Chapter 7: The Cult of Utmost Desire, the Frenzied March of Spirits

Zhou Yan leaped into the air, mocking the man in the trench coat with rapid-fire sarcasm as he threw a heavy punch with his right fist.

The fist materialized before the man’s face in an instant.

The surprise on the trench-coated man’s face quickly shifted into a bizarre grin. He raised his left hand, fingers pressed together, and a wall of sand and gravel erupted between them.

BOOM!

The fist slammed into the wall with a deafening crash, shattering it on impact. Though the wall was pulverized, it had managed to intercept the blow.

"Well, your punches need a bit more force to be of any real use."

Amidst his strange laughter, the parapet beneath the man’s feet and the concrete beneath Zhou Yan’s both transformed into vast swathes of quicksand. With a violent surge, they completed their encirclement of Zhou Yan, instantly forming a sarcophagus of sand adorned with intricate reliefs.

"Die!"

The man in the trench coat snapped his fingers lightly, and the endless quicksand constricting around Zhou Yan tightened with lethal force.

However, the sight he anticipated—flesh and blood bursting under the pressure—never came.

Instead, he saw a fist encased in armor and wreathed in violet flames break through the quicksand, striking forward with sudden, explosive power. In a heartbeat, it smashed squarely into his chest.

The man in the trench coat vomited a spray of blood and was sent flying out of the building.

Zhou Yan, now in his Ogre-God form, pulled back his fist. He watched as the clothing on the man flying out of the building disintegrated into sand. The man spread his limbs, falling backward in a star-shaped posture; even in his descent, he didn't forget to flash a crazed grin at Zhou Yan and flip him off.

"Interesting. A bit like a low-quality version of the Armor of Sand."

A slight smirk tugged at the corner of Zhou Yan’s mouth beneath his helmet. He stepped forward, his body tilting naturally, and calmly dived head-first from the hundred-meter-high skyscraper.

WHOOSH!

The exaggerated sensation of weightlessness enveloped him, and the roar of the wind filled his ears. To the astonishment of the man in the trench coat, Zhou Yan caught up to him, his head-first posture perfectly slicing through air resistance.

Reaching out with his right hand, Zhou Yan gripped the man’s exposed shoulder—stripped bare by the destruction of his clothes. His sharp, armored fingers dug into the skin, leaving five bloody puncture wounds.

Ogre-God Manifestation!

The ogre horns on Zhou Yan’s helmet grew suddenly, and the red glowing ogre runes on his armor flared. The Oboro Seal on the back of his right hand shimmered as his body was enveloped in terrifying violet demonic flames. He pulled his left fist back, the knuckles glowing with destructive light, while the roaring demonic flames coalesced into a colossal phantom of a demon behind him.

"Hey, you—" The man in the trench coat shrieked, his face twisted in extreme terror. He struggled desperately to break free of Zhou Yan’s grip but found it impossible. Ultimately, he could only exhaust his remaining strength to condense a half-meter-thick sand shield between himself and Zhou Yan.

"Naive."

Zhou Yan stared coldly at the effort. He threw his left fist forward, and the demonic phantom behind him mirrored the motion exactly!

Ogre Fist!

BANG!

The thick sand shield shattered instantly, unable to obstruct Zhou Yan’s fist by even a fraction. As the endless demonic flames poured out, the man in the trench coat was struck dead in the abdomen by the terrifying blow, letting out a final, desperate roar.

BOOM!

A blurred silhouette, trailing a massive amount of kinetic energy like a cannonball, smashed into the street below. The impact carved a terrifying crater into the bustling, traffic-filled road.

A second later, another figure plummeted down, but just ten meters from the ground, a pair of massive black wings unfurled from his back. His descent slowed rapidly, and he landed gracefully and lightly on the ground.

Under the shocked gazes of the surrounding pedestrians, the Tengu wings on Zhou Yan’s back dissolved into a falling cloak. Clad in his armor, he walked step by step to the jagged crater, reached out his right hand, and grabbed the man in the trench coat—who was now reduced to nothing but his torso and head.

He lifted the man slowly to his face to inspect him. Below the chest, the man’s body had vanished, but amidst the black substance constantly oozing from the wound, there was a faint sign of regeneration.

Watching the man, who was bleeding from all seven orifices yet still tenaciously clinging to life, Zhou Yan couldn't help but marvel: "Are you a Desire-Human or a Suppressor? How are you still alive?"

"Mon... Monster..." The man in the trench coat stared fixedly at Zhou Yan, his eyes filled with despair and terror.

"Come on, tell me. Where is your so-called Church of Extreme Desire?" Zhou Yan disregarded the enemy’s fear, a laugh echoing from within his helmet.

The man was delirious, laughing wildly as he rambled to himself: "Two days... in two days... the Metropolis... the Pope... will kill you..."

"Two days, the Metropolis Pope, huh..." Zhou Yan smiled faintly. It seemed no further information could be extracted.

He pinned the man to the ground and let his fist glow once more with destructive light. He brought it down without mercy. This time, the punch obliterated the enemy’s skull entirely.

[Killed "Greater Desirer", gained 1855 Spirituality]
[Gained "Minor Life Essence" x30]
[Killed six "Greater Desirers" (1/6)]

"So that’s a Greater Desirer?"

Zhou Yan stood up expressionlessly, casually crushing the black butterfly that flew out of the corpse. He felt a bit disappointed. Whether by his own estimation or the Spirituality reward, it was clear this opponent was not on the level of the Shuten-doji or the Great Ogre from the previous Calamity Realm. At most, he was Tier 5.

Zhou Yan reached down to pick up the remains to check the information.

[Greater Desirer (Pursuer of Gaudy Desire)]
[Type: Host of the Butterfly of Extreme Desire]
[Description: Pathologically chasing a specific desire has triggered the special power of the Butterfly of Extreme Desire, allowing the host to turn "Desire-Matter" into conceptual abilities suited to themselves.]
[Rating: 0-Star, Tier 5]
[Attributes: Physique 52, Acuity 53, Spirit 56]
[Note: Even in death, one should have died in a magnificent finale; instead, it ended so pathetically...]

Shuten-doji’s gourd materialized behind him, and Zhou Yan stored the remains inside. Although the probability of using it as fusion material was low, keeping it was fine—if it ended up being useless, it would simply be cleared by [Order] when he left the Calamity Realm. That was correct; there was no way to exploit the rule that "items from the Calamity Realm cannot be brought out." Even special storage spaces like the sake gourd would be wiped clean.

The only way Zhou Yan could confirm he could take things back was by recording chaotic objects as materials through his Super-Fusion talent. But material slots were precious, and he certainly wouldn't waste them on meaningless junk.

After a brief cleanup, Zhou Yan stretched his body. Before more onlookers could gather, his figure vanished from the street.

It was time to return to the plaza and "harvest the crops."

* * *

At the civic plaza, the riot caused by tens of thousands of monsters had yet to subside. The desperate screams of fleeing citizens and the sight of blood and severed limbs everywhere turned the place into a living hell.

The police force stationed nearby, numbering only a few hundred, was fine for deterring ordinary people, but they were far too inadequate to deal with thousands of monsters that knew no fear of death.

Oboro swung her Oboro-Lotus Calamity Sword, which burned with miasma flames, slashing a Desire-Human in front of her. However, she was too slow to clear the black butterfly that flew out of the creature’s body.

A second later, she was sent flying by a collision from a tall, lizard-like Desire-Human nearby. After rolling several times on the ground, she jumped back up in a disheveled state. The young girl was panting heavily, looking around with a grim expression.

If not for the formidable defensive power of her secondary life-armor and the extra physical and acuity bonuses it provided, she would have long since died at the hands of the endless, varied monsters surrounding her—just like the "Drunkard" who had been torn to pieces by the monsters moments ago.

'Although becoming a Life-Armor User means that even if I die, I’ll just return to Lord Zhou Yan’s Hall of Heroes, dying without having been of any help would surely make Lord look down on me.'

Oboro bit her lip, filled with frustration.

Waiting for death was not an option; it was too shameful. With a soft cry, the Oboro Seal on her hand glowed, and a layer of blue demonic flames wrapped around the blade of her Oboro-Lotus Calamity Sword, already coated in black flames.

She spun at high speed, unleashing a fierce, wide-looping strike that instantly bisected the circle of monsters surrounding her. Feeling the durability of her life-armor and her own stamina recover slightly from that strike, she gritted her teeth.

'If only... I were stronger...'

Even though the armor the Lord had bestowed upon her possessed such powerful endurance, recovery, and damage-boosting effects, her own performance was simply too poor.

As she felt dejected, the next wave of Desire-Humans charged forward, one after another. Just as she prepared herself to be struck again,

THUD!

With a dull sound, a Desire-Human beside her was trampled into fragments on the spot.

The girl turned her head, stunned, to see a familiar, towering figure. Though the figure was encased in menacing armor, the familiar aura it emitted filled her with joy.

"Lord Zhou Yan!"

"It’s me." Zhou Yan laughed heartily, gently reaching out to put an arm around the girl’s waist, while praising, "Oboro, you’ve done well."

As he spoke, he reached out and took the Oboro-Lotus Calamity Sword from her hand. In the next instant, the miasma flames on the blade surged violently, turning into a massive black-flame saber. With a casual swing, he bisected the circle of Desire-Humans surrounding them, clearing the area.

Then, Zhou Yan set Oboro down and patted her shoulder: "Protect yourself and just watch closely."

"Understood!" The girl stood at attention, obediently.

Zhou Yan smiled, the ogre runes on his armor lighting up. Combined with the surging ogre horns on his helmet, he appeared even more sinister and terrifying.

Ogre-God Manifestation!

Zhou Yan gripped the Oboro-Lotus Calamity Sword—now at maximum power like a great black-flame blade—with both hands and unleashed his strength into his feet.

Berserk Gait!

His figure vanished from the spot instantly.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

A series of terrifying, ground-shattering thuds echoed clockwise, centered around Oboro. Following immediately was the high-speed sound of blades slicing through flesh. The girl looked left and right in a panic, unable to track Zhou Yan’s movements; she could only see the trails of miasma left behind by the passing black-flame blade.

If someone were watching from the sky directly above, they would see the miasma trails carved by Zhou Yan expanding outward like the coils of a mosquito coil. With each pass, a large number of rampaging Desire-Humans were cut in two and killed instantly. They couldn't even react before they collapsed to the ground, wailing.

The entire scene was like a strong wind blowing over a field of wheat; as the wind passed, all the wheat fell in its wake.

Two seconds later, a multitude of black butterflies flew out from the scattered corpses of the Desire-Humans. They fluttered about, searching for their next host.

But Zhou Yan did not intend to give them the chance. A second later, the great black-flame blade returned like a storm.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*

The black flames swept through the air, and countless black butterflies were precisely struck, all turning to ash.

Zhou Yan had already returned to Oboro’s side, smiling as he patted the girl’s small head, which was covered by the hawk-beaked helmet. Then, the great black-flame blade flared once more, trailing a gorgeous arc as he drifted away.

This time, his target was every single Desire-Human in the plaza.