Kevin's excitement at this moment was laced with a bit of personal—or rather, canid—sentiment.
After all, he was now fully justified in venting taboos he usually never dared touch or challenge, so he had to put a little extra heart into it.
"Woof!"
The Dark Moon Goddess spread her arms wide, and a blood moon cast its glow directly behind Karen, forming a backdrop that didn't appear very large.
Yet only someone standing within that backdrop could truly comprehend the feeling: the crimson light all around seemed boundless, holding you fast no matter how hard you struggled to escape its binding grasp.
The scarlet glow resurfaced in Karen's eyes. Deep within his soul, the largest dharma body—the one Kevin hadn't awakened—showed signs of stirring.
At this moment, the hunger addiction was at its strongest because it had seized control of Karen's consciousness; never before had it completely overridden his subjective will.
Yet it was also at its weakest, for its greatest vessel, the dharma body of the God of Order, had not yet awakened.
The last time Karen had suppressed the hunger addiction through extreme measures, the dharma body of the God of Order had served as the addiction's vessel; all the other entities within his soul had strained desperately to hold it down, and in the end, it was only thanks to that cleave from the Scythe of War that they had succeeded.
This time, as long as the dharma body of the God of Order remained silent, the hunger addiction would actually be much easier to subdue.
Kevin realized something was wrong as well. The black mist enveloping that dharma body was rapidly dispersing. If it awakened and joined the fray, the scales would instantly tip.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Kevin barked loudly, urging them to finish it quickly.
The dharma body of the God of Light hovered before Karen, shining the power of light down upon him to suppress him, and Karen's struggles immediately slowed.
The Scythe of War whistled into the air, slashing down toward Karen.
Just then, the phantom figure of Diss appeared, blocking the Scythe of War and forcing it back.
Outside, Alfred continued his prayers. His voice echoed around Karen, signifying that his devotion was able to penetrate Karen's heart in a unique manner.
"Young Master, you once said that Old Master Diss deeply regretted one thing: having chosen the wrong path in his youth."
"Young Master, you said that even the God of Order took the wrong path, and that you would not repeat his mistake."
"Young Master, have you forgotten our shared dream?"
With each of Alfred's prayers, the crimson hue in Karen's eyes began to fade. The anchor was demonstrating its worth.
*Boom!*
The true master of this realm—the dharma body of the God of Order, which was among Karen's many options yet his "sole" chosen faith—finally awakened, its colossal form descending behind Karen.
Yet right at that very second, Karen closed his eyes. When he slowly reopened them, clarity had returned to his gaze.
His gaze swept across the space before coming to rest on Kevin.
Kevin instantly shuddered. The dharma body of the God of Order mirrored Karen's movements completely, which meant the God of Order's dharma body was currently staring right at him.
He had previously felt that being sealed inside the body of a golden retriever made him pitifully weak, but now he genuinely realized that being a dog gave him an immense sense of security. It was far better than being meat on the chopping block.
Karen descended and landed before Kevin, asking quizzically, "Why are you a dog here too?"
Kevin: "..."
Initially, manifestations in soul space were supposed to reflect the soul's true form, shaped largely by the habitual projections of one's subconscious—meaning whatever you believed you should look like was what you became, essentially molding your own face by instinct.
Yet Kevin was still a dog.
Kevin lowered his canine head and began pondering the question himself. It had been the same back on Fire Island: he had been a dog carrying Purr while fighting a three-headed hellhound.
Purr had been a cat for over a century, but how long had he been a dog?
Could he already be... used to it?
However, Karen had another thought on his mind. He had lost control again, caught completely off guard.
Fortunately, the onset of the hunger addiction hadn't been well-prepared either, unable to mobilize the power of Order. Thus, while the relapse was heinous in nature, it had been snuffed out quickly.
Still, this underscored the severity of the problem. As his strength grew, the hunger addiction would expand alongside it. He needed to find a way to suppress it temporarily, or at least set up an early warning.
The Laks copper coin... Luoya.
He couldn't delay any longer. He had to retrieve the Laks copper coin lost in the sea. That way, Luoya could resonate with him through it and help him suppress the hunger addiction when necessary.
To put it rather coldly and selfishly, Karen wouldn't place all his hopes on Kevin entering his soul to rescue him every time. He preferred trusting a little girl like Luoya. Like Kanna, because she was young, she was purer... well, easier to fool.
As for Kevin, if a golden opportunity ever presented itself, Karen wouldn't be surprised in the least if the dog turned on him. He wouldn't even hold a grudge, since he would have given him the opening himself.
After all, this dog had been capable of speaking like Purr right from the start. Choosing to "woof, woof, woof" was just a ploy to lower Karen's guard under the guise of a golden retriever.
Of course, nowadays he genuinely seemed to prefer "woof, woof, woof."
...
In reality, Karen woke up, and Kevin opened his eyes as well.
Man and dog looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Kevin opened his jaws and released Karen's wrist, leaving behind a faint set of tooth marks.
Karen shook his wrist and walked over to Little Kanna. Even after Karen deactivated the master-servant contract's effect, Little Kanna remained kneeling on the ground, glaring coldly at him.
"Sigh."
Karen sighed and knelt down before Kanna as well, gently taking the little girl by the arm.
"I've been fighting it all along. It's just that, as you saw, an accident happened. I was ambushed, and it was let loose. That wasn't the real me."
Kanna said nothing.
Karen could only continue, "Remember the vow I made to you at the beginning? This was what I meant. If one day I lose that fight, lose myself, and become like that, that's when you must swallow or kill me to set me free."
Kanna still remained silent.
"I'm sorry. I can't promise this will never happen again. In fact, it most likely will. So I will do everything I can to suppress and resist it, and you... had best get used to it."
Sitting nearby, Neo looked on with confusion in his solitary eye: *You're a fucking genius at apologizing!*
What kind of apology was "I'm sorry, I was wrong, but I'll do it again in the future, so please get used to it beforehand"?
Kanna stood up and nodded.
Neo was stunned: *Damn, it actually worked!*
The head of the Reconnaissance Department had previously thought Karen's methods of managing subordinates were learned from him, modeled after his Hound Squad culture. Now Neo realized that Karen was naturally an expert in this field.
Just look at Alfred, look at Philomena, and finally look at this little bone dragon he had just taken under his wing.
All different personalities, with the latter two being especially difficult to deal with, yet Karen managed to smooth them all over effortlessly.
Neo could only curse internally: *Those who play mind games are truly filthy!*
Having comforted Little Kanna, Karen walked over to Alfred. Wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, Alfred smiled at Karen.
"Young Master, the High Priest is truly worthy of being the High Priest. He swept us all off our feet in an instant, leaving us no chance to fight back."
"Mm." Karen didn't offer Alfred any apologies; there was no need for such things between them. "How are your injuries?"
"A bit severe, but better off than theirs."
"Focus on recovering."
"Yes, Young Master, I understand."
Karen then checked on Philomena and Ventura. Both were gravely injured and unconscious, but neither was in mortal danger.
When Morindi controlled the undead summon Norton earlier, she had genuinely held back, only defeating them without killing them.
This made it impossible for Karen to hate her when his gaze fell upon her remains once more, even though she had played a dirty trick on him right before dying.
If she hadn't happened to trigger Tyrannus's forbidden curse, Karen would likely be gone by now.
Karen murmured, "Am I a bit foolish?"
He had always prided himself on never being indecisive or leaving loose ends, yet this time he had suffered for going soft and staying his hand. If he had incinerated her outright back then, none of this trouble might have happened.
Alfred reminded him, "Young Master, you do not need to blame or second-guess yourself. At least in this matter, I believe you did nothing wrong, because..."
"Hm?"
"Look at it from another angle. When you stood upon that heart, wasn't that already a final trap set for you by this Grand Necromancer?
"She had no intention of going on living. Whether you burned her to death with the Fire of Light right then or not wouldn't have changed anything—in her final moments, she could still trap you with the formation inside the heart and sacrifice her life to unleash the forbidden curse upon you."
"Heh, yes, you're quite right. I feel much better already."
He had stepped into the trap long before. Whatever choice he made, whether it appeared to be foolish mercy in hindsight, had made no practical difference.
"Therefore, please don't brood over it, Young Master. I also agreed with your decision back then, because she truly could have killed me, yet chose to stay her hand."
"Alfred, you really are a comforting warm jacket."
"Er..." Alfred took a moment to grasp the metaphor, and a broad smile immediately spread across his face. "It is merely my duty, Young Master."
Karen crouched down beside Morindi's corpse. Alfred walked over from the spot where the summon Norton had melted, picking up a dark green ring. Crouching beside Karen, he said, "Young Master, this ring..."
"A sacred artifact?"
"No, just an ordinary piece of jewelry. But since it was used on that summon, it must hold special meaning. For people like them, an ordinary personal item is often the most precious."
"What do you mean?" Karen sensed something.
"I believe we can bring this ring back to complete the mission, Young Master. We don't necessarily have to take her body back. As for her corpse... we can keep it."
"Keep her corpse?"
"Didn't you say before, Young Master, that we have plenty of empty coffins at home, and if she needed one, she could lie in it? You decided very early on to have her lie in a coffin."
"Alfred."
"Yes, Young Master."
"I never thought of that. When I said that, it was merely polite banter to strike back at her."
"Then what are your thoughts now, Young Master?"
"I still haven't decided."
"In truth, the reason you feel tricked and chose to stay your hand back then is fundamentally because you didn't consider her an opponent.
"Not because her strength and ability were unworthy, but because facing each other in life-and-death combat felt meaningless to you.
"I think if Inquisitor Pavaro had seen light power within you back in the day... he would have come to arrest you as well."
"You're comparing her to Inquisitor Pavaro?"
"She indeed possesses that trait. Our group came to kill her, yet she selectively spared people among us because she couldn't bring herself to do it."
Alfred paused, then looked at Neo. "Head of Reconnaissance should agree with my suggestion, as he had far more interaction with this Grand Mage than any of us."
Neo closed his eye, refusing to play along.
Earlier, Neo had misstepped twice in a row, but from another perspective, that only proved this Grand Mage was far from what an ordinary "enemy" was supposed to be. Treating her as an enemy was precisely why he had misread her actions time and again.
However, Neo had no intention of advising Karen to keep her either, because she was prone to trouble. She was starkly different from the two lying in Allen Manor and the one waiting to move out of the underwater tomb.
Those three coffin tenants had no ties to the Church of Order; they were merely awed by Karen's identity and future prospects. Even if Karen abandoned the path of Order for another, it wouldn't make any difference to them.
Morindi, however, was different. She was a devout believer in Order, leaning toward fundamentalism. Expecting to turn her into a simple minion at your beck and call was unrealistic, because she would hold you to the standard of the "God of Order" in her heart.
If you yelled to the little bone dragon, "Above Order, there should be no god," the little bone dragon would get excited with you. But try shouting that at Morindi—she might turn on you on the spot!
This was also what Karen was worried about.
So, faced with Alfred's strong recommendation, Karen said, "She's someone who could even betray the High Priest."
Even the High Priest's personal charisma couldn't override her faith; could he?
Alfred said, "Young Master, we can secretly transport her remains back first and place her in a coffin at Allen Manor without rushing to awaken her. Later, once we find a way to reconcile her faith with our conflict, we can awaken her.
"Besides... what do we have to lose? There are so many empty coffins; letting someone temporarily lodge in one does no harm—it's merely granting a temporary residency.
"Even taking a step back, even if she never becomes an official occupant of the twelve coffins, if we encounter a threat in the future that directly endangers the Church of Order—aligning her stance with yours—and we need her abilities, awakening her temporarily then should still find her willing to help."
Karen laughed. "Alfred, are you truly that confident in yourself?"
"Of course, Young Master. This is my duty."
"Then... let's take her remains."
"Yes, Young Master."
Afterward, Karen and Alfred first brought the injured up to the surface. Then Karen returned down alone, using the Fire of Order to incinerate and scour the area inside and out.
Feeling that wasn't enough, he used Order Purification to "disinfect" it once more.
He believed someone would certainly be sent to inspect this place in the future, and Commander Da'an himself might even revisit the old grounds, so the cleaning had to be thorough.
Morindi's remains were wrapped in robes of Order. Aside from her head, which looked normal, the rest of her body had shriveled severely. Alfred simply folded her torso to make it easier to carry.
Upon receiving its orders, the giant ladybug began trundling obediently toward the main city without requiring anyone to steer it—an old ladybug knew the road.
Karen sat in his seat, with Neo lying on his side beside him. Neo blinked several times to hint that Karen should adjust him into a more "dignified" position, but Karen ignored him completely.
Between constantly channeling soul power into Neo to maintain his body's basic functions and casting healing spells on Philomena and Ventura, Karen had his hands full. While the two weren't in fatal danger, Karen didn't want their injuries to worsen and leave permanent disabilities.
Little Kanna and Kevin sat together, chatting.
It was mostly Little Kanna barking "Woof!" repeatedly, while Kevin would glance at Karen first before replying with a single "Woof."
On the outskirts of the main city, a colossal military encampment appeared. The banners of the Knights of Order hung high, an aura of grim austerity suppressing everything.
A falcon knight lowered his altitude, circling above the ladybug. Karen showed his identification. Once the knight reported back, a squad of knights soon appeared. The lead knight delivered the order: Karen was required to enter the command tent alone to meet Da'an, while Karen's wounded subordinates would be settled on the camp's perimeter to receive treatment from the army priests.
This was a very favorable outcome. The skill of the Order's army doctors was among the highest in the entire Church of Order.
Karen was led alone toward the command tent. What he saw as he passed through the camp gave him a sense of primordial power—yet "primordial" was not a derogatory term here; it meant true, unadulterated strength.
In particular, the rows of giants hauling war machines created an immensely awe-inspiring scene.
This was no mere posturing. Real war was imminent: Order intended to weaken the Church of the Crypt's Dragon and Sage lineages.
Moreover, Karen noticed that many of the camp's installations were not temporary. Some large defensive arrays, for instance, utilized top-grade materials. Did the Church of Order plan to maintain a permanent garrison here after this operation?
Karen walked into the command tent. Da'an was seated inside, holding a document in the middle of reviewing it.
"Lord Commander."
Da'an put down the document, looked up at Karen, and asked, "Is she dead?"
Karen nodded, producing the ring and opening his palm.
"She's gone."
Chapter 643