114: Chapter 114 Favored by Fate, Taboo of the Western Continent
At this moment, in the sky, a rain of blood suddenly began to fall without warning.
The blood rain was viscous and foul-smelling, exuding the stench of rotting corpses.
Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
The blood rain fell upon the kneeling "Pilgrims," instantly corroding their bodies into charred black holes.
But they felt no pain; instead, they kowtowed even more frantically, their silent prayers becoming increasingly fanatical.
Immediately following that.
The church standing in the center of the plaza, once solemn and dignified, began a nauseating aberration!
Crack! Crack!!
The hard stone brick walls began to squirm and collapse like softening ointment.
The originally pointed spire twisted and stretched rapidly, transforming into two massive, wet tentacles.
Countless crimson slimes dripped frantically down the "walls."
Every drop of slime that hit the ground turned into tiny, soft-bodied deformities, spreading out in all directions.
In just a few breaths.
The church had completely disappeared.
In its place was a terrifying creature perched upon the plaza, its size as massive as a mountain.
It had a bloated body similar to a snail's, carrying a massive spiral shell on its back constructed from countless white bones and flesh.
In the crevices of that shell, countless turbid eyes blinked, radiating a maddening malice.
"Roar..."
The monster let out a low hiss.
The sound didn't seem to come from vocal cords vibrating, but rather like the friction and squeezing of countless internal organs.
Lin Chuan controlled the Coughing Ghoul, standing quietly in the curtain of rain.
The faint layer of black Buddha light on his body kept the blood rain at bay.
Suddenly, deep within his consciousness, prompts popped up on the panel:
[Warning! High-risk taboo descent detected!]
[Name: Night Crawler (Projection)]
[Original Body Rank: ss-rank third tier!]
[Current Projection Rank: s-rank eighth tier!]
[Type: Faith Taboo!]
[Sequence Number: 287!]
[Description: A greedy predator from the Chaos Void Realm, attempting to descend across dimensions by devouring godhead fragments and elevate its own sequence status!]
"An SS-rank third tier Projection..."
Lin Chuan felt a slight chill in his heart.
Sequence 287.
Although it ranked low among the three hundred taboo sequences, its original body was, after all, a genuine SS-Rank Taboo!
Even if what was here was only a Projection.
Its strength had still reached s-rank eighth tier, one tier higher than Sherlock Haigeway beside him.
Moreover, it was also here for the godhead fragment.
This meant there was an irreconcilable conflict between it and Xia Lan.
However.
Facing this terrifying monster radiating overwhelming malevolence.
Sherlock Haigeway, standing not far from Lin Chuan, still wore that elegant and composed smile.
He even had the leisure to pull a snow-white handkerchief from his pocket and gently wipe away a drop of blood that had splattered onto his tailcoat.
"Truly... an ugly creation."
Sherlock Haigeway sighed softly, like a fastidious artist critiquing a clumsy piece of work.
Then.
He slowly bent down and steadily placed the large brass alarm clock, which had been ticking away in his hand, onto the ground.
He also unhurriedly closed the long-handled black umbrella, leaning on it like a cane in front of him.
Having done all this.
He looked up, an almost arrogant confidence flickering in his azure eyes.
Tap, tap, tap.
He set off, stepping through the blood on the ground, leisurely walking toward the massive Night Crawler Projection.
Less than a hundred meters from the opponent, he stopped, bowed slightly, and performed a standard gentleman's salute.
"This... ugly fellow member,"
Sherlock Haigeway's voice pierced through the rain, echoing clearly within the town.
"Though your manner of appearance is somewhat... unpleasant."
"Out of respect for a fellow member, I would still like to conduct a friendly negotiation first."
At this time, the Night Crawler's two massive tentacles slowly turned, locking onto Xia Lan on the ground.
A gust of fishy wind blew against his face.
Sherlock Haigeway remained unfazed, his smile unchanged.
"That godhead fragment is a holy relic already reserved by my lord, the 【Divine Court of Destiny】."
"Could I ask you to... part with it?"
"Of course, as compensation, I can perform a divination of your future fate."
Responding to him.
Was a bout of scalp-numbing silence.
The Night Crawler clearly had no interest in negotiating.
In its chaotic and greedy consciousness, this chattering little insect before it was nothing more than a slightly tasty snack.
"Hiss!!!"
Suddenly.
The countless eyes on the monster's back all snapped open at once!
Beams of crimson destruction instantly tore through the void, carrying Rule Power that could corrode everything as they blasted toward Sherlock Haigeway!
This was its answer.
Either get lost, or die.
“Sigh...”
Facing this overwhelming attack, Sherlock Haigeway sighed helplessly.
"Truly... so impolite."
"Since you have refused the gift of fate..."
"Then I can only... represent fate and perform a small correction upon you."
Before his voice had even faded.
The Aura on Sherlock Haigeway's body abruptly shifted.
His original elegance vanished instantly, replaced by a frantic, mysterious, and lofty majesty!
His S-Rank Seventh-Tier Rule Aura erupted without reservation!
He suddenly raised his right hand, his slender fingers clutching at the void.
"Behind the cards... Fate transforms!!"
Accompanied by a low shout.
Boom!!!
The void behind him exploded.
Countless cards radiating an eerie golden light surged out frantically like butterflies dancing in the sky!
These cards were no ordinary pieces of paper.
Each card face was drawn with a different design: The Hanged Man, Death, The Chariot, The Tower... each card carried a unique and terrifying Rule Power!
Clatter!!
The cards spun and combined rapidly in the air.
In an instant, they transformed into seven massive rule chains shimmering with a metallic luster!
"Shackles of Fate... Seal!"
Sherlock Haigeway pointed his finger.
The seven chains seemed to ignore spatial distance, piercing directly through those crimson beams.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The chains coiled upward like venomous snakes, instantly biting deep into the Night Crawler's bloated body!
Sizzle... The contact between the chains and the monster's flesh produced a violent sound of corrosion.
In an instant, the Night Crawler's massive body was actually forcibly imprisoned in place!
"Roar!!!"
Feeling the restraint, the Night Crawler let out an angry roar.
It hadn't expected that the seemingly weak Xia Lan actually possessed such eerie Rule Power.
Rumble!!
Facing the confinement, it began to struggle frantically.
On the spiral shell on its back, countless twisted and eerie runes... began to light up continuously.
Bursts of Rule Power erupted from its body, counterattacking Xia Lan frantically, attempting to snap those chains.
In an instant, the very ground of the town cracked from the tremors, and the surrounding buildings collapsed one after another amidst the shaking.