Chapter 386: 364 [Absolute Death]
This was a place not too far from the Eight Fingers’ stronghold.
Although there was some distance, it wasn’t very far from the Eight Fingers’ stronghold, making the area relatively secluded and unlike somewhere inhabited.
It was in such a place that an old building, seemingly left untouched for a long time, had its rooftop graced by a solitary figure.
It was a young girl with distinctively unique long hair, one side a striking silver-white and the other a deep black that seemed capable of engulfing everything.
The girl’s eyes were just as mismatched as her hair, each a different color, a rare pair of heterochromia. She appeared under 15, youthful in appearance, yet she donned a full set of paladin-like armor with wing-like adornments on the back, and in her hand, she held a scythe resembling a cross spear, almost certainly marking her as a highly skilled warrior.
At that moment, the female warrior was gazing in the direction of the Eight Fingers’ stronghold, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"What happened?"
She could feel a terrifying surge of power coming from that direction, tingling her skin.
"This is interesting." the girl murmured to herself and said, "It’s so powerful it makes my skin prickle. Could it be that vampire?"
"Is she fighting someone?"
"But, how could there be someone of that caliber in this country?"
The girl’s thoughtful expression deepened into curiosity.
Then, a voice reached her ears, interrupting her thoughts.
"So you’re here."
Following the voice, a person emerged from the building, stepping behind the girl.
This individual appeared androgynous, only identifiable as male by his voice. He was about the same age as the girl or so his youthful appearance suggested, probably around 20 years old.
If Reiger were here, he would have definitely recognized this androgynous young man’s identity.
Because, this individual had appeared in the Ye·Lantier Northern Forest over two months ago, leading a team of companions, and suddenly intruded into the battlefield between him and Shalltear.
Indeed.
The young man was none other than the leader of the Black Scripture, one of only three awakened divine beings of the Slane Theocracy, bearing the name of this most special forces unit, a representation of the Black Scripture itself, the monster mentioned by Clementine.
This individual had now come to the Kingdom, to the capital, and even near the Eight Fingers’ stronghold.
"You felt it too, didn’t you?" the young man asked with a solemn tone and expression, "This bone-chilling power, it could only be that vampire."
"Yes." the girl seemed somewhat indifferent and said, "Just as the reports from Fleur Scripture had indicated, that vampire has fled to the Kingdom and infiltrated the capital."
"Finally, we have found her." the young man said while looking at the girl’s back, "But it seems she is engaged in battle. I wonder, could there indeed be someone in the Kingdom who could make that vampire fight earnestly, besides us?"
"Who knows." the girl’s indifferent demeanor remained though she genuinely answered the young man’s question, "Could it be that Kingdom Warrior General, Gejiev Storunov, called the strongest warrior of the neighboring country?"
"No, it can’t be him." the young man shook his head decisively, "He hasn’t even fully entered the Heroic Domain; even equipped with the Kingdom’s renowned Four Great Treasures, his strength wouldn’t reach the level of Abnormal, let alone compare with us, or make that vampire fight seriously. Not even if he led his trained army of warriors against that vampire."
"Now I’m curious then, how could such a figure suddenly appear in the Kingdom, one able to stand against that vampire?" the girl said with renewed interest, "Could it be the passing of some Dragon King?"
"...It’s hard to say it’s not." the young man frowned and said, "Among the True Dragon Kings once mentioned by the high priest, there is one who enjoys traveling far and wide, often with whereabouts unknown, never seen in true form. Could it be that Dragon King happened upon this place and clashed with that vampire?"
"It might also be a powerful human secretly hidden within the Kingdom." the girl seemed to prefer this guess, "If that is the case, then the person is an existence akin to us."
"...Like us, inheriting the ’player’ lineage?" the young man pondered for a moment before speaking, "Although it’s not impossible, for aside from the deity we worship, there have been other ’players’ on this continent. If one has left descendants who, like us, have awakened, then it’s not strange they could oppose that vampire."
"Still, I really don’t want to believe that such characters exist in this decrepit country."
The young man’s tone did not convey scorn for the Kingdom, but merely stated the facts.
"I, for one, really hope such a person does appear," the girl said.
She continued to gaze towards the direction of the Eight Fingers’ stronghold, a slight curve forming on her lips, revealing a clear smile, yet it possessed a blood-tinged semblance, filled with combative desire and competitiveness.
"If someone can solely contest that vampire, perhaps they could give me a taste of defeat," said the girl, lending a dangerous scent to the air.
The young man knew this old habit of hers well.
She was the kind of person who would say such things, and he was no longer surprised.
"Honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine someone amongst the humans who could match you," the young man spoke, his words filled with admiration and trust for the girl.
"However, if someone really can stand alone against that vampire like this, not to mention compared to you, they must certainly be stronger than me," he said.
At least, the young man was very aware that he couldn’t handle the vampire by himself.
He was no match for the vampire, even if he were equipped with the Divine Artifact bestowed by the nation, it would hardly suffice.
Even this girl, who was much stronger than him, if not equipped with those Divine Artifacts, likely wouldn’t stand a chance against the vampire either.
In such a situation, he certainly couldn’t match the girl who could fight the vampire alone, let alone the person currently in fierce combat with the vampire.
While the young man was thinking this, suddenly, the girl spoke.
"Could it be the person you mentioned in your last report, who was fighting that vampire in the Ye·Lantier Northern Forest, just before you guys intervened?" she asked.
Her abrupt question left the young man slightly startled, followed by deep contemplation.
He couldn’t help but recall the mission he had led in Ye·Lantier two months ago.
Back then, the high priest had assigned him a task, which was to take the True Divine Artifact—"The Nation’s Fall"—to the vicinity of the kingdom’s fortress city, to search for the likely resurrection of the True Dragon King.
The opposing side had obliterated the Holy Scriptures of the sun and countered the magical spells of the Theocratic nation’s clergy, causing immense losses, so after discussion, the high priests unanimously believed that near the kingdom’s fortress city, a dangerous True Dragon King might have revived.
They wanted to subjugate this dragon king to incorporate him into the Theocratic nation as a force to protect the nation and subdue foreign races.
Therefore, the high priest instructed the young man to take the True Divine Artifact, The Nation’s Fall, and should he actually encounter the resurrected dragon king, to subjugate him with it.
However, when the young man and the members of the Black Holy Scriptures entered the area of the Ye·Lantier Northern Forest, they encountered a terrifying enemy.
A vampire.
Its power was tremendously horrifying, making the young man, even as a divine awakened, feel his hair stand on end, prompting him to immediately instruct his companion carrying the True Divine Artifact to use the power of The Nation’s Fall against the vampire.
However, just as it was about to be completely dominated, the vampire howled furiously, powerfully killing several team members, including the one using The Divine Artifact, causing the mental domination to be incomplete and turning it into a monster that attacks anyone who approaches, forcing them to retreat.
That mission failed and left a lingering disaster because the vampire harbored resentment against the Theocratic nation and recently attacked human cities, causing a major tragedy.
Thus, the young man and the girl were sent together, with the goal being to subdue that dangerous vampire, even if it fled into the capital of the kingdom.
And yet the young man still vaguely remembered, back then in Ye·Lantier Northern Forest, someone was confronting that terrifying vampire.
Someone who appeared even younger than himself but was facing the vampire alone. While he felt terrified by the vampire’s power, the other remained calm and composed, which had surprised him at the time.
Afterward, the young man had mentioned that person to the high priests, causing quite a stir among the higher-ups of the Theocratic nation.
If it were that person...
"Indeed, the person currently battling the vampire could very well be him," the young man nodded affirmatively to the girl’s speculation.
"Since that is the case, what should we do next, leader?" the girl asked as she turned around with a smiling gaze at the young man.
Seeing the eagerness for battle in her eyes, he felt somewhat helpless.
But still, he made a decision.
"Now that we have found our target, it’s naturally time for us to take the stage," the young man said, "Let’s charge in while there’s a powerful one battling the vampire, and try to collaborate with that person to completely vanquish the vampire."
Upon hearing this, the girl smiled, a joy visibly radiating from her expression.
"Let me see if that person has the qualifications to team up with me," she said.
"To team up with me—’Absolute Deathantilene Heran Fouche.’"
The very person regarded as the strongest human in the real sense from the ranks of the Black Holy Scriptures spoke thus.
Little did they know, from a distant place, there was someone watching this very scene through a mirror.
"The prey has entered the trap," he said.
Tapping on the mask he wore on his face, Demiurge let out a low chuckle.
"Time to close the net then," the demon’s low chuckle echoed under the skies, failing to fade for a long time.
As the sky gradually darkened, the capital was about to welcome the evening, ushering in the greatest disaster in its history.