Late at night, Field’s vast manor was shrouded in complete darkness. Due to Luer’s use of a Shadow mystical item, all the manor’s lights had been forcibly extinguished. Coincidentally, clouds drifted across the sky, obscuring even the moon, plunging the surroundings into an almost lightless abyss.
In one of the corridors, the sudden darkness saved Bill’s life. He had been suffocating under Vania’s relentless onslaught of sword strikes, barely holding on. Seizing the opportunity presented by the blackout, he quickly distanced himself from her. With visibility lost, neither could see nor launch attacks accurately. Vania’s torrential sword strikes came to an abrupt halt, giving Bill a moment to catch his breath.
"Huff… huff… What the hell is with this nun…? Having Chalice abilities and using Devouring Sigil is one thing, but her swordsmanship is completely ridiculous… She’s been attacking nonstop, and her angles are so precise and cunning. Not a single opening, not even a chance to counter. Since when did the Radiance Church have a dedicated swordsmanship path? Never heard of it. Is she the disciple of some sword master?"
Bill’s thoughts were filled with unease. He had learned swordsmanship himself and was no amateur—hence why he carried a rapier. But it was precisely because of his training that he understood just how absurd the nun’s swordsmanship was.
In the brief exchange, he had been slashed, stabbed, and hacked numerous times. His body was covered in bleeding wounds. If he weren’t a Chalice Beyonder, he would have collapsed long ago.
Against this nun, the best he could do was avoid fatal injuries—and even that was barely manageable. He wouldn’t have lasted much longer without this sudden blackout.
"Huff… huff… All the lights are out. The mentor must have used the Extinguishing Black Candle. That means I’m saved… and I can counterattack."
As this thought crossed his mind, Bill—his body covered in wounds and blood—pulled out a piece of parchment from his person. It was adorned with intricate symbols and the mark of Shadow. This was a sigil—a sigil of Shadow.
"Silent Sigil…"
Bill activated the sigil. Under the spiritual protection of Shadow, all sounds he made were suppressed to the bare minimum—so faint that an ordinary person’s hearing would not detect them. To Vania, Bill would become completely silent.As Luer’s true student, Bill was destined to walk the same path as his mentor—the path of the beast. One day, he would advance as a Beastman. As such, his body already accumulated the spirituality of Shadow, granting him the qualifications to use Shadow sigils.
"Hmph… No matter how skilled your swordplay is, if you can’t see your opponent, you can’t use it. And if you can’t hear me either, you won’t even know where I am. Now you can neither see nor hear me—let’s see how you handle this, nun…"
With this in mind, Bill firmly gripped his sword and began moving noiselessly through the darkness. He was certain the nun had lost track of him, whereas he could still locate her—because he was a Taster. Even in the darkness, he could smell her scent.
Although his eyes could not see, Bill was certain that the nun stood just ahead, motionless, seemingly on high alert, afraid to act rashly. He knew that, aside from some special branches, most Apprentice-rank Lamp Beyonders did not yet possess night vision.
Now, standing in the darkness, Bill was convinced that the nun had become his prey. Using his enhanced sense of smell, he circled behind her in absolute silence and tightened his grip on his sword.
"Your light extinguishes here as well, Radiance nun."
Shrouded in silence, Bill whispered and swung his sword toward the source of the nun’s scent, expecting the thrill of revenge.
However, what happened next caught him completely off guard.
Instead of the sensation of his blade sinking into flesh, a crisp, ringing clash shattered the darkness.
CLANG!!
"What?! She blocked it? Impossible! She shouldn’t be able to see or hear me!"
Bill was stunned as he registered the sensation in his hands and the clear sound of clashing weapons. At that moment, the clouds outside drifted past, allowing the faint moonlight to filter through the windows, gently illuminating the scene before him.
In front of him stood the platinum-haired nun, sword in hand, perfectly blocking his attack. But what truly astonished Bill was that her eyes, behind her glasses, were gently closed.
"Her eyes… are closed… This is…"
Before he could fully process the situation, the nun shifted her stance, forcefully redirecting his sword to the side, embedding it into the wooden railing nearby—effectively limiting his movement. Seizing the opening, she swung her blade once more, this time slashing straight for his throat.
Bill failed to block in time.
Eyes wide open, blood gushed from his throat as he collapsed.
"Praise the Lord… for lighting the lamp of my heart to illuminate the darkness…"
Habitually reciting a prayer, Vania deactivated her "Insight" and opened her eyes to gaze at Bill’s lifeless body. She instinctively took two steps back. Once her focused state faded, her heart began pounding wildly once more. Taking deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down and turned her gaze to the bloodied blade in her hand.
"I… I won…? I defeated a heretic Beyonder? Incredible… This divine swordsmanship is truly remarkable. Even someone like me can stand against other Beyonders…"
Though she had emerged victorious, Vania still found it difficult to believe. It felt unreal, as though she couldn’t accept that she had done this herself.
Sinking to the ground, she exhaled deeply, relief washing over her. Yet, as she glanced into the depths of the darkened corridor, a new wave of worry surfaced.
"It’s over on my side… But I wonder how Miss Dorothy is doing right now…"
…
A little earlier, elsewhere on the third floor of the manor, there was a spacious room with large windows. Various weapons were displayed inside—several sets of knight armor, spears, and swords mounted on the walls. A large tapestry adorned the room, bearing the emblem of the Field family crest.
Beneath the tapestry stood an old, full-plate knight’s armor, positioned in a battle-ready stance, gripping a spear and pointing it forward, as if confronting a vast army without fear.
This was the villa’s armory—a place to display weapons and armor. The Field family had long been a noble lineage with deep roots in the region. It was only natural for them to have a hall dedicated to their ancestors’ martial glory.
At this moment, Dorothy stood inside the dimly lit armory, her face grave as she contemplated.
"He’s gone… After using the darkness to destroy all my corpse marionettes, he vanished… Aside from the area near the windows, the entire villa is pitch black. I have no idea where he is…"
"I ruined his advancement ritual—he won’t let me go. He’s definitely searching for me right now."
"A Beastman in its beast form possesses a superior sense of smell, surpassing even an Apprentice-rank Chalice Beyonder of the Glutton path. It moves swiftly in the dark, conceals itself with ease, minimizes noise, and its claws are sharper than blades. Its stamina and vitality surpass those of a Craver. However, it still has vital weak points… and can instill fear within a small area with its roar…"
Recalling the intelligence she had gathered from Aldrich regarding Beastmen, Dorothy strategized carefully. She had to prepare for a direct confrontation with Luer.
The first step was to choose the battlefield. Since the beast was coming for her, she had the right to determine the terrain.
Surveying the room under the faint moonlight, Dorothy meticulously examined her surroundings and then slowly nodded.
"Here… This is the place."