“Dodge.”
The Abyssal Berserk Lizard-Wolf received the command. Its thick hind legs kicked off the silver-sand-covered floor, its massive body pulling into an afterimage as it skidded forcefully to the left.
BOOM—!
Almost the next second, a basin-sized Dark Moon Fireball slammed into the spot where the Lizard-Wolf had just been. The violent mana blasted a deep crater into the stone floor, sending gravel and dust flying in all directions.
Bennis held his New Moon Scepter high, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
“Come out! You charlatan witch!”
But in the next moment, the Lizard-Wolf pounced from a cunning angle.
Bennis’s eyes widened. He quickly performed an Emergency Flash to relocate, turning back to hurl a New Moon Strike.
But the witch’s shadow was no longer there.
Such incredible combat techniques. This was not the skill level of a summoner or a charm caster.
A sense of unease gradually swept through Bennis’s heart.
Although the opponent wasn't casting any spells and was only using her mount to circle him for now...
There was no guarantee she wasn't saving her mana, waiting for the mount’s stamina to deplete before getting down to fight his second phase.
To be able to control a mount so flexibly, Bennis didn't believe she didn't know how to fight herself.
Dammit, I need to conserve mana.
Bennis found the situation troublesome.
Sophie also found the situation troublesome.
【Log: [New Moon Bishop Bennis] used [New Moon Strike] on you.】
This Bishop named Bennis... is strong.
Her mount’s duration was running low.
And the mount’s health bar was dropping faster than its timer.
This is supposed to be a starting area. Why is the gatekeeper boss so strong?
Sophie had only wasted time earlier because she thought she could use her mount’s stats to crush the beginner boss in a second.
Now, this cult Bishop, who could take on twelve Mid-tier Cultists while focusing on her, could easily serve as a mid-game main story boss in the game.
Who replaced my Soldier of Godrick with a Draconic Tree Sentinel?
This was simply not an enemy her current stats could defeat.
Sophie made a decision immediately.
Complete the transformation ritual first.
The Monster Transformation Ritual was advanced knowledge that would only be gradually mentioned in the mid-to-late stages of 《Red Moon》. Players could transform themselves into monsters to gain racial template bonuses, though they had to bear corresponding costs.
From zombies and skeletons to Death Knights, Vampire Lords, and Liches—everything was available. However, once the transformation was complete, one could not turn back into a human, and they would also have to suffer various interpersonal relationship penalties as a price.
However, although the means to obtain it were in the late game, if a player knew the ritual process themselves, they could manually perform it in-game—it just wouldn't be an automatic, one-click transformation.
Memorizing the process was not a difficult condition for Sophie, who prided herself on being a hardcore stat-focused player.
The Monster Transformation Ritual also had extensive material requirements.
The reason she chose the Vampire transformation was that it only required blood, unlike the Lich, which required specialized stat drops to create a phylactery.
Sophie had taken this into account.
The only issue was that without the corresponding ritual knowledge, all descriptions of the ritual would appear as “???”
But it didn't matter.
Sophie didn't understand it, but someone else did.
【Log: [New Moon Bishop Bennis] used [New Moon Strike] on [Mid-tier Cultist A].】
“Mid-tier Cultist A, sacrifice position one,” Sophie said to a block of color. “Move.”
Although she didn't know the names of these A, B, and C cultists, the system would automatically translate her words into their names.
As soon as her voice fell.
“For the Goddess’s thirty-eighth child!”
That Mid-tier Cultist lunged toward a specific spot without hesitation.
He happened to meet a giant wind blade head-on.
Squelch!
The sound of tearing flesh rang out. The wind blade cut the cultist in half at the waist without suspense, spraying a rain of blood mixed with organ fragments onto the ground.
“Mid-tier Cultist B, go to sacrifice position two, expend all your mana, and take your own life.”
“By your command! My Goddess!”
“Well done,” Sophie praised internally without any emotion. “Mid-tier Cultist C, sacrifice position three. Commit suicide exactly three seconds after B dies.”
“Mission will be accomplished! My Goddess!”
“The rest of you, come and protect me.”
“As you command, Goddess! To think trash like us would have such an honor? Hey, don’t push me...”
“Madmen... You’re all fucking mad! Have you forgotten your oaths to the Moon Goddess? What are you all saying?!”
Bennis watched helplessly as his subordinates, who had once sworn loyalty to the Moon Goddess, threw themselves like moths to a flame into his spells to sacrifice themselves.
She didn't need to cast any magic, nor did she need to chant any incantations.
These people would willingly offer their lives for her.
She was more of a cultist than the cultists themselves!
A deep sense of helplessness and the resulting frenzy almost swallowed Bennis.
Meanwhile, Sophie, surrounded by a group of cultists, began to chant using her Mambo-distorted voice.
“I am no longer a creature walking in the sunlight; I am no longer a sprout nurtured by the earth.”
That strange voice, combined with her emotionless, beautiful face, was incredibly eerie.
“I am willing to let my pulse stop at this moment; I am willing to let my breath turn into a hollow sigh. Here, I personally strangle that weak self; within this cold shell, I await the desire that has never been extinguished.”
The temperature in the hall was dropping at a speed that defied logic.
Seeing this scene, Bennis had long thrown away any thought of conserving mana.
A monster. The being before him was undoubtedly a creature of the Abyss.
If... if he let this Abyssal creature leave.
The entire world would undoubtedly face a storm of blood and gore.
This was a truth that even a cultist would understand.
“Witch! Cease your insolence!”
He raised his scepter, and a blinding white beam of light, powerful enough to pierce through solid steel, shot straight toward Sophie’s heart.
But a Mid-tier Cultist blocked his path.
The man spread his arms, a grotesque smile stretching across his face, as he leaped toward the lethal beam of light.
“Blood is life.”
The beam instantly pierced his chest. His body expanded violently in mid-air before exploding into a mist of blood and shredded meat.
“Blood is the path.”
Another nearby Mid-tier Cultist followed behind him, using his body to block the residual shockwaves from the beam, his form subsequently torn to pieces.
Even in death, their faces were filled with smiles.
The red liquid pouring through the air did not fall to the ground according to the laws of gravity.
After hanging in the air for a moment, the blood turned into countless thin red threads, frantically converging toward Sophie’s body.
Sophie tilted her head back slightly and opened her bloodless lips.
That pure blood belonging to high-level professionals, that red nectar containing fanatical faith and soul fragments, flowed down her cheeks and into her mouth.
She was devouring it.
Her originally fair skin began to turn pale, revealing a sickly crimson hue.
“Here, I offer my warmth in exchange for immortal frost; here, I offer my soul in exchange for eternal thirst.”
“I pray to the Original Blood Ancestor, the Usurper of Life, the Shadow in the Chalice, the God Unbound by the Mortal World.”
Dammit.
Bennis released another spell.
And the surviving Mid-tier Cultists lunged forward again, turning themselves into human shields.
“For the Goddess!”
The magical energy blew the cultists away, but it lacked the power to continue through them.
Sophie slowly opened her eyes.
Within those eyes that were originally as brilliant as amethysts, only an endless scarlet remained.
Her small canines also began to transform into fangs.
The eerie Mambo sound effect rang out again.
“The flesh can no longer imprison my life; time shall no longer take my youth. The gods loathe my existence, yet I shall not be covered by dust, nor held by death.”
Sophie revealed a smile.
And the cultists crowding around her all revealed smiles as well.
Their eyes were bloodshot and bulging, and the flesh on their faces was distorted from extreme excitement.
Everyone spoke in unison: “Blood is life. Blood is the path. Blood is me!”
BOOM—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—
The mana-filled bodies exploded one by one, turning into a mist of blood that filled the air.
——Now.
No one was left to take a hit for this monster.
Bennis seized the opportunity and swung his scepter, pouring in the maximum amount of mana.
A thick beam of magical power shot toward Sophie at the center of the magic circle.
The Lizard-Wolf lasted only a tenth of a second before evaporating.
With a bang.
Sophie was blown to pieces.
Rate on N.U.
