Abnormal Baptism

"Hell Monk"

For ordinary the Devil, becoming a monk is a long and difficult process.

The Devil complete the Suffering Pilgrimage will be eligible to enter the Grand Monastery and will be granted [Hell Object - Pain Metal].

However, this was only the initial starting point.

They will begin their ascetic practice as novice monks in the Grand Monastery, spending their days and nights in agony.

The body's metals absorb nutrients from the pain, gradually becoming saturated, thus achieving the Sin Manifestation *.

*Equivalent to the spinal opening of the spine, it is the final stage of the hellish state after the Hell Object have reached saturation.

The quality and efficiency of the suffering ingested by novice monks will determine the quality and final form of the metal. Not everyone can Sin Manifestation; only those individuals who truly embrace suffering and spend their days and nights with it can achieve it.

Once the apprenticeship of the Sin Manifestation is completed, the formalization ceremony will begin, which mainly consists of the following three steps.

1. Go to the cathedral to receive Mind Baptism *.

The Pope himself conducts the examinations to ensure that the novice monks' minds are free of any impurities and that they will never do anything to harm the order. He also checks the quality of their metal bodies to determine whether they truly embrace suffering during their ascetic practice.

After baptism, an imprint is left between the skull bones, representing the conferment of the monk's status.

2. Based on the characteristics of the Sin Manifestation, custom-made monk leather robes are the most important symbol of identity for monks when they go out.

3. Path selection: Based on the manifestation of the Sin Manifestation's abilities and the characteristics of the metal, choose the most suitable path for their ascension.

Luo Di's situation is very special.

He completed his Sin Manifestation without ever undergoing asceticism in Grand Monastery, and the metallic form he expressed is related to the spine, resembling Metal Chainsaw.

The aura he exuded was completely out of place here; he didn't even know the monastery's purpose or its various systems.

This is troublesome.

However, according to the rules, Luo Di still needs to be baptized, and the Pope himself needs to examine his thoughts.

Those with impure thoughts cannot be granted monk status and may even be permanently banned from setting foot in the Grand Monastery. Even though Luo Di possesses Hell Metal, he can only move around in the torture chamber at most.

Agatha also gave the following instructions before setting off:

"Luo Di, you're undergoing Mind Baptism without any arduous training, which might lead to a deeper examination by the Pope. Whatever happens, avoid any rebellious behavior."

Otherwise you might be labeled an apostate and never be allowed to set foot here again.

And you must never disrespect the Pope, as this could be life-threatening.

"Good."

The Rubik's Cube is turned.

You can enter the cathedral area directly through the left gate of the dormitory area, which is also the core area of Grand Monastery.

Before reaching the cathedral's main hall, one must pass through a "Nerve Corridor".

This place is covered with metallic nerve tissue, and anyone who steps on it will feel intense nerve pain.

Once dangerous thoughts are detected, these neurometals will wrap around the cathedral, eliminating any external risks that could threaten it.

In Luo Di's view, these metallic nerves were somewhat similar to the hooks in the preaching room, and could detect the presence of foreign objects.

He only needs to express the characteristics of the torture chamber to avoid activating the passive defenses of these nerves and pass through easily.

The deeper the passage, the narrower the path becomes... Eventually, one needs to squeeze their entire body between nerves to pass through this corridor.

Squeezed out from between dense nerves,

The cathedral that came into view was completely different from the cathedral that Luo Di had imagined. It was not magnificent, had no stained glass, and did not even have windows. Instead, it was a completely sealed area.

The entire structure is built using a special type of dark stone, making it a rare non-metallic structure among Grand Monastery.

Similar to the previous Nerve Corridor,

The cathedral is also covered with metallic nerves that converge on the dome, as if the dome were some kind of Brain Structure, controlling everything here, and even supervising and controlling the entire Grand Monastery.

in addition,

The two walls of the cathedral are decorated with 26 capital letters carved in metal.

Ten of the letters are engraved with specific human figures, corresponding to the members of the order who have already obtained the letters.

Mr. Hook's sculpture is above the letter H, corresponding to Hook.

The other members of the Order are also unique, with each individual possessing different metal forms and characteristics of suffering.

Luo Di also saw the iron pillar associated with Agatha, corresponding to the letter P, Pillar, whose sculpture depicts a bald, middle-aged woman with a similarly strong physique.

Before he could continue observing, three "novice monks" wrapped in leather cloaks entered through the other entrance of the church.

They might have an iron chain tail dragging behind them, or their whole body might be covered in metal blades, or every opening on their body might be stuffed with steel balls (referring to eyes, nostrils, and mouth, etc.).

They will also undergo Mind Baptism today and be officially promoted.

"Luo Di, go quickly! Relax, all you have to do is kneel on the spiky carpet."

"Um."

Agatha sat on a pew on the outermost edge of the church, watching the upcoming baptism ceremony.

Perhaps because they had heard that special Gate from the torture chamber were attending baptism today, many monks came to the cathedral, and even members of the Order came in person.

As soon as Agatha sat down, the iron rod structure inside her body began to vibrate. She turned her head to look.

A middle-aged woman was already sitting next to her, but her bald head had pillar-shaped metal growing out of its surface, blooming like the sun.

Most importantly, the woman's back has numerous iron pillars protruding, each representing an energy pillar, and its surface is wrapped with a jet-black ring structure.

With each breath, the energy column on her back moves up and down.

"Teacher!"

The prologue member, the Grand Nun Leader, represents the Pillar.

Luo Di followed the other three novice monks to the front of the church.

Four "spiky round blankets" are placed here.

Without hesitation, Luo Di knelt down like the others, the spikes piercing his knees and penetrating deep into his thigh nerves. The other three wore expressions of pleasure, but Luo Di neither enjoyed it nor endured it, remaining calm.

Click click click~

The nerves that had been entrenched in the Nerve Corridor and the top of the church began to move, slowly forming a human-shaped structure at the center of the dome and gradually descending before the crowd.

A unique pure white monk's robe covered his body, even trailing behind him like a skirt.

The hand that peeked out from between the sleeves was very slender and had no bone structure, seemingly made of pure nerves.

His neck lacked any visible skull structure; instead, it was covered with thorn-like metallic nerves. Upon closer inspection, one could discern the structure of a face within the outline of these thorns, with the reflective metallic parts being his eyes.

The Grand Monastery's Leader,

Order Leader

The First Monk,

Pope Neo means Neuro.

Without any verbal exchange or explanation of doctrines or dogmas, the Mind Baptism began immediately. It seems that for the Pope, time is of utmost importance, and efficiency is paramount.

His fingers touched the head of the first novice monk.

Gaga~

The metallic nerves that make up the palm quickly drill into the seven orifices of the person's face, reaching the brain.

The Mind Baptism was completed in less than half a minute, and the nerves were pulled out.

There was no verbal explanation of whether someone was qualified; instead, the skin on the top of their head was cut open, and the insignia representing a monk was etched onto the surface of the skull using nerves, signifying successful conversion.

The second person followed immediately, and was even faster, finishing in just ten seconds.

The third person completed the Mind Baptism in about 41 seconds, which was a little longer than expected.

You can also see some dirt on the nerve roots extracted from the brain, but it's not a big problem; the markings are still etched on the surface of the brain.

The baptisms of the three novice monks were completed.

Next up was Luo Di, an outsider whose appearance and attire were completely different. He was a disciple of the torture chamber recommended by Hawke.

Without a sound, the white-robed figure appeared before them.

Without any pressure, as if the other person didn't exist in this space, Luo Di felt his nerves crawl into his brain and touch his spine before he was even fully prepared.

The first step is a surface search.

The Pope already knew that Luo Di was Dual System personnel. After a spinal examination, the Pope not only showed no xenophobia, but also nodded with satisfaction (neural curvature).

The reason for satisfaction is simple.

Because Luo Di's spine did not contain that intense, uncontrollable desire for war.

Rather, it was a bloodlust that could be suppressed, and what the Prologue valued was "controllability." At the same time, he also examined Luo Di's acceptance of metal and his understanding of pain.

Not only was the Tool Construction quite sophisticated, but they had also managed to glimpse the outline of the door in terms of the level of suffering.

The surface inspection was passed! And all aspects were excellent.

The next step is the examination of the subconscious mind.

It was confirmed that Luo Di had no ulterior motives towards the Protoss, that his character was not wicked, and that he would not do anything against the pain.

A thorough examination would naturally require accessing Luo Di's brain.

The Pope's metallic nerves quickly noticed the completely different, moon-like gray pituitary gland—a biological structure that did not exist in hell.

One by one, the sensitive nerves quickly approached, trying to connect with the nerves around the pituitary gland, attempting to glimpse the nature of this thing.

The instant of neural connection...

Buzz!

A whisper from the corner reached the Pope's mind, and all the nerves twitching around his neck stopped moving.

at the same time,

Inside the cathedral, every area that met the criteria for forming a corner was covered in black cracks, and a primal aura of fear seeped outwards.

An unknown spatial structure is descending upon the cathedral.

You can even faintly hear the mournful cries of Hell Creature from the depths of the Corner, cries of bodily activity that are not of this hellish nature, cries that are beyond the realm of cognition.

All the Grand Monastery's alert bells rang, as if an army even more terrifying than the Spinebreakers was about to be teleported over.

It was at this moment that...

Whoosh!

The Pope deliberately severed the metal nerve connecting Luo Di's pituitary gland, instantly blocking communication between the two.

In a short time,

The Corner's Whisper disappeared, the Corner Space connecting to the cathedral was completely blocked, and everything returned to normal.

Those few broken strands of neurometal belonging to the Pope, remaining in Luo Di's brain, were immediately stained and assimilated by the pituitary gland after separating from the main body...