He was already so pitiable; treating him like this truly felt a bit inhumane.
However, Karen had always been kind-hearted. He didn't want Bishop Dolph to depart burdened with regrets and confusion. Letting him go with full clarity was, in its own way, an act of kindness on Karen's part.
So, as a thoughtful gesture to help him quickly see the truth and clear up any lingering doubts, Karen took the initiative to add:
"I've also cleared up everything regarding your son, Dalis."
"It was you!"
The flames of fury in Bishop Dolph's eyes flared to life. Suddenly, everything clicked, and the clearer it became, the angrier he grew.
From the business with Pavaro to his own summoning of the great entity, this young man before him had directly intervened through it all!
He was a devil—a devil sent specifically to persecute their Norton family!
Bishop Dolph let out a low growl, looking noticeably better than the state of total decay he had been on the verge of moments earlier.
And that was indeed the case. When Karen had used his grandfather's phantom to completely purge the incipient sprout and rootlets Dolph attempted to leave behind, most of that power had been squandered and dissipated, but a small portion had flowed back into Bishop Dolph, restoring a good deal of his strength and invigorating his spirit.
Bishop Dolph realized this as well. Immediately, he rose from his chair—both his form within Karen's conscious space and his physical body in reality stood up from the seat.
Yet he had already been invited inside and brought under Karen's control. Even if he had reabsorbed a fraction of the power he had tried to "bestow," how could he pose any real threat to Karen?
Karen had already told him that those close to him considered him very prudent; how could he possibly make such an amateur, careless mistake?
Besides, this was Karen's home turf, and Dolph had let down all defenses and measures to walk in of his own accord.
Seated in his chair, Karen raised a hand. The next moment, a rusted Chain of Order surged from beneath Dolph's chair, locking straight around Dolph's neck and yanking downward, slamming him back down into his seat.
In reality, Dolph, having just stood up, dropped back into his seat as well.
Feeling the terror radiating from this Chain of Order wrapped around him, Dolph glared at Karen once more, though the fury in his eyes began steadily draining away.
Once past that initial surge of raw emotion, he began to realize something: the identity of this young man before him.
Deep within his conscious space—which was to say, in the depths of his soul—rested a phantom left behind by a Temple Elder.
Even when dealing with their direct lineage, most Temple Elders were unwilling to do such a thing, as it exacted an enormous toll upon themselves.
"You are from a Temple Elder's family?"
"Close enough, I suppose. Though my grandfather would certainly hate that title, I can't be bothered to explain much to you."
"Why target my Norton family? Why?!"
"No particular reason. If you walk along a muddy road and get mud on your shoes, wouldn't you naturally brush them clean once you get home?"
"Bern doesn't know your identity. I can sense it. Otherwise, he never would have left you to me. Heh, if he truly knew your talent and your background, then doing this would have been utterly idiotic—he would have thoroughly offended someone he shouldn't."
Karen nodded. "Indeed. Bishop Bern doesn't know."
"Wolflen must know."
"Actually..."
"Yes, Wolflen definitely knows! He knows your identity, which is why he never lifted a finger against you even when rumors spread about a romantic affair between you and his grandson's fiancée!
I even heard he arranged for his own grandson to join your squad.
So it turns out he was the clearest-headed of all, heheh."
Karen knew that Head Bishop Wolflen didn't know either.
How should he put it? When Neo spread the gossip about him and Her Highness Ophelia back then, the young man's grandfather, as one of the parties involved, hadn't used his authority to suppress him. That was simply because the man possessed self-restraint and principles.
This could also be seen in Leon. Both were scions of prominent families, but Leon was far more normal and humble, whereas Vicolai was an outright fool.
Still, Karen couldn't be bothered to explain.
"There's something I hadn't originally planned to ask, but since the opportunity is here, I might as well. You may choose to answer or not.
Do you know Madame Felsher?"
"Madame Felsher? That old crone from the cursed family? I don't know her."
"I see."
Whether he asked this question or not hardly mattered; asking was merely to be certain. From the looks of it, Madame Felsher's "transmission" to Mr. Dalis had likely been secretly guided by Grandfather, and Madame Felsher had no other ties to the Norton family.
In that case, things drifted toward another of Karen's hypotheses: Mr. Dalis was very likely an experimental subject chosen by Madame Felsher.
She was Grandfather's test subject, and she, in turn, had chosen a test subject of her own.
Except Grandfather had succeeded long ago—because Karen himself was Grandfather's masterpiece.
No,
wait.
Karen suddenly thought of another possibility. Grandfather's enduring patience and restraint, continuously suppressing his own realm without hesitation, and even detonating something as incomparably precious as a godhead fragment without the slightest remorse—all of that seemed almost too unburdened, too free and easy.
Coupled with the tragic deaths of his "parents," and the blood sacrifice ritual Grandfather used to extract the faith pathways of the other family members to leave entirely to him... had Grandfather gone through something in the past?
The reason he could turn a curse into a blessing... could it be that he himself was a bearer of the curse?
Karen blinked, feeling his thoughts growing somewhat tangled. Whenever it came to matters concerning his grandfather, he always unconsciously overthought things.
He had never doubted Diss's love and care for him, and precisely because of this mutual acknowledgment, putting himself in his grandfather's shoes naturally made him empathize all the more.
*Hum—*
Right at this moment, Dolph rose from the chair once more, black flames igniting across his body.
The bishop had abandoned his role of "being suicided." He wanted to resist, because he believed Bern would be immensely interested in the secrets this young man held!
Jolted back by Dolph's movement, Karen looked up, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes. Almost unconsciously, he uttered:
"Impudent."
As if instantly imbued with life, the Chain of Order binding Dolph coiled tighter like a giant black python, not only intensifying its constriction but also beginning to break down Dolph's soul. And the next step after breaking it down was... devouring it.
*Thud!*
Bishop Dolph was forced back into his chair yet again. Staring in terror at the horrifying chain around him, he cried in disbelief:
"What is this?! What on earth is this?!"
He loved devouring human souls, and his grandson—or rather, son—Vicolai, had picked up the same habit from him, devouring others to infuse himself. But that sort of infusion was like pouring water into a cracked bottle; no matter how much was poured in, the level would always fall below the crack.
Yet Dolph discovered to his astonishment that the chain's consumption was converting his soul with exquisite precision, refining it into the purest essence. It could reinforce the bottle, and even expand its height.
By comparison, what he and Vicolai did was like gathering pebbles by the roadside, whereas Karen was paving a road with gold bricks. They might look similar on the surface, but in every conceivable aspect, they were not even on the same plane.
"If you spare me, my Norton family is willing to defect to your side and pledge our loyalty to you!"
Karen lowered his head. One hand pressed firmly against his forehead while the other rose, waving outward.
The Chain of Order binding and feeding on Dolph was forced to halt. From its far end came a sense of deep dissatisfaction and grievance, scratching at Karen's heart like countless cat claws.
Fuck!
Here it came again!
That sensation had returned!
Karen felt utterly helpless. Not long ago, Bernie's treatment had stimulated the craving deep within his soul, triggering an episode during Vicolai's execution.
Yet he hadn't devoured Vicolai—first because he found him filthy, and second because mosquito legs wouldn't fill a belly; eating him wouldn't stave off the hunger anyway.
He had supposedly braved through that ordeal by sheer will, even if his stomach remained empty. But this time, when Dolph turned what was meant to be an intimidation into a bestowal, the entire process was akin to burning tobacco while making a heavy smoker stand right downwind as gusts blew smoke back and forth across his face.
To Karen at this moment, it was fresh hunger piled right on top of old hunger.
Without even giving Karen time to buffer or react, it yanked at his consciousness, beginning to gradually "take control" of him.
Fighting this craving was Karen's natural choice. So long as you refused to be its slave, you had to restrain and master it.
However, Karen's momentary slackening sent a false signal to Dolph, who immediately cried:
"The Norton family will serve you with all our hearts! From top to bottom, every one of us is willing to be your most loyal hound!"
A dark red vortex began swirling in Karen's left eye. He scoffed, "Even that entity didn't deign to acknowledge you, which proves your Norton family isn't even worth keeping as dogs."
"No, I still have value! My family has value too! I—"
Before Dolph could finish, he felt the loosened chain suddenly tighten around him once more.
In the distance, seated in his chair, Karen seized his hair in both hands like a madman.
*You want me to devour again? Then I refuse to devour!*
The next instant, a scene beyond Dolph's wildest imagination unfolded: the phantom of the old man clad in the Temple Elder robes actually reached out and pressed down on Karen's shoulders, as if placing him under arrest.
From Karen's throat, increasingly heavy, ragged breaths escaped.
Immediately after, Dolph's eyes widened. An even more terrifying spectacle emerged: a woman in a red dress appeared behind Karen, likewise reaching out a hand to pin down his shoulder.
Who this red-dressed woman was, Dolph had no idea. But he could feel the aura emanating from her—even if it was just a faint wisp, it was an aura of supreme sovereignty, the aura of a god!
"You aren't a believer of the Church of Order!"
*Deep in your soul, there actually exists faith in another deity!*
*No, but the old man is indeed wearing the robes of a Temple of Order Elder... what is going on here?!*
*Creak... creak... crack...*
Karen gritted his teeth. One hand unconsciously slid down, gripping tight at his chest.
In reality, where Karen stood motionless, a series of crisp snaps echoed from his ribcage—the place where the God's bone had first integrated.
"Who on earth are you?! What kind of monster are you?!" Bishop Dolph couldn't help roaring.
Yet Karen didn't have the slightest spare energy to answer him. He even found him gratingly noisy—he was actively suppressing the urge to eat him, and as "food," being this loud at such a time was truly infuriating!
"Aaaargh!"
Karen let out a low roar and slowly began to rise.
Diss and the Dark Moon Goddess behind him couldn't suppress him. Of course, what needed suppressing right now wasn't Karen himself; they—everything here—were parts of Karen's soul, and what needed holding down was the hunger addiction inside Karen's heart.
They possessed no self-awareness of their own; it was Karen who directed them to restrain him.
Unfortunately, this wasn't home. Karen had once asked Alfred to craft a sealed coffin so he could lie inside and isolate himself whenever an episode struck; at Purr's request, Alfred had even prepared two of them.
Right now, however, there was no coffin, and the "meat" that was Bishop Dolph sat right before Karen.
*Hum—*
A door materialized before Karen.
At first, Dolph thought it belonged to the God of Order, as the door radiated a dense aura of Order. But soon, he realized something was off. As a regional bishop, he had some breadth of knowledge; the patterns carved on this door did not belong to the God of Order, but... the Gate of Samsara!
The Gate of Samsara split into two halves and reconvened around Karen's sides, transforming from a door into a set of stocks, shackling him.
"What is this... the aura of the ocean? The Sea God Church?!"
The Sea God's Armor appeared, turning into manacles that bound Karen.
Karen's body, which had been on the verge of standing, was forced down once more. Yet this suppression failed to hold for long.
"Ahhh..."
Amid ragged, rapid breaths, Karen rose to his feet once again.
A beam of light shone down upon Karen. The towering silhouette of the God of Light appeared at Karen's side, reaching out to press a hand against his forehead, and Karen's body sank slightly back toward the seat.
Bishop Dolph: "..."
Far off in the corner, Thousand Phantoms curled into a ball, trembling all over. It desperately wanted to heed Karen's summons and go suppress him, yet it didn't dare. It felt that compared to those terrifying beings, it had no right to appear in their presence.
Then, Thousand Phantoms turned its head and looked at the phantom of Progenitor Allen, who was lingering in the same spot.
*Whew, that's better.*
Finding someone just like itself, Thousand Phantoms felt comforted.
...
Detention center of the York City Region Whip of Order Headquarters.
Dalis lay on the floor, dense grey runes surfacing across his body while the very last wisps of fluff on the dandelion hovering above him were peeling away.
He could already sense an unseen power embedding itself into him.
It was a wondrous sensation, for it didn't grant raw power directly, but rather instilled a deep hunger. When it acted upon you, you could attain even greater power and growth, as if both body and soul were embracing a brand-new metamorphosis!
Soon, Dalis smiled, because the final tuft of dandelion fluff drifted free.
It was finally happening. After waiting all these years, success was finally within reach.
The Norton family had fallen, but a new Norton family would be rebuilt by his hands.
Yet Dalis's smile froze, because the fluff that had just drifted away actually flew right back to the dandelion.
What did this mean?
Then the fluff drifted off again.
Immediately after, it flew back.
It drifted off again,
and flew back again;
drifted off,
and flew back.
"Aaaargh!!!"
Dalis couldn't help letting out a roar of sheer agony and torment. He felt his body enduring the torture of being forcefully injected and violently drained, while his soul and consciousness suffered an excruciating tearing sensation.
What on earth was going on? The family was caught between ruin and non-ruin? How was that possible?!
As the strongest and highest-ranking living member of the Norton family, Bishop Dolph held the peak of the family's fortune and served as its bedrock; only if he collapsed could the Norton family truly be considered fallen.
Reasonably speaking, the simplest way was for Dolph to die, or even if he didn't die, for him to be utterly disgraced—either would suffice.
However, because of Karen, his alternating between devouring and not devouring affected far more than just the ownership of Dolph's soul power. Anything involving "gods" carried an unfathomable mystery.
If Karen devoured him, the culmination of this curse would be naturally claimed by Karen.
As Karen battled back and forth between devouring and not devouring, it directly swayed the final destination of the curse's outcome, dragging Dalis—the designated beneficiary—into this excruciating purgatory along with him.
"I can't take this anymore...!"
...
"I can't take this anymore..."
Karen let out a low roar. Flames of Order surged around him, and the phantom of faith belonging to the God of Order materialized, almost entirely overlapping with Karen's figure.
After all, Karen walked the Path of Order. The laws of Order were bound to be the most potent within his soul, and this hunger addiction stemmed entirely from the rules of Order.
Dolph was completely stunned out of his wits—utterly, completely dumbfounded.
At this point, he didn't even harbor the slightest desire to break free and spread the news, because he knew that even if he ran to the Church Affairs Building and screamed at the top of his lungs, nobody would believe him. They would only think he was babbling nonsense, that he had lost his mind!
Because he was looking at:
A Temple Elder, an unknown deity, the Gate of Samsara, the Sea God's Armor—oh, and Light... the God of Light! All of them working together to suppress the God of Order!
Chapter 531