Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Demonic Ritual, Terrifying Monster
Chapter 63: Demonic Ritual, Terrifying Monster
Bang! Bang! Bang! The living corpses picked up stones and continued to smash the nearby stone walls along the edges of the hole, intensifying the nauseating stench.
Hastur was slightly better off, only looking pale, while Instructor Frolen couldn't bear it any longer, leaning against a stone wall and retching.
"Is it the smell of corpses?"
"Yes, and it would take many bodies to produce such a strong odor."
Maric gave a definite answer, estimating that there were at least dozens of bodies inside, perhaps close to a hundred.
What kind of thing could be born from such a place, he couldn't imagine.
"In your limited knowledge of mysticism, is there anything about burying people in the ground to nourish something?"
"…"
Maric gave Hastur a speechless look, not forgetting to insult himself in such a situation, which seemed to indicate he was still in good spirits.
"Related to the earth, there's generally only the Path of the Earth. Such bloody slaughter and accumulation of bodies are more in line with the behavior of demons," Maric said, his pupils dilating.
Demons?
Could everything here have been caused by demons?
Hastur didn't speak; he too thought of demons. The Abyssal Path was undoubtedly the bloodiest and most brutal extraordinary path.
Those who walked this path had fundamentally diverged from normal humanity.
Whether it was everyday impersonation or ascending to higher sequences, they were required to extinguish their humanity, paving their extraordinary path with blood and cruelty.
"Demons often perform sacrificial rituals with fresh lives to gain extraordinary power from the lords they worship. If things get bad, you two need to be careful."
Maric earnestly advised, then led the two living corpses into the hole first, with Hastur and Instructor Frolenfollowing with a lamp, leaving a living corpse to guard the entrance.
Entering the hole and passing through a narrow corridor about ten meters long, they arrived at a relatively spacious secret chamber.
Crack, crack…
As they walked over the ground, the sound of bones breaking could be heard from time to time. Instructor Frolen turned pale, his feet numb, not daring to look down at the ground.
This place was more of a large burial pit than a secret chamber.
Maric took the kerosene lamp from Instructor Furlan's hand, looking around cautiously.
The soil here was loose, with many burial pits appearing on the ground.
Maric had the living corpses open a few burial pits. They weren't buried deep, inside were white skeletons, their heads either chopped off or missing.
Judging by the size and shape of the skeletons, they were all children under fourteen.
Hastur and Instructor Frolenthought of what Professor Wayne had said before, that someone at the orphanage was burying children in the ground.
This was the place where the children were buried! Scanning the area, they roughly estimated that there were at least seventy to eighty children buried here!
The few bodies that had convicted Dean Darn paled in comparison to this place.
Instructor Frolensuddenly spoke, "If we continue about fifty meters forward from here, wouldn't we be right below the orphanage's cemetery?"
During the day, he had searched the orphanage with several officers and passed by the area near the bell tower, which left a deep impression on him, especially the cemetery not far from the bell tower.
Maric stopped, surprised, "Are you saying that someone moved the bodies from the cemetery here for burial?"
"If it's not far away." As Instructor Frolenspoke, he felt a chill all over his body, involuntarily moving closer to Hastur, holding the lamp's glass, the warmth easing his panic somewhat.
Hastur secretly rubbed his fingers, activating his spiritual vision, and after scanning a few times, his brow furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Maric, when so many bodies are gathered together, shouldn't their spirits also remain here?"
"The church has specialized personnel to deal with this issue; normally, there wouldn't be any post-mortem spirits."
"What if the church personnel didn't handle it?"
"Then there definitely would be…"
Maric's expression changed dramatically, holding the lamp, he quickly approached Hastur and Instructor Furlan, while instructing the two living corpses to be on guard.
Coming to Hastur's side, he lowered his voice, "Their spirits after death have been eaten by something!"
The sacrifice of demons! Maric was now certain of this! Right now, in this dark environment, something might already be lurking in the shadows targeting them.
"Let's leave here first, and tomorrow we'll dig directly down from the cemetery to let in the sunlight."
Hastur's expression was equally solemn, protecting Instructor Frolen as they headed towards the entrance.
At that moment, a bell rang in the depths of the darkness.
Ding-a-ling! Ding-a-ling! The sound was urgent and getting closer!
Hiss! Something in the darkness seemed to be opening its mouth, revealing its sharp fangs.
Boom! The living corpse guarding the front was hit by a tremendous force and was directly flung against the wall!
"Run! It's here!"
Maric shouted lowly, urging Hastur and Instructor Frolento leave quickly.
They quickly entered the narrow corridor, the dim light of the lamp gradually bringing them closer to the entrance.
Boom! Another muffled sound echoed in the darkness.
This time, Maric, with the help of the kerosene lamp, could vaguely see the shape of that thing.
"F*ck!" Maric's face turned green as he cursed, what exactly he said, Hastur didn't hear clearly.
They quickly passed through the ten-meter corridor, and Instructor Frolenstepped out of the entrance, relaxing slightly as he saw the living corpse still guarding the place.
"Take off your coat! Give it to me!"
Hastur spoke, and Instructor Frolenimmediately complied, taking off his coat and handing it to Hastur.
Hastur smashed the glass of the kerosene lamp and lit the coat worth 1 gold pound and 4 sullers.
The flames blazed, and as Maric exited, Hastur threw it into the corridor.
The bright fire illuminated the already short corridor and also clearly revealed the thing that had been following them.
Heads, fresh and youthful heads, were fused into the head, back, and body of a creature resembling a black panther.
This creature was covered in black fur, about two meters tall, and roughly three meters long, currently revealing its sharp fangs glistening in the cold light, drooling from the corners of its mouth.
Around the creature's neck hung a string of bells with a dark yellow sheen.
The ringing sound just now came from these bells.
Hastur recognized two of the heads, one named Amy and the other Simon.
These were the two children they had caught ringing the bells at the orphanage late at night on their last visit! He hadn't expected them to be dead, and to have become such a terrifying monster!
Now, many questions could be explained.
The truly extraordinary bell was the string hanging around the neck of this monster.
The bells Amy and Simon rang were ordinary bells. The significance of ringing that bell was to notify the monster that this child was the chosen sacrifice, ready to be hunted! The demon lurking in the orphanage had deliberately thrown that string of bells on the path the children must take, to see who was lucky enough to pick it up, who couldn't resist ringing the bell at night, who would be the next sacrificial offering! Bloody and cruel!
A rare anger surged in Hastur's heart, but he quickly calmed down.
He still had some things he didn't understand, like why the children's personalities here had become indifferent and quiet, as if they were gradually losing their humanity.
Was it the extraordinary ability of that string of bells? Who was plotting all this in secret?
Was burying the children in the ground merely to cultivate such a monster? "Be careful of that string of bells."
Hastur gave Maric a reminder to avoid being ambushed by the sound of the bells later.
"Instructor Furlan, hold the lamp and stand further away."
Hastur instructed, then twisted open his own cane, pulling out a long sword from inside.
Before coming to the orphanage, he had gone home to retrieve this special cane, and now the sword within the cane finally came in handy.
Maric curiously looked back, then focused all his attention on the monster across the corridor.
Perhaps accustomed to moving at night, it was somewhat wary of the dazzling firelight, hesitating to pounce.
But it only hesitated for a moment; dozens of heads on its body opened their mouths simultaneously, exhaling a breath, the heavy stench accompanied by a cold wind blowing down the corridor, suppressing the flame of the clothes.
"We can't wait for it to extinguish the fire!" Hastur reminded.
Maric understood, slightly bending his body, his face and arms already covered in wolf fur, his fingers turned into wolf claws, he growled and took the initiative to attack the monster! Hastur held the sword in one hand and the kerosene lamp in the other.
In the narrow corridor, Maric engaged in a frontal battle with the monster, while Hastur looked for opportunities to strike from the side.
In the first clash, Maric relied on his wit, dodging at the moment the monster also pounced, and at the same time, he scratched a bloody mark on the monster's body with his claw.
Hastur crouched down and also took the opportunity to slash at the monster's leg.
The sword was sharper than he had anticipated, almost severing the monster's bones with a single strike!
The monster's front leg was injured, and its body swayed, letting out a miserable cry. The numerous heads on its body also emitted a wail.
The sound waves spread like ripples, affecting Hastur and Maric's minds. Their ears were shaken.
For a moment, various strange sensations flooded their minds, leaving them dazed, stunned, and unable to move.
"Silence is forbidden here!" Hastur forcefully bit his lip, the pain from the bleeding helping him regain clarity momentarily. He insisted on enforcing this rule.
As the wailing subsided, Hastur and Maric recovered from the strange state it had induced.
The monster took advantage of the brief opening and fled a distance away.
It shook its head, seemingly wanting to ring the bell around its neck, but no sound came out.
Its eyes held a hint of confusion, appearing somewhat foolish.
Maric wouldn't give it a chance. Relying on his wolf-like transformation, he leaped forward, with Hastur following closely, stabbing the monster twice opportunistically.
Two bloody holes appeared, though not large, the blood flowed freely, difficult to staunch.
The monster seemed to understand this time. In this narrow corridor, it couldn't fully utilize its agility. It changed direction and fled the corridor area!
Hastur and Maric wouldn't let it escape so easily.
Maric chased after it first, while Hastur instructed Instructor Frolen to return along the same path. Holding the lamp, Hastur followed.
(End of this chapter)
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