Kidopriest followed Carol's gaze and glanced at her mad mother.
"No."
His voice was as calm as still water, but it nearly frightened Carol to death.
Fortunately, he quickly continued, "This is not the will of God, Carol. I hope you can understand who is the root cause of all this. Only by addressing the cause can you achieve the fruits of redemption."
Hearing this, Carol tried her best to suppress her anxiety. Although her entire family worshipped the Holy Cultivator Guild, she hardly understood a word of Kidopriest's sermons on most days.
At this moment, she found it hard to think calmly about causes and effects. All she wanted was to save her mother before the 'cult believers' arrived. Her mother was her last connection to humanity, her last shred of humanity.
"Please, tell me what I should do," Carol, the monster, pleaded with a terrifying face, gazing desperately at Kidopriest.
Kidopriest suppressed his disgust at the sight of such ugliness and forced a smile. "Carol, ask your heart. The answers are not with me, but within you. Try to seek guidance from God, pray to God."
"RoaRRR"
Carol was driven nearly mad by the divine words and divine language, her throat emitting a low growl like a wild tiger.
"What, what should I do? What exactly do you want me to do?! I'll do anything to save my mother!"
Kidopriest looked down on the thoughtless monster Carol. Such a useless piece of trash, really impossible to guide?
Could she only follow the steps laid out by others?
Forget it. For the sake of the plan, he would be straightforward for now.
"Carol, haven't you figured it out yet? The original sin is not yours, but Ashu's! It's him! He ruined your once beautiful marriage, he abandoned you, he broke the commandments! He is the sinner! Remember! He killed you! He killed your father!" Kidopriest's voice grew louder and more intense, each word striking Carol's heart, until he was almost shouting.
Even as a monster, Carol was shaken by Kidopriest's fierce demeanor. She froze on the spot, the chains around her body stopping their clanking, not daring to make a single sound.
"Answer me! Carol! Who is it? Who is the one who has wronged you, who should bear all the blame!" Kidopriest, almost nose-to-nose with the monstrous Carol, growled.
"Ah-Ashu," Carol answered involuntarily.
"That's right! Carol, child of God, you deserve redemption. I hereby declare your innocence! But as the daughter of a father, you should personally drag the sinner to hell. Do you understand?!"
She nodded instinctively, but her mind was blank from the shouting, not really knowing what to do.
So,
Kidopriest made a casual gesture, and the chains at the Cidi believers' stronghold automatically loosened, freeing Carol.
"Pick up your mother. She has suffered too much for you," Kidopriest instructed methodically, guiding Carol's actions step by step.
Monster Carol remained silent, quietly extending her elongated arms to carefully lift her mother from the platform and place her on the altar. She gently stroked her mother's frail back, afraid to tear her apart as her father had done.
Kidopriest checked the procedure, confirmed the center of the altar, and then took a few steps back, satisfied, stepping out of the altar's range. His movement caught Carol's attention, but he immediately spoke to draw her focus.
"Now. Hold your remaining family member tightly, close your eyes, and recall everything about the sinner Ashu. Remember all the moments you shared with him, and engrave those images in your heart."
Following Kidopriest's instructions, monster Carol didn't dare to hold her mother too tightly, fearing her own strength. However, she closed her eyes and slowly began to recall the moments she had shared with Ashu.
To be honest, the Ashu in her memories was not seen through the lens of a sinner. On the contrary, Ashu had always been a decent and upright person. Their marriage should have proceeded smoothly, but her parents insisted on following Kidopriest to cause a scene. This forced Ashu to abandon the marriage.
In her memories, there was no sign of Anna. She didn't know if it was due to the magic or the witch's inherent defense.
On the altar,
As Carol's memories unfolded, Kidopriest quickly directed the hidden Cidi believers. They assisted the bishop in casting a spell, offering the closest family member of the main sacrificer to the evil god Cidi, in exchange for the person the sacrificer desired.
This was a dark summoning ritual, where one gained something at the cost of losing something else. What one gained was not always fixed, but it was highly likely to be related to the main sacrificer's thoughts and memories at the time.
Thus,
The person in monster Carol's arms gradually lost their voice, and control over their body. They were captured by a mysterious force, unable to cry for help or struggle.
Suddenly,
Carol's living mother turned into a pool of blood.
In her place, a muscular man appeared.
...
A few minutes earlier,
Ashu was discussing moving with Anna. After all, the city hall and the Cultivator Guild in this area had all been corrupted by the cult.
Whether or not they were corrupted didn't significantly affect Ashu, as he chose not to get involved. However, the cult had specifically targeted them.
This meant that staying in this area was no longer safe.
Given their current lack of strength, they had to leave their hometown of eighteen years, albeit reluctantly.
They planned to head west.
However,
Just as they had packed their belongings, and Anna turned around, Ashu vanished into thin air.
The air was left with a trace of dark power.
...
At this moment,
On the dark altar,
Monster Carol felt a change in what she was holding and tried to open her eyes.
She saw not her parents, who were supposed to be saved, but Ashu, the one who had killed her once before!
Ashu's eyes locked onto hers. Despite her current form as a monster, which still made her physically stronger than Ashu, the psychological trauma from being killed by him once left her with an instinctive fear. She quickly released Ashu.
Ashu, for his part, found himself in a strange space, face-to-face with the monster Carol, who should have been dead! He immediately sensed the danger. The sticky, slippery sensation under his feet drew his attention. Looking down, he saw a pool of blood. Strange, unfamiliar symbols surrounded the blood, but the large imprint under monster Carol's feet was all too familiar to him.
It was an enlarged version of the Cidi symbol! The imprint was only similar in outline, but its details and completion were far more intricate than those of the minions he had previously killed. He immediately realized that this was the Cidi cult's stronghold!
But he had no time to react. Someone had already set a trap, waiting for his arrival. A massive sealing rune enveloped him from all sides.
Ashu's face changed instantly. Ignoring the danger, he used his Flight Magic to its maximum capacity, reaching a speed of 1080 kilometers per hour. But even at that speed, he couldn't break through the seal.
The sealing rune was of a higher level than his own realm!
"Damn it!"
Who would use such a devious tactic? These cultists were way out of bounds!
In an instant, Ashu's limbs and body were covered by the sealing rune. He couldn't use magic or move at all.
"Roar!!"
Suddenly, monster Carol let out a roar. She belatedly realized that her mother was gone, replaced by a pool of blood at her feet. The only new presence was Ashu, who was now captured by the sealing rune. Then, she saw Cidi cultists emerging from the shadows.
At this moment, she understood that she had been deceived again—by Kidopriest, the very person her family had trusted and followed for years!
Her worldview crumbled, and the last thread of connection to humanity she had left in the world was severed. With it, the last shred of her humanity vanished.
"Kido!! You are damned!!"
Monster Carol roared and lunged at Kidopriest, but he didn't even pull out his holy scripture. Instead, he struck her with a burst of Magical Essence, sending her flying. The other Cidi cultists took the opportunity to lower a cage, locking her inside a specially designed iron cage.
Ashu watched the entire process. He had already noticed Kidopriest's presence and had his suspicions about him. Seeing him in the Cidi cult's stronghold confirmed his suspicions, giving him a sense of closure.
He didn't shout or struggle in vain.
"Ah, welcome our witch's husband—Mr. Ashu."
Kidopriest's words echoed through the dark, blood-stained altar, his voice dripping with a mixture of malice and satisfaction.