Chapter 66. The Prophet of the Red Flesh (2)
Among the conflicting identities within the abomination, Owen’s was the most dominant.
Owen’s main target was Isaac, with a sole agenda: to eliminate him. Yet, he strategized methodically.
His plan’s crux was to trap Isaac and then merge with him through direct contact.
‘Fuse his body with mine, make him mine.’
It was a nastier choice than just killing, yet strangely satisfying to take control of the knight of the Holy Grail, who he had respected. So when Isaac threw a punch, Owen was confused yet amused at his foolishness.
As Isaac’s tentacles burst out of his hand, shredding and crushing Owen’s, he smirked.
All that was left for Isaac was to meld into the mass of the abomination.
“Ooooooh!”
The abomination had devoured Isaac’s left hand, creeping up to his elbow. Even as he was consumed, Isaac observed it calmly.
Owen found the unwavering gaze unsettling, but figured it wouldn’t matter once he had devoured that face too.
The realization that something was off came with a gnawing hunger.
‘I’m hungry.’
It was a weird feeling.
A strange thought had invaded a mind that should have only been filled with anger and the urge to kill. Even as it absorbed dozens of people and Isaac.
Despite having engulfed up to Isaac’s shoulder, Owen was surprised by the ravenous hunger.
Then, Isaac spoke.
“Eating just anything can cause trouble.”
The abomination squirmed.
Suddenly, Owen noticed his body wasn’t responding as he wanted. His once massive frame, capable of pushing walls aside, had significantly shrunk.
Something was seriously wrong.
The abomination instinctively tried to retreat. It was a primal instinct to survive, overpowering the urge to kill.
Enraged, Owen tried to command the abomination to attack Isaac again but realized it was futile. The abomination couldn’t move from Isaac’s shoulder or continue the assault.
Only a fiercer hunger remained.
Only Isaac understood what was happening within the abomination. He felt the hunger he hadn’t satisfied in a long time slowly being satiated.
‘Autophagy.’
The process where cells consume their own proteins or unnecessary components for energy.
That was occurring within the abomination.
The abomination believed it had absorbed Isaac and his tentacles, but in truth, the opposite was happening.
The tentacles had seized control from the abomination, initiating autophagy.
Just to have a regular meal.
“Aaaaaah!”
Owen realized this too late and writhed in an attempt to escape. But control over the abomination had already completely shifted to Isaac.
The wills of dozens of humans were easily dominated by a transcendent and powerful will directing them.
It was more straightforward, more brutal, and more basic than the will possessed by the abomination.
An insatiable hunger that couldn’t be sated or appeased.
Owen screamed, trying to break free.
But he couldn’t.
Because the mouth he could scream with was already consuming itself.
Soon, the abomination was torn apart by the tentacles and absorbed bit by bit.
It took less than 10 minutes for Isaac to fully autophagy the abomination.
Isaac appeared disproportionately bloated compared to what he had consumed, so the actual amount was less than it seemed.
But after devouring to such an extent for the first time in months, he felt quite full.
Then, a message appeared to Isaac.
[‘Abomination’ has been largely devoured.]
[‘Devouring’ perk enhances consumption efficiency.]
[‘Physical Fusion’ perk fully obtained.]
‘Full mastery of physical fusion capabilities… This is more beneficial than anticipated.’
Isaac felt kinda thankful to Owen. Testing out his tentacles, he realized that while he couldn’t fully absorb someone’s flesh like the abomination, he could shape his tentacles into different forms.
“Adding teeth or horns of a beast could come in handy.”
Now that Owen was out of the way, it was Raela’s turn.
That’s when Isaac glanced back and saw he was up against a tough opponent.
All that was left where Hesabel should’ve been was a wet bloodstain.
***
The pre-dawn darkness was deep.
Dragged to the castle walls by Raela, Hesabel could see Raela’s red eyes even in the darkness. The red eyes, with multiple pupils shining, were visible in the dark.
The Prophet of the Red Flesh was looking through Raela’s eyes at her.
With an eerie creak, Raela grabbed Hesabel’s neck and lifted her. Raela’s body was lifeless, moved by the will of the Prophet.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Given where you come from, it’s kinda expected.”
Despite Raela’s words, Hesabel couldn’t shake off self-contempt.
As Isaac devoured Owen, Hesabel heard whispers. It was the Prophet of the Red Flesh speaking.
She squeezed Hesabel’s blood, triggering the Red Prayer. Hesabel couldn’t resist; her strength couldn’t match an angel’s divinity.
“The blood in you is from Gulmar. And Gulmar’s blood flows from the Red Chalice. Even if your heart wavers, will your red blood turn blue?”
“You talk a lot.”
Raela remained expressionless, lacking the energy to change it. Hesabel smirked.
“Scared of losing your flesh?”
The Prophet tightened her grip, not intending to kill immediately.
“Flesh gives you power on earth! But to embrace it, you must honor the Red Chalice… Are you trying to tempt me again?”
Hesabel revealed the Prophet’s plan. Raela’s body contained unmatched power compared to Owen’s.
It was not about Raela’s dying shell, but about losing this power.
The Prophet intended to leave Raela’s body for Hesabel.
Raela’s lips curved in slight displeasure.
“You understand the importance of being my proxy. Any missteps can be forgiven. The House of Gulmar will commend you for consuming an angel’s flesh. And also.”
Raela’s jaw widened, revealing a large piece of flesh emitting a seductive aroma, tempting everyone.
“You know how delicious this is.”
The enticing scent promised by the Red Chalice was about simple pleasure, different from the temples of light and truth, or the battlefields of glory and honor with Elril. Just pure, tempting pleasure for all.
Hesabel, like, totally knew what kind of afterlife the Red Chalice was offering.
Chowing down on this flesh was supposed to be a guaranteed ticket to heaven.
“Come on, just take it.”
Even though Hesabel was dead set on following Isaac, this temptation was like waving a bag of goodies in front of a kid.
Hesabel gazed at the approaching flesh with shaky eyes, totally fixated on it.
When the flesh finally touched her lips, Hesabel shut her eyes tight and kept her mouth shut. Even with the taste of blood lingering on her lips, her ability to resist was like a miracle for vampires.
The Prophet of the Red Flesh was hit with a weird mix of feelings once again.
Something wasn’t right.
The way Hesabel reacted seemed totally outlandish, going against the laws of nature.
A sense of foreboding crept into the Prophet of the Red Flesh’s mind.
‘Nah, that can’t be right… or can it?’
But the Prophet of the Red Flesh was all set on jamming that flesh into Hesabel’s mouth, thinking that once she got a taste, she’d snap out of it no matter how hard she was fighting against the Red Chalice.
It was as addictive as the strongest drug ever.
Raela forcefully pried open Hesabel’s mouth and shoved the flesh in.
Hesabel winced in pain but couldn’t resist. Game over.
Once that flesh was in her mouth, there was no turning back.
The Prophet of the Red Flesh prepped for the red ceremony to swap in her proxy.
“Why are you feeding our child weird stuff?”
Just then, a voice came from behind.
***
Isaac had followed Hesabel’s vibes up to the castle walls.
What he saw was Raela forcefully cramming flesh into Hesabel’s mouth.
Isaac recognized it as the Prophet of the Red Flesh’s body now in Raela’s possession.
Raela’s body was, like, freaky. It was as if some bug was shedding its skin, with bones jutting out or sinking in as it pleased.
It was like a weird monster hiding inside Raela’s shell.
“Did I come at a bad time?”
Raela stared at Isaac with sunken eyes and, after a long moment, finally spoke. Her voice trembled for some reason.
“Ah, finally we meet… Mr. Holy Grail Knight. I’ve heard some rumors, but…”
“Rumors of my honor and faith? Or that I’m a tough fighter who takes down baddies?”
“Rumors that you’re pretty easy on the eyes.”
Expecting something profound, Isaac found the comment a bit meh. But Raela seemed to think it was a big deal.
“The rumors don’t do you justice. This is… Hmm. Not exactly a human look. Are you from a divine bloodline, or did an angel go around splashing their blood?”
Isaac just grinned at the hint of being a Nephilim.
It wasn’t surprising that the heavenly Prophet of the Red Flesh picked up on it. After all, the Red Chalice had Nephilim roots.
Raela tilted her head, eyeing Hesabel.
“Doesn’t really matter. If I knew you had divine genes, I might’ve played things differently… But I’d rather not go toe-to-toe like this.”
“You’re not exactly the poster child for fair play.”
Raela let out a chuckle.
“You might feel like you’re winning now. But kicking out an angel? Not a walk in the park. Honestly, wiping someone like you out wouldn’t be too hard.”
It wasn’t an empty threat.
Angels pack a serious punch.
Even though the Prophet of the Red Flesh wasn’t one to throw down with her own power, if she decided to unleash her real strength, Isaac, who was just starting out as a Knight of the Holy Grail, would have a tough time keeping up. She was pretty convinced of that.
“But… that’s not really my style. And it’s not what the Red Chalice wants either.”
The Red Chalice was all about keeping things hush-hush. And the Prophet of the Red Flesh felt the same way.
“So, I’ve got an idea.”
“An idea? You still like solving things with words, huh? Quite the master manipulator, proposing a deal to a Holy Grail Knight?”
“I can see you’re not your average holy knight. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this chat. I sense your ambition.”
Isaac nodded, signaling for her to spill the beans, grinning.
“I’ll make it easy for you. Victory, honor, power – all yours for the taking. I’ll take the loss, you come out on top. And I’ll even leave behind some of my power for you. No need to throw fists.”
“And what’s the catch?”
“For now, this kid here will do.” She said, placing her hand on Hesabel’s neck.
