Category: Miss Luo Yan’s Feet Are Buried With Corpses

Witch’s Night: Chapter 31 A Way to Save Cecilia

Although she had heard about Miss Luo Yan’s spatial abilities, seeing it with her own eyes was another matter, especially since she had taken her daughter with her.

Tina couldn’t help but show a worried expression. The Void was too unfamiliar and dangerous for humans; even Hamid didn’t dare to touch it lightly.

However, worrying was useless…

Tina sighed and turned to look at the dark domain ahead.

She trusted Saint Shadow, but what was here wasn’t Saint Shadow’s true body, and Saint Shadow rarely revealed her true thoughts.

So Tina wasn’t sure how confident she was in this battle.

Tina was also quite shocked by the situation in Lannister.

Before she came, she had anticipated that there might be some cultists lurking in Lannister, hiding their identities and preparing to cause trouble.

But what she didn’t expect was… there were a bit too many lurking cultists.

From top to bottom, almost every part of Lannister had the shadow of cultists, even the Council of Elders wasn’t spared.

After Saint Shadow arrived in Lannister, she quickly discovered the anomaly in Spencer Manor, where hundreds of veteran cultists had gathered.

Tina was glad that Chris had taken Luo Yan away earlier; this was also why she hadn’t scolded Chris like before.

Although taking Luo Yan out wasn’t within the scope of her orders, it was understandable under the circumstances.

“Even Lannister is like this… what about other mega-cities?” Tina suddenly shuddered. “No wonder Saint Illusion insisted on convening the Ten Cities Council, she must have sensed something…”

……

The battle between Shadow and the crazed Hamid was isolated from outsiders. Meanwhile, the Calamities in Lannister finally began to be extinguished one by one.

In the Church of the End Gods’ original plan, Luo Yan should have been on their side, and with the power of the oracle, they would have had the possibility of destroying Lannister.

But now, their only Bishop had fallen into madness due to the multiple blows to his worldview. Luo Yan, needless to say, the oracle she brought was a catastrophic existence… for the Church of the End Gods.

Fortunately, the oracle was only given to Hamid. Eli, who accompanied him, was luckily unconscious and didn’t learn about the death of the God of Hope.

Otherwise, given the mental and spiritual state of these cultists, they might have directly exploded (literally).

Even so, Lannister still had many things to deal with, and the Oak Council Chamber would remain locked down until everything was completely resolved.

Norian had great confidence in the administrative structure he had built. There were cultist moles, but most of them were ordinary people who could maintain the normal operation of the administrative structure.

The situation with the Ember Formation was troublesome, but not unsolvable, and there was no rush now.

Unlike Yan City, Lannister’s combat power was absolutely overwhelming. Without the Ember Formation, they were weaker, but dealing with these Calamities wasn’t a problem.

With these considerations, Luo Yan was eventually arranged to return to Restricted Zone Seven and was asked to avoid leaving before Elise arrived in Lannister.

And the security forces around Restricted Zone Seven were increased before the Calamities were resolved to prevent a repeat of the previous incident.

Almost two-thirds of Restricted Zone Seven had been destroyed in the battle between Granny Zoya and Hamid. Fortunately, whether intentionally or not, the apartment where Luo Yan lived was unharmed.

A spatial rift slowly opened, and Luo Yan walked out, carrying the unconscious Cecilia, followed by Chris, who was covering her mouth, her vision spinning.

Thank goodness, there was no flashback this time…

But even without a flashback, Chris still felt very uncomfortable, even more so than last time, because she had fainted directly before and hadn’t really experienced the Void environment.

Of course, putting aside the discomfort and fear, Void Traversal was indeed a rare experience.

So rare that Chris was determined never to ride with Luo Yan again…

Cecilia, on the other hand, was much better. When she fell unconscious due to the Void, the demonic power that was about to lose control actually stabilized.

However, she was still terrified, especially after leaving the residential building. Without the building as a buffer for balance, Cecilia’s demonic power aura was now very turbulent.

Within her small body resided power comparable to an uncontrolled “Peril” level ability user, far exceeding what she could control.

“Miss Luo Yan… Ugh… sorry, ugh…”

The discomfort and nausea brought by the Void’s aftereffects surged within Chris, making her unable to utter a complete sentence, and even causing her to behave in an unladylike manner.

“Miss Chris, I know you have complaints about me, but it’s not to the point…”

Luo Yan showed a troubled expression.

“No, it’s not… ugh…”

Chris immediately panicked. How could she let Miss Luo Yan misunderstand?

What if she turned around and told Sister Qingling? This was a top priority!

Seeing Chris so anxious that she was about to cry, but unable to speak due to her condition, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Luo Yan’s mouth, mixed with a hint of slyness.

“Just a little joke, Miss Chris, no need to worry.”

Luo Yan raised her hand, and the power of “Envy” activated, easing Chris’s discomfort. “But look, my positioning was very accurate this time, right? We arrived directly inside the house!”

There was even a hint of pride in her words, although the change in her expression was only a few pixels…

“But I still get Void sickness…”

Chris rubbed her throat. She had almost vomited just now. Behaving so indecently in front of others was taboo for nobles, let alone the fact that she was a young woman in her prime; it would ruin her image.

Little did she know that in Luo Yan’s eyes, she didn’t have much of an image left anyway… She was directly categorized with Sister Qingling.

But it was worth mentioning that Luo Yan’s Void node positioning was indeed becoming more and more reliable, now reaching an unbelievable level of accuracy.

“Let’s put that aside for now, Miss Chris. If you’re still feeling unwell, just sit down and rest for a while. I need to check on Cecilia.”

Luo Yan exhaled. The reason she rushed back was because of Cecilia. This poor little girl’s life was in danger; the out-of-control demonic power was almost tearing her apart, both body and soul.

And Hamid’s notebook…

“Mm, I’ll stay here.”

Chris nodded, then sat down, landing on something soft.

She picked it up and saw that it was a half-human-sized teddy bear, quite cute.

“I didn’t expect Miss Luo Yan to have such a girlish side.”

Chris chuckled to herself, just as she was about to put it down, she suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance on the teddy bear.

“No!” Chris froze, brought the bear closer, and sniffed slightly. “This is… Sister Qingling’s scent!”

Don’t ask why Chris knew Hua Qingling’s scent so well, she just did.

So, this wasn’t Miss Luo Yan’s… but Sister Qingling’s?

Chris hugged the teddy bear inconspicuously, burying her face in it, and then she finally confirmed that this was Sister Qingling’s!

And it was definitely something she kept close; the scent had permeated it.

Hehe, Sister Qingling…

While Chris was hugging the teddy bear in delight, Luo Yan carefully carried Cecilia back to the inner room and then took out Hamid’s notebook to read.

After reading for a while, Luo Yan gasped.

The contents of the notebook basically confirmed her guess. Cecilia’s current condition was entirely caused by Hamid.

However, Hamid recorded that his original intention had been to prolong Cecilia’s life, but now even he was confused about why he did it.

Moreover, the notebook also contained some speculations. If no other method was found, Cecilia’s life would come to an end in about a month. No matter what method was used, it wouldn’t be possible to save her from being completely eroded by the demonic power.

At the end of her life, Cecilia would transform into a terrifying Calamity capable of covering half of Lannister, reaching “Peril” level intensity.

This wasn’t a small matter; it was enough to severely damage Lannister. Even the recent outbreak in Ghost Town in Yan City was only of this level.

If it hadn’t been for Luo Yan sniping Mrs. Natalie’s consciousness, and the power of “End” released by One’s body, Yan City wouldn’t have been able to contain that disaster.

To be precise, that crisis was actually far more dangerous than the later Yan City war… It really could have wiped Yan City off the map.

This was the reason why God’s Chosen were so dangerous, and why Luo Yan was constantly being monitored and watched.

“Demonic power… God of Wisdom? Tsk, according to the Church of the End Gods’ terminology, which Witch does that correspond to?”

Luo Yan scratched her head. Her own understanding of the Primordial Demons was limited to the information she had, which was incomplete information from Yan City.

And these cultists didn’t acknowledge the naming system proposed by the Noah Holy Church and even abhorred it, making it even harder to find a correspondence.

If One were here, she could ask her…

What a pity.

However, she had already ruled out the Witch of Absolute Death, the Witch of Envy, and the Witch of End. The remaining ones were the Demoness of Terror and the Witch of Sorrow.

The Demoness of Terror was the pinnacle of the Mutation system, her demonic offering was “Return to the Past,” and her specific manifestations weren’t clear yet.

The Witch of Sorrow was the pinnacle of the Prophecy system, her demonic offering was the “Sands of Time,” and her abilities… were even more difficult to describe. The Prophecy system was also known as the Mystery system, and belonged to the most unpredictable abilities among the various systems.

There was no helping it; humanity knew very little about the Primordial Demons. The reason they had a more detailed understanding of the Witch of Envy was because she was the most active among the ten Primordial Demons.

There was actually another ability system among humans called the Superpower system, but the reason it was categorized as such was because it didn’t fit into the other systems… All sorts of miscellaneous abilities were classified under it.

In short, the ghastly shadow Luo Yan and Chris encountered in the residential building before should be Cecilia’s ability, but it wasn’t clear what it was exactly.

Wait…

Luo Yan frowned slightly, raised her hand to touch Cecilia’s head, and closed her eyes, using her soul to sense Cecilia.

Upon contact, Luo Yan immediately opened her eyes. She already knew which Primordial Demon Cecilia’s power belonged to.

“The Demoness of Terror, Mutation system, the mutated part is… the whole body.”

The “whole body” here didn’t just refer to the physical body, but also included her mind, which was also part of the mutation.

“No wonder the ghastly shadow disappeared as soon as it touched Cecilia’s body…”

Luo Yan withdrew her hand and breathed a sigh of relief.

The ghastly shadow was Cecilia’s imagination, a powerful friend who could protect her in her imagination, so Luo Yan and Chris couldn’t hurt it no matter what, because it wasn’t even a shadow, at most a stray thought.

As for why it looked like that, they would have to ask Hamid about his usual education of Cecilia…

Well, there was no hope for a cultist’s education.

“How terrifying, just imagination can reach ‘Ruin’ level destructive power. Just how much demonic power did Hamid crazily stuff into Cecilia’s body?”

But she had to admit, this was an ingenious idea and design.

Within humanity’s current understanding, this was the only method to prolong a God’s Chosen’s life to the greatest extent.

After figuring out Cecilia’s situation, there was only one way to save her.

That was… to maintain the status quo, to maintain the balance between Cecilia’s demonic power and her body.

There was no other way. Since Cecilia was born, her life had been prolonged using this method. Rashly changing it could lead to even more serious consequences.

To let Cecilia live, they could only continue using Bishop Hamid’s method.

“However… the reason Hamid estimated that Cecilia only had a month left to live was because of the limitations of the modified residential building and Cecilia’s own limits. With humanity’s current capabilities, it’s impossible to break through these limitations.”

Luo Yan’s expression became serious. Human methods couldn’t do it, but non-human methods… might be possible.

Cecilia needed an external object to maintain her balance, preferably one that could withstand most of her overflowing demonic power.

Clearly, this external object was already obvious, and that was… Luo Yan herself.

“Using me as the node? An equally crazy idea…”

Luo Yan reached out and gently held Cecilia’s small hand. She suddenly thought of Little Tini.

Little Tini, who was seriously ill, was still striving to live, and so was Cecilia, and even Luo Yan herself.

They were the same, all just wanting… to live.

At this time, Cecilia slowly opened her eyes, saw Luo Yan sitting next to her, and struggled to sit up, but her weak body wouldn’t allow her to do so,

“God of Hope…”

“Don’t move.”

Luo Yan said softly.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 30 Shadow, Lin Qingying

The familiar venomous tongue, the same tone as in his memory, even after hundreds of years, Hamid hadn’t forgotten.

It was unforgettable.

“You’ve come.”

Hamid didn’t turn around, just said softly.

This woman had brought him the most painful defeat of his life, a defeat that Hamid still couldn’t let go of even after betraying humanity and embracing the Gods.

“Lin Qingying, or… Shadow.”

Lin Qingying, the current Eleventh Saint, due to the nature of her ability, had completely inherited the legacy of the previous Saint “Shadow,” and also inherited the name “Shadow.”

“Yo, you still remember. It’s been so long since anyone called me by my name, even I almost forgot.”

Shadow shrugged. Her impression of Hamid was no less profound than his impression of her, after all, Hamid had almost killed all her classmates.

As for resentment… it couldn’t be said to be that. Shadow had already passed the age of hatred. Time hadn’t left any marks on her appearance, but it had brought the most profound change to her.

Now, to Shadow, Hamid was just a cultist, an enemy of humanity and civilization, nothing more.

Hamid sighed. He had anticipated that Noah might send a Saint, but he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly.

Even the Church of the End Gods didn’t know about the existence of Shadow Guards. They could only vaguely guess that there were informants from the Noah Holy Church in Lannister, but they didn’t expect an entire ancient noble family of Noah to be her informants.

Hamid slowly turned around, only to see a dark figure, and couldn’t help but chuckle self-deprecatingly,

“So it’s a shadow avatar, no wonder you could arrive in Lannister in just a few hours…”

In their planned scheme, no matter how fast Noah acted, it would take at least half a day for a Saint to arrive in Lannister.

Not to mention that most Saints were currently slumbering, and mobilizing a Saint required extra caution, they couldn’t use the large-scale Teleportation Array.

Moreover, Hamid had also controlled the severity of the situation, making it difficult for Noah to decide whether it was worth mobilizing a Saint.

Obtaining the oracle during this period of delay, and then destroying Lannister, was the Church of the End Gods’ plan.

Unexpectedly… this carefully arranged plan was completely ruined by Lin Qingying’s appearance.

“However, Lin Qingying, you’re still as arrogant as ever, just a mere shadow avatar… is no match for me.” Hamid said indifferently. “Errants who are completely ignorant of the truth, ignorance has blinded you.

“If you had seen the truth, you would make the same choice as me, everything is to save the world.”

“You old man are so nagging, just as long-winded as you were back then.” Shadow crossed her arms. Her expression couldn’t be seen in the darkness, but a hint of disdain was evident. “The so-called truth, isn’t it just the false starry sky and the secrets behind it? It’s not like I haven’t seen it.”

Hearing this, Hamid was truly stunned. He widened his eyes and said tremblingly,

“You, you’ve seen it too?”

“Every Saint has seen it; this was an arrangement left by the Saint herself.” Shadow sneered and twirled a strand of hair between her fingers boredly. “You cultists, thinking yourselves the only ones awakened in the world, are so immersed in the Malice of All Worlds and the lies you’ve fabricated that you can’t extricate yourselves.

“Shouting about destroying civilization to save the world every day, do you think you’re great? Wrong, completely wrong. You, like the Malice of All Worlds, are just escaping.”

“No, impossible!” Hamid almost screamed, nearly losing his mind. “After seeing the truth, how can you be so indifferent! Why do you still choose to go against the Gods!”

After seeing the truth hidden within the false starry sky, Hamid had always believed this: everyone who saw the truth would be like him, making the most correct choice.

This belief had lasted for hundreds of years and had become like an absolute truth to him.

But Luo Yan was the first exception. After seeing the Gods, she didn’t choose to side with them, and even brought the news that broke Hamid’s defenses: the God of Hope (Witch of Envy) was dead.

Under multiple blows, Hamid was on the verge of madness, although in the eyes of the world, he had been mad for hundreds of years.

Cecilia, looking at the suddenly unfamiliar Grandpa Bishop, felt distressed and afraid. She wanted to approach him, but was stopped by Luo Yan.

Luo Yan shook her head slightly at Cecilia, then steadily retreated, preparing to leave.

She sensed Hamid’s unstable emotions. Staying here would only become more dangerous. Her previous judgment seemed to be a mistake; this Bishop was definitely not just “Peril” level, otherwise he wouldn’t have said that a Saint’s shadow avatar with thirty percent of their power wasn’t his match.

Actually, from some details, Luo Yan also noticed Hamid’s complex emotions towards Cecilia. On the one hand, he loved and cherished this little girl he had raised, and on the other hand, he doubted the motives behind his own actions.

Whether it was out of human emotion or a plan for destruction, Hamid had been hesitant, until he met Luo Yan and finally let go of this confusion and decision, leaving all the choices to her.

A flicker of excitement flashed through Chris’s eyes when she saw Shadow appear, but she didn’t show anything. Her identity as a Shadow Guard was top secret and couldn’t be easily revealed.

Shadow immediately recognized Chris, after all, she looked very much like Tina, her mother, but she didn’t say anything.

As for Luo Yan, Shadow just glanced at her and then ignored her. Luo Yan wasn’t important on this trip; the interaction with Luo Yan would be left to Illusion.

Shadow only had a sharp tongue; she actually listened to Illusion very much. Whatever Illusion said, she did.

“Words are useless, it’s time to send you on your way, old classmate.”

Shadow raised her hand slightly, and darkness spread from beneath her feet. A gentle force pushed Luo Yan and the others away.

In a battle above “Destruction” level, ability users below that level didn’t even have the right to watch.

Like Granny Zoya, Shadow chose to isolate the battle space. The difference was that Granny Zoya faced an entire sea of enemies, while Shadow faced Hamid, who was going all out, even disregarding everything due to his madness.

“Er-! Rants!” Hamid roared heart-wrenchingly. “You villains who have shamed the Gods, you are the culprits behind the destruction of the world!”

“Heh, drown in your baseless delusions, Hamid.”

Shadow sneered disdainfully, but her eyes were still grim and serious.

Although she had been mocking Hamid, after all, what stood here was just a shadow avatar with thirty percent of her strength. To deal with Hamid, who was considered a strong figure even among “Destruction” level ability users, she still had to go all out.

The spreading black barrier expanded, eventually forming a silent domain that couldn’t be entered, completely isolated from Lannister.

The battle inside couldn’t be seen from the outside, and it wouldn’t affect the outside world until the barrier was broken.

“Grandpa Bishop, wuwuwu… why is this happening…”

Finally, Cecilia couldn’t help but sob.

She didn’t know why Grandpa Bishop, who had been so good to her, had become like this today…

These complicated matters were beyond Cecilia’s little head to understand.

Luo Yan and Chris sighed at the same time. Although what happened today was directly caused by them, Cecilia’s fate was only a matter of time.

Even without Luo Yan and Chris, Hamid wouldn’t be able to maintain their peaceful life any longer. It would erupt eventually.

“Hmm? Chris, Miss Luo Yan, why are you all here?”

Just then, a cold voice sounded.

Luo Yan and Chris turned their heads and saw a tall woman in a suit dress walking towards them, frowning.

“Madam Tina,” Luo Yan bowed slightly, a hint of surprise in her expression. “Why are you here too?”

“Mo-, Mother…”

Chris averted her gaze. Logically, she should be attending the banquet now, not involved in this matter.

Moreover, she had been scolded not long ago for secretly contacting Luo Yan. Now, being caught red-handed taking Luo Yan around Lannister…

Thinking of this, Chris shrank her head again.

But unexpectedly, Tina just nodded to Chris and looked at Luo Yan,

“Miss Luo Yan, have you already contacted Hamid?”

She couldn’t help but size up Luo Yan. At the banquet, Tina had only seen Luo Yan in her black-haired young man form, not her current appearance.

It had to be said that Tina considered herself a beauty. To put it shamelessly, when she was young, the people pursuing her could line up three times around Noah.

Even though the Lequista family only accepted men marrying into the family, there were still countless noble children vying to join.

But even so, standing in front of the unadorned Luo Yan, Tina still felt a sense of inferiority.

What was even more rare was that this silver-haired girl’s stunning beauty wasn’t aggressive. Just standing there quietly gave people a very pleasing and comfortable feeling, and an indescribable sense of security.

But thinking of Luo Yan’s identity, Tina suddenly felt uneasy.

“I have. He even asked me for an oracle.” Luo Yan replied indifferently. “He just wanted to know what the Witch of Envy said when she contacted me.”

“I see,” Tina secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed there wouldn’t be any problems. “Miss Luo Yan, you didn’t give it to him, right?”

“I did.”

“That’s good… Ah?”

Tina immediately looked at Chris, her eyes seemingly saying “Why didn’t you stop her?”

Chris felt her hair stand on end from being stared at. She knew what her mother meant, but she felt wronged too.

Stop her? With what?!

She didn’t even understand what the oracle said; divine language wasn’t something ordinary humans could understand.

“You… just gave it to him like that?”

Tina’s nervous expression mirrored Chris’s.

“Yes, but after hearing it, Hamid almost collapsed, and then Saint Shadow appeared.” Luo Yan spread her hands. “And after hearing what Saint Shadow said, he seemed to have gone mad.”

“…Why do I suddenly feel that this is even more dangerous?”

A single sentence could drive a “Destruction” level ability user mad, what kind of divine being was Miss Luo Yan?

Did the so-called oracle possess such power?

“How about I tell you?”

Luo Yan blinked, her face full of innocence.

“No!”

Tina and Chris both shouted in unison, stopping her.

As expected of mother and daughter, their thought processes were surprisingly similar, although they looked more like sisters of similar age in terms of appearance.

After calming down a bit, Tina cleared her throat, her expression becoming more serious, and said in a low voice,

“Anyway, Saint Shadow being here means that this matter has been resolved. Miss Luo Yan, I will take you back to Restricted Zone Seven. Please don’t leave until the other Saint arrives, alright?”

“No problem, but I want to take her with me.”

Luo Yan pointed at Cecilia beside her. Hamid had given her all the information about Cecilia.

Actually, after losing the balance provided by the old residential building, Cecilia’s situation was already precarious. Her amber eyes were glowing faintly, and her body was trembling slightly.

If she weren’t next to Luo Yan, Cecilia might have already lost control.

“A God’s Chosen?” Tina recognized Cecilia’s situation at a glance, frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then hesitantly nodded. “Alright, but if that’s the case, Chris, you stay with Miss Luo Yan for now.”

“Ah? Mother…”

Chris, who had been suddenly addressed, was startled and showed a troubled expression.

Although Miss Luo Yan hadn’t shown any signs of danger along the way, her actions were truly…

Uttering oracles, traversing the Void… and so on. Each one made Chris break out in a cold sweat.

She had thought that after meeting her mother, she could put down this burden, but unexpectedly, it was back in her hands.

“Hmm?”

Tina stared at Chris, her eyes sharp, her tone eight degrees higher.

“Understood, Mother.”

Chris felt aggrieved.

Just then, Luo Yan suddenly felt a tug on her skirt. Looking down, she saw that Cecilia’s eyes were starting to lose focus,

“God of Hope… Big Sister… Cecilia’s head feels dizzy, it hurts…”

Luo Yan immediately placed her hand on Cecilia’s head, using her aura to suppress the demonic power’s erosion of Cecilia,

“Don’t be afraid, Cecilia, I’ll save you soon.”

After saying that, Luo Yan looked up at Tina and said,

“Madam Tina, I need to resolve Cecilia’s problem quickly, otherwise…”

Tina naturally knew the consequences of a God’s Chosen losing control, so she nodded seriously,

“No problem, Miss Luo Yan, just go back directly. Chris, follow her.”

“Okay…”

Chris had just responded when a hand suddenly grabbed her, and a bad premonition arose in her heart.

“The situation is urgent, this is the only way, Miss Chris.”

Luo Yan’s demonic whisper sounded in Chris’s ear, and then a spatial rift opened, the aura of the Void rushing towards them.

“No…”

Amidst Tina’s bewilderment and Chris’s terror, several figures plunged into the spatial rift and disappeared.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 29 Whispers of the Oracle

A mere fall from a high altitude wasn’t a dangerous act for a “Destruction” level ability user, even if that altitude was near the starry sky.

And Luo Yan, even more so. For a spatial ability user to die from falling from a high altitude was an inconceivable event.

Soon, both of them returned to the ground, although in different ways.

Chris and Cecilia watched in disbelief as Hamid fell from the sky, crashing straight through the residential building, while Luo Yan leisurely climbed down a spatial rift next to them.

…Although she had seen it many times, Chris’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably every time she saw Miss Luo Yan perform the death-defying act of Void Traversal as if she were just climbing over a wall.

“Miss Luo Yan, how did it go?”

Chris nervously approached, but Luo Yan looked contemplative, as if pondering something important.

Could it be… that the talks didn’t go well? Or…

Chris craned her neck slightly, looking at the hole that went straight through the building. Did this cultist named Hamid convince Miss Luo Yan?

Just then, Luo Yan suddenly nodded and said seriously,

“So that’s how it is. I definitely won’t get lost next time!”

“…Ah? What do you mean?”

“Miss Chris, I’ve completely mastered the rules of the Void nodes,” Luo Yan looked at the bewildered Chris and said, “This time the location was correct, just the altitude was a bit off.”

“Altitude?”

Chris suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Yes, I accidentally went to an altitude of about three thousand meters,” Luo Yan nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely succeed next time!”

Three thousand meters!

Chris was shocked. This wasn’t something to be repeated. Getting the location wrong just meant taking a detour, but you actually had an altitude deviation as well?

For a “Destruction” level ability user, high altitude wasn’t a problem, but for a “Ruin” level ability user to go to an altitude of three thousand meters was simply courting death. Neither the environment nor the risk of falling could be handled.

Moreover, since the New Era began, very few humans had been able to reach such heights.

“I think it’s better to walk…”

Chris said awkwardly.

“Sometimes we need to travel quickly.” Luo Yan raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, if you feel uncomfortable in the Void, I can knock you unconscious before taking you in.”

That sounded even more dangerous. Chris thought for a moment and decided it was best to quickly divert Miss Luo Yan’s attention from this suicidal topic.

At this time, Cecilia was already lying on her stomach by the large hole Hamid had created, carefully looking down, calling out weakly with a hint of crying,

“Um… Grandpa Bishop…”

“He’s fine.” Luo Yan walked to the hole and put her hand on Cecilia’s shoulder. “Besides, I still need to talk to him about your situation.”

“Ah?” Cecilia looked up blankly. “My… situation?”

“About your illness, Cecilia,” Luo Yan whispered. “To be honest, I, like you, also have… the same illness.”

Not long ago, Luo Yan was still troubled by the symptoms caused by demonic power. Although she wasn’t a God’s Chosen, she faced the same problems as them, namely the irreversible erosion of living beings’ constitutions by demonic power.

“Oh? Have you also suffered from this?”

Hamid’s voice came slowly from the hole, and then his figure reappeared before them.

“Grandpa Bishop!”

Cecilia’s eyes lit up, and she was about to rush over, but was stopped by Luo Yan.

“I can see your solution to this, Hamid.” Luo Yan said in a low voice. “I have reason to suspect you have ulterior motives. Cecilia is now practically no different from an ‘Ice Coffin Weapon’.”

“‘Ice Coffin Weapon’? No, Cecilia’s situation is more dangerous.” Hamid didn’t greet Cecilia as usual. “As for my ulterior motives? Heh, perhaps… I don’t even know myself.”

“You know what will happen if this continues.” Luo Yan’s eyes turned cold. She had experienced a similar situation to Cecilia’s in the past, so she empathized even more with this poor little girl.

“But I have no other way. At the end of Cecilia’s life, I will respect her wishes, whether it’s self-destruction or self-exile.”

Hamid glanced at Cecilia, a flicker of pity and emotion in his eyes, and sighed inwardly.

He hadn’t wanted to tell Cecilia all this at this time, but now… he had to.

Not only because of this transaction, which he didn’t want to call a transaction, but also because Hamid had no solution to Cecilia’s illness. In his hands, Cecilia could only become an “Ice Coffin Weapon.”

For this girl whom he had rescued and raised, it would be an absolute lie if Hamid said he hadn’t invested any emotion.

He was still human, and humans had emotions and feelings, even the Church of the End Gods was the same, and Hamid had never denied his own feelings.

“Grandpa Bishop…”

Cecilia timidly looked at Hamid. In her perception, Grandpa Bishop seemed different from usual.

Grandpa Bishop’s emotions suddenly became so complicated that Cecilia’s little head couldn’t understand.

She could only tilt her head in confusion, not daring to approach.

“Although I don’t know why you value a God’s Chosen so much, you also said that this is a transaction.” Hamid said softly. “Here are all my records about Cecilia from these years, my research on her illness… and on God’s Chosen. I’m giving them all to you, Miss Luo Yan.”

After he finished speaking, Hamid took out a notebook and tossed it to Luo Yan.

After conducting all the research within his power, Hamid discovered that he knew nothing about the power of the Gods. The more he researched, the more lost and confused he felt.

It was common knowledge that the power of the Gods was the pinnacle of all power, but using the word “pinnacle” to describe it was too general and misleading.

Because a pinnacle could be reached, but the height of demonic power, mere mortals couldn’t even glimpse a trace of it.

The conclusion was that the situation of a God’s Chosen was hopeless. No God’s Chosen could live to adulthood. It could even be said that all God’s Chosen who survived birth were miracles, even if they died young.

As for the situation of the Misters of Dawn, perhaps only they themselves knew.

And now, the incomprehensible Miss Luo Yan had appeared before him. Hamid knew that if Cecilia had any intention of living according to her own will, Miss Luo Yan would be her only chance.

“Are you saying…”

Luo Yan took the notebook and froze. She remembered that the terms of the transaction were just to understand Cecilia’s situation.

She could see that Cecilia and her Grandpa Bishop had a very deep bond, and she hadn’t intended to separate them.

Whether it was right or wrong, it was their business. Luo Yan only decided to help this little girl out of sympathy and empathy.

“If you don’t mind her being a burden, let her follow you.”

Hamid said indifferently. Although he inevitably felt some reluctance, he still made this decision.

This was human weakness. Seeking warmth in a world destined for destruction seemed to be a mistake as well, but Hamid didn’t intend to change.

“Grandpa Bishop… are you abandoning Cecilia?” Cecilia said weakly, her expression looking somewhat aggrieved.

Why did Grandpa Bishop… become like this after going out for a while?

“Don’t worry, Cecilia,” Hamid’s expression softened a little. “Follow this big sister, and when you’re completely healed, Grandpa will come back to find you.”

“Big sister…”

Cecilia looked up, her hand involuntarily grabbing the corner of Luo Yan’s skirt.

“The previous transaction didn’t mention this.”

Luo Yan frowned slightly. She didn’t dislike Cecilia being a burden, but she herself… had problems.

The reason she was so normal now was because of One and Nine. Once the life force they gave her was exhausted, her situation wouldn’t be much different from Cecilia’s.

“I said, putting everything about the Gods on the negotiating table is an insult to us and the Gods.” Hamid lowered his head slightly. “I’m willing to entrust Cecilia to you. This isn’t a transaction. As for the oracle, whether you are willing to tell us… is up to you.”

“Oracle?” Hearing this, Chris’s eyes widened. “Miss Luo Yan, have you received some kind of oracle?”

The so-called Gods were the Malice of All Worlds, the Primordial Demons, and the oracle… could be some kind of doomsday prophecy.

Chris was quite nervous about this. Another important reason she had been following Luo Yan was to stop her dangerous actions at critical moments.

Now was the most critical moment, and Luo Yan had actually made a deal with the cultists to tell them the oracle of the Gods!

“Don’t look at me like that, Miss Chris, the oracle or whatever is just their wishful thinking.” Luo Yan seemed quite helpless at Chris’s almost murderous gaze. “And I’ve mentioned it to you many times, right? About the Witch of Envy…”

Chris thought back. She seemed to have said something… but those were just your casual complaints! How could those be considered an oracle!

Wait, could those… actually be considered an oracle?

Chris looked like she had seen a ghost.

“Church of the End Gods… I’ve heard about your beliefs and learned some things from the Witch of Envy.” Luo Yan looked at Hamid seriously.

“But… to be precise, I’ve only been in this world for a few months. The so-called civilization and world are very unfamiliar to me.

“I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’m just experiencing the… rhythm of this world in my own way, yes, that’s right, rhythm.”

Although many things had happened, the time Luo Yan had experienced the most was still her days in Ghost Town.

If that had continued, perhaps one day, the Witch of Envy would awaken, discover her in Ghost Town, and the whispers of divinity might have succeeded.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs. After personally experiencing the rhythm of the world, Luo Yan had her own thoughts, walking her own path, no longer ignorant, no longer lost.

“She said,” Luo Yan whispered, “‘I will disappear, but ‘Hope’ (true name) will live forever.’

“‘Civilization may be destroyed, eras may be annihilated, but this world… will never give up its struggle.’”

Luo Yan spoke these words using the divine language, the language of True Names. To Chris, it was just a few strange syllables, and then nothing.

“You… what did you say?”

Chris asked, completely bewildered.

But on the other side, Hamid’s expression was like he had been struck by lightning, his whole body trembling,

“Th-this… how is this possible…”

“The God of Hope… has truly fallen…”

And it was Her own decision.

It turned out that Miss Luo Yan hadn’t lied to him. One of the Gods had truly fallen. She hadn’t successfully revived from Her long slumber, but chose to self-destruct.

The fall of a God was a severe blow to the Church of the End Gods. It meant that the world’s destruction, foretold in the truth, was one step closer.

Hamid didn’t want to believe it, but the oracle had been given, the facts were right in front of him, and he couldn’t deny it.

For a moment, Hamid was distraught.

“I didn’t lie to you, did I?” Luo Yan spread her hands.

Cecilia, hiding behind her, looked up at Luo Yan in confusion. Wasn’t this big sister the God of Hope? She was clearly alive and well…

Why didn’t Grandpa Bishop recognize her? Could it be because she wasn’t wearing that beautiful and scary dress?

The only person on the scene who was completely clueless was Chris, her face full of question marks.

What, what, what was all this! What were they talking about!

She knew the God of Hope, it was the Witch of Envy, so why had She suddenly fallen?

Wasn’t She still endangering Sister Qingling’s hometown, Yan City, before? How did She disappear in such a short time?

And why did Hamid believe Miss Luo Yan as soon as she said it?

Many questions swirled in Chris’s mind, but she held back. Because everyone present seemed to understand, and if only she didn’t… it would be embarrassing to say it out loud.

“I didn’t expect that after hundreds of years, we would receive such an oracle.” A bitter smile appeared on Hamid’s lips. “If that’s the case… who was the destruction of Lannister, which we were supposed to offer, for?”

“I don’t know.”

Luo Yan chimed in.

“….”

Chris broke out in a cold sweat. So these cultists really did intend to destroy Lannister… She didn’t know where they got the confidence.

If Chris knew that hundreds of cultists were lurking in Lannister’s administration, and that more than a dozen hereditary nobles had become members of the Church of the End Gods, and that even an Elder was secretly assisting the Church, she wouldn’t have such doubts.

Lannister had only superficially controlled the situation. Once these moles acted, coupled with the resurgent wave of Calamities, Lannister would truly be in danger of destruction.

“It was only for yourself, Hamid.”

Just then, a lazy voice sounded behind Hamid,

“Long time no see, you’re still as foolish as ever.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 28 The Starry Sky Within Reach

Contrary to Luo Yan’s expectations, Hamid didn’t experience any discomfort after entering the Void.

Or rather, this discomfort was within his acceptable range.

Hamid extended his wrinkled, broad hand, gently patted his clothes, and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles.

Then he turned around and made a prayer gesture towards Luo Yan with a pious expression.

“I am not your God of Hope.”

Luo Yan frowned slightly, while also sizing up Hamid.

From his appearance, this Bishop named “Hamid” wasn’t conspicuous, just like any ordinary commoner.

Whether it was his temperament or aura, he was quite unremarkable, an ordinary existence that Luo Yan wouldn’t even glance at twice if she encountered him on the street.

But… his composure in the Void wasn’t something an ordinary commoner could achieve.

Luo Yan suddenly felt that she had miscalculated. Besides her, could there be other humans immune to the Void?

Or rather… was this a talent?

Hamid didn’t know about Luo Yan’s random thoughts; he just smiled faintly and said in a low voice,

“Of course I know, you are not the God of Hope.”

“…Then you?”

Luo Yan became slightly wary. Although the old man in front of her had been respectful, she didn’t know what he was actually thinking.

“You have seen the God of Hope with your own eyes, haven’t you?”

Hamid looked up, his steady gaze filled with unconcealable fervor. “I sense the purest aura of the God of Hope on you… Ah, it’s the power She left behind.”

He seemed to half-close his eyes, sniffing intoxicatedly, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

“…I have.”

Luo Yan couldn’t help but take a few steps back. Hamid’s current appearance was a bit creepy…

Why hadn’t Cecilia mentioned this before?

However, Luo Yan had indeed seen the Witch of Envy, but at the same time, she had also defeated the Witch of Envy… Whatever this old man was planning, now that the Witch of Envy was gone, it couldn’t be realized.

“Oh, I apologize for my rudeness. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken with a young lady, I’ve overstepped.”

Hamid realized his behavior and quickly apologized.

He looked at the scenery of the Void around him, recalled the truth beyond the starry sky, and murmured,

“However, Miss Luo Yan, if you intend to let me witness the truth again, you didn’t have to bring me into the Void in this way. I am willing to see it again, even if it’s filled with pain.”

“What truth?”

Luo Yan blinked, confused.

“…Ah?” Hamid was stunned. “You brought me to the Void, not to let me witness the truth again and bestow upon us the oracle from the God of Hope?”

“What, what oracle?”

Luo Yan was completely bewildered. Had the Witch of Envy left an oracle?

If it was just words She had spoken… Luo Yan remembered, the Witch of Envy had said quite a bit.

If that could be considered an oracle, Luo Yan would have to organize it and write a short essay.

Hamid was momentarily speechless. He hadn’t thought that Luo Yan intended to harm him or anything.

Because humans who had seen the Gods and witnessed the truth would become fellow travelers of the Church of the End Gods, striving to destroy civilization.

“I brought you in here just to talk to you about Cecilia.” Luo Yan said, spreading her hands. “Unfortunately, I can’t beat you outside, and I didn’t expect that I can’t beat you in the Void either, so we can only have a normal chat like this.”

Luo Yan wasn’t stupid. The other party clearly wasn’t affected by the Void, so how could she be foolish enough to directly attack?

It was better to be cautious when caution was warranted…

“…Unexpectedly, compared to the oracle concerning the survival of the world, you are more concerned about an insignificant God’s Chosen.”

Hamid’s expression gradually calmed down. “Can I interpret this as your unique benevolence?”

“How absurd… If the God of Hope you’re referring to is the Witch of Envy, then yes, I’ve seen Her, but She’s dead.”

Luo Yan said indifferently, but at the same time, she was wary of a possible counterattack from Hamid.

Stating directly to a Bishop that his God was dead did carry such a risk.

However, this was the Void, her home turf.

Even if Hamid could stay in the Void, he definitely couldn’t move around as freely as Luo Yan.

Only here did Luo Yan have the confidence to speak frankly with Hamid.

“Miss Luo Yan, even if you are a messenger returning from the Gods, you absolutely cannot make this kind of joke.”

Sure enough, Hamid’s expression instantly darkened, but he didn’t attack. Instead, he continued in a low voice,

“The Gods will not perish, they exist eternally in the world.”

“Think what you want, anyway, my feeling tells me She’s dead.”

Luo Yan spread her hands. She didn’t intend to continue arguing with Hamid on this issue.

“…I only ask for an oracle, Miss Luo Yan.”

Hamid’s tone was no longer friendly, but he was still restraining himself.

“The Gods told you the truth, didn’t it move you even a little? Don’t you think humanity is straying further and further down the wrong path?

“If this continues, the enemy of the Gods will descend, and the entire world might cease to exist…”

Luo Yan crossed her arms and said, “I don’t think so.”

“…?”

Hamid finally showed a bewildered expression. He was certain that Luo Yan had seen the truth, but why… did she refuse?

Even a natural-born villain, after witnessing that truth beyond human comprehension, would become the most loyal follower of the Church of the End Gods.

“As for the oracle, She did ramble on quite a bit, but I didn’t remember much.” Luo Yan shrugged. “If you really want an oracle, I can’t help you.”

Hearing this, Hamid’s expression instantly turned ugly. He couldn’t see through Luo Yan, didn’t know how much of what she said was true and how much was false.

The Lord’s language was obscure and difficult to understand. Even though the Church of the End Gods had spent a thousand years trying, they could only discern a few usable words from those strange syllables, which, after some modification, became the Church’s unique “divine language.”

This counterfeit divine language was naturally nothing compared to the Lord’s true language, but it had already surpassed all languages humanity possessed so far.

Even some of the words derived from the true divine language carried the power of word spirits, and uttering them would trigger phenomena.

Under these circumstances… rambling? Even if the Gods possessed human emotions, how could their complex and fragmented divine language be easily understood by humans?

Even attempting to understand it was dangerous.

But Luo Yan’s expression and actions told Hamid that she wasn’t lying.

What was her identity?

“I can tell you everything about Cecilia, but we only want the oracle, Miss Luo Yan.”

Hamid took a deep breath. He knew that at this time, he could only follow her lead.

“Even just a few words from the Gods are a valuable treasure to us, and I am willing to pay any price for it.”

“Just for… a few words?”

The corners of Luo Yan’s mouth curled up slightly, then she smoothed her expression and said softly, “If this is a transaction, I have no objections.”

“You can consider it a transaction, but for us, putting an oracle from the Gods on the scales of a transaction is an insult in itself.”

Hamid said in a deep voice, “But since things have come to this, I believe the Gods will forgive our crude and offensive behavior.”

“She… heh, probably doesn’t care at all.”

Luo Yan shrugged. As the only “living being” who had truly faced the Witch of Envy, she was indeed qualified to say this.

“Even if the Gods don’t care, it’s not a reason for us to insult Them.” Hamid said in a deep voice, then paused, his tone becoming slightly awkward. “If possible, Miss Luo Yan, let’s… change the location and talk somewhere else.”

“Hmm?”

Luo Yan looked at Hamid again, and only then did she notice that faint beads of blood were seeping from his orifices.

This was the Void, the absolute forbidden zone for living beings. Even if Hamid had experience visiting the Void, he couldn’t sustain activity within it.

At most, relying on his “Destruction” level and experience with the Void, he could last longer than others; that was Hamid’s limit.

Someone like Luo Yan, who could move around freely in the Void as easily as eating and drinking, apart from the Gods, there was probably no other existence in the world who could do the same.

“That puts my mind at ease. I thought you weren’t afraid of the Void environment at all.”

Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

Hamid: “…”

Normal living beings were afraid, right… But you…

Hamid also couldn’t understand why Luo Yan could stay in the Void for so long. Although he could sense the aura of the “God of the Future” (i.e., the Witch of End) on her, she was… still a living being.

However, this question wasn’t important right now. There were many mysterious phenomena in this world that even he, at several hundred years old, hadn’t seen before, so it wasn’t surprising.

After this exchange, which couldn’t really be considered friendly, Luo Yan and Hamid temporarily reached a consensus.

Knowing that Hamid couldn’t stay in the Void for long, Luo Yan felt more confident. And since the other party did have an incomprehensible yearning for the oracle, she didn’t have to worry about Hamid causing any more trouble.

Anyway, if you cause trouble, I’ll just escape into the Void, what can you do to me?

Hamid buried his doubts deep in his heart and followed Luo Yan’s steps, enduring the discomfort until Luo Yan found the corresponding node and tore space to return to the present world.

But after taking a step out, he froze, and then an unconcealable fear washed over him.

This… where was this?

Hamid looked around, a sense of emptiness enveloping him. This was a familiar feeling etched deep within his heart, yet he didn’t dare to touch it.

Looking up, twinkling lights seemed to be right in front of him, the starry sky within reach.

This was the starry sky! The starry sky just one step away from the truth!

Why did Luo Yan bring him here? Was there some deeper meaning?

Hamid suddenly remembered what he had just said. He had only asked to change the location to talk, and Luo Yan hadn’t objected. Was this the reason?

Did she intend to tell him the oracle of the Gods in front of the easily broken truth?

Hamid tremblingly turned to look at Luo Yan, but saw a bewildered expression on the beautiful girl’s indifferent face, then she touched her chin and said,

“The corresponding location is correct, but the altitude is wrong… Sorry, Hamid, I got lost.”

“…”

Hamid still couldn’t be sure whether Luo Yan was telling the truth or not.

However, he didn’t have time to worry about this. The momentary stupor from leaving the Void passed, and the two began to fall from the sky.

……

Meanwhile, in Lannister.

Without Hamid’s leadership, the Calamities caused by the followers of the Church of the End Gods were also being extinguished one by one, and the seemingly endless stream of Calamities finally came to an end.

In just half a day, Lannister had suffered no less than ten “Ruin” level Calamities, countless “Calamity” level Calamities, and a “Peril” level Calamity in Restricted Zone Seven (both Hamid and Zoya were deliberately controlling themselves), the losses immeasurable.

Any other mega-city, even Noah, would struggle to withstand such a heavy blow.

But the disaster wasn’t over yet. The greatest threat, Bishop Hamid of the Church of the End Gods, was still missing, and Granny Zoya, Lannister’s only “Destruction” level ability user, was seriously injured and still undergoing treatment.

Tina, the Shadow Guard lurking in Lannister, who was also Chris’s mother, had been secretly assisting the various ability user squads in eliminating the Calamities. While the Lannister command was worried about the situation, she was actually quite relieved.

“Little Tina~ I’ll be there soon, remember to wash up and wait for me~”

Shadow’s playful voice suddenly sounded in Tina’s ear, carrying her usual teasing and banter.

“Saint Shadow, please show some respect to a married woman, and besides, I have a daughter.”

Although hearing this voice put Tina’s mind at ease, she still said with a straight face.

She had just called her Auntie Tina, and now it was Little Tina… Saint Shadow really was… childlike?

“However, Saint Shadow, your shadow avatar only has thirty percent of your strength, isn’t it too much of a stretch to deal with Hamid?”

Tina frowned slightly. “I’ve seen Granny Zoya’s condition. Even with all her strength, she’s no match for Hamid, he didn’t even take her seriously.”

“That’s what stragglers are like, I don’t take her seriously either.” Shadow agreed.

“…Isn’t it a bit inappropriate to talk about a pillar of humanity like this behind her back?”

Tina had heard a lot of gossip about important figures from Saint Shadow, making it difficult for her to look at these once revered pillars with the same respect.

“I say the same thing to old woman Zoya’s face. Who told her to always mock me for getting in through the back door back then?” Shadow said indifferently.

“Anyway, she can’t beat me—neither can Hamid. Don’t worry, he lost to me back then, and he’ll still lose to me now. Once my defeated opponent, always my defeated opponent.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 27 Um…

Not an Ice Coffin Weapon, but better than one, even more dangerous than an ordinary Ice Coffin Weapon.

That was Cecilia now.

Her life was maintained by a fragile balance. Once this precarious balance was broken, what awaited her was destruction, accompanied by a Calamity.

“Artificially creating an Ice Coffin Weapon… this cultist… how could he…”

Chris’s chest heaved, her unvented anger building up inside, but she eventually calmed down.

“So, I want to talk to him.” Luo Yan narrowed her eyes slightly. “Perhaps there are still many things we can discuss.”

For example, the title “God of Hope.” Ordinary people called her the “Witch of Envy.” Only the Church of the End Gods knew Her true name.

Although it couldn’t be expressed using the language of True Names, they extracted the most representative word from the True Name as Her title.

“But, this Bishop is very likely a ‘Peril’ level or higher ability user, judging from the layout of this house.”

Chris looked around and noticed that the damage to the house was slowly recovering.

Although this technology wasn’t unfamiliar to Chris, she was still a little surprised to see it in a dilapidated residential building.

“Of course, we won’t talk here. I’ll take him to a place that’s advantageous for me.”

Luo Yan nodded, a sly glint flashing in her eyes.

“Are you saying…”

Chris blinked, suddenly feeling another flashback looming, and couldn’t help but tremble.

Yes, the only thing that could give her this kind of dread was the Void.

“Yes, no living being can stay in the Void for long, not even a ‘Peril’ level ability user.”

Luo Yan’s basis was Rhine from before. He was considered one of the strongest among “Peril” level ability users.

But after entering the Void, his performance wasn’t much different from Lin Cheng, a “Ruin” level ability user. Both of their reactions were equally severe.

This was usually a disadvantage, making it difficult for Luo Yan to take others on Void Traversal, but occasionally, it also had its uses, such as in the current situation.

A “Peril” level ability user was still too much for Luo Yan and Chris to handle with their current combat power.

And this person called “Bishop”… he couldn’t possibly be an ordinary “Peril” level ability user, right?

Therefore, the safest method was to pull him into the Void and have a heart-to-heart talk. This way, even if he didn’t want to listen, he had to.

Of course, Luo Yan’s idea was good, but putting it into practice was a bit difficult.

First… she had to invite him into the Void.

“We can’t just drag him in, right? A ‘Peril’ level ability user will resist.” Chris touched her chin.

“Should we knock him unconscious? No… if we had the ability to knock him unconscious, we wouldn’t need to go to such lengths… Miss Luo Yan, why do you keep looking at me?”

Chris looked up and saw Luo Yan staring intently at her, almost jumping in fright.

“No, I just want to ask what material this outfit is made of.” Luo Yan said indifferently.

“Oh, speaking of this, I have a lot to say. This is a treasure bestowed upon me by a certain important person, possessing a series of functions such as concealing aura and hiding tracks. Even a ‘Destruction’ level ability user would have difficulty seeing through its disguise.”

Chris put her hands on her hips and said proudly, but she didn’t reveal the matter of Shadow and the Shadow Guards.

This was a top-secret matter and absolutely couldn’t be revealed to outsiders… especially not to Luo Yan.

“I saw that you were wearing clothes underneath when you put it on, but after putting it on, it seemed to completely flatten everything, without a trace.” Luo Yan stared at the Shadow Guard uniform and said after a moment of thought. “Is it because it’s very elastic? Or is there another reason?”

“This isn’t something that can be achieved with elasticity. Actually, this treasure doesn’t have a fixed form. It’s more like a specially refined material, but it can also be turned into gloves.”

After saying that, Chris took off the Shadow Guard uniform and condensed it onto her hands.

“Wow…”

Luo Yan didn’t react much, but Cecilia suddenly exclaimed.

Not only because of Chris’s magical trick, but also because… of her appearance.

Chris had been wearing the Shadow Guard uniform since they left the Lower District, even when they entered the residential building.

So the Chris that Cecilia saw was always like a ghost, and she was terrified, hiding behind Luo Yan.

Only now did she see Chris hidden beneath the shadow, and she was stunned.

“Big sister, so beautiful… more beautiful than Cecilia…”

Cecilia felt a little inferior. The God of Hope was also very beautiful, everyone was beautiful, only Cecilia was ugly, stupid, and short…

“You haven’t grown up yet, you’ll be more beautiful than her in the future.”

Luo Yan sensed Cecilia’s dejection and reached out to rub her messy pink short hair.

“Really?”

Cecilia’s eyes lit up.

“Really.”

Luo Yan, who had almost no sense of aesthetics, nodded.

“False!”

Chris angrily put her hands on her hips.

“I-, Is that so…”

Cecilia shrank back again.

“Why are you competing with a child?” Luo Yan glanced at Chris, her gaze returning to the Shadow Guard uniform. “But this outfit of yours…”

“What do you want to do? This isn’t for sale!”

Chris hugged her Shadow Guard uniform protectively. She suddenly noticed that Luo Yan seemed to have some bad ideas and immediately became alert.

“I’m not planning to buy it, and besides, I don’t have any money.” Luo Yan spread her hands. “I just want to borrow it, just for a little while.”

“…Could it be that you want to try it on?”

Chris immediately became troubled. Although the shadow material outfit wasn’t exactly “worn,” but “covered” the body, it was… intimate apparel, after all.

If it were Sister Qingling, it would be fine, but with Miss Luo Yan… Chris still had a mental block.

“No, I’ll just say it directly, I want to turn this thing into a sack and put it over that Bishop’s head.”

Luo Yan said in a flat tone, making Chris almost spit out blood.

“Wait, no, how did you come up with such…”

Before Chris could finish, Luo Yan continued on her own,

“I originally thought I would have to tailor it, but since this material is so convenient, it saves me a lot of effort.”

“Miss Luo Yan, you…”

Chris’s voice trembled. She never expected Miss Luo Yan to have such an idea. How did her mind work?

“What do you think?” Luo Yan’s expression was serious, not like she was joking. “A Bishop of the Church of the End Gods, I believe both Lannister and Noah would be very interested in meeting him, right?”

Chris originally wanted to refuse outright, but when Luo Yan said the last sentence, she suddenly realized something.

Yes, this was a Bishop of the Church of the End Gods!

Back in the barbaric era nearly a thousand years ago, they were existences capable of confronting the Saints!

Even though the Church of the End Gods had declined now, a Bishop-level figure was still not to be underestimated.

In this situation, let alone using a Shadow Guard uniform to… make a sack, even if the uniform itself was sacrificed, it would be worth it!

After all, although the Shadow Guard uniform was considered a treasure, Saint Shadow still had quite a bit of stock. It was a mass-produced treasure, its value only lay in the rarity of its material.

The reason for its rarity was because Saint Shadow was lazy… ahem, disrespectful, disrespectful.

“No problem!”

Thinking of this, Chris’s attitude immediately changed. She and Luo Yan hit it off, and the two immediately began plotting the details.

Cecilia, listening from the side, was dumbfounded, feeling that these two beautiful big sisters were discussing something bad, and kept mentioning Grandpa Bishop.

What to do, Grandpa Bishop was a good person, he always told Cecilia stories, and he would teach Cecilia how to destroy the world… destroy civilization in the future!

As their conversation became more and more dangerous, Cecilia finally mustered up the courage to say,

“God of Hope, and beautiful big sister, please… please don’t do this to Grandpa Bishop! He’s very, very good to Cecilia!”

“Hmm?” Luo Yan raised an eyebrow. “How is he good to you?”

She was also quite curious about how this heinous cult leader usually treated Cecilia.

Putting aside Cecilia’s current semi-out-of-control body and power, judging from the other details in this residential building, this Bishop seemed to genuinely treat Cecilia as his granddaughter.

“Grandpa Bishop… Grandpa Bishop helps Cecilia with her illness, tells Cecilia stories, and encourages Cecilia. It’s because of Grandpa Bishop that Cecilia is determined to achieve her dream of destroying the world in the future!”

“…Miss Luo Yan, I think your previous proposal was a bit too conservative.”

“Ah, you just said it was too dangerous…”

“Besides such a Calamity, what’s a little more danger?”

Cecilia: “Eh?”

Why did it feel like the big sisters’ resentment towards Grandpa Bishop was getting stronger…

Of course, Cecilia’s words dispelled some of Luo Yan and Chris’s suspicions about the Bishop, completely confirming that he was a thorough antisocial element.

Using this method to maintain Cecilia’s life, he probably only intended to use her as a weapon in the end.

Finally, Luo Yan and Chris made their arrangements, set a trap at the top of the stairs on the second floor, and after persuading Cecilia to stay put, they began to wait for the Bishop’s return.

They didn’t wait long. Hamid quickly rushed back with Eli and successfully fell into the trap… the sack, set by Luo Yan and Chris.

This couldn’t really be blamed on Hamid. Who would have thought that their supposedly esteemed guest would resort to using a sack to deal with the returning homeowner?

Moreover, the material of this sack was special. Even a “Destruction” level ability user would subconsciously overlook it if they weren’t paying attention, so Hamid hadn’t noticed anything unusual before stepping onto the second floor.

Cecilia, looking at Hamid, who was covered by a sack, could only weakly call out “Grandpa Bishop”…

She felt like an accomplice and felt a little guilty.

And at this time, Luo Yan wasn’t idle either. The moment the sack was placed, a spatial rift opened behind Hamid.

Then, just as Hamid was reacting, she pushed him in and entered the Void herself through the spatial rift—these were all part of the plan she had discussed with Chris beforehand, using the properties of the Void to control this Bishop of the Church of the End Gods.

Thus, in just an instant, Eli watched as the Bishop disappeared before his eyes.

And what appeared before him was a stunningly beautiful young woman, and Cecilia, with her head lowered.

“You, how dare you—”

He was both shocked and furious, roaring loudly.

But before he could finish, Chris noticed him and said in surprise,

“Oh, there’s another one who slipped through the net… Don’t worry! I’ll—”

“Thump!”

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and broken wood splinters flew from Eli’s forehead. Chris, holding a broken chair leg from the living room, had fiercely hit Eli on the head.

She usually called this move “physical hypnosis,” occasionally using it when there was no need to use “Siren’s Song.”

Before Eli could utter a complete sentence, he was hit dizzy.

Then he tripped over the stairs and fell backwards uncontrollably.

After a few more heart-wrenching thuds, this pitiful middle-aged man fainted on the first floor.

“Ah, it seems to be one of those strange uncles and aunts…”

Cecilia glanced at the unconscious Eli and retreated back into her room.

“Oh?” Chris clapped the wood dust off her hands and turned to look at Cecilia. “You’ve seen him before?”

“Mm… I’ve seen him. He came to the house last time with many, many people. It seems to have been last month…”

Cecilia frowned, thought carefully, then held her head. “Cecilia is too stupid, I can’t remember!”

“…It has nothing to do with being stupid.”

“I-, Is that so?”

“Because even idiots can remember.”

“Um, pretty big sister…”

……

Being put in a sack and then falling into the Void wasn’t a pleasant experience for anyone, and Hamid was no exception.

But after the initial surprise, Hamid quickly calmed down, took off the sack from his head, glanced at it, and said,

“So it’s this kind of thing… No wonder I didn’t notice anything.”

“You seem quite used to it? This Bishop… Grandpa?”

Luo Yan’s voice came from behind Hamid. Hamid smiled slightly and replied,

“Bishop is just a title and duty for us to act conveniently in the mortal world. You don’t have to address me like that… Just call me Hamid.

“This is the Void, right… Heh, a familiar aura. I’ve been here before, but my memory is distant, and I’ve forgotten some of it.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 26 Familiar Weaponry

“The Church of the End Gods is retreating…”

In the Oak Council Chamber, the Elders were surprised to find that almost all the Calamities were disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

And the seemingly endless stream of cultists that kept appearing was also gradually decreasing.

This crisis… seemed to be coming to an end.

Only Norian’s expression remained serious, because Granny Zoya had sent him a private message, saying that not only did these cultists possess combat power above “Destruction” level, but she was also no match for them.

Norian was naturally grateful to this Granny who had protected Lannister for many years.

But he also knew very well that Granny Zoya was just a straggler among “Destruction” level ability users… Basically, whenever she encountered a “Destruction” level opponent, she would be defeated.

Besides Granny Zoya, Lannister still had many trump cards they hadn’t used, but since everything was improving, there seemed to be no need to use them anymore.

But… a “Destruction” level cultist, the thought itself was terrifying. How could Norian relax like the other Elders?

“Magistrate Norian,” Madam Susan Moira said, “Since the crisis has been resolved, please lift the lockdown on the Oak Council Chamber.”

Norian turned and looked deeply at the gray-haired, elderly noblewoman, making Susan Moira feel a little uneasy, before looking away.

“No, maintain the lockdown.”

“Norian!” As soon as he finished speaking, Kenya slammed the table and stood up, his face full of anger. “I don’t know where your baseless suspicions of the Elders came from. Even if the Ember Formation was invaded, it can’t be concluded that it was the Elders’ doing!

“But now you are repeatedly and deliberately locking down the Council of Elders. Even though the situation in Lannister has been resolved, you still insist on doing this. I have to suspect whether you are colluding with the cult, intending to dismantle the Lannister Council of Elders!”

Norian glanced at Kenya. “Do I need a lockdown to dismantle it?”

“…”

Kenya was momentarily speechless. He wanted to retort, but he also knew very well that with Norian’s methods, if he wanted to purge dissidents from the Council of Elders, he wouldn’t need such means.

The Constantine rebellion, which had been suppressed decades ago, and the decades of obedience and non-interference in political affairs by the noble families, weren’t achieved through mere words.

Norian didn’t reveal the news of Zoya’s defeat, because he still suspected there was a mole among these Elders, so he just said indifferently,

“Maintain the lockdown and let the younger generation resolve it. Haven’t you always said that the new generation of Lannister is a lost generation? You can see how much potential these young people have.”

He always believed in Lannister’s future; it was just that they hadn’t reached that point in time yet.

……

“Norian Hartstead, as expected of the ruthless man who didn’t hesitate to purge his own family during the reforms, he could actually make such a bold decision…”

Hamid Surian’s eyes sharpened slightly as he saw the report sent by his subordinate.

“It seems our fellow traveler in the Council of Elders won’t be able to help us for a while. It’s even more unfortunate that he missed the precious opportunity to hear the oracle.”

“But… Bishop, many of our fellow travelers have died at the hands of the adventurers summoned by Lannister,” the subordinate said with a serious expression. “Even without the support of the Ember Formation, Lannister’s combat power is still not to be underestimated.”

“Don’t worry, everything is under control. The sacrificed fellow travelers have merely returned to the Gods before us.” Hamid Surian said indifferently. “When we strive to fulfill our mission, the Gods will protect us, protect the future of this world.”

He looked into the distance, the starry sky on the horizon dazzling as ever.

A faint melody seemed to be swirling around his ears, and Hamid Surian couldn’t help but close his eyes, carefully feeling the stirrings brought by this melody.

“Listen, Eli, listen to this beautiful melody, it’s the call of the Gods,” Hamid Surian whispered, each word seemingly reciting something. “Our Gods, the ten guardians of the world, Their path still extends, the fleeting years of mortals are but a moment, but the world needs eternity.”

“I… I hear it! Bishop, is this the voice of the Gods?”

Eli’s body trembled slightly, not only with excitement, but also with a hint of fear.

The followers of the Church of the End Gods were also mortals, and once mortals came into contact with such incomprehensible existences… they would feel uncontrollable fear.

“No, this is our most esteemed guest showcasing her singing voice.” Hamid Surian looked towards the building not far away, the dilapidated residential building where he had lived for decades, his eyes shining with unusual brilliance. “How pleasant… I can’t wait any longer, what oracle have the Gods brought us?”

He started walking, and his subordinate, Eli, followed closely, his expression inevitably nervous.

Eli was just an ordinary follower. Being brought by Hamid to listen to the oracle was purely coincidental.

Many followers were active in this area; their duty was to relay information to other followers when communication through the Ember Formation was impossible.

Eli encountering Hamid was just good luck. Since they had met, Hamid didn’t hesitate to invite Eli to participate in this historic moment.

However, within the Church of the End Gods, there wasn’t actually any hierarchy. Even the Bishop was also called a fellow traveler.

Because in a world destined for destruction, identity and status were meaningless.

The reason Hamid was called Bishop was because he could provide more help for the Gods’ mission, and the same was true for the other Bishops.

The title of “Bishop” was more like a responsibility they bore.

Their steps seemed slow, but in just a few strides, they reached the residential building.

Hamid didn’t rush to the second floor where Luo Yan was. Although his yearning for the oracle was hard to contain, he wasn’t in a hurry.

The hopeless wait had lasted for hundreds of years, so what was a little while longer?

One had to be pious, not only for the Gods, but also for oneself.

But when Hamid and Eli arrived at the doorway with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and forced calmness, they were dumbfounded.

“This… Bishop?”

Eli looked at the empty doorway, stunned.

When the Bishop had gathered the followers to discuss the operation, he had also been to this inconspicuous residential building in the bustling city.

But at that time, there was a door…

“Our guest seems… a bit rough.”

Hamid, as expected of a knowledgeable, centuries-old man, quickly regained his composure despite the unexpected situation.

Just a demolished door, no need to panic.

Although the demolition was a bit… uh… peculiar?

The door, severed by a spatial rift, formed a perfectly round hole, even taking out a corner of the wall next to it.

If only the guest had been willing to turn the doorknob. Because of the barrier, the door of the residential building had never been locked… Hamid thought so, stepping into the residential building with an indifferent expression.

Eli hurriedly followed, still looking back at the large hole in the wall with lingering fear.

Destroying a door wasn’t difficult, but the question was, what kind of power was needed to destroy it to this extent…

“There are traces of the barrier being triggered, but this barrier isn’t a threat to our guest.” Hamid observed the surroundings and said with a hint of appreciation. “She’s very smart, she didn’t touch the truly dangerous parts of the barrier.”

“Bishop, what barrier?”

Eli asked, puzzled.

“The fact that Cecilia possesses divine power… shouldn’t be a secret.” Hamid exhaled, his mood complicated when he mentioned the name. “This barrier is constructed using the divine power emanating from her, and this entire residential building is enveloped in her power.”

Using the method of enhancing demonic power to counteract its erosion, this approach, whether in theory or in practice, was quite insane.

Especially on a young child. A single mistake could lead to instant death, and even the Gods couldn’t save her.

The best way to maintain balance was… to use external objects.

Hamid had infiltrated this residential building decades ago and turned it into the Lannister base of the Church of the End Gods, carrying out large-scale modifications.

Although it looked ordinary from the outside, the inside had completely changed.

The sturdy walls could withstand “Peril” level attacks, and the entire building was filled with the Gods’ runic circuits, capable of self-healing when damaged.

This was no longer a house, but a refined artifact.

Cecilia was now connected to this artifact in some way. The artifact was filled with the raging power emanating from her, bearing the cost of the imbalance for her.

And this overflowing divine power was collected and utilized by Hamid. The barrier on the first floor was just a part of it.

“In short, Cecilia is very important to me, in every sense… it’s true.”

Hamid’s eyes dimmed slightly. At the same time, they had arrived at the staircase.

The melody in their ears had faded away at some point, but the stirrings brought by the aura of the Gods lingered.

Hamid collected his thoughts, straightened his clothes, and his expression became solemn.

He lifted his foot and walked up the stairs step by step, each step filled with piety and faith, like a pilgrimage to the second floor.

Eli, walking behind him, couldn’t help but feel reverence as he looked at the Bishop’s aged yet grand figure.

Yes, this was their Bishop, the one who revealed the truth, leading the followers and human civilization towards their destined destruction, one of the three Bishops of the Church of the End Gods, Hamid Surian.

Just looking at this figure, one could feel the Bishop’s greatness.

As Eli was still immersed in this pious atmosphere, still gazing at Hamid’s back, he suddenly saw a sack fall from the sky and land directly on Hamid’s head.

Accompanied by several light and pleasant voices, these voices were clearly saying…

“Hey! Miss Luo Yan, I caught him!”

“Mm.”

“Um, Grandpa Bishop…”

……

Time rewound to a short while ago.

“Are you saying… human experimentation?” Chris’s eyes widened, staring at the timid Cecilia. “She’s an experimental subject?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Luo Yan nodded. “She is indeed a God’s Chosen, but not a normal one.”

“Grandpa Bishop seems to have said that Cecilia is a God’s Chosen or something…”

Cecilia cautiously peeked out and said weakly, “But, God of Hope, aren’t all God’s Chosen bestowed by you?”

“First of all, I am not the God of Hope, and secondly, your God of Hope can’t bestow this kind of power. It’s innate, completely belonging to you.”

Luo Yan squatted down and carefully explained to Cecilia.

“But Grandpa Bishop said…”

“Let’s put aside your Grandpa Bishop for now; we’re talking about your situation.”

Luo Yan had a headache. This little girl named Cecilia mentioned Grandpa Bishop in every other sentence. It seemed the cult’s brainwashing was quite effective.

“Oh.”

Cecilia nodded seriously, becoming obedient.

Mainly because Grandpa Bishop had said to listen to the Gods.

The God of Hope was also a God, so Cecilia would be obedient.

“You said she’s not normal…”

Chris looked at the sickly girl who kept shrinking back. “What’s not normal?”

Luo Yan didn’t answer immediately. She hesitated for a moment, blocked Cecilia’s hearing, and then said,

“A normal God’s Chosen, in her situation, should already be dead.”

“Hmm?”

Chris was about to make a surprised expression, but quickly controlled herself.

“Why?”

She whispered, her gaze falling on the trembling Cecilia.

“The demonic power she possesses is probably… at ‘Peril’ level.”

Before Chris could show a shocked expression, Luo Yan continued,

“But her body simply can’t withstand demonic power of that intensity. If she were a normal God’s Chosen, she would already be dead in this situation.”

“So… she’s still alive now because of that Bishop?” Chris pondered for a moment and said, “Although it seems inappropriate for me to say this given my identity, but from the looks of it, this Bishop is actually a good person… at least to her.”

“No, think about it, how could a girl of this age possess ‘Peril’ level power?” Luo Yan said in a deep voice. “The only explanation is that the reason her power is so strong is because of the Bishop’s deliberate actions.

“Powerful, unstable power, suppressed in some way from acting up, and once the restriction is lifted, it will completely lose control… Doesn’t that sound familiar?”

“Ice, Ice Coffin Weapon?”

Chris murmured in disbelief.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 25 Singing Once More

The amber eyes stared intently at Luo Yan and Chris, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

Childish sobs came intermittently from the inner room. This little girl, who called herself “Cecilia,” was undoubtedly the master of the ghastly shadow in front of them, but for some reason, she seemed completely unaware.

But now, Luo Yan could also confirm Cecilia’s identity.

She was the God’s Chosen she had sensed earlier.

However… what kind of demonic power was this?

Luo Yan wasn’t familiar with all demonic powers, but she could rule out the three she possessed: “Envy,” “End,” and “Absolute Death.”

That left “Terror” and “Sorrow,” representing the pinnacles of the “Mutation” and “Prophecy” systems, respectively.

The ghastly shadow in front of them was uncontrolled and almost ignored the properties of space.

The tearing spatial rifts could only block its attacks but couldn’t harm it in any way.

Chris’s “Siren’s Song,” Luo Yan’s “Envy,” and other mental abilities were all ineffective, passing through the ghastly shadow as if it were nothing but air.

Luo Yan wanted to try “Absolute Death,” but she was worried about not being able to control the strength and accidentally involving Chris.

Because she had almost never directly used “Manjusaka,” always relying on the sniper rifle and the Philosopher’s Stone to cast it, her proficiency was far less than that of “Envy” and “End.”

The short respite didn’t last long. Soon, the ghastly shadow slowly dissipated again, followed by the warning sting on her skin.

At the same time, Chris was finally able to join the fight. She gradually merged into the shadows, holding a shadow dagger, ready to ambush the ghastly shadow.

Luo Yan conjured a spatial blade for herself, but it was quite unstable and dangerous. Luo Yan could only use it for defense, lest it went out of control and dragged everyone into the Void.

She would be fine, but Chris might not be…

Actually, Luo Yan and Chris had considered rushing into the room and dragging Cecilia out, but the problem was they couldn’t get in.

The ghastly shadow’s primary objective was to protect Cecilia. As soon as Luo Yan or Chris showed any sign of approaching the room, its attacks would instantly become fiercer, forcing them to retreat.

Of course, the ghastly shadow’s power wasn’t infinite. Just like now, it was also limited by “stamina.”

After fighting for a certain amount of time, the ghastly shadow would also get tired, but it recovered very quickly during its rest.

“I feel like… Phew, we’re fighting an intangible phantom.”

Chris panted, looking at the ghastly shadow, which was slowly reappearing in front of Cecilia’s room, blocking the door. She had a headache.

She had never encountered such an elusive enemy…

“But this phantom’s combat power isn’t weak.”

Luo Yan glanced around. This dilapidated residential building was already covered in damage, and the few pieces of furniture had all suffered.

The two chairs were broken into pieces, the coffee table was cracked in several places, and the only thing spared was the high chair near the balcony because their fight hadn’t reached there.

Some of the damage was caused by the ghastly shadow, some by Luo Yan’s spatial blade, while Chris had good control over her power and hadn’t left many marks.

However, this residential building was surprisingly sturdy. Luo Yan had personally seen it take a direct hit from the ghastly shadow on a load-bearing pillar, and after a tremor, nothing happened.

The ghastly shadow’s strength wasn’t actually that strong, at most around “Ruin” level.

But its terrifying aspect was its intangible nature, making Luo Yan and Chris passively take hits, unable to retaliate.

The sobs from the inner room hadn’t subsided, and they could vaguely sense that the little girl called “Cecilia” was huddled in the corner, trembling.

“Miss Luo Yan, aren’t you also a God’s Chosen?”

Chris’s stamina was running low. She was originally an assassin-type ability user, and her ability was of the mental type, which didn’t enhance her physical body.

“Hurry up and think of something with your demonic power!”

“I… I can’t think of anything either,” Luo Yan was equally helpless. “With this ghastly shadow here, unless we plan to kill that little girl directly, there’s nothing I can do in this situation.”

Killing the little girl was simple, just a spatial rift would do.

Not to mention the ghastly shadow, even if the original owner of this house came, they couldn’t stop Luo Yan’s spatial ability.

But now… it wasn’t to the point where they had to take the little girl’s life, and hearing the girl’s sobs, Luo Yan couldn’t bear to do it.

“Isn’t there… Holy shit! It almost hit my head! Isn’t there any other way?”

Chris narrowly dodged an attack. Every strike from the ghastly shadow was aimed at vital points; a single mistake could cost her life.

“How about… I sing a song? The melody that appeared on the first floor, I’ve actually heard it before.” Luo Yan thought for a moment and said. “Maybe hearing a familiar song will calm that little girl down a bit?”

“…Why do I feel like that would be even more dangerous?”

“I sang in front of Magistrate Norian before, and he didn’t say anything.”

He didn’t dare to say anything…

“Um… in that case, give it a try!”

Having said that, Chris couldn’t object.

But she was still a bit curious. After all, Chris was one of the most famous idols in the Free Federation. Putting aside her abilities, her singing skills were also top-notch.

But Chris couldn’t understand the ethereal melody she heard on the first floor. The chaotic lyrics and inexplicable melody could only be said to be a bit too avant-garde for current humans.

“Mm.”

Luo Yan nodded, then cleared her throat.

She didn’t sing the strange lyrics, but hummed the melody softly, her voice resonating with her soul, carefully reaching out to Cecilia.

In an instant, the ghastly shadow’s movements stopped, and it began to slowly dissipate. The little girl’s sobs in the inner room also gradually subsided.

It worked!

Chris’s pupils constricted, while Luo Yan continued humming the melody, ethereal and lingering.

Although there were no lyrics, it still brought an inexplicable chill.

“Is… is Grandpa Bishop… back…?”

A pair of timid amber eyes peeked out, looking towards the living room.

At the same time, the ghastly shadow completely dissipated.

“It seems to be resolved.”

Chris breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Luo Yan,

“Miss Luo Yan, you can stop… Huh?!”

Chris’s expression froze when she saw Luo Yan, her gaze unable to move away.

The humming continued, the ethereal melody echoing in her soul, causing a resonance at the soul level.

However, this wasn’t the reason for Chris’s expression.

The Luo Yan who appeared before Chris was completely different from before.

The ice blue highlights in her silver-white hair, from when she was using “End,” were now completely dyed crimson.

The dreamy aura around her had dissipated, replaced by a tremor in her soul.

Not only that, Luo Yan wasn’t wearing the plain white dress from before. At some point, she had changed into a crimson, strapless evening gown.

Its intricate and gorgeous design was unprecedented, and countless eyeballs swayed beneath the wide skirt, rolling around.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Chris’s surprised expression, Luo Yan tilted her head and asked, puzzled.

“You, you…”

Chris raised her hand tremblingly. Although Luo Yan didn’t seem to have changed apart from her clothes, she exuded an inexplicable pressure.

It wasn’t the pressure of powerful strength, but another indescribable pressure, as if she was inherently superior.

If Chris had systematically studied the knowledge about Saints, she would know that this pressure came from the conceptual entity’s suppression of living beings on a hierarchical level.

No matter how weak a conceptual entity was, its form of existence itself was a level higher than that of living beings.

On the other hand, Chris also noticed that, although Luo Yan had spoken, the ethereal melody swirling around hadn’t stopped.

Gradually, lyrics began to reappear in the melody.

“Ten guards went mad… nine guards were biting…”

The lyrics were in reverse!

Luo Yan, however, seemed not to hear it and continued looking at Chris with a puzzled expression.

Unaware that Chris was now completely chilled, the look in her eyes towards Luo Yan becoming unfamiliar.

She wasn’t sure whether the girl in front of her was still Luo Yan, and what changes the surrounding singing would bring.

She seemed to have… caused a great disaster.

Just then, Cecilia, who had cautiously peeked out, finally saw everything in the living room.

Seeing the damage around her, Cecilia was so scared that she almost retreated back into her room.

But at this moment, she inadvertently saw Luo Yan’s current form and froze.

However, unlike Chris’s terrified stupor, after a moment of shock, Cecilia’s expression became visibly joyful.

“It’s… it’s the God of Hope!”

She jumped out excitedly, but almost fell due to her weak body, stumbling and supporting herself against the wall to barely steady herself.

“God of Hope?” Hearing this, Luo Yan immediately became alert and looked around. “Where? Where?”

She knew very well that the Church of the End Gods referred to the Witch of Envy as the “God of Hope.”

Although Luo Yan had faced the Witch of Envy and achieved final victory, she didn’t want to go through that again.

It wasn’t fear, but worry. If she failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Where…”

Chris was about to say that it was probably you, but after a moment of reflection, she swallowed her words.

In the New Era, perception, under certain circumstances, had the ability to alter reality to a certain extent.

There was once an ability user whose heart was pierced during a war, but because his mind and soul completely forgot this fact during the continuous fighting, he supported his supposedly dead body and continued fighting for several days.

It wasn’t until his friend told him the truth about his death that he finally rested in peace.

In other words, if Luo Yan realized that she now looked like the Witch of Envy, and actually believed she had become the Witch of Envy, then this fact would eventually be established.

At that time, Lannister… no, the entire world would face the first true body of a Primordial Demon to descend upon the present world in hundreds of years.

Just as Luo Yan nervously searched for the Witch of Envy, and Chris hesitated to speak, Cecilia next to them had already knelt down respectfully before Luo Yan.

She clasped her hands together in a pious prayer posture,

“Great Lord, I offer my whole being to you, may you… you… you… may you atone for your sins…”

Cecilia didn’t seem familiar with the prayer process. Not only did she stammer through the prayer, but she also mispronounced several words, leaving Luo Yan bewildered.

Although Luo Yan had eliminated the Witch of Envy, her behavior back in Ghost Town could be described as that of the Witch of Envy’s most devout follower. She naturally remembered the basic prayers clearly.

However, prayers were just a means, a standardized behavior to further sense the presence of the conceptual entity “Witch of Envy.” The key was the sense achieved by devoting oneself wholeheartedly during the prayer process. Mispronouncing a few words didn’t affect it.

The problem was that Cecilia’s mispronunciation was too outrageous… from the follower atoning for their sins to the Witch of Envy atoning for hers…

“Little girl, you’re saying it wrong…”

Luo Yan sighed and said helplessly.

“So-, Sorry, God of Hope,” Cecilia’s expression immediately became panicked, and she said in a fluster, “It’s because Cecilia is too stupid, it’s all Cecilia’s fault, not because Grandpa Bishop taught poorly…”

“…If he had taught you well, he would be finished.”

“Ah?”

Cecilia froze, then looked at Luo Yan with a confused expression,

“Strange… God of Hope, why have you changed your appearance again…”

“Me?” Luo Yan pointed at herself and shook her head. “I am not the God of Hope.”

Chris immediately popped up and said, “Yes, yes, yes, she is not the God of Hope.”

By this time, Luo Yan had returned to her appearance in a simple white dress, and Chris finally put her heart, which had risen to her throat, back in its place.

“Bu-, But…”

Cecilia rubbed her temples in confusion, her expression troubled.

That wasn’t right, the appearance of the God of Hope that Grandpa Bishop had shown her… Cecilia remembered it clearly!

A bright red dress, many, many eyes, and… a very beautiful appearance.

Much more beautiful than Cecilia…

However, just then, Luo Yan suddenly frowned. She stared at Cecilia for a while, then reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Ah! God of Hope…”

“Don’t move.”

Luo Yan said in a low voice, holding Cecilia’s small arm, her expression becoming more and more serious.

“Miss Luo Yan, what’s wrong?”

Chris asked, curious about Luo Yan’s unusual action.

Luo Yan didn’t answer Chris immediately. After carefully examining Cecilia for a while, she gently let go of her arm, looked up at Chris, and said,

“It seems we have to find that Bishop.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 24 Don’t Come In!

This standoff had lasted for quite a while.

The ghastly shadow with amber eyes in front of them was still silently watching Chris and Luo Yan, without making any further moves.

During this time, Luo Yan had tried using various powers on the shadow, but none of them worked. It was as if the shadow was truly just an ethereal phantom.

Chris also tried to use “Siren’s Song” to interfere with the surrounding ethereal melody, but the situation wasn’t as she imagined.

The two songs played simultaneously, without any interference.

And every time Luo Yan and Chris tried to cross the doorway and leave the residential building, the next moment they would be back to the moment they stepped inside.

After several failed attempts, there seemed to be only one path left for them.

“Go back?”

Luo Yan raised an eyebrow. All these signs indicated that they were trapped in some unknown barrier.

And the only way out of the barrier was to continue deeper into the corridor.

“…It seems we have no other choice.”

Chris sighed. This was the first time she had encountered a Calamity phenomenon that made her feel so powerless.

It wasn’t terror or power, but the fact that she couldn’t find a way to deal with it, not even a method to cope.

But there was one thing that had to be remembered when dealing with Calamity phenomena: never violate the rules within the Calamity phenomenon, no matter how unbelievable or inconceivable the rule.

Since all the circumstances within the Calamity phenomenon pointed towards the depths of the corridor, Luo Yan and Chris seemed to have no other choice.

So, Luo Yan and Chris immediately turned around, stepped back into the residential building, and continued walking towards the depths of the corridor.

In the spreading darkness, the dark corridor didn’t seem unusual. Except for the strange oil lamps and the continuous ethereal melody echoing in their ears, it seemed like an ordinary residential building.

There were different rooms on both sides of the corridor, and they could see the rooms through the windows.

A dining room, a study, a bathroom…

No different from an ordinary residence, and with many signs of life.

For example, the faucet in the kitchen wasn’t turned off completely, the towel hanging next to the bathroom was slightly dripping, and there were several open books in the study, along with a quill pen and a notebook for taking notes.

From these details, Luo Yan gradually pieced together a picture: an elderly person living alone, leading a lonely and simple life here, for an unknown amount of time.

This corridor wasn’t as long as it seemed from the outside. They walked for less than two minutes and reached the end, where there was a spiral staircase leading upwards.

The source of the ethereal melody had now moved above Luo Yan and Chris. They exchanged glances and understood that they were thinking the same thing.

This was probably the Calamity phenomenon guiding them to the second floor. At this point, it seemed they had no choice but to go up.

So, with Luo Yan leading the way and Chris staying vigilant, they stepped onto the stairs, one after the other, heading for the second floor.

The stairs were ordinary wooden stairs, and quite rickety.

Both Luo Yan and Chris were relatively light, but when they stepped on the stairs, they still creaked, making it hard not to wonder if they would suddenly collapse.

As they moved forward, the ethereal melody grew closer. Sure enough, at the top of the stairs, a pair of amber eyes stared at them faintly.

This silent, ghastly shadow only looked terrifying; it didn’t actually show any signs of attacking.

However, when Luo Yan and Chris reached the second floor and stood in front of the ghastly shadow, it instantly vanished.

At the same time, the ethereal melody in their ears disappeared, and Luo Yan and Chris found themselves in an ordinary house once again.

“…It seems we’ve left the barrier.”

Luo Yan exhaled. The feeling of the God’s Chosen aura permeating everywhere had disappeared, leaving only a faint residual trace.

“So the barrier only covered the first floor?” Chris’s face was full of bewilderment and confusion. “To trap uninvited guests? But why wasn’t there any aggression… just scaring people.”

And it only prevented visitors from leaving the residential building, but didn’t hinder them from going up to the second floor.

Or rather… was there something on the second floor blocking the barrier?

What appeared before Luo Yan and Chris was a corridor identical to the one on the first floor. The oil lamps on both sides still seemed to have some residual smoke, clearly lit not long ago.

The corridor was very clean, seemingly often cleaned by the owner of the house, and the air was quite fresh, almost devoid of any dust.

With the faint light coming in through the windows, they could barely see the surroundings. Luo Yan and Chris carefully walked along the corridor, gradually going deeper.

Soon, they reached the end of the narrow corridor and entered a small living room.

The living room was empty, with only two simple wooden chairs, one large and one small, and an old coffee table.

Further ahead was a small balcony, and next to the balcony was a high chair. Strangely, this high chair had a small ladder attached to it, which looked rather comical.

“This place is practically bare…”

Chris sighed. The owner of the house must be a very disciplined person. All the way here, she hadn’t seen a single useless item in the house.

Ordinary families would usually have some decorations or small ornaments in their homes, or at least some entertainment or hobby items.

But this house was so… plain and boring.

At this moment, Luo Yan stared at the small chair, lost in thought. Then she looked up at the high chair near the balcony, vaguely picturing a small figure clumsily climbing onto it.

“Miss Luo Yan?”

Chris was still trying to find some useful clues in the house when she saw Luo Yan suddenly walking towards the balcony with an indifferent expression.

She called out, but Luo Yan didn’t react at all, as if she hadn’t heard.

“Something’s wrong!”

Chris immediately became alert. She hadn’t relaxed her vigilance towards Luo Yan.

Now that this strange situation had occurred, Chris naturally couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

She no longer cared about being stealthy and quickly walked over, intending to grab Luo Yan’s hand.

Just then, Luo Yan stopped, slightly raised her head, and looked at the dazzling starry sky through the balcony window.

“I’m fine, Miss Chris.” She said softly. “I… just heard some different voices.”

“What voices?”

Chris was still nervous. At this time and place, Miss Luo Yan hearing some strange voices wasn’t good news.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment and pointed towards the sky,

“Up there, it seems like many people are calling me.”

“Up there?”

Chris frowned and looked up at the sky as well.

The usual dazzling starry sky; there was nothing unusual.

Since the New Era began, unless the weather was bad, no matter where you looked up, the starry sky was always clear and beautiful.

It was said that this kind of scenery wasn’t common in the Old Era, but people in the New Era had become accustomed to this starry sky over the past thousand years.

“But why did you say it was a different voice…”

Chris asked, puzzled.

“Because… it’s ‘True Names’,” Luo Yan whispered. “Countless voices are calling the same True Name. Although I don’t understand the meaning of this ‘True Name,’ my intuition tells me that it’s my ‘True Name’.”

“What true name or false name? Miss Luo Yan, I don’t understand what you’re saying. Isn’t your name ‘Luo Yan’?”

As a Saint candidate closest to becoming a Saint, Chris had never heard of such a concept, let alone understood it.

“I’m not too sure either, the concept of ‘True Names’ is difficult to explain to you,” Luo Yan sighed and continued, “Anyway, don’t worry, this kind of calling has happened before, even stronger than now… and I wasn’t affected.”

“…Why do I still feel this is very dangerous? How about trying Void Trav… no, forget it.”

Chris originally wanted to suggest using Void Traversal to leave this strange residential building, but then she thought that a flashback seemed far more dangerous.

“It’s just your illusion, Miss Chris.” Luo Yan said indifferently. “However, if you want to leave directly, the barrier here shouldn’t be able to stop Void Traversal, how about…”

“No! Don’t!”

Just as the two were chatting, a slight clanging sound suddenly came from the inner room, like something falling on the ground.

“Clang!”

Although it was a very, very faint sound, how could the perceptive Luo Yan and Chris miss it?

They both turned their heads towards the source of the sound, their pupils constricting,

“Someone’s there?”

After the series of strange events since they entered, and the God’s Chosen aura completely disappearing when they reached the second floor, Luo Yan and Chris subconsciously assumed that this was an empty house, or at least that the owner had temporarily left.

But they didn’t expect… that there was actually someone else in the house?

Was it the owner?

It didn’t seem like it. If it were the owner, they should have appeared immediately. Being able to set up a barrier that even Luo Yan was trapped in, the owner’s strength was at least “Peril” level or higher.

Although having such strength wasn’t enough to dominate the world, crushing Luo Yan and Chris was still no problem.

Even though Luo Yan was special, her own strength was weak, relying only on demonic power and her special constitution, which wasn’t enough in front of a true “Peril” level ability user.

Unless… another possibility, a loss of control, but that didn’t need to be considered.

“Let’s go and take a look.”

Luo Yan and Chris didn’t hesitate for too long. Since they had discovered signs of someone’s presence, it was impossible not to go and check.

Although their actions were somewhat against Lannister law, trespassing in Lannister was a special crime that granted the homeowner unlimited self-defense rights.

In other words, if a trespasser was discovered by the homeowner and killed on the spot, Lannister law would pardon the homeowner’s act of killing.

However… the situation was special now, and they believed that Lannister law would still show some compassion.

Heh, it could only be said that it was already quite… compassionate.

Luo Yan and Chris tiptoed towards the source of the sound, a small, inconspicuous room in the corner.

A pink smiley face was painted on the closed door, along with a doodle of an old man with a beard, reaching out as if stroking the smiley face’s hair.

“Is this a child’s room?”

Luo Yan reached out and gently turned the doorknob.

Chris watched her, but a strange thought arose in her mind.

Why did it feel like they were… thieves?

No, that wasn’t right either. What kind of thief would continue to barge in after seeing someone? They were more like robbers!

But robbers and thieves were basically the same. Their current actions were undoubtedly criminal.

Before Chris could continue her random thoughts, Luo Yan had completely pushed open the door.

The room was pitch black; she couldn’t see her own hand in front of her face, let alone what was inside.

Luo Yan didn’t immediately walk in. She thought for a moment and asked softly,

“Excuse me, may I come in?”

“Pfft!”

Chris almost spat out water. Who asked for permission when robbing a house!

No, they weren’t robbing a house…

“No, don’t come in!”

In the darkness, a familiar pair of amber eyes lit up, but unlike before, these eyes were filled with terror and panic.

A childish voice trembled with a hint of crying, and the situation made Luo Yan and Chris freeze.

But they quickly snapped out of it. The amber eyes vanished the next moment, and when they lit up again, they were filled with coldness, just like the phantom before.

Then Luo Yan felt a stinging pain on her skin, as if warning her of something.

She immediately picked up Chris, retreated, and exited the room.

“Slash!”

A sharp, piercing sound tore through the air, and a fierce aura almost sliced Luo Yan’s throat.

If Luo Yan hadn’t dodged in advance, it wouldn’t have been just “almost.” There was a risk of direct decapitation.

Chris, caught off guard and held in Luo Yan’s arms, showed a look of panic.

But she was quickly startled by the scene behind Luo Yan and exclaimed,

“Behind you! Miss Luo Yan! There’s more behind—”

“Mm.”

Luo Yan responded, her hair taking on a hint of ice blue. Then a spatial rift opened and closed, swallowing the attack coming from behind.

Retreating all the way to the living room, the ubiquitous attacks seemed to follow them like shadows, constantly coming from all directions.

Luo Yan originally wanted to free a hand and put Chris down, but these attacks restricted her too much, so she could only maintain the current situation.

Finally, during a brief pause in the attacks, Luo Yan finally found an opportunity to put down Chris, whose face was completely flushed, and then looked seriously at the invisible thing in front of her, which had also stopped moving.

…The same ghastly shadow as the one from the barrier on the first floor.

“No, don’t come near Cecilia, go away, go away…”

A childish voice, trembling with sobs, came from the room, and the ghastly shadow’s eyes became even colder.

Witch’s Night: Chapter 23 Song

Cecilia clumsily climbed down from the high chair, her bare little feet carefully stepping on the floor.

Looking at the empty room, her expression was a bit lonely. She looked up at the sky again, the vast starry sky gradually appearing as the sun set.

But Cecilia didn’t like the starry sky. Although it was very beautiful, whenever she looked at the sky, the starry sky always gave her an indescribable feeling.

Like fear, but not quite. Cecilia couldn’t accurately describe this feeling.

“Grandpa Bishop hasn’t come back yet…”

Cecilia carefully took one step at a time, her small figure moving through the gradually darkening room.

Finally, Cecilia returned to her bedroom and curled up on the bed.

“When will Grandpa Bishop come back… Cecilia will be obedient…”

Even though the darkness was scary, and being alone was scary, Grandpa Bishop had said that Cecilia had to learn to be independent and strong, otherwise her illness would become more serious.

But… it was so scary…

Cecilia buried her small head in the quilt, surrounded by an unusual silence, no noise from the neighbors, no rustling of insects.

Nothing at all.

As one of the three Bishops of the Church of the End Gods, Hamid Surian naturally couldn’t always stay in this small house, let alone always accompany Cecilia.

Most of the time, Cecilia was alone at home, waiting for Grandpa Bishop to return.

Since all energy in the mega-city was supplied by the “Ember,” including lamps and other household items, the followers of the Church of the End Gods couldn’t come into contact with energy from the Ember.

So, at night, if Hamid didn’t come back to light the candles, Cecilia could only stay in the pitch-black room.

“It’s okay, Cecilia, don’t be afraid, Cecilia…”

Cecilia imitated Grandpa Bishop’s tone, whispering to herself,

“As long as Cecilia is obedient, everything will be alright…”

In the silent darkness, a pair of amber eyes shone brightly.

……

“Can you see anything, Miss Chris?”

Luo Yan raised her head slightly, looking towards the sky above the building in front of them.

There was clearly nothing there, but Luo Yan always felt that something was watching her.

Chris squinted in the direction Luo Yan was looking, but didn’t see anything after a long while.

“Miss Luo Yan, could you be hallucinating?”

Chris looked at Luo Yan nervously. Even putting aside her identity, it wasn’t a small matter for this girl, who controlled the power of “Envy,” to have hallucinations.

“No, it’s just up ahead.” Luo Yan shook her head and pointed to the old residential building in front of them. “I sense that the God’s Chosen is inside.”

“Mm.”

Chris’s expression became a little more serious. The danger of a “God’s Chosen” was self-evident, especially one nearing death.

An out-of-control demonic power was far more dangerous than most out-of-control esper abilities, especially since Lannister was currently in a crisis and couldn’t afford any distractions.

Night always fell quickly after sunset. By the time the two reached the residential building, it was so dark that it was difficult to see the house number.

Looking at the solid door in front of them, Chris frowned slightly, wondering how to open it without alarming anyone inside, when Luo Yan raised her hand slightly, and a faint blue light flashed.

A spatial rift silently opened, and in an instant, the door was swallowed by the rift, forever lost in the Void.

“Although my Void Traversal is a bit unreliable, opening a door is no problem.”

Luo Yan looked at the stunned Chris and said seriously.

Chris: “…”

You call this opening a door?

And why did it feel like no matter how impressive an ability was, it always seemed so down-to-earth in Miss Luo Yan’s hands…

Complaints aside, the move Luo Yan showed Chris was indeed impressive.

It wasn’t just opening a door; it was the level of control over demonic power. Basically no God’s Chosen could achieve this level.

As for Devil’s Minions and Devil’s Apostles, when they used demonic power, they always tried to maximize its destructive power and wouldn’t use it in such… mundane situations.

Anyway, their goal had been achieved. As Luo Yan became more proficient in using “End,” the aura of the Void didn’t even have time to surge out when she opened and closed the rifts.

Luo Yan walked in front, entering the residential building first, followed closely by Chris, who stuck to Luo Yan’s side like a shadow.

It was an old residential building, not only was the design of the style and layout quite last century, but most areas showed signs of aging.

By Lannister’s standards, this building was completely dilapidated, but such dilapidated buildings were common in the outer districts.

Most commoners weren’t wealthy enough to rebuild their houses, and even the few who were slightly better off had moved to the inner districts… As for the upper class of Lannister, they wouldn’t pay attention to such trivial matters.

Luo Yan and Chris walked carefully on the dilapidated wooden floor of the residential building. The silent environment was devoid of any sound, even their faint breathing was masked by Chris using “Siren’s Song.”

“Something’s strange…”

Chris carefully observed the interior of the residential building and frowned slightly.

They were now walking in the corridor of the building. The long and narrow corridor was very clean, but there were things on both sides that shouldn’t exist in this era.

Oil lamps…

There was still some clear oil in them, seemingly used not long ago.

But the problem was that Lannister wasn’t backward, and the technology of the Ember Formation was quite mature.

This wasn’t the Lower District; there was no need for these oil lamps used hundreds of years ago during energy shortages. The energy directly supplied by the Ember Formation was clean, simple, and very cheap.

Luo Yan didn’t notice these things; her attention was focused on the God’s Chosen’s aura.

What puzzled her was that the God’s Chosen aura, which had been quite clear outside, became unclear after entering the residential building.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t sense it, but rather… it was everywhere.

As if the building itself was the God’s Chosen.

How could this be?

No… perhaps it really was possible. There were too many incomprehensible things in the New Era, and things related to Calamities and Demons couldn’t be speculated using common sense.

Just then, Luo Yan suddenly heard a very faint melody, accompanied by an ethereal humming.

She immediately calmed down and listened carefully.

“One guard went mad, two guards were biting, three guards were all alone, four guards held hands and went to heaven…”

She heard it again.

The nursery rhyme that Luo Yan had faintly heard when entering Lannister now echoed in her ears once more.

At first, Luo Yan really thought it was a Lannister nursery rhyme. Although the lyrics were a bit strange, weren’t all nursery rhymes like that?

It wasn’t until later that Luo Yan learned from Hua Qingling that only she had heard the song, and there was no such nursery rhyme in Lannister.

But now…

Luo Yan turned to look back and saw Chris with a look of horror on her face, her mouth opening and closing silently, mouthing two words,

“Singing.”

She… also heard it.

“Five guards all died, six guards were laughing, seven guards were crying, eight guards worked together, nine guards all came out…”

“Eeya eeya, ten guards lived happily ever after, eeya eeya, everyone created the most beautiful world together…”

As the melody progressed, the lyrics became clearer, and the source of the singing grew closer. This time, it wasn’t just a whisper that only Luo Yan could hear, but a bizarre nursery rhyme echoing in the real world.

“Miss Luo Yan, be careful!”

Finally, Chris shouted. She saw Miss Luo Yan turn to look at her, and a pair of amber eyes suddenly lit up behind her.

Then, Luo Yan heard the last lyrics of the melody beside her ear,

“Ten guards went mad…”

In this building filled with the aura of a God’s Chosen, Luo Yan, who was most sensitive to auras, was actually slower than Chris.

She didn’t notice it until the other party was right next to her.

Without any hesitation, Luo Yan conjured a sharp blade made of spatial energy and slashed backwards.

But it cut through nothing.

Was it an illusion?

No, it wasn’t.

A pair of amber eyes appeared in front of Luo Yan, staring coldly at her.

The dim light made it impossible to see the other party’s appearance clearly; she could only vaguely sense that its body was quite small.

The place where Luo Yan slashed should have been this unknown creature’s chest, but there was no feeling of flesh and blood, as if it were just a phantom.

But the problem was… even a phantom couldn’t be immune to the damage of a spatial rift.

As long as it existed within this space, even a spiritual body, a spiritual domain, a consciousness, or even a conceptual entity, would be treated equally under hyperspace severance.

“Retreat!”

Luo Yan wasn’t reckless, and neither was Chris. When in doubt, retreat was the best strategy.

Their methods couldn’t affect the strange phenomenon here, so the best way to protect themselves was naturally to leave immediately.

The two retreated without hesitation… or rather, they ran for their lives. The corridor wasn’t long, and they could reach the door quickly.

In less than ten breaths, the door Luo Yan had opened earlier appeared in front of them.

Two similar figures dashed out the door, completely ignoring what was happening behind them.

But the next moment, Luo Yan and Chris froze.

“Thump!”

It was the sound of shoes stepping on a wooden floor. They had once again entered the residential building, and in front of them was a seemingly endless corridor.

“One guard went mad…”

The singing started again, but this time, it came from behind them.

Luo Yan and Chris immediately looked back, and the same pair of amber eyes appeared before them.

But this time, they could finally see the other party clearly.

“Is this… a ghost?”

Chris couldn’t help but ask.

The form of the amber-eyed being was a ghastly shadow, its terrifying fangs and exaggerated claws daunting, with sharp bone spurs all over its body.

But… it looked quite cool?

The ethereal singing came from this ghost, quite different from its appearance.

“I don’t know why, but after seeing it clearly, it doesn’t seem so scary anymore.”

Luo Yan’s expression was a bit strange, and Chris felt the same.

The ghost’s appearance was certainly terrifying, but this kind of terror… depended on who was looking.

It was undoubtedly terrifying for ordinary people, but Luo Yan and Chris had been through countless battles and had seen far more terrifying and disgusting monsters.

The unseen terror was the true terror, and a monster that could be seen was like having its health bar displayed, instantly becoming something to be conquered.

However, the ghost didn’t attack. It just stared at Luo Yan and Chris, its cold and terrifying eyes seemingly filled with bloodlust, but it still didn’t move.

……

Meanwhile, the situation in other areas of Lannister.

The Calamities caused by the Church of the End Gods mostly occurred in more important areas, such as the core district and the several important districts attached to it. There were almost none in the Lower District and the Old Town.

Although these cultists were deeply and widely hidden, their small numbers were still insufficient to cover the entire Lannister, and the Calamities they could trigger weren’t endless, so they could only choose the most important places.

As for other areas, after the core district and other key strongholds fell, their destruction was only a matter of time.

Due to the presence of the mole, Lannister’s response was quite inadequate. Cultists kept revealing their identities, disrupting Lannister’s defenses.

Coupled with the Council of Elders’ lockdown, the entire Lannister fell into unprecedented turmoil.

Norian’s actions were out of helplessness. The betrayal of a high-ranking official had a huge impact on the situation. If it wasn’t contained in time, the cultists would have more resources to exploit, causing even more serious harm to Lannister.

Amidst this war, an old man dressed as a farmer inconspicuously left the core district.

“The barrier at the base has been triggered, but the other party is only trapped and hasn’t collapsed due to the divine aura of the barrier.”

The divine words of the message brought Hamid crucial information. He nodded and replied,

“Don’t worry, it’s just a destined guest arriving early.”

“But Miss Cecilia…”

“She is the barrier itself. If the barrier is fine, she will be fine.” Hamid replied indifferently. “Even if Cecilia accidentally meets this guest, I believe they will get along well because they are the same kind of people.”

“But… Bishop, there’s more than one guest?”

“Oh?” Hamid was a little surprised. “Who else?”

“Chris, the daughter of ‘Siren’s Song’ Tina, and also the second daughter of the Lequista family.”

“So it’s the Errant’s offspring… just an uninvited guest, eliminate her.”

Hamid narrowed his eyes, his tone pious. “The most important thing now is what oracle our most esteemed guest has brought.”

Witch’s Night: Chapter 22 A Ghastly Shadow

Chris really didn’t want to experience another flashback; one brush with death was enough.

But continuing to be lost wasn’t a solution either, and after leaving the Lower District, Chris vaguely sensed something amiss in Lannister.

It was likely that the situation in Lannister outside of Spencer Manor was far worse than they imagined.

Magistrate Norian’s commission was most likely related to these anomalies.

After the connection to the Ember Formation was cut off, even Chris couldn’t obtain information about the current situation in Lannister, let alone Luo Yan.

“Forget it, if there’s no other way, we’ll ask for directions and see how to leave.”

Chris gritted her teeth. She had never encountered a situation where she had to rely on asking for directions, and she felt a little embarrassed.

“That’s not impossible, but… do you see anyone around to ask for directions?” Luo Yan said, spreading her hands.

“Uh…”

Chris looked around, equally troubled.

Although they had left the dirty and smelly Lower District, the surrounding situation wasn’t much better.

The dilapidated old buildings still vaguely showed traces of their past glory, but most of the houses were in precarious condition, only barely holding up with patches.

“This should be Lannister’s Old Town,” Chris said. “Due to the constant shifting of the ‘Ember Formation’ and Lannister’s development, this unsuitable district was gradually abandoned. Only the most ordinary commoners and some refugees would choose to live here.”

Beneath the glorious Lannister, there were also hidden shadows.

But these historical legacy issues weren’t something Chris and Luo Yan could delve into at the moment. The worse situation was that all the commoners here were evacuating.

…Or rather, the word “fleeing” was more appropriate.

There were very few people on the road, and even if a figure occasionally appeared, they were hurrying away, scrambling towards the Lower District.

Luo Yan and Chris walked for a while but didn’t have any opportunity to ask for directions.

Even when they tried to stop fleeing passersby, the other party was filled with terror and incoherent, unable to utter a complete sentence.

“This is troublesome…”

Chris had a terrible headache, but she didn’t know how to solve it.

Luo Yan pondered for a moment and said, “These people’s reactions are abnormal.”

“I can see that too, Miss Luo Yan.”

“It seems something might have happened up ahead,” Luo Yan said in a low voice. “There’s another passerby over there. Try using ‘Siren’s Song’ and see if you can find out anything.”

Chris looked up and saw an ordinary woman in plain clothes, limping with a cane, her face filled with the same terror as the previous passersby.

“Eyes… evil… monster…”

The woman kept muttering incomprehensible words, only a few words discernible.

The passersby Luo Yan had stopped earlier were all in the same situation. Since she didn’t dare to rashly use her abilities on these ordinary people, she could only give up and let them continue to flee.

Chris nodded, and a soft humming sound began. “Siren’s Song” wrapped around the woman like a ribbon.

The warm, healing effect of her mental power gradually appeared, and the woman’s terrified expression eased, confusion replacing the panic in her eyes.

“It seems to be working.” Chris said.

“Let’s go and take a look.”

Luo Yan didn’t hesitate, immediately undid the effect of her Life Hacks, and walked forward.

This action had an immediate effect. The woman, who had just calmed down, became even more terrified upon seeing Luo Yan.

“Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!”

The woman’s cane pounded the ground like a pecking chicken, but her legs seemed to have some ailment, and she fell to the ground after only a few steps.

But even so, the woman continued to flee from Luo Yan in terror, desperately using her hands to crawl on the ground, leaving a trail of blood.

“Miss Luo Yan… no, let’s just leave.”

Chris, watching the woman desperately trying to escape from Luo Yan, and seeing Luo Yan’s silent figure, spoke up.

“Am… I really that scary?” Luo Yan asked softly.

This was the first time Luo Yan had seen such undisguised terror in the eyes of an ordinary person. This unprecedented experience made her feel momentarily lost.

Chris wanted to answer “yes,” but she also knew that saying such a thing wasn’t appropriate at the moment.

So she could only say, “Don’t think too much, Miss Luo Yan. We have more important things to do… find Magistrate Norian and inform him of the situation in Spencer Manor.”

“I know.”

Luo Yan said in a low voice, and when she turned around, Chris saw that her expression was once again indifferent as usual.

Chris secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Miss Luo Yan didn’t seem so fragile after all, and a little contact wouldn’t cause any irreparable damage.

Lannister’s caution seemed a bit excessive…

“These passersby seem to be fleeing from that direction,” Chris composed herself and focused on the matter at hand again. “From their fragmented words, it seems like some kind of monster appeared over there? Or… some kind of Calamity phenomenon.”

Luo Yan looked up and frowned slightly,

“I don’t sense any Calamity aura… But there is indeed an aura I’m very familiar with.”

The aura of a Primordial Demon…

She didn’t know which Demon it belonged to, but it was clearly the same type as the one she had encountered in Yan City before, a Devil’s Minion possessing part of a demonic power, or…

—A “God’s Chosen.”

However, the aura Luo Yan sensed was quite stable, not like it was out of control.

“Let’s go and take a look.” Chris drew a shadow dagger and held it in her hand, ready for battle. “If anything unexpected happens, Miss Luo Yan, try not to act. I’ll handle it.”

Chris wasn’t sure where Luo Yan’s “boundary” was. If there was no need to touch it, it was best not to… especially at this time, Lannister couldn’t spare the energy to deal with Luo Yan’s matters.

Luo Yan also understood her situation. Although she felt there wouldn’t be a problem, she still nodded and said,

“Mm.”

……

The sun set, and the faint twilight of dusk fell upon Lannister.

Unknowingly, the sky gradually darkened, the setting sun slowly sinking below the horizon, and this turmoil was far from over.

In an inconspicuous district of Lannister, in a dilapidated residential building, a small head peeked out of the window, a mess of light pink, slightly curly, short hair seemingly unkempt.

“Why has everyone left…”

Cecilia was a little dejected. This was usually her favorite time of day.

Because at this time, Cecilia could squat by the window and watch the people outside returning home in twos and threes.

The emotions they emanated were relaxed and comfortable, and Cecilia liked that.

And the beautiful sunset in the sky, the last rays of light on the horizon, these were all beautiful scenes that Cecilia rarely saw.

Since she became seriously ill, Cecilia found that everything she saw was covered with a faint gray mist, gradually thickening as her condition worsened.

Until finally, everything became black and white, ugly and unpleasant.

Cecilia didn’t like it.

Grandpa Bishop had just given her medicine today, and Cecilia’s condition had improved quite a bit, so she wanted to take this opportunity to see these scenes, which she didn’t know how many more times she would be able to see, for a little longer.

Unfortunately, something happened today. The emotions emanating from the crowd outside the window made Cecilia very uncomfortable, making her feel like vomiting.

When she came to her senses, the street was empty, and the occasional passerby was running and crawling away from the district.

“Why…”

Cecilia sat back in her chair, her face full of distress.

But what she didn’t see was that, above her residential building, floated a ghostly shadow, its ferocious face and blood-stained fangs terrifying to behold.

But it didn’t move, just hovered in mid-air, coldly watching everything on the ground.

……

“Another one escaping.”

Luo Yan silently watched a pitiful, incoherent man stumble past her.

Although his soul and body hadn’t suffered any damage, he was showing such a strange reaction that it was hard not to think more about it.

Chris looked up into the distance and frowned slightly,

“I don’t sense any Calamity phenomena, and the surrounding air doesn’t have the usual stench of Calamity monsters.”

The Calamities summoned by the Church of the End Gods were of two types: highly destructive Calamity monsters and strange Calamity phenomena.

Neither of them would be quiet, and neither… could ordinary people escape unscathed.

Although the people just now were panicked and incoherent, as if they had suffered some kind of serious mental contamination, they actually hadn’t.

Even Luo Yan, who possessed a mental demonic power, couldn’t see any contamination, so there definitely wasn’t any.

“It’s okay, we’ll be there soon.” Luo Yan said. “It should be just up ahead.”

“Hmm? Miss Luo Yan, did you sense something?” Chris raised an eyebrow and asked.

Luo Yan considered for a moment and said, “Have you heard of… ‘God’s Chosen’?”

“What’s that?” Chris scratched her head. “Haven’t heard of it… sounds a bit scary.”

Things related to Gods didn’t seem to be good things…

Well, in Miss Luo Yan’s case, it was fifty-fifty.

“Or another name, ‘Demonically Infected’.” Luo Yan said in a low voice.

Actually, compared to this somewhat derogatory term, Luo Yan preferred “God’s Chosen,” perhaps because of One’s residual influence.

After all, “Demonically Infected” sounded like siding with the Primordial Demons…

“I’ve heard of that. It’s said to be humans born with demonic powers… wait, Miss Luo Yan,”

Chris thought that Miss Luo Yan seemed to be one, but then her eyes widened. “Are you saying that there’s a Demonically Infect… a God’s Chosen up ahead?”

“Perhaps a Devil’s Minion, I can’t be completely sure.” Luo Yan nodded seriously and said in a deep voice.

But a Devil’s Minion wouldn’t be so quiet in this situation. The only explanation could be a God’s Chosen.

“…Unbelievable, I’ve actually encountered two Demonically Infected people at the same time.”

Chris was slightly speechless. Her first reaction when she heard Luo Yan’s words was disbelief.

But since Miss Luo Yan had said so, she certainly couldn’t deny it directly.

Demonically Infected individuals were extremely rare, rare to an exaggerated degree, otherwise Frick in Yan City wouldn’t have had the absurd idea of stealing One’s remains to use his ability.

Maybe only one would appear in several hundred years, and finding two in a hundred years was a miracle.

Actually, there was another reason for the rarity of Demonically Infected individuals, also known as God’s Chosen. Humans born with demonic powers were very likely to die in infancy. The chances of a human body being able to withstand demonic power were extremely small.

Within this small probability event, there was another small probability event that they had to go through, and even surviving each day during their growth was like overcoming a difficult hurdle. The erosive nature of demonic power itself was enough to take the lives of most God’s Chosen.

There were almost no known cases of God’s Chosen surviving to adulthood, which was why Chris was so shocked to encounter two at the same time.

As for the Misters of Dawn, their situation was a complete exception and couldn’t be replicated.

“I… forget it, let’s go and confirm first.”

Luo Yan originally wanted to explain that she couldn’t be considered a God’s Chosen, because her demonic powers weren’t innate.

“Envy” came from Mrs. Natalie, “End” from One, and the only one she might have innately possessed was perhaps the Forbidden Technique “Manjusaka” belonging to the Witch of Absolute Death.

But the problem was, after hearing One’s story in the space of silence, Luo Yan always felt that the black Manjusaka tattoo on her chest, the demonic offering “Death,” was actually deliberately left to her by Absolute Death.

So, counting it this way, did Luo Yan have any abilities of her own…?

Her own strength had only barely reached “Calamity” level… So, Luo Yan was actually a complete weakling.

Chris, who was the same age as her (sixteen), had already reached “Ruin” level, and didn’t seem weaker than Hua Qiling (over twenty, exact age unknown, she refused to say).

Luo Yan didn’t reveal these inner thoughts; her situation was already complicated enough, and further investigation wouldn’t yield any results.

“Mm,” Chris nodded, tightening her grip on the shadow dagger. “Even if it’s not a God’s Chosen, it’s probably related to those cultists.”

Having made up their minds, Luo Yan and Chris quickly set off, walking towards the direction of the God’s Chosen’s aura in the setting sun.

Six hours had passed since the start of the banquet at Spencer Manor, and this disaster in Lannister had also lasted for three hours.