Chapter Sixty: The Inverted Cross
Accumulating enough slaughter points is by no means an easy task. Even with Ellie as a formidable ally, Fan Li has faced countless dangers, brushing against the very edge of death itself. This is not a game, but reality; once death comes, everything is drawn to a close.
Fan Li long ago saw through the essence of survival—it is to grow stronger, to possess the power to destroy every threat.
"Draw!"
Without hesitation, Fan Li uttered the command in his heart.
A cryptic, indistinguishable voice once again echoed in his ears. In addition, he caught a fleeting glimpse of a room filled with miscellaneous items. This time, however, the vision flashed by, and a cathedral appeared before him.
It was a wholly white church, crowned by a towering cross. Inside, a dozen or so worshippers huddled in their robes, but instead of serving God, they now wore expressions of abject terror.
Fan Li could not make out their faces; he only saw their trembling backs, murmuring incantations, as if fearing some unknown horror.
"I saw them, and all creation fled before them, leaving no home to return to. I saw the dead, both great and small, judged according to their deeds. If anyone's name was not found in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
"Evil will destroy the wicked; those who hate the righteous will be condemned."
A multitude gathered, their prayers seemingly resisting some nameless terror.
Yet all of it was unsettling, mysterious in the extreme.
Boom!
A thunderous sound rang in Fan Li's ear, as if he now stood within the cathedral itself. The doors were shattered by an unknown force, followed by the harsh scraping of metal across stone. Then a gigantic figure appeared behind the congregation.
Its head was encased in a massive iron helmet—a triangular pyramid, its rear edge short, its front edge long, completely enclosing its features.
Just a glance at that sharp-angled, razor-edged head filled one with instinctive pain.
It stood at least two meters tall, its upper body bare, lower half clad in an apron like those worn in slaughterhouses, feet bare. In its hand, it gripped a massive broad-bladed knife, reminiscent of the ancient executioner's guillotine. Such a blade would be impossible for ordinary men to drag, yet in its grasp, it was wielded like a samurai sword, scraping along the ground as it advanced, carving gaping fissures into the marble floor.
The indescribable monster seemed newly awakened from its tomb, unaccustomed to the gait of humans. Each step twisted its joints into grotesque shapes; the triangle iron helmet pitched forward, the wrist holding the blade bent back, legs shuffling awkwardly ahead.
Yet even so, Fan Li felt as if his throat were gripped by an invisible hand, his breath growing ever more labored.
Suddenly, his vision turned blood-red. He glimpsed blood and limbs flying everywhere, shrieks and prayers echoing in his ears. Confronted by such terror, the worshippers were powerless; their crosses slipped from their hands, falling to the ground and being stained by crimson blood.
"Ha..."
The vision vanished, but Fan Li gasped for air like a drowning man. He had gained some experience summoning Ellie, yet this second draw left him utterly shaken by what he had seen.
More terrifying still—
Before Fan Li could recover, a piercing, blaring air raid siren erupted in his ears. The noise appeared abruptly, without warning. The bright noonday sun instantly faded, plunging everything into darkness.
Even with night vision, Fan Li could not pierce this shadow. When the siren stopped, the world was shrouded in complete blackness.
He had already spent three days in this house after straining his ligaments. Careful by nature, he had placed all possibly useful supplies within reach.
A flashlight lay by his pillow. Feeling his way through the darkness, Fan Li reached the bedside; he had to figure out what was happening around him.
Click!
He pressed the flashlight, restoring his sight.
"This is..."
Though Fan Li had seen many horrors in the apocalypse, the sight revealed by the flashlight stunned him.
The room, once relatively tidy, had decayed in just a few seconds of darkness—walls peeled away as if the house had been abandoned for years or even longer, assaulting his senses with ruin, rot, and decay.
Clang!
A familiar sound rang out. Fan Li's spine stiffened as he turned the beam toward its source.
A familiar gigantic figure appeared before him. Unlike the vision, the monster in reality stood with its back to him; beneath the triangular iron head, a huge mass of flesh bulged from the nape, and its spine bore countless stitched scars.
It was like a horrific doll—a creature sewn together from disparate bones, limbs, and skins!
It seemed a demon sprung from hell, radiating a chilling aura of darkness. Even though it had not turned, Fan Li felt the evil, brutality, and sin emanating from its form, spreading slowly through the room.
This being seemed the ender of light; when it appeared, all life would perish—even the walls, lifeless as they were, could not escape its touch.
Fan Li stared, entranced, when his palm suddenly burned. Looking down, he saw that his once-empty left hand now held a cross pendant. But unlike other crosses, this one was blood-red and inverted!
Immediately, blood-colored characters appeared before his eyes:
Item acquired: [Inverted Cross]
Note: It is the judge and punisher of human nature, the embodiment of pain itself. It appears from the night, wielding a broad blade to slaughter all who desecrate the darkness. To summon the Butcher, you must drip your own blood onto the inverted cross, or calamity will ensue.
[After the host's blood is dripped, the inverted cross will create a sanctuary circle about half a meter wide; outside the circle, the Butcher will ignore allegiances and purge all indiscriminately!]
[Favorability: 10]
[Cannot be controlled or commanded; feeding food is recommended to increase favorability!]
[To the Butcher, you are merely an unkillable stranger; when summoning, never lose the inverted cross. If the item vanishes, the Butcher will attack indiscriminately!]
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