"Hmm hmmhmm"

Chi Xiaoyu walked down the street holding Bai Ling's hand.

"I'm not a child anymore. Why are you holding my hand?"

"It's very normal behavior for girls to hold hands."

【But tongue kissing isn't normal】

Bai Ling's cheeks turned slightly red, remembering what Chi Xiaoyu had done to her last night, she couldn't help feeling shy.

The current Bai Ling was somewhat weak. After all, she now heard the Blood Witch's whispers every day. Though as time passed, the negative effects brought by breaking the seal became weaker, and those whispers weren't as intense as before.

【Being led like this actually feels pretty nice】

The girl felt the warmth from her palm, her heart filled with security.

Chi Xiaoyu bought a container of takoyaki and ate them one by one. Originally she habitually wanted to share with Bai Ling, but remembering that anomalies couldn't consume human food, she pulled back the small ball she was offering to Bai Ling.

"Suddenly being an anomaly seems so pitiful. So many delicious things you can't eat."

【So that's why Lin Bai didn't eat popcorn or drink milk tea?】

"Wuu wuu wuu."

Bai Ling nodded in agreement.

"By the way, how did you become an anomaly? Did you die from excessive blood loss? Is that why all your abilities summon blood?"

"Uh, maybe?"

Chi Xiaoyu pondered seriously.

"And your strength is somewhat too powerful. I feel like you should be occupying my B-grade anomaly slot."

"Is that so?"

Chi Xiaoyu had contracted two anomalies—Bai Ling and Thunder Anomaly. Originally Chi Xiaoyu thought Bai Ling was D-grade, but since Thunder Anomaly occupied a C-grade slot, then Bai Ling wasn't C-grade. And she could defeat B-grade artificial anomalies, so had she contracted a B-grade anomaly?

Thinking this, Chi Xiaoyu became even happier. Her contracted anomaly was not only beautiful but also very powerful. Too bad until Bai Ling reached A-grade, Thunder Anomaly couldn't advance to B-grade. Thunder Anomaly was almost ready to break through...

"Over here, over here."

Chi Xiaoyu pulled Bai Ling to the familiar small shop in the alley.

"Granny, good evening."

"Good evening—little girls. It's been—so long."

The granny came downstairs slowly with her cane, brought out a plate of snacks, and looked at them with a smile.

"Don't be shy—eat as much—as you like."

...

Egypt

Countless magnificent and spectacular pyramids had been toppled by war. The Sphinx was missing half its head, pyramids had their tops cut off, and even the gold-sand-covered desert had become uneven, with bodies on the ground missing arms and legs.

"Tch, will this ever end?"

A man in pharaoh clothing holding a scepter spat out blood. He had already lost an arm and kept looking back as if waiting for something.

"Which archbishop of the Terminus Cult are you? You've got some skills."

"I am the Archbishop of Greed. If you leave now, our holy cult is willing to offer an S-grade anomalous tool. How about it?"

"Oh my, of course that's fine. Go get it out for me now and I'll leave immediately."

Hearing this, the man replied angrily.

"Don't take me for a fool. You leave first, and when our cult's ritual is complete, we'll naturally offer the treasure with both hands."

"So there's no room for discussion?"

The man always wore a faint smile, continuously firing his gun at the Archbishop of Greed. After firing 5 shots, the pistol exploded, but those first 4 bullets seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth, full of killing intent.

The Archbishop of Greed didn't dare be careless. He flicked a gold coin from his fingertips, and a giant coin appeared in the air. The coin hole faced the Archbishop of Greed, and with the sound of clattering coins falling, countless giant coins dropped, instantly forming a small mountain peak that protected the man inside. Bullets hit it, sparking and creating violent explosions.

"I am the proxy of the incomplete, the incarnation of the imperfect and irregular. But incompleteness doesn't bring regret—it brings endless imagination."

The exploded pistol suddenly fired a fifth bullet.

"Ah, now that's more like it."

The clearly exploded pistol in the man's hand seemed like an assault rifle, firing countless bullets that could change type according to the man's will.

Firing rocket launchers continuously from a small-caliber single-shot pistol—no problem, right?

The coins attacked by these bullets immediately began to decay, and the originally hard coin mountain was soon destroyed.

"I am the proxy of greed, the deity who brings endless wealth. I grant you eternal life. Golden man, rise!"

Countless coins began to assemble, forming a giant golden statue hundreds of meters tall. The massive statue lifted its foot and stomped hard toward the man continuously shooting on the ground.

The man took out his phone to check the time.

"The time has come."

He smiled and snapped his fingers. The golden man suddenly lost its legs, then its arms, and fell to the ground.

"Damn it, my golden man could withstand nuclear bombs. This is pure mechanism killing—totally unfair."

The man representing greed quickly rode a giant coin, trying to fly away from here.

Seeing this, the man snapped his fingers at him again. The man trying to escape suddenly lost his legs, and the coin also lost half of itself, causing the man to fall down and crash into the gold sand.

"There's still a clear difference between Anomaly Kings and S-grades like you. Don't make futile resistance."

"You forced me to this."

The man's legs seemed to be cut off, continuously spurting blood. Combined with his previously severed arm, he wasn't far from becoming a human stick. Enduring the intense pain, the man inserted his hand into the gold sand, emitting rays of light from his body. The entire desert began to surge.

The whole desert seemed to come alive, continuously devouring the objects above, including himself. But his real purpose was just to bury the pyramid and protect the ritual.

"Mutual destruction? Or delaying time?"

The man representing incompleteness rose into the air and leisurely opened his phone to call the number labeled "Wife."

【Proxy: one who has gained recognition from Anomaly Kings and above and can use their abilities】

【Non-proxy: directly contracts anomalies or is an anomaly itself】

At this time, inside the pyramid—

"The third day, grant divinity!"

The archbishop in a black top hat presided over the ritual. People around drank holy water. In this transformed, magnificent pyramid that originally could only hold dozens of people, thousands were accommodated. Hundreds of such pyramids were simultaneously conducting rituals.

"The great lord will descend to the mortal world again. Humans are born with sin. Now is the time to repay those sins."

"Hubby's calling, hubby's calling."

This solemn ritual was suddenly interrupted by a phone ringtone.

People around turned to look at the woman kneeling on the ground, showing anger.

"Uh, please continue. Don't mind me. I'm just taking a call."

Looking at the woman's spilled holy water that she hadn't drunk, the archbishop smiled and said through gritted teeth.

"Little mouse, you've hidden quite deep, mixing in until the end of the ritual!"