Want to Catch a Ride?

"Hiss."

The sound of a blade slicing through the air came from behind. Another ghoul had caught up, its five sharp claws swiping down like five daggers.

Ahead was the ghoul he needed to finish off, and behind him were the claws threatening to tear him to pieces. Lynch did not hesitate for a second. He pressed his body as far forward as possible, concentrating all his strength into his cane, and drove it fiercely into the wounded ghoul.

Lynch felt it first. Although he had tried to press his body close to his target to put distance between himself and the claws behind him, he could not fully escape their reach. He felt a chill on his back, followed by a tearing sound. A wave of warmth trickled down his back, and it felt as if his strength were flowing out of his body along with it.

There was no sensation of pain, but Lynch's heart sank. He knew he was in danger. He had read in novels that being injured without pain was far worse than feeling it, as it meant the injury was severe enough that the body had to secrete massive amounts of adrenaline to compensate.

This is a serious wound. I am done for.

But at that moment, the cane pierced into the ghoul before him, entering through its neck and thrusting upward, skewering its brain.

The ghoul in front stiffened, its limbs convulsing violently. After two low groans, it went completely still. At the same time, a strange sensation emerged. Lynch felt a foreign object in the palm of the hand gripping the cane, as if something had been stuffed inside.

In a flash, he caught a glimpse of a sphere the size of a ping pong ball in his hand. It felt half ethereal and half solid, emitting a faint, bloody red light.

What is this?

Lynch suddenly had a flash of insight and realized the origin of the object.

It was the special effect of The Passion of the Blazing Lady: Blood Extraction.

Instinctively, he tightened his fingers. It felt like squeezing a water balloon—soft with a hint of elasticity—but with a little pressure, the red ball burst. A flash of red light enveloped Lynch, and he felt a searing, warm current surge from his palm, sweeping through his entire body in an instant.

His spirit became hyper-excited, as if he had taken a stimulant, and his body felt warm. His back, in particular, was burning hot. The strength he had just lost clearly returned in abundance. Using this surge of power, Lynch twisted his body, slipped beneath the claws of the enemy behind him, and nimbly circled to the ghoul's back.

"Boom."

Miss Valente, eyes reddened, stepped forward and fired her shotgun directly into the ghoul's back.

"Mr. Levive, hold on, I am coming to... eh?"

A wave of inexplicable heartache had just welled up in her chest, and before she could even show a sorrowful expression, she saw Lynch jumping around, having circled behind the ghoul. As he passed, he even kicked the ghoul in the back, sending it sprawling onto the corpse of its companion.

"Are your wounds alright?"

Miss Valente looked relieved and immediately supported the staggering Lynch. She stared at the three large tears in the back of his clothing, which looked like three gaping mouths, surrounded by blood. Fortunately, the wounds did not look too deep, though his skin appeared pale.

"Not good. In fact, very not good."

Lynch felt energetic now, but his eyes burned and he was consumed by an unbearable thirst. Seeing the wounds on the ghoul's back made him want to pounce and suck on them, but the blackish-brown pus oozing from the ghoul's wounds was so disgusting that he barely restrained his craving for blood. He pulled Miss Valente up and fled, not even bothering to finish off the other ghoul, because cracking sounds were already coming from the corridor ahead. Any further delay would surely lead to being caught in a pincer attack.

However, just as they started moving, a tearing pain erupted from the wound on his back. His pace slowed, and the figure of another ghoul lunged out from the depths of the temple.

"I'll handle this."

The wound had made Lynch's evasion slightly slower. Seeing that he could not dodge the ghoul's attack, Miss Valente suddenly accelerated, placing her body in front of Lynch to block the ghoul's path.

Caught off guard, Lynch collided with her, nearly knocking her over. But a realization struck him; he understood her intent. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her tight against his chest, and pivoted his body to press his back against the wall.

Bang.

At the moment the ghoul pounced, the light of the Shield of Piety exploded outward. Although the light shield was shattered instantly, the ghoul was also knocked back by the rebounding force.

On the other side, Lynch let out a muffled groan. Although he had channeled the impact into the wall with his preparation, his chest felt tight as the force acted upon him. Stars danced before his eyes, and his back wound flared with searing pain again.

"Don't do that. We aren't at the end yet; there's no need for self-sacrifice."

Lynch, his face twisted in pain, loosened his grip on Miss Valente. He spun, and his cane transformed into a multi-segmented whip, lashing out toward the direction they had come. The range and power of the serrated whip were truly formidable; the ghouls pursuing them were struck head-on and sent rolling into a heap on the ground.

"I know. I'm just buying time. Hold on."

Miss Valente had even dropped the honorifics. Before Lynch could realize what he was supposed to hold on for, she slapped a hand onto his wound. Finally, from the area around the wound—whether it was muscle, organ, or bone—a piercing pain and itching sensation suddenly emerged, as if millions of ants were crawling inside.

【Divine Authority, Compassion, Ability, Rapid Healing.】

Activating physical potential, sacrificing hundredfold consumption for hundredfold wound healing speed.

Lynch could not suppress a scream and barely held himself back from rolling on the ground. Miss Valente had already hoisted him onto her shoulder, and taking advantage of the fact that the ghouls ahead hadn't fully awakened, she dragged him toward the underground depths, throwing two orange conical bottles behind her as she turned.

Lynch felt as if he had seen the crimson moonlight once more.

The intense stimulation lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like he had been tortured for a thousand years. He felt as if he had nearly returned to the embrace of the Red Moon. Once the sensation finally faded, he relied on his own strength to stand steady: "That was intense, I... holy crap."

As soon as he stood still, he heard the sound of glass shattering from behind—the bottles Miss Valente had thrown. Before Lynch could realize what was happening, a scorching heatwave hit him from behind, accompanied by a deafening, piercing explosion.

The two small bottles had triggered a massive explosion. The pursuing ghouls collided head-on with the point-blank blast and were sent screaming back the way they came, temporarily unable to threaten them.

What on earth does this girl carry on her? Does she have a third ability called 'money power'?

Just as this thought crossed Lynch's mind, the heatwave reached them. However, the shockwave in this direction was much gentler; it merely shoved them forward, boosting their speed to the maximum.

There is hope. The explosion cleared the path.

A flicker of joy rose in their hearts, and hope kindled. But before they could even smile, a series of cracking sounds suddenly merged into one, echoing from the depths of the corridor.

Oh no, it seems the heatwave accelerated the ghouls' awakening.

Disappointment followed hope. No sooner had the cracking sounds ceased than over a dozen ghouls charged out from the depths of the corridor. Meanwhile, hidden within the green light, no one knew how many more enemies remained.

This is trouble. With this many enemies, if they get close, surviving three seconds without being torn apart would be a miracle.

Lynch sighed deeply. Seeing Miss Valente reach for two more bottles of explosive mystery medicine, he realized this would not solve the fundamental problem. He knew he had to use his trump card.

He only had one. He had intended to save it for when he truly faced an avatar of Mordiggian. Activating it now was a gamble; if there wasn't enough time left at the end, it would be a disaster. But there was no room for further thought. Before the ghouls could close in, behind him rose... hmm?

Just as he was about to activate it, a sudden, intense feeling of unease welled up in his heart. His glabella throbbed with pain—his intuition was screaming a warning.

It was as if a silent roar were erupting from the depths of the corridor.

Before his conscious mind could even process it, his body reacted instinctively. He scooped up Miss Valente and rolled, quickly tumbling into the corner of the corridor.

The next moment, a giant tentacle condensed from green mist roared out from the depths of the corridor like a steam engine. The tentacle occupied more than half the corridor, knocking everything in its path aside, and then brushed past their backs, its tip stretching toward the entrance.

Their hearts nearly stopped in terror. They exchanged a pale-faced glance, both realizing that this was likely a part of the avatar of Mordiggian. It seemed this thing hadn't even fully awakened yet; it paid no heed to the two sacrifices and was instead rushing toward the front for reasons unknown.

Wait, sacrifices?

Lynch suddenly realized he had just killed a ghoul, and then this thing had burst out.

Could it be that every 'person' who dies in the temple becomes its food, regardless of whether they are a sacrifice or a believer?

If that is true, perhaps... there is still a chance.

Crouched in the corner with Miss Valente, Lynch's mind raced. He whispered into the noblewoman's ear: "I have a risky idea that might get us to our destination safely. Do you want to gamble with me?"

"We have already come this far together; what choice do I have?" Miss Valente huddled behind Lynch, her expression tense but resolute. "What do we do?"

"You high nobles must have never hitched a ride before."

The green-mist-shrouded tentacle had stopped extending and was now retracting at the same lightning speed. Lynch curled his lips and whispered:

"Want to catch a ride, Miss?"

The next moment, the tentacle, carrying the ghoul Lynch had killed, swept rapidly over their heads.