Chapter 476

Chapter 366 – Escape

South Tivyán, Bishop Square.

In the midst of the night, the crowd in the square was still celebrating the arrival of the new year. The sky was filled with dazzling fireworks, illuminating the people below with various colors.

On the rooftop at the edge of the square, Berlit stood still, holding his sword. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the large patch of rotten flesh on his shoulder. The wound had indeed healed, but it had transformed into something grotesque and unfamiliar to him. The combination of pain and itching from the rotten flesh made him feel nauseous just looking at it.

“What… What is happening?!”

Through gritted teeth, Berlit exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn’t understand how, after injecting himself with bl**d serum to heal his wounds, he ended up in such a repulsive state.

Suddenly, Berlit remembered that when he was initially attacked from behind and slashed by a sword, during his rolling escape, the wound seemed to have felt an unusual warmth. Clearly, something went wrong with the wound at that moment, and it was likely caused by the white-robed swordsman.

“This filthy power of the ‘Cup’… You are from the Placenta Sect! What did you do to me?!”

Berlit pointed his sword at the white-robed swordsman and shouted loudly, concluding that the self-healing ability of the creature-like sword and the ability to create rotten flesh, combined with immense strength, indicated that the swordsman was an extraordinary being from the Placenta Sect. The white-robed swordsman didn’t respond directly but instead tightened his grip on his sword and continued to charge towards Berlit.

Facing another attack from the white-robed swordsman, Berlit could only hold his sword and counterattack. Once again, two fast-moving figures engaged in close combat.

Enduring the severe discomfort in his shoulder, Berlit once more engaged the white-robed swordsman in close-quarters combat. Amidst the continuous clashing sounds of their weapons, he finally found an opportunity to lock eyes with the swordsman, preparing to use the vampire’s hypnotic ability to induce hypnosis mid-battle.

Although the light behind the mask’s eyes was dim, making it hard for Berlit to see them, he deduced that since the swordsman was fighting him, their gaze must be directed at him. Thus, he seized the moment to hypnotize the swordsman, commanding him to immediately stop attacking. However, he discovered that the hypnosis had no effect; the swordsman’s attack became even more intense!

‘Hypnosis… doesn’t work? What kind of ability does this guy have to defend himself…’

Watching the scene unfold, Berlit thought in astonishment. At this point, he realized that his situation was becoming increasingly dire.

The hypnosis was ineffective, and the struggle against the erosion was hindered by his injuries. The rotten flesh on his shoulder continued to worsen, leaving Berlit knowing that he couldn’t solve the current opponent.

‘Jeffrey has been taken away… That group of natives hasn’t moved… It’s clear that the plan has been exposed. This guy can’t be dealt with easily… This is bad…’

Amid the intense battle, Berlit thought grimly. Originally, he intended to quickly deal with the white-robed swordsman and continue with the assassination mission. But given the current situation, dealing with such an opponent was far from easy.

Now that the plan had been exposed, relying solely on himself to complete the assassination was nearly impossible. Since the main target couldn’t be achieved, continuing to fight here would be a poor choice.

Realizing that prolonging the fight would only make things worse, Berlit decided to retreat. Leveraging his speed advantage, he found an opportunity to distance himself from the white-robed swordsman. Then, he transformed into countless tiny black bats and rapidly dispersed in all directions. The white-robed swordsman immediately ran forward and swung his blade in mid-air, cutting down several bats. However, many more bats vanished into the dark night amidst the chirping sounds.

Seeing the bats disperse, the white-robed swordsman stood still for a moment in the cold wind, the face of Vania beneath the lifeless white mask slightly relaxing.

“Great Akka, Recorder of All, please convey to Miss Dorothy that the threat on the roof opposite the royal balcony has been eliminated.”

Without opening her eyes, which were closed due to using her mind’s eye, Vania prayed sincerely in her heart. The sniper threatening the royal balcony had been driven away, and she had completed the task given to her by Dorothy.

Meanwhile, in a quiet and cold street near the square, Dorothy, shivering from the cold due to being away from the crowd, breathed warm air onto her hands. Her face flushed red as she murmured with a trembling voice.

“It looks like Vania has finished too. This… should eliminate all threats. As expected of Vania, always so reliable… Achoo!”

At the roadside where she was frozen, Dorothy wiped her nose with a handkerchief while calculating the current situation in her mind. She felt extremely grateful that Vania was handling the medical emergency.

After Vania reported her work situation for the New Year to Dorothy, Dorothy knew that Vania was on standby for medical emergencies nearby. Therefore, once she realized the problem in the square, she considered Vania an important resource to mobilize. Indeed, Vania played a crucial role promptly.

After being disguised by Gregor as instructed by Dorothy, Vania rushed to stop the sniper disguised as a guard upstairs. Since the sniper was assigned to assassinate the duke, Dorothy didn’t dare to take any chances and deployed the strongest force available from the Rosy Cross, the Nun White Pray.

To ensure safety, Dorothy gave Vania the Heart-Devouring Sword. After experiencing numerous extraordinary events, Dorothy increasingly valued this extraordinary item obtained from Lu’e. Having interacted with many black earth and white chalk tier extraordinary beings, Dorothy understood that such a sword was not something a level like Lu’e could possess.

Knowing the sword’s extraordinary nature, Dorothy asked Beverly to appraise it. The preliminary results surprised Dorothy greatly.

This sword from the Placenta Sect was a living weapon, created using the secret technique of the sect known as the Living Forging Technique. According to Beverly, this technique was very mysterious, capable of creating living weapons using living organisms. The Heart-Devouring Sword, which could absorb others’ “Cups” and convert them into life-saving healing effects, was a product of this technique.

During Beverly’s inspection, the sword’s body, hard like iron and resembling metal, turned out to be a type of keratin similar to biological claws. Inside the sword, there was actually tissue like flesh, and the sturdy outer shell was grown from the internal tissues.

The Heart-Devouring Sword was essentially a biological weapon, a discovery that surprised Dorothy. She immediately recalled the head staff made by Adele’s teacher, Dalena. Hence, she suspected that this sword might have been crafted by an extraordinary being or biological entity from the Placenta Sect.

The essence of the Heart-Devouring Sword surprised Dorothy and also inspired her to use it to counteract the “Shadow” enchantment’s corrosive effect. As a living entity, the sword could heal itself, allowing it to repair damage caused by the “Shadow” enchantment, though this required consuming its stored “Cup.”

With the fully charged Heart-Devouring Sword, Vania could more effectively counteract the “Shadow” corrosion. Later, Dorothy gave Vania the last remaining Frenzied Banquet Sigil, enabling her to activate it with her spirituality, granting her power surpassing that of a second-tier “Cup.”

Finally, Dorothy added a Whisper Sigil to Vania and covered her with the effect of the Veil Ring, allowing her to silently approach Berlit from behind and perform a backstab. Although this backstab didn’t k*ll Berlit, it did injure him, and Vania took the opportunity to administer a malignant treatment.