Chapter 608.5: Believe in Gods, Gain Eternal Life?
Boom!
The sweeping wind spread out, but Matthew remained completely unharmed and unshaken.
Under the stunned gaze of the Eternal Life Church member, he charged behind it.
Slash!
Slice!
The damaged body was cut clean in two.
Terror and fear were still frozen on its face.
Landing calmly, Matthew ignored the corpse and quickly cut down the fleeing Hounds.
A Hound on his right erupted with magic energy, firing a death ray that struck Matthew's chest.
"Ding, you were hit by Death Ray. Total damage: 56..."
"Defense check in progress..."
"17 + 10 + 10 = 37:10. Defense check passed!"
"Ding, you received 12 actual spell damage..."
Barely affected, Matthew charged at the spellcaster and struck with a single blow.
Splat!
Its twitching head fell, eyes full of longing for life and endless hatred.
A fireball struck it, blasting it into pieces.
Hearing the pleasant system chime, Matthew resumed his pursuit of the other cultists.
One by one, the Eternal Life Church members were caught and slain by Matthew.
"Run!!"
"What kind of monster is this guy!?"
"Is this Blood Moon City's backup support?"
"He's too strong!"
"Hurry! Inform the others! We must kill him!"
"Regular troops are useless! We need elite swarm monsters!"
"Another one's dead. That scream was awful!"
"He must die first!"
"..."
Only after yet another cultist died did they take Matthew seriously.
These cowards feared death—and Matthew was terrifying.
Failing a defense was better than dying!
While hunting, Matthew quickly noticed movement.
Hundreds of Hounds scurried through the labyrinthine steel ruins, spreading out to search for him.
Seeing his "stealth tactic" working, Matthew committed to it fully.
He would kill any pursuing Hounds instantly.
300 Fate Power per kill—even mosquito meat was still meat!
Matthew was about to perform the sixth surgical modification on all Bay Territory's modified warriors—a massive cost in Fate Power.
Even with constant contributions from soldiers and adventurers, he needed more.
Boom!
Flesh and bones flew.
Another huge Giant Wolf Spider fell.
The once-chaotic battlefield fell silent.
Calmly regulating his breathing, Matthew ignored the corpses around him.
He noticed a faint crimson glow in the air and sensed his energy shield depleting quickly.
"Widespread contamination..."
"This level of pollution can't even be purified with cleansing potions..."
"Anyone below Extraordinary tier would be in extreme danger here."
"We still need a more elite team to face enemies of this caliber..."
"..."
Fortunately, the Thunder Armor's energy shield still worked...
But it was far too expensive!
In the nearby passage, a dense mass of insectoid monsters stared fixedly at Matthew.
Thunder Armor had taken many hits.
But the minor scuffs didn't affect its performance—instead, they added a seasoned, battle-worn look.
While waiting for his health and stamina to recover, Matthew activated Thunder Armor's food and energy replenishment system and quietly gathered data.
Rumble!
Boom! Boom!
Faint battle sounds reached Matthew's ears.
Looking into the pitch-black tunnel, he sensed a fierce battlefield beyond the crowded monsters.
There, even more powerful insectoid monsters were launching a fierce assault.
A massive hive base continued to churn out varied insectoid monsters.
If Matthew wanted to truly affect the battle, he had to charge in.
But first, he needed to lure more Eternal Life Church members outside—and kill them.
This would reduce the pressure of being surrounded later.
Swarm monsters under command and those fighting on instinct were completely different.
The former could threaten entire cities, unleashing disasters like a natural calamity.
The latter were just strong special monsters.
In the vast Material Plane, there were so many of them they couldn't even rank high on the food chain.
More importantly, surface battles had reached a fever pitch. 343 had already sent Matthew an emergency war report.
The mutated zombie army led by the Hive Tyrant had breached the city walls and was fighting defenders in brutal melee.
If they reached the underground ruins, the situation would spiral out of control.
Having gathered ample intel and completed his Thunder Armor diagnostics, Matthew was finally ready to unleash his full power.
Facing the Giant Wolf Spiders crowding the tunnel, and the horrified cultists, he drew his dazzling Five-Fireball Staff!
"Hiding together to avoid my blade slashes—trying to block me outright?"
"But you forgot—my original class isn't a face-smashing Warrior, but an Arcanist representing truth and justice!"
Spell buffs maxed!
Four blazing Flaming Sun Explosions surged into the narrow steel tunnel.
The cultists behind the monsters frantically cast spells to interfere and defend.
Too bad—completely useless!
Boom!
Furious flames devoured every inch of the tunnel.
The crowded insectoid monsters were instantly torn to pieces by the destructive flame shockwave.
It's well known that explosions are especially devastating in tight spaces!
A series of kill notifications echoed in Matthew's ears.
He watched the destructive flames rage and crash through the tunnel.
Feeling his nearly halved mana quickly replenishing, he smirked with satisfaction and said:
"Explosions really do lift the spirits!"
On the other end of the tunnel, terrifying flames spilled outward, dragging with them heaps of charred flesh and bones.
The shockwave stirred up clouds of swirling dust.
The enormous noise naturally caught the attention of other Eternal Life Church members.
"Flaming Sun Explosion? Impossible—it's never been that powerful!"
"It's clearly more than one—at least a dozen..."
"A dozen high-tier casters? Is this support from the Yaoyue Family's (Glorious Moon family) mage legion?"
"No way. If Yaoyue Family were that close with Annie, there's no way we'd have gotten this far!"
"Annie reacted too quickly—if she'd been just a few minutes slower, we could've seized control of the Mage Tower!"
"Enough talk—figure out how to deal with the reinforcements outside!"
"That guy seems to be the Lord of Bay Territory—who knew he was this powerful!"
"Being wary of him alone isn't enough. A full team of spellcasters is too dangerous—one mistake and they'll cast a doomsday spell..."
"No more hesitation. Keep pressing the attack here, I'll take a team to eliminate Bay Territory's lord."
"I've heard the Cole Elves and the Pale Church both put high bounties on him."
"Heh, if you've got a death wish, go ahead. The outer members may be weak, but they're just as good at fleeing as we are..."
"Fools. Our top priority is to unseal the barrier. We can't afford to waste any of our strength—let that idiot go down instead!"
"Good idea. He's basked in power long enough—it's time he paid the price!"
"No one wants to get their hands dirty, huh? Fine. Let's activate the altar!"
"..."
Even though they were no longer human, greed and the struggle for benefit still made these creatures scheme and bicker endlessly.
But once a plan required no cost to themselves, their actions became extremely efficient.
A group of panicked spellcasters were dragged to the altar, still wearing the mage robes of Blood Moon City and the Yaoyue Family.
But they weren't captives of the Eternal Life Church.
On the contrary, they were traitors who willingly contacted the cult.
Unfortunately, due to Annie's swift teleportation and intervention, the cult's plan to seize the Mage Tower had completely failed.
These fools, who dreamed of wealth and longevity, had lost all value.
Now, they would "offer" their flesh and souls, paying dearly for their stupidity.
"No... We had an agreement!"
"We were on the same side!"
"You broke the magic contract! You'll die horribly for it!"
"How dare you violate the magic pact? Aren't you afraid of backlash!?"
"Help me! Lord of the City!"
"Save me! I'll never do it again..."
"Aaaah...!"
In the face of death, these fools revealed their most pathetic side.
Their screams drew sneers from the Eternal Life Church members.
Anyone who would betray even their kin and comrades had no right to be allies of the cult.
Even if they didn't die now—
In the future, they'd be drained dry.
Slaves under Eternal Life Church control.
Even their eventual deaths would serve the cult's so-called "eternal life."
The cult always found fools like these—and never felt a shred of guilt for their deaths.
Their heads were cut off, their chests split open, exposing slowly writhing organs.
Strange red light spread out, slowly extracting their life force.
Their recently severed souls were also bound by red tentacles spreading from the altar.
No matter how they screamed in terror, they couldn't escape—the red tendrils absorbed and devoured them.
With their "sacrifice," the red glow of the altar became even more dazzling.
The Mage Tower, which had been launching magical attacks, suddenly stopped for some unknown reason.
Three bishops of the Eternal Life Church stood afar, muttering eerie incantations.
An invisible will slowly descended upon the twisted altar.
In just half a breath, the sacrificial offerings turned into scarlet powder.
The terrifying will spread outward, quickly piercing through the ruins and reaching the surface.
Its target was clear—ignoring the many mutated zombie creatures nearby, it charged straight for the massive and powerful Hive Tyrant.
At that moment, the Hive Tyrant was roaring with excitement:
"Attack! Take this city! Let it be the feast that lifts me to greater heights!"
Though no creature responded, it roared on in delight.
Only it failed to notice the two massive arms above it—one of them gripping a longsword seemingly made of bones.
As the will arrived, the arms suddenly moved.
Crack!
The Hive Tyrant's vision spun, and it suddenly slammed into the ground.
The drain of life and loss of its body made its eyes bulge with terror, even as it managed to roar:
"Impossible! I am immortal! Who could kill me!?"
"My body would never betray me! What is this!?"
"This power... It must be their scheme—damn those treacherous bugs..."
Then, something horrifying happened.
The massive headless corpse didn't die—instead, it knelt down, reaching out to pick up the severed head.
A surge of excitement filled the Hive Tyrant's heart:
"Yes! That's it! Put me back! My vitality will heal the wound!"
But its expression quickly turned to horror.
"Wait... No... This can't be!!"
It watched in disbelief as new flesh began regenerating from the bloody stump of its neck.
As if following a preset code, the tissue twisted and transformed grotesquely.
In just a dozen breaths—
A new blood-colored head grew from the Hive Tyrant's body.
It opened its eyes, glowing with solid red light. The Hive Tyrant screamed:
"Blood God! You're the Blood God!"
"How could you have escaped!?"
The twisted blood-red face smiled eerily.
It slowly opened its mouth and swallowed the screaming, pleading Hive Tyrant's head.
The noise vanished completely.
The "Blood God" looked to the sky, then turned and descended without hesitation.
The nearby controlled zombie monsters fell to their knees without warning, turning into blood-colored dust.
The surging life force and essence were absorbed by the Hive Tyrant's body.
The once grotesque monster began to grow even more powerful and terrifying.
Its hunger grew, as did its control over its body.
Hundreds of thousands of surrounding zombies began walking toward it.
Collapse!
Disappear!
Blood Moon City soldiers, still fighting atop the walls, watched in shock as the terrifying monsters turned to red ash.
Overjoyed, they quickly noticed the horrifying figure in the distance.
Whispers and hallucinations immediately filled their ears.
"Don't look! Turn away! Take your purification potions!"
The deafening voice snapped most of them out of the trance.
But those with weaker wills began walking toward the base of the wall.
Before their comrades could stop them, they jumped.
They hit the ground like bags of flesh and bones.
Even in that moment, only one thought filled their minds:
Follow the deity!
Gain eternal life!