It was a vast, luxurious room with a polished tile floor. The room was decorated with exquisite marble sculptures. The ceiling was adorned with beautiful chandeliers. It felt like the opulent living room of a wealthy person.
In contrast to the "brightness" of the luxurious room, the oil paintings on the walls had an extremely dark theme. They were abstract, bloody images, scenes of a twisted, mutated world, and even paintings with only a tangle of gruesome lines.
In the very center of the room was a special painting. The sky was blood-red, the land was torn apart and destroyed, and a swarm of doom creatures covered the entire painting. In the very middle was a terrifying creature that seemed to be sleeping. But all the doom creatures were surrounding it, kneeling as if they were subjects worshiping their emperor.
This room, these sculptures, and these paintings were all made by the manager himself. They were the things he was most proud of.
He was also the one who had designed this place, from the warehouse, the breeding camp, the laboratory, to even the project of creating the incomplete cultists; he was in charge of it all.
Twenty complete cultists, divided into two rows, formed a path for the manager in the middle as he pushed a table filled with children forward.
"Honorable Doom Lord, these are today's offerings."
He knelt on one knee. In front of him was a rectangular area covered by a red curtain with patterns on it. The curtain was pulled back, revealing a terrifying monster with five mouths full of sharp teeth, with saliva constantly drooling from the corners of its mouths. Crustacean-like shells grew countless ferocious bone spikes.
This thing was three meters tall and as wide as a normal car. Its two largest bone spikes were like two greatswords plunged into the floor, each at least two meters long.
It was an elite doom.
The Doom cult had to pay a very heavy price to capture this doom alive. It was currently tied down with countless chains, tightly locked to the floor.
"Begin the ritual."
The manager shouted, kneeling before the elite doom with a crazed and respectful expression. The complete cultists behind him followed suit. The ritual began with them mumbling the cult's incomprehensible language.
At that moment, all activity in the stronghold stopped, including the hunt for Noid and the commissioner. Cultists returned to their different prayer rooms and began their worship.
Meanwhile, Noid and the commissioner were in the ventilation duct that led to the room where the manager was performing the ritual. Noid silently witnessed everything, from the table filled with children to the appearance of the elite doom.
"Black-armored man, you can't do this... you'll definitely die."
Noid was silent, then he replied in a low voice.
"You should go to the exit that leads up. I took care of the cultists up there when I came in."
It had only been a few hours since he had broken in. The guards he had beaten up had not yet been replaced, so the commissioner could escape if she went up now.
But she didn't go. She had to stop the man in front of her; the commissioner couldn't just watch him go to his death.
"Black-armored man, I..."
"Just call me Noid."
"Noid, let's leave now and go back to Rorgh City. I promise that in the shortest amount of time, I will gather forces to storm this place. It will only take a few days."
"At that time, you can join the sweep and save even more people."
The helmet on Noid's face disappeared, revealing the face of a young man. Unlike his expressions during battle, this person looked very gentle. He gave a soft smile.
"I believe you, because your eyes don't lie. I am sure you can do it, destroy this place to save more people."
"But... these children, they won't know they have been avenged. They are just deformed and defective humans created as instant products for that monster. Their lives have been nothing but suffering since birth. They don't know their parents, they aren't raised like children, they aren't taught, they can't cry, they can't laugh. They can only exist soullessly, just like... a commodity."
"This isn't about how many people I can save... I just want these children to know that their entire lives haven't always been this way. There is still light, there is still hope, even if it's just for a moment, a tiny flicker."
The commissioner looked straight into Noid's eyes. She saw a deep look that seemed out of place for someone so young. But it wasn't the numb, profound look of someone who had lived too long; it was simply a deep look. It contained a warmth that soothed the heart, making others feel at peace.
"You are a gentle person, Noid."
"Thank you."
CLANG!
He jumped down from the ventilation duct on the ceiling and landed. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he rushed toward the manager at an extremely high speed, his fists tearing through the air. But as he was about to reach the manager, another hand blocked him, knocking Noid back. It was a complete cultist who had been quick enough to stop him.
Noid stopped his body. Behind him was the table full of children, and behind that was the chained elite doom. In front of him were the complete cultists protecting the manager behind them. Noid stood in front of the children, and the manager stood behind the cultists, forming two opposing sides.
"Well, look who it is. Isn't this the intruder? Did you take a wrong turn?"
The manager saw Noid shielding the children behind him. He suddenly burst into a maniacal laugh.
"Hahaha, you... you want to protect the Doom Lord's dining table? Have you gone mad trying to be a hero?"
Noid did not put on his helmet. His gentle eyes glanced at the children behind him. When he turned back, the gentleness in his eyes had turned into cold killing intent.
"A hero? Maybe. But right now, I just want to personally send you to hell."
The manager, who was laughing loudly, suddenly stopped. His eyes widened as he looked at Noid. His voice became frantic.
"Young people these days really don't know their own strength. Fine, be careful not to kill him. I want him to witness his own body being one with the Doom Lord, along with those offerings."
"Interrupting the ritual will cost you dearly."
Noid didn't seem threatened at all. His helmet appeared, his eyes emitting a cold blue light, and the two blades on his arms shot out. The voice from his helmet came through.
"Come on."
Three doses of the Rage potion were injected into his body, boosting his physical strength to 1.3. The electric shock function of the A.T.A. Power Armor was activated, causing lightning to run through both his armor and his two swords. A final tube of adrenaline was injected. His combat power had reached its highest level ever.