"In essence, for Transformation Techniques, success depends more on innate talent than ordinary miracles, primarily relying on the fusion of imagination and direct action. To extend Vitality to an external object, you must first view that object as an extension of your own body, and then use that foundation to modify the Vitality."
Although time was limited, Redwyn conveniently provided some foundational explanations first.
Mithra listened intently. Midway through, Redwyn attempted a demonstration, but he was slightly awkward; he failed to achieve instant success.
For future preparation, there was no need to waste excessive Senseforce. Mithra stopped him from trying further, opting to investigate the principle herself.
This left Redwyn feeling somewhat let down. He quietly resolved that advancing the proficiency of his sustained miracle activations was one of his subsequent tasks.
After walking some distance, they noted the significant number of Cursed Beings within this manor, strongly indicating that quite a few people had met their end here.
The initial roar upon entering the manor, coupled with the presence of the Cursed Being knight, was sufficient proof of this mansion's inherent danger.
Even a Nightborne Knight had perished here. What exactly transpired within this family's estate?
"Huh? Mithra, did you take down this Cursed Being?" At this point, as they traversed a section of the manor, Redwyn inquired after spotting a Cursed Being that had been thoroughly dismembered.
Mithra was currently using her hammer to systematically crush the eyes of a one-eyed spider monster.
Hearing the sound, she glanced over: "No."
Then she immediately lowered her head to resume hammering, because the spider monster had nearly reached her face moments before—it was simply too filthy.
Although her body was now coated in a mixture of monster fluids and blood, she still retained a vaguely human silhouette; yet, if seen by the townsfolk outside, she would likely scare them speechless again.
"That must be the people who came before us and perished. It looks quite fresh. Is that Hundr from the Hawthorne family?" Redwyn speculated after examining the corpse.
On Mithra's side, the creature's miserable cries had ceased, the dull impact sounds ending. Mithra walked over, cast a cursory glance, but showed little interest: "Let's move."
Mithra's objective was singular: Safin's pendant. Anyone who obstructed that path would perish. She held little interest in most other matters.
After crossing the central courtyard, they continued their sweep of the rooms along the passage.
In one of the chambers, various pigments were violently splattered across the space, and only one weak Cursed Being remained inside. Judging by the arrangement and tools in the room, it was clearly a painting studio.
Mithra and Redwyn glanced in, noted its contents, and passed by.
The next area of interest proved to be a study.
It appeared someone else had thoroughly searched this location already. Several items were laid out before them, meaning Mithra and Redwyn bypassed the need for personal searching.
On the desk, Mithra and Redwyn picked up an aged letter. The recipient of the correspondence was the Nightborne Church, and the sender was precisely that notoriously disliked Erik.
After quickly reading the letter's contents, Redwyn couldn't help but frown: "It was this Erik, colluding with the Nightborne Church, who tipped them off and directed them towards the town."
Erik had carved out a comfortable existence in this Mining Town. He could not accept the town's downfall. When the secret mining operations could no longer continue, he leveraged some clues gleaned from the tunnel ruins to contact the relevant cultists, revealing a greater ambition simmering beneath the surface.
If the ultimate misfortune affecting the tunnel stemmed from excavating the ruins of the ancient Wandering God, then the architect spreading this calamity was this very Erik!
Later letters also detailed correspondence between Erik and the Church. After successfully usurping the Hawthorne family's authority with the Church's backing, Erik appointed himself the direct liaison between the Church and the townspeople.
He enacted many deeds: tricking the townsfolk into laboring for the Church, or coaxing them within this very mansion to offer their eyes to the Church. This mansion had concealed far too much darkness.
Reading the contents of the letter caused Redwyn to feel both physical revulsion and mental distress. He frowned and clenched his fists tightly.
Mithra, however, remained strictly professional. After processing these clues, she clarified a few points and then led the sulking Redwyn out of the study.
Ahead, the pair reached the end of the corridor.
There lay a grand hall, sumptuously decorated. In the center, a portrait hung prominently on the wall.
It was merely a painting—the lines were severely distorted, the colors bold to the point of chaos. Although it ultimately resolved into a human visage, even for Mithra, it was comparable to the infamous "Screaming Pope."
It looked like a malevolent spectral painting, yet it was displayed so conspicuously in this main hall.
[Portrait of "Erik": A petty schemer who successfully usurped a position through machinations. He commissioned the finest painter in Gross Town to create his portrait, replacing the painting of the first head of the Hawthorne family that hung in the mansion's main hall. This was merely the work of an amateur artist, but fueled by desperation and resentment, the painting's underlying emotion might rival that of a true masterpiece.]
[—Please cover this painting upon your person. You might become mentally unstable too.]
"That's what they say."
Redwyn was accustomed to Mithra speaking abruptly, so this time he didn't press for more questions.
"Is anyone there… Drink… Did I just hear someone's voice…"
Suddenly, a weak sound drifted from a corner of the hall.
Mithra glanced over and immediately spotted a figure lying there.
His breathing was shallow, and only a faint trace of Ki remained. Mithra and Redwyn hadn't registered him upon entering. He appeared to be near death.
Inspecting the person, his armor seemed exquisite but was heavily scored and bitten, utterly ruined. A bloodstained helmet lay scattered near his hand.
Upon closer inspection, he was a middle-aged man. Tragically, half of his face seemed to have been torn away by something gruesome.
"Sir! Are you alright?" Redwyn stepped forward to inquire.
"Child… Why are you such young children…"
"I am not a child," Mithra stated sincerely.
Redwyn paused momentarily, glancing back at Mithra, then quickly refocused on the man. He was unsure how to proceed in this situation and could only shake his head blankly.
The man took several labored breaths before managing to speak: "Young people from the Enchanted Realm, why have you ventured here… There are no treasures left, you must leave quickly…"
"The impression Earthlings give is truly poor," Mithra muttered under her breath.
Redwyn felt deeply embarrassed, his mouth opening and closing for a long time, still uncertain of what to say.
"We are not here for riches. Something far more vital—you are Hundr · Hawthorne, correct?" Mithra cut straight to the point.
Hundr weakly lifted his head, straining to focus his remaining functional eye on Mithra: "It is I… How do you know… No, that is irrelevant. That villain has been consumed by pure malice, transformed into a monster, and is extremely dangerous… No matter your purpose for being here… Leave immediately."
"You mean Erik?" Redwyn asked.
"It is him… I originally intended to risk my life to exact vengeance for my family and the townsfolk… But I did not anticipate…"
With that, he produced an item, extending it toward Redwyn to take—it was an exquisitely crafted harmonica made of pure silver.
"I cannot escape, but… Please take this with you… This is the Hawthorne family token. I do not wish for it to be lost in this desecrated place… You absolutely must…"
Before he could finish speaking, Hundr lost his voice. His eyes half-closed, yet never completely shutting.
Redwyn watched the harmonica, which Hundr had clutched tightly, suddenly slip from his grasp. He was momentarily stunned.
Mithra paid little attention to the dying man; instead, she turned her head toward another entrance in the hall.
Heavy footsteps approached, followed by a powerful surge of Ki.
Boom!
The main door was directly smashed inward. What entered the hall was a horribly distorted figure.
That hideous human face appeared first in their sight, scarcely different from the grotesque portrait displayed earlier in the hall. However, this face occupied only a small fraction of the monster's entire mass.
The upper torso was severely distended, with countless disgusting, layered protrusions sprouting from it, from which numerous arms held up the central visage like a grotesque, blossoming flower.
In contrast, the body seemed top-heavy with unnaturally slender limbs, sharp claws glinting menacingly.
"Aaaah—!!"
A raw, guttural roar, blending human sound with inhuman distortion, erupted, bringing with it an unprecedented sense of crushing pressure.
Mithra's eyes narrowed slightly. This creature was still alive, but a black mark—a dot—had appeared upon it.
["Resentment-Consumed," Erik: A petty and ignoble individual who, in his constant scheming, failed to realize he was constantly weighing everything down, making him easily dismissed as a disposable asset by others. He possesses good eyesight, but his perception is far from adequate. The curse of the Wandering God spread by night, awakening the victim's latent bitterness and binding it to his frame. He is no longer himself; he is one of them.]
[—The sewer rat has grown too plump, daring to crawl out onto the main thoroughfare.]
The detailed information appeared before her eyes, but Mithra felt no sense of triumph.
The last object whose black dot she could clearly identify was her own alternate self.
The Eyes of Night were proficient at extracting data from inanimate objects or unclaimed items, but now they were activating on a living being. Mithra still wasn't entirely certain about the prerequisite for triggering it on sentient life.
What was certain was that the entity before them was exceptionally dangerous.
Redwyn could not discern the detailed data, but the sheer density of Ki emanating from the opponent was undeniably real.
This was an adversary whose strength far surpassed his current capability!
"Mithra!" Redwyn turned his head and saw Mithra staring intently at the opponent.
Following Mithra's gaze again, Redwyn's eyes widened in shock.
A silver pendant!
A silver pendant was clearly visible, encased within one of the monster's monstrous lumps, with a small section exposed, swaying gently as the monstrosity moved.
"Wait, this thing is extremely dangerous. We need to discuss this much more carefully!" Redwyn hurriedly reached out to pull Mithra back.
But all he heard was a crisp "Ding" sound echo. As the Calmness aura flashed, Redwyn couldn't grasp anything before Mithra, gripping her hammer, fiercely charged toward the monster.
Bang!
A hammer strike landed squarely on the monster's seemingly vulnerable lower limbs.
But the monster's massive body only swayed minimally. Its claws suddenly lashed forward.
Mithra raised her hammer to intercept the blow, but was still smacked violently backward, blood spurting from her mouth.
As expected, the frail appearance was an illusion. How could something supporting such a bulky upper body lack immense strength?
As Mithra stumbled to a halt, Erik lunged immediately after her, letting out a muffled, enraged sound. His pair of large claws enveloped Mithra's entire field of vision, leaving no escape.
Mithra spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, and the shadow of the hammer in her hand became intensely dense. She met the incoming attack without showing any sign of weakness.
But after only a few exchanges, her chest was pierced by the sharp talons. Her current Vitality was completely insufficient to shield her body against the opponent's razor-sharp claws.
After being lifted up, Erik used his other hand to press down on Mithra's head, as if intending to tear her in half right across the chest!
Hiss!
However, before he could exert full force, four Dense straight swords burst forth from within Mithra's body, piercing through the claws that gripped her.
Mithra violently controlled the four swords using Object Manipulation, and her body suddenly surged forward!
Her form, carrying the swords, rotated, severing Erik's fingers and successfully wrenching free. She landed on the ground, breathing not at all heavily. With one hand, she swung the hammer; the Fire totem's Ignition enhancement was already applied, and she brought it down forcefully towards Erik's body.
Bang! Crack!
The hammer landed directly in the middle of the creature's swollen neck, but the sensation of impact wasn't very solid. Mithra's hammer, along with her arm, suddenly sank deep into the lumpy, viscous flesh of the neck.
Mithra: ?
The flames were immediately smothered by the viscous, dirty fluid. Mithra attempted to pull back, but a human face suddenly materialized on the nearest flesh lump, finally fully forming a grimacing visage that snapped down onto the corner of Mithra's mouth.
Sizzle!
The entire left side of Mithra's mouth, extending down to her cheek, was directly bitten away!
The screaming visage devoured Mithra's flesh and blood, letting out a tragic wail. It was unclear who should be screaming louder at that moment.
It wasn't over yet. As that singular human face appeared, the layered lumps on the body each sprouted various other human faces. The hall was instantly filled with spectral wails.
Then the lumps writhed, and several nearby faces lunged towards Mithra.
Just as black energy began to rise from Mithra's body, a flash of red light pierced through. Redwyn used Object Manipulation to direct one of the Dense straight swords, severing Mithra's right arm that was trapped in the writhing lump!
Blood sprayed outward. Mithra rapidly retreated, dodging the engulfing mass.
Redwyn rushed to Mithra's side: "Are you alright! Don't be rash at a time like this…"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because upon seeing the skin rapidly regenerating over Mithra's mouth—blending with the residual wounds and pain to form a twisted, fierce smile—he immediately felt there was nothing more to say.
How vital that silver pendant was to Safin, it was equally critical to Mithra.
Redwyn couldn't fully grasp the depth of Mithra's obsession, but he could only accept this extreme, almost manic fixation.
After all, this intensity was also part of the personality he admired.
So, he changed his strategy and continued: "I'll cover you. Prioritize securing the pendant. If we can secure the pendant directly, we retreat immediately."
"Not bad, your decisiveness in action is improving."
Mithra commented, then stood up again to face Erik.
As anticipated, her right arm also began to activate.
Stones, wooden clubs, metal objects scattered around… various materials surged towards Mithra's regenerating right arm, enveloping it.
[Cost: You have lost your right arm.]
[Compensation received: Prosthetic Miracle Hand (Right)]
[Ringer's Signature: May my craftsmanship never falter.]
A prosthetic arm constructed from mixed materials formed upon Mithra's right limb.
Fizzt—
Mithra's body trembled. She felt a strange connection between her severed limb's nerves and this new arm, as if a physical piece of her had been claimed by this attachment. But perhaps it was merely a sensation?
Looking at the arm, Mithra's mind instantly grasped the method of its use.
Redwyn was no longer surprised by Mithra's miraculous displays. He lightly tapped his glabella to cast Calmness, then condensed Ki using Object Manipulation. Four Dense straight swords floated upward, circling her. One of them, as it passed by Mithra, was directly grasped by the prosthetic hand.
"Sword No. 2 Dense Straight Sword. The hammer is in danger. We need to retrieve it," Mithra stated, lightly steadying the sword in her left hand.
Although the situation was urgent, Redwyn couldn't help but mentally groan about how he had procured those four swords in the first place. He held back, but Mithra charged forward again.
The Prosthetic Miracle Hand also possessed an independent consciousness.
Moreover, compared to the inferior Hand of the Abyss, the Prosthetic Miracle Hand was far more level-headed—simply like an external processing unit, a computer.
It calmly analyzed the combat situation and delivered its conclusions to Mithra. Then, utilizing Mithra's own mental framework, it integrated all of her existing combat experience to execute the maneuvers.
A series of whistling sounds rang out. The writhing flesh lumps were shredded by Mithra's exquisite swordsmanship the moment they lunged.
Erik's fingers, severed moments ago by Mithra, had already regenerated. A pair of claws quickly struck down towards Mithra.
Three flying swords, trailing strong force, struck one of Erik's arms, restraining it.
The other claw still lashed out fiercely, but Mithra's prosthetic hand suddenly retracted.
Sizzle—
The Ignition miracle was cast directly by the prosthetic hand without any warning. After sparks flew, a ferocious thrust pierced straight through Erik's claw and stabbed into his flesh.
The prosthetic hand swiftly released the sword hilt, created a short distance at the wrist joint, and then violently plunged deeper into Erik's body.
After a brief churning motion, it ignited directly inside, before being forcefully wrenched back out.
Bang!
Blood and fluid splashed widely. Erik was sent flying backward. Mithra raised her prosthetic hand high, Ignited her hammer to clear the smoke, and then turned around, using her left hand to retrieve the fallen Sword No. 2 Dense Straight Sword.
Redwyn cheered from a distance: "Excellent!"
Erik covered his shattered wounds on the ground and rolled, emitting a pained groan.
Limbs began to sprout from his neck. He supported his body and managed to stand again, but this time, his form was inverted.
Based on its appearance, Mithra had significantly more experience with this creature—it was startlingly similar to the spider monster collective they had dealt with previously.
Before, this form couldn't even stand properly.
[Right arm has recovered. Prosthetic Miracle Hand (Right) has departed.]
[Ringer's Signature: Looking forward to our next cooperation.]
If she were to state it plainly, she seemed eager to break his right arm again next time just to get closer to this experience.
The Prosthetic Miracle Hand disintegrated, revealing the newly regenerated right arm underneath.
Mithra was about to proceed when her body suddenly swayed violently, nearly causing her to collapse. She managed to brace herself instantly.
Redwyn immediately noticed: "Mithra, what is wrong!?"
Mithra gasped heavily, shook her head, and without offering much explanation, forced herself to stand upright again.
During the duration of the Hand of the Abyss's influence, her spirit had been disturbed by incessant murmuring voices, while the operation of the Prosthetic Miracle Hand had violently taxed Mithra's physical essence along the nerves.
Fortunately, in terms of physical recovery, Lebionce's innate regeneration could handle the damage. However, the appetite of the Prosthetic Miracle Hand was considerable. The resulting nausea, dizziness, and profound weakness that followed its departure were only mildly mitigated by Lebionce's healing, nearly causing her to collapse entirely.
Ding~.
First, she activated Calmness.
Mithra slowly retreated, moving to Redwyn's side, contemplating how to deal with Erik, who had clearly transitioned into his second stage.
Originally, she had planned to activate "Stranger," but thanks to Redwyn's decisive intervention, she had unlocked the necessary insights for her right arm regeneration.
This was truly a stroke of fortune.
Having extinguished so many lives in one day, Mithra now felt a rare sense of exhaustion now that she had been driven into this weakened state by the Prosthetic Miracle Hand.
Perhaps it was time to allow another "self" to venture out and explore the deeper levels?
While contemplating, she glanced at the harmonica Redwyn was holding.
Hmm?
[Hawthorne Family Token Harmonica: This is merely an ordinary harmonica, crafted from excellent material with average workmanship. However, its most crucial aspect is the accumulation of time and aspiration. It is a tragedy that the entire Hawthorne family perished, but it is fortunate that the last surviving member was not a coward.]
[—Do you understand? Miracles are governed by balance; there is the magnificent desire for glory, and there is also the dark manifestation of hatred. The two are inseparable.]
Erik began to crawl menacingly towards the pair. Mithra suddenly pulled Redwyn back, creating necessary distance.
Redwyn was momentarily marveling at how Mithra had unlocked her abilities. He then heard Mithra ask: "Can you play the harmonica?"
"I learned… I learned a bit!" Redwyn replied without hesitation.
"Play it."
Redwyn immediately looked at the harmonica in his hand, paused briefly, realized the gravity of the request, brought it to his lips, and his expression became utterly serious.
A clear, crisp melody immediately rang out in the hall.
It was clumsy and unskilled—the tune monotonous, occasionally skipping notes or going slightly off-key.
However, beneath this nascent melody, Erik, who had been aggressively charging, abruptly halted his movement.
"Waaah… Waaah…" The collection of faces on the lump of flesh suddenly began to sob uncontrollably.
Taking this as their cue, the faces on all the lumps began to whimper and cry, escalating finally into mournful wails.
"Huh? Why… why is this happening?" Erik's eyes, now partially visible amidst the surrounding arms, were dull, and he also let out human-like sounds.
Suddenly, one arm forcefully grabbed Erik's face.
Another arm ceased supporting the ugly body and reached out to gouge at Erik's eyes.
One by one, the surrounding arms stopped their frenzied thrashing, ceased their grotesque crawling, and instead turned violently against Erik, beginning a process of self-destruction.
"No… You guys… You can't do this… You are also just little things… You have no right to condemn me… Ah! Everyone is the same! Everyone is like this! Why are you only punishing me so severely!?"
Erik's face, being clawed at by the surrounding appendages amidst the persistent melody, seemed to finally sober up.
But he could not accept that he had become this way, becoming the target of attacks from his own monstrous form.
He couldn't grasp it!
Mithra slowly approached, her dark eyes staring coldly down at Erik.
Because Erik in the second stage was inverted, once the arms on his neck lost their stabilizing support, his bulky body immediately collapsed to the lowest point. As Mithra advanced, she had the most direct view looking down at him.
"Don't look at me like that… Don't use those terrifying eyes to stare at me… I did nothing wrong… What is right or wrong in this world? Isn't that true? I wanted a large house, I wanted hot soup every day, I wanted my own portrait, a good life… I was simply striving to attain what I desired…" Erik's voice trembled.
Mithra raised her hammer.
Swoosh!
Vitality power was briefly channeled into the hammer, coating it with a thin layer of white luminescence.
The Prosthetic Miracle Hand hadn't been fully utilized yet, but it had already helped Mithra clarify the specific technique for extending Vitality. At this moment, it manifested perfectly.
The hammer fell ruthlessly. It relentlessly smashed down onto the monster's distorted face, crushing it continuously until blood splattered everywhere and bone structure shattered.
Bang! Shatter—
The head ruptured like an overripe fruit. The ground beneath sank slightly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward, accompanied by a large amount of crimson splatter.
When Erik's head was completely obliterated, the faces on the lumps slowly ceased movement.
All the limbs went limp upon the ground, and everything gradually became utterly still.
The faces on the masses wailed as they dissipated. Their souls struggled to find peace, but at least they vented their accumulated resentment before their final strength vanished, instead of being swept along by that same bitterness to become complicit monsters again.
Mithra bent down, retrieved the silver pendant from amidst the shredded flesh, and stood up expressionlessly.
"Too much pointless noise."
She stated calmly.
Redwyn stopped playing his harmonica, let out a breath, and looked up at Mithra's towering figure, his heart filled with pure elation.
Victory!
Suddenly, he thought he heard a faint sound. He glanced back toward Hundr's corpse lying in the corner of the hall.
At some unknown point, the eyes of the dead figure had closed shut.
Mithra currently had no safe place to deposit the body. Since Redwyn was still carrying his small satchel, she temporarily entrusted it to him for safekeeping.
The scattered Inspiration was merely an insignificant interlude. The primary focus was the other item Mithra held in her grasp.
[Silver Pendant: A pendant gifted by a father to his daughter. It contained a cherished memory of the girl from her early childhood. However, before the father departed on a distant journey, the daughter returned it to him, hoping it might bring him blessings.]
[—Prayers are not always granted.]
"..."
Mithra squeezed the pendant tightly, turned without a word, and headed out of the mansion.
The two departed the mansion in a noticeable silence. Their next necessary step was preparing for the return journey.
"What about those townspeople…" Redwyn asked after they had walked some distance down the street. "I mean, we did forge an agreement with them."
The urgent matter was securing the pendant to take back to Safin, but they also had a commitment to the townsfolk.
"Let's take the townspeople down the mountain first," Mithra decided after a brief, thoughtful pause.
Redwyn appeared slightly perplexed. After observing Mithra a few times, he began to ask, "How about…"
Before he could finish his sentence, a loud, sharp crash echoed through the area.
Mithra and Redwyn immediately snapped their attention toward the noise. The source of the disturbance was clearly from within the town, specifically from that tall main chapel structure.
They witnessed a figure floating directly in the air. Clad in a sweeping clerical robe that billowed wildly around him, a terrifying, miraculous power emanated from the person!
Mithra and Redwyn, even from that distance, could feel a heavy pressure descending upon them.
Redwyn broke out in a cold sweat, his mind momentarily going blank.
Suddenly, the figure in the air turned its head, and it was looking directly at Mithra from afar!
Mithra saw the elderly cleric's lips move slightly, as if he were uttering a silent phrase. Then, he accelerated directly toward Mithra!
"Is he coming for us?!"
"He is coming for me," Mithra stated in a low voice, then decisively turned: "You take the townspeople and head down the mountain. We will separate."
"Then aren't you…"
As Redwyn finished speaking, he saw Mithra had already moved, offering no further words. He was truly shocked this time. He quickly invoked Calmness and Vitality upon himself, then turned and fled directly down the fork in the road.
Redwyn knew he couldn't hold her back.
As anticipated, after Mithra executed her swift maneuver, the cleric immediately altered his trajectory and gave direct chase to Mithra.
Redwyn grit his teeth and followed without hesitation.
That cleric was undoubtedly far more formidable than Erik. He could, at least, play a supporting role and stall against Erik, but this cleric was an entirely different threat.
He needed to prioritize his assigned task.
He calmed his mind and cast Calmness upon himself.
Ding~.
Good; he was clear-headed now. It was obvious why Mithra favored using that skill so frequently; it truly aided mental clarity.
Redwyn reapplied Vitality again and quickly ran toward the room housing the townspeople.
...
Mithra maintained her sprint toward the main chapel.
The speed of the pursuing cleric wasn't overwhelmingly terrifying. Although the distance between them was gradually closing, it remained manageable for her. Mithra moved strategically by weaving between the buildings, immediately confusing the cleric's pursuit line.
Finally, it seemed the cleric could no longer restrain himself. He raised the staff held in his hand.
Whoosh!
The staff revealed an eye symbol on its surface, resembling a spiral vortex of pale blue. Clearly visible upon the pattern were several claw marks.
None of the known miracle systems in the current human era possessed this totem; it exuded a soul-crushing sense of pressure.
A Wandering God totem!
The staff elegantly gathered pale blue power and then cast it towards Mithra from a distance…
…Did nothing happen?
Bang!
No.
A section of the building wall that Mithra had used for cover was instantly pierced through. Mithra reacted immediately, halting with extreme caution. The path ahead erupted directly, and the pale blue energy spread out, blasting a significant crater.
"A miracle that obscures perception, similar to the 'Blade of the Unseen' within the same system…"
Mithra narrowed her eyes, swiftly turned her head, and noticed the cleric had significantly closed the distance. She immediately changed her trajectory.
The cleric pursued closely, continuously launching unseen assaults.
Fortunately, even though the attacks were invisible, the dense urban environment around them somewhat mitigated the effects of this intangible threat. By keenly observing the surrounding disturbances, she calculated she should be able to react just before the attacks landed.
However, it was precisely this need for spatial awareness that prevented Mithra from exposing herself in open areas. Furthermore, as she was unfamiliar with the layout of Gross Town, shortening the distance to the target chapel proved difficult in such a short timeframe.
After a frenzy of relentless assaults, the cleric finally reached a position directly above Mithra.
"We thank you for this gift bestowed by fate; to have the Eyes of Night presented before us this evening," the cleric intoned, looking down upon Mithra from above.
Mithra responded by offering him a direct middle finger.
"We hold you in respect. We revere every brave warrior favored by the Night. Each of you possesses noble character, yet we require your eyes more urgently. Only through them can we perceive further guidance and locate the lost night." The cleric spoke slowly and deliberately.
Mithra paid him no mind and maintained her movement.
Seeing this defiance, the cleric raised his staff, and the distinct totem symbol used for hunting the Eyes of Night reappeared.
This time, the pale blue light lingered slightly longer.
Mithra felt a distinct sense of wrongness.
The staff was raised again.
She immediately dove into a nearby building, but the structure was instantly riddled with holes and collapsed with a loud crash!
Consecutive, invisible attacks rained down!
The defensive structures were rapidly overwhelmed. Mithra dodged with every ounce of her being, and the ground surrounding her exploded with craters. The trajectory of these impacts rapidly converged on Mithra's position.
There were no more defensive structures around her.
Boom!
Mithra felt her body strike by a surge of freezing, solid matter. A horrific bloom of blood erupted from her back, shaking her internal organs, and she couldn't help but open her mouth to expel a large amount of blood.
It wasn't over yet. The remaining attacks landed one after another on Mithra's body, from which she could no longer escape.
The trajectory remained invisible, marked only by the pale blue miracle fluctuations and great splashes of blood scattering across the street.
The cleric landed on the ground and walked towards the blasted ruins of the road ahead.
Suddenly, his steps faltered, and his brow furrowed.
Rumble!
Following a loud explosion, massive cracks spread across the road ahead, followed by continuous sounds as the ground directly sank and collapsed!
The cleric quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding being caught in such a massive structural failure.
The cleric, showing clear disgust, used his hand to brush away the dust. Under the moonlight, he saw a newly exposed passage leading underground where the road had crumbled.
He paused for a moment, then glanced back toward the small chapel that was not far off.
"It must be that secret passage… I was careless."
With that, just as he prepared to resume the pursuit, the cleric's body suddenly convulsed. He let out an inhuman snarl, and as he cursed, the fangs in his mouth visibly elongated and sharpened. Dark green, thick fur began to rapidly sprout around his neck, resembling the coat of a wild beast!
He clutched his head, sweating profusely.
"Ugh… It's still too forced. I must secure those eyes… Without that specific armament, even the most exquisite ritual cannot truly inherit that being's power…"
After a brief interval, a group of Nightborne Knights arrived, escorting a few Believers: "Lord Egov…"
The cleric struggled to crane his neck, looking intensely like a feral creature. He panted, sniffing the air around him: "No, this transformation… It will be completely consumed by the beast nature… Quickly… Escort me to the ritual site… Bring me more eyes!"
The Nightborne Knights offered no objection and immediately stepped forward to escort the cleric Egov back toward the main chapel.
...
In the underground tunnel, the wolf and the bear, who were busy feasting, likely needed considerable time to finish consuming the giant spider monster.
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps reached them, causing the wolf to instantly perk up its ears and peer down a side tunnel. It then slapped the bear, which had its head buried in the food. Only then did the bear react, its small, beady eyes cautiously peering down that section of the tunnel.
Mithra stumbled out, leaning heavily against the wall.
Ding~.
She immediately cast Calmness upon herself.
The torn flesh and blood on her chest, along with the shattered bones, were regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Carry me for a bit. You can gnaw on whatever you want along the way. I need to see someone."
Despite her critical injuries, Mithra's voice remained surprisingly steady. She looked quietly at the wolf and the bear.
The bear scratched its head and looked toward the wolf.
The wolf looked at Mithra with a complex expression, finally nodding once. But then it gestured several times with its paw, finally raising one of its front paws—a gesture that meant no reward was required.