was a former soldier, and I know that everyone reading must've been shocked and were like 'wtf I just wanted to read p*rn' because I was too, I was worried that the author wouldn't be able to encapsulate that soldier veteran feel for the ML given his current situation but my worries were very misplaced, good job author!

#1 BE: 1-2

#2 BE: 1, 3-9 (choice of A)

#3 BE (choice of B-B) 1, 3-8, 10-22

#4 BE (choice of B-A-B) 1, 3-8, 10-21, 23-33)

True ending - HE (choice of B-A-A) 1, 3-8, 10-21, 23-32, 34-end

A priest purchases a part human- part demon s*ave from the market at 1 coin per pound, and the first interaction is them saying that's too expensive--please cut some of the limbs off to reduce the price. (Which would later be sold as cheap meat for eating, to my horror.)

The original plan was to basically have a short lived f*** toy that was a torso and a head, but they change their mind after some push back from the s*ave, but more because of the realization that it'd probably die of shock before very long that way. Still, they dally so long in conveying this change of mind, that the sentient being's legs are cut off. The priest's reaction to this is essentially a mild "that's a shame, he had hot legs" and no other emotions or empathy.

Then we are treated to the information that, while this being gets a severe infection from the hatchet job amputation, the priest has been f****ing the probably-dying-of-a-fever delusionally ill person regardless.

Excuse me while I vomit in the corner and feel filthy forever.

Maybe it gets better and there is some fantastically noir and gritty story as a reward for making it through the seriously effed up intro, and there was a point to all of this, but I am opting out after just that chapter and a half and never looking back.

Even if you're one of the sickos into this sort of human fleshlight thing, I say skip because the writing is also in the extremely annoying 2nd person point of view ("you walk down the street" "you think about buying the s*ave" "you talk to the merchant" etc.)

Now excuse me while I go bathe in bleach.

(more specifically the priest)

I honestly went into this story just expecting p*orn but I got so much more. There honestly isn’t that many s*x scenes and they aren’t really descriptive (although somehow it’s pretty hot)

This story is mostly about healing—mentally and physically (although imperfect but their kinda trying) —and unlearning pretty mess-up beliefs (sorta)

BE: Enoch dying in true ending to offset the Lemuel dying so many times, or they both die bc religious lynching. either way, it's like, "Ah, this is what you were meant to do. In sermons, you have quoted that for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, and that whoever believes will not perish. But your heart aches so much, and you think back to the day you traded that holy artefact for Lemuel's life. Emotion chokes you—and you feel it all at once. The tightening in your throat the day Lightning was taken away, the day the nun who kissed your forehead went too—the day you decided to buy all of Lemuel when the knife came down a second time. Perhaps you are being punished, or perhaps this was always meant to be the consequence of your rebellion." Maybe while dying, Enoch forsakes his faith and he thinks only really of Lemuel and the experiences he's taught him, and the months with him that's worth more than the 25 years he's already lived.

HE: I could hope for Enoch making Lemuel his new religion—if author goes about it hahaha. Though idk if Enoch could abandon it all, I would love for some domestic future of them spending their lives together away from religion influence and demon intolerance... Lemuel has suffered enough bc of who he is and his sexuality, and Enoch has never been allowed to live for his own desires or wants outside of the purpose and "sacrifice he must take on for the sake of the world"...I think it'd be nice and I just rly like this novel rn okkk

the author was more interested in criticizing the church as being corrupted and doing bad deeds, instead of diving more into how the priests' magic power worked and how it was used against demons. It seemed like the 'Sons' and the pope together were so powerful they could actually work as the best weapon against the demons, resulting in a smaller loss of soldiers and less civilian casualties, as Enoch realizes in the scene where he's forced to go hide from the battle instead of fighting against the demons.

I honestly felt this was a weak point in the story - that Enoch sacrificing himself for the pope was horrific, but it could potentially have been an issue of the 'Sons' being sacrificed for the greater humanity and the moral/ethical implications of that - a true discussion of what's the core of the Christian faith and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (who's never mentioned which is a bit weird considering it's supposed to be the Catholic Church.

If Enoch had instead sacrificed himself not for one old, senile man, but for the town that got overrun by the devils, wouldn't his sacrifice have been an actual noble one?

When the gates of hell are attacked with nukes, there are horrible casualties with humans dying or getting radiation - so weren't the Church's magic fighting better for the majority of people?

I really liked how in the end the MC never stopped being religious. He instead changed the oppressive god he learned to submit to in the church to one that gave him the freedom to finally be happy.

tough past too, being 'locked' up in a catholic church, brainwashed with how his death will be for the better of others. He ended up losing that humanity in him e.g. Emotions like love and hate. He also seems to be living a life like a hamster running in a wheel.

what it meant to be living. It makes the two of them so dear to each other.

ML was a veteran soldier who has demonic features triggered after he tried to take himself out with the demons after hearing everyone he knew died in a demon attack while he was fighting, and him being a demon led to lots of ab*se (tw) before ending up bought by MC. MC was raised with f*cked up beliefs and due to an accident ended up presumed dead and free from the institution he was raised in. He lives under a new identity and this is when he buys ML (presumed a demon at the time) on a whim. First half: MC discovers ML is basically a human just with a few physical demon features, changes the way he treats ML, they end up together. Second half: ML hears more about MC's f*cked-up past (which explain MC's strange actions) and MC unlearns cult-ish beliefs (as another reviewer puts it)