Although the verbose long-tailed beast seemed eager to chat, as if it desperately wanted someone to talk to.
But the three Cleaners were just one step away from returning to the living world, only to be forcibly pulled back at the most critical moment. Their anger was on the brink of bursting out, and rather than chatting, they preferred to strangle it to death right on the spot.
"Just a little bit more!"
Breaking free from massive disappointment, Mona, the most hot-tempered female Cleaner, shouted in anger. Ignoring the suckers still embedded in her flesh, she forcibly jerked her arm free, waving her blood-soaked limb frantically as she began tearing at the tentacles binding her.
The other two were not much better off. Even though their bodies were almost transparent due to soul-burning followed by an ambush, they still cried out and struggled, attempting to resist the so-called death envoy’s constraints.
"Sigh... Forget it if you don’t want to talk."
Seeing how uncooperative these Cleaners were, the long-tailed beast smacked its lips in disappointment. Then it rolled up the three Cleaners in its tentacles and started moving towards the Gate of the Deceased, babbling incessantly as it went:
"Let me tell you, when your Clean-up Bureau’s lunatic devoured the Canine Deity, I was actually there, oh man, that scene was not your average bloodbath, those of you who haven’t witnessed it could never imagine how insane he was.
Though the Guard Dog of Death was the weakest True God in the Realm of the Dead, even the weakest was still a True God, and he was slaughtered and devoured, gnawed from the inside out—such ferocity!
When us death envoys arrived, that lunatic was holding the Canine Deity’s heart, gnawing away while crawling out from its stomach, covered in blood like a blood-dyed man, with clothes soaked in Divine Blood, not a hint of other colors in sight!"
After chattering on and on, the long-tailed beast lay down outside the Gate of the Deceased, in the spot originally belonging to the Three-Headed Canine Deity. It then began to roll up the spirits of two deceased and stuffed them into its mouth, enthusiastically continuing:
"Tsk tsk, in short, none of us death envoys expected to encounter such a thing, and each of us was scared stiff.
The eyeless fish of the Yellow Springs River leapt back into the river in terror, and the Blood-Head Crow flew straight away without turning back, while the Bone Reindeer blew itself up on the spot—still hasn’t recovered.
Luckily, I was more cowardly than them; I didn’t dare get too close from the start. After peeping from afar, I ran away, though I got reprimanded by the Overlord and was sent as the first to guard the gate.
Uh... I must say, guarding here is really boring. With weak souls, those deceased can’t help but keep walking on the No Return Path and leave after a few words, but your souls are rather strong—might hold on for three to five days?
How about this, you three stay here and chat with me. I’ll wait to eat you four days later when the Blood-Head Crow comes to change shifts. How does that sound? Are you interested?"
"Oh well, I thought you might entertain me."
Seeing Mona, the female Cleaner, glaring at him with anger and clearly unwilling to cooperate, the long-tailed beast sighed helplessly, then opened its mouth full of maw-like molars and prepared to stuff Mona in with its tentacles.
"Hey, horse! Wait up!"
Just then, a somewhat anxious voice came from afar. The long-tailed beast squinted and spotted a little figure all red, hurrying towards them.
Who are you to make me wait? You think you’re big enough?
Seeing the approaching figure had only slightly stronger soul strength than ordinary Cleaners, while far weaker than the one in its mouth, the long-tailed beast disdainfully curled its lips, intending to proceed with its bite.
However, at that moment, when the other two Cleaners bound by the tentacles recognized the newcomer, they shouted in despair:
"Leon? How come you... were you also killed?"
Oh, so this guy’s called Le... ah? Leon? Leon the Devourer?!!
Upon hearing this terrifying name, the long-tailed beast shivered violently, realizing in horror that the red, glowing figure was indeed the same Devourer it had seen from afar before! As for why he was glowing red...
That’s Divine Blood that won’t wash off!!!
"Help! Help, Master!!!"
Realizing its situation, the long-tailed beast screamed in terror and sprang up, shouting for help as it stumbled towards the Gate of the Deceased, its legs nearly tripping over each other if you looked closely.
And seeing it nearing the gates, Leon, rushing over, grew anxious.
There was no other way, for the power of the Guard Dog of Death required the Gate of the Deceased to activate. Like the Three-Headed Canine Deity, it only had the authority to block passage, but not to allow entry of its own accord.
Put simply, if the souls of the three Cleaners had not yet entered the gate, Leon, who ’replaced’ the Guard Dog of Death, would have the authority to stop them from entering, but if they had already entered, whether they could come out depended on their own doing.
Upon hearing Leon’s angry shout, the long-tailed beast shivered, stumbled a couple of steps, nearly tripping, but ultimately didn’t heed the call to stop and instead ran even faster.
Only a fool would stop!
Leon the Devourer, after being missing for days, reappears outside the gates of the dead—probably digesting the Canine Deity, feeling hungry, and here to find more food! Would you not run and wait to be eaten?
There’s no other way...
Seeing its forelegs already stepping into the Gate of the Deceased, with the tentacles on its neck holding the three Cleaners about to pass through, Leon sighed. He then stopped, raised his hands toward the distant giant gates, and clapped hard.
With Leon’s roar, two heavy doors emerged from the void, and the Gate of the Deceased, which separated life and death, shut with a thunderous boom, unleashing a dense death aura that scattered the deceased around the gate.
Seeing Leon forcibly closing the gate, seemingly determined to taste him, the fleeing long-tailed beast was already scared out of its wits. Ignoring potential injury, it thrust its head past just in time before the Gate of the Deceased shut completely...
The massive gates closed completely, leaving the long-tailed beast’s body outside, while its head rolled off and, propelled by two remaining tentacles on its neck, ran away like a person, screaming all the while.
"Oh no! Run for it! Leon the Devourer is hungry again!!!"
What on earth is that...
Through the closed gates, watching the head flailing two octopus tentacles rapidly fleeing down the No Return Path, Leon, whose sanity was rupturing, grimaced, then hastily retrieved the [Silver Dagger of Cutting] to rescue the three Cleaners bound by the tentacles.
"No time to explain!"
Feeling the Realm of the Dead boiling again after forcibly closing the Gate of the Deceased, and worried about being caught by the realm’s masters, Leon hurriedly grabbed the three bewildered seniors, turned, and fled towards where he came from.
"Hurry, run! It’s almost too late!"