Chapter 221: Dragon’s Breath Rounds
At night, the Blood and Flesh Church bishop, who had traveled thousands of miles to reach this place, had no intention of resting. Instead, he immediately summoned all his followers in the Northland to hold a bloody sacrificial ritual.
This served both as an introduction and a display of his authority, to let them know who was in charge. Therefore, no one dared to be late, for they knew the price of tardiness: becoming a sacrifice to the Flesh and Blood Lord.
The ritual was held in a secluded building. The Blood and Flesh Church bishop, dressed in a robe seemingly stitched together from bacon, awaited the arrival of his followers, who were carrying fresh meat such as cattle and sheep.
“Good.” The bishop was very satisfied with his followersโ initiative, yet also felt a twinge of regret.
This place was too close to the Imperial border, and it was within a bustling town, making it inconvenient to slaughter too many people. He could only make do with beef and mutton.
Fortunately, the Flesh and Blood Lord was not picky; any creature of flesh and blood would suffice.
Once the sacrifices were placed upon the altar, the bishop commenced the ritual, raising his hands high as he and dozens of fanatic followers chanted the praises of the Flesh and Blood Lord around the altar piled with fresh meat. The entire scene resembled a slaughterhouse overrun by lunatics throwing a party.
According to the traditions of the Blood and Flesh Church, apart from offering fresh flesh and blood, followers would also sacrifice a part of themselves as a tribute to their god. The more they sacrificed, the more devout they appeared. Because of this, many followers perished during the ritual.
However, those were practices of the past. With the Empire’s continuous suppression, gaining new followers was no easy feat. Moreover, self-sacrifice often left noticeable scars, which could be traced back to the church. If they weren’t careful, their entire missionary network in the region could suffer a devastating blow. Therefore, this ritual had been abandoned.
As the ritual progressed, just as the bishop was about to distribute blood wine to his followers, over a dozen Dragon’s Breath Rounds came flying in.
The Blood and Flesh bishop’s nerves trembled violently as he tried to escape the confines of his physical body. This was a secret technique bestowed upon him by the Flesh and Blood Lord, which allowed his nerves to extend far beyond the range of normal creatures, becoming as strong as steel wires. However, at this moment, all he could think about was escaping.
Danger!!!
In that instant, the aura of death permeated the bishop’s entire being. Instinctively, he used his secret technique. His surging nerves shot out from his body, piercing through dozens of nearby followers and pulling them back to serve as a meat shield.
However, the Dragon’s Breath Rounds were too terrifying. The horrifying heat intensified within the confined space of the building. The followers at the forefront were carbonized before they could even scream. As the thermal radiation continued to penetrate, it destroyed the vitality of a large amount of flesh and blood.
Sensing the approaching fatal threat, the bishop made a decisive decision. He rolled directly onto the altar, where the Flesh and Blood Lord’s “plate” was located. He could rely on the Flesh and Blood Lord’s power to protect himself. As for the consequences of rolling onto the god’s plate, he would worry about that after surviving.
This was undoubtedly a disastrous decision. The Flesh and Blood Lord was chaotic and disordered, driven mostly by instinct. The altar was a place where food was offered to the god, yet there was an inedible bishop mixed among the offerings. This caused the Flesh and Blood Lord to take two bites before spitting him back out.
As a result, the bishop survived, but he inevitably transformed into a monstrous blob.
As for what it looked like, imagine taking a bite of meat, chewing it a few times, and then spitting it out. That’s it.
The flesh and blood on the altar, along with the followers, were decomposed and recombined under the influence of the Flesh and Blood Lord, fusing with the bishop. However, this process was clearly not carried out with any care, and the resulting creature was an eyesore.
To make matters worse, after being spit out of the altar, the bishop still had to face flames exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius. Fire cared not for who or what it burned, and roasted everything indiscriminately.
The fierce and passionate flames greedily licked every inch of the monster, devouring its life force with each passing moment.
At this point, the monster was driven solely by the instinct to survive. Under the scorching flames, it struggled and crashed through the charred walls, escaping outside like a fiery dragon. However, the flames brought not majesty, but fatal injury.
Upon reaching the outside world, the monster’s near-collapsed flesh began to recombine once more. It shed a large amount of dead tissue, becoming slender in shape while its surface was covered in a thick layer of scabs. It also sprouted hundreds of legs and even more arms, resembling a gigantic centipede.
Owen, watching this scene through the One-Eyed Giant Eagle, almost blurted out, “Is that you, National Teacher?” However, he swallowed his words, remembering that no one in this world would understand the reference.
Clearing his throat and setting down his coffee, Owen continued to watch, instructing Flame Empress to conduct a data analysis. This was crucial information, as he didn’t believe the Blood and Flesh Church would simply give up. There would be many more encounters in the future, so the more detailed the intelligence, the better.
Facing the nightmarish centipede monster, the Witch Hunters remained expressionless.
These witches had previously suffered severe physical distortions, which had also twisted their mental states, leaving them on the verge of becoming inhuman hags. Even after their bodies were reconstructed, their mental states were far from normal. Consequently, they were completely unaffected by the scene before them. They calmly sheathed their swords, took out their broomsticks, and rose into the air, abandoning close combat. They chose to circle in the night sky, shouldering rocket launchers and using Dragon’s Breath Rounds to add fuel to the fire engulfing the monster.
Considering the tenacity of the Blood and Flesh Church and the existence of the Flesh and Blood Plague, Owen had equipped the Witch Hunters with a large number of Dragon’s Breath Rounds. So, the witches riding broomsticks transformed into armed helicopters, firing round after round, adding insult to injury as they kept the centipede monster constantly engulfed in flames.
The centipede monster, unwilling to face death, struggled desperately to escape, setting fire to many surrounding buildings and causing widespread panic. After all, such a large human centipede running around could wake the dead. No one expected to wake up in the middle of the night to such a nightmarish scene. Instinctively, they fled in all directions, amplifying the panic.
“Damn it, I told you we shouldn’t have let the Blood and Flesh Church stay here!”
This sentence was uttered by countless individuals awakened by the scene before them. However, there was nothing they could do. Although they all disliked the Blood and Flesh Church, there wasn’t a single person who dared to oppose them and live to tell the tale. So, those who were still alive had chosen to remain silent. Now, they regretted their decision.
Left with no choice, to protect their wealth and status, these people had to act, regardless of who was behind this incident, whether it was one person, two, or even more. They organized people to fight the fire and to contain the dying Blood and Flesh monster, preventing it from running amok. It was better for it to just die quietly.
Their eagerness stemmed not from loyalty to Ferrier, but from the clear understanding that if Ferrier Town fell, they would lose everything.
In the lord’s manor, Ferrier, who should have been worried and angry about the commotion, sat elegantly on the terrace with a cup of black tea, coldly watching the scene unfold with no hint of distress.
The town, once her source of pride, was now a joke. Besides the name, what connection did the territory have to her?!
Living in a town full of spies, she, the lord, still managed to enjoy her life. Every time she thought about this, the anger in her heart burned hotter than the flames before her.
The current Ferrier was like a kind-hearted man who had been cheated on by his girlfriend and ended up raising her child. She was completely enraged. It was already good that she hadn’t helped set the fire. After all, she could always find someone else to support her. Just look at Ai Mi Er and her daughter. Not only were they living a comfortable life as members of the upper class, but they were also radiant and healthy, making Ferrier envious.
However, facing her unsuspecting confidant who came to report the news, Ferrier still had to play her role. Thus, she issued orders with feigned indifference for her soldiers to quell the unrest, preparing to make an appearance to calm the populace.
