Six Hundred Forty-Ninth Support
Inside the grand chapel of St. Hymn Cathedral, a large, damaged section of the floor lay silent, with the towering corpse of a demon wolf now lying there motionless. Inside its disemboweled belly, a strange parasitic worm was languidly coiling itself around the “True Crimson Holy Mother,” seemingly voraciously drawing on the knowledge inscribed within.
“This is…”
Upon seeing this bizarre scene in the demon wolf’s stomach, Vania couldn’t help but take two steps back in astonishment. The parasite seemed to sense the change in external light and abruptly stopped its perusal of the “True Crimson Holy Mother,” turning its numerous tentacles toward the outside of the stomach.
Sensing the presence of an enemy, the worm’s tentacles shot up, then it released the “True Crimson Holy Mother,” coiling its long body into a spring-like form. With a sudden leap, it shot out of the demon wolf’s body, aiming directly at Vania, seemingly intent on either resolving or parasitizing her.
Faced with this situation, Vania, initially startled, tightened her grip. Her sword swung swiftly, and within moments, the encroaching parasite was sliced into several segments, its remnants twitching slightly as they fell onto the ground.
“Miss Dorothea… what is this thing?” Vania asked, glancing at the still-twitching flesh before her, her expression showing confusion, and Dorothea quickly responded.
“It appears to be a type of parasite. It might be related to the extraordinary being that manipulated mosquitos before. Take out the secret transmission and inspect it.”
“Um… oh…”
Listening to Dorothea’s instructions, Vania turned her attention back to the viscous, bloody stomach of the demon wolf. Gritting her teeth against the nausea and stench, she extracted the slimy “True Crimson Holy Mother.” Dorothea assisted, using Vania’s perspective for a quick glance.
‘That parasite we just saw shouldn’t belong to the Wolf bl**d Association. From its nature, it seems more akin to the Rotten Sect of the Placenta Sect, especially since the extraordinary being that controlled mosquitos and mice from the previous werewolf team had appeared. This operation likely involves not only the Wolf bl**d Association but also support from the Rotten Sect.
‘Based on prior intelligence, the Placenta Sect has been at odds because of the rise of the bl**d Food Method, viewing each other as potential meals, making cooperation between the three sects difficult. The last time the three of them collaborated effectively dates back to the Turbulent Flow War hundreds of years ago.
‘Now… the Rotten Sect has apparently begun assisting the Wolf bl**d Association in obtaining the “True Crimson Holy Mother.” Does this indicate that relations among the three sects of the Placenta Sect are warming?’
Dorothea pondered this and refocused on the previously inspected secret transmission, the “True Crimson Holy Mother.”
‘This “True Crimson Holy Mother” was a significant effort for the Wolf bl**d Association to acquire, even collaborating with the Rotten Sect. Just how important is it to them? What kind of information could be so enticing to the Placenta Sect?
Dorothea’s doubts deepened, as after the incident with Kock, she had suspected the “True Crimson Holy Mother” held considerable importance to the Wolf bl**d Association, though she hadn’t anticipated it was to this extent. Had she been aware that the Wolf bl**d Association would mobilize such forces for it, she might have devoted more effort to deciphering its contents.
‘Since this “True Crimson Holy Mother” lies within the forbidden library of St. Hymn Cathedral and not at the Sacred Summit, it implies that the church is unaware of its hidden value, failing to give it adequate attention. However, this incident is enough for the church to take the “True Crimson Holy Mother” seriously and should soon be sent to the Sacred Summit for deciphering. Afterward, it would likely be nearly impossible for the Placenta Sect to steal or snatch it.
‘But… given that the distant parasite just seemed to be examining this book, if it has long-distance communication capabilities, then the Placenta side may have already obtained most of the “True Crimson Holy Mother’s” content. What repercussions could that carry?’
With a slight worry, Dorothea concluded that such matters should be left for the church to grapple with; they wouldn’t be her concern. Had it not been for Vania’s standing within the church, she might not have involved herself, for she couldn’t bear to see Vania, who had just taken on the role of acting archbishop, face such a dire incident so soon.
‘Alright, now it’s time to get down to business. There are still matters to attend to.’
With that thought, Dorothea manipulated the massive demon wolf’s corpse using spiritual threads, then spoke to Vania.
“Alright, Vania, quickly find a piece of cloth to cover the torn part of your clothing; we have things to attend to.”
“Oh, right.” Hearing Dorothea’s words, Vania looked at the large expanse of exposed skin on her side, her cheeks flushing slightly. She hurriedly prepared as instructed.
…
Due to the fearsome howls of the Fear-eating Demon Wolf, the vast Church District of St. Hymn Cathedral was now nearly devoid of people—most of the believers and congregants had fled in fear, leaving an eerie silence in the expansive buildings.
In a lush little garden within the church district, a faint sound echoed through the tranquility—it was a labored, painful gasp. The source of the sound came from a dirt-filled pit where Harold Despenser, the head of the Tivyán Anonymity Headquarters, lay sideward, pale-faced, trembling, and gasping heavily. Occasionally, he would dry-heave, expelling a pool of bl**d. Since being shot down by Duval, Harold had remained here, suffering from a deadly affliction. He wanted to struggle free of his plight, but it was futile.
Duval’s ability to produce pestilential miasma derived from a mutation after devouring an extraordinary being of the White Chalk Tier. However, being a Red Tier being himself, the potency of this miasma was, to some degree, stronger than that of the White Chalk Tier. Harold, an extraordinary being of the Storm Path, lacked any defenses against diseases in his spiritual makeup—there was no “Cup” present in his composition.
Against Duval’s pestilential miasma, Harold had no special means of response besides the sigil of the “Cup” that enhanced his body, and merely relying on the sigil couldn’t completely negate the miasma’s effects. As the sigil’s effects waned, Harold felt the symptoms worsening. Now, the sigil’s effects had nearly dissipated, and the reason he hadn’t yet lost consciousness or died was due to a persistent, mysterious force that had been treating him. Harold sensed that this force was likely related to a protective mechanism of the church.
“Cough… d*mn it… I must move… I can’t fall here…”
With his hand propped against the ground, Harold struggled to rise. Although pain clouded his mind and his awareness was muddled, he remained aware that now was not the time to sit back and wait. That dangerous creature was still alive, and he was in a much worse position than it. If he did nothing, he’d surely meet his end at the creature’s hands.
Harold desperately fought to stand or muster his abilities. However, his attempts were thwarted by the affliction; discomfort made it hard for him to exert any power, and his foggy head hindered his concentration. He understood well that if he did nothing, d*ath awaited him. He struggled earnestly, but it was no use.
In a mind-numbing haze of confusion, Harold was unaware of how much time passed before he heard a distant sound of hurried footsteps, followed by what seemed to be spoken words. Suddenly, warmth enveloped him, and his extreme discomfort began to ease slightly. His once-dazed mind began to clear a little.
“Your Highness, Your Highness… can you hear me, Your Highness?”
As his clarity returned, Harold recognized the voice that had been lingering nearby. He slowly turned his head toward the sound and saw a familiar face appearing beside him.
“It’s you… Sister Vania Chaffiren… the acting archbishop of St. Hymn Cathedral now?”
Looking at the white-clad nun extended her hand to treat him, Harold spoke with a hint of confusion in his expression. Vania nodded in response.
“Yes! I’m Vania Chaffiren. I’m treating you now, Your Highness. Your conditions are severe; please cooperate well!” While using direct contact treatment, which was more effective than distant healing, Vania spoke earnestly, and weak Harold continued.
“Cough… it’s dangerous here, Sister Vania! That Red Tier monster from the Wolf bl**d Association… might still be looking for me! We can’t stay here much longer…”
“I know, Your Highness. I’ve already encountered that wolf-shaped monster. Although it attacked me, I managed to escape after a brief battle with it. I know it’s searching for you, so I came ahead to treat you.”
Upon hearing Vania’s words, Harold looked astonished and asked.
“You encountered that monster briefly and escaped? How did you manage that?”
“That monster seems to have been severely injured from your earlier attack, making it quite weak overall. I attacked it with a sigil enhanced by the cathedral, which temporarily forced it back,” Vania answered candidly. Weak Harold nodded slightly, his awareness foggy.
“Indeed… that b*stard is nearly spent, huh? d*mn… if I were in a better condition, I could finish it off right now!”
Harold said, just as Vania was about to say something more when suddenly a howl echoed from a distance.
“That’s it… it has found us! Your Highness, can you move now? We need to leave here quickly!”
“Ugh… no, Sister Vania, my condition isn’t good enough for a swift retreat. If we run, it will surely chase us down. We can’t run; that would be our end!” Gasping, Harold struggled to clear his mind, while Vania looked at him in surprise.
“If we don’t run… then what should we do now?”
“Now we fight back! After your treatment, I can barely muster some abilities. Since that monster doesn’t have much strength left, it’s possible to defeat it. Prepare for battle, Sister Vania! Use the same method you used before to counter it!”
Harold said seriously, and no sooner had he finished speaking than the wall beside the garden collapsed with a loud crash. From the billowing dust, a towering figure emerged—it was the four-legged demon wolf, Duval!
“Roar!”
Upon breaking through the wall, Duval, now in the garden, let out a fierce roar, its gaze locked onto Harold, who had struggled to his feet thanks to the treatment. With all its might, it charged at him.
Seeing the approaching enemy, the weakened Harold swung his hand and slashed a small wind blade at the demon wolf. The demon wolf dodged to the side, suffering only a scratch on its arm.
Confronted with the advancing demon wolf, Harold gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he continuously unleashed wind blades at it. The strength, speed, and frequency of his wind blades were significantly reduced compared to before. The demon wolf dodged while advancing; even with the wounds it sustained, it pressed on. Though its speed had diminished, its enormous body still radiated significant pressure.
Finally, as the massive demon wolf closed in on Harold and Vania, she made her move. Infusing a sigil with the copious spirituality from the cathedral, she tossed it, causing it to erupt into a dazzling explosion of flames mid-air. Harold immediately summoned a strong wind to fan the flames, amplifying the blaze several times, completely engulfing the towering demon wolf. The inferno set the demon wolf’s body alight, and it let out a pained howl, its charge interrupted as it attempted to roll and extinguish the flames.
Harold wouldn’t waste this opportunity. He followed up with two additional wind blade attacks aimed at the demon wolf’s legs, creating deep gashes. The flaming demon wolf collapsed, and Harold could clearly see its once formidable healing abilities severely weakened, with its injuries recovering slowly.
“Now, Sister Vania, attack with all your might!”
“Understood!”
Listening to Harold’s words, Vania quickly retrieved a few explosive sigils from the Holy Army, empowered them with absolute spirituality from the cathedral, and hurled them at the downed demon wolf.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The successive violent explosions erupted on the fallen demon wolf, completely shattering its already lifeless body. When the explosions occurred, Harold dropped to the ground, and as the blasts subsided, he gradually stood up, anxiously watching the black smoke and flames ahead, fearful that the beast might rise again from the chaos.
In the end, Harold received no strange movements from the black smoke and flames. Smelling the aroma of charred flesh in the air, he let out a long sigh of relief.
This fierce struggle had finally come to an end. Although it was exceptionally perilous, they triumphed, thanks in no small part to Vania’s assistance.
…
“Cut.”
In the distant carriage, Dorothea glanced at the scenery ahead and softly spoke as if narrating.
“Harold Despenser, gazing at the flames and black smoke before him, couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. He thought to himself that this fierce struggle had finally come to an end. Although the process was fraught with danger, ultimately, justice had prevailed over evil. All of this was largely thanks to the brave and devout little nun’s assistance—though just a White Chalk, her support at a critical moment became the deciding factor in this battle.”
“Every ability she displayed was within the realm of understanding.”
