Chapter 451
The events that had just transpired left Eleanor with a flicker of doubt, questioning whether her actions were truly justified—her faith wavered slightly.
“Are you questioning Lord Shaer?” Tara slowly lifted her gaze from behind Shaer, fixing her eyes on Eleanor, her tone devoid of any softness.
“Tara…” Eleanor took a deep breath, then turned to Percie, asking, “Percie, don’t you have anything to say?”
Any fourth-tier could see that this was a grand ritual, with the centerpiece being that eerie red incense, and the West District... perhaps even the entire city of Ansu, was the venue for this ceremony.
“I trust Teacher Tara’s judgment,” Percie said, slightly bowing her head in Tara’s direction. “Lord Shaer must have her reasons for doing this.”
One believed unconditionally in Shaer, the other in Tara; essentially, whatever Shaer said, they would follow, no matter the circumstances.
So, no matter what Eleanor asked them, she could not extract any answers.
In the end, Eleanor, still unwilling to give up, cast her gaze toward Shaer, hoping that this girl, lost in thought with her eyes closed, might provide her with some clarity.
Feeling Eleanor’s gaze, Shaer slowly opened her eyes and looked at her.
Eliminate the subsequent effects?
What subsequent effects?
Shaer hadn’t even considered that question.
What effects could there be when everyone was already dead?
“Eleanor, you only need to focus on the smooth execution of the plan; you don’t need to worry about the aftermath.”
Shaer spoke slowly, continuing, “You can think of all this as a nightmare from which you can awaken…”
A nightmare from which one can awaken...
Eleanor recalled the scepter and the holy contract the girl had brought over twenty days ago, finally managing to suppress the tension within her.
“So what do you need me to do next?” Eleanor asked, looking at Shaer.
“Wait,” Shaer shook her head. “Wait for the resistance forces in the West District to emerge.”
With that, Shaer turned to Tara and asked, “What about the potions, Tara?”
In addition to killing the extraordinary, the digestion of potions was also a metric for acquiring destiny points.
And Shaer already had a plan for potion digestion.
This could very well become Shaer’s strongest save file.
Tara produced three vials of potions and placed them before Shaer.
First-tier “Poisoner,” second-tier “Plague Bearer.”
And a third-tier, perfectly digested potion, comparable to the “Subverter” in terms of digestion level—the “Source of Cholera.”
...
“Roar—!”
In the rainy night, countless terrifying figures, their bodies entwined with blood-red mycelium and moving on all fours, were chasing after a girl.
They emitted horrific howls, making it hard to imagine that just minutes ago, these had been thinking, functioning “humans.”
At that moment, the monsters surged toward the girl in the narrow alley like a tide, and the exhausted girl stumbled over a protruding stone brick, collapsing to the ground, unable to muster the strength to rise again.
Despair washed over her as she turned to look at the terrifying blood-red figures, her face betraying her hopelessness.
Who was that red-haired girl...?
This was all surely her doing...
Why did she seem to recognize me? Why... did she commit such horrifying acts...?
What power did she possess to evade the scrutiny of so many large organizations, spreading such a contagion within Ansu City... even gaining the endorsement of some of the largest groups?
The girl, now fallen on the wet stone floor, was none other than Princess Vitalis.
At this moment, she was utterly despondent, closing her eyes and awaiting the arrival of death.
Thud—
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed before her, and a tall figure landed directly in front of her, drawing a sword and striking at the terrifying creature before them.
Swoosh—
Zzzzz—
The leading figures were cleaved in two by a single swing, but the monstrous humanoids behind them continued to surge forward, eager to pounce on the two.
The black giant sword emitted a fiery red glow as the figure slowly drew it back to his waist, the heated blade radiating an orange glow, as if molten iron were dripping down its edge.
The armored figure exuded white steam, evaporating the raindrops before they could touch his armor, and even the puddles on the ground seemed to be boiling.
Buzz—
The black armor swiftly swung the sword in a powerful upward arc, the massive blade transforming into countless sharp, glowing iron spikes that flew forward, nearly filling the entire alley.
Thud—
The rain-like barrage of spikes tore through the stone floor, easily piercing the monstrous figures, the intense heat melting the mycelium and bones from their bodies, the sheer force sweeping them out of the alley.
For a brief moment, the alley was left with only swirling mist and blood fog, along with a few scattered limbs, not a single drop of rain able to fall within.
“Your Highness, are you alright?” Opode sheathed his sword and turned to the princess, who lay on the ground, kneeling beside her and extending his right hand. “Please, come with me. It’s dangerous here.”
Vitalis looked at the black-armored knight, her pupils narrowing slightly, instinctively using her hands to support herself as she stepped back, ignoring the filth on the ground.
“What’s wrong, Princess?” Opode panted, his voice hoarse, as if he had already fought several rounds before encountering her.
“Please leave, Sir Opode…” Vitalis’s tone was almost pleading; she exerted all her strength just to move a step further away from the knight before her.
This was not the knight-rescues-princess scenario that Princess Vitalis had envisioned—at the very least, the knight’s armor should not have allowed blood-red, writhing mycelium to seep through its seams.
“It’s me, Princess… cough cough… Opode… don’t you recognize me?”
Opode’s voice was raspy as he raised his hand and removed his iron helmet.
The blood-red mycelium had nearly fused his armor with his face, and as he took off the helmet, the connected mycelium and flesh were torn apart, leaving long, crimson threads.
A torrent of blood and flesh dripped from his horrific, disfigured face onto the ground, staining the puddles below.
“Cough cough…”
Opode’s coughing grew more violent; he collapsed to the ground, reaching inside his armor to pull out a red cigarette, trembling as he brought it to his lips. His left hand’s armor melted into liquid iron, igniting the tip of the cigarette.
“Hiss… ha…”
After greedily inhaling a puff, it seemed to quell his cough, and when he looked up again, Princess Vitalis was already leaning against the wall, slowly moving away from him.
Opode raised his hand, about to say something, but at that moment, the cigarette he held began to stir as the previously dry mycelium soaked in the contaminated blood.
The blood-red mycelium wriggled its way into his mouth, invading his flesh, breaking through the seams of his skull, and burrowing into his brain.
Opode stood frozen in place, blood seeping from the gaps in his armor, flailing in the dark alley...
Ultimately, his sanity was overwhelmed, the blood-red mycelium clinging to his armor like a parasitic muscle, completely merging the armor with his flesh—an insatiable hunger for blood and flesh consumed his mind.
Parasitize, devour—these became the only two thoughts in his head.
Stumbling forward, Princess Vitalis turned to glance back toward the alley entrance.
Through the light filtering in from the entrance, she saw Opode slowly rising, the terrifying humanoid monsters that had surged back in behind him clinging to his armor as if they had found the perfect host, continuously piling on.
The mingling of blood and flesh made Opode’s figure appear as if he bore a massive tumor...
What on earth is this!
A fear that penetrated to the bone nearly made Vitalis faint, but just then, a voice she usually found utterly detestable, now sounded like that of a savior in her ears.
“A fascinating infection…”
The strong voice, holding a black umbrella, leaped down from the rooftop, landing gracefully beside Princess Vitalis.
He looked at Opode, his face displaying an unprecedented seriousness.
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