Chapter 232 - 23: The Sect of Rotting Orangutans

Words : 1650 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Secret Energy·Summoning Hand is indeed quite convenient; not only can it easily dismantle walls and barriers, but it can also quickly clear debris. When Bologue moved the rubble, the unlucky assassin had already been crushed into a pulp, even if he could restore his body by consuming flesh and blood, he now lacked a complete mouth to chew. As for Belli, he was somewhat lucky, the nature of his Secret Energy allowed him to survive Bologue’s violent hammering, besides being in a poor state, everything was relatively normal... perhaps. The church’s ceiling collapsed, creating a large hole underneath with a pile of bricks and stones. Dim light fell down, illuminating Belli’s blood-stained body. His eyes were dazed, devoid of any resistance. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to resist; it was just that the eerie silver nails happened to pierce every joint, hindering his movement. The most fatal part was that Belli vaguely sensed these silver nails were alive. This saying is somewhat strange, but in Belli’s perception, it truly was so. These silver metallic nails, like seeds with life, began expanding once embedded in his body, metal roots firmly digging into the flesh, wrapping around his organs, wandering beside the blood vessels. Nothing could be seen from the outside, but inside Belli’s body, metal rampaged through him, and as soon as Bologue gave the order, it could grind his organs into blood stains. Despite having a physique as strong as a beast, he could not resist the Sharp Sword from within. This feeling was like being broken through the Rectangular Soul Critical, only Belli’s protection was broken in his flesh, placing his life entirely in Bologue’s hands. Now, only Bologue and Belli were in the church. Palmer had been sent by Bologue to search the church for any escaped fish or suspicious items, and to call the Logistics Department to handle the battlefield. Bologue could already imagine the resentful expressions of the Ferrymen; not long ago, they had just taken the subway to Qiushang Town together, and not long after separating, he ambushed this wicked ritual. Bologue felt he should be glad, for from now on, all the headaches would be handled by the people in the Logistics Department. Moving to one side, Bologue laboriously found a somewhat intact chair and sat it in front of Belli, responsible for guarding this Condenser and, incidentally, interrogating some matters. "Anything you want to say?" Bologue surrounded by dim radiance, his Secret Energy still in activation, strange silver threads extending from his sleeve, connected to the silver nails on Belli. Belli remained silent, simply glaring at Bologue with reddened eyes, a beast-like growl lingering in his throat. "Hmm? I know you cultists don’t particularly fear things like death, after all, you yourselves are a bunch of lunatics serving those aberrant beings." Bologue wasn’t clear if the gods truly existed in the world, but what was certain was the Demon did exist, albeit with different names in different people’s eyes. Just like these cultists view the Demon as their god to serve. But soon Bologue would make him understand, there are many things in this world more terrifying than death, they just had never ventured into them. Raising his hand, making a fist gesture, in an instant, the silver nails pierced into Belli moved further, even losing their solid form, turning into a deadly snake devouring his flesh, traveling within. This unprecedented eerie sensation rapidly heightened the terror in Belli’s heart, amidst piercing pain, deadly snakes coiled around his bones, wandered between vital organs, even touching his heart. After obtaining the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid, Bologue imagined several ways of using it, the current scene being one. As merely a Condenser, Bologue couldn’t break through others’ Rectangular Soul Criticals, yet could use this method to break free of the flesh’s constraints, as long as maintaining the connection with the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid, the Summoning Hand could willfully twist these deceitful snakes. While the body conveyed abnormal sensations, Bologue didn’t forget to lean closer to Belli, pressing another hand against his face, forcefully squeezing the skin, causing Belli’s eyes to uncontrollably open, pupils visible through the fingers. "What do you worship these things for?" Bologue inquired in confusion, "Having known a certain death fate, do they pin hopes on the world post-death?" Saying this, Bologue’s voice sounded more puzzled and confused, he mocked. "What awaits you should be Hell, right?" With the injection of Ether, the eerie terrifying mask also came to life, Face of Horror twisting into the most frenzied visage in this world, reflecting in Belli’s eyes, he tried to avert his gaze, close his eyes, yet failed, only able to helplessly watch it unfold. Bologue wasn’t clear what Belli saw under Face of Horror’s influence, yet when he stopped the Ether injection, calming Face of Horror, this fanatical cultist’s eyes were vacant, looking like he lost his mind, akin to a dead corpse. This caused Bologue to feel a bit troubled, through several jobs he realized Face of Horror was fitting for interrogation, but varied enemy types yielded differing interrogation results. Like Jello, the second-hand dealer easily revealed his secrets with a slight force, whereas stubborn cultists like Belli required increased dosage, but once overdosed would result in the current situation. Unclear whether his consciousness crashed into collapse or temporarily fainted, now Belli showed no response to Bologue. This didn’t make Bologue relax his vigilance, as a Debtor, he could sharply sense the insane intention and corrupt breath emanating from Belli. It seemed Belli was also a Debtor, granted a Blessing from the Demon; yet, it seemed the Demon had little regard for him, as the blessing given was extremely sparse. "Devil?" Bologue judged by instinct. He had killed many Demons, but most of them were ordinary people who had transformed. This was the first time Bologue encountered a Condenser turned into a Demon. Condensers could also mutate into Demons, but as their souls were fully traded away, their Alchemy Matrix could no longer grow, thus these Condensers could never advance, forever frozen at this Tier One stage. Bologue judged this was the source of the corruption emanating from Belli, but what was the story behind his bizarre self-healing ability? Palmer should know about these things, as my partner has deep ties with the cultists, but just as Bologue was about to call for Palmer, he remembered Palmer wasn’t there. Without the establishment of the Heart Core Net, the communication range of the Whistle was extremely limited. Bologue called out a few times but received no response; Palmer must have completed his search, left the cathedral area, and gone to call the Logistics Department. Turning his gaze back to Belli lying before him, Bologue quickly searched his body and found a small booklet, filled with aberrant writings. Bologue’s expression grew solemn. Amidst the mad ramblings, there were countless words of praise, yet he managed to find some useful clues within the nonsensical text. "The employee manual never mentioned these things..." Bologue whispered, discarding the booklet, looking at the unconscious Belli, he clenched his fist again. The Deceitful Snake Scales lurking within his body surged violently, wrenching pain tore through every nerve in Belli, his eyes widened, his face flushed, veins bulging. His entire body curled up as he vomited blood, bright red intermixed with strands of Silver Threads. "Who are you?" Bologue asked coldly. Belli didn’t respond, but soon the maddening hallucinations flashed before him, intertwining with the pain, utterly crushing his sanity. "The Scarlet Corruption Sect." Belli groaned in agony. This term wasn’t unfamiliar to Bologue; he had already seen it in the booklet he found on Belli. You could say, Bologue had already acquired the information he needed from that booklet, but more than cold ink, he wanted to hear it straight from Belli’s mouth, to verify the truth of the information. "Who are you?" Bologue continued to question. "Belli...is a Carnivore." Belli spoke with dull, empty eyes and a voice void of emotion, his remaining consciousness crushed and shattered. Carnivore? Not a Condenser... Could this be an internal rank division within the Scarlet Corruption Sect? "Then...who is the Mistress of Gluttony?" The most frequently appeared term in the booklet was this Mistress of Gluttony. It seemed to be the god worshipped by the Scarlet Corruption Sect, yet this god had no name, only an honorary title, as if speaking its true name was forbidden, only to be referenced by this epithet. There were no gods in this world, only cruel, heartless Devils, masquerading as false gods. Bologue was well aware of this; this Mistress of Gluttony was a Devil, but which Devil was it? Could it be the same Devil that took his soul? Facing Bologue’s pressing questions, Belli’s body couldn’t help but shake, as if a fear beyond all else had descended upon him, large amounts of blood seeped from his wounds, pooling into a wide bloodstain beneath him. "No...names have Magic Power, we are not prepared for the sacrifice." Belli muttered frantically, refusing to reveal any secrets about It. But Bologue lowered his head, looking at the blood pooled like a mirror, vaguely seeing something entwining around him. It was a umbilical cord, bloody as intestines, a dripping umbilical cord. The sense of eeriness appeared once more, just like when he first read the "Devil and Electric Guitar Operation Guide," that chilling sensation of being watched reemerged. In the mirrored blood pool, Bologue’s face reflected—and soon his visage shattered into countless fragments, reflecting in the massive compound eye emerging from beneath the blood. A voice whispered; It was beside him, guiding him to speak Its true name. "Gluttonous...Beelzebub." In the hopeless eyes of Belli, Bologue involuntarily uttered the name, and then a woman’s soft laughter resonated, pale, grasping limbs crossed the blood mirror, bridging the gap between illusion and reality.

Chapter 232 - 23: The Sect of Rotting Orangutans

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