Chapter 642: A New Undertaking Client

Chapter 642 The New Tenant Down

Kevin's excitement at this moment was, to some extent, laced with his own canine emotions.

After all, a taboo he normally dared not touch or challenge could now be expressed with perfect justification; he had to invest himself at least a little.

"Woof!"

The Goddess of the Dark Moon spread her arms, and a blood-red moon reflected directly behind Karen, forming a backdrop that was not particularly grand.

Yet only those within that backdrop could truly comprehend the sensation; the crimson of the surroundings seemed boundless, holding one fast no matter how hard they struggled to break free from its shackles.

The scarlet hue resurfaced within Karen's eyes, and deep within his soul, the largest dharma body—the one Kevin had failed to awaken—showed signs of stirring.

The Hunger Addiction was at its most formidable now because it had seized control of Karen's consciousness, a total eclipse of his subjective awareness that had never occurred before;

but it was simultaneously at its weakest, for its greatest vessel, the dharma body of the God of Order, had not yet awakened.

The last time Karen suppressed the Hunger Addiction by extreme means, the dharma body of the God of Order served as its vessel, and the other entities within his soul desperately suppressed it, succeeding only after a strike from the Scythe of War.

This time, as long as the dharma body of the God of Order remained dormant, the Hunger Addiction would actually be easier to subdue.

Kevin also sensed something amiss; the dark mist surrounding that dharma body was dissipating rapidly, and once it woke to join the fray, the tide would turn in an instant.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Kevin barked loudly, urging a swift resolution.

The dharma body of the God of Light hovered before Karen, casting its radiant power upon him to suppress his movements, and Karen's struggles immediately slowed.

The Scythe of War whistled through the air, cleaving down toward Karen.

Yet Dis's phantom appeared at that exact moment, blocking the Scythe of War and forcing it back.

Outside, Alfred continued his prayers, his voice echoing beside Karen, meaning Alfred's devotion was able to reach into Karen's heart in a unique way.

"Young Master, you once said that Lord Dis deeply regretted one thing, which was choosing the wrong path in his youth."

"Young Master, you said that the God of Order also walked the wrong path, and that you would not repeat his mistake."

"Young Master, have you forgotten our shared dream?"

Amidst Alfred's successive prayers, the crimson in Karen's eyes began to fade, the anchor finally showing its effect.

"Boom!"

The dharma body of the God of Order, who should have been the true master of this domain, and who was one of Karen's many yet "sole" chosen faiths, finally awakened, its colossal form descending behind Karen.

However, at that very moment, Karen closed his eyes, and when he slowly reopened them, they had regained their clarity.

His gaze swept across the area ahead, finally landing on Kevin.

Kevin shuddered instantly, because that dharma body of the God of Order was mirroring Karen's movements perfectly, meaning the God of Order was staring right at him.

He had previously thought that being sealed inside a Golden Retriever's body made him incredibly weak, but now he truly realized that being a dog offered an immense sense of security, far better than being meat on a chopping block.

Karen descended and approached Kevin, asking in bewilderment:

"Why are you still a dog here?"

Kevin: "..."

The soul space should initially manifest as one's fundamental soul form, and the shape one took was more like a projection born of habitual self-awareness—meaning whatever you believed you should look like is what you would become, essentially sculpting your own face by instinct.

Yet Kevin was still a dog.

Kevin lowered his canine head and began to contemplate this question; it had been the same last time on the Fire Island, where he was a dog, carrying Purr to fight the three-headed hellhound.

Purr, after all, had been a cat for over a century, but how long had he himself been a dog?

Had he... already grown used to it?

However, another thought crossed Karen's mind; he had lost control again, caught somewhat off guard;

fortunately, the Hunger Addiction had clearly been unprepared as well, failing to mobilize the power of Order, so while its nature was exceptionally severe, it was extinguished quickly.

Yet this also reflected the gravity of the situation from another angle; as his strength grew, the Hunger Addiction would expand further, and he needed to find a way to temporarily suppress it, or at least serve as an early warning.

The Laxis copper coin... Loya.

He could delay no longer; he had to retrieve that Laxis copper coin from the sea so that Loya could establish a resonance with him through it, helping him suppress the Hunger Addiction at critical moments.

To put it somewhat cold-bloodedly and selfishly, Karen would not place all his reliance on Kevin entering his soul to rescue him every time; he preferred to trust a young girl like Loya, who, like Conna, was pure because of her youth... and, well, easy to deceive.

As for Kevin, if a magnificent opportunity ever presented itself, Karen felt it would be entirely normal for the dog to seize the chance to turn against him; he wouldn't even blame him, since he was the one who gave him the opportunity.

After all, this dog could speak just like Purr from the very beginning; the reason he chose to "woof, woof, woof" was merely to use the image of a Golden Retriever to lower Karen's guard.

Of course, now he genuinely seemed to prefer "woof, woof, woof."

...

In reality, Karen woke up, and Kevin opened his eyes as well.

Man and dog locked eyes for a moment, then Kevin opened his jaws and released Karen's wrist, leaving a faint tooth mark behind.

Karen shook his wrist and walked over to little Conna; even after Karen deactivated the master-servant contract effect, little Conna remained kneeling on the ground, staring at him coldly.

"Sigh."

Karen sighed and knelt down in front of Conna, gently taking the little girl's arm.

"I have been fighting against it, but just now, as you saw, an accident occurred. I was blindsided, and it was let loose. That wasn't the real me."

Conna remained silent.

Karen could only continue: "Do you remember the oath I made to you at the very beginning? It actually refers to moments like this. If one day I lose the fight, lose myself, and become like that, that is when you must devour me or kill me to set me free."

Conna still said nothing.

"I am sorry, I cannot guarantee there won't be a next time. In fact, it's highly probable this situation will happen again. So, I will do my best to suppress and resist it, and you had best get used to it."

Sitting nearby, Neo heard this, a look of bewilderment appearing in his lone eye: You are an absolute genius at apologizing!

What do you mean, "I'm sorry I messed up, but I'll do it again in the future, so please get used to it"?

Conna stood up and nodded.

Neo froze: Damn, it actually worked!

The Head of Reconnaissance used to think Karen's way of managing subordinates was learned from him, mimicking the cultural style of his own Hound Squad, but now Neo realized the man was a natural expert at this.

Just think about Alfred, then look at Filomena, and finally this little bone dragon he had just taken in.

Different personalities, with the latter two being especially difficult to handle, yet he could smooth them all out perfectly.

Neo could only curse in his heart: These psychological manipulators are truly filthy!

Having comforted little Conna, Karen walked over to Alfred. Alfred wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve and smiled at Karen:

"Young Master, the High Priest is truly the High Priest; he completely overwhelmed us all at once, leaving absolutely no chance to fight back."

"Yes." Karen offered no apologies to Alfred; there was no need for that between them. "How are your injuries?"

"Somewhat severe, but better than theirs."

"Take care of your own recovery."

"Yes, Young Master, I understand."

Cullen checked the condition of Philomena and Ventura again; their injuries were severe and both remained unconscious, yet neither was in critical danger.

Maureendy had truly held back earlier when controlling her undead summon, Norton, defeating without killing.

This realization made it impossible for Cullen to harbor hatred when his gaze fell upon Maureendy's remains once more, even though she had snared him just before her demise.

Had he not fortunately triggered Tiranus's forbidden curse, he would likely be dead by now.

"Am I a bit of a fool?" Cullen remarked.

He had always prided himself on never being half-hearted or hesitant, yet this time he had actually suffered for his soft-heartedness; if he had simply incinerated her back then, perhaps none of this trouble would have ensued.

Alfred reminded him, "Young Master, you need not blame or scrutinize yourself. At least in this matter, your subordinate believes you did no wrong, because..."

"Hmm?"

"Look at it from another perspective: when you stood where that heart was, wasn't that also the final trap laid for you by this Grand Necromancer?

She had no intention of continuing to live. Whether you chose to burn her to death with the Light of Order at that moment would not have changed the fact that, in the final moments of her life, she would first trap you with the formation inside the heart and then sacrifice her life to cast the forbidden curse upon you."

"Heh, yes, you are quite right. I feel much better now."

He had already been standing in the trap; whatever choice he had made back then, and whether it seemed like foolish mercy in hindsight, actually made no difference at all.

"Therefore, please do not dwell on it, Young Master. I also approved of your choice then, for she truly could have killed me, yet she held her hand."

"Alfred, you really are a comforting presence."

"Uh..." Alfred pondered the metaphor for a moment, a smile quickly spreading across his face. "This is my duty."

Cullen crouched beside Maureendy's corpse. Alfred, meanwhile, picked up a dark green ring from the spot where the

Karen nodded, took out the ring and spread it across his palm, replying:

"She is gone."