This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 297 The Unspeakable Man-Eating Demon King Approaches the Statue of Life
In the heart of Life Manor, beneath the false god statue, lies a snake pit, now no longer a sacrificial site, but a meat grinder.

The thick, nauseating stench of blood almost filled the air, and the huge symbols carved on the ground were filled with dark red liquid, like the grotesque veins of some enormous creature exposed.

In the center of the magic circle, the poorly made statue that imitated the appearance of Administrator Number Two was greedily absorbing the energy transformed from life. Its surface was shimmering with emerald light, but occasionally a dark green and black light would circulate.

The high priest stood on the platform, looking up at the back of the statue.

His white clothes remained pristine, but the black snake around his neck was no longer languidly coiled; instead, it raised its head restlessly, its tongue flicking in and out rapidly. In his normally icy blue vertical pupils, a rare hint of chaotic fear was revealed.

"Respond to me! The great cycle of life and death!" The high priest of the cycle almost roared, his fingers digging into the railing of the platform, his knuckles white. Several times he tried to grab the black snake but stopped himself: "Accept these sacrifices! Grant us power!"

"Priest! Has the link been established?!"

The white-robed priests below shook their heads. The black snake, however, hissed even more rapidly, twisting its head to avoid the high priest's yearning and frenzied gaze, instead looking more warily toward the shantytown.

That overwhelming sense of oppression made it instinctively want to escape. But it could also sense a connection to something of the same origin flowing within it…

"Useless!" the high priest cursed, whether he was cursing the priest or the cyclical principle of life and death that refused to respond.

He gritted his teeth: "Get as close as possible to the 'Sea of ​​Embryo'! We must directly activate the power of circulation to bless the statue! Go now!"

An elderly priest knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears: "Your Excellency, High Priest!"
“It’s not that we don’t want to go… it’s that the ‘Sea of ​​Embryos’ has rejected us! The Source of Life is becoming violent and chaotic, and we simply cannot get close. Forcing a connection will only result in us being torn apart!”

"Then let's find a way!" the High Priest roared, spittle flying everywhere.

Just then, his gaze inadvertently swept towards the direction of the manor's outer wall.

Through the swirling crimson energy and chaotic figures, he saw that figure.

Black and gold uniform, red goggles, and an unstoppable, steady pace.

Administrator Number Two has traversed the abandoned shantytown, like Death strolling through his own territory, freezing even the panic in his wake.

he came.

Faster and more direct than expected.

The high priest's pupils constricted sharply, his last shred of hope shattered.

Extreme fear instantly breached the dam of reason, transforming into hysterical madness.

"Sacrifice! More sacrifices!" His voice rose, and he waved his arms. "Drag out all that useless trash! Use their blood, their souls, to water the idol! The ritual must be completed before He steps through the gate! Death is a blessing that teaches us to return to the cycle of life, but the task must be completed!"

"Call for help from the Cult of Mother Goddess and the Returning Church! Tell them that the blasphemers have arrived and the Source of Life is in imminent danger!"

Immediately afterwards, he roared at another runestone that emitted an eerie blackish-purple light. This was an item used for one-way communication with the Returning Cult: "Tell the members of the Returning Cult that I can help them! I know the coordinates of the main altar! I can guide them!"
"As long as... as long as they can hold off that thing outside!!"

The sound echoed in the bloody air, filled with a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.

The statue continued to draw life, but its light grew increasingly ethereal and unstable. In the distance, the black figure had already approached the manor's seemingly sturdy, yet actually crumbling, white wall.

Some children who were still in training were forcibly dragged out. Among them, a boy and a girl were anxiously held in the arms of a swordsman, but they were still being pushed into the snake pit.

ten.

The countdown numbers tolled silently like a death knell in the eyes of every player watching this place.

The exodus from the shantytowns reached its peak, with cries and screams mingling into a symphony of despair.

Nine.

Inside the Life Manor, the girl held her two children tightly. Beside them, offerings dragged from the dungeon were pushed into the snake pit amidst piercing screams. The light from the idol suddenly intensified for a moment, bursting forth with a restless energy.

Eight.

The black snake around the high priest's neck went completely berserk, no longer hissing, but violently ramming its head against the priest's jaw, scratching blood from its scales. Several coiled threads appeared on its body, connecting it to the high priest and preventing it from escaping.

seven.

A deep blue light appeared in the direction of the Mother Goddess Cult's manor, but hesitated, hovering in mid-air without approaching the Life Manor. Returning to the direction of the cult, only an unsettling stillness remained.

six.

Albert finally pushed the last group of people out of the most dangerous area. Leaning on his sword, he looked back, panting, at the figure that had already reached the gate of the manor.

five.

The second administrator stopped in front of the metal gate, which was carved with lush trees.

He raised his head slightly, and the red goggles reflected the flickering magical light inside the door, as well as the false god statue that was still offering sacrifices.

Four.

The high priest's roar pierced through the walls: "Stop him! At all costs!"
"Divine grace is about to descend!"

three.

Nie Weiyang's gaze fell on the snake pit, on those who had returned to the cycle... but in his mind, the tragic scene of the shantytown residents struggling and rotting in the heat of the epidemic flashed by, as did the tragic scene of the whole world in the previous cycle.

two.

A chilling thought surfaced clearly in his mind, tinged with irony:

When you oppress ordinary people, demanding that they remain docile even when facing your butcher's knife, I cannot save everyone; I can only try to maximize my own interests.

Now, I'm here to kill you all.

I hope that you will be just as docile when you face my executioner's blade.

One.

Nie Weiyang smiled silently to himself. That smile held no warmth, only the calm acceptance of life and death.

The moment the countdown reached zero, the world seemed to freeze for a single frame.

Then, Administrator Number Two took that step forward.

He didn't break down the door, he didn't leap.

The manor barrier, reinforced by layers of magic and considered an impenetrable shield, collapsed the moment his foot landed.

Like a wax figure thrown into a raging fire, it melts silently, no longer isolating itself from the outside world, from wealth and poverty, from fervor and suffering, but instead opening itself up completely—

This is the same world.

Administrator Number Two slowly raised his hand, his blood-red hand gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

He removed his cloak and tossed it aside; the darkness unfolded and vanished, like a fleeting curtain of the sky. For the first time, a smooth, clean red was revealed—the cloak hanging beneath his shoulder armor.

A line of cold, scarlet text, accompanied by a despair-inducingly long health bar, suddenly appeared above his head.

[Human Guardian, Second Administrator, Lord of Hearts]

World Boss [Second Administrator] has entered combat. Challenger: [Cult of Life - Vitnam Branch Church]. Target's current HP: ? / ?, Target's current total energy: ? / ?, Target's current danger to all humanity: Extremely high. Target's current location is displayed on the global map: Southeast Asia - Vitnam. The "Leader-Level Hostile Target File" has been updated. Please browse the [World Boss: Second Administrator] section and pray for the warriors!

The High Priest stared dumbfounded at the health bar and the words on it, the crystal he was tightly clutching in his hand slowly slipping and falling to the ground.

From all directions, everyone who had been on high alert experienced a momentary mental blank, followed by—greater despair.

Administrator Number Two spreads out one hand, and he floats into the air, a blue-eyed black snake covered in golden scales coiled around his arm, his scarlet glove illuminated by the crystalline fragments above.

The battle has begun.

(End of this chapter)