Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Seeka pulled the trigger, aiming at the slumbering Haynes. Six silver demon-hunting bullets, infused with the Evernight Goddess's blessing, slammed into Haynes's corrupted body.
"Ahhh!"
Haynes jolted awake with a heart-wrenching scream. The flesh struck by the bullets instantly turned black, like decayed wood struck by lightning, and began to crumble. The blackness spread rapidly, collapsing his skin and muscle. Clutching his abdomen, he dropped to his knees, curled into a ball—and stopped moving.
He's dead, right…?
Klein thought nervously.
Clink, clink…
Seeka ejected the spent casings with practiced ease, reloaded, and strode forward. Her muzzle pressed directly against Haynes's head. She wasn't about to take chances—she intended to finish him with another round of demon-hunting bullets.
But just as the barrel touched his skull, Haynes suddenly lifted his head.
"Praise the Lord."
He grinned with a crazed smile.
Something beneath his black robe stirred. Only when Seeka was close did she see it clearly—two human faces, one large, one small, grotesquely embedded in his chest and abdomen. Their distorted features twitched and writhed, radiating congealed agony.
With Haynes's prayer, the two faces opened their mouths simultaneously:
"Praise You, my Lord,Your will shall be done on earth,As it echoes within our flesh and blood…"
The words were in a tongue beyond description corrupted, blasphemous. Their mouths opened and closed in unison, spewing an insane, discordant hymn.
Boom!
Klein's mind exploded in pain. It was as if a bomb had gone off inside his skull. For a moment, everything went blank. When clarity returned, he found himself on the ground, blood dripping from his nose to his chin, his head ringing with agony.
What the hell…
The chant still reverberated, sharp and unbearable. Forcing his head up, Klein saw Seeka sprawled on the floor, blood at her nose and mouth, unconscious. She had been closer to Haynes her mind had taken the brunt of it.
Now, in the hall riddled with bullet holes and scattered flesh, only Haynes remained standing. The wounds from the demon-hunting bullets had already healed, and the two faces beneath his robe continued their chanting.
He spread his arms wide, eyes burning with fanaticism.
"This is the supreme power of the Lord! I received His revelation in my dreams!"
Holy crap…
Klein cursed silently. He tried to rise, but his body refused to obey. The corrupted language stabbed at his brain, leaving his limbs weak and numb. If he hadn't already adapted somewhat to the whispers above the gray fog, he would have fainted like Luo Yao.
Between verses of the prayer, the two faces spoke in broken cries:
"Darling, please stop…""Daddy, it hurts so much…"
Klein noticed Haynes's expression falter at the voices. For an instant, pain flickered across his features. But it vanished almost immediately, replaced with frenzied ecstasy.
"Hahahaha… This is… this is the Lord's grace! Now, our family can be together forever!"
Tears streaked Haynes's face. His joy was desperate, deranged, as he caressed the twisted faces on his abdomen. Their agonized wails meant nothing to him only fuel for his fervent prayers.
This lunatic… he sacrificed his wife and child?!!!!
Klein's scalp prickled. Disgust and rage surged inside him. Whatever mask of humanity Haynes had once worn was gone—he was nothing but a monster.
After mumbling fervent prayers, Haynes's gaze shifted. He looked at the fallen Luo Yao, eyes glinting with hunger. His mouth split open grotesquely to the ears, sharp teeth glistening with bloody mucus.
"Daddy, I'm so hungry…""Darling, let's eat her…"
The faces urged him on in unison.
Oh no!
Klein's heart seized. Haynes was going to devour Ms. Seeka! He had to act.
But the chant's corruption pinned him down. His body was useless. Helplessly, he watched Haynes squat, jaws widening toward Seeka. Desperation burning, Klein gritted his teeth and whispered:
"Blessed life…"
Bang!
A sharp crack rang out, drowning his words. An ornate teapot flew across the hall and smashed against Haynes's head.
"Die!"
A roar followed. A figure rushed past Klein, crossing the hall in a heartbeat, and swung a heavy cane in both hands. The blow landed squarely across Haynes's face.
Splish!
It was the sound of smashing fruit, of crushing flesh. Haynes collapsed backward, his face grotesquely dented.
Klein blinked in shock. The figure was Galad ,the very man they were supposed to be protecting.
"Scream! Scream for your mother!"
Galad's eyes were bloodshot. Blood streamed from his nose and ears. Snarling, he raised the cane again and again, pounding Haynes's head into pulp. Blood splattered his face and arms, sizzling on contact with his skin, yet he did not stop.
"Ahh… Praise the Lord…"
Haynes moaned through broken teeth. The two faces on his abdomen opened their mouths once more.
"Look out!"
Klein shouted a warning, but it was too late. A shrieking tide of corrupted words erupted, hammering the room with psychic force. Klein, still prone, reeled from the aftershock, his vision blurring, head splitting.
Through the haze, he saw Galad freeze.
"Heh heh…"
Haynes's mangled face twisted into a smile. "You… have the Lord's ...."
He never finished.
Galad's boot crashed between his legs.
Crack!
The sound was sharp, brutal. Even Klein winced, cold sweat beading at his temples.
"What's wrong? Shouting so loud?didn't your Lord protect your dick?"
Galad sneered, lifting his leg for another savage kick. Blood poured from his ears and nose, but his gaze was clear, his will unshaken.
—
Here's why Galad appeared at that moment.
He had never intended to entrust his life entirely to others. After hiding his sister Cecilia, he had slipped out of the lounge, hiding behind a partition to observe. The earlier fight had been fierce, and neither Nighthawk had noticed him. Haynes seemed aware of him, but was quickly pinned down.
At first, Galad was safe as an observer.
But when Haynes awakened the faces beneath his robe, the corrupted chanting nearly broke his mind. Just as collapse seemed inevitable, he felt once more the vast, ethereal ocean he had glimpsed after drinking the potion. Tides of unseen force buoyed his mind, shielding him from the worst of the corruption.
Even so, that strange resistance was fading. The cool tide was ebbing away. If Haynes wasn't stopped soon, madness would claim him.