“Gubi, gubi.” The strange sound came from a fearsome black beast, resembling a giant lizard but covered in sharp, jagged bone spikes. Its claws were not those of a typical reptile; they were more like human arms, agile and dexterous. It clung tightly to a rock, its bulging eyes glowing purple as it watched an approaching group, its slender tail curling and uncurling.
This was a sign of its alertness and hostility, but soon, as if sensing something, it jerked its sharp-mouthed head, called out “Gubi, gubi,” and scurried back beneath the rock.
In the forbidden zone, countless mutated and ferocious beasts roamed.
The approaching group—Bishop Talbot and four believers, including nuns—walked while clutching their Bibles, praying to their deity. The bishop led the way, his face calm and serene. In contrast, the other four appeared nervous, trembling at the slightest rustle of wind or grass.
Yet, as they progressed, they noticed that despite the many strange, savage, and evil beasts in the forbidden zone built by the Holy Light Forest residents, none attacked their group of five.
Was this divine protection?
The bishop remained silent throughout, and due to his dignified presence, the others dared not question him. But eventually, one could no longer hold back. A blonde nun named Haibi stepped forward, cautiously addressing Talbot. “Bishop, you seem to know where we’re headed?”
Since entering the forbidden zone, the bishop had led the way without pause, as if guided by an unseen force toward a specific destination.
“Yes, Sister Haibi, I know where we’re going, for the deity guides me,” Talbot replied, his face twitching briefly. “What? Can you not hear the deity’s whispers?”
In the Church, nearly every believer and nun claimed to hear the deity’s whispers as proof of their devout faith. In truth, fewer than one in a hundred ever experienced this. For most, it was a lifelong myth, a conventional lie upheld by all, as no believer or nun would admit to lacking the deity’s favour.
At Talbot’s question, the four exchanged glances and quickly nodded. “Yes, I hear the deity’s whispers.” “My reverence for the deity has never wavered.” “I hear the deity’s guidance. You’re leading us correctly, Bishop.”
These devout believers spoke in fervent agreement.
Talbot nodded, satisfied, and continued leading. However, the four felt growing fear. They knew the bishop well—a stern yet occasionally kind man. But since entering the forbidden zone, he seemed… different.
Haibi noticed his breathing was rapid and uneven, his eyes dull, fixed on some distant point. Even his voice, though steady in tone, carried a chilling, eerie quality that unnerved them.
Since stepping into this place, Bishop Talbot had become abnormal.
“Oh, we’ve arrived,” Talbot’s voice suddenly rang out. The group perked up, readying for battle. As they rounded a cluster of strange trees with black, spiky leaves, a massive, pale blue crystalline object came into view.
The irregular crystal stood five metres tall, wrapped in red chains—a clear seal. Atop the chains floated a slightly worn book: the Church’s forbidden relic, the Holy Bible.
And within the pale blue crystal…
Haibi and the other three felt their breathing quicken. They had encountered evil before, but this sight stirred an intense discomfort, not from its fearsome appearance but from an inexplicable sensation—a collapse of faith.
It was the demon.
They had seen in the Time Shadow how the Goddesses of Wealth and Faith sealed it. The worn Bible floating above was left by the Goddess of Faith. Their task was to destroy it? Haibi swallowed hard, realizing how reckless this was. Destroying the Bible would release the sealed demon, undoubtedly a terrifying prospect.
Trembling, she asked Talbot, “Bishop, are we really going to destroy the Bible? If we do… the demon will be freed. It seems terrifying…”
“Terrifying?” Talbot turned, his face alight with strange zeal, his eyes fixed on Haibi. “Sister Haibi, do you not feel the deity’s call?”
“The deity’s call?” Haibi faltered.
Talbot turned back to the crystal, raising his hands in a grand gesture of worship. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime honour. Our deity stands before us, needing our salvation. This is the test the deity has given us, our path to eternal glory.”
“Deity?” a believer stammered, grasping the implication. “Bishop, are you saying… the demon is our deity?”
“Yes, it is our deity, so beautiful and grand, so pure and holy,” Talbot said with utmost devotion.
But to Haibi and the others, his words dripped with manic insanity. The bishop had lost his mind.
The demon must have tempted him.
How could the deity worshipped by the Church for five thousand years be this evil, grotesque monster?
Exchanging glances, the four turned to flee this terrifying place.
But suddenly, eerie cries echoed around them. Hideous beasts emerged from the trees and bushes, surrounding them, baring fangs and sharp claws.
The four froze, not just from fear but from a terrifying force that immobilized them. Something within them boiled and burned.
Talbot, still facing away, completed an elaborate ritual of worship, then stood, continuing, “The deity loves its believers, and they should offer their purest loyalty and faith. Yet, I see flaws in your faith. You are disloyal, betraying the deity’s love.”
“Bishop, please…” Haibi pleaded, her voice trembling. “What have you done? Please stop, it hurts…”
“Pain is your punishment. Before the deity, all disloyalty will be purged. The deity is cleansing your hearts’ darkness. Feel it, be grateful, be moved. You will offer your entire souls to the deity and gain great power in return.”
Speaking with fervent zeal, Talbot turned to face the believers and nuns he once cherished like family, showing no pity as they writhed in agony, his eyes still burning with fanaticism.
The four groaned and roared in pain. Their bodies began to change, bones twisting, sprouting spikes, becoming asymmetrical. One believer grew a grotesque tail, crawling like a beast. Another doubled in height, their body covered in repulsive growths that split open into wriggling eyes.
The deity was using their disloyalty to transform them into dark, evil forces.
Talbot murmured Bible verses, his demeanor reverent and calm, hearing the deity’s whispers clearer than ever.
Soon, the four believers had fully “transformed” into monstrous forms, trembling before Talbot.
“Our deity needs us. The heretic Bible can only be destroyed by the purest soul of faith,” he told them. “The nun named Reisha has the purest soul. Find her and bring her to me for sacrifice!”
“Roar—”
“Hiss—”
No longer capable of human speech, the four mutated believers let out strange cries and turned to leave.
Countless evil beasts from the forbidden zone followed, forming a terrifying tide of malevolent creatures.
…
Ye Chui’s monster-hunting squad had reached the border of the forbidden zone.
Before them stood a wall of stones and logs. A wooden sign outside read, “Forbidden Zone: No Entry.” Godo explained, “When Lier sneaked into the forbidden zone and fell to the demon’s temptation, I had this wall built to prevent others from approaching.”
He drew his longsword. “Let me open it.”
“Wait,” Ye Chui interrupted, eager to test his new spell. “Let me do it.”
“This wall is thick. Can you handle it?” Godo asked skeptically.
Ye Chui grinned and shouted, “Second Battalion Commander, where’s your damn Italian cannon?”
Ye Chui could gain insights from films and anime in his iPad’s library, unlocking magic attributes and spells. Sci-fi or martial arts could be converted into magical forces.
From *Terminator*, he gained the Destruction Magic Attribute, turning firearms into destruction spells. From *The Storm Riders*, he unlocked the Wind Enhancement Attribute, with martial arts becoming spells. Now, he discovered that artillery could unlock the Explosion Magic Attribute, a fusion of fire and lightning.
When he randomly drew *Bright Sword*, he thought his 1000 points were wasted on a realistic war drama. But it granted him the powerful Explosion Attribute and the spell [Second Battalion Commander’s Italian Cannon].
Now, he had a chance to use it.
Upon unlocking the spell, he knew how to cast it. As he activated it, a faint cannon phantom appeared around him. His left hand held a blazing flame, his right a crackling lightning bolt. With his mind, he aimed the cannon at the wall, then clapped his hands together.
Bang!
A sparkling shell burst from the cannon. With a “boom,” the wall of stones and logs was blasted open.
The Italian cannon in *Bright Sword* was a French 75mm field gun, the first modern artillery of its world. Among modern weapons, its power was modest, but it was more than sufficient here. Among Ye Chui’s attacks, excluding Teacher Saitama’s punch, it ranked near the top.
The Explosion Attribute was a fusion of fire and lightning. Ye Chui’s flame and lightning merged into a volatile explosive force. The spell used the cannon phantom to project this energy as a bombardment. With repeated “booms,” Ye Chui fired several shots, carving a path through the wall.
Satisfied with the spell’s power, Ye Chui wiped his brow and turned to his stunned companions. “Pick up your jaws, and let’s go.”
Debbie and the others: “…”
But then, terrifying roars echoed from the breach. A horde of ferocious beasts surged out, their numbers overwhelming—a terrifying beast tide!
