A school of razor-toothed piranhas swarmed around a swampy area.
This area seemed ordinary, but a closer look revealed a reef rising from the seabed beneath.
A faint scent of blood emanated from the reef, luring the fish to circle around it.
Looking inside the reef.
A voice could be heard from within.
"Has support arrived from the Church of Our Lady?" asked a figure, its body and face completely concealed by a red cloak.
The person next to him wore the same attire, but the patterns on his robe indicated that the speaker was clearly of a higher rank.
"Reporting to the lord, the first reinforcements from the Holy Mother and the Church of the Holy Machine have arrived."
"Have they arrived...how many are there?"
"Very few, less than a hundred."
Hearing this, the man in a high position paused in thought, then nodded: "Then let's continue to lie low. We're too few."
After saying this, he surveyed his surroundings and headed outside.
His voice reached him from afar, only to fade out of sight.
"Finish this place."
Hearing this, the several cult members remaining in the cave nodded simultaneously.
And now, within this cave...
The walls and floor were covered in sculptures and patterns made of piled blood and flesh. This place was filled with evil energy and tortured souls.
In the desecrated area, human skeletons had been torn apart and assembled into pillars.
Some extremely evil ritual was taking place here.
The figure of the cult leader who had emerged suddenly appeared above the reef, as if he had teleported there.
He waved his hand.
A movement echoed from beneath the swamp, and ripples like water began to surge, startling the surrounding fish and sending them fleeing.
Bone after bone emerged from the water.
These bones still clung to fresh blood and scraps of flesh.
The bones joined together, their different sizes revealing their origins from different races and ages.
These bones soon formed a canoe that floated on the swamp.
Skulls from various races decorated the bow.
The cult member stood up and sat on the skeletal seat.
Only then did he lift his hood, revealing his features.
He was none other than the cult member of the Nafas family that Alka and the others had been searching for for so long.
Kaluto Nafas.
He lifted his head and sniffed the air softly.
As if he had smelled something.
"Hmm..." he uttered with satisfaction, a wicked grin spreading across his face, his mouth almost reaching his ears.
"The scent of blood connection. Who could it be? Father? Mother? Sister? Brother?"
As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly anticipatory, as if he were genuinely delighted by the arrival of his brothers and sisters.
He began to frantically raise his head, darting it skyward, as if he had caught a tantalizing whiff.
"Ah~ Very close, not far away. Let me see who's coming. I just want a quick look!"
Excitement made his entire body tremble.
His excessive excitement caused the flesh on his chin to loosen somewhat, falling away like rotting flesh.
He hurriedly picked up the fallen flesh from the bones and attached it to his chin, completely unaware that he had attached it the wrong way around.
Crimson slime flowed out.
The bone ship below began to slide forward, leaving a trail of water.
Kaluto seemed deeply dissatisfied with the ship's speed. A sickening crimson aura emanated from his palm, and he finally squeezed it hard.
A piercing scream filled the air.
Several souls loomed.
"Damn it! Faster! Faster!"
He muttered angrily, gritting his teeth, before releasing his grip.
The bone ship's speed noticeably increased, so much so that waves splattered in both directions.
He seemed unsatisfied with the speed, but he didn't vent.
Instead, they sat on the boat, rubbing shoulders with each other, anticipating it as if they were waiting for a meal.
…
At this moment, they were in the simple camp built by Alka and his group.
Juanlu and Narvi were waiting inside, ready to replace the returning group at any moment.
A mirror hung in front of them, displaying text messages exchanged between several teams outside.
From the above, it was clear that all three teams had made considerable gains.
Alka and his group even quickly captured a mid-level demon at the fourth stage.
I don't know if this demon was unlucky.
Of course, there were still many ordinary, low-level demons, swarming like wild dogs throughout the sea.
From the information above, it was clear that the few who had gone out were not safe.
Some people and the puppet girls suffered minor injuries, both large and small.
However, by the end of the day, only Narvi and a few interested puppet girls were left reading this information.
Juanlu had already taken out a self-heating stone slab from a corner and began roasting the slices of meat he had already cut.
A luscious aroma began to spread throughout the camp.
Thankfully, the puppet girls had no distinct sense of smell and were constructed differently from humans, otherwise they wouldn't have been on guard.
The puppet girls were temporarily immune, but Narvi, a normal human, was already ravenous.
But he could only force himself to ignore the meaty aroma that lingered around his nose.
"Want to try some?" Juanlu picked up a small plate with a slice of meat already placed on it.
The enticing aroma wafted from it.
Narvi, who had managed to hold on for so long, heard this and quickly wiped the corner of his mouth without leaving a trace. He turned to look at Juanlu.
He asked politely, but with a hint of impatience, "Is it okay?"
"Of course. Food is meant to be eaten, isn't it?"
He handed the plate over.
Nrvi carefully took it, looking at the almost perfectly roasted slices of meat. He carefully cut and tasted them.
Although he had prepared, he was still amazed by the delicious taste.
After sailing on this ship with Alka and the others for so long, what impressed him most, besides Alka and the others' formidable strength and the fact that each of them possessed a treasure, was Juanlu's culinary skills. To be able to enjoy such delicious food while sailing at sea was simply an extreme luxury.
He could only see this when he described the past, during the family's heyday.
Watching Nervi happily eat, Juan smiled.
A pile of meat was already being kept warm on the heated stone slab behind him.
And in front of him, on the information exchange interface,
Alka and the others were discussing whether to return home for a break.
After all, it had been a long scavenging and hunting expedition, and haste makes waste.
Juanlu was about to pick up a piece of his grilled meat to taste, but at that moment, the alarm bell rang inside.
The two men, still eating, instantly put down their food, weapons in hand, and became alert.
It was only then that Juanlu saw Nervi's weapon.
A short, double-edged sword.
However, Narvi didn't possess any treasure, so we couldn't expect him to be too powerful.
An assassin puppet girl emerged from the shadows beside Juanlu and crouched on his shoulder.
She whispered, "Someone's coming this way. A man in a red robe, riding a disgusting, evil-looking bone ship."
Hearing this description, Juanlu frowned.
It was hard to believe they were good people; he imagined they were more likely cultists.
After all, given the current situation, cultists were a very likely possibility.
"Did he notice what was going on here? Or was he just passing through?" Juanlu asked cautiously.
"Hmm... He seemed to be searching for something. From the moment we saw him, he looked like he was searching for something.
We can't be sure if he's coming for us."
Hearing this, Juanlu nodded. To be on the safe side, he had to be mentally prepared for a fight.
"Stay alert and hide."
The girl nodded and retreated into the shadows.
The other puppet girls also took advantage of their size and hid.
The entire camp was on alert.
Karuto's expression was now radical and fanatical, a kind of raging madness on his face.
He laughed wildly and sniffed around like a hound smelling prey.
"It's right here, very close, very close. Where are you hiding?"
He kept muttering to himself, his madness on full display.
"Where is it? Stop hiding! Come out! Come out!"
The mumbling grew louder, almost catching up with the roaring.
At this moment, Narvi, who was in the camp, frowned, his whole body filled with anger and sadness.
"What's wrong with you?" Juanlu, standing nearby, asked, clearly noticing something was amiss.
"It feels like a blood connection. It could only be him here at this time," Narvi said with a hint of seriousness.
"Him?" Juanlu frowned, unable to react for a moment. Then, a thought struck him, and he spoke with sudden realization.
"Kalutto?"
Narvi turned, staring at him with a frown, and nodded affirmatively: "Yes, it must be him."
Confirming this information,
Juanlu, without hesitation, manifested magical power in his hand and immediately struck the glass mirror beneath him.
The magical finger struck the mirror, sending ripples ripple by ripple like water.
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed.
Above their heads, a violent crashing sound shook the entire room.
A bloody smell wafted in.
"Haha! What are you still hiding for? I found you!"
A head emerged from the shattered hole. It was none other than the crazed Kalutor.
He stared at the somewhat surprised Nervi with a frantic expression.
"Haha, it's you, my dear brother. Did you miss me?"
Looking at the crazed Kalutor, Nervi's face showed obvious disgust and disdain.
"You damned bastard, a disgrace!"
"Bang!"
Another loud bang.
A strong, sickening smell of blood erupted from Kalutor's body. The hole he had smashed through widened, leaving half the top of the reef a shattered opening.
"And you? Who are you?"
Facing Kalutor, Juanlu said nothing, brandishing his club. Three orange-red balls flew past, then opened their jaws, full of sharp teeth, in mid-air, circling and biting down.
Facing the onslaught, Kalutor punched each one.
He knocked two of the three balls away.
The other, taking cover, flew under his armpit, tearing a chunk of flesh from his chest and abdomen with one swift bite.
The bite was so smooth, not even a sound of flesh being torn apart. So smooth, the two men looked at the wound, not even a trace of blood. Only pus, resembling blood, slowly trickled down, appearing unusually sticky and streaked with blood.
"You really look like a monster now!" Narvi gritted his teeth as he watched Kalutor act like this.
There was no sorrow or regret in his eyes, only endless rage.
"Monster? Isn't that good?"
Karuto, who had been a bit frantic, seemed to have calmed down.
He looked at the wound on his waist with unconcern.
A figure flashed in the shadows.
A strong red beam streaked across, but Karuto tilted his head, and the red beam slashed through the air.
The first attack was easily dodged.
The attacking puppet girl immediately retreated into the shadows.
Karuto threw a punch into the air to his side.
The heavy punch, tinged with a crimson aura, knocked the puppet girl out of the shadows, sending her crashing heavily into the stone wall.
The blow covered her body with cracks.
Following this, various attacks came from all directions, attacking at tricky angles and concealed attacks.
A blood-red, translucent robe clung to his body, automatically unfolding to envelop him completely.
Looking at the robe, Juanlu's face was troubled.
For it exuded a distinct aura of treasure.
The man before him, Kaluto, was a fourth-stage cultist who possessed treasures.
It was clear that he also worshipped an unknown evil deity and possessed its power.
As he attacked downward, Kaluto continued swinging his fists, preparing to attack the puppet girls attacking him.
He couldn't continue attacking such girls.
Juanlu took a few steps forward, bringing down his club with a powerful blow.
Facing the attack, Kaluto waved his cloak with one hand, blocking it and stepping back to evade.
However, at some point, a hissing orange-red sphere appeared behind him and crashed into him.
He staggered as he stepped back, revealing a flaw in his defense.
The sudden attack forced him to bear the brunt of the club's blow.
The heavy blow, the immense pressure pounding his shoulder.
Even with the protection of his cloak, the force brought him to one knee.
He tilted his head, looked at Juanlu, and said, "I didn't expect your strength to be so great."
Such a formidable force could emanate from Juanlu, a seemingly ordinary man.
He truly didn't expect it.
As he spoke, he lifted his cloak, and the other side of the cloak swung from the upper right corner, slicing like a blade.
A flash of red light.
A deep bloody wound appeared on Juanlu's cheek and left shoulder, and blood immediately flowed out.
Then, like a needle being drawn to the thread, the blood floated in the air like a thread, converging on the cloak.
"Your blood is very vibrant."
A heavy kick struck Juanlu in the chest.
Juanlu, bearing the blow, locked his hands around Juanlu's legs, holding them tightly. He used the force of the kick to pull him down.
Narvi, waiting nearby, seized the opportunity and thrust his double-edged sword.
Kalluto dodged as best he could, pulling back with all his might.
The blade, aimed at his chest, thrust fiercely, piercing his stretched thigh.
Bright red pus flowed from the wound.
A dark red metal object fell from midair, slamming into his arms and pressing against his chest and abdomen.
Intense, intense flames erupted from its base, incinerating its body.
Kalutor, who had been maneuvering with ease, let out a horrific scream.
His strength instantly increased, leveraging Juanlu's grip on his leg to leap into the air. His other leg, shrouded in a crimson aura, fiercely swung to the side, sending Nervi careening off from his thigh.
Nervi flew, slamming heavily into the nearby stone wall, his entire body embedded within.
The sound of bones snapping echoed through him, and in an instant, he lost all resistance.
The locked leg yanked back with a powerful pull, its immense force carrying Juanlu, who was still chained to it.
Under Juanlu's incredulous gaze, he stomped his foot heavily onto the ground.
"Damn ants!"