Chapter 530: Shocking Scene

Chapter 530: A Terrifying Scene

He was already so wretched; to treat him this way further was truly a bit inhumane.

Yet, Karen had always been kind-hearted. He did not wish for Bishop Dolph to depart burdened with regrets and confusion. Letting him leave with a clear understanding was, in itself, a form of Karen’s benevolence toward him.

Thus, in order to more considerately hasten his realization of the truth and dispel any lingering doubts, Karen proactively added another line:

"I have also thoroughly investigated the matter of your son, Dalice."

"It was you!"

The fire of rage began to burn within Bishop Dolph's eyes. Suddenly, he understood everything, and the more he understood, the more furious he became.

From the affair of Pavaro to his own summoning of the Great Existence, throughout it all, this young man before him had directly interfered!

He was a devil, a devil sent specifically to persecute the Neton family!

Bishop Dolph let out a low growl, his condition seemingly vastly improved from his previous state of imminent, total decay.

And so it was in fact. When Karen used his grandfather’s phantom to completely purge the sprouts and roots Dolph had attempted to leave behind, most of that power had actually been wasted and consumed in vain. However, a small portion had returned to Bishop Dolph, allowing him to recover significantly and restoring much of his vigor.

Bishop Dolph noticed this as well. Consequently, he immediately rose from his chair. Whether it was his present self within Karen’s consciousness space or his self in reality, his body stood up from the seat.

But he had already been invited in, and Karen had already established control over him. Even if he had reabsorbed some of the power he himself had "blessed" outward, how could he possibly pose any real threat to Karen now?

Karen had already told him that those close to him considered his character to be exceedingly cautious; how could he possibly make such a low-level, negligent error?

Furthermore, this was Karen’s home ground, after all. Dolph had voluntarily walked in, having cast aside all defenses and measures.

Seated in his chair, Karen raised a hand. In the next instant, a rusted Chain of Order surged from beneath Dolph’s chair, directly shackling Dolph’s neck and wrenching downward, forcing his entire being back into the seat.

In reality, the newly risen Dolph likewise sat back down.

Sensing the terrifying nature of the Chain of Order bound tightly around him, Dolph glared at Karen once more. Only, the fury in his eyes was now continuously receding.

Once detached from his most primitive emotional fluctuations, he began to gradually realize something—namely, the identity of the young man before him.

Within his consciousness space, which was to say, in the deepest recesses of his soul, there resided a phantom left behind by a Temple Elder.

Even toward their own direct descendants, most Temple Elders were unwilling to do such a thing, because for them, it constituted an immense drain.

"You belong to a family of a Temple Elder?"

"Barely, I suppose. Though my grandfather certainly wouldn’t care for the title, I am too lazy to explain overmuch to you."

"Why move against my Neton family? Why?"

"There is no 'why.' When walking along a muddy path, if one’s shoes are soiled by the mire, doesn’t one naturally scrub them clean upon returning?"

"Bern does not know your identity, I can feel it. Otherwise, he would never have left you to me. Heh, if he truly knew your talent and your background, then acting this way would be genuine foolishness, completely offending someone he shouldn't."

Karen nodded and said, "Indeed, Bishop Bern does not know."

"Worfulen, he must surely know."

"Actually..."

"Yes, Worfulen must know. He knows your identity, which is why when the scandalous rumors regarding you and his grandson’s fiancée spread, he did not strike against you.

I have even heard that he arranged for his own grandson to be placed into your squad.

It turns out he was the clearest of them all, heh."

Karen knew well that Chief Bishop Worfulen did not know.

How should one put it? Back then, when Neo went to spread the rumors about himself and Her Highness Ophelia, the grandfather involved did not use his authority to suppress anyone; that was truly a testament to the man's cultivation and moral boundaries.

This could also be seen in Leon. Both being young masters of high birth, Leon appeared far more normal and humble, whereas Vicolai was simply a fool.

Nevertheless, Karen was still too lazy to explain.

"There is something I hadn't originally intended to ask, but since the opportunity presents itself, I shall ask you. You may choose to answer, or you may choose not to.

Did you know Madam Felser?"

"Madam Felser? That old woman from the cursed family? I do not know her."

"Mm."

This question could just as well have been left unasked; asking was merely a matter of security. From the look of it, Madam Felser’s "conduction" of Mr. Dalice must have been the result of his grandfather’s secret guidance. Madam Felser and the Neton family possessed no other connection.

In that case, the situation gradually leaned toward another of Karen’s speculations—that Mr. Dalice was very likely an experimental subject chosen by Madam Felser.

She was his grandfather’s experimental subject, and she herself had chosen an experimental subject of her own.

Except, his grandfather had succeeded long ago, because he himself was his grandfather’s masterpiece.

No,

Wait a moment.

Karen suddenly thought of another possibility. His grandfather’s lifelong endurance and inhibition, not hesitating to continuously suppress his own realm, even going so far as to shatter an incomparably precious thing like a fragment of a Godhead without a single pang of regret—there seemed to be something overly detached within it all.

Recalling further the tragic deaths of his "parents," and how his grandfather had utilized a blood sacrifice ritual to drain the path of faith from the rest of the family to reserve it entirely for him—could his grandfather have experienced something in the past?

The reason he was able to turn a curse into a blessing... could it be that he himself was the one who bore the curse?

Karen blinked his eyes. He felt his thoughts becoming somewhat disorganized; whenever he encountered matters related to his grandfather, he always subconsciously overthought things.

He had never doubted Dis’s affection for him, and precisely because of this mutual, two-way recognition, it was inevitable to easily empathize when putting himself in those shoes.

"Buzz!"

Right at that moment, Dolph stood up from his chair once more, black flames erupting across his body.

The Lord Bishop had abandoned his "forced suicide"; he wanted to resist, for he believed that Bern would be exceedingly interested in the secrets of this young man before him!

Roused by Dolph’s actions, Karen looked up, a trace of resentment surfacing in his gaze as he subconsciously spoke:

"Presumptuous."

The Chain of Order bound to Dolph seemed to suddenly possess life. Like a massive black python, it tightened its coils around Dolph and began to decompose his soul. And the next step of that decomposition was... consumption.

"Thud!"

Bishop Dolph was forced back into his chair once more. He looked at the terrifying chain upon his body in sheer panic, stammering in disbelief:

"What is this? What on earth is this!"

He enjoyed devouring the souls of others. His grandson—or rather, his son, Vicolai—had also been led by him to enjoy devouring others to infuse into himself. Yet, such infusion was always like pouring water into a cracked bottle; no matter how much was poured, it would always recede below the crack.

However, Dolph was astonished to discover that this chain’s consumption of him was a meticulously precise transformation of his soul, converting it into the purest form of existence. It could reinforce the bottle itself, and even increase its height.

By contrast, what he and Vicolai had done was nothing short of gathering pebbles by the roadside, whereas Karen’s side was using gold bricks to pave a path. They looked the same, but in every facet, they were things of entirely different tiers.

"If you release me, my Neton family is willing to align with you and offer our loyalty!"

Karen lowered his head, one hand beginning to press hard against his forehead while his other hand was raised and waved away.

The Chain of Order that bound and gnawed at Dolph was forced to halt its work. From the other end of the chain came an intensely dissatisfied and aggrieved sensation, like countless cat claws scratching at Karen’s heart.

Damn it!

Here it came again!

This sensation had come again!

Karen felt utterly helpless. Not long ago, because of Bernie’s treatment of him, the addiction in the depths of his soul had been stimulated, leading to an outbreak when he was executing Vicolai.

Yet he had not devoured Vicolai, partly because he found it loathsome, and partly because a mosquito's leg could never suffice to sate an appetite so vast; consuming him would do nothing to stave off the hunger.

Originally, that particular ordeal should have been endured by sheer force of will, even on an empty stomach, but this time, when Dolph transformed what should have been an intimidation into a blessing, the entire process became akin to a man with a severe tobacco addiction standing directly in the path of the wind while tobacco was being burned nearby.

For Karen at this moment, it was quite literally a case of "new hunger" compounding upon "old hunger."

Without giving Karen even a moment to prepare a reaction, the sensation directly seized his consciousness, beginning to gradually "take control" of him.

To fight against such an addiction was Karen's natural instinct; so long as one did not wish to become its slave, one had to restrain and control it.

Yet his relaxation at this moment sent a mistaken signal to Dolph, who immediately cried out:

"The Nedd family will serve you with all our hearts and souls! Our entire household is willing to be your most loyal hounds!"

A dark-red vortex began to swirl within Karen's left eye as he replied with disdain:

"That entity refuses to even pay you any heed, which proves your Nedd family lacks the worth to even be hounds."

"No, I still have value, my family still has value, I..."

Before Dolph could finish his words, he felt the chains that had previously loosened suddenly tighten around him once more.

In the distance, Karen sat with his hands clawing frantically at his own hair.

If you demand that I devour, then I shall resolutely refuse to devour!

In the next instant, a scene that Dolph found utterly inconceivable unfolded before him: the phantom of the old man clad in the divine robes of a Temple Elder actually reached out and pressed down on Karen's shoulder, as if placing him under arrest.

From Karen's throat emerged a succession of increasingly heavy and labored breaths.

Immediately after, Dolph's eyes widened as an even more terrifying sight appeared; a woman in a scarlet dress materialized behind Karen, also extending a hand to press down upon his shoulder.

Who this woman in red was, Dolph did not know, but he could sense the aura she exuded—even if it was merely a faint trace, it was an aura supreme above all else, the aura of a god!

"You are no believer of the Church of Order!"

Deep within your soul, there actually exists faith in other deities!

No, yet the robes this old man wears are indeed the Elder robes of the Temple of Order—how can this be?

"Creak... creak... crack..."

Karen clenched his teeth so hard they ground together, while one hand instinctively slipped down to grip his own chest.

In reality, as Karen stood in place, a series of crisp snaps echoed from the bones of his chest, the very place where the Divine Bone had first integrated.

"Who on earth are you, what kind of thing are you!"

Bishop Dolph could not help but roar.

But Karen had absolutely no energy to answer him, and even found him incredibly noisy; he was currently restraining the urge to eat him, and as "food," being this loud at such a moment was truly infuriating!

"Ahhh!"

Uttering a low growl, Karen began to slowly stand up.

Behind him, Diss and the Goddess of the Dark Moon were actually failing to suppress him; of course, what needed to be suppressed now was not Karen himself, for they and everything here were in truth parts of Karen's soul. What needed to be suppressed was the ravenous addiction within Karen's heart.

They possessed no independent consciousness; it was Karen himself who willed them to enforce these shackles upon him.

Regrettably, this was not home, for Karen had once tasked Alfred with crafting a sealed coffin so that when his affliction struck, he could lie inside to isolate himself; at Purr's request, Alfred had prepared two such coffins.

Yet now, there was no coffin, and the "meat" that was Bishop Dolph had already been laid right before Karen.

"Buzz!"

A door manifested before Karen.

Dolph initially mistook it for the God of Order, because this door exuded a dense aura of order, but he soon realized something was amiss; as a regional bishop, he possessed a degree of discernment, and the patterns carved upon this door belonged not to the God of Order, but to... the Gate of Samsara!

The Gate of Samsara split into two halves, then reconverged from both sides of Karen's body, transforming from a door into a set of stocks that confined him.

"What is this, the aura of the sea—from the Sea God Church?"

The Armor of the Sea God appeared, morphing into shackles that locked Karen fast.

Karen's body, which had been on the verge of standing up, was pressed down once more, but this suppression failed to endure for long.

"Ah..."

Yet accompanied by the sound of increasingly rapid breathing, Karen stood up yet again.

A beam of brilliant light shone upon Karen as the towering figure of the God of Light appeared at his side, reaching out to press a hand against Karen's forehead, causing Karen's body to sink back toward the seat once more.

Bishop Dolph was speechless.

In a distant corner, the Thousand-Charm curled into a ball, trembling violently; it desperately wanted to obey Karen's summons to suppress him now, yet it lacked the courage to approach, always feeling that compared to those terrifying entities, it simply lacked the right to appear in that space.

Then, the Thousand-Charm turned its head to look at the phantom of the Ancestor Allen, who likewise remained frozen there.

Whew, what a relief.

Seeing someone just like itself, the Thousand-Charm found a measure of comfort.

...

The detention center of the York City Region's Whip of Order Headquarters.

Dalis lay upon the ground, his body already covered in a dense network of grey runes, while the very last traces of fluff from the dandelion floating above him were breaking free.

As for him, he had already sensed a power in the unseen world beginning to embed itself within him.

It was a marvelous sensation, for it did not directly grant you strength; rather, it bestowed a sense of hunger, and when it acted upon you, you could attain even greater growth in power, as though your body and soul were both welcoming a brand-new metamorphosis at this very moment!

Soon, Dalis smiled, for the final trace of fluff upon the dandelion drifted away.

Success was at hand; after waiting for so many years, he was finally about to succeed.

The Nedd family had fallen, but a new Nedd family would be rebuilt by his own hands.

However, Dalis's smile suddenly froze, because those pieces of fluff that had just drifted away actually returned to the dandelion once more.

What was the meaning of this?

Then, the fluff drifted away again.

Immediately following that, the fluff returned once more.

Drifting away again,

Drifting back again;

Drifting away,

Drifting back.

"Ah!!!"

Dalis could not restrain a low howl of absolute agony and torment, for he felt as though his body were enduring the torture of being forcibly stuffed into something and then violently yanked back out, while his soul and consciousness suffered a powerful tearing sensation at this moment.

What on earth was happening—was the family in a state between ruin and non-ruin? How could that be!

As the strongest and highest-ranking member of the surviving Nedd family, Bishop Dolph himself occupied the highest and most stable piece of the family's fortune; only if he "collapsed" would the Nedd family truly be considered ruined.

Reasonably speaking, the simplest outcome now was for Dolph to die, or even if Dolph did not die, for his reputation to be utterly ruined, which would also suffice to complete it.

Yet because of Karen's intervention, whether he chose to devour or not affected far more than just the ownership of Dolph's soul power; anything that touched upon "the divine" carried a mystery that defied human understanding.

If Karen were to devour him, then the fruits of this curse would be naturally absorbed by Karen instead.

There, Cullen waged a relentless battle between consumption and abstinence, an inner war that directly disrupted the ultimate manifestation of the curse, dragging Dalliss—the intended vessel of its design—down into the same agonizing torment.

"I cannot bear this..."

...

"I cannot bear this..."

A low growl tore from Cullen's throat as the flames of Order erupted across his form, and the illusory phantom of the God of Order materialized, merging almost seamlessly with his own silhouette.

After all, Cullen walked the path of Order; the laws of Order were bound to reign supreme within his soul, and this ravenous hunger was born entirely from those very rules.

Dolf stood utterly transfixed, completely paralyzed by the sight.

At this moment, any lingering desire to break free and sound the alarm vanished entirely, for he knew that even if he ran to the administrative building and screamed the truth, no one would believe him; they would dismiss it as the ramblings of a madman.

For before his very eyes, he saw:

A temple elder, an nameless deity, the Gates of Reincarnation, the armor of the Sea God, and oh, yes, Light... the God of Light—all of them banded together, trying to suppress the God of Order!