Chapter 48: Which Damned Bastard Did This?
The chain, formed from writhing serpents, stretched into the depths of the void, leading to…
A giant cage.
Countless chains, bound tightly around the cage, pulsed with a dark energy, their movements resembling a raging inferno.
Distorted shadows writhed within the black mist, their forms shifting and coalescing. He caught a whiff of blood, a coppery tang that made his stomach churn. Faint whispers, a chorus of maddening voices, echoed in his ears.
Pain lanced through his head. Qin Chu stared, his heart pounding in his chest.
He knew he had glimpsed something forbidden, something no human should ever witness.
What… What was that?
The giant sphere, its surface covered in countless eyes, seemed to sense his gaze. The eyes, shifting slowly, focused on him.
He felt a thousand gazes piercing his flesh, his body reacting instinctively. A cacophony of screams filled his mind, grotesque images flashing before his eyes, strange energies coursing through his veins. His soul felt like it was being torn apart.
Pain, like a thousand cuts, ripped through his skin.
Countless eyes, resembling parasites, erupted on his flesh.
He glimpsed images, fragments of memories, filled with despair, madness, and an alien evil. They flooded his mind, threatening to shatter his sanity.
He felt something dark and sinister, an ancient entity, attempting to possess him, to use his body as a vessel for its return.
Then, his body convulsed, the horrifying visions receding like a tide.
It was as if it had all been a hallucination.
But he knew it was real. He covered his eyes, blood and tears seeping through his fingers. His clothes, soaked in cold sweat, clung to his skin. His muscles spasmed, his mind still reeling.
A knife protruded from his arm, blood flowing freely from the wound.
Shaye had done it.
It had happened so quickly. She had seen him freeze, his body trembling, his eyes wide with terror. She had tried to snap him out of it, but he hadn’t responded. He hadn’t even heard her.
She had sensed his “Forced Calm” Ability activating repeatedly, desperately trying to suppress the mental assault, but it had been ineffective.
She had acted instinctively, choosing a brutal but effective solution. She had stabbed him, hoping the pain would shock him back to reality.
It had worked.
She could sense the lingering taint of mental corruption within him.
She didn’t speak, her expression grim as she hovered beside him. She glanced at the scrolls, her brow furrowed. Who would have thought that the Holy Maiden’s chambers contained such dark, sinister objects?
After a long moment, Qin Chu took a deep breath, his trembling subsiding. He pulled out the knife, healing the wound with a simple Water Healing spell.
He glanced at the scrolls, his heart pounding. Loseweisse was more dangerous than he had realized.
A single scroll had almost destroyed him. And there were seven of them.
He didn’t know what they contained, but he had a premonition that if he left them here, if he allowed Loseweisse to continue her research, she would become his most formidable enemy.
He didn’t mention the scrolls, simply pocketing the storage rings.
But the images he had witnessed, the giant sphere with its countless eyes, the cage at the end of the chain… They were etched into his memory.
What were those things?
What was imprisoned within that cage?
What did the remaining six scrolls represent?
He felt like he had stumbled into something far beyond his comprehension, something dangerous and terrifying.
He knew he couldn’t delve any deeper, not yet. He wouldn’t touch those scrolls again until he regained his previous strength.
He searched the rest of the room, but he couldn’t find the remaining six vials of Stunning Love.
He had assumed they were hidden behind the wards, but those wards had concealed something far more sinister.
The only remaining places to search were the desk, the wardrobe, and under the bed…
But Loseweisse was cautious. She wouldn’t leave such valuable items in such obvious locations. That was something Ekaterina would do…
Perhaps she carried the potion with her?
He pulled open a desk drawer, his thoughts elsewhere.
He found a photograph. He couldn’t tell who it was… It was the kind of face that would blend into a crowd, utterly forgettable.
Not ugly, per se. Ugliness was a distinctive feature, at least memorable.
But this person… average height, average build, average complexion, average features…
The word “ordinary” seemed to have been invented for this individual.
Their face left no impression.
Only their smile, a slight upturn of the lips, hinted at something sinister, something unsettling.
Who was this person? Why did Loseweisse keep their photograph? It couldn’t be Jie Luo, the First Hero, could it?
He had only heard stories about Jie Luo. He had never seen his face.
But considering Loseweisse and Ekaterina’s infatuation with him, he must have been handsome, charismatic, a true heartthrob.
This person in the photograph didn’t fit the description.
Qin Chu shrugged, tossing the photograph aside.
He opened a metal box beneath the photograph, his hopes dwindling.
But he had come this far…
He lifted the lid. His face fell as he saw the box’s contents.
Six pink vials, neatly arranged.
Damn it!
He wanted to curse. Loseweisse had left the remaining vials of Stunning Love, such a valuable and dangerous potion, in her desk drawer?
He had wasted so much time searching, and it had been right under his nose all along.
He didn’t know what to say. Even Shaye facepalmed.
…
Meanwhile, at the Holy See, Loseweisse returned to her chambers, greeting everyone she encountered with a warm smile.
She treated even the lowliest nuns with respect, her demeanor a perfect example of Holy Maidenly conduct.
Her actions earned her widespread admiration. The nuns she spoke to blushed with excitement, their hearts fluttering at her attention.
But her mind was elsewhere. She was eager to hear the good news from Maggie and Sana.
However, when she reached her residence, she didn’t see them waiting for her.
She frowned. They were supposed to report to her immediately after completing their mission.
A sense of unease crept into her heart. Had something gone wrong?
It was impossible. Maggie and Sana might not be strong enough to defeat top-tier opponents, but dealing with a powerless Angelica should have been a simple task.
Perhaps they had been delayed?
She tried to reassure herself as she retrieved her key, but as her hand touched the copper lock, she realized it was broken.
Her face paled.
She flung the door open. Her mind reeled as she saw the state of her room.
It looked like it had been ransacked by a pack of huskies… Huskies were a breed of domesticated dogs named by the First Hero.
The bed was a mess. Clothes, both inner and outer garments, were scattered across the floor. The desk was overturned. The wardrobe’s contents were strewn about. Even the two magical wards on the ground and the wall had been disabled, the storage rings they had concealed gone.
She shuddered, then rushed upstairs, her movements frantic.
The three wards on the second floor had also been disabled, the storage rings missing.
She stumbled back, her strength draining away. She collapsed against the wall, her body shaking uncontrollably.
It was all gone.
Seven hundred million Mana…
Thirty thousand Saint Quartz!
And most importantly… the seven divine scrolls.
Which damned bastard had done this?
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