Demon Bible

Chapter 158: Broken Defenses

"Fass, let me see just how far you can go," Nemus murmured, his gaze seeming to pierce through all distances to precisely observe the changes in Fass.

The Berserk Accessory was nothing more than a byproduct of Nemus's research into the Soul Component, born from the reaction between the soul and Faith.

Although Nemus had subsequently managed to complete the Soul Component—turning it into a rudimentary device for processing Faith—it was still not enough.

Nemus's true objective was to complete the Divinity.

This required an exorbitant amount of highly specialized knowledge.

Divinology was a field of study almost exclusively known to Gods. Although Nemus possessed a shattered Divinity to observe, expecting to fully comprehend its inner workings through self-study was simply asking too much.

Necessary experiments had to be conducted.

"Currently, the accessory's function is far too limited. Its internal restraint is insufficient, making it difficult to truly process Faith. Therefore, it is necessary to transition from a single accessory toward the cooperative synergy of multiple accessories to form a complete unit."

The Sealing Art that Isabella had acquired from the Judgment Hall had now been completely mastered by Nemus.

Much like Alchemy, the Sealing Art was widely regarded as a discipline with an incredibly high upper limit.Often, when powerful individuals proved too difficult to defeat, they were ultimately dealt with using a Sealing Art.

Alchemy sought power externally. It utilized connections with the Ether, the Astral Realm, and other planar transit hubs to facilitate harmonious coordination between the higher and lower dimensions.

The Sealing Art, on the other hand, primarily sought power internally. It used external forces to interfere with the target, making it difficult for them to exert their strength and forcing them into a state of internal conflict.

It was like a special knot in a rope; once tied, the harder one struggled and pulled to break free, the tighter the knot became.

Within the Soul Component, Nemus had used the Sealing Art to restrain the structure of the soul and implanted a corresponding mechanism. Whenever Faith entered, the Impure Thoughts within it would resonate with the Desire contained inside the Soul Component.

Through this resonance, it would make an accurate judgment on what kind of Precept the Divinity should implant to achieve the Purification of those Impure Thoughts.

The function was barely operational, but its efficiency and stability were severely lacking.

There were even times when the Soul Component would jam entirely while processing Faith.

This was because Desire was not omnipotent. Some Impure Thoughts were simply too twisted and did not react sufficiently with conventional Desire.

This was exactly where the Berserk Accessory proved useful. It no longer fully restrained the soul within, but allowed it to participate in the reaction to a certain extent.

A Berserk Accessory that had already assimilated Faith could not process Faith Power, but it could interfere with it.

Therefore, the joint operation of the Soul Component and the Berserk Accessory was an absolute necessity.

However, since these two devices shared the same fundamental nature, operating them in tandem would likely trigger a variety of unpredictable reactions.

All this relevant data needed to be collected before the final version could truly be completed.

Nemus decided to use this final act to let Fass fight it out, waiting to see if he could achieve his own Sublimation.

Nemus eagerly anticipated Fass's transformation.

And indeed, Fass did not disappoint him.

At the very least, he had withstood the first wave of changes.

As soon as the Soul Component entered his body, it immediately began to operate.

This was entirely different from Nemus using the Soul Component to process Faith Power.

Fass was using the Soul Component to untangle and refine his own Mental Power.

The Mental Power born from swarm-state symbiosis carried far too many impurities.

For Nemus, the Soul Component was merely an auxiliary tool, with the shattered Divinity serving as the main force. But for Fass, it was an invaluable treasure capable of stabilizing his chaotic Mental Power.

Thanks to Fass's high resonance with the Berserk Accessory, it did not react violently when the Soul Component entered his body; for now, it remained firmly under his control. Slowly, Fass turned to look at Al, who had dodged to the side.

"Al, tell me, are you actually evil, or just plain stupid?" Fass asked.

The question made Al freeze in stun.

"At the most critical moment, you interrupted me without a second thought."

"If I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve, I might have been killed by that attack just now," Fass stated coldly.

"That's not it, Fass, I just..." When it came to explaining his reasons, Al choked on his words for a moment before replying with a weak, uncertain tone, "I just wanted to save you."

"I didn't want you to keep going down the wrong path."

"And exactly what is my mistake?" The lingering smile on Fass's face instantly collapsed. The black aura radiating from his body condensed into wisps and burrowed into the Alchemical Armguard on his arm, causing Small Steel Beads to levitate into the air.

"Naturally, it is acting in cahoots with a dark cult like the Construct Protocol!" Al declared earnestly, his gaze exceptionally resolute.

"Right. So when I was attacking the leader of the Construct Protocol, why did you make a noise and interrupt my strike?" Fass asked, feigning genuine confusion.

"That..." Al was at a loss for words once more.

"You observed the situation, but you didn't think. If you simply didn't think things through, then you are stupid." Fass gave Al no room to retreat, immediately pressing his verbal assault.

"If you did think it all through, yet still subconsciously called out to stop me, then you are evil."

"You constantly preach about wanting to save me, yet you can't stand to see me achieve salvation on my own!"

"You despise seeing me succeed. In your eyes, I'm only fit to be a pathetic wretch begging for your salvation, and you couldn't care less whether I actually need it or not."

Fass's words were like sharp blades, piercing straight into Al's heart.

"You are beyond saving!" Al finally snapped in anger. He felt as though all his painstaking efforts had been entirely rejected by Fass, and worse, that his very being was being insulted.

But most importantly, he was overwhelmed by an inexplicable sense of panic.

That extraordinary surge of fury drove Al to action.

"Even if I have to break all four of your limbs, I will drag you back to face judgment, cleanse your Sin, and force you to accept redemption!!!" Al roared furiously, and accompanying his thunderous shout were the Arrows he fired from his bow.

Elven Arcane Art: Gale Arrow!

A surging tempest coiled around the Arrows as they shot toward Fass.

Seeing this, Fass merely chuckled, fully aware that Al's defenses were completely broken.

No matter what Fass had done in the past, Al had never claimed he was beyond saving. Yet this time, simply by pointing the spear of criticism at Al himself, the so-called savior couldn't handle it.

Layers of Steel Orbs flew into the air, resonating with one another to form a protective Barrier.

This alchemical shield—which Nemus had learned in just a few tries—had taken Fass months of grueling practice. It was only through swarm-state symbiosis that he had finally managed to barely execute it.

But the effort was well worth it.

The sharp Arrows struck the Barrier, propelled forward by a massive torrent of wind.

The wooden shafts behind the arrowheads rapidly splintered and shattered upon impact.

Only a single steel arrowhead remained, spinning wildly as it tried to bore its way through the shield.

However, by this time, Fass had already shifted his position.

As his body drifted fluidly backward, even more Steel Orbs were fired in retaliation.