Chapter One Hundred and One: When the Sinful Flower Blooms (14)
The shadow bent down, picking up a bl**d-red pill that had been tossed aside. His movements were slow, half of him hidden behind a white curtain, his head poking out and his eyes fixed on my direction. But as soon as my gaze swept over, he instantly turned away, the hem of his robe fluttering, revealing a fleeting glimpse of striking crimson thorny flowers on his back before vanishing into darkness. It was quite the sight to behold!
…The Choir of Saints!!
How on Earth are they still here!!!
“Don’t even think about escaping—”
My brain was filled with disbelief, but my legs had a mind of their own and propelled me forward. I pivoted at breakneck speed and soared over the white curtain in front of me. Behind that curtain was where the Black Robe had been hiding, but now, poof! He was gone.
He’s running to the left!
I see you; there’s no way out!
Boom!
Just as my feet hit the ground, I activated Moon Step, causing a thunderous sound to echo beneath me. The gale roared in my ears, and my vision blurred momentarily. A series of explosive “bang, bang, bangs” followed as I crashed into countless hanging white sheets, like a fiery cannonball shooting through them all. Those sheets and iron beds were ground to dust in my wake, and in an instant, I was right behind the shadow!
“Give me—”
My eyes lit up blue as I raised my frosty right hand and slapped at the back of his head.
“Down!”
Whoosh——
The gust from my slap was like a shriek, not that I was trying to hit hard, but it was enough power to make a person’s head burst like a watermelon. The frost was just to freeze the bl**d, preventing it from splattering all over my face…
I hadn’t even considered leaving him alive.
But in that nail-biting moment, the figure completely ignored me, suddenly ducking his head and thrillingly dodging my blow!
…Huh?
I widened my eyes in surprise.
The next second, he suddenly accelerated like a ghost, swaying a few times before disappearing from my line of sight faster than I could blink. In less than a second, he melted back into the darkness, putting a good distance between us.
Something’s off…
There’s no way he could be this fast; this is absurd…
I sensed something was amiss.
But I didn’t stop chasing; I pressed on with another Moon Step and swung my right hand forward.
Five ice blocks hovering above me shot out, shining faintly as they illuminated the Black Robe’s path.
Forget logic…
Who cares about the details? Just catch him first!
Boom boom boom!
With every stomp of Moon Step on the bluestone slab, I shattered at least one giant slab into pieces, accompanied by incredible thunderous noises. Countless shattered stones, broken scarlet vines, and torn white cloth billowed up in the darkness along with a cloud of dust. The only sounds were the fierce wind and the crashing of objects. Sure, the Black Robe was quick, but with just three steps, I was back at his side!
“Hey…”
Slap! My hand shot out, grabbing his collar. He was still mid-air, and I yanked him over, not even waiting to see his face before spotting a solid blue wall right ahead.
We’re gonna crash…
But I’m quick on my feet! I used the Black Robe’s body as a shield and, just before slamming into the wall, landed on my left foot with a mighty push, launching us forward with a bang—
Boom!!!
Clatter, clatter, clatter——!
I slammed through the wall, crashing outside into a hail of dust and rubble. I didn’t even bother to see where I was; mid-air, he made his move, pulling his limbs in completely like a slippery fish and, with a “vroom,” burst into a golden flash before disappearing without a trace.
Teleportation…
Quick reflexes.
But you can’t escape my grip!
The slightest sound from above caught my attention.
He’s above!
In a flash, an ice platform formed under my feet, and I leaped onto it, soaring toward the sky. Almost immediately, I saw a large stained-glass window above. A corner of the window had a hole, and the figure, amidst the fading golden light, slipped right back inside the building through that hole.
Whoosh——
Barely a second after he had slipped in, I charged up, gripping the edge of the hole. I curled my body, used my strength to flip around, and landed with a thud inside.
Now, where are you going… wait, what is that smell?!
My sharp eyes scanned the darkness, and suddenly, I frowned, quickly covering my nose.
So foul…
Wait a second, where is he!?
Ew…
What on Earth is that stench…
It was so putrid that I felt like I might vomit up last night’s dinner.
It wasn’t the mild odor of the church’s front hall, nor the damp fishy smell of the central garden. Even the sharp drug scent from before was gone. This was pure, rancid stink—like a rotting pig laying dead somewhere. The purest foulness infiltrated my nostrils as soon as I stepped through the stained-glass, making it hard to breathe.
What the…
This is disgusting…
Stinky, stinky, stinky, stinky…
Where did that Choir of Saints fella go?!
Where is he…
In front of me lay an abyss of pure blackness, utterly devoid of light, enveloping me in a shadowy void. For a brief moment, I even doubted whether I was stepping on anything at all, as if I had suddenly entered a dark, otherworldly dimension.
But when I looked back, the broken stained-glass window was still behind me, with faint moonlight trickling in, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air. I suddenly realized, those particles… seemed to glow red.
What the…
Where on earth am I?
Creak, creak, creak, creak——
My head was still spinning. I frowned, held my nose and mouth tightly, and quickly conjured an ice sphere above my head. With a crunch, dozens of ice blocks sprang up around me, quickly coalescing into a massive spherical ice ball the size of a head, floating in the air.
The blue light emanating from this ball was brighter than those five earlier blocks…
Finally, I could make out my surroundings.
“Ugh…”
As I realized where I was, I couldn’t help but gasp in horror.
“This is…”
Before my eyes was a winding path formed by bl**d-red vines, thick as arms, countless of them twisted together into an utterly deep tunnel that seemed to have no end.
No, wait…
There must have been a path here once.
But now, this path was completely overgrown with vines sprouting from I-don’t-even-know-where; the walls and ceiling were covered too. Even the ground was just a mass of thick, sturdy vines twisted together, forming a bl**d-colored road.
Like a path…
More like some huge creature’s intestine.
“It reeks…”
I could hardly stand the smell here.
Absolutely unbearable for a human…
But amidst the haze, I vaguely heard a squelching sound from deep within the tunnel, as if something slimy were writhing around. The very thought sent shivers down my spine.
And…
“Oh no…”
And that same heavy, horrific breathing sound of a dying beast that I had heard by the main door earlier.
“Hah… Hah…”
That sound…
Seemed to be emanating from the very tunnel itself.
