Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 276 Ugu
What is a cult member?
"They are probably a group of twisted beings who do not regard other life forms as their own kind."

Looking at the hellish scene before him, the "slave" Ugu inexplicably recalled everything he had heard before.

"This is wrong, this is very wrong."

Wugu is sixteen years old this year. As a member of the Bull Clan, he is a giant who is over two meters tall. At such a young age, he has already awakened three racial talents and his bloodline has evolved on its own once. He can be called a little genius in combat.

However, this did not bring him any luck.

As a gladiator slave, he was used to killing his own kind for survival, but the scene before him was a completely different matter.
"He is Lamoir, from a branch of the Quinn family! A high-ranking noble! They often come to watch our gladiatorial combats."

“Those bastards, those damned nobles! They took my sister away! My twelve-year-old sister, those beasts!”

"These scumbags love watching our brothers and relatives fight each other."

At first, when the nobleman was thrown into the slaves' cage, even though the slaves inside were still angry and unhappy, they could only curse and look at him with hostility.

As always, and as always, slaves are nothing more than monkeys bound by chains.

Ugu said nothing; he knew it was pointless, and the hatred between the two sides was justified.

He, who was quite famous among the slaves, looked at the unfortunate young nobleman and stared around in bewilderment and astonishment.

This aristocratic scion, who clearly doesn't look like an adult, probably has never been to the filthy dock area.
"Snapped!"

The old order ended with a dagger thrown into a cage.

"The one who kills him will gain freedom, enjoy delicious food, and choose a woman to enjoy."

The horn-wielder outside said cheerfully.

The same thing kept happening throughout the region, and it wasn't just slaves who were being chosen.

The commoners received the same treatment, and even among the minor nobles, another faction of nobles was thrown in.

If you expose cattle and sheep that have never seen blood to blood, they will naturally evolve into lions and tigers. The Order is an expert in raising wild beasts.

The cultists were very patient; they watched with amusement as the hostages struggled with their predicament. They took the food outside the cage and enjoyed it themselves.

This is, in fact, part of the "baptism of blood".

When appetite, the urge to kill, and the desire to mate overcome reason, one begins to kill one's own kind.

In a religious sense, it also means that bestiality triumphed over humanity.

"Die! You filthy nobleman!"

The first thing they did was put into the slaves' cages.

They already harbored deep hatred for the local nobles, and they wouldn't consider anything too far ahead. Gladiator slaves were lucky to survive even a day, let alone think that far ahead.

For them, being able to kill a nobleman before they die, and perhaps even get a good meal, is already a worthwhile outcome!
The nobles thrown into the cages died horribly, in droves, and it was impossible to even determine who killed them first.

The cultists outside kept their word and threw in a pile of "blood food," which the slaves happily devoured.

Ugu didn't eat. He learned some secrets about the cult from a comrade-in-arms. He didn't believe a word they said, and he absolutely couldn't touch the food they offered.

His "experience" was quickly proven correct.
"Awooo!"

Unbeknownst to them, they ate food, killed their own kind, enjoyed the slavery of the opposite sex, and slowly changed.

Horns grew from his head, his bones grew as they shattered, and his limbs twisted and grew as he suffered.

In the end, he transformed into a half-human, half-beast monster, staring blankly at everything around him.
"So hungry. So hungry." The monster hesitated for a moment, then reached for the bits of meat on the ground.
Meanwhile, the cultists outside laughed gleefully.

Sure enough, choosing the cage for the slaves was the right decision. Other places hadn't crossed the line yet, but here the first "beast" had already been born.

The food contained "animal blood," and in this "sacred place," fulfilling the procedures of the doctrine was tantamount to gradually embracing animality.

"Ahhh!"

When the first beast attacked the others in the cage, fear began to spread.

However, the first "beast" did not defeat the other unmutated slaves, who, with their numerical advantage, swarmed and killed him.

When they stopped, panting heavily, and looked at the half-human, half-beast corpse on the ground, their faces showed confusion, and they began to feel pain.

"What happened to me? I didn't eat anything!" "But you also killed your own kind. In the struggle for survival, you are the victor. Enjoy the rewards of your bloodline." The cultists outside watched this scene with great pleasure.

One dead Beast Child was soon followed by three more Beast Children that gradually mutated.

In this "Holy Land of Beasts" that has been arranged by the High Priest, the act of performing the ritual will naturally be corrupted by the blood of the beast.

On a certain altar, in a sacred place where the "god" is sealed, the high priest is silently presiding over a ritual to increase the "blood concentration" of this sacred land of beasts.

They didn't consume the blood of beasts? How could beastmen not have the blood of beasts? They just need a trigger to awaken, to break through some of their self-imposed limitations.
"Snapped!"

But this time, Ugu made his move.

As a champion gladiator, he acted swiftly. Before the three beast children could even react, he easily twisted their throats, causing them to collapse with a snap of their necks. These low-level beast-transformed beings had only slightly activated their "beastly nature" and were still essentially "human."

Originally, they were supposed to become members of the cult after "being well-fed," but now their plans have been prematurely terminated.

Wugu glanced at him and saw that the women and children in the cage had already moved away from him in fear, as if they could already see the reality of his impending mutation.

Ugu sighed, preparing to accept his fate. He had only wanted to save others to avoid further losses. He hesitated, wondering if he should kill himself beforehand.

"Huh? I haven't changed at all."

However, this time, Wugu did not regress into a beast; in fact, he felt calmer and his mind worked better.

He fought for others and rationally chose to avoid danger in an emergency; how could he be a "beast"?

"boom!"

The cultists outside were enraged and kicked the cage, bringing their efforts, which were about to be realized, to an abrupt halt.

But after thinking it over, he held back. The premise of the ritual is that there should be no external interference; if it is forced, it loses its meaning.

"Let's see how long you can hold out."

As he spoke, he pulled another civilian from one of the cages and threw him in.

"Kill him, and the conditions remain the same. If I come back tomorrow and he's still alive, all of you good-for-nothings will die."

With that, the cult members left.

He still has many "cages" to manage. The recent "talent loss" has been too great, and it is necessary to replenish the basic personnel and combat power.

Ugu fell silent; he had already foreseen his own fate and that of others.

Choose to live by transforming into a monster, or die as a "waste" who cannot transform into a monster.

"Stop."

He blocked another gladiator who was about to finish the killing.

Ugu sat down directly, blocking the "victim" who was huddled in a corner.

He glanced around silently. Everyone else avoided his gaze. He knew that in the face of a life-or-death test, no one could stop others' will to survive. Perhaps in most people's eyes, just staying alive was enough.

“We still have hope; perhaps the kingdom will save us. If we kill him now and turn him into a monster, there will be no turning back. This is for your sake.”

As he spoke, Ugu stretched out his hand, blocking the gazes of others who were eyeing their "prey".

"At least, let's wait until the very last moment. If it's still no use by the last moment, then I won't stop you."

He simply sat down and calmly observed everything around him.

The same thing is happening in many cages in this area. But in most cages, it is still in the first stage. It is too difficult to let ordinary civilians kill their own kind like this, especially since many people are still hoping for possible rescue.

However, some of the cages have been completely transformed into "beast cages".

Wild animals fight each other, tearing and killing one another.
"Snapped!"

When the cage was opened and the monster emerged, the crawling "man-eating deer" was now a real monster.

Meanwhile, a small mirror demon wandering in the shadow dimension was being recorded bit by bit by this horrifying scene and broadcast live to certain areas.

In a passage not far away, Rean and his group watched the hellish landscape spread by the little mirror demon and knew they could not wait any longer.

(End of this chapter)