#212

Fabio shouted, striking Marcello Teres in the stomach with his elbow.

“Now is not the time for that! An abomination is about to be born! Pandemonium, are you going to troll right before a boss fight?”

Though grumbling, Marcello retracted his Halo at Fabio’s reprimand.

He didn’t like the fact that he was still effectively trapping Fabio with one arm, but as Fabio said, now was not the time to argue over such things.

“Fabio, do you know what that thing is? I will follow your instructions.”

“First, we have to stop it from being born! No matter what!”

Fabio continued his explanation.

That red veil was the amniotic membrane surrounding the fetus. Since it wasn’t a normal creature, forcibly splitting it wouldn’t kill the fetus inside, but rather cause it to be born prematurely. While its overall stats would drop, the buff the mother receives when the child is born as a ‘premature baby’ was the problem.

“The sicker and weaker the child is, the stronger the mother becomes… It’s a stupid rule, but that’s how it works, so you must never forcibly tear the amniotic membrane. [visit our site]style="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[stolen content]That’s likely exactly what they’re aiming for!”

If it were a truly important ‘birth,’ it wouldn’t take place in such a hastily prepared location. It is a golden rule—no, a universal law—that a delivery room is set up in a safe place that will not be attacked under any circumstances.

“…They probably realized that taking everyone they swallowed here to their holy land would cost more than it’s worth, so this is a culling process. They likely promised to give them birth again so they could possess their souls. Then, they just dump the ones they aren’t fond of in places like this. After all, they never promised when or where the birth would happen.”

“To cast their own children into a pit of pain and death simply because they aren’t to their liking! How barbaric and primitive; it is a horrific idea that anyone with even a shred of emotion could not conceive. May the Lord rain Heavenly Punishment upon them!”

“…Indeed. They are truly terrifying and wicked people.”

Fabio subtly averted his gaze, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the word ‘Heavenly Punishment’ in Andrea’s speech.

Athanas asked Fabio.

“Is there a way to prevent the birth without tearing the amniotic membrane?”

“The umbilical cord! We have to find the umbilical cord connected to it.”

If the umbilical cord is cut while the amniotic membrane remains intact, everything inside will lose its breath. While a forced birth could be initiated before the visit our sitefetus suvisit our siteffocates, it would put too much strain on the mother, making her own body weaker instead.

Having received a sufficient explanation, Athanas immediately began searching for the ‘umbilical cord.’

There wasn’t much time left.

Marcello Teres nearly tore the amniotic membrane while indiscriminately smashing walls and pillars, earning a scolding from Fabio.

“Don’t do anything and just hold that up! So it doesn’t collapse further!”

“Who cares what’s born? Can’t we just kill everything? Even with a maximum buff, I think I’d still be stronger.”

“Stop talking like the weakest and dumbest of the Four Heavenly Kings! You’re practically planting a death flag!”

‘If this is where the heretics would hide an important Sacred Relic…’

Athanas shattered the statue covered in flesh with his holy hammer.

Sure enough, something like pink flesh was wriggling inside.

‘They expected that I wouldn’t dare destroy the statue for fear of committing Sacrilege.’

As Athanas broke the statue, Andrea poured oil on the flesh and set it ablaze. As the umbilical cords disappeared, the amniotic membrane shriveled visibly.

Just as he had destroyed about half of the statues.

“Ah… to persecute my children like this.”

Something red descended from above.

Each strand of hair was connected to the amniotic membrane like a blood vessel.

It was a man with a face identical to the ‘crude clone of Nyapoleon’ that Athanas had seen.

If there was any difference, it was that he had the ears and tail of a beast.

‘Nyapoleon’ spoke while shedding tears.

“Fabio, why are you doing such cruel things to my children? Do you also believe that this world is nothing more than an illusion?”

“What kind of bullshit is that? You’re the one who drove them to death! Why create a womb in a place like this if you weren’t planning to get a destruction buff?”

“No, are you suggesting that the responsibility for being pickpocketed lies with the person who carried their wallet in plain sight? If you hadn’t killed them! These children would not have died! You murderer!”

“What the…”

Athanas shouted upon seeing Nyapoleon’s Halo wriggling ominously.

“Fabio! We have to get out of here right now!”

The one who reacted instantly to those words was Marcello Teres.

With his eyes wide open, Fabio was seized by an invisible string and dragged away. Simultaneously, the amniotic membrane, having lost the net supporting it, began to plummet toward the floor.

As the membrane tore, the sound of something splashing down echoed.

“Waaaaah!”

An unpleasant sound, like an adult man imitating a baby’s cry, rang through the Pantheon. What had fallen had a human shape, but upon closer inspection, there were many abnormalities.

Some had no noses, some had mouths split vertically, and some had the hands of newborns attached to adult bodies. The ‘premature babies’ could not withstand the shock of the sudden fall and wailed, vomiting blood.

Watching the grotesque scene, Andrea panicked, grabbed the Codex, and began running outside after Athanas.

“Fabio! You will eventually be held in your mother’s arms! You will be reborn as many times as you have killed! Ah, Mother! Please forgive me for failing to protect the children…”

The sobbing voice grew fainter.

The moment they burst out of the Pantheon.

The ominously wriggling membrane ruptured. An explosion swallowed all sound. With a shock that felt like a hammer striking his head, his body was flung into the air.

By the time he regained consciousness, he had rolled across the stone floor several times.

‘…Where is Fabio?’

He felt no pain in his pinky finger.

Athanas felt a sense of relief.

He wanted to confirm with his own eyes that Fabio was safe, but there wasn’t enough time. With less than a minute remaining, the Regression would trigger soon if he didn’t break the suggestion.

‘Still, for the last time…’

Just as he thought he wanted to see Fabio’s face.

“Athanas, are you okay?”

His hearing felt a bit muffled, perhaps because his eardrums were damaged by the explosion, but it was definitely Fabio’s voice.

Opening his eyes, he saw Fabio sitting beside him.

“Pandemonium only saved Andrea… Is anything broken? Are you bleeding anywhere?”

Perhaps because his head was spinning, his vision wasn’t clear.

“A bit closer…”

He thought he spoke normally, but his voice came out sounding like a leak of air.

Fabio leaned his head over Athanas.

Thinking Athanas had something to say to him, he listened closely.

“Athanas? Please, tell me.”

“…I just wanted to see your face one last time.”

Fabio’s eyes widened.

Athanas reached out to caress Fabio’s cheek, counting the numbers in his head.

Less than 20 seconds remained.

“One last time? What does that mean? Are you badly hurt? Do you feel like you’re dying? Did a rib break inside?”

A pale Fabio began fumbling over Athanas.

At that desperate sight, Athanas found himself laughing unconsciously.

“Don’t laugh! That really sounds like a death flag!”

But he couldn’t stop the laughter leaking out.

“Hahaha…”

Cough. He coughed.

Tasting blood in his mouth, it seemed his lungs were slightly damaged by the shock.

Had they said that just being near an explosion causes internal organ damage?

But he also recalled the instructor’s words: unless you’re vomiting a whole bowl of blood, you’re not hurt enough to die, so stop whining and get up and run.

“Athanas, blood!”

“I am fine. I’m not that severely injured.”

“Don’t talk! When the lungs, the lungs are damaged… the first aid for lung damage is…”

Athanas suppressed the urge to just pull the tearful Fabio into an embrace.

He didn’t want to feel the sensation of whatever was in his arms vanishing the moment the Regression triggered.

So, he would simply commit the sight to memory.

“Athanas…”

Fabio wore a determined expression and cupped Athanas’s face with both hands.

Fabio’s face drew closer and closer.

A dry, parched sensation was felt on his lips.

A beat late, Athanas realized those were Fabio’s lips.

In the unexpected situation, Athanas’s mind went blank.

A kiss?

Why?

Hadn’t Fabio not yet realized his feelings of love for him?

Soon after, something warm and moist brushed against Athanas’s lips.

Fabio lifted his head slightly and spoke, his face flushed red to the ears.

“Open… open your mouth.”

Why?

Athanas asked reflexively, but he received no answer.

The moment Athanas opened his mouth, Fabio kissed him again.

And then, the Regression triggered.

---

“…….”

Athanas stood blankly atop the bell tower.

Holding his fur hat tightly in his hand, he struggled to organize the overflowing emotions.

‘That was probably… an attempt to make me his Vassal.’

His reason, which had finally begun to function, provided a proper answer, but his violently racing heart would not settle.

It probably wasn’t an expression of affection.

Even if it had been Bishop Andrea who collapsed instead of Athanas, Fabio would have…

“…….”

Suddenly, his mood plummeted.

Not because he imagined Fabio pressing his lips against Andrea, but because he realized that the moment just now would remain only in his own memory.

The fatigue from using Regression hit him late. His body felt heavy, and Read on visit [Read on Read BL Novels]our siteRead BL Novelshe didn’t want to move an inch.

However, Athanas knew how to move without being swayed by emotion.

‘…First, I will destroy Mother God’s delivery room.’

If he dealt with it before the Pantheon became contaminated, he could finish it without much damage. His reunion with Fabio could be postponed until after.

No, it had to be postponed.

To find out the result of the ‘true random number generator,’ he had to stop by the Main Hall to acquire the Codex and then head to the Apostle’s Hall.

That would consume too much time.

‘Above all…’

He didn’t want Fabio to come to that dangerous place.

Athanas calmly organized his thoughts.

Seeing how they had filled the statues with filthy flesh, they must have prepared this long ago.

‘But they didn’t use it the first two times.’

What made the difference? Does Nyapoleon also have a Sacred Relic like the ‘true random number generator’?

He sank deep into thought, but that state did not last long.

“Athanas!”

Because Fabio was waiting for him at the bottom of the bell tower.

Fabio looked up at him, his single eye wide.

‘5…’

The dice had rolled a 5.

Fabio had come to the bell tower to find Athanas.

Athanas’s heart began to beat violently.

‘If I delay the timing of the Regression.’

This moment would continue to repeat.

Time and time again, Fabio would come here to find Athanas.

“Has the possession—no, the descent—been undone? Your body…”

“Shh. Hyung, did you forget that guy got NTR’d by Order? You have to be careful!”

“Fabio. I am fine.”

Marcello Teres unleashed his [visit our site][unauthorized copy]visit our site -->bloodlust and spread his Halo, but strangely, it wasn’t bothersome.

“Why are you grinning? You crazy bastard?”

“…Fabio, seeing that you are safe puts my mind at ease.”

Then, Telekinesis seized Athanas’s limbs and neck, pulling them in different directions.

It wasn’t a check; it was an attack intended to kill instantly.

Athanas immediately cut the invisible strings, but a graze remained on his neck.

“Pandemonium! Stop!”

“Hyung, that guy isn’t a Heretic Butcher, he’s a mimic. What do you mean ‘safe’? He’s missing an eyeball; does this look safe to you?”

‘…When he’s the one who gouged that eye out.’