Chapter 560

Chapter 182 – Shades Seven

Karl’s eyes were bloodshot. Leveraging his momentum, he subconsciously took a few more steps forward before swaying and collapsing with a thud.

“…Cough.”

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lifting his head, his blurred vision swept over the dancing maiden’s fluttering red dress. Then, his gaze slowly shifted to Olivia, who lay not far away. Her face, smeared with blood and dust, had lost all vitality.

“Uh… Uhah—!”

Karl let out a hoarse cry, as if he was using his last bit of strength to lift his trembling leg, trying to stand up. But he couldn’t stand anymore. His body staggered and fell, gasping for breath like an old bellows, each exhalation bringing up blood froth. His face pressed tightly against the ground, in an extremely ugly and awkward posture, he struggled to crawl towards Olivia.

The dancing maiden under the pseudonym Messe stopped. The red snakes and purgatorial fire circling her body re-entered her body. She no longer attacked, but just stood there silently watching.

She watched the dying man struggle to crawl over, extend his hand, and gently caress the face of the dead woman, carefully closing her half-open eyes, and removing the ashes and debris from her cheek.

“Oliv…ia…”

Karl called the woman’s name, his weak voice trembling greatly, “If I knew the ending would be this way, I should have proposed to you last year… during that great snowfall in the Holy City… at that time… to make you my woman…”

“Hey, you… liked me, right…”

“I regret it…”

The fire crackled around them, black smoke billowing into the night sky as the charred trees crashed down. Karl’s voice grew fainter.

The graceful maiden stood there for a while, then shook her white hair, turned, and left. Not far away, her pale hand waved lightly, causing her red sleeves to flutter.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind howled, blood light blooming behind her.

The dancing maiden did not turn back to confirm whether they were dead, nor did she need to.

She walked through the burning forest, her beautiful face illuminated by the flames, cold and charming. Her skirt fluttered in the scorching wind, and her high-heeled shoes stepped on the scorched earth, walking out of the forest swallowed by flames, then stopping to turn her head and look at the stag town where thick smoke was rising. The chaotic and panicked cries could faintly be heard from there.

After a moment, the maiden sighed deeply.

“Sister Teresa…”

She called out the name of the deceased under the moonlight, whispering to herself, “Was what we chose truly the best choice…”

But the night sky was empty, and no one would answer.

…………

Stag Town.

In the center square enveloped by intense heat, the stage set up in the middle had long been engulfed in flames. The red curtains fluttered in the wind, licked by the scarlet tongues of fire, standing alone and desolate.

The slaughter began amidst the pervasive stench of blood.

Under the dark red night sky, the firelight cast a hazy glow. The originally bustling scene now seemed sorrowful. Scattered people ran through the streets, fleeing in panic over burnt corpses, blood and screams spreading everywhere. On this night, this small town seemed abandoned by the gods. Ruthless devils, upon hearing the news, acted without restraint, one after another visiting the town.

After the initial divine punishment, the demons seemed enraged by the meteoric fire being blocked by holy light, and sent crimson devils to drain the blood of the knights and nuns, completely shattering their resistance. Their bodies turned to ashes in the blood-red light. Such demons burned churches, killing countless defenseless people. The survivors witnessed the arrival of black devils. Two powerful demons fought in the sky before leaving. The unfortunate townspeople had no time to rejoice when a third devil, wrapped in dazzling lightning, suddenly appeared in the darkness.

At the center of the town, which was originally a place where the nuns of the holy church set up for healing, a simple white tent was splattered with blood. Lightning flashed, figures fell. Those lucky enough to survive ran and cried. They soon lost their limbs and heads in the rampant sword light.

The lightning flashed incessantly, passing through the streets filled with rising flames and severed limbs and blood. A flash of lightning struck the roof of a destroyed farmhouse, sending arcs of electricity spreading. The cattle below fell like wheat being cut, their skins blackened and smoking, limbs stiff.

Between the flickering blue arcs, Anasile, transformed into a sword ghost, held a sword with one hand. Her coarse clothes, bandages on her hands and face, were already soaked in blood. Her baby face showed no emotion. Standing on the roof of the farmhouse, she exhaled softly, inhaled, closed her eyes to listen, then turned her head to look in the direction of the burning church.

There, it seemed to be where the most living beings were.

With a loud explosion, Anasile’s figure disappeared again, transforming into a huge arc of electricity that flew across the night sky toward the hill where the church stood.

Soon, another agonizing scream echoed in the firelight.

Electricity raged, blood burned, and people fleeing in the town fell one by one. They did not know what was happening, with no means of resistance. Some had already lost hope of survival, either kneeling and crying, praying, or curling up in dirty corners, covering their heads, waiting in extreme fear for the devils to come and take their lives.

In the chaos, a dirty little girl stumbled. Her mother, running ahead, quickly turned back, dragging and pulling the little girl up from the ground, continuing to flee. Far away, the lightning still flashed, but the screams had weakened. The mother held the little girl’s hand, ignoring her bleeding knee, biting her lip and running desperately, running into a house that wasn’t on fire.

In a hidden hut, the stench was overwhelming, with several pigs electrocuted and charred. The demon had been here already.

“Hide, hide, shh, don’t make a sound…”

The mother pushed the little girl into the pigpen and looked back, seeing no one, she also hid inside, holding the little girl’s hand as they crouched down in the corner of a half-collapsed stone wall. They were tense, their faces filled with fear, their bodies trembling violently. In her extreme terror, she subconsciously squeezed the little girl’s hand tighter. Listening to the sounds from afar, she muttered, “It’ll be fine, everything will be fine… It’s safe here…”

“Mommy, I’m scared…”

“Hush, hush!”

The mother gently hugged the little girl, covering her mouth, then tried to shrink further into the corner, hoping not to be discovered by the terrifying demon. Her hollow, bewildered eyes quivered under messy hair, while the little girl found some comfort in her mother’s embrace and became still.

If the sleeping girl who had fallen into the lake was here now, she would recognize this as the little girl whom Miss Messe had saved near the stage.

Outside, the sounds remained chaotic and desperate. They hid in the pigpen, occasionally hearing someone nearby shout, “Great Mother Goddess, what sin have we committed! Why must we suffer like this—” Amid such despairing cries, the oppressive atmosphere spread rapidly, making it hard to breathe.

“Mommy, my knee is bleeding, it hurts…”

“Don’t make a sound, sweetheart… Blowing on it will make it better…”

The mother breathed cautiously, sensing that the demon was very close. The surrounding shouts were fading, sometimes replaced by inhuman screams that quickly vanished into the night. She couldn’t imagine the outside situation but dared not peek. After a long while, the thunder and lightning seemed to lessen.

Had they left…

After waiting quietly for a long time, she noticed that it had become much quieter around them. She thought everyone outside must be dead. Suppressing her fear, she slowly peered out from above the stone wall. Before she could see anything clearly, her vision was obscured by sudden shadows.

The mother raised her head in horror.

Zzz.

A bright electric arc flashed before her eyes, revealing the demon standing right in front of her, covered in blood. Its cold, emotionless eyes, like a venomous snake, stared at the weak mouse.

“Uh… uh…”

Despite her efforts to remain silent, the terror and fear in her heart exceeded her limits. Her body trembled violently, her throat dry, her mind blank. The choking sound she suppressed escaped involuntarily, even she didn’t notice it herself.

She didn’t understand how the demon had found them or what to do now. Instinctively, she shielded the little girl behind her, pleading with a voice so shaky she barely recognized it: “Don’t… kill…”

The next moment, the demon raised its sword.

Clang—

The mother protecting the girl saw nothing. She only felt a chill in her chest, followed by her limbs turning cold and numb. She lost all strength and collapsed softly, landing with a thud in the filthy mud, feeling the warm liquid seeping from her chest.

“Mommy…”

The little girl whimpered in sorrow, not knowing to run, but instead rushing to her mother’s side, shaking her arm and wailing uncontrollably. She watched the demon through her tears, her small eyes filled with endless fear and confusion, but no hatred.

Run…

Run quickly…

The mother wanted to shout, urging the girl to escape, to get as far away as possible, but she could only open her mouth. Blood surged up her throat, cutting off her breath.

“Cough, cough… uh…”

Faintly, she saw the demon’s slender fingers gripping the sword handle.

It was a human hand, just like hers, with five fingers.

Just like hers, trembling violently.

She saw the demon’s trembling hand raise the sword again.

“Mommy!”

In her ear, the little girl’s frightened cries echoed. She threw herself onto her mother, tightly closing her eyes.

But after a long wait, that sword never came down.

When the girl opened her eyes again, the terrible demon had disappeared.

“Xiliri…”

“Mommy, Mommy—”

She didn’t know what was happening. Turning to look at her mother, she screamed desperately, wanting her mother to wake up, not to leave her like this, but her mother said, “Run…”

“Don’t… make a sound… Run quickly… Listen to Mommy…”

“Mommy…”

“Leave here… Don’t let anyone find you… Go back… Find your uncle…”

“No, I want Mommy, I want Mommy!”

The little girl’s eyes were filled with panic, her face full of helplessness.

“Be good…”

Lifting her dirty hand, the mother gently caressed the little girl’s equally dirty cheek.

“Mommy is… hurt… can’t run anymore… Let’s rest here for a while… Just a little… You run, go find your uncle… Mommy… wants to sleep for a while…”

“No…”

“Be good, be good…”

“Mommy… is going to sleep for a while…”

“Guh…”

The stifled sobs and painful moans gradually faded into silence within the stinking pigpen.