Chapter 172: Ha, indeed it is a demon we humans cannot match

In the center of the rest area was a circular diagram drawn with human blood.

Inside the diagram were densely packed runes, and both the diagram and the runes emitted a piercing red light.

Outside the diagram, there was a ring of torches providing illumination, as well as a large number of townspeople's corpses stripped of clothing.

And a group of cultists whose bodies had completely mutated surrounded the area.

Their muscular bodies burst through their clothing, fiery-red skin exposed, legs twisted into hoof-like deformities, faces unrecognizable, heads growing a pair of horn-like bone structures.

Where is there any human appearance left?

Even before the spider lord had fully descended, it had turned this group of 'devout' cultists into the demonic forms they now bear.

Sixteen cultists who had completely fallen into demons surrounded the diagram, silently watching it.

In the center of the diagram emitting scarlet light lay a human woman wearing a white dress, her skin pallid, her expression dazed, with long black hair.

The woman was about twenty years old, her eyes a deep blue, her features conforming to most people's aesthetic.

Yet her white attire stood in stark contrast amid the demons, blood, and corpses.

It seemed the cultists intended to use this woman's body as a vessel, offering it to the spider lord whose true form resides in Hell, so that it could freely walk the mortal world.

As expected of cultists, they are human.

They displayed the wicked side of humanity to the fullest, without hesitation abandoning their human nature to ally with Hell and demons, and slaughtering many innocent townsfolk.

Of course, the white-clad woman lying at the diagram's center is very likely also a follower of this cult, having chosen to willingly sacrifice herself.

"Thud, thud."

At that moment, a footsteps that made the entire floor tremble came from the south side.

!! The demon-transformed cultists immediately turned and charged, ready to die defending the diagram, to exterminate any humans daring to obstruct the ritual, and so…

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Thus the four Iron Fists wielding bolt‑thrower guns naturally had to 'assist' them in carrying out their willing sacrifice.

These demonized cultists had surprisingly good resistance to blows; it took at least four to seven standard explosive bolts to blast them into pieces.

If officers equipped with MA5Ds encountered these demons, the only outcome would be being torn apart—but unfortunately for them, they ran into the Glory Iron Fists.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

In the instant the charge began, four companions were blown to bits, leaving the remaining demons dazed and their charge speed greatly slowed.

However, the Iron Fists did not hesitate, continuing their steady advance.

"Buzz…~buzz~! buzz!!"

The high‑speed whirring of Stormfang's chain suddenly echoed throughout the third level, followed by…

"Scrape! Sizzle——! Crackle!"

No one could see clearly what happened in the process, but the result was plain as day.

All that could be seen before Rog was a mess—demons whose bodies had been violently split vertically and horizontally into two halves.

"Buzz…rumble rumble…" Stormfang's chain ceased spinning.

Rog kept his original pace, continuing forward; although his chain blade bore no blood, he still habitually gave it a shake.

To be honest, not even the four Iron Fists could tell what had just happened.

They only knew that Rog had made a move—and that was all.

"Swish! Swish!" Afterwards the Iron Fists reloaded while following Rog toward the diagram emitting scarlet light.

They arrived at the edge of the diagram.

The four Iron Fists aimed their bolt‑thrower muzzles at the white‑clad woman, while Rog ignored the runes and strode straight into the diagram to approach her.

He stopped and stared.

Through Spiritual Energy, Rog sensed from the white‑clad woman a different kind of ferocity and bloodlust, similar to the blood demons he and his brothers had slain before, yet distinct.

Before Rog could decide whether to wait for technicians to arrive or to destroy the thing on the spot, the white‑clad woman's eyes were suddenly overtaken by red light, and she spoke of her own accord:

"Foolish, arrogant humans, even though I have not yet fully taken over this vessel, you humans cannot hope to match my… uh! uh!!"

Before the woman could finish speaking, Rog had already bent down, extended his left index finger and thumb, and 'carefully' pinched her neck.

Just like lifting a poultry bird, he lifted her, the two fingers controlling force to compress, rendering the white‑clad woman physically unable to speak.

Under normal circumstances, Rog would surely have said, 'Ha, indeed not something we humans can match—demonic trash,' but while on mission he never wastes words.

He then opened comms with the Red Empress, saying, 'This is Glory Iron Fist captain Rog; we have successfully captured an abnormal creature possibly related to the plague, requesting deployment of appropriate technical personnel for control and transfer.'

"Understood." the Red Empress replied.

Not long after.

On the south side of the mall's parking lot stood a position formed by officers from three parties, plus two ambulances from the local town.

The paramedics who disembarked from the ambulances provided professional treatment to all the wounded, especially the officer missing his left arm.

As the medics were preparing to move the most critical casualties onto the ambulances for transfer to Ohai Town's hospital, a flight formation consisting of one large transport ship and two Yuyou craft deactivated their optical camouflage.

In the astonished gaze of most onlookers, they swooped low over the mall, lowered their landing gear, and landed on the snow‑covered but very empty parking lot.

The rear hatches of the transport ship and the two Yuyou craft opened.

Sixty Olympus Spears equipped with TPS Power Armor swiftly poured out of the Yuyou craft's cabins into the open air, instantly completing the encirclement of the police position.

!! Faced with such a sudden change, the officers were driven to the brink of collapse.

"Don't panic!" Leon, stationed at the center of the position, shouted loudly: "This is a secret unit of our Department of Homeland Security; given the special circumstances, please cooperate and submit to inspection."

Upon hearing this, the officers' emotions eased somewhat.

Actually, even without Leon's reminder, the officers would have complied, since the two sides' weaponry is on entirely different levels.

After the scene was brought under control.

A large group of technicians in white hazmat suits, equipped with mechanical exoskeletons, carrying silver equipment boxes of various sizes, stepped out of the transport ship's cabin.

More than ten of them proceeded to the police side, conducting inspections on all personnel including Leon, while also using more advanced medical equipment to treat the wounded.

The large group of technical staff was escorted into the mall by thirty members of the Olympus Spear.

———————

…

The far side of the Moon.

Inside the Umbrella base's office.

"Sir, the technical staff have completed the control program. Currently, the Glory Iron Fist Squad and a tactical platoon of the Olympus Spear are responsible for escorting, transporting this abnormal creature to Lockford Island for the plague doctor's testing and research."

A tall woman dressed in a black employee uniform, expressionless, gave the above report to the Umbrella authority.

(End of chapter)