to look at Sturton.
The latter felt a cold shiver down his spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Heretic! Accept your death!"
The hoarse roar exploded in his ears.
Two armored guards strode forth from behind Chen Lun, their long spears aimed directly at his head as they brought them crashing down.
Crack!
Chen Lun turned and raised his hands, grabbing the spear shaft below the spearhead.
The fierce and heavy strike instantly halted.
The two armored guards hesitated for a moment, noticing that the cloak-wearing man's hands, now visible, were covered in dark golden scales.
Glancing slightly, they could see under the hood of the cloak, a pair of vertical pupils like those of a venomous snake.
"Die!"
They heard a single, indifferent word.
The next second.
Bang!! Bang!!
A surge of tremendous force accompanied by intense pain sent the two armored guards flying outwards.
Boom!
Their heavy bodies crashed onto the stone pavement, fracturing it with cracks.
Numerous bricks shattered into gravel, flying everywhere.
The armored guards' breastplates were dented as if hammered, creating a large crater, and the bodies inside were probably not spared.
Beneath their fully sealed helmets, fresh red blood slowly began to seep out.
Bab 23: Chapter 23: No Escape
Chen Lun pulled off the helmet of a heavily armored guardian, revealing the face beneath.
It was a face covered in tumors, grotesque and hideous.
He still had faint breaths, even though he had sustained such severe injuries, he had not died.
"Indeed, they are all freaks catalyzed by the Red Apple Church using diluted Mysterious Substance..."
Chen Lun thought to himself.
Just like the rotting hounds, products of the underworld, the Red Apple Church experimented on living people.
The monsters they created were immensely strong and resilient in their life force.
It could be said that these monsters were no longer human but should be classified as Supernatural Creatures.
Devoid of self-awareness and personality, they were like wild beasts.
Chen Lun violently stomped down, crushing the skulls of two creatures.
[You have killed Red Apple Church heavily armored guardians, gained 100 Experience Points]*2
Turning his head to look where the fat monk had been, he found it empty.
Chen Lun chuckled softly.
"Can you escape?"
"Escape! As long as I get to the Shelter, I won't die!"
Under the Purple Moon's night, Sturton ran frantically down the deserted streets, gasping for air.
He had run out of the back door of the church courtyard, heading straight for the Shelter in the town center.
Along the way, he continuously prayed to the Golden Goblet in his embrace.
But even though the blood in the goblet was nearly spilt, there was still no response.
At that moment, a stray cat crossed the street, nearly tripping Sturton.
"Damn it!"
He cursed angrily and continued to run forward.
But he suddenly realized that more stray cats had appeared in the middle of the road ahead.
Sets of green eyes stared at him, making his heart nearly stop.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
The sound of boots on the cobblestone road echoed slowly from behind.
Sturton spun around in a panic.
He saw a figure cloaked in a cloak, who had appeared at some point, slowly advancing towards him.
He shouted loudly, whether to boost his courage or to attract the attention of others.
He then quickly pulled out the hand crossbow and aimed it at Chen Lun as he squeezed the trigger.
Although there was no crossbow bolt loaded, nor did he draw the string, a crimson arrow flew out, streaking a straight red line towards Chen Lun.
Whiz—!!
Chen Lun had been on alert since Sturton drew his hand crossbow, but he still couldn't react in time as the arrow shot towards him.
The arrow was too fast!
Chen Lun could only violently twist his body to the side to avoid vital spots, letting the bolt only graze his arm as it passed.
The red line grazed the scales on the armor, sparking as it disappeared into the air behind Chen Lun.
A small cut was left on his arm, oddly, with not a drop of blood flowing out.
[You have been attacked by the C-level Mysterious Object Tongue of Gluttony, health -12]
[You are in an extreme state of hunger, health limit temporarily reduced by 23]
Suddenly, a strong sense of hunger surged.
Chen Lun felt weak as if he needed to have a huge meal right then.
Even if a live cow was placed in front of him, he could tear and devour it alive.
The wound on his arm began to worsen, the surrounding flesh as if being gnawed by an invisible maw, disappearing tracelessly.
Fortunately, the Mysterious Power attached to the wound was minimal, and the disappearance of the flesh soon stopped.
It was as if the invisible maw had stealthily withdrawn.
Chen Lun, enduring the pain, saw this happen and grew even more cautious of the hand crossbow-shaped Mysterious Object, preparing himself for Sturton to continue firing.
But after pulling the trigger once, the fat monk collapsed to the ground, out of breath as if lacking oxygen.
The hand crossbow and the Golden Goblet fell to one side, with blood slowly streaming out of the goblet.
Chen Lun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hmm… just a normal person, unable to bear the cost of using the Mysterious Object a second time."
His thoughts raced, and he violently charged toward Sturton.
But just then, the blood spilled on the ground suddenly boiled, flowing back into Sturton's mouth and nostrils like rivers returning to the sea.
"Ergh… Ahh!!"
Sturton's body convulsed, as if he was enduring unimaginable pain.
Whoosh!
He leapt up all at once, lunging at Chen Lun with more agility than before.
Clang! Hiss—crack!!
Five pitch-black claws scraped across Chen Lun's raised arm, sparking against the scales.
"Sinner! How dare you attack the Red Apple Church!"
The voice that came from Sturton's mouth had changed, as if it were another person, old and deep.
His face was contorted with bulging veins, his eyes were white, and he bared his teeth in a ferocious grimace.
"What's there not to dare..."
Chen Lun kicked him away.
"I'll also dig up your church's graves and burn your church down with fire!"
"Heretic!!"
The possessed Sturton no longer seemed human, but like a monster, he swung his sharp claws and attacked again.
During the battle, Chen Lun found that his opponent's strength and agility had been forcibly enhanced, making him extremely difficult to handle.
Hiss—!!
The claws scraped the ground, sending sparks flying and leaving several deep scratch marks.
Chen Lun narrowly dodged the claw attack, reaching out with both hands.
His arms, transformed into snakes, wrapped around the opponent's arms, immobilizing his most dangerous claws.
Sturton frowned deeply, sensing trouble.
Then, Chen Lun's serpentine arms violently churned, the sharp dark golden scales slicing through, instantly tearing off the claws.
Phut!
The corpulent monk retreated a few steps, lifting his bleeding severed arm with a ghastly expression.
"What kind of supernatural ability is this...?"
"Damned ratman! Whose grave did you dig up? Or was it some sort of alchemical potion?"
Watching the guy wildly speculate, Chen Lun sneered silently.
"When you're dead, you can go down and ask for yourself."
"You dare desecrate the Rose!?"
Sturton roared in fury.
"Ahhhh!!"
He began to scream hysterically, and the skin on his entire face peeled off instantly, turning into a bloody, skinless beast's head within moments.
"Shameless."
Chen Lun critically remarked.
"Die!!"
Sturton attacked again, his speed significantly increased.
The beast's head snapped viciously, the air exploded with a loud bang.
Chen Lun bent his neck to dodge the deadly attack and countered with a punch to his face.
Bang!!
Sturton's body swayed.
Chen Lun heightened his figure, and once more an elbow fell from above like a warhammer, striking the back of his head.
Bang!!!
Sturton faced down, smashing into the cobblestones and sinking deep into them.
His body twitched a few times, then lay still.
Chen Lun looked down at the corpse, the sound of snapping bones echoing in his ears, and a sudden sense of danger overcame him.
He swiftly dodged backwards.
Just as he leaped, Sturton's body suddenly swelled, and then exploded like a bomb!
Boom!!
Blood rained down like a shower, accompanied by fragments of bones and viscera, solemnly closing the scene of the battle on the desolate street.
Fortunately, Chen Lun was quick enough to avoid the blast.
Otherwise, with the power akin to real explosives, he would have been injured.
Gurgle gurgle...
Sturton's disfigured beast head rolled to Chen Lun's feet.
Its one remaining eyeball swiveled, locking onto the figure in the cloak, filled with rage and a hint of madness.
"'History and Ritual Association' scum, this battle is not our church's failure but merely the prelude to your sinners' judgment."
"Well, you better come find me then..."
Chen Lun kicked the head with the tip of his boot.
He then looked down from a height, staring into that eyeball, making eye contact.
"I'll be in Emerald Town waiting for you, if you dare come, I'll smash your brains out."
"Damn you! You..."
The beast head tried to say more but was suddenly kicked away with a foot.
Hadiah
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