*Chapter 53: The Caged Bird!*

Morey's voice was filled with despair, causing Goethe to furrow his brow.

He had never seen Morey in such a state.

Not even when he was gravely injured.

Not even when Puri died.

Morey had always maintained his composure as the official extraordinary leader of Lust.

"What is the 'Flesh Gate'?"

Goethe pressed on with his questioning.

"The 'Flesh Gate' is a summoning ritual that, through the sacrifice of a million lives, allows the 'Lord of Flesh' to return to the mortal realm. There are 300,000 people in Lust right now. If they were sacrificed, even if the true 'Lord of Flesh' couldn't descend, a projection of the 'Lord of Flesh' would definitely appear. At that point..."

Morey replied, his face filled with guilt.

"I should have realized it when I saw those bodies!"

"Damn it!"

"Why did I use the 'Tracking Wind'? It made me so indifferent!"

Morey growled under his breath.

Goethe, however, returned to the ruins, grabbed Kael, and ran back to the carriage, throwing the young man into the compartment. After shutting the door, he sat directly in the driver's seat.

The 'Flesh Gate'!

The 'Lord of Flesh'!

Neither of these were things he could deal with.

Especially the latter's 'descent'. Since it required the sacrifice of lives, Lust must be teeming with the 'Preying Squads' of the 'Flesh Church'.

And there would certainly be no small number of them.

Even though his [Unarmed Combat] had reached an extraordinary level, Goethe had no confidence in facing so many 'Preying Squads'.

So...

Run!

"Wait for me!"

Shira moved swiftly and jumped beside Goethe, sitting close to him just as he settled into his seat.

"Hyah!"

Goethe shook the reins.

The carriage immediately set off, racing out of Lust.

...

"Mine, Goethe's, mine, Goethe's, I..."

Thud, thud thud!

The knocking interrupted Swart, who was in his office counting his recent earnings.

He opened a drawer, swept all the gold tickets inside, shut the drawer, and then sat up straight.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Sheriff!"

"Lord Goethe asked me to inform you to lead a team for support!"

His subordinate's voice came from outside.

"Got it!"

"Gather a team and bring weapons!"

Swart said, standing up with a hint of excitement.

More extra income!

Even if he had to split it with Goethe, it was still better than his usual earnings!

Thinking of this, the sheriff couldn't wait to gear up and prepare to head out.

Then, he felt the office suddenly "brighten," bathed in a crimson light.

Instinctively, Swart looked out the window.

"What the XXX!"

"What the hell is that?!"

The sheriff caught sight of the 'Flesh Gate' slowly rising, and the sight scared him so much that he jumped up.

Swart swore that in his thirty years of life, he had never seen something so terrifying.

Even Goethe's recent adventures weren't as terrifying as the thing in front of him!

The countless piles of flesh and bones, accompanied by the occasional eerie wails like those of the undead, made Swart feel a bit damp below.

Instinctive shivers!

Instinctive fear!

Then, instinctively, he thought—

"Could this thing have something to do with Goethe?"

As Swart thought about it, his face instantly turned grim.

Although he didn't know what this thing was, his survival instinct told him that if he wanted to live, he had to stay far away from it... no, he had to escape from Lust altogether.

But...

What about Goethe?

"Goethe must have a solution!"

"He's so smart and powerful!"

"Even if I bring reinforcements, it won't do any good against something like this!"

Swart tried to convince himself.

However, just as he was rushing out the police station door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Swart hesitated, but finally, he gritted his teeth and ran towards the chief's office.

In the police station, there was only one telegraph machine.

It was in the chief's office.

He needed to inform the higher-ups responsible for the supernatural about what was happening here.

But why?

At this point, Swart didn't even know why he was doing it.

Maybe he thought it would help Goethe and make him feel better?

Or maybe he thought it would give him a better chance of survival?

Or...

Was it just a momentary lapse in judgment?

In any case, Swart did it.

Then, when he came out of the police station again, he started to regret it.

The station was already deserted, and the carriage at the door was gone.

It was clear that everyone wasn't stupid; faced with something so terrifying, they all chose to follow their biological instinct: to flee as quickly as possible and try to run faster.

"Damn it!"

"How did they all run so fast?!"

Swart cursed loudly.

Then, he began running on foot towards the outskirts of Lust.

But after running less than two hundred meters, he had to stop, panting heavily.

Not just because he was tired.

But also because someone appeared in front of him.

It was the owner of the Pine Hotel: Stevens.

Thanks to his position as a sheriff, Swart recognized him.

"Hello, Mr. Stevens."

Swart greeted him while trying to move to the side.

But as soon as he moved a step, the owner of the Pine Hotel also took a step, continuing to block Swart's path.

Instantly, Swart's face turned bitter.

He couldn't help but recall what Goethe had said before.

"Could this door-like thing be the work of this guy?"

Swart speculated.

"It's not my doing."

The owner of the Pine Hotel spoke directly, startling Swart.

Is this mind reading?!

Sweat started to bead on Swart's forehead.

"Don't worry, I can't read minds."

"It's just that your expression was too obvious."

"I heard you're a friend of Goethe's?"

The owner of the Pine Hotel continued to ask.

Swart immediately waved his hand.

"No, no, no!"

"You've misunderstood!"

"It's just because of my duties that I have to work with Goethe!"

"We're not close at all!"

The sheriff declared repeatedly.

"Oh?"

"You're not friends with Goethe?"

"I've met him, and he's a good man."

The owner of the Pine Hotel sighed, as if in regret, and then saw Swart nodding repeatedly.

"Yes, he's a very good man, and a dear friend of mine. Although we haven't known each other long, we're already life-and-death companions!"

The sheriff said, puffing out his chest.

"Is that so?"

"That's perfect."

"I need you to do me a favor."

The owner of the Pine Hotel smiled.

Seeing that smile, Swart had a bad feeling.

The sheriff immediately changed his tune again.

"Actually, we're not that close, just acquaintances, at most we nod when we meet, and beyond that, well..."

Unfortunately, before the sheriff could finish, the owner of the Pine Hotel knocked him out.

The owner picked up Swart and disappeared in a flash.

Meanwhile, Goethe was driving a carriage, about to leave the city of Lust.

But his face had turned grim.

On the road leading out of the city, there were piles of flesh.

The kind that looked like dumpling stuffing.

Mixed in were bits of cloth, wood chips, metal, and more.

But more importantly, while one side of the road was piled with flesh, the other side leading to the outskirts was completely clean.

As if an invisible wall separated the two.

A bad thought arose in Goethe's mind.

At that moment, a carriage sped past Goethe, racing straight out of Lust. The driver was panicked and focused on escape, not noticing anything else. The next moment—

Bang!

When the carriage touched that invisible boundary, it and the people on it were instantly shredded as if they'd passed through an invisible meat grinder.

"Damn it!"

"The 'Church of Flesh' has sealed off the entire Lust?!"

Shira exclaimed in disbelief.

Then, she immediately said.

"Hurry, let's go!"

"Before the 'Predator Squad' starts a city-wide search, we need to get to my 'safe house'."

(End of Chapter)