Looking at the two, whose morale was soaring, Selim took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, “You’re about to witness a terror unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Even so, aren’t you afraid?”
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Bart replied, anger burning in his eyes.
Sophia said nothing, only gripping the hilt of her sword more tightly.
“Very well. I see no fear or hesitation in you. Then, follow me.”
Selim wheeled herself forward, and Sophia quickly moved up to push her wheelchair from behind.
Bart pulled his hood back over his head and followed them.
“There’s a scent of blood.”
After walking for quite some time, Sophia stopped first, having caught a faint smell of blood in the air.
“Hmm? We’re here already?” Selim opened her eyes from her feigned slumber and lazily stretched.
She wasn’t worried about this trip—two full Moonlight Level transcendents were more than enough to destroy a cult nest like this. Their strength far exceeded what was needed.
It was just that this place was a little disgusting—an ordinary person would lose Sanity just by looking at it.
Sweeping her gaze around, Selim confirmed that this was indeed the location she remembered.
“That’s right. Sharn is being held captive by those villains right over there.” Selim pointed to a half-concealed cave in the distance.
At that moment, a thin, unrecognizable figure emerged from the cave.
“Let me kill him,” Bart hissed, seething with rage at the sight of his enemy.
“Calm down. I know you’re anxious, but acting rashly will only ruin things.” Selim used a Soul Tentacle to hold Bart back as he tried to rush out.
Selim had a complete strategy for this mission. She knew that if even one person was killed, everyone in the cave would immediately sense the intrusion and activate their defenses.
Pursuing efficiency, Selim would never let Bart act recklessly.
“We don’t know what’s inside the cave yet, so we can’t be hasty. We need to find a way to sneak in first.”
“I agree,” Sophia nodded. Her experience told her that gathering intelligence was always the priority. Besides, when it came to battle intel, Selim had never been wrong.
“So what do we do now? Wait for that guy to leave?” Bart asked, pointing at the figure outside the cave.
“Don’t kill him. Just knock him out and tie him up. If he dies, the people inside will sense it.”
“Understood.” Bart moved swiftly. As a Moonlight Level transcendent specializing in assassination, he silently subdued the sentry and waved to Selim and Sophia from a distance.
The three of them stood at the cave entrance. Inside, aside from the strong stench of blood, there were only occasional gleams of reflected light from who-knew-what.
“I’ll take point,” Sophia said as a warrior, leaping into the cave first.
Bart was a bit surprised to see Sophia enter first and glanced back at Selim, a little awkward. “Miss Selim, it’s not convenient for you to use your wheelchair here. Should I carry you down?”
“No need.” Selim, like some octopus doctor, used her Soul Tentacles to support herself and asked, “Surprised?”
“No… not really,” Bart’s pupils shrank in shock, but he didn’t press further.
He’d never seen a power system like hers before, but from what he could sense, she seemed like a mere Firefly Level rookie.
“After you, then,” Bart decided to stick close, guarding her from behind.
“Why are you two so slow?” Sophia, who had gone in first, doubled back to check on them.
“Coming, coming,” Selim replied, moving up to walk side by side with Sophia.
“If you can move like that, why do you always sit in the wheelchair and have me push you?” Sophia asked, puzzled.
“Because it’s exhausting to move like this. How else could I enjoy spending time with you?”
“Or maybe…” Without waiting for a reply, Selim wrapped Sophia up with her Soul Tentacles and lifted her into a princess carry.
“Is this what you want?”
“Put me down! Think about where we are!” Sophia blushed deeply, especially since Bart was behind them.
Although Sophia could have easily resisted, she ended up yielding physically to Selim, only managing a token protest.
“I just want you to know that when you face the truth, you don’t need to be afraid while I’m here.” Though Selim was teasing Sophia, her face was uncharacteristically serious.
With a gentle coil of her Soul Tentacle, Sophia was set back down on the ground.
“Okay,” Sophia nodded, acknowledging Selim’s words.
The three continued deeper into the cave.
“These red, vine-like plants—why do they smell so strongly of blood?” Bart crushed one of the dense scarlet tendrils on the wall and, suppressing his discomfort, asked Selim.
“Those are the flesh and blood of the victims,” Selim said calmly, though her words made the other two stop in their tracks.
“How is that possible? How can flesh look like plants?” Bart was horrified—he’d never seen anything so profane.
“Where do you think we are?”
Selim pointed to the squirming scarlet tendrils above and below them. “This is a stronghold of the Order of the Blood Players—a Blood-Flesh Demon Lair built entirely from the flesh and blood of the fallen.”
“And this is only the beginning…” Selim’s voice was eerily soft. “Let me ask you again—are you prepared to face the true abyss?”
The three exchanged glances. In the end, it was Bart who asked, “Order of the Blood Players? What’s that? I’ve never heard of them. Miss Sophia, have you?”
“No, I haven’t,” Sophia shook her head, finding nothing in her memory matching that name.
“I’ve never received an assignment from the Demon Hall to hunt this cult, nor seen any intelligence on them.”
“So right now, you’re the only one who knows anything about them…” Sophia said, looking at Selim.
“Yes, I know about the Blood Players. Taking down this cult is the reason I came back.”
“Let’s go. I’ll explain as we move.”
As they advanced, they knocked out and bound any lone cultists they came across.
“Bart, lend me a dagger,” Selim said, taking the blade and moving ahead until she encountered even stranger sights.
She drove the dagger into the fleshy wall and slowly cut it open. The wall reacted like living skin, blood oozing out as it convulsed and twitched.
“The Order of the Blood Players worship an extradimensional entity they call ‘Kindred Soul Heaven’,” Selim continued. “But personally, I prefer the name ‘Mother of Lustful Souls.'”
The walls writhed like intestines, slowly repairing themselves. Bart looked on, nauseated.
“Why would they worship such an evil god?” Sophia was also disgusted by their surroundings and couldn’t understand why anyone would see this as divine.
“What else? Power or immortality—these wretches will do anything for those.”
Bart was indignant, feeling he’d seen the true nature of the Order of the Blood Players.
“Calm down, Bart,” Selim shook her head and continued, “If it were just that, I wouldn’t consider them such a threat.”
“If they were just opportunists, troublesome but not dangerous.”
“They truly believe in the ‘Mother of Lustful Souls.'”
“And that belief is—everyone for me, and I for everyone.”
“That sounds like some mutual aid society. How could they do something so blasphemous in the name of that?” Sophia couldn’t comprehend how such a doctrine could lead to this hellish, profane lair.
“Don’t be impatient. There’s another part to it,” Selim went on. “One is all, all is one.”
“One is all…”
Bart and Sophia exchanged a glance, but still couldn’t grasp the cult’s creed and looked at Selim curiously.
“It means exactly what it says.”
Selim explained, “Everyone for me, I for everyone—it means anyone can become me, and I can become anyone.”
“Look at this Blood-Flesh Demon Lair. It means all beings can become me, and I can become all beings. If you can freely manipulate flesh, what’s to stop you from becoming anyone?”
“And as for the other phrase…” Selim’s voice drifted eerily to their ears.
“One is all, all is one—it means everyone is a part of the ‘Mother of Lustful Souls.’ In the end, all souls return to the Mother, merged as one, reveling in ultimate ecstasy.”
“In short, they want to slaughter every sentient being in this world, and then kill themselves.”
“What a blasphemous and evil cult…”
After Selim’s explanation, both Sophia and Bart were visibly shaken.
Even among all the extradimensional entities, the ‘Mother of Lustful Souls’ was among the most extreme.
If allowed to develop, not only the Rhine Territory, but the entire kingdom would be annihilated. This would become the Blood Lion Empire’s most troublesome front.
Speaking of which, Selim’s current class, “Soul Eater Walker,” was actually created by the ‘Mother of Lustful Souls’ in the future.
Every “Soul Eater Walker” was at least Saint-rank—a true monster, a favorite of the Mother, so powerful that the Empire dared not launch an attack in the game’s backstory.
The game developers even made this class available to players, letting them participate in world-ending scenarios.
Selim had found a loophole and forcibly obtained the class as a human, turning a copy into an original.
She took everything, not only stealing the enemy’s power, but using that power to ruin their plans to claim this world.
The Rhine Territory—no, the entire Lupine Heart Kingdom—should belong to Selim.
Perhaps even the Empire; the position of Elector was not out of reach.
“If that’s the case, then what about Sharn…” Bart’s face turned grim.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
Ahead, a thick Blood-Flesh Petal Membrane slowly opened, and a hellish scene unfurled before their eyes.