Lord of Prayer - Chapter 365 - 240: Siege of the 6 Sins (2)

“How can we stop the summoning ritual?”

“Find the person performing the ritual and kill them. That’s the only way to interrupt it. Otherwise, Satan will descend.”

The Priest sighed. “The ritual has been going on for over a month, so I’m afraid it has already entered its final stage. Next, it will require mass death to open a path to Hell. Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve. People will gather in the square to celebrate, and I suspect the person performing the ritual will make their move then.

I’ve already notified the police department, so the chief and his officers are probably scrambling to gather personnel and exorcism supplies. I must also offer my final prayers tonight, asking God to grant me the Power to seal the Demon.

Oh, and you don’t need to worry about your life. You’re holding the Cross, so God will protect you.”

“I see,” Zhou Chen nodded.

“It is my honor to resolve your doubts and offer you my help.”

Natas made the sign of the cross again. “May the Lord forgive my sins.”

·

After leaving the church, Zhou Chen replayed the details of his conversation with the Priest over and over in his mind.

He conducted a comprehensive analysis, considering everything from the Priest’s demeanor, movements, and tone to his micro-expressions, even his heart rate and breathing.

’The Priest was telling the truth. He wasn’t lying… Oh, except for when he was pitching the Cross.’

’That’s strange. The Priest knows so much, so why did Yano, the one who was supposed to be my contact, never mention any of it?’

’Could it be that Yano wanted to solve the mystery himself?’

This was a competition, after all. The first to solve the mystery would naturally be hailed as the undisputed “number one,” admired by countless people.

’But Yano’s personality doesn’t seem that calculating. He seems like such an honest, nice guy…’

“Zhou Chen… Over here…”

Suddenly, a soft voice called out from a nearby alley.

Zhou Chen stopped and turned to look. In the shadows of the alley, a hooded figure was beckoning to him.

“Quick, come here. I have something to tell you.”

“Who are you?” Zhou Chen didn’t approach immediately.

“It’s me, Chengzi.”

The hooded figure lifted their hood slightly, revealing the features formed by an Illusion Mask—it was the face Chengzi had created.

“Chengzi? Why are you hiding?” Zhou Chen still didn’t move forward, questioning her from where he stood.

“The police are after me. Hurry and come over here, I have something really important to tell you.” Chengzi’s voice was tinged with anxiety.

“There’s no one on the street right now. You can come out,” Zhou Chen said.

“It’ll be bad if I’m spotted! Just get over here,” Chengzi insisted, her tone growing more urgent.

Zhou Chen sighed softly.

“Chengzi, has anyone ever told you that you have no talent for lying?

“Come on out, all of you.”

Zhou Chen’s gaze turned sharp. He glanced at the two people who had appeared on the street at some point, then turned his head to see two more figures on the other side.

In front of him were Liu Ling and Han Danqing.

Behind him were Yan Wu and Yano.

’Chengzi was the lure, which means the one lying in ambush must be Yao Hu.’

It was a pity Chengzi had absolutely no talent for deception. If she had managed to trick him into the alley, letting Yao Hu launch a surprise attack, he would have ended up severely injured, even if he wasn’t eliminated.

Seeing that the ambush had failed, Yao Hu stepped out from the shadows of the alley. His aura was terrifying, like a tiger unleashed from its cage, and the pressure he exuded was intense.

’This is not good. They’ve been influenced by a Demon, and now they’re here to kill me…’ Zhou Chen’s expression grew solemn. Facing six powerful enemies, he had no choice but to take this seriously.

“You’re here to kill me? Why?”

“You’ll disturb my rest,” Han Danqing said curtly.

“As long as I kill you, I’ll never be separated from Daisy, and I can have even more beautiful women.” Liu Ling raised his Long Halberd, its tip glinting menacingly as he pointed it at Zhou Chen.

“Hmph. I’ve disliked you for a long time,” Yan Wu said, seeming to suppress a simmering rage. It looked like he found everyone irritating.

“…” Yano said nothing, but the hostility in his eyes gave his answer.

’He’s jealous.’

’Jealous of Zhou Chen’s good looks, his wit and charm with women, his talent, and his strength.’

“Someone offered me a huge sum of money to kill you. Sorry, but I really need the money,” Chengzi said.

When Zhou Chen had teamed up with Chengzi before, she had told him about her past.

She was born into an ordinary family. They had enough to eat and clothes to wear. And while they were poor with little savings, life wasn’t a struggle. But one day, her parents were diagnosed with cancer, a bolt from the blue for any normal family.

In this era, cancer was curable.

But it required money.

The treatment cost hundreds of thousands, a drop in the bucket for some, but an astronomical sum for ordinary people. A family that could afford it wouldn’t be considered ordinary.

Chengzi and her parents discussed it for a long time and ultimately chose to take out a loan for the treatment. A one-million loan fell upon the shoulders of Chengzi, who was still just a high school student at the time.

She dropped out of school to work, lived in a cramped room, and ate noodles and steamed buns every day to save up bit by bit. But as if fate enjoyed tormenting the unfortunate, her parents passed away in the end.

Having lost her parents and now saddled with a massive debt that an ordinary person could never repay, Chengzi broke down upon hearing the news. But it was also because of this that she awakened, becoming an Ascender. While working later on, she discovered her talent for Forging and embarked on the path of a Blacksmith.

Influenced by those days, Chengzi came to love money. She loved money very, very, very much.

This was—the Sin of Greed.

“Do I need a reason to kill you?”

The last to speak was Yao Hu. He stood with his arms crossed, his cold gaze looking down on Zhou Chen as if he were already a dead man.

Such arrogance.

Except for Renie, the other six were all here.

“You’ve been influenced by a Demon. This isn’t what you really want. Snap out of it.”

Zhou Chen exhaled deeply, the blood in his veins starting to boil. He cracked a grin. “Otherwise, you’re all going to make fools of yourselves in front of the World’s audience…”

“Such arrogance!” Yan Wu, already seething with anger, couldn’t stand such conceited words. He flew into a rage and was the first to charge.

A flash of fire erupted under Zhou Chen’s feet, and he used Flame Jump to teleport to the roof of a nearby building, dodging Yan Wu’s furious assault.

“Yao Hu, since you’re too arrogant to even consider me a threat, don’t team up with them. It would make you look pathetic. If you want to kill me, do it with your own power if you have the guts.” Zhou Chen used a taunt, planning to stall their strongest fighter, Yao Hu.

“Fine. I won’t make a move. Let’s see how long you can last,” Yao Hu, at the peak of his arrogance, answered with contempt.

Just as Zhou Chen had predicted, he held himself in extremely high regard. He was the strongest individual fighter in this Sword Forging Competition and had the dignity of a powerhouse. To attack alongside the others in a group siege would be an insult to that dignity, and it would, in a way, be an admission that Zhou Chen was stronger than him.

That was something his pride could never accept.

“Chengzi, hold off your attack for ten minutes, and I’ll give you ten million!” Zhou Chen shouted next.

“Huh? Ten million?” Chengzi was instantly tempted. Earning ten million in just ten minutes was an absolute bargain!

“Fine, I’ll wait ten minutes, but you have to give me fifteen million. Otherwise, the deal’s off.” The greedy Chengzi immediately hiked up the price.

“Fifteen million it is.”

“Too late! Now it’s twenty million!” Seeing how agreeable Zhou Chen was, Chengzi raised the price again.

The greedy are never satisfied; they will always crave more wealth.

“Then I’ll kill you first!”

Zhou Chen shot a murderous glare down at her, making Chengzi tremble. She stammered, “F-Fine… fifteen million, then…”

“Han Danqing, since you’re so eager to sleep, how about I let you nap for half an hour?” Zhou Chen called out again.

Temptation clearly flickered across Han Danqing’s face. After all, fighting was exhausting. Nothing was as comfortable as sleeping.

“Damn it, don’t let him speak again!”

Liu Ling slammed his Long Halberd on the ground with a loud BANG, cracking the pavement and snapping Han Danqing out of his daze. “Don’t listen to him! Once he’s dead, you can sleep for as long as you want.”

“…Makes sense.” Han Danqing immediately slapped his Sword Box, and a cyberpunk-style Flying Sword shot out.

The siege had begun.