And that was all.
When consciousness returned, Fan Zhuo felt as if his soul had been hit head-on by an out-of-control steam train, every fragment wailing in pain.
He climbed out of bed, gasping violently, his back already soaked in cold sweat.
The warm, rusty metallic scent still lingered in his nostrils. Instinctively, he wiped it with his hand, only to find his fingertips stained a glaring crimson.
“I… got stepped on?”
Fan Zhuo’s mind was a complete mess. The scene was so vivid yet utterly absurd.
He had only intended to perform a safe “spiritual sacrifice” according to the Official Church-Certified Process, to release the nearly explosive Evil Fire within him.
Instead, not only did he fail to dispel the fire, he almost got stomped out by the other party’s foot.
Wasn’t the “Opening Prayer” ritual supposed to conjure a vague image of a deity, like a blurred light shadow?
Why did he see an ultra-HD, uncensored, 4K Blu-ray original version?
And… that angel was able to strike him precisely through the spiritual realm…
With a foot, no less!
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!
Fan Zhuo slumped onto the bed, his eyes vacant.
He had come to a complete realization.
His soul, which didn’t belong to this world, was a total BUG here.
The commandments of the [Holy Ring] only “partially took effect” on him.
The shielding effect of the [Holy Light] divine art was “almost ineffective.”
And now, it seemed even the safety protections of the “Opening Prayer” ritual were useless.
He was like an unlucky guy who hadn’t turned on his firewall, disabled antivirus, and connected naked to the Divine Domain Intranet of another world.
Any small disturbance could cause him to instantly spew blood from his nose.
It seemed the righteous path was a dead end.
Fan Zhuo exhaled heavily, his gaze gradually shifting from panic and confusion to determination.
Since the official channel was a dead end, he could only walk the path of “Evil and Heresy” all the way to darkness.
He needed power.
Power enough to protect himself, even to fight against that lofty “angel” who could knock him unconscious with a single stomp.
And the source of that power…
Fan Zhuo’s eyes pierced through the wall, as if he could see the tightly sealed cells at the other end of the corridor.
The Slime Queen, the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Dragon Girl… and his Perfect Doll, always on standby, waiting for him to “inspect.”
This wasn’t Evil and Heresy—it was clearly a bright path personally guided by the gods!
Just then, a soft knock came at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Lord Fan Zhuo, are you there?”
It was the voice of Terminal: Bunny (Model: Type-Rabbit-07).
Fan Zhuo quickly wiped away the blood from his nose, tidied his appearance, and resumed his usual holy and aloof demeanor.
“Come in.”
The door slid open, and Bunny entered carrying a tray. On the tray sat a steaming cup of milk and a fragrant piece of toast.
“According to your Life Vital Signs Monitoring, your heart rate and blood pressure fluctuated wildly just now, and your body temperature rose abnormally,” Bunny said as she placed the tray on the table, her bright blue electronic eyes fixed on him.
“Bunny thinks you might need some nutritional supplementation.”
Fan Zhuo looked at her pure, flawless face, his heart stirring.
He had just nearly been killed by a true angel—fortunately, the other was a merciful angel of healing and redemption; otherwise, he might have died from the “Opening Prayer.”
And now, another “angel” was caring for his body in the gentlest and most considerate way.
“Thank you.” Fan Zhuo’s voice was slightly hoarse.
He picked up the milk and drank it all in one go.
The warm liquid slid down his throat, calming his overly frightened heart just a little.
Bunny quietly stood to the side, watching him finish the toast. Suddenly, she extended a delicate hand clad in lace gloves and lightly brushed a crumb off Fan Zhuo’s mouth.
“Lord, you have some bread crumbs here.”
Her fingertips carried a barely perceptible warmth as they gently skimmed his skin.
Fan Zhuo’s body instantly stiffened.
That feeling again… No divine punishment, no power gain, just a purely soft touch that made one’s heart flutter.
Bunny seemed completely unaware of how ambiguous her actions were. She withdrew her hand, bringing the crumb-covered fingertip to her own pink lips and lightly licking it off with her tongue.
The motion was natural and graceful, as if merely cleaning a tool.
But the image hit Fan Zhuo like hard as being stomped on by the merciful angel earlier.
“Cough!” Fan Zhuo abruptly stood up and forcefully averted his gaze. “I… I need to go on patrol.”
“Yes, Lord.” Bunny bowed slightly.
Fan Zhuo practically fled the room.
He didn’t go anywhere else but directly to Room C-07.
He desperately needed a soft, warm embrace full of life energy to soothe his frightened, fragile heart.
And to verify how much his power had grown.
After once again sending away the bewildered guard, when he stood before Room C-07’s door, excited voices came from inside.
“Fan Zhuo! You’re here!”
Fan Zhuo opened the door and saw Alfea awkwardly practicing walking in her pink slime dress.
Upon seeing him enter, she immediately flitted over like a joyful little bird.
“Fan Zhuo!”
A soft, fragrant body with a jelly-like springiness pressed firmly into his embrace.
Fan Zhuo hugged her, burying his face in her sweet-smelling pink hair made of slime and inhaled deeply.
A familiar warm current surged from the depths of his soul’s [Holy Ring].
This time, he clearly felt the divine power within him no longer as a trickle, but as a lively, rushing stream.
The embrace with Alfea was like a power bank, continuously replenishing his “energy.”
Moreover, after yesterday’s “purification,” the energy inside Alfea had become purer, and the conversion efficiency had improved.
“So comfortable…” Alfea nuzzled in his arms like a content cat. “Fan Zhuo’s scent is the best…”
Holding her and feeling his power grow, Fan Zhuo’s inner panic and unease were gradually soothed by this pure dependence and warmth…
***
Asphodel Prison, Zone A.
Unlike Zone C’s perpetually damp, rusty, and musty gray tones, Zone A was a pure white area, seemingly without a single impurity.
Walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of an unknown white alloy emitting a soft glow.
The silence here was eerie—no monster howls, no footsteps of guards.
Zone A Warden’s Office.
This place resembled more a futuristic research laboratory.
Hundreds of holographic screens floated midair, cascading with endless streams of images and data.
At the deepest part of the office, a tall and voluptuous woman stood with her back to the door, quietly gazing out at the eternal dense fog.
Just by standing there, she seemed to be the center of the entire space, with even the light seeming to distort around her.
Behind her, a petite figure curled up in a huge, extremely comfortable-looking engineering chair, her slender legs swinging in the air.
She had dazzling golden hair tied loosely into two messy ponytails draped over her shoulders.
Pointed ears peeked through her hair, evidence of her Ancient Elf bloodline.
Her face was as delicate as a doll’s, but those emerald eyes sparkled with a cunning and laziness far beyond her years.
Her name was Mika. She was the chief assistant to the Zone A Warden, an Ancient Elf who had lived countless years, as well as the Holy Papal Empire’s top Mechanist and Rune Master.
At this moment, she was idly sucking on a lollipop, fingers rapidly swiping over the holographic screen before her.
“Boring… boring… still boring…”
“The energy stability rate in Zone C dropped another 0.02%. That old John, the drunkard, probably spent the maintenance funds on booze again.”
“Zone B has applied for new ‘Entertainment Facilities’ again. Denied. Dream on.”
Mika yawned, casually pulling up the prison’s data logs to conduct a routine check.
Suddenly, her swinging leg froze.
Her once lazy emerald eyes sharpened like an eagle’s.
“Hm?”
On the screen, a stream of data marked as “Low-Risk Anomaly” caught her attention.
It was a terminal feedback from the Zone C Warden’s Office.
【Terminal: Bunny (Model: Type-Rabbit-07)】
【Log Time: 15:27:13】
【Event Record: Detection of unknown external energy source connection…】