Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bell at the very top of the Hall of Glory rang out. Its deep, muffled toll meant that another new gentleman had been recorded within, and most of the gentlemen knew that this bell signaled a contributor to the Nightmare Event.
Most of them temporarily set aside what they were doing and faced the direction of the bells, offering their respects.
However,
Some of the gentlemen standing at high places, who could clearly see the Hall of Glory, gradually sensed something strange as the bells neared their end, as if something deep within the hall were staring at them.
"What is that?"
Some with heightened perception or exceptional ocular abilities vaguely saw a scorched eyeball between the clouds above the hall. Its ring-shaped pupil seemed to still be burning.
Staring for too long even made these gentlemen's eyes feel seared. The sudden pain brought them back to their senses,
and after averting their gazes, they hurriedly examined their eyes,
only to discover that all of their eyeballs bore traces of burning, to varying degrees—either a black speck, or an entirely blackened surface. A very small number even had scale-like scorch marks forming on their eyeballs.
Hall of Glory—Holy Body Chamber
Fierce screams continued to echo through the chamber, heart-wrenching and reaching deep into the soul, as if they were trying to awaken the holy bodies within.
The one screaming was Little Grape. Gryph.
Directly absorbing the "Ember Eye" of the prophet Rudolf had allowed the curse to enter its body. This curse, which had remained among corpses for hundreds of years, still existed, and had barely weakened compared to before.
All the fur on Little Grape's body burned from within, turning into tiny sparks that drifted through the air.
Its open mouth was covered in