Long-term salvation

Dean Andre took a deep breath and tried to keep his tone steady, but the arrow was on the string and had to be shot:

A woman with her limbs tied to the bed was brought in by four monks. Her eyes were dull and her body was covered in filth, like a dead person crawling out of a swamp or a grave. Perhaps only the rising and falling of her chest could prove that this poor girl was still alive.

Brother Peter, the dean's deputy, spread out a thick Bible. He quickly turned the pages to the marked position and winked at Dean Andrew and the other monks.

Then, Abbot Andre raised the cross in his hand and began to approach the possessed woman - this seemed to be some kind of signal, and the crosses hanging throughout the monastery began to twist slowly, causing Father Anderson, who was walking in the underground corridor at the moment, to frown - the monks on both sides of the hall recited prayers in unison. These were sentences compiled in ancient Polish, which have been passed down from generation to generation to this day.

The voices overlapped and resonated with each other, as if transformed into whispers of another language... and the moment the prayer was recited, the woman let out a scream like a wild beast, twisting her body continuously, appearing to be in extreme pain.

The next second, the cross in Abbot Andre's hand suddenly burst into flames. The dancing flames illuminated his stunned face and dimmed the faces of the surrounding monks. Amidst the increasingly resonant chanting, the woman's body began to convulse, twisting like a snake.

The knights looked at the struggling woman and suddenly noticed something was amiss. One of them stepped forward and whispered in Rhode's ear:

"My Lord, something is wrong. That woman did not act as if she were possessed by a demon. Her personality did not become malevolent, nor did her voice or tone. There was no cursing, no visions, no curses. This was all a carefully orchestrated farce."

"If there's anything truly unusual," another man stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the bound woman, "it's that this woman has been entangled in chaotic darkness from the very beginning, as if contaminated by something from the otherworld."

"Indeed, she is not possessed by a demon in the traditional sense... But, gentlemen, we seem to have encountered a more difficult situation."

Rhode replied softly, lowering his eyes, his words somewhat helpless:

"I suspect the energy escaping from the rifts in the other world has been mixing with the cult's offerings for too long, so they are in the process of, or may have already, created a new 'demon'—one that doesn't appear in the Bible, nor does it belong to any other religious beliefs. It's a pure 'newborn.'"

Although this group of monks are Satan worshippers, the demon that emerged from this obviously cannot be called "Satan"!

Perhaps it will be given a name only after it causes chaos in the future and is observed by humans, just like the demons or gods in religious texts in history.

"That woman's body was marked, her soul hollowed out, leaving only unconscious responses," Rhode said, reaching out to tug at his clothes. The stealth suit beneath his monk's robes gave him a reassuring warmth. "If I'm not mistaken, these idiots also injected her with a lot of drugs to ensure her obedience."

This farce must end immediately, after all, there is likely to be a big war waiting to happen.

Realizing this, the knights gripped the hilts of their swords tightly, realizing they were about to witness history... for good or for bad.

"Alright, you Satan-worshiping fools," Rhodes began, drawing everyone's attention. He looked at Dean Andre and the agitated monks and said coldly, "Turn off that little mechanism you use to ignite the flame. I'm tired of watching it."

"..."

Dean Andre turned around in a daze, his facial muscles squeezed together with fear. He said helplessly and with a hint of despair:

"I just... didn't press the button."

Chapter 409 Let There Be Light (1/5)

"I just... didn't press the button."

The cross was still burning, but the candles used for lighting the hall were extinguished one by one, bringing darkness into the place.

The cross was still burning, and the flames turned into a vicious green, as if dragging everyone's soul into hell.

"My Lord!" the knights whispered, gripping their swords tightly, worry etched across their brows. "Evil is coming."

And it was more than evil! A supernatural creature born from another dimension, nurtured for eight hundred years by despair and hatred, repeated a thousand times by a name that did not belong to it—shaped by the torrent of human emotions and the most despicable visions, forging a place for it in the chaotic and disordered inverted tower—now, it wanted to repay its creators.

In the most cruel and vicious way.

Darkness seethed, shadows howled, and the panicked screams and desperate prayers of Satan's followers never ceased, only coming to an abrupt end once one was within it. The whispers reaching deep into the soul overlapped, transforming into the most horrific plague, poisoning the souls of the weak-willed.

The fool is shouting, the knight is drawing his sword.

However, Rhodes spoke calmly:

"Let there be light."

The cross was still burning—the blazing golden flames soon engulfed the evil fire, and the candles that had long been extinguished were instantly ignited—the light returned to the hall, dispelling the darkness and banishing the shadows!

At that moment, sunlight seemed to pierce through the thick, ancient walls of the monastery, casting the purest light here, reflecting on everyone's face. As a result, time stood still for a moment, and the knights, apostates, and the demons about to be born, all living things fell into a dazed state.

When Rhodes took a step forward, time began to flow again.

"Light! Sun! The Bright Lord!"

The Covenant Knights, awakened from their confusion, shouted loudly and fanatically. They raised their swords, stepped forward, and followed closely behind.

“The city has no need of the sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” (Revelation 21:23)

Wrapped in a faint golden halo, Rhodes stepped forward and took the blazing cross from the stunned Dean Andre. The moment this foolish, naive, conceited man let go, he was immediately consumed by endless regret and collapsed to the ground.

At this moment, who wouldn't know the identity of the person in front of them?

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The cross was melted and recast in Rhodes' hands, turning into a slender sword. Brilliant golden flames flowed on the sword, and the blade reflected the woman's distorted face.

The woman's joints twisted abnormally, bent to a degree that was absolutely impossible for a human being to do. She let out a shrill roar, and a pair of turbid animal eyes looked out from her throat, looking at the human savior who was approaching step by step!

Before the monster came out, the sword had already chopped down, cutting the woman's body directly in half!

"..." Rhodes frowned, realizing that the feel of his hand was wrong - it was like cutting through light silk. The poor woman's flesh, bones, and internal organs had already evaporated, becoming food for the unborn demon.

"My Lord...that demon..."

"Stay alert, knights," Rhode whispered. He temporarily sheathed his sword to conserve his otherworldly pollution points. His gaze swept over the surviving monks on either side of him. "The demon, or rather, the otherworldly monster influenced by religion, is more powerful than I imagined. The otherworldly energy here is constantly strengthening them. Be careful."

After all, the reminder from the system that "Pollution points in the other world have increased by 1" is really annoying.

The Knights of the Covenant carefully formed a circle, watching every corner of the hall with vigilant eyes, watching the monks who wanted to escape... In the moment when the light and shadow trembled, a sudden change occurred!

These monks in dark brown robes made a groaning sound at the same time. Their bodies were nailed in place by an invisible force, and their limbs were slowly pried apart - arms raised horizontally, bodies straightened - the monks who betrayed Christ were fixed in the shape of a cross, raised up, and then rotated into an inverted cross!

Such direct provocation and ridicule made the Covenant Knights grit their teeth, letting the anger boil in their chests. They needed an opportunity to release it - and they were not disappointed:

Dozens of twisted, goat-headed monsters burst forth amid the monks' desperate screams! Blood gushed out like a mountain torrent, yet remained suspended in the air, transforming into countless blood beads that flickered with candlelight, like bleeding stars.

Now that things have come to this, what else is there to say?

The goat-headed monsters' hands were humanlike, but with sharp nails. Their skin, covering their shrunken flesh and twisted bones, felt like rusted black iron. Every false breath, every true growl, carried boundless malice, the painful plea for mercy of the innocent before their deaths over the past centuries.

Time and again, the last sighs exhaled due to torture, time and again, the faith in God was shattered due to the lack of redemption from suffering, and even the indignant roars at the repeated failure to summon demons... The long-accumulated torrent of negative emotions disturbed the already chaotic energy of the inner world, pouring power into the bodies of monsters named after demons, making them lick their fangs and claws excitedly, imagining with malice how to tear flesh and blood.

So the monsters advanced, pounced, and died—killed by the blade.

The Covenant Knights raised their shields, resisting the attacks of the goat-headed monsters while thrusting their swords. Their blades plunged unimpeded into the twisted bodies, drawing forth filthy blood. This cycle repeated until the monsters cowered back, gathering strength in the shadows, mending their wounds, and summoning their companions.

But the next second, the roar of gunfire dispersed the shadows where the monsters were hiding! Automatic rifles, semi-automatic shotguns, large-caliber revolvers, and other weapons used by humans to kill their own kind were finally aimed at the enemies they were supposed to be targeting:

The bullet made a sound like tearing cloth as it passed through the turbid air. The bullet head rotated and drilled into the blasphemous flesh and blood, connecting silk threads woven of iron and fire between humans and monsters. The two ends of the silk threads connected order and chaos, life and death!

The sheep-headed monsters roared amidst the hail of bullets, selecting appropriate fields from countless human words and piecing them together to form the most vicious curse, but it was meaningless.

The Covenant Knights refused to respond, but simply squeezed the trigger and swung their swords calmly.

At this moment, they did not shout in the battle, but remained silent, and the few words they spoke were just communication within the team.

This made Rhode very satisfied. He raised his gun and casually killed a monster that tried to sneak attack a knight from a blind spot. He said to them with a hint of praise:

"Keep suppressing fire, Knights. It looks like they'll need to take enough damage before they can be killed."

Rhodes, wary of the real boss, did not participate in the battle to clear out the miscellaneous soldiers. He watched as the knights formed groups of three, with the groups coupled to each other, transforming into loose yet tight fighting machines, slaughtering wantonly in this narrow space - they not only had professional modern military training, but also even underwent European sword training, just to maximize the concept of "sword" to kill demons and monsters from the other world!

Rhodes sincerely hoped that they would not try to use swords to solve problems when facing human enemies in the future... However, maybe in the future, these knights can transform into super warriors with two hearts and three lungs, using chainsaw swords or power swords to tear apart the rolling demon tide from the front.

I just hope Hoshino doesn't lead them to launch a major rebellion when the time comes.

By the way, when will this girl come out?

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Rhodes remembered something more important:

"Father Anderson...could he have already killed all the monsters in the monastery?!"

Just as they were about to ask about Father Anderson's situation on the communication channel, Rhodes and the Covenant Knights felt the ground beneath their feet shaking violently, and the entire monastery began to tremble!

It seemed as if something was about to break out of the ground.

Sinking

You are in the twilight zone, Limbo

[You are in the shallow level of the confused dungeon]

You are currently in...

【System Update】

[Emergency Mission: Execution]

[Mission Description: Eliminate the nameless demon that has been born and prevent the rift in the inner world from getting out of control]

Chapter 410: Gunsword Priest (2/5)

Ten minutes ago.

Father Anderson tightened his grip, his ferocious face reflected in the eyes of the monk who was strangled by the neck, making him only able to utter hoarse cries in fear:

"I...I don't know anything!"

"You know nothing?" The priest pressed the man's face against the ice in the kitchen cold storage, and then pulled it back suddenly - the human's facial skin and the slight bloodstains were instantly frozen by the cold, and bright ice crystals appeared in the sudden cry of pain.

Throwing the man to the ground, Father Anderson stepped on his shoulder, his musket sword slipping from his sleeve and pinning him directly into the filthy footprints. Amidst the continued screams, the priest squatted down and slowly asked:

"This place reeks of human blood... Those organs on the chopping board: hearts, lungs, stomachs, and piles of intestines—tell me, where are the owners of these things now? I don't believe you can eat them all!"

"The body... the body was thrown into the 'well' by us!!!"

Well? That must be the crack in the other world.

Father Anderson raised an eyebrow. He slowly stood up, stepped on the hilt of the blunderbuss, and rocked it back and forth. The sharp blade sliced ​​back and forth, wrenching tendons and blood vessels, inflicting the most excruciating pain!

The monk's eyes suddenly widened. He tried to struggle, but found that it would only make him suffer more. After being tortured for more than ten seconds, the apostate finally shouted loudly:

"It's in the deepest part of the monastery. You can go down through the wooden door at the end of the corridor! Please... please... forgive me..."

"Evildoers! When you killed those innocent people, did you ever think of forgiveness?"

Hearing this, Father Anderson snorted coldly. He raised his foot and was about to bend down to draw his sword, but he felt a cold wind coming from behind him that was definitely not emitted by the cold storage refrigeration machine. Submitting his body to instinct, the priest drew his sword, turned around and stabbed!

The sword's tip pierced the palm of the rusty black hand, pressing against the gap between the bones before ripping upwards, instantly severing the goat-headed monster's arm in two. Black, rotting blood oozed from the shrunken flesh, splattering onto the priest's round glasses... and onto that hideous, smiling face!

"Evil that should be extinguished lingers, creatures that deserve death roam the world—if they are monsters, then it doesn't matter, right? Holy Son, do you feel anger at seeing their existence? Do you feel pain at witnessing their slaughter?"

"Don't be angry, don't be sad. As sheepdogs, we will protect the weak lambs for you."

Father Anderson reached out and grasped a blunderbuss once more, standing firm between the two monsters that had emerged from the monk's chest. He touched blade to blade, sparks blazing in the darkness and chill, illuminating the circular lens with an incomparable brightness.

“AAAAAAmen!!”

The gun sword was thrown, and the corrupt blood splattered!

In a single encounter, the goat-headed monster's arms were severed, and rotting blood gushed out, condensing into a hazy, crimson mist in the air. The next second, the mist parted, wrapping around the gunsword like a stream of water—a cross-shaped wound suddenly exploded across the monster's body, causing it to let out a shrill howl before collapsing.

"Heh... that's all," Father Anderson sneered, leaping forward. The fluttering hem of his clothes just brushed against the sharp claws of the monster behind him, as if he were strolling through the forest. "This level can't even be considered a warm-up."

Twist and throw!

The gun sword instantly pierced the monster's throat. Just as it was about to pull it out, it was shocked to find that the priest had already come in front of it!

Father Anderson reached out and grabbed the hilt of the blunderbuss, cruelly slashing it upwards, and at the same time turned the other blunderbuss to pierce the monster's abdomen - the two blunderbusses worked together to directly cut the monster in half horizontally - when the still twitching limbs fell to the ground, the priest threw away the two blunt blunderbusses and walked out.

Standing in the corridor, Father Anderson saw darkness in front and behind. The candles that were originally used for lighting had long been extinguished. Only the monster's roar and devilish sounds lingered in his ears, making him feel upset and having an unbearable headache.

Pulling out the two gun swords again, the priest moved forward according to his memory. He needed to go to that "well" to complete the task given by the Son of God - to find the crack in the other world.

It was not easy to move forward along the dark corridor, but fortunately, the monsters seemed to be stunned for half a second, and their figures fell out of the shadows, as if they were in great pain due to being exposed to the scorching sun for a moment.

Although he had no idea what was happening, Father Anderson was still able to use this brief moment of light to clearly see the wooden door at the end of the corridor. The door looked ordinary at first glance, but at this moment, a thick and sticky darkness emanated from the crack of the door, as if the sins of the entire monastery and the entire barren wasteland came from it.