The sound of tinkling bells sent a shiver down Leah's spine. Unable to pinpoint the danger, she instinctively used her Paper Figurine Substitutes.
Her body rapidly shrank and thinned, morphing into a carefully trimmed paper figurine.
The paper figure darkened, turning yellow and brittle as if it had aged a decade in an instant.
Silently, the withered yellow paper disintegrated into countless tiny fragments.
Leah reappeared at the top of the stairs, clutching the kerosene lamp. But in the next moment, she felt the chill on her shoulders.
Her thoughts raced as she raised her right hand and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Activating her Spirit Vision, she glanced at the room across from her and the glass window.
In the dim light of the kerosene lamp, the washroom's glass reflected Leah's upper body.
Transparent, ghostly infants perched on each of her shoulders!
Their faces were round and chubby, their skin a ghastly blue-white. Their expressions twisted in malevolence.
The spectral infants leaned down, pressing their mouths to Leah's neck as if feeding on her essence.
Rather than panic, Leah breathed a sigh of relief.
Identifying the source of the threat was far better than being in the dark!
Now she could assess the situation and make informed decisions.
Just like this!
Leah drew her exquisite silver revolver, aimed at the eerie infant on her left shoulder, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A golden bullet, wreathed in illusory flames, burst from the barrel.
The infant wailed as it was flung from Leah's shoulder, consumed by the golden fire.
Bang! Leah fired again, this time at the infant above her other shoulder.
The second ghostly child, ablaze with the same intense fire, cried out as it followed its companion down the corridor.
A woman's figure materialized. Her eyes were a piercing blue, her features delicate; her round face framed by disheveled black hair. She was the padre's mistress, Sybil Berry, sister to Shepherd Pierre Berry.
Her skin was coated in a sickly blue hue, and on both sides of her neck, grotesque growths protruded.
The spectral infants returned to her, latching onto the corresponding growths to feed.
As they nursed, the golden flames that engulfed them gradually dissipated.
But Leah would not stand idly by. She aimed at Sybil Berry and pulled the trigger.
With a bang, the golden bullet traversed mere meters before striking Sybil squarely in the forehead.
For some reason, Sybil made no attempt to dodge. A bloody hole bore through her skull.
Within the wound, white and red mixed as illusory golden flames devoured them both.
Clang! Sybil fell lifeless to the floor. The ghostly infants, their pale faces contorted in anguish, vanished.
That's it? Leah couldn't believe it.
The silver bells on her veil and boots continued to tinkle, growing more intense by the second.
In the blink of an eye, Leah felt a cold, malevolent force growing within her.
Frantically, she glanced at the washroom and the glass window. Her skin had taken on a bluish hue at some point.
In the next instant, her body reverted to a paper figurine.
The paper figure crumpled into a ball, hitting the floor with a thud.
Leah reappeared in the bathroom, the icy sensation still growing inside her.
Almost simultaneously, a gentle voice whispered in her ear.
"I made a pact with a strange spirit world creature and gained one of its abilities.
"Whoever kills me, I can be reborn within their body and take control.
"You're very beautiful. I like it very much. The padre should like you very much too…"
Without hesitation, Leah bolted from the bathroom, silver revolver and kerosene lamp in hand.
She had to find Valentine.
Exorcism was one of the Sun domain's specialties. They were particularly effective against such threats!
…
Valentine found himself cornered near the balcony.
The area was choked by pitch-black, thorn-covered vines hanging from the ceiling. Blood-red, putrid-smelling flowers bloomed all around.
Valentine spread his arms, summoning golden flames from thin air to incinerate the monstrous flora.
Just then, a figure materialized in midair.
He wore a white robe adorned with golden threads. His black hair was short, his blue eyes solemn, and his nose slightly hooked. He was Guillaume Bénet, the padre of Cordu.
No longer invisible, he floated in the air and gazed down at Valentine. In ancient Hermes, he bellowed,
"Valentine!"
Dark energy flickered within the padre's robes.
This was an ability Guillaume Bénet had obtained through a contract with a spirit world creature.
By invoking the target's true name, he could affect their Soul Body, causing disorientation.
The closer the language was to nature and the spirit world, and the better the understanding of the target, the stronger the effect.
If his Spirit Body was far superior to the target's, he could even extract their spirit, leaving them disoriented and defenseless.
Valentine's head spun as he heard the padre's shout. He suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't think straight.
However, he quickly regained control and shook off the disorientation.
Ever since entering Cordu, he had never revealed his full name. The padre's ability had limited effect on him.
Guillaume Bénet hadn't expected success either. Before Valentine could completely shake off the dizziness, the padre hurled a human bone he had prepared earlier.
As the bone hit the ground, the airborne padre rapidly recited in Hermes, "Blind, deaf, unwakeable."
It was a curse and an ability Guillaume Bénet had gained through a contract.
He cast bones symbolizing death to render the target like the dead—blind and deaf, with unresponsive eyes.
Valentine wasn't asleep, so the curse couldn't render him unconscious. However, the lingering dizziness intensified, blurring his vision and causing his ears to ring. He struggled to see beyond three meters or hear anything further away.
Seizing the opportunity, the padre extended his right palm.
His blue eyes took on a hazy, almost ethereal quality.
Complex mercury symbols, reminiscent of tiny rivers, swirled around Valentine. They formed a grand illusory river shimmering with light.
Countless tributaries branched off downstream. As the main river surged forward, most were swallowed up, leaving only one.
Guillaume Bénet observed for a few seconds and snatched one of the mercury symbols just before Valentine broke free from the cursed blindness and deafness.
He intended to amplify the corresponding tributary and make Valentine's fate of being paralyzed by the Abyssal Demon Flowers a reality.
…
Ryan barely managed to dodge the shadow's axe as it slashed down towards him. He quickly discarded the kerosene lamp he had been carrying and donned his silver-white armor. In his hand, a broadsword condensed from light appeared.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ryan slashed continuously, forcing the shadow back against the wall. The specks of Sunrise Gleam he released covered the surroundings, exorcizing the shadows in the area.
The pitch-black, pale-white, evil, or terrifying arms that were about to reach out from behind the shadow were pushed away, making it hard for them to grab Ryan's body.
With a clang, the shadow shrank back into the wall and reverted to normal.
It disappeared under the illumination of Sunrise Gleam.
Not far away, a remnant shadow enlarged, and Shepherd Pierre Berry, dressed in a long hooded coat, walked out.
He bent down slightly and charged at Ryan with his axe, accumulating powers in his body with every step. After a few steps, Pierre Berry seemed to have the posture and strength of a giant.
Ryan loomed over his opponent, gripping the Sword of Dawn with both hands as he prepared to strike the enemy charging at him like a rampaging bull.
Clang!
The broadsword and axe clashed, sending a shower of sparks in every direction.
Both Pierre Berry and Ryan recoiled simultaneously. One stumbled back three steps to regain balance, while the other only needed one.
Ryan halted his retreat, one leg stretched back, and seized the moment before Pierre Berry could steady himself. He lunged forward, slashing at his adversary.
Just then, Pierre Berry's mouth gaped open.
His tongue bizarrely morphed into a peculiar chameleon.
The chameleon's head was tucked between its legs, a front foot stuffed into its mouth.
The instant Ryan's gaze fell upon the chameleon, he was wracked by a searing pain in his head, so intense that his attack faltered, failing to land.
Headache curse!
Shepherd Pierre Berry had gained this ability through a pact with an enigmatic Spirit Body that had reveled in studying all manner of curses during its life.
Capitalizing on the opportunity to inflict a debilitating headache on Ryan, Pierre Berry summoned the receding shadow back and unleashed a ferocious assault.
Amid the cacophony of clanging metal, Ryan found himself forced to retreat.
…
Amid the chaos outside, Lumian bolted upright and urgently told Aurore, "Something's not right! We have to regroup with Ryan and the others!"
Ryan had drilled this principle into their heads time and time again: In the face of an attack, they had to strive to stay together. A united team was far more effective than five individuals battling solo!
"Okay!" Aurore leaped out of bed and sprinted for the door, reaching into the concealed pocket of her flowing gown.
As Lumian neared the open doorway, he caught sight of a figure—Deputy Padre Michel Garrigue stood before him, garbed in a white robe adorned with gold thread.
The striking, curly-haired youth's eyes were eerily vacant as he offered Lumian a smile.
"Do you want to pray?"
With a swift motion, Lumian yanked his axe free and aimed for Michel's neck.
Michel's head lolled, but only a trickle of blood escaped.
Glancing at Lumian from the corner of his eye, he inquired with a radiant smile, as if nothing had transpired, "Do you want to pray?"
As Lumian prepared to raise his axe and sever the man's neck, an overwhelming sense of danger washed over him.
Relying on his Dancer's uncanny agility, he abruptly spun around and swung the axe behind his back.
In the next second, his gaze froze.
He saw Aurore.
Aurore's light-blue eyes had inexplicably grown vacant. She hurled a handful of powder, ground from some kind of tree, at Lumian.
Gazing upon his sister's familiar visage, Lumian's axe strike decelerated until it came to a halt.
He even forgot to evade.
A crackling noise erupted as a sphere of silver lightning struck Lumian's head.
He fainted.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
