Karun's eyes made Kevin find the horror almost identical to that of the past. When that gaze fell, it seemed to trample on your divinity directly, crushing all your pride.

Puerh rolled on the ground for two laps and immediately jumped up to the edge of the bathtub, carefully observing Karun's condition. She raised her right paw, and a soft spark was dancing, ready to explore Karun internally.

"Get out...get out...get out!"

Karun almost gritted his teeth and said to Puerh. The black color in his eyes became even deeper than before.

"We can find a way to ease your pain. We can do it, little Karun. Relax and don't be afraid. The cat is by your side."

Karun almost growled, "Kevin, take Puerh out!"

Kevin, who was already foaming at the mouth and crawling on the ground, immediately sprang up, grabbed Puerh in his mouth, and ran out of the bathroom, vigorously swinging his tail to close the bathroom door.

Then he immediately lay back on the ground, panting heavily.

"Is there really no way?" Puerh asked Kevin.

Kevin shook his head.

This was a problem that not even the God of Order could solve.

"Even if he looks at me, it won't work?" Puerh asked.

"Woof."

"Are you saying he doesn't want to eat me?"

...

In the bathtub, Karun tightly grasped the edge of the bathtub, and the kind of hunger that made the soul feel extremely empty was torturing him frantically.

In comparison, the muscle soreness he endured when fighting with the captain last night was nothing.

"Ah...ah...ah..."

Karun's throat emitted a series of gasps, and the black color in his eyes was so intense that it almost seemed to drip out like water droplets.

So hungry...so hungry...so hungry...

Karun's mind began to repeatedly savor the wonderful feeling of devouring the three-headed python, which was Fennetis. It was like how a normal person would subconsciously imagine the scene of a big meal when hungry.

He wanted to do it again, to experience that satisfaction again, to feel that happiness again.

After repeatedly fantasizing, Karun's mind actually conjured up a new image. Instead of Fennetis, it was the people around him: Alfred...Puerh...Kevin...Muri...

This was a rational collapse, and the scariest thing was that you could clearly sense the desire surging like a tide, eroding the dam in your heart.

Karun gritted his teeth and walked out of the bathtub. When he walked to the sink, he saw his reflection in the mirror.

It was so strange, so fierce.

He looked at the bathroom door, then turned to face the sink, threw the towel into the sink, released hot water, and applied the scalding towel directly to his face, regardless of the temperature.

"Ah!"

Karun shook his head, threw the towel away, and grabbed the edge of the sink, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

It was as if, when this world had just awakened, he liked to wipe his face in front of the sink in the bathroom over and over again, because he was not familiar with his face at that time, nor was he familiar with his new identity.

Now, he found the same feeling again.

The reflection of himself in the mirror at this moment was equally strange, so strange that it made him a little scared.

"Hiss..."

Karun took a deep breath, and the hunger in the depths of his soul once again plunged him into confusion.

Chains of order spread from Karun's feet, covering the entire tile first, and then climbing all four walls of the bathroom. They surrounded Karun, and the chains that originally symbolized dignity and order now seemed like ferocious pythons choosing their prey.

It wasn't Karun who was hungry, it was the order.

A chain bound Qianmei and placed it in front of Karun.

Qianmei shrank into a mosquito coil, trembling at the sight, especially when Karun looked at it with deep black eyes, Qianmei felt that its end seemed to be at the next moment.

Around it, chains of order were like evil spirits breathing, as if saliva was already dripping.

"Woo...woo..."

Qianmei let out a soulful wail, no longer pleading, but crying. As a life born with ferocity and brutality as its essence, it was completely suppressed to the point of the most primitive fear.

"Ah..."

Karun's throat kept emitting low growls, starting to swallow saliva.

At this point, your rationality had lost its foothold. If someone else used mental attacks on you, there would at least be a hostile relationship, but now, what was coercing you was your own essence.

Either give it up;

Or obey it.

Karun raised his eyes again and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

He was very clear that if the last time he devoured Fennetis was justifiable and had a reason, then this time, if he was engulfed by desire and devoured another, he would completely step into the abyss.

He would no longer have the courage to resist it, and he would be driven by it to swallow one after another.

Grandpa said that the God of Order was very hungry.

Even such a powerful God of Order could not resist its coercion, how could I possibly do it?

If this was something that had to be experienced, something that had to be endured, then why was I resisting it here?

Karun's hand reached for Qianmei, and the chains of order around him began to shake frantically, as if they were already impatient.

But Karun's hand stopped halfway.

When I was divinely inspired, why didn't I listen to the God of Order and insist on my own path? Because I insisted that practice is the sole criterion of truth.When I was a shepherd, why did I move the gods and put myself on the altar of my own inner faith? Because I don't believe there is a savior or god emperor in this world that can be relied upon.

Dis is willing to self-destruct his divinity, willing to sleep, just to pave the way for himself. What is he doing it for? If it's just to follow in the footsteps of the god of order, he could have become an elder of the temple and provided the greatest protection and support for his grandson in the church.

If I succumb, when I return home and awaken Dis, he will probably be very disappointed.

Karun took a deep breath and stubbornly raised his head.

I said, there should be no gods at the end of faith.

I said, he is wrong.

I said, I will walk my own path.

The god of order is very powerful, but in my eyes, he is a failure.

A failure, isn't it normal for a failure?

Why should I deny the possibility of winning because of the failure of a failure?

"Hehe..."

Karun laughed.

He had said before that what Alfred studied and admired was not himself, because many of the notes he left behind were not his own original creations.

What Alfred was fascinated by was another great idea, and he was just a disseminator, a medium.

He wasn't that great.

Or rather, he was just like Alfred, walking firmly on this path because he believed in it, and that's why he had the courage to argue for it.

It is powerful, it is right, it is great, that is it... not himself.

A sentence, a truth, a thought, is not completely integrated with oneself just by understanding the words and grasping a deeper meaning.

You always have to give something, always have to polish something, always... shed some blood.

Karun suddenly retreated, falling to the ground, the order chains that bound the demon loosened, and the demon gained freedom, but it dared not run, just cowering there, trembling.

The feeling of hunger became increasingly oppressive, and the order chains around him also fell into a kind of restlessness at this moment.

Karun raised his right palm, and a ball of bright flame appeared in his palm. Then he sent the flame to his chest, letting the flame enter his body.

"Hiss!!!"

Karun curled up in pain, the ball of bright flame was roasting his soul.

This is not a clever method. Most addicts have tried this method to shift their attention through self-harm.

It's just that Karun played it more high-end, detached from physical self-harm, and directly targeted his own soul.

The taste of roasting his own soul from the beginning was completely unbearable.

But Karun did not give up, enduring great pain while maintaining the bright flame.

The order chains around Karun also began to twist in pain at this moment, beginning to sway and shake continuously.

"Still hungry..."

"You continue to be hungry..."

"Let yourself be hungry..."

Karun was in so much pain that his snot and tears were completely out of control, and fresh blood was constantly overflowing from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, but he was there, smiling with his mouth open.

"Come on, keep tempting me..."

"Come on, keep forcing me..."

Karun knelt on the ground, his hands propped on the tiles, looking at the spreading redness below, his face grimacing:

"Come on, hurt each other!"

...

"Welcome to York City, both of you."

Muri stood at the entrance of the academic building, welcoming Mas and Blanch.

Muri and the others were carrying a bag of luggage, containing shields and short swords. Mas brought six suitcases, and Blanch brought ten, all of them large suitcases.

Of course, this is also related to their special professional attributes. The materials needed by the formation mage and the priest are indeed many. There is no need to purchase them again in York City if they are already at home. Moreover, as a girl, it is understandable for Blanch to have more luggage.

Although she has the kind of priest's restraint in her personality, especially compared to the carefree Aisley, her softness and intellectual charm are stronger. Of course, this requires a lot of outfits and jewelry to match.

Mas smiled and said, "I always feel weird that you're the one saying this welcome message."

Muri didn't mind, "I came earlier than all of you, that's why."

After the luggage was loaded onto the hearse, the original recess that could hold a coffin was unexpectedly not enough, but the space for people in the hearse was also very large, so it wouldn't be crowded.

Alfred drove them to settle in Allen's apartment, and after they were settled, he took them to the funeral home.

A taxi pulled up, and two people got out, Mr. Richard and Memphis.

Alfred stopped the hearse and greeted them, "Are you together?"

"Of course, I went to the pastry shop and happened to meet Memphis, this guy is really boring. He always refused when I invited him to the pastry shop before. It turns out he was just too embarrassed to go, so he secretly went there. Why, are you afraid of competing with me in time?"

Mr. Memphis stood beside Richard, with a calm expression.

Richard continued, "Ah, if it weren't for fear of delaying the meeting time, I really wanted to compete with him in the next room, hehe."

In fact, Richard is not really dissolute, but he was protected very well by his family since he was young. As a young master, he was led astray by the people of the Hound Team as soon as he entered society, mistakenly thinking that the pastry shop was the mark of an adult male.

Alfred smiled and thought to himself: It's a good thing you didn't go through with this competition.

"Are these new team members?" Richard asked Alfred, looking at the three people behind him, Blanch, Mas, and Muri.

"Yes," Alfred nodded."Hello new team member, from now on we're all teammates. Let me introduce myself first, I'm the tag-along who got into the squad by cozying up to Karun, so don't count on me in critical moments, you can even ignore me. But if you need anything in daily life, feel free to come to me.

Come on, I've prepared a welcome gift for everyone."

It was then that Alfred noticed that Richard had been carrying a big bag all this time. He took out three exquisite gift boxes from the bag and handed them to Mars, Blanche, and Muri.

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, we're all teammates, hehe."

The gifts in the boxes were personally selected by Richard, half of them were local specialties, and the other half were as well, but they required points to purchase. So, whether it was sincerity or 'points' sincerity, he had given his all.

"Alfred, uh, I didn't prepare yours, I ran out of points, my dad borrows money and never pays it back, such a beast."

Memphis: "…"

While they were talking, a sleek pink luxury car pulled up, and Esley stepped out, opening her arms and shouting:

"Dear teammates, I've missed you so much."

Blanche teased: "You missed the captain, didn't you?"

Esley snorted and retorted: "Don't you?"

"I do." Blanche was honest.

Richard nudged Memphis standing beside him and said, "See, our Captain Karun is popular with girls everywhere."

Memphis replied, "You're popular on that street too."

"Hmph, it's not the same, I pay them, they wouldn't pay me."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Although Karun doesn't rely solely on his looks, sometimes that's what's missing to achieve perfection. So blame my dad for the sin of not making me more handsome,"

"Mhm, indeed."

A hawk circled above and then Bart, along with Ventura, descended from it.

Both of them were in excellent physical condition, so landing from such a height was no issue at all.

Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawℝead.com ].

Esley joked, "I know hawks aren't considered private use if they don't land, but how did you pick up Ventura?"

Bart laughed, "Just hovering by his window was enough, though it almost scared the old lady."

Ventura hurriedly explained, "It's okay, my grandma has seen hawks before."

Esley counted the people and said, "Can we go in now?"

"Isn't there one more over there?" Memphis pointed to a corner across the street.

"Hmm?"

Everyone turned to look and saw Philomena standing there, all alone.

Esley chuckled and said, "Honestly, I was surprised to see her name on the list."

Bart asked back, "Aren't you looking forward to it?"

Esley laughed, "Yes, I am. The thought of her having to lower her proud head to join our squad makes me feel so good."

The team didn't reject Philomena's joining because, after a series of events, they had already established a deep connection with Karun.

Esley whispered, "What do you think, if we just go in without calling her, will she stand there all night, until we finish dinner?"

Bart agreed, "Possible, if we don't call her by name. But the captain wouldn't do that, his style is always proper."

Esley pouted, "So, we still have to call her, huh."

Alfred spoke up, "I'll call her over."

Esley quickly stopped him, "No, Ventura, you go. Let's see if she still dares to put on airs. If she hasn't changed at all, even if she becomes a teammate, we'll know where we stand."

As she spoke, Esley introduced to the others, "A very formidable woman, much stronger than me or Bart. She was originally from the same district as us, but was kicked out of our squad by the captain because of her haughty temper.

Somehow, she's back in our squad this time. I'm not targeting her on purpose, but if she doesn't think to lower her noble head and change, there's no need for us to try to maintain a teammate relationship with her, it would be a waste of feelings."

Bart teased, "Deputy Captain Esley speaks the truth."

"Pfft, if anyone's going to be deputy captain, it should be Muri. He was already a captain, and now he's switched sides, he'll definitely set an example and soothe those in the team who aren't from York City."

Muri touched his nose.

Bart said speechlessly, "Our squad isn't even officially formed, and you're already dividing factions?"

"What's so strange about that? Even the janitors in my parents' research institute are divided into three factions."

Ventura crossed the street to call Philomena, and then Philomena and Ventura walked back together.

Esley nodded, "Not bad, seems like she has changed a bit. Alright, next I'm looking forward to the feast the captain has prepared for us. I can't forget it after eating it once, can't forget. By the way, what did we eat last time?"

Bart reminded, "The simple meal at the funeral."

Everyone walked into the funeral home and into the backyard.

Esley shouted, "Where is my dear captain?"

The master bedroom door opened, and Karun, dressed in a robe of order, walked out.

Everyone was stunned because the captain's face was so pale.

Karun's gaze swept over everyone present,

and he smiled:

"Must be hungry, I'll go prepare dinner."

—

There's more tonight.