Baron caught the Annihilation Stone, and Yalilan added, "The instructions are a bit demanding. Once you start injecting Spiritual Power, you can’t interrupt the flow. If you do, it’ll explode. Make sure you get out of range before you detonate it."

’Doesn’t that mean I have to project my Spiritual Power and maintain it for a long time?’ Baron remarked, "This thing is pretty hard to use."

"Not for a Blood Demon Hunter," Yalilan said.

Baron exchanged a look with Carmen, who stood behind him with her face hidden by her hood.

Just as Baron was about to ask another question, Yalilan produced another Annihilation Stone. She pressed it against the barrier on the altar—a shield formed by the Immortal Blessing, just like the one they’d encountered with Baron Camberra.

It detonated with a BANG.

The barrier... it actually cracked!

Baron yelled for Zod and Maguire, asking as they all started running, "How is that possible? I thought an Annihilation Stone could only seriously injure someone at the Bronze Tier at best! How could it shatter a Blessing Barrier that can stop even the Silver Tier?"

Yalilan spun her long saber, the flat of its blade reflecting the six-headed monster on the altar—the creature that was once Kazela. Judging by the writhing scars on its body, it might have originally been intended to have twelve heads.

Behind her, several elite Demon Hunters, led by Andre, were already closing in.

She explained, "Because I laced the Annihilation Stone with Holy Blood from the Blood Church and Holy Water from the Black Moon Church."

’Damn,’ Baron thought. ’So she’s just starting an all-out brawl, is that it?’

Led by the Witch, Baron sent an Undead Cultist guarding the altar’s passage flying with a single slash. He, Zod, and Maguire then plunged into a pitch-black corridor that seemed to lead into the Abyss.

The moment the passage door automatically swung shut behind them, Baron glanced back. The last thing he saw of the outside world was Andre slicing off one of the six heads of the monster that had once been Kazela.

It looked like Louis’s head.

They continued deeper into the earth through the tunnel. Baron took the lead, with Carmen and Maguire in the middle, and Zod guarding the rear.

Maguire glanced at Carmen, who was sticking close to Baron’s heels. After a moment’s hesitation, he hurried up to Baron’s side and whispered:

"L, are you sure this is okay?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"What’s the problem?"

Baron cautiously scanned the corridor, on guard for any potential traps or ambushes.

Maguire glanced back at Carmen. "I’m talking about Miss KK," he said. "She’s just a girl, and she clearly isn’t a Demon Hunter. What are we going to do if she runs into danger following us in here?"

’Tough luck, I guess.’

Baron replied, "My mission is to escort KK, which means I stick to her like a shadow. Besides, she doesn’t need us to worry. She’s not as weak as you think."

’Quite the opposite, in fact. She’s much stronger than you could possibly imagine.’

Baron scoffed internally. ’The infamous Dragon Witch of the Inner Side. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of her?’

However, ever since meeting Carmen on Prole, Baron had taken the time to research her in libraries and consult with experts about the identity of the Dragon Witch.

In stark contrast to the Inner Side, Prole had many famous Witches, both in the present and throughout history—the Sad Witch, the Forgotten Witch, the Rose Witch... yet the Dragon Witch was conspicuously absent from all records.

On the other hand, there were plenty of records about Carmen’s supposed fiancé, Silver Wizard Fei. His most famous exploit was banishing the last Giant on Prole to Far North Suluka, an act he performed alongside his teacher, the Palmer Witch Master of the Wizard Country, and Kuman, the Tower Master of the Wizard Tower.

But as for Carmen, or her name in this world, KK, no one knew of her at all.

A name as renowned as the Dragon Witch on the Inner Side was so obscure here it was as if she didn’t exist.

As they advanced, Zod announced he could smell a strong stench of blood—from at least ten people, by his conservative estimate.

Maguire sniffed the air and confirmed he also smelled a rank, foul odor.

Baron’s own sense of smell was gone when it came to blood, but his eyes narrowed. Even without their warning, his exceptional hearing had already picked up the sound of faint chanting coming from further down the tunnel.

As they drew closer, it wasn’t just Baron anymore. Zod and Maguire could hear the chanting as well.

"The union of the Immortal and the Corrupt shall bring forth eternity..."

"They’re praising the Immortal Goddess," Baron muttered. "Talk about perfect timing. I don’t care if Ferdinand is down there or not, chanting stuff like this right now can’t mean anything good."

Baron said, "We need to move faster."

"You shall become the flawless one, the Master of Taboo who leads the gods in their return..."

"The Master of Taboo?" Maguire said while running. "Isn’t that the eighth Old God who, according to legend, is supposed to appear after the Seven Gods?"

’The Master of Taboo? What Old God is that? I thought there were only seven Old Gods?’

Baron had made a point of systematically studying Prole’s mythology and history at the library, but he’d never heard of such a deity being counted among the Seven Old Gods, who represented the apex of godhood.

Baron said, "And from the sound of it, the cultists are praising the Immortal Goddess, as if she could *become* the Master of Taboo. What’s that all about?"

"The Master of Taboo is the final god prophesied by Destiny to one day be born on the Prole Continent."

This time, in a rare turn of events, it was Carmen who answered him.

"He will wield the First Law, the Taboo Law, and complete the final step in the Seven Gods’ sealing of the Great Lord."

"What step?" Zod was the one who asked this time.

Carmen said flatly, "To make the Great Lord and all the other gods a Taboo that is never spoken of, so that they are forgotten forever."

"Gods can never be truly destroyed, because the Laws they command continue to operate in the world. And as the faith of mortals empowers them, they gradually begin to reawaken."

As he ran, Baron commented, "Sounds like this Master of Taboo is basically a janitor."

Just as he said that, Baron braked to a sudden halt, dodging a blade that shot out from a crack in the tunnel wall ahead.

If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, the blade would have wounded him.

Maguire reached in and dragged out the person hiding there—two trembling cultists.

Zod pulled off their hoods. He stared at their faces for a moment, stunned, before one of his long eyebrows shot up.

Maguire and Baron, who had moved closer to look, froze as well when they saw the faces.

They knew these two.

They had just seen them at the banquet in the City Lord’s Mansion the night before last.

They were the parents of Kazela, the boy who had been transformed into a monster on the altar. It was Mr. and Mrs. Kazela.

As soon as they were recognized, the couple dropped to their knees and begged for mercy, claiming they hadn’t meant to attack, they were just terrified.

Maguire frowned and asked what they were doing here.

Mr. Kazela stammered for a moment before saying, "We’re... we’re looking for our son."

"Your son?"

Maguire’s expression darkened, likely because he was thinking of their son, Kazela—the one on the altar who had been turned into a monster by the ritual and was currently keeping the other Demon Hunters occupied.

"If you’re looking for your son, then what are you doing down here?" For once, the usually slow-witted Maguire asked a sharp question.

They had only gotten into this underground passage within the altar by killing the guards at the entrance. How could the Kazelas, a helpless, ordinary couple, have possibly infiltrated such a critical area?

Mr. Kazela shot his wife a look. She understood and began to wail from her knees, "I didn’t want Kazela to become one of the Undead... so..."

"So you decided to just sacrifice your son instead, is that it?"

The Kazelas’ expressions changed instantly. They opened their mouths to say something, but Demon Hunter L just smiled and put two bullets in them, sending them on their way.

Maguire was still wondering why Baron had suddenly attacked when Zod gestured for him to look at the Kazelas’ bodies.

He didn’t know what to expect, but what he saw gave him a jolt.

The Kazelas’ bullet wounds... they weren’t bleeding!

They were Undead, too!

He looked at Baron, who just shrugged.

"The poppy pattern on their robes was brighter and more intricate than the standard ones. I figured they had to be high-ranking within the cult. You can’t just grab robes like that from the pile back at camp. Besides, all their panicked whining was a dead giveaway."

"What do we do with them? They’re Undead, after all," Maguire said. "It’s a shame we don’t have any Canaan Tree Spikes, or else..."

He trailed off.

Because he saw Carmen casually conjure a ball of Fire from nowhere and toss it onto the couple’s bodies. The two corpses immediately began to writhe.

Then, like dancing monkeys in a circus, they scrambled to their feet and ran burning toward the end of the tunnel.