Chapter 592

It descended swiftly, shattering the streetlights as it came down.

It was akin to a flood breaking out from above, washing over the ground, grinding rocks and smashing trees. It resembled a colossal beast striding forward and demolishing everything in its path. It was also similar to an advancing army, fearlessly destroying any barriers in its way. From various points amidst the sound of destruction, different patterns of noise could be heard, indicating that these were battle formations.

Indeed, what could this army possibly be?

How could it move so swiftly, descending downwards?

Why would it regard the streetlights as obstacles to destroy on its way down?

What, ultimately, was the true identity of this army?

Could it be akin to a swarm of locusts leaping lightly over walls, gnawing away crops, and leaving desolation in their wake? Or dare it be akin to false beings escaping a sulfuric fire, gathering together to move around? Or, if not, might it be some wicked gathering of contemporary spirits parading and showing off their strength?

The Shaman Kenneth, using his spell to protect his own body, glanced towards the hotel.

He sought to uncover what was truly transpiring inside, and what kind of sorcery the Shaman within the hotel might be employing.

Screeeeech!

Finally, the evidence was revealed.

This being possessed wings, but it was neither a flying creature, nor a land beast despite having legs. It could feed on revolting liquids and survive briefly in them, yet it was no sea creature. It lived off putrid flesh—a wretched thing clearly bred by some false desert deity that had been cast into Hell after leading people into immorality.

Flies.

These detestable flies.

This swarm of countless horrific creatures brought to mind the sight of dense black smoke.

“Is this sorcery related to Beelzebub?”

Kenneth muttered this as he gazed upon the repugnant sight.

Ah, these black flies.

And the white larvae clinging to these flies or dangling from their abdomens!

Even if it isn’t explicitly stated, I can comprehend what will happen.

When these flies reach him, they’ll tear his skin, creating tiny holes, and force these larvae into those openings. They’ll attempt to feed on his flesh alive, as though his body were rotten meat, inflicting horrendous pain.

Ah, how repulsive and terrifying.

“Ah! Foolish and weak one! You are unable to exorcise the demons without borrowing the power of the demon lord Beelzebub!”

But does the pain inflicted by these creatures even compare to defying the Lord’s word? Can their overwhelming numbers match even a speck of His great power?

No matter how threatening they may seem, they are but tiny and wicked things within His grasp!

Ah! I truly understand.

The Lord’s power is upon this place, protecting me from such petty threats!

“Lord of Flies! Oh arrogant one! Upon this place rests the Lord’s power, and you shall not dare to touch me with your disgusting reach!”

A powerful, divine light burst forth from Kenneth’s necklace as he intoned the invocation. The silver cross hanging around his neck glimmered faintly in the moonlight, encircling him with a sacred light. The diamond rosary on his wrist emitted rainbow-colored lights that swirled around his body, forming a protective barrier.

This created a luminous wall that began to turn the incoming flies into dust, obliterating any that dared defile him.

POOOOF!

POOOOF!

As soon as the flies came into contact with the light, they exploded. They disappeared into dust, their trivial lives ending with a faint popping sound.

In this manner, the gigantic snake made of flies vanished. Its mouth was torn apart and turned to dust that piled high on the ground.

Ah, so much dust.

It was the remains of the flies, the traces of a vile and repugnant serpent.

Kenneth now realized that he had successfully disrupted the spellwork of the Shaman inside the hotel.

*

“Wh-what is that…?”

Kenneth furrowed his brow as he observed the remains of what had been flies. Reduced to dust by his spell, the remnants should’ve been gone, all danger neutralized.

However, strangely, the dust began to move—not stirred by the night breeze, but visibly expanding, inflating like popcorn kernels until it reached the size of a child’s fingernail. These small particles began to form into more distinct shapes.

Though enveloped in darkness, making it difficult to discern their precise forms, it was clear they had transformed into something entirely different from before.

Kenneth quickly realized the Shaman had used the flies as a conduit for another spell.

Tsssh.

Understanding this, Kenneth immediately took off the diamond rosary from his wrist, holding it in one hand, and extended the chain. He raised it high in the air like a whip, and with the cross as the handle, slammed it against the ground, shouting loudly.

Clang!

“O wicked being, offspring of the serpent! How dare you defile the Lord’s radiance?!”

The cross struck the ground with a thunderous sound, creating a massive shockwave, similar to the force of a muscular man’s punch. The dust beneath Kenneth’s attack was crushed, and the surrounding objects were blown away by the wind pressure. A residual iridescent trajectory hung in the air, preventing anything from crossing that line.

But this reprieve was brief.

Crackle.

The harsh sounds of the rigid particles grinding against each other echoed as Kenneth’s struck ground instantly filled back up.

And then…

Swish Swish Swish.

The dust began to flow, moving in unison, as if it were one being. Just as the black snake had hovered in the air before, now it slithered along the ground like another black serpent, moving swiftly towards Kenneth.

It achieved what the flies could not.

Crack!

The dust opened its pincer-like mouth and tore pieces off the light surrounding Kenneth’s body. The fragments were then passed to other particles, which ripped them into even smaller pieces until their original forms were unrecognizable.

Crack!

A fissure appeared where the light had been torn.

The tiny particles gathered at this opening, attempting to insert themselves inside Kenneth. Once they realized individual entry was difficult, they united, intertwining their bodies and legs to form a pointed, needle-like shape.

At this point, Kenneth understood the true nature of the threat.

These were ants—a swarm known even on the American continent.

The massive swarm of ants, often exaggerated in the movies, was overwhelming in number.

“Marabunta…?”

The marabunta.

The dust from the dead flies had transformed into an army of ants.

And with this transformation, Kenneth faced the new threat of the army ants.