America: The Cremator

Chapter 157 A-Rank Arrival! Baphomet!

They all knelt strangely on the ground covered with tiny bone fragments, their backs to the crowd, their arms tightly folded in front of their chests, their hands resting firmly on their opposite shoulders.

Upon closer inspection, their wrists were found to be completely folded backwards, with the white wrist bones piercing through the skin and exposed to the cold air.

As soon as the group took two steps forward, a gust of eerie wind, carrying a strong, foul stench, suddenly swept in from the depths of the hall, making the bone fragments on the ground rustle.

With a creak, the heavy wooden door behind them slammed shut, the dull echo reverberating throughout the hall.

Almost at the same instant the wooden door closed, the heads of the seven figures with their backs to the crowd suddenly twisted a full 180 degrees backward in a terrifying manner.

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

A series of crisp, rapid cracking sounds echoed through the hall, sending chills down everyone's spines and turning them deathly pale.

But it was only when these seven people turned around that everyone was able to see their faces clearly—they were none other than the seven missing examinees!

Their eyes were wide open, glazing blankly at Su Long and his group who had burst into the hall.

Hannah and Leah turned pale with fright, while the three of them, including Sulong, clenched their fists so tightly that their knuckles made a slight "crackling" sound.

Before anyone could react, the bodies of the seven missing examinees suddenly swelled up violently, like balloons being forcibly inflated.

The clothes that had been fitting were instantly torn apart, the strips of fabric flying everywhere. The skin was stretched to an extremely thin thickness, appearing translucent and sickly pale. The large, bluish-black blood vessels under the skin twisted wildly, as if they might burst out of the body at any moment.

Immediately afterwards, thick tears of blood gushed from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears, dripping down their cheeks onto the bone fragments.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Seven deafening explosions followed, and the bodies of the seven examinees burst apart like dazzling fireworks.

Dark red flesh and entrails splattered onto the bone floor behind them, transforming into seven enormous, radiating flesh totems.

This scene was like seven blood-soaked mosquitoes being carelessly slapped to death on the ground.

The intense stench of blood instantly filled the entire Hall of Bones, and the shocking scene made everyone feel nauseous.

Even Hedley's composure faded, and she said with a serious expression, "It seems we're about to encounter something big."

""

As soon as the words were spoken, the countless skeletons in the hall suddenly began to tremble violently. The sound was continuous, like thousands of insects frantically gnawing at the wood, making one's scalp tingle.

Immediately afterwards, streams of foul-smelling, viscous black blood gushed out from the gaps in the bones.

The black blood flowed extremely fast, covering the surrounding walls in the blink of an eye, meandering down the upside-down statue of Jesus, and quickly spreading across the floor of the temple, completely burying the scattered white bone fragments.

"Buzz—"

'

A long, deep bell rang out unexpectedly in everyone's ears.

As the bell tolled out of nowhere, the blood curtain formed by black blood around everyone suddenly rippled violently, and then began to retreat and unfold at an extremely fast speed.

The once cramped and oppressive underground hall has completely disappeared.

Su Long looked around and saw an endless expanse of blood. The ground beneath his feet was covered with several centimeters of viscous blood, and countless corpses were piled up in the distance.

These skeletons varied in their degree of decay, size, and distance from each other, and at this moment they looked like small, raised hills, quietly lying dormant on this desolate, blood-red plain.

The distant sky was completely obscured by a thick, blood-red fog, while a huge, suffocating blood moon hung overhead.

The crimson moonlight cast a desolate hue over everything, inspiring immense fear in those who looked upon it.

Just as everyone was looking around, a soft "whoosh" sound suddenly came from the open space directly in front of them.

Suddenly, a series of tiny ripples appeared on the calm surface of the blood, and dark red blood droplets splashed in all directions.

Immediately afterwards, there was another soft sound, and the newly appeared ripples were closer to the group, as if something heavy had stepped into the blood pool.

Then came the third and fourth sounds—the ripples continued to advance forward.

Something completely invisible was walking towards the crowd at a leisurely pace, leaving a long trail of deeply indented footprints on the viscous blood.

Su Long narrowed his eyes, instantly activating 50 points of spiritual vision and fully operating his Eye of Insight.

The blood-red world in his field of vision was instantly stripped of its appearance, but all he could see above those ever-extending footprints was a blurry, distorted, and enormous phantom.

Su Long tentatively released a fear shockwave into that area, and a violent, invisible mental shockwave emanated from him and slammed into the phantom in front of him.

An invisible force seemed to have struck something, and ripples suddenly spread out from the location of the footprints.

The next moment, the blurry phantom solidified completely, the surrounding blood-red mist was forcibly pushed aside, and a terrifying demon with an extremely oppressive aura appeared in front of everyone without warning.

This demon had the head of a ferocious black goat, with an inverted pentagram mark etched in the center of its forehead, radiating a dense, ominous red light.

Between two thick, curved ram horns, a ball of eerie blue hellfire burned quietly, scorching the surrounding air until it distorted slightly.

Its torso has a twisted, human-like outline, with dark red, bulging muscles, and below its abdomen are forked, hoof-shaped feet covered with thick black hair.

A pair of enormous, black, fleshy wings with intricate patterns slowly unfurled behind it, casting a massive shadow that enveloped everyone.

Baphomet!

The top-secret files that Su Long had read before flashed through his mind instantly, and the monster in front of him was exactly the same as the description in the files.

He turned to look at Hedley beside him, only to see that the usually composed and elegant matriarch of the Campbell family now had an extremely solemn expression.

Baphomet lowered his head, his murky, dark purple eyes slowly sweeping over everyone present. Then he opened his mouth, which was full of fangs, and his androgynous, magnetic voice mingled together, carrying a strange and seductive power that could shake one's mind.

"Such powerful sacrifices, this is only the first batch."

It slightly raised its thick arm, extending a finger with sharp nails towards the crowd, its tone filled with condescending mockery: "Lost lambs, welcome to my domain."

As soon as she finished speaking, Hedley suddenly raised a hand, and a crisp snap of her fingers exploded across the blood-red plain.

With a "snap," silver-gray ripples spread wildly outward from Hedley's center, clinging to the surface of the blood, attempting to forcibly drag the surrounding environment into her puppet show box domain.

At the same time, Hannah opened the Bible in her hand and recited the prayer aloud. Dazzling golden holy light burst forth from the pages of the book, instantly condensing into an incomparably thick barrier of holy light in front of everyone.

However, just as the light barrier was taking shape, an invisible force suddenly descended. The entire light shield, like damp and clumped milk powder, was suddenly struck by a heavy hammer, directly disintegrating and shattering into golden powder that filled the sky before completely dissipating into the blood-red air.

Su Long's eyes sharpened, and he pushed the slow-motion ability of his spiritual vision to its limit. Everything around him instantly became extremely slow in his vision, and the flying golden powder was like still stars suspended in mid-air.

He clearly saw a strange thread composed of pure destructive and decomposing power extending from Baphomet's outstretched fingertip, silently piercing through the shattered light barrier, and shooting straight toward Hannah's brow.

Surong looked down at his feet. The silver-gray ripples that Hedley had spread out had only extended a few meters. There was no time to cover Hannah in the domain before the deadly threads would hit Hannah's head first!

Suron was absolutely certain that Hannah had no means of surviving a direct attack from an A-rank high-level demon.

If she gets hit, her head will definitely turn into dust instantly, just like that light screen from before.

He is different; he possesses the "Flesh and Blood Domination," allowing him to quickly heal himself as long as his heart remains intact.

Even if the attack does destroy his heart, he still has the near-death resurrection mechanism of the "American Dream" as a last resort.

After making his decision, Su Long clenched his teeth, and all the muscles in his body burst forth with their full potential.

The blood beneath his feet exploded with a roar, and he took a step forward like an arrow released from a bow. He grabbed Hannah's shoulder with his left hand and shoved her violently to the side and behind him.

At the same time, golden flames erupted from his body like a volcanic eruption, instantly covering his entire body.

He deliberately manipulated the primordial fire, frantically layering and compressing it on his right arm and chest to form a thick golden flame barrier. Then, he suddenly raised his right arm and held it horizontally in front of him.

"Whoosh—"

The eerie thread struck Su Long's right arm, and a faint yet chilling cutting sound rang in his ears. The two completely different forces erupted into a terrifying repulsive reaction the moment they made contact.

Surong's proud Primordial Fire Barrier shattered in less than half a second before being broken by Baphomet's disintegrating power, turning into countless golden sparks that scattered wildly in all directions.

The remaining decomposing force continued unabated, cutting into the flesh and blood of Su Long's right arm without any hindrance.

"Bang!

With a muffled bang, Su Long's entire right arm exploded into a thick cloud of blood mist at the shoulder joint and vanished into thin air!

Intense pain instantly overwhelmed Su Long's senses. He groaned and slammed his left knee heavily onto the blood-soaked ground, half-kneeling on the ground.

Su Long gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and suppressed the urge to scream. He braced himself against the ground with his left hand to steady himself.

The instant his right arm shattered, Hedley's domain finally expanded completely.

A silvery-gray ripple suddenly swept across the entire area, instantly obliterating the nauseating blood and the distant pile of corpses. The hard wooden floor replaced the viscous blood pool, and thick, colorful paper curtains rose up all around. Giant dolls and rusty toys once again filled the corners.

Hedley's puppet show box arrived, and the dividing line of this stage was precisely positioned between Suron and the others and Baphomet.

Baphomet's massive body still stood on the blood-red plain, while Sulong and the others were inside the stage. The two completely different domain forces rubbed violently at the dividing line, producing a piercing "sizzling" sound.

Hurried footsteps sounded beside her. Hannah scrambled to his side, caught his swaying body, and cried out in reproach, "Are you stupid! Why did you shield me?!"

Large tears fell onto Su Long's collar one after another. Hannah frantically tried to cover the smooth, charred cut, but was afraid of hurting Su Long. Her hands could only tremble and hang in mid-air, at a loss.

Su Long gritted his teeth and frantically activated [Flesh and Blood Domination]. The intense pain began to lessen significantly the moment the skill was activated.

He immediately took absolute control of his own blood. The gushing hot blood suddenly stopped under the pull of an invisible force, and then, contrary to common sense, flowed back into his veins.

It's like there's an invisible blood vessel drawing blood.

At the same time, the muscle fibers at the cut were forcibly tightened under his control, locking the blood vessels and minimizing blood loss.

Immediately afterwards, Su Long's heart began to pound violently, the deafening "thump-thump" of his heartbeat echoing repeatedly in the area.

The pristine white bones emerged first from the charred cut surface, extending rapidly forward at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just two seconds, the entire skeleton of the upper arm, forearm, and finger bones was fully constructed.

Subsequently, the dark red blood vessels, like wildly growing vines, climbed and coiled along the stark white bones, quickly laying out a dense blood supply network.

The bright red muscle tissue, like a living thing with its own consciousness, wriggled and intertwined wildly between the bones and blood vessels, slowly filling the gaps between them.

This step was much slower than before, but the recovery speed was still visible to the naked eye.

Hannah was completely stunned. Her mouth was agape, and she forgot to wipe the tears from her face, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening before her eyes.

This goes beyond the scope of any healing ability; it's simply a miracle that defies common sense.

Surong glanced at his right hand, which was still recovering, then reached out his left hand to pat Hannah's shoulder and said calmly, "I'm fine. You go help Mrs. Hedley first."

Hannah seemed to wake from a dream, nodded vigorously, and quickly turned to look at the battlefield ahead.

At this moment, Hedley stood in the very center of the wooden stage, her ten fingers dancing wildly in the air, so fast that only a blur remained.

Above the stage, countless translucent, slender threads stretched taut, pulling hundreds and thousands of dolls like a tidal wave bursting its banks, surging towards Baphomet beyond the boundary of the territory.

Faced with this massive army of dolls, Baphomet's ferocious goat face was full of mockery. It casually raised one hand without even making any defensive gesture.

The first few thousand cotton dolls suddenly exploded one after another without warning. The cotton fluff and strips of cloth flying everywhere were completely wiped out by an invisible decomposing force before they could even land.

Following closely behind were dancing dolls, their wind-up mechanism emitting a screeching sound as they were disassembled into gears, springs, and metal shells. They were then forcibly crushed into extremely fine metal powder in mid-air and completely dissipated.

The marionette met an equally tragic end; its thick wooden limbs were forcibly torn off, and its torso, under the violent pressure, exploded into countless wood chips, which scattered and landed in the blood.

As for the plastic soldiers wielding guns, they couldn't even maintain their original outlines; they melted instantly upon approaching, turning into puddles of chemical waste.

No matter how many dolls Hedley puts in, she can't break through that invisible barrier of disintegration.

Hedley's expression was stern. She suddenly raised her hands, and the Silver Knights waiting in the four corners instantly moved. They stepped into their heavy metal boots and charged towards Baphomet.

Baphomet snorted contemptuously, and the pair of huge black wings on his back suddenly unfolded. The ghostly blue hellfire burned wildly at the edges of the wings, instantly sucking away the surrounding air and causing the temperature to soar.

It flapped its wings forcefully, and a violent wall of dark blue flames swept out along the surface of the blood, crashing head-on into the four charging knights.

In the instant of the clash, the knight's indestructible silver greatsword and the heavy tower shield capable of withstanding physical crushing blows completely shattered upon contact with the hellfire. The metal surfaces rapidly peeled off and turned into sand, transforming into a sky full of flying silver dust.

Baphomet gave them no chance to react, flapping its wings again, and a second, even more violent wall of fire crashed down, engulfing the knight's body.

The ten-ton steel behemoth was as fragile as waste paper in the face of this absolute power. Its thick silver plate armor peeled off layer by layer, and its internal metal structure was forcibly disintegrated.

In just a few seconds, the four enormous figures completely collapsed, turning into four lifeless piles of metallic dust that scattered and fell into the blood at the edge of the dividing line.

After destroying Hedley's most powerful creation, Baphomet slowly raised his left hand, which had remained motionless until now.

As it moved, the sand and dust mixed with silver powder on the ground, along with the viscous dark red blood around it, began to churn and merge violently.

This mixture seemed to come alive, rapidly rising from the ground and constantly reshaping and stretching itself in mid-air.

Soon, an extremely large goat-headed monster reformed, holding a giant shield and a long sword made of sand and blood, with a nauseating muddy texture on its surface.

Dark red blood dripped continuously from the shield and blade, splashing into the blood pool below and creating ripples.

Baphomet looked at Hedley standing in the center of the stage, his androgynous, magnetic voice echoing through the hall: "Little girl who loves playing with dolls, so cute, I'll play with you for a bit."

Hedley looked at the blood sand giant who exuded an extremely oppressive aura, her face showing no panic. Instead, she elegantly straightened the edge of her gloves, then pressed her hands down sharply.

Above the stage, countless thick, semi-transparent threads descended like lightning, instantly wrapping around the newly formed blood sand giant. The threads tightened instantly, digging deep into the giant's blood sand body.

Under Baphomet's astonished gaze, the monster it had created suddenly turned around, raised the blood-dripping longsword in its hand, and pointed it directly at its creator.

Hedley raised her head, looked directly at the A-rank demon in front of her, and said calmly, "Sorry, these dolls all belong to me."