South Tivian, Bishop’s Square.
In the darkness of the night, the crowd in the square continues to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. The sky is lit up with dazzling fireworks, their colorful lights illuminating the people below.
On the rooftop of a building at the edge of the square, Berlit, holding a sword, stands frozen in place, his eyes wide with shock as he stares at the large patch of rotting flesh on his shoulder. His previous wound had indeed healed, but he never expected it to heal into such a grotesque and disgusting form. The combination of pain and itching, along with the severe discomfort, makes him feel nauseous just looking at it.
"What... what is this?!"
Gritting his teeth, Berlit mutters in disbelief. He can’t understand why, after injecting himself with a blood potion to heal his injuries, his wound has turned into this horrifying mess!
Suddenly, Berlit recalls that when he was first attacked and slashed in the back, he felt an unusual warmth in the wound as he rolled to dodge. Clearly, something went wrong with the wound at that moment, and it was caused by the white-robed swordsman.
"Such filthy Chalice power... Are you from the Afterbirth Cult?! What did you do to me?!"
Pointing his sword at the white-robed swordsman, Berlit shouts angrily. The sword that regenerates like a living creature, the ability to create rotting flesh, and the immense strength—Berlit immediately concludes that the swordsman is a Beyonder from the Afterbirth Cult. The white-robed swordsman, however, doesn’t respond directly. Instead, they silently tightens their grip on their sword and charges at Berlit once again.
Forced to defend himself, Berlit raises his sword to meet the attack. Once more, the two high-speed figures engage in close combat.
Enduring the severe discomfort in his shoulder, Berlit continues to clash with the white-robed swordsman. Amid the continuous clashing of blades, he finally finds an opportunity to lock eyes with his opponent, preparing to use his vampire hypnosis ability to hypnotize him mid-battle.Although the light behind the swordsman’s mask is dim, making it difficult for Berlit to see their eyes, Berlit assumes that since the swordsman is fighting him, their gaze must be fixed on him. Seizing the moment, Berlit attempts to hypnotize his opponent, commanding them to stop their attack immediately. However, he finds that it has no effect. The white-robed swordsman’s attacks not only continue but become even more ferocious!
“Hypnosis... doesn’t work either? What kind of ability is protecting this person…”
Watching this scene unfold, Berlit feels a growing sense of dread. He realizes that his situation is becoming increasingly dire.
Hypnosis is ineffective, his corrosive enchantment is being countered, and his injuries are dragging him down. The rotting flesh on his shoulder is worsening, and Berlit knows he can’t defeat his opponent under these conditions.
“Jeffrey has been taken... and those indigenous people haven’t made a move yet... It’s clear the plan has been exposed. This person can’t be dealt with quickly... This is bad…”
Amid the intense battle, Berlit grimly thinks to himself. He had originally planned to quickly eliminate the white-robed swordsman and continue his assassination mission. But given the current situation, an opponent of this caliber is not someone he can easily handle.
Now that his plan has been exposed, the chances of completing the assassination on his own are slim. Since the primary objective is no longer achievable, continuing to fight here is not a wise choice.
Realizing that dragging this out will only make things worse, Berlit decides to retreat. Using his speed advantage, he creates distance between himself and the white-robed swordsman. Then, with a swift transformation, he turns into a swarm of small black bats and scatters in all directions. The white-robed swordsman immediately rushes forward, slashing through the air with his sword and cutting down several bats, but most of them escape into the dark night with a flurry of chirps.
After watching the bats disperse, the white-robed swordsman stands still in the cold wind for a moment. Behind the lifeless white mask, Vania lets out a small sigh of relief.
“Great Aka, Recorder of All Things, please convey to Miss Dorothy that the threat on the rooftop opposite the royal balcony has been eliminated.”
Not yet opening her eyes, which she had closed to use her Heart’s Eye (T/N: Previously ‘Insight’) , Vania prays devoutly in her heart. The sniper threatening the royal balcony has been driven away, and she has now completed the task Dorothy assigned her.
Meanwhile, on a cold and deserted street near the square, Dorothy, shivering from the cold and far from the crowd, blows warm air onto her hands and mutters with a red face and trembling voice.
"It... seems Vania has finished over there too. With this... all the threats should be dealt with, right? As expected of Vania, always so reliable... Achoo!!"
Standing by the roadside in the cold wind, Dorothy, who had been left here by Gregor to freeze, wipes her nose with a handkerchief while calculating the current situation in her mind. She feels immensely grateful that Vania was here on a medical emergency mission.
After Vania reported her New Year’s work schedule to Dorothy, Dorothy had known that Vania was on standby for medical emergencies near the square. Therefore, when she realized there was trouble in the square, she had considered Vania a crucial asset to call upon. And indeed, Vania had quickly proven her importance.
After being assigned by Dorothy to help Gregor with his disguise, Vania had rushed to stop the sniper disguised as a guard on the rooftop. Since the sniper was an assassin sent to kill the duke, Dorothy didn’t dare to take any chances and immediately deployed the strongest fighter in the Rose Cross Order—the White Prayer Nun, Vania.
To be safe, Dorothy gave Vania the Heart-Devouring Cane Sword to use. After experiencing numerous mystical events, Dorothy had come to value this mystical item obtained from Luer more and more. After dealing with countless Black Earth and even White Ash-rank Beyonders, Dorothy understood that this sword was not something a Beyonder of Luer’s caliber could possess.
After realizing the sword’s extraordinary nature, Dorothy asked Beverly to appraise it. The results of the appraisal surprised Dorothy.
The sword from the Afterbirth Cult was a living creature, a product of the cult’s secret Living Forging Technique. According to Beverly, this technique was highly mysterious, capable of using living beings as materials to create living weapons with biological traits. The Heart-Devouring Cane Sword, which could absorb others’ Chalice and convert it into healing effects, was a product of this Living Forging Technique.
In Beverly’s examination, the sword’s iron-hard, metal-like blade was actually a keratinous substance similar to biological claws and teeth. The blade’s interior contained flesh and blood tissues, and the iron-hard exterior was grown from the tissues inside.
The fact that the Heart-Devouring Cane Sword was essentially a living weapon shocked Dorothy. She immediately thought of the Human Brain Scepter created using Adèle’s teacher, Darlene, and wondered if the sword in her hands had been made from a Beyonder or a mystical creature by the Afterbirth Cult.
The nature of the Heart-Devouring Cane Sword surprised Dorothy and also gave her the idea to use it to counter the Shadow enchantment’s corrosive effects. Since the sword was a living creature, its healing effects could also be used on itself. Therefore, it could repair damage caused by the Shadow enchantment, though this would consume the Chalice it had stored.
With the fully charged Heart-Devouring Cane Sword, Vania could more effectively resist Shadow corrosion. Dorothy also gave Vania the last remaining Feast Sigil, allowing her to activate it using her own spirituality, granting her strength beyond that of a Black Earth-rank Chalice Beyonder.
Dorothy then gave Vania a Silent Sigil and extended the effects of the Concealment Ring to her, allowing her to silently approach Berlit from behind and deliver a backstab. Although this backstab didn’t kill Berlit outright, it successfully injured him, and Vania took the opportunity to inflict a Malignant Healing on him.
The Malignant Healing twisted Berlit’s wound, causing it to heal in a distorted manner. As a result, when Berlit tried to heal himself later, the healing not only failed but also worsened the wound.
If it weren’t for the severe, worsening injury constantly hindering Berlit’s movements, Vania wouldn’t have been able to hold her own against him so easily. After all, vampires are one of the strongest close-combat White Ash-rank Beyonders.
Of course, being able to fight and suppress Berlit doesn’t mean Vania could kill him. A vampire with the ability to transform into bats can escape very easily. The reason Dorothy was able to kill Claudius back then was due to the terrain. The battle took place in the underground ruins, and Claudius’ bat swarm could only escape through the single exit tunnel. Therefore, by setting an ambush at the tunnel entrance, Dorothy was able to wipe them out.
But now, the environment is outdoors. After transforming into bats, Berlit can scatter in all directions. Faced with a large swarm of bats flying everywhere, Dorothy has no way to stop them. So, from the beginning, she didn’t plan to kill Berlit. As long as his assassination attempt was thwarted, her goal was achieved.
Moreover, Berlit left something behind.
“Great Aka, please convey to Sister Vania that she has done an excellent job. All threats have been eliminated, and the people and the royal family are safe for now. Gather the spoils and leave…”
Under the New Year’s night sky, Dorothy, shivering in the cold wind by the roadside, closes her eyes and prays in her heart. To anyone else, she might look like an abandoned orphan, resembling a character straight out of a tragic story.
…
On the rooftop at the edge of the square, Vania, having received Dorothy’s message in her heart, nods in understanding. She looks down at the celebrating crowd and the royal family on the distant balcony, feeling a sense of relief.
“I never expected that there would be cultists causing trouble during the New Year celebrations. Thankfully, Miss Dorothy was here to guide me and stop this. Who knows what could have happened otherwise?”
Vania thinks to herself with gratitude. Although she still occasionally feels a hint of unease about her close connection with Akasha and Dorothy, she feels genuine joy whenever this connection allows her to save others. She looks forward to saving more people under Aka’s guidance.
After finishing her thoughts, Vania begins to follow Dorothy’s instructions and clean up the battlefield. She walks to the edge of the rooftop and picks up a rifle made of brass and white wood. This was the rifle Berlit had planned to use to snipe the royal family. After being slashed by Vania, he had abandoned it here, and in his haste to escape as bats, he hadn’t had time to take it with him.
A rifle meant to snipe the royal family, and with such an ornate appearance—this is clearly no ordinary weapon.
“This is the spoils of war. I should take it and leave quickly…”
Holding the rifle, Vania thinks to herself. She then turns her gaze to the royal balcony, where she sees the princess and the duke standing up and speaking with several bodyguards. Among these bodyguards, the one disguised as an Eight-Spired Nest member is no longer present.
…
On the royal balcony.
"What? Someone tried to assassinate us?"
Duke Barrett exclaims in shock after hearing the serious words of a bodyguard. In front of him, a tall bodyguard nods solemnly.
"Yes, Your Grace. The situation is complex and dangerous. According to the intelligence we received, Camino, who has been guarding the two of you, is suspicious. Earlier, we lured him out under the pretext of discussing matters, intending to secretly detain him. However, he resisted, and we have confirmed that he is not the real Camino."
The bodyguard speaks gravely to the duke and princess, while the princess shakes her head in disbelief.
"Not the real Camino... How is that possible? Camino has always been my guard. I couldn’t have mistaken him..."
"Your Grace, this matter involves the mysticism world. The Camino you interacted with was likely a White Ash-rank Beyonder known as Vampire, disguised as him. Such Beyonders have the ability to perfectly mimic others, making it difficult for ordinary people to detect."
The bodyguard continues to explain seriously. Hearing this, Duke Barrett frowns and speaks with a stern expression.
"A Vampire... Hmph... It seems this matter runs deep. They might be targeting me... By the way, how did you discover that Camino was suspicious? What’s the current status of that Vampire?"
Duke Barrett asks sternly, and the bodyguard responds without delay.
"Your Grace, we discovered Camino’s suspicious behavior because the real Camino is still alive. He was found severely injured by the church’s medical team, who then informed us. That’s how we uncovered the issue.”
"As for the Vampire, when we tried to secretly test him, he realized he had been exposed and attempted to force his way past our blockade to attack the two of you. Fortunately, we were prepared and managed to stop him. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, he used his bat transformation ability to escape. We apologize for failing to capture him."
The bodyguard replies apologetically, and Duke Barrett nods silently before speaking.
"Hmm... That’s not your fault. Vampires are among the most difficult White Ash-rank Beyonders to deal with. Not only are they highly skilled in infiltration and combat, but they also have excellent escape abilities. Without prior preparation, it’s very hard to keep them from escaping."
"Indeed... So, given the current situation, we cannot rule out the possibility of other hidden dangers. This balcony is too exposed and unsafe. We request that Your Grace and Her Highness move indoors, where we can provide close protection. After assessing the risks, we will escort you back safely."
The bodyguard addresses Isabelle and Duke Barrett. Hearing his words, Isabella nods with a worried expression.
"Then we’ll trouble you. Since it’s unsafe now, please notify the organizers to end the event early and have everyone return. We’ll cancel the remaining activities."
"Understood. We will inform the organizers."
After receiving the bodyguard’s response, Isabella and Duke Barrett walk from the balcony into the building.
…
Meanwhile, in a dark and deserted alley not far from Bishop’s Square, a swarm of bats descends from the sky and gathers, reforming into the figure of a man.
"Ugh... Damn it!!"
Berlit, having reverted from his bat form, leans against the wall, gasping for breath. His face is pale as he tears open the clothing around his left shoulder, exposing the revolting mass of rotting flesh.
"What... what happened... How was the plan exposed... And that swordsman from the Afterbirth Cult... Where did they come from?!"
Panting heavily, Berlit grabs the rotting flesh on his shoulder and, with a grimace, rips it off in one swift motion. Blood spurts out, and he lets out a pained groan.
After tearing off the rotting flesh, Berlit quickly pulls out another blood potion and injects himself. With this injection, his wound finally begins to heal normally, and the bleeding stops after a while.
After this brutal self-treatment, the physically and mentally exhausted Berlit slumps to the ground. He takes a few deep breaths to ease the pain, then shakes his sleeve, causing a Face Spider to crawl out.
Speaking to the spider in a weak voice, Berlit says slowly.
"Your Excellency Priest of Fangs... I regret to inform you that, due to interference from what appears to be a member of the Afterbirth Cult, our mission has failed. Barrett is still alive, but given the current situation, we cannot kill him.”
"That man must die... Your Excellency Priest of Fangs, while the opportunity still exists, please activate the Night Demon."