Vol 4. Chapter 59: The Girl in the Nutrient Tank

"The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons is Blood Butterfly? If the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons truly possesses consciousness, then... doesn't that mean our ultimate target has already lost the protection of the Abyss Demon hordes and entered the human world?! This is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years! Pope, if we seize this opportunity! If we find Blood Butterfly and concentrate all of our combat strength, perhaps we can eliminate her directly! We could completely put an end to this calamity that has plagued us for more than five hundred years!"

After Kaelrode temporarily finished his prayers, Anjinuo impatiently stepped forward and explained his idea to the Pope.

However,

his idea did not receive Kaelrode's approval.

The Pope slowly turned around and helplessly shook his head, directly rejecting Anjinuo's plan.

"Do you really think it would be that simple, Anjinuo? The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons is an existence that gave birth to seven Demon King-tier beings. The power contained within the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons must far surpass that of other Demon King-tier existences. Think of Red Spider Lily. Think of Sword Demon and Flame Prison. Do you really think destroying the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons would be that easy? Don't assume that just because she left the Great Winter Forest, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons is truly isolated and without support. That is an existence capable of creating Abyss Demons at will. As long as she wishes it, every living creature around her can become a terrifying monster. Recklessly attacking her would amount to nothing more than courting death."

"Y-Yes... Forgive me, Pope. I became a little too excited."

Realizing that his idea had been somewhat naive, Anjinuo hurriedly lowered his head and apologized to Kaelrode.

However,

the next moment,

Anjinuo abruptly changed the subject, revealing a worried expression.

"The problem is, Pope... if we don't seize this opportunity and act quickly, then the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons entering deep into the human world is extremely dangerous, isn't it?! If she suddenly releases her power, wouldn't an entire country easily be transformed into a sea of flames and hell on earth, becoming a paradise for Abyss Demons? We can't simply leave such a terrifying existence alone, can we?! Wouldn't that..."

"No. We're going to leave her alone."

"Hm?? A-Are you... serious?"

Hearing Kaelrode's answer without the slightest hesitation, Anjinuo froze and stared incredulously at the blond man, his violet eyes filled with disbelief.

Faced with his subordinate's questioning gaze, Kaelrode immediately returned to his usual amiable demeanor. Without the slightest air of superiority, he waved his hand at Anjinuo.

"Oh, there's no need to worry, my friend~ Trust me. At least for now, that Blood Butterfly won't make a move~"

"Eh?! But... how can you..."

"Just trust me. I won't lie to you."

...

...

Several dozen minutes later, on the fifth underground floor beneath the eastern section of the Divine Capital Grand Hall,

Anjinuo, dressed in a dashing military uniform, was slowly walking through the concealed underground passageway.

As he walked, the contents of his earlier conversation with the Pope replayed over and over in Anjinuo's mind like a slideshow, gradually causing the Heavenly Apostle's expression to become increasingly complicated.

"We're... really going to do nothing?"

The Pope's utterly insane proposal still left Anjinuo confused and conflicted.

Just like that,

they were going to allow such a terrifying existence to enter the human world? Was that really appropriate? The Hall of Ten Thousand Demons... or rather, Blood Butterfly? If she truly went berserk, the consequences would be unimaginable!

...

As he pondered,

Anjinuo raised a hand and rubbed his temples in frustration, his entire body seemingly enveloped in an air of inner conflict.

However,

that atmosphere did not last very long.

After an internal struggle, Anjinuo finally took a deep breath and chose to trust Kaelrode's instructions.

"The Pope has always been extraordinarily farsighted, and he's also the only person in the world capable of communicating with the Goddess. Perhaps the Pope has already received some kind of oracle from the Goddess?"

The Pope must have his own arrangements.

I,

as his subordinate, simply need to follow orders...

Having made that decision internally, Anjinuo slowly pushed open the heavy iron door before him.

Beyond it, a concealed facility resembling a fusion of a prison and a laboratory appeared before Anjinuo's eyes.

?!

Hm? Lord Anjinuo?

Inside the experimental facility, several members of the Asumos Church dressed in white coats revealed slightly startled expressions upon seeing Anjinuo arrive.

Then, quite a few female believers hurried forward, hoping to greet the most popular handsome man in the Asumos Church.

However, after approaching him, they discovered at a loss that Anjinuo's face no longer bore his usual handsome, spring-breeze-like smile. Instead, there was an indescribable solemnity upon it.

The murderous severity within those violet eyes sent chills down everyone's spines.

The women who had attempted to approach and greet him unconsciously stopped in their tracks. Somewhat timidly lowering their heads, they could only steal sidelong glances at the solemn Anjinuo.

Seeing this,

an obese man who appeared to be in charge of the laboratory hurriedly pushed away the two seductive women beside him and rushed over to Anjinuo, dragging his potbellied body along.

"Lord Anjinuo, has something happened? Why have you suddenly come here?"

"The Pope has issued instructions."

"Hm? The Pope?"

Upon hearing the words ‘the Pope,’ the fat man's previously nonchalant eyes instantly contracted, and he respectfully lowered his head.

"Then... what instructions has the Pope given?"

"Regarding the resistance experiments, the Pope requires you to produce results as soon as possible."

"Resistance? Y-Yes... We understand. Give... give me another two months, and we'll definitely complete the final numerical estimates!"

"Mm. You'd better. Otherwise, you know how the Pope deals with those who fail in their duties."

"...Yes..."

The fat man responded fearfully,

"This subordinate certainly... will not disappoint the Pope."

"Mm. You'd better not."

Casting an indifferent glance at this bizarre experiment-obsessed man, Anjinuo said nothing more and silently walked deeper into the laboratory.

Under the grave gazes of the fat man and the other laboratory personnel, Anjinuo slowly arrived at the center of the laboratory.

Then, the Heavenly Apostle revealed a complicated expression. With countless emotions mingling in his eyes, he raised his head and looked into °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the air.

At this moment,

reflected within Anjinuo's eyes,

a gigantic cube constructed from several dark emerald-green magic formations floated in midair. A strange and terrifying aura continuously emanated from within the cube, causing even Anjinuo, a Heavenly Apostle, to feel distinctly uncomfortable.

The magical cube was filled with a strange, translucent emerald-green liquid.

And within that liquid, a girl lay curled up, her face buried in **, almost completely naked and covered from head to toe in wounds.

She floated motionlessly in the liquid.

With her deathly pale skin, she looked almost like a corpse. Combined with the dozens of infusion tubes inserted into her body and back, the sight was exceptionally eerie and enough to send chills down one's spine.

Apart from several tubes necessary for maintaining her physiological functions, all the other tubes were continuously injecting an unidentified golden liquid into the girl's body...

Seeing the lifeless state of the girl inside the liquid, a trace of sorrow couldn't help appearing within Anjinuo's violet eyes.

"Sigh..."

Anjinuo sighed helplessly and, surrounded by Holy Aura, floated into the air. He slowly raised his hand and gently stroked the dark emerald-green magical cube.

"Tanya, hold on a little longer... We're almost... almost there."

As he spoke, a kindly smile gradually appeared on Anjinuo's face.

However,

beneath that kindness, the smile also seemed to contain a hint of cruelty...

as well as religious fanaticism.

And just after Anjinuo murmured those words to himself, his voice seemed to reach the girl's ears.

At that moment,

the girl's utterly lifeless face twitched slightly, and she slowly opened her beautiful yet hollow and vacant silver eyes.

...

...

--

"Oh, right."

"What is it, Pope?"

"How many times has Blood Butterfly appeared so far?"

"Reporting to the Pope, three times in total. Once at Garos Fortress, once in Wind Facing City, and the final time was in the central region of Skyvault."

"Mm, I see... That's quite a coincidence."

"A coincidence? What do you mean, Pope?"

"If I remember correctly, whenever Blood Butterfly appeared, Mengxi also happened to be in those places, didn't she?"

"Y-Yes."

"..."

"P-Pope?"

"Keep a close eye on Mengxi. Investigate everyone she's come into contact with recently."

"Yes, Pope."