Approaching

"The Black Sun Cult? Troublesome people are coming..."

Olivia sighed softly.

She knew how terrifying a real cult could be, unlike her own group!

"Yes, we had a conflict with them. They made the first move. Curtis got burned by the flames. I used firearms to disrupt them and barely managed to escape."

Barnard's eyes were slightly red.

"This is the second stage element of 'Darkness,' the ability of the Burning Child. They can control a strange flame that burns slowly and continuously, eventually consuming everything..."

Lin, with a cold expression, shared her past experiences: "Regular medications and water won't work. You need ritual and spiritual power to remove it!"

"If that's the case, I can give it a try."

Olivia had received systematic teachings from the Wasteland Cult previously, and her depth in ritual magic was far superior to Lin's.

"This isn't the main problem now... Those black dogs have already extended their claws here. I won't allow it! This is the city of our Lord!"

Lin gritted her teeth.

"Don't be impulsive, Lin. We need more intelligence... However, if it's just a single second-phase Burning Child and no strong ones with life transcendence, we might give it a shot..."

Olivia consoled.

Most extraordinary people, as long as they haven't reached a certain stage, still have weaknesses and can be killed by firearms and other weapons.

And this was their home ground!

"We're already far from the Black Sun Cult. The High Priest and the Shade Chaser won't pay much attention. Having a mid-level Burning Child in charge should be enough..."

Alan thought for a moment and walked out of the department store building. He wanted to scout alone.

After all, establishing a cult wasn't easy. If it was destroyed, finding suitable candidates again would be a matter of luck.

"Anyway, they won't notice me. I'm the best scout."

Based on the information he heard earlier, Alan headed in a particular direction.

...

On the other side of the city.

Mass took out an expired can of food, pried open the lid, and fished out the luncheon meat inside. He took a bite but found it distasteful and threw it aside.

Clang!

The metal can fell to the ground, and a little girl who looked like a scavenger's eyes lit up. She scrambled over, grabbed the can, and retreated into the crowd.

In front of Mass was a survivor's shelter, housing about thirty people, including several elderly and children.

Mass's gaze fell on a woman who hurriedly held the girl in her arms.

The little girl didn't care about anything else. She started digging out the luncheon meat with her hands, taking a bite herself and then giving a piece to her mother.

"Not bad..."

Mass didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he was satisfied in his heart and thought, "They will make excellent fuel... Perhaps after one more sublimation ritual, I can ascend to 'Shade Chaser' and become a significant figure just below the High Priest."

He stood up, looked at the frightened crowd, and flashed a warm smile: "Don't be afraid. Our Black Sun Cult isn't an evil organization. On the contrary, we bring salvation... and extraordinary power!"

Looking at a few men who were clearly tempted, Mass felt even more pleased: "Did you see the flame just now? Join us, and you, too, can gain that kind of power!"

His expression turned solemn, and he raised his voice: "Our Lord [Black Sun] is the Lord of the Eclipse, the Unquenchable Sun, the only salvation in the world!"

"Only by adhering to the Path of Darkness can we continually move closer to Him!"

"I will guide you through the 'Door of Darkness!'"

After his sermon, Mass walked out of the shelter, very satisfied. Two Black Sun followers hurriedly followed him.

"Your speech can almost rival the High Priest's."

The red-haired Lem praised, "I can't wait to see those fuels burn... With their spirituality, you might become a Shade Chaser or even attempt to complete the great work..."

"The consumables for the Eclipse Ritual are too terrifying..." Mass reprimanded: "And... I know what you're thinking. Using meditation and breathing techniques to trigger spirituality is too slow. You want to gain spirituality quickly and ascend from 'Non-burners'?"

Mass looked at the two, who were trembling with fear, and sneered in his heart. He had completely seen through them.

In the Black Sun Cult, even core 'Non-burners' could become fuel.

However, reaching the level of 'Burning Child' would be much better.

Even in the last Eclipse Ritual conducted by the High Priest, no 'Burning Child' was used, because besides them not being suitable, they were also the backbone and mid-level of the cult.

And within the Black Sun Cult, there were never any shortages of secret methods for plundering the spirituality of low-level extraordinary people.

This made 'Non-burners' feel very insecure, and they fought tooth and nail to ascend.

Strangely, despite such harsh rules, very few 'Non-burners' defected.

"Lem, that team just now claimed to belong to some Light of Salvation force. We need to investigate!"

Mass thought for a moment and assigned a task: "Also... don't forget the High Priest's order to track down that 'Lin.' We must capture her and sacrifice her!"

"It's just a girl, isn't it?" Lem muttered, "Even if she's strong..."

"It's more than that. The High Priest even suspects she is favored by our Lord's great enemy. If we can sacrifice her to our Lord, perhaps we all may receive divine blessings!"

A gleam of ruthlessness flashed in Mass's eyes. If possible, he wanted to sacrifice her personally. If that happened, he might not need any fuel, as [Black Sun] would directly elevate his rank!

"My lord... the great enemy?" Rem's voice trembled, "What kind of evil god is that?"

"The moon is His incarnation, bloodshed is His domain... I cannot utter His full honorific name, so I can only refer to Him as the 'Flesh Mother Tree'... Remember... any follower of the moon is our mortal enemy!"

Marth's attitude was unprecedentedly serious.

...

Alan stood right beside Marth, listening to everything: "As expected, it's just an expansion squad, but I didn't expect there to be a mission to capture Lin..."

He shook his head and glanced at these wicked followers: "What a pity... without Ike here... wait, maybe that kid got implicated after the last time and was possibly sacrificed..."

"And these people, even if I redeemed them and cleansed them of their pollution, they would probably still worship the Black Sun—simply put, they're too deeply poisoned, beyond saving!"

Alan felt that, in some sense, Lin's exploration of the prayer incantation was very correct.

Indeed, he was the symbol of reason and free will!

For those extraordinary individuals who have not yet lost themselves, his gift was salvation, the brilliance of reason.

But for those believers who had completely given their faith to terrifying entities, they had long discarded their free will, their minds altered by the subtle influence of the cult, making redemption virtually impossible.