With eyes crimson like blood, the figure surveyed the morgue of a hospital in the main material world.
Lucifer, aware of the origins of the servant before her, curiously remarked, “Summonings typically have certain tendencies. Using a vast amount of despair and deathly aura as a dium, one would generally summon undead-type beings. I didn’t expect Her Majesty to respond to this summoning. I’m a bit flattered.”
“Given the rank of the summoner, why not?” replied the woman wielding a crimson short spear indifferently. “A king of hell is almost the ultimate end.”
Lucifer shrugged. “Among the many mythological systems that signed this summoning pact, weren’t you, the guardian of Shadowland, one of the most formidable? A mortal who slew gods, possessing near-demigod strength, neither aging nor dying.”
The spear-wielding woman said nothing further but frowned suddenly. “The pact is unstable. My descent requires continuous power from the summoner, but the source of the power channel is dried up. Your Majesty Lucifer, you appear to be sealed, aren’t you?”
Lucifer spread her hands, and faint chains appeared on her wrists and neck, extending into the void. “This,” she said calmly, “is Gabriel’s holy artifact, the Chains of Order. Can you break it?”
“Apologies, I cannot,” the queen of Shadowland shook her head. “Gabriel’s rank matches yours, and under divine protection, I can’t undo this artifact.”
Lucifer was unfazed. She wasn’t a re side character from another world; whether in Paradise or Hell, she had always been a decisive leader.
“What about the other seal?” Lucifer asked suddenly.
The Shadowland queen scrutinized Lucifer's body and then thrust her crimson spear at Lucifer. However, just as the spearhead neared Lucifer's forehead, sothing blocked it. At the sa mont, the sound of chains echoed as new ones erged, binding the spear.
The queen’s expression hardened. “What is this…?”
“These chains are different from Gabriel’s,” Lucifer remarked. “They’re a manifestation of destiny itself.”
The queen withdrew her spear and stared solemnly at Lucifer. After a mont, she asked, “Hell’s queen, whom have you offended to suffer such a fate?”
“At most, I inadvertently offended soone,” Lucifer said indifferently. “It’s no big deal if it can’t be undone. I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”
The queen nodded, retracting her spear.
Lucifer added, “I cannot provide you with power right now, so you’ll have to resolve the energy consumption issue yourself. As my top servant, solving such problems is part of your duty.”
“There’s little deathly aura left in this hospital,” the queen replied coldly. “It seems my summoner is no better than a failure.”
Lucifer laughed. “Few would dare call a failure, Shadowland queen. Aren’t you afraid I’ll regain my power one day and claim you from the ancient pact for my amusent?”
The queen glanced at Lucifer without emotion before retreating into the shadows.
Lucifer smiled faintly, stretching her neck. She knew the queen hadn’t left but was hiding, ready to respond to her call.
Looking around, Lucifer murmured, “A little leftover residue from the summoning. Let’s make sothing useful from it.”
---
On the hospital rooftop, the Shadowland queen gazed at the “City of God.” Beings summoned through ancient pacts were instantly imbued with knowledge of the material world, allowing them to adapt seamlessly.
She sighed softly, murmuring, “Cu Chulainn… is this the world you reincarnated into? This Third Material World…”
---
Life is unpredictable.
The old matron’s recovery brought Shalti great joy. However, upon learning of Mr. Isam’s passing, the matron fell silent for a while.
Later, the local church priest visited the matron, accompanied by a nun in her forties, bringing surprising news.
“We hope you can stay here,” the priest said.
The matron was puzzled. “Why?”
Smiling, the priest explained, “Given your health, staying here is more suitable. We’ve already selected soone to replace you at the monastery.”
The matron glanced at Shalti, who nervously clutched her hem. Offering a reassuring look, the matron said, “If this is the church’s decision, I won’t object. But can Shalti stay with ? She hasn’t completed her training under .”
“Of course,” the priest replied warmly. “Shalti can stay to care for you. We’ve prepared accommodations for both of you.”
The matron smiled. Turning to Shalti, the priest added, “Shalti, given your outstanding record, we formally invite you to further your training here.”
“I…can I?” Shalti stamred, overwheld.
“There’s no reason you can’t,” the priest assured her. “With confidence and effort, you’ll succeed.”
Encouraged by the matron, Shalti finally agreed. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”
The priest’s warm smile froze montarily. A little girl had been present in the room all along. Though he avoided her gaze instinctively, he asked, “Who is this child?”
“She’s entrusted to by a devout follower of the Lord,” the matron said. “Orphaned, I’ve been caring for her.”
The priest nodded. “Let her stay too. We’ll accommodate her. Now, if you’ll excuse , I must address so church matters.”
The matron hesitated. “You seed troubled earlier. What’s wrong?”
The nun sighed. “A strange new church has erged, drawing so of our faithful away. The priest must intervene to prevent further losses.”
“Such a church exists?” the matron exclaid. “What kind of church could…”
The elderly nun's words abruptly stopped, as she realized that continuing would amount to blasphemy against the Lord.
"We don't know either; they just suddenly appeared," the priest said with a bitter smile. "They call themselves the 'Bucky Cult.' This church claims to have a divine ssenger who can perform miracles. It’s probably so kind of trickery. We’ve reported it to the local police several tis, but nothing ever cos of it. I just hope they take action soon."
In the corner, Lucifer, who had been yawning lazily, suddenly looked over.
What did she just hear… the Bucky Cult?
---
"Could you… eat a little slower?"
In a high-end restaurant, Bucky stared helplessly at Cage, who was wolfing down his food. Was this guy starved to death in a past life?
The strange looks from other diners were relentless. If not for the mask provided by the club to disguise his face, Bucky might have wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Boss Kiba! You have no idea! I didn't even have ti to eat!"
Cage began his usual exaggerated storytelling. "I rushed overnight to that village you ntioned, asking door-to-door about that little nun. Then, without resting, I hurried back. I only napped briefly in the car, and even when I passed a diner, I didn’t grab a burger!"
"Stop, skip the middle part. Just tell what you found out." Bucky interrupted impatiently.
Cage responded, "The little nun's na is Charlty. She was abandoned at the doors of the monastery and adopted. She’s not even 18 yet. Boss Kiba, you know how these nuns are—Charlty must be a pure and innocent girl, haha!"
"That’s it?" Bucky frowned.
Cage hesitated. "Those two nuns, the older one and Charlty, rarely leave the monastery. They only show up in the village market when buying supplies, so there’s not much information. Everyone says Charlty is a kind child, but let’s be real, can a nun be anything but kind? Oh, one more thing—I just saw on the church's Facebook page that Charlty is staying at the big church here for further training."
"She’s staying here?" Bucky was montarily surprised but then pleased. If Charlty had returned to the monastery, it would’ve been inconvenient for him to keep tabs on her.
"Wait a minute!" Bucky suddenly felt sothing was off. He looked at Cage, who was slurping spaghetti. "What did you just say? Church Facebook?"
Cage nodded with a mouthful of pasta.
"Why do you have a church Facebook account?" Bucky asked curiously.
Cage swallowed his food and replied, "Because I’m a church mber! Church mbers follow each other—what’s so strange about that?"
"You… you're a believer?" Bucky looked incredulous. "My God… soone like you has faith?"
Cage laughed awkwardly. "It’s just a formality, really. Boss Kiba, you don’t know—being part of the church cos with perks. For example, when undergoing background checks, being a believer earns extra points. Last ti, when I got locked up because of your business, the church even helped out. Otherwise, I might not have gotten out so quickly. But honestly, I’ve been considering switching churches lately. I an, now that I’m following you, staying in the church doesn’t feel quite right."
"Switch churches?" Bucky rolled his eyes. This guy was the epito of opportunism. Using "switching churches" like changing teams was ridiculous.
"Boss Kiba, you don’t know?" Cage said seriously. "I an the 'Bucky Cult'! It’s the hottest and wealthiest church right now. I heard new mbers get a welco package worth thousands!"
When did this happen… Bucky opened his mouth, stunned. Why didn’t he know about it?
But…
Bucky stared intently at Cage and said, "Switch churches? What nonsense! Things are fine the way they are! Who says people like us can’t believe in Jesus? Haven’t you heard of Big Shot Cannon? He’s a priest! No switching!"
"But the welco package…"
"Is this enough?"
Bucky, rich and impatient, threw a thick wad of cash at Cage’s face. "Go to church every day, befriend Charlty, and then introduce her to ! Do it right, and I’ll drown you in money!"
"Ohhh… An!!" Cage shouted fervently.
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