"But I only know this depraved ritual. Is it not quite suitable in front of the sacred Chanis Gate?"
Caesar retorted with the same words Edward had used to reject him earlier, feigning sincerity but with a strong undertone of mockery.
His words almost made his teammates burst out laughing, and Edward's face grew even more ashen.
However, this was, after all, a task assigned to him by the Saint Cathedral, and Ms. Daly was also mediating. After sufficiently mocking Edward and receiving an apology from him—along with a 30-pound "travel allowance" for each member of the Tingen team—Caesar still agreed to act.
"He probably already holds a grudge against you."
Klein whispered to Caesar.
"Let him."
Caesar replied calmly. Edward already had prejudices against them, and given Caesar's personality, he wouldn't back down. It didn't matter if Edward held a grudge; everyone here was an official Beyonder, and private fights were forbidden. Who was afraid of whom?
"Alright, Caesar, everyone's watching you now," Leonard said with a smile from the side. "Let them see what you can do!"
Caesar nodded and, under everyone's gaze, slowly walked forward, holding a silver dagger. The cage's seal had already been opened, and the Flesh Magic Monster was sleeping soundly within the dream created by Edward. Its body was relaxed, only its mouth wide open, unconsciously emitting terrifying murmurs.
He approached the Monster, cut his finger with the dagger, and let the blood drip down. At this point, the Monster's body surface appeared extremely horrifying, as if its flesh had been directly exposed after just being skinned. Caesar's blood dripped onto its body and was quickly absorbed, seeping into its muscles.
"The Lord's glory shall once again descend upon the earth, bringing depraved salvation to all."
Caesar circled the Monster, softly chanting an evil prayer that intertwined with the Monster's twisted murmurs. The two sounds overlapped, reverberating through the enclosed underground space and shaking the minds of every listener.
As the sound grew louder, Edward was surprised to find that the Monster had awakened. But instead of spreading curses as it had before, it roared loudly—as if mesmerized by Caesar's chanting—completely immersed in praising the True Creator.
In the dark underground chamber, a man and a Monster chanted prayers to an evil god in unison, creating an extremely bizarre and disturbing scene. The onlookers remained silent, their faces tense; some even harbored inappropriate thoughts—could he really be a follower of an evil god?
Of course not.
While Caesar praised the True Creator with his mouth, his deep blue eyes remained cold and composed. He once again circled to the front of the Monster, raised his left hand, and pressed the silver dagger against his wrist.
"Wait, what is he going to do?!"
Before Leonard's startled words could fully land, he saw Caesar fiercely slash down with the dagger!
Heavens!
Everyone was shocked by his insane act, but under the peculiar atmosphere, no one spoke out to stop him. They watched as the Monster opened its mouth and eagerly drank the red blood gushing from Caesar's wrist.
As blood loss set in, Caesar's face turned pale, yet his wrist remained steadily raised. After drinking his blood, the Monster gradually began to recover—especially its head, which started to grow new skin. Flesh tumors pushed out from beneath the surface, giving off a terrifying sense of renewed vitality.
Seeing that it was almost complete, Caesar lowered his arm, circled behind the Monster, and whispered in its ear:
"The Lord is so great. Why not praise Him?"
"Ah, ah."
His words made the Monster grin with its blood-stained mouth, revealing a terrifying smile. It then said with a grotesque, twisted joy:
"Praise."
"Pfft!"
From behind, Caesar gripped the dagger with both hands and fiercely chopped down at its neck!
The silver dagger, which was neither particularly hard nor sharp, for some unknown reason, easily severed the Monster's ferocious head!
"Thump, thump."
The head fell to the ground, yet no blood flowed from the cross-section. It seemed as though the Monster hadn't even noticed its own decapitation—still wearing that fanatical smile, its mouth opening and closing as it continued to praise its Lord.
Caesar calmly sheathed his dagger, casually wrapped his wrist, then walked over, bent down, picked up the head, and approached Edward. Everyone else, except Edward, instinctively stepped back.
"Hang it up with a rope, and this head will automatically turn in one direction and pray continuously in that direction. Follow that direction, and you'll find the person who previously set up the Flesh Magic inside its body. That person's location— even if not the Aurora Order's lair—should be a place of great significance. If you still can't solve the case after this, I'll really have to question your abilities."
Caesar said. The person who implanted the Flesh Magic within the crew member was naturally the key to this case; as long as he could be found, the investigation would make significant progress.
"I understand."
Edward took the grotesque head with a complex expression.
"Alright, my part should be done now, right? Then allow us to take our leave first."
After completing his task, Caesar's tone relaxed. His handsome face was pale and weak. As he turned to leave, the others instinctively stepped aside, their gazes now containing not only wariness but also a trace of fear.
In the silent and oppressive atmosphere, Leonard and Klein came up to support him, leading him toward the surface.
"Oh, right."
Caesar walked a few steps, then turned back to ask Daly, "Ms. Daly, do you know any good restaurants nearby?"
"Restaurants nearby?"
Daly was momentarily stunned.
"Yes, I'm suddenly a bit hungry."
Caesar replied.
A tremendous hunger suddenly surged within him. It was not a discomfort from his stomach, but an emptiness from his body and soul, urgently demanding to be filled—with flesh and blood.
He wanted steak. A lot of it.
And it had to be fresh enough, rare—no, blue rare!
The waiter walked steadily through the night streets, his head bowed.
Amid the cool sea breeze, he traversed streets and alleys before finally stopping in front of a building. He opened the door and stepped inside.
"Madam."
He knelt humbly, pressing his forehead against the cold ground. The strong smell of blood in the air did not faze him in the slightest.
Across from him, a dark red glow illuminated a slender figure clad in a white robe.
"Someone has discovered me."
She spoke softly, her voice gentle and soothing—like a loving mother coaxing her child to sleep.
"Madam, the roads are still under covert lockdown, and all transport channels will be inspected by them. We cannot transport this batch of 'goods' for now."
The waiter said respectfully.
"Then don't send them away; let them be offerings. They are fortunate to have the opportunity to become part of the Lord."
A barely perceptible madness laced the woman's gentle tone, as she easily decided the lives of many. Behind her, a hidden door faintly emitted a crimson light.
Hearing her command, the waiter did not hesitate. He bowed his head once more.
"As you command, Ms. M."