The Devil's Cage

The bronze coffin!

The bronze coffin housing the devil lord's heart had been binded exactly like Kieran was now.

Kieran was unsure how the Shepherds had learned about such spells and magic circles.

They might have been at Alcatraz Prison, or the spells might have been passed down to them by older generations.

There was one thing that Kieran knew and could see clearly though. [Devil Transformation] could not be activated for the time being.

Just like he had expected.

"You are more reckless and foolish than I imagined, Bird of Death! Did you really think we wouldn't have been prepared after finding out that you have devil lineage? This is the Devil Sealing Circle. Even the devil himself would not be able to escape it! Are you ready now?"

Rainer had misunderstood the reason behind the shock on Kieran's face. Unable to hold himself back, he let out a proud laugh.

The Shepherds took off their robes and mantles one by one, revealing their blessed weapons and fire-resistant magic circles branded on their armor.

They were holding daggers, long swords, spears and tridents. Their pale faces were greenish purple, as if they were disgusted to be holding blessed weapons in their hands.

From Kieran's perspective, their disgust seemed to be mixed with a bloodthirsty viciousness.

The two different expressions resulted in a strange twisted feeling on their pale faces as they surrounded Kieran slowly, ready to strike.

The dead were wielding their holy blades at the fiery devil.

The scene was absurd, but everyone in the grand hall had expected it.

The West Coast mystics were not shivering anymore. They were all focused on Kieran, who was about to be turned into meat paste.

Barry the Spirit of Evil stood up firmly after some time, his hand brewing that black energy stream again. He was staring at Kieran like a hungry wolf ready to devour its prey.

Many others were also ready to bathe in Kieran's blood and feast on his flesh.

A body with devil lineage was very rare. Kieran's heart and brain alone would be worth their effort.

The former represented the power of the bloodline, and the latter represented the devil's legacy.

Although they had a slim chance of extracting them, this didn't mean that it was impossible.

Maybe others couldn't have done it, but they sure could and they would. Fueled by their greed, everyone grew very confident.

So did the West Coast mystical individuals, who had been shivering and muttering a second ago.

Despite the immense pressure of the God of Earth, they longed for power. Their sanity had been corrupted by their thirst for power.

Rainer oversaw everything with a cold smile. He had never intended to hand over Kieran's body or soul to anyone else. Those would go to his collection, to the very source of his power.

The leader of the Shepherd of Death was very aware of the value of the devil's bloodline. It would be his only chance of overpowering the God of Earth. Why would he give it to someone else?

Rainer lifted his hands, twisting the little finger of his left hand.

It was like twisting open a cork. His little finger was twisted down hard and then thrown to the floor.

The moment it touched the floor, it turned into a pile of goo and started to wiggle rhythmically. The deadly aura that filled the hall was devoured by the goo like a whale swallowing water. The rotten stench didn't disappear though. Instead, it got even stronger.

The goo was the source of that vile stench. There was no change on its surface, even after devouring a huge amount of that aura. Everyone but the Shepherds felt a sense of extreme danger.

"What the hell did you do, Rainer?" Barry shouted at him before dodging.

The floor under Barry's feet was melting quietly as a small pile of rotten meat oozed out of it. The same thing happened to everyone else, including the Shepherds themselves.

Rainer never believed anyone else. The only person he trusted was himself.

The bottoms of his boots didn't even put up any resistance. They were corroded instantly. That cold, slimy, sticky feeling seeped into everyone's shoes.

The rotten goo filled their shoes, making them shiver. They felt sweat run down their backs and goosebumps erupt all over their bodies. They all believed that the thing under their feet was lethal. Everyone turned their eyes to Rainer in anger.

"I'm just simplifying the process. See, this is a battle between me and the Bird of Death. You people are nothing more than observers, so do your duty and observe! Now, if you don't mind…"

Rainer had no intention of backing down against their infuriated looks. Before he could finish his words, threats started escaping his mouth.

Then he turned around and asked Kieran in an arrogant tone, "What do you think, Bird of Death?"

He sounded like a cat teasing a mouse before devouring it.

"What do I think? To me, you are all the same. Everyone in here is my enemy!" Kieran said slowly.

Although his body was bound by chains, he was still as calm as ever. His eyes did not even betray the slightest panic as he looked at everyone around the hall.

He might be overthinking, but he got a sense of mockery from everyone in the hall, especially Rainer.

The leader of the Shepherd of Death felt extremely insulted.

"Aren't you acting cocky before your imminent death? Do you think you can defeat us without your transforming ability? Or are you that confident in your comrades?"

Rainer pushed his crystal ball into Kieran's face, showing him what was happening to his comrades.

Raul, Cidney, Simones and Elli were still holding on. They were not in any life-threatening danger, but they would not be coming to his aid anytime soon.

"Do you think he will save you? Our famous Chief Officer, Schmidt?"

Rainer mocked Schmidt, who was standing behind Kieran, holding the silver flag up high. Rainer didn't linger on Schmidt long before he turned back to Kieran.

To him, Schmidt was nothing more than a clown.

A policeman might have seemed scary to a commoner, but to him, he was a total joke.

"I don't wait around for reinforcements. That's not my style. I like to solve my problems my own way!" Kieran smirked mysteriously.

Rainer instinctively felt that something was off.

"Kill him!" he shouted.

It was too late though.

Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride. The devilish aura of the seven deadly sins erupted from Kieran's body even stronger than a volcano.

The chains binding him rattled hard, and all the lights in the hall started flickering non-stop.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped the whole place.