Chapter 506

Chapter 382 – Consumption

On the outskirts of Tivyán to the southwest, under the winter night sky, a sudden bolt of lightning struck out of nowhere, causing a loud thunderclap. At the moment the thunder roared, the white glow of the crackling lightning illuminated the endless darkness for a brief moment.

Although the lightning flash was only fleeting, it was exceptionally bright. Within several kilometers around, many who had not yet gone to sleep witnessed this spectacle, including Barret’s villa in the distance.

“What’s going on? Why is there suddenly thunder?”

Standing by the window on the third floor of Barret’s villa, Kenk frowned slightly as he watched the lightning streak across the distant sky. It was deep winter, and the weather didn’t seem like one that would produce thunder. This sudden thunder clearly indicated something amiss.

“Mr. Kenk… The direction of the thunder seems to be where the master pursued. Could the master have encountered some situation? Should we rush over to support him?”

At this moment, a member of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, standing beside Kenk, suggested. Kenk shook his head directly in response after hearing this.

“No, no need. Even if the Priest is just a derivative, their strength surpasses me. They are beyond the power of white chalk. Unless there is a Red Tier level presence, no one can harm the Priest. But other Reds near Tivyán would alarm the Glimmer Deity Follower Archbishop. So, we don’t need to worry about the master’s situation; we just need to wait for news.”

Looking into the distance, Kenk said with certainty. Hearing Kenk’s words, the killer beside him nodded understandingly, then remained silent.

Indeed, the Spider Fang Priest, one of the few spider queen priests of the Eight Pinnacle Nest, was truly a significant figure. Although the Priest was here as a derivative rather than the original self, their strength far exceeded what these small-time operatives could imagine. There was no need to worry unnecessarily; they should just wait for good news.

Sure enough, not long after the distant thunderstrike, Kenk felt a sharp pain in his arm. After confirming the source of the pain, he became serious. He then opened his palm, and an exceptionally colorful human-faced spider crawled from his sleeve onto his hand. This was the human-faced spider used by the Spider Fang Priest to communicate!

Seeing the spider crawl onto his hand, Kenk did not dare to be negligent. He immediately placed the spider on the nearby table and knelt down respectfully. The surrounding killers followed suit and knelt down as well.

After kneeling, Kenk spoke respectfully to the spider.

“Priest, what are your orders?”

Kenk spoke respectfully to the spider, while the other killers also knelt down quietly, holding their breaths and waiting for orders.

Soon after, the patterns on the spider began to move, and the old voice of the Spider Fang Priest echoed from it.

“Kenk… Go immediately to where the lightning struck. Clean up the debris there quickly and take it away. Do not stop.”

“Debris? Ah… Could you please clarify, Priest, if it’s the puppeteer’s remains? Have you already dealt with them?” Hearing the Spider Fang Priest’s words, Kenk responded with a hint of joy, but received a stern reply.

“Do as I say! Don’t concern yourself with other matters! It’s almost dawn, and the An Yin Bureau may arrive at any moment. Hurry!”

“Ah… Yes, yes… I’ll leave right away.” After hearing the stern tone of the Spider Fang Priest, Kenk was momentarily stunned, then hastily nodded. The surrounding killers were also taken aback, feeling that the current situation was somewhat odd. They were puzzled but dared not speak up.

Just as Kenk was preparing to act, the Spider Fang Priest spoke again through the spider.

“By the way, before you go, have the others prepare to use explosives to enter Barret’s secret room. Burn everything inside, including the villa. Also, on your way back after collecting the debris, pick up another item halfway. I will guide you specifically later.”

“I understand, Priest. I’ll leave immediately!”

“Mm, dawn is approaching soon. Hurry…”

After giving the final instructions, the spider fell silent. Kenk then stood up promptly, placing the spider back into his sleeve. Turning to his subordinates, he began to arrange for entering the secret room and burning the library. Once everything was set, Kenk transformed into a group of bats and flew toward the direction of the lightning strike in the distance.

…

At a place extremely distant from Tivyán, in a narrow room filled with bl**d and splattered bloodstains, a hunched figure in a robe sat on a high-backed chair. His breathing was slightly rapid, and his dark red eyes conveyed complex emotions.

Anger, surprise, confusion… Various expressions were etched on the face of the Spider Fang Priest, who was enduring the backlash from losing a derivative.

‘It was indeed so. Was that panicked escape just an act? Everything was to lure me into this trap… Hmph… This time, you’ve won.’

Sitting on the high-backed chair, the Spider Fang Priest thought to himself, having already concluded in his mind that the puppeteer’s escape was a deliberate attempt to lead him into a trap. In his view, the puppeteer must have deliberately escaped to lure him into a trap set by him and his companion, who possessed formidable extraordinary abilities capable of destroying his derivative.

‘An unprecedented manipulation range for flesh puppets, directly causing damage through spiritual lines… Truly an unseen ability of the ‘Cup’… Compared to the wound deterioration ability Berlit encountered, though rare, it is not unheard of. If viewed solely from these aspects, these people might be related to the Amniotic Sac side…’

The Spider Fang Priest continued to ponder internally. After a moment of reflection, he recalled the dazzling lightning he saw just before his derivative was destroyed.

‘But… If they are indeed the ‘Cup’… Where does this powerful lightning force come from? I have been hidden for over two hundred years and have never heard of any method to summon lightning…

‘They… Where did they get an extraordinary item that can call forth lightning? What is the true nature of this spiritual power of lightning?’

Sitting in his high-backed chair, the Spider Fang Priest pondered deeply, already considering what he would say at the next high-level meeting of the Eight Pinnacle Nest.

…

On the western outskirts of Tivyán, on a road lined with trees, a carriage pulled by two magnificent horses was rapidly heading towards the city. Inside the swaying carriage, Dorothy sat wrapped in a blanket, braving the cold morning air. Having stayed awake all night, her eyes were dark-ringed, and her face showed unmistakable fatigue.

“Oh my God~ What a long New Year’s Eve… But thankfully, it’s finally over…”