Chapter 557: [A Godless World] (25)
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Wave after wave of earth-shaking crashes echoed through the air, as though a colossal creature had finally collapsed.
"You..." Ember murmured in astonishment, instinctively turning toward Adrian, even though he couldn’t actually see him.
Adrian gave Ember a light tap on the back. "This isn’t the time to get sentimental. Let’s move. This place reeks."
With the monster’s disappearance, the black mist before them gradually began to thin. Little by little, it faded away, revealing a broad path.
The door ahead of them stood wide open, silently waiting for them to step through—as though it were a trap prepared long in advance.
But they had no other choice. There was no way back, so they could only keep moving forward, no matter what.
Each step they took left distinct footprints across the floor, where a thick layer of dust had settled over the years.
A bleak, weathered Lotus Park.
The other world.
The very place the strange bus had brought them to that night.
Who would have thought they would return here once again?
If that was the case, then the central area where Greed intended to perform the exorcism was most likely somewhere within this space.
Ember’s thoughts immediately went to Room 606—or perhaps Room 601.
He grabbed Adrian’s arm.
"Come on. We’re almost out."
The excitement in his voice was impossible to hide.
But the moment he turned to face Adrian, Ember’s words died in his throat.
He stared blankly at the long gash running from Adrian’s left chest all the way down beneath his ribcage. The wound was so deep that blood streamed freely, soaking nearly half of Adrian’s body.
Adrian was clutching his chest now, his head lowered, his face as pale as a sheet of paper.
[What the hell?! That slash went straight through his heart!]
[Is Adrian a monster or something? But he doesn’t look good at all... Is he finally reaching his limit?!]
[Don’t you dare die!]
Accompanied by the viewers’ frantic cries, Ember hurriedly caught Adrian before he could fall. His voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Adrian, are you out of your mind?! Hey, answer me! Are you okay...?"
Adrian let out a weak scoff.
"If I wasn’t okay, how could I have run that far with you? Idiot... I just—"
But before he could finish, his eyes suddenly widened in shock.
His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.
From Ember’s perspective, Adrian froze without warning. Then, all the strength seemed to leave his body, and he collapsed limply.
Ember’s pupils contracted.
He hastily caught Adrian before he hit the ground.
"Adrian! Adrian!"
Ember shouted in panic. Cradling Adrian’s face in both hands, he found his skin deathly pale, even his lips drained of all color. Feeling the warmth gradually leaving Adrian’s body, Ember raised a trembling hand in disbelief, only then realizing that even his own fingers were shaking uncontrollably.
No breathing.
Not even the faintest trace.
Adrian...
Ember lowered his head, his eyes fixed on Adrian’s lifeless face.
No one could tell what he was feeling at that moment.
...
Silvanus suddenly felt himself seized by an overwhelming force.
His soul had answered a powerful summons.
He hadn’t even had the chance to tell Ember that his heart wasn’t on the left side before putting on the most shocking death scene imaginable right in front of him.
The last thing he saw was Ember holding his body.
The next instant, he was yanked straight up to the sixth floor.
Then his soul felt as though it had been twisted into a violent vortex. His vision darkened until everything before his eyes turned black.
He was being swept away.
Silvanus’s gaze turned razor-sharp. He raised a hand, and in an instant, the energy surrounding him tore apart the force that had been trying to drag him away.
At the same time, his vision returned.
He was now floating inside a dark chamber. The only light came from a blood-red altar, making the entire room appear even more sinister and drenched in malice.
Greed knelt before the altar, surrounded by countless vengeful spirits. They screamed soundlessly, as though they were offering their prayers alongside him.
Greed was now dressed in the familiar crimson-lined black robe, his face bearing unmistakable reverence.
Silvanus’s gaze shifted to the shrine above.
Although the room was completely sealed, a violent gale suddenly swept through it. In an instant, the thin curtain covering the shrine was blown aside, revealing the true appearance of the idol.
Even though it was nothing more than a wooden statue, Silvanus recognized it immediately.
It was him.
At that moment, a thought erupted in Silvanus’s mind.
It was less a thought than an instinct—a command engraved deep within his soul that had finally awakened.
Between him and Greed...
Only one of them could survive.
A faint golden light flashed across Silvanus’s eyes.
The next instant, the raging wind intensified once again.
The vengeful spirits were tossed about violently, scattering in every direction like wisps of smoke.
The shrine trembled relentlessly, filling the room with an incessant clatter.
The fanatical devotion on Greed’s face vanished in an instant. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
In the blink of an eye, the spirits intertwined into a massive net. Their overwhelming hatred seemed to grant Greed an unimaginable surge of power.
The pulling force returned once more.
Silvanus fixed his eyes on the idol atop the altar.
With a casual wave of his hand, a fierce gust slammed into it, sending the wooden statue crashing to the floor.
Greed’s eyes widened.
He lunged forward and caught the idol, then lifted his icy gaze toward the figure above.
But before he could make another move, darkness suddenly spilled outward, swallowing him whole.
In an instant, the room transformed into a vast, endless realm of shadows.
Everything fell into a deathly silence.
So silent that even a single footstep sounded unnaturally clear.
Greed slowly raised his head in a daze.
His eyes met Silvanus’s immediately.
Silvanus was staring back at him, his brows tightly furrowed.
He had pulled Greed into the God Realm.
Yet Greed... hadn’t died.
Nor had he become nourishment for the God Realm.
What was going on?
Was there something special about Greed?
Just then, a familiar line of text appeared before Silvanus’s eyes.
[Greed will only become nourishment for you. Kill him.]