Paladin of the Dead God

Chapter 66:

Chapter 66. The Prophet of the Red Flesh (2)

Among the tumultuous selves within the abomination, the strongest was undoubtedly Owen’s.

Owen, in his quest to control the body, had a simple objective: to kill Isaac. Yet, he focused all his efforts on moving strategically.

The most crucial part of his strategy was to corner Isaac and then make direct contact.

‘To fuse his body with mine, making him mine.’

It was a crueler option than killing, and at the same time, a blissful choice to turn the knight of the Holy Grail, whom he admired, into his own. So when Isaac countered with a punch, Owen was puzzled but delighted at his foolishness.

Even as Isaac’s tentacles burst from his hand, tearing and crushing Owen’s, he sneered.

All that remained for Isaac was to dissolve into the countless flesh of the abomination.

“Ooooooh!”

The abomination had now swallowed Isaac’s left hand, moving up to his elbow. Even as he was being consumed, Isaac calmly observed it.

Owen disliked the unshaken gaze but thought it wouldn’t matter once he had swallowed that face too.

The realization that something was amiss came with a powerful hunger.

‘I’m hungry.’

It was an odd sensation.

A bizarre thought had intruded into a will that should have only felt rage and murderous intent. Even while absorbing dozens of people and Isaac.

Despite having absorbed up to Isaac’s shoulder, Owen was taken aback by the ferocious hunger.

Then, Isaac spoke.

“Eating just anything can cause trouble.”

The abomination’s body writhed.

Suddenly, Owen realized his body wasn’t moving as he intended. His once massive body, which could push walls aside, had significantly shrunk.

Something was terribly wrong.

The abomination instinctively tried to pull back. It was a will to survive, overpowering the intent to kill.

Owen, enraged, tried to control the abomination to attack Isaac again but realized it was impossible. The abomination could neither flee from Isaac’s shoulder nor continue the attack.

Only a more intense hunger was felt.

Only Isaac knew exactly what was happening inside the abomination. He felt the hunger he hadn’t satisfied for a long time slowly being filled.

‘Autophagy.’

The phenomenon where cells consume their own proteins or unnecessary components for energy.

That was happening inside the abomination.

The abomination thought it had absorbed Isaac and his tentacles, but in reality, the opposite was true.

The tentacles had taken control away from the abomination, initiating autophagy.

Merely to make a daily meal.

“Aaaaaah!”

Owen realized this too late and twisted his body trying to escape. But control over the abomination had already completely passed to Isaac.

The wills of dozens of humans were easily overpowered by a transcendent and intense will controlling them.

It was simpler, more violent, and fundamental than the will the abomination possessed.

An intense hunger that couldn’t be satisfied or filled.

Owen screamed, attempting to escape.

But he couldn’t.

Because the mouth he could scream with was already consuming itself.

Soon, the abomination was torn to pieces by the tentacles and absorbed piece by piece.

It took less than 10 minutes for Isaac to completely autophagy the abomination.

Isaac was disproportionately swollen compared to the amount he had consumed, so the actual amount was less than it appeared.

But having devoured to this extent for the first time in months, he felt quite full.

Then, a message appeared to Isaac.

[‘Abomination’ has been devoured in large amounts.]

[‘Devouring’ perk increases consumption efficiency.]

[‘Physical Fusion’ perk fully acquired.]

‘Full acquisition of physical fusion capabilities… This is more profitable than expected.’

Isaac felt almost grateful to Owen. Experimentally moving his tentacles, he realized that while he might not be able to completely dissolve an opponent’s flesh into his own like the abomination, he could mold parts of the tentacles into specific shapes.

‘Attaching the teeth or horns of a beast could be useful.’

With Owen dealt with, it was Raela’s turn.

That’s when Isaac looked behind and thought he was indeed facing a formidable opponent.

Only a wet bloodstain remained where Hesabel should have been waiting.

***

The dawn before sunrise was pitch-dark.

Dragged to the castle walls by Raela, Hesabel could see Raela’s red eyes even in the dark. The red eyes, shining with multiple pupils, were clear even in the darkness.

The Prophet of the Red Flesh was looking at her through Raela.

Raela, with an unnatural creaking motion, grabbed Hesabel’s neck and lifted her. Raela’s body was already dead, but it moved because the Prophet of the Red Flesh was controlling every part of it.

“Do not feel self-contempt. It’s inevitable, considering your origins.”

Despite Raela’s words, Hesabel couldn’t help but feel self-contempt.

While Isaac was devouring Owen, Hesabel heard whispers. It was the voice of the Prophet of the Red Flesh.

She forcibly squeezed the blood flowing through Hesabel to activate the Red Prayer. Hesabel’s will to resist was left as nothing more than a handful of blood; she couldn’t refuse. Her power was too weak to surpass an angel’s divinity.

“All the blood flowing in your body is from Gulmar. And the blood of Gulmar flows from the Red Chalice. Even if your heart goes astray, will the red blood turn blue?”

“Your tongue… is long.”

Despite Hesabel’s response, Raela just looked at her expressionlessly. It wasn’t so much a lack of expression as a lack of energy to change it. Hesabel forced a sneer.

“Afraid of losing flesh?”

“…”

The Prophet of the Red Flesh tightened her grip on the neck, but not enough to break it or k**l. Despite being capable at any moment.

“Flesh is your power to tread upon the earth! But to accept the flesh, you must worship the Red Chalice… You’re trying to entice me again!”

Hesabel blurted out what the Prophet of the Red Flesh was thinking. As she said, Raela contained her flesh, which held a power incomparable to what was given to Owen.

It didn’t matter if Raela’s body, a mere shell to be discarded, died.

The issue was losing this flesh forever.

Therefore, the Prophet of the Red Flesh planned to abandon the dying body of Raela and switch to Hesabel.

Raela’s lips curled as if squeezed.

“Displeased?”

She whispered softly.

“You know the significance of becoming my proxy. Your deviation can be dismissed as a brief wander. The House of Gulmar will be exempt from the responsibility of losing the relic and will welcome you greatly for consuming the flesh of an angel. And also.”

Raela opened her mouth wide. Inside her jaw, almost reaching her throat, a massive piece of flesh appeared. The pulsing flesh emitted a sweet smell that was headache-inducing.

“You know how delicious this is.”

An addictive scent.

The heaven promised by the Red Chalice is a heaven of sheer, peripheral pleasure.

It is not a temple filled with light and truth, nor a battlefield filled with glory and honor alongside Elil. Just simple pleasure, tempting and appealing to everyone.

Hesabel, of course, knew what kind of afterlife the Red Chalice proposed.

Eating this flesh meant a guarantee of heaven.

“Accept it.”

No matter how firmly Hesabel decided to follow Isaac, this temptation was like dangling drugs in front of an addict.

Hesabel looked at the approaching flesh with trembling eyes, her gaze fixed on it.

Finally, the flesh touched her lips, but Hesabel clenched her eyes shut and did not open her mouth. Even with the taste of blood on her lips, her refusal to move was miraculous for vampires.

The Prophet of the Red Flesh was again enveloped in a strange emotion.

Something was being missed.

Hesabel’s reaction, in her eyes, was bizarre, almost as if it defied the laws of nature.

A bad premonition flickered through the mind of the Prophet of the Red Flesh.

‘Surely not… but it can’t be.’

Regardless, the Prophet of the Red Flesh planned to force the flesh into Hesabel’s mouth, thinking that once she tasted it, she would come back to her senses no matter how strongly she resisted the Red Chalice.

It was as addictive as the most potent drug in the world.

Raela’s hand forcibly pried Hesabel’s mouth open and shoved the flesh inside.

Hesabel grimaced in pain but could not resist. It was over.

Once the flesh was in her mouth, there was no spitting it out.

The Prophet of the Red Flesh prepared for the red ceremony to replace her proxy.

“Why are you feeding weird stuff to our kid?”

That was until a voice came from behind.

***

Isaac had followed Hesabel’s energy up to the castle walls.

What he saw was Raela forcibly inserting flesh into Hesabel’s mouth.

Isaac recognized it as the body of the Prophet of the Red Flesh that had been transplanted into Raela.

Raela’s body was bizarre. It was like an insect preparing to molt, with skin stretched long and bones protruding or sunken at will.

It was as if a strange monster was awkwardly hiding within the shell called Raela.

“Did I come at a bad time?”

Raela stared at Isaac with sunken eyes and, after a long look, finally spoke. Her voice was trembling for some reason.

“Finally, we meet… Knight of the Holy Grail. I’ve heard the rumors, but…”

“Rumors of my honor and deep faith? Or that I’m a formidable fighter who cuts down bad guys?”

“Rumors that you’re quite handsome.”

Expecting something worthy of an angel’s attention, Isaac found the comment underwhelming. However, Raela murmured as if it was of utmost importance.

“The rumors don’t do you justice. This is… Hmm. Not a look that belongs to a human. Are you of Elil’s lineage, or did some angel recklessly sprinkle their blood around?”

Isaac simply smiled at the implication of being a Nephilim.

It wasn’t surprising that the angelic Prophet of the Red Flesh recognized it. After all, the Red Chalice itself was of Nephilim origin.

Raela tilted her head, looking at Hesabel.

“It doesn’t matter. If I had known you were of divine descent, my strategy might have been different… But I prefer not to engage in face-to-face combat like this.”

“You certainly don’t seem like the type for fair play.”

Raela chuckled lowly.

“You might think you have the upper hand now. But do you think expelling an angel is a trivial matter? To be honest, erasing someone like you wouldn’t be difficult.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The power of an angel is immense.

Although the Prophet of the Red Flesh wasn’t the type to fight with her own power, if she started to exert her real strength, Isaac, who had just begun his journey as a Knight of the Holy Grail, would undoubtedly find it difficult to compete.

She believed that.

“But… that’s not my preferred method. Nor is it what the Red Chalice desires.”

The Red Chalice preferred secrecy. The Prophet of the Red Flesh was no different.

“So, I have a proposal.”

“A proposal? Even now, you think to solve problems with words, truly a master of conspiracy. You’re proposing a deal to a Knight of the Holy Grail?”

“I can tell you’re not a typical holy knight. A normal one wouldn’t be having this conversation with me. I see the ambition within you.”

Isaac gestured with his chin for her to continue, smiling.

“I’ll give you immediate victory, honor, and power. Here, I’ll be the one defeated, and you’ll emerge as the victor. And I’ll leave behind some of my power for you. You’ll gain everything without needing to fight.”

“And the cost?”

“For now, this child will suffice.”

She said, placing her hand on Hesabel’s nape.