"Using your goddess as the key, huh?" Benimaru laughed at himself, before walking down the stairs.
He first thought the stairs would be small, but he was proven wrong. It was a long, spiraling staircase that was taking too much of his time. If it was a straight one, Benimaru was sure it wouldn't take him much time. Also, the reason he wasn't rushing down was because of any potential traps.
While he was walking down, the tremors from above made him worried about his generals. But from the looks of it, they were completely fine.
Benimaru got a bit annoyed for still not seeing the end. 'Tsk, why is this so damn long? What is he actually hiding down here?'
Just after he said that, a dim red light flashed, announcing that he had finally arrived.
Benimaru walked into the entrance and was met with a giant cave that had torches lighting up the place. However, what caught Benimaru's attention were the bones littered on the ground. From what Benimaru could tell, these were humans, beasts, and demons. There was a murky scent of blood and rotten flesh in the air.
At the other end of the cave, a bunch of acolytes and junior priests stood and prayed softly. Benimaru didn't know if they were praying for someone or praying to someone. But he knew one thing—there was something very secretive and sinister going on here.
"Mother will heal her children."
"Mother will heal her children."
"Mother will heal her children."
Benimaru got close and heard what they were saying. Raising his eyebrows, he glanced at their hands. From their hands, green mana flowed out and entered the small blood pool before them.
'This looks like a healing spell. But who are they healing?' Benimaru didn't know why, but he didn't go for a direct kill. Maybe because he had grown confident in his strength or because he was just very curious about what they were doing, and wanted to see the end result.
"Mother will heal he- "
Thud
One of the acolytes fell on his knees suddenly and started taking heavy breaths. Then, like a switch, others started to fall. Their bodies were filled with sweat, and their hands were shaking constantly.
"What are you all doing? Continue healing the priest!" One junior priest shouted at the acolytes while he himself was sweating profusely. He also wasn't faring well.
"I can't anymore! We have been going on for two weeks. Let us rest at least." An acolyte begged.
But the junior priest ignored him. He ordered him, glaring with a grim expression. "Get on your feet and start praying, or do you want to face the priest's wrath? Look around, can't you see what we might become?"
This jolted every acolyte back to their senses. They didn't even have to glance at their surroundings, as they knew what would happen to them if they didn't listen. They would become piles of bones in an unknown dungeon, not letting their family know what even happened to them.
Maybe because they were very focused on the task before them or because they were too scared to think of their surroundings, so they didn't know Benimaru was close to them.
Benimaru carefully analyzed what they said before his eyes widened in shock. 'No, I have to stop them from doing this.'
In a flash, Benimaru swung his katana, severing the necks of the acolytes that were behind the group. Their screams didn't come out of their mouths; only the remaining words of prayer whispered out of their mouths.
But the sound of their bodies and heads dropping to the ground alerted everyone.
However, it was too late.
Benimaru's katana danced around the mass, taking lives as if they were nothing. Still, he did one thing, and that was to put them out of their misery.
"ARGHH! Do not kill me, please!"
"I didn't do anything. I was forced."
"Let me live. I have a family!"
However, Benimaru ignored all of their pleas. He killed them without any remorse, like always.
A couple of seconds later, the cave had replaced the sound of prayer with the calming sound of blood dropping into a small puddle.
"Now, let me see what is in there." Benimaru walked before the blood pool and carefully inspected it with his mana sense.
'Hmmm… this pool of blood… there is no blood essence. With this much blood, the blood essence would be potent enough for me to reach the 9th Stage Fleshcrafting Realm. Where did it all go?'
To fill his curiosity, Benimaru extended his mana sense deeper into the pool. His eyes widened at the thing he saw below.
It was a man's body, and most importantly, Belmuk's. His eyes were closed, and he was naked. But what surprised Benimaru was Belmuk's current physique. He had gotten slimmer, and bulging muscles that were knitted tightly could be seen on his body. His face has also grown a bit handsome.
'But, there is no sign of vital energy or any life force in his body. Is he already dead?' Benimaru became surprised when he thought of it.
Carefully thinking, Benimaru connected that Belmuk was absorbing a huge amount of blood essence. But to refine this much blood essence would take a serious toll on his body, and he might even die. So, he had all the acolytes and junior priests cast healing spells on him continuously to help him refine properly.
'It looks like I foiled his plans. I came in the middle of the process.' Benimaru shook his head with a sigh. He wanted to say some things to Belmuk, but it seems they have to be buried in his heart for now.
Benimaru decided to leave, seeing his mission come to a quick end. 'But before that, Let me destroy this body to smithereens. I do not know what kind of trouble it might bring.'
He raised his katana up and enveloped it in purple fire. With a strong swing, his sword fell into the blood pool.
BURHSS!
But suddenly, a hand emerged from the blood pull and caught Benimaru's sword, causing an explosion that shook the cave and evaporated the blood.
Thrup
Benimaru leaped back and stood with his guard on. He looked ahead with caution while also being a bit surprised.
Step Step
"Huh? So they are all dead. That explains why I couldn't complete the last stage of refinement." Belmuk walked toward Benimaru while glancing beside him to see where the acolytes and junior priests' dead bodies were.
Finally, he raised his head and stared at Benimaru. "Hmmm…red and dark cloak…a weird demon mask. You must be a Slayer."
"Oh my. It looks like Ahat told you about me carefully. It is an honor to be remembered by a pedophile. Sir Belmuk." Benimaru said it respectfully yet in a mocking tone.
"Huh?" Belmuk frowned upon hearing that unknown word from him. He had never heard of that term, as it was not something yet to be found in this world. But he felt somehow offended hearing it. "What are you saying? I have never heard of something like a pedophile."
Benimaru said it with a smirk on his face. "Ah…it's nothing. Something I came up with for people who sexually abuse children."
"Hmph." Belmuk scoffed and looked at Benimaru with disdain. "What weird thinking. Those girls will be grateful for my touch."
"Hahahaha…." Laughing up a bit, Benimaru asked. "How did you refine that huge amount of blood essence this quickly?"
Belmuk tilted his head and cracked out laughing. "You also have such low vision. How can you come to the conclusion that it would take this much time for me to refine such a little blood essence? Do you see me as someone weak?"
'Yes.' However, Benimaru didn't say it out loud. Instead, he stood silently on his spot.
"Then let me tell you why I had to take so much time." Belmuk made a fist with his right hand and punched to his right. In the next second, a wind blasted forth from his fist and landed on the wall, caving in the shape of his fist. "I was trying to assimilate the Silverback Gorilla's heart with mine. To make it compatible with my body and heart, I had to use a huge amount of blood essence to improve my constitution along the way. I was just close to completely integrating it, but you came to foil the ending. Still, it doesn't matter anymore. My body has improved greatly, and the last steps will happen automatically."
Benimaru raised his eyebrows, not expecting Belmuk to do such a thing in the past few days. "Sir Belmuk, this type of refinement and assimilation are hard to do. You need a proper technique to help you. But only the guys from the demonic cults have these. Don't tell me…"
Just like humans worship gods, there are some maniacs who take the path to see the higher demonic existences as their lords.
"What!? Are you trying to put me on the same level as those lunatics?" Belmuk became angry upon hearing that. "I am one of the priests of the Goddess of Nature, Ignia. I have strengthened myself to bring her to glory!. And here you are trying to defile me. It was indeed a waste of time trying to explain my doings to you."
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