Revival

From the moment the ritual began, Luther had been thinking about how to deal with Lanevus and Hood Eugen.

A direct confrontation was definitely out of the question. Two Beyonders against him alone, plus a mystical item—even with his cheat, his chances of winning were slim.

That left only a sneak attack.

So Luther waited, waited for the two of them to let down their guard, waited for the best opportunity to appear.

The instant the True Creator bestowed Divinity, he moved.

Clang!

Luther threw the gas lamp to the ground and lunged toward the altar at the same time. He stretched out a finger, dipped it in the blood that formed the ritual array, and swiftly altered the array's patterns according to the design he had prepared.

Swish, swish.

His fingers flew!

He had already carefully examined the ritual array on the altar. The Secrets Suppliant's abilities had allowed him to rapidly decipher its principles. He had rehearsed how to alter it more than a dozen times in his mind. With just one stroke, he drastically changed the ritual's contents, swapping the positions of Lanevus and his fiancée, Megose.

In other words, the one being impregnated to receive the Divine Scion changed from Megose—to Lanevus!

Luther acted too quickly, and the sneak attack was too unexpected. By the time he finished modifying the ritual array, Lanevus had yet to react. His mouth was wide open in wild laughter as he waited for the Divine Scion's seed to enter Megose's body, only to see that ray of light drifting through the air before abruptly turning without warning and flying into his mouth.

With a gulp, Lanevus swallowed it involuntarily.

Something depraved and terrifying instantly invaded his body, gathering in his lower abdomen.

Aaaaah!

Lanevus seemed to hear an infant's cries and evil murmurs right beside his ears. His stomach hurt beyond belief, as though something were devouring his flesh and blood, or as though a crazed, twisted existence were forcing its way into his body. Unable to remain standing, he clutched his stomach and collapsed, howling in agony.

"How did you—"

Hood Eugen had only shouted one word when Luther raised his hand and smashed a vicious punch straight into the bridge of his nose.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out. Hood Eugen cried out miserably and stumbled back a step, clutching his nose as the bell in his hand fell to the floor. Just as he endured the pain and bent down to pick it up, Luther, who had already drawn his revolver from its holster, rushed over and smashed the gun's butt into his face.

Bang!

The metal gun butt was heavy and powerful, striking Hood Eugen so hard that his teeth shook in their sockets.

Shut up!

Hood Eugen was about to cry out in pain when he felt something icy against his forehead. Luther had pressed the gun barrel to his head. "If you dare make even the slightest sound, I'll blow your head apart right now!"

Sensing the seriousness in Luther's words, Hood Eugen immediately covered his mouth. No matter how much it hurt, he did not dare make a sound.

Luther gave him a calm glance, then pulled the trigger.

Seeing Luther's action, Hood Eugen's eyes widened in shock, as if questioning him: Didn't I shut up like you told me to?

Bang!

The silver Demon-Hunting Bullet spun out of the muzzle, pried open his skull, and sent his final confusion flying away with his brains.

"I lied."

The corpse fell to the ground. Luther looked at Hood Eugen's unclosed eyes and answered him. What a joke. He had just wanted to use Luther as a living sacrifice—did he really think Luther would spare him?

After dealing with Hood Eugen, Luther turned to look at Lanevus, who was still struggling on the ground.

"Urgh! Ah!"

Lanevus clutched his stomach and continuously let out agonized wails. One lump of flesh after another bulged beneath his skin, making his once ordinary face grotesque and terrifying. It seemed he had no fortune to enjoy the gods' blessing. Before long, he would probably lose control completely.

Served him right.

Luther felt no sympathy at all for Lanevus's miserable state. Such a fine girl loved him, and not only did he fail to appreciate it, he even exploited her love to turn her into a breeding ground for an evil god. He was no ordinary madman, but an inhuman beast. If Luther were not worried that he would become too difficult to handle after completely losing control, he would have let him suffer a little longer.

Luther raised his revolver and cautiously approached Lanevus, aiming at his head.

Since he was a poor shot, this was the only way to improve his chances of hitting.

Lanevus shrieked and rolled around. He did not even have the chance to speak, but when he looked at Luther, his eyes were filled with malice and madness, like a beast trapped in a cage.

Luther met his gaze calmly, then pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The Demon-Hunting Bullet pierced Lanevus's forehead, leaving behind a bloody bullet hole.

Lanevus stopped struggling and lay motionless on the ground.

Whew, that was close...

Luther held the revolver, but a wave of lingering fear rose within him.

Although it looked as though he had dealt with the two of them swiftly, one careless mistake would have meant his own death. Lanevus in particular was extremely agile. When he had assassinated the guards earlier, he had moved swiftly and viciously, practically killing with a single strike. Luther would wager that if that knife had been aimed at him, with his current strength, he definitely would not have been able to dodge it.

And Hood Eugen seemed to possess a Beyonder Ability that could beguile people's minds. Even if Luther's cheat allowed him to resist hypnosis, a momentary daze would have been enough for Lanevus to kill him.

That was why Luther had seized the opportunity to first alter the ritual and deprive Lanevus of his ability to fight, then beat Hood Eugen until he had no chance to react or think before killing him, and only then turn his attention to shooting Lanevus dead.

After taking a few breaths and steadying himself, Luther gradually calmed down from the excitement of battle. Then he suddenly thought of something. The ritual seemed not to be over yet. The Divine Scion had already descended, but the god itself did not seem to have been sent back...

This is bad...

Luther instinctively turned around and saw the strange black silhouette directly behind him, staring at him from close range with a faceless face.

Fuck!

His scalp went numb in fright, and his arm swung out instinctively.

Whoosh—

The black silhouette was scattered into a huge cloud of mist. Resentment filled with extreme emotions howled toward Lanevus's body on the ground, enveloped him, and rapidly seeped into his body.

Then Lanevus's previously lifeless body suddenly began to move again. The lumps of flesh receded, the bullet hole healed, and he actually showed signs of coming back to life!

Without hesitation, Luther rapidly retreated and fired again.

Bang! Bang!

The scattered bullets shattered the Wall of Spirituality. A wind of Spirituality howled, and even the bullets that struck Lanevus only left bloody holes before being slowly pushed out by the healing wounds.

This was bad.