Kapitel 335: Chapter 335: Using One's Body as a door
\Chapter 335: Using One's Body as a door
It was around 1 AM when Hastur finally left the Brave Bar. After not seeing Marich for a long time, he had inadvertently drunk a bit more than usual.
He had originally planned to have the bar prepare a carriage for his return, but sensing a familiar presence, he ultimately decided to walk back.
Following the street and passing through a small alley, Hastur arrived at the riverside. A green vine sprouted from the ground, twisting upwards. He placed his hand on it and allowed himself to be carried up to the clouds above.
Hastur chuckled and said, "You're still up so late? Are you admiring Backlund's moonlight, or were you specifically waiting for me here?"
"Are you interested in investigating the Abraham family's affairs?" came the reply.
Today, Bernadette wore red high heels and a knee-length burgundy dress. She appeared slightly taller than usual, exuding an air of intellectual charm.
"Now?" Hastur asked.
"The rats lurking in the darkness always prefer to hunt at night," Bernadette responded.
Hastur gazed down at Backlund below, musing thoughtfully, "They're trying to cause trouble for Fors again."
"You know that young lady?"
"As a matter of fact, I helped her become a follower of the star."
"Then let's go," Bernadette said without further discussion. She casually opened a door and led Hastur through it, bringing them to a street in the North District.
The two began walking towards St. Samuel Cathedral. Hastur asked curiously, "Are they hiding near St. Samuel Cathedral?"
"It's a clever choice," Bernadette replied.
Hastur felt somewhat relieved. Though Fors could be lazy at times, she proved useful when it mattered.
"They're quite bold to act near St. Samuel Cathedral," he remarked.
A hint of coldness flickered at the corners of Bernadette's mouth. "After all, the supernatural pathway they inherited excels at escape."
Hastur realized she had a point. With a Traveler present, they could evade even a Sequence 4 demigod if they acted swiftly enough.
About 800 meters west of St. Samuel Cathedral, in a room at the end of the second floor of an inn, Fors and Xio lay on the same bed. Despite their proximity to the cathedral, they still worried about their safety tonight.
Those people were like a persistent poison - once they latched on, only cutting away flesh and scraping bone could shake them off.
Fors stroked the bracelet on her wrist with one hand while gripping Xio's right hand with the other. At the slightest disturbance, she was prepared to whisk Xio away from this place.
In the pitch-black room, only faint crimson moonlight filtered through the window.
"Xio, are you shaking?" Fors asked.
"N-no, I just need to use the bathroom," Xio replied, her face flushing.
"Keep holding it," Fors instructed.
"Fors, don't you feel anything in your stomach?" Xio pressed.
"Xio, you just drank too much water."
"..." Xio's face reddened further as she admitted sheepishly, "I tend to drink more when I'm nervous."
As they chatted quietly, the air around them suddenly froze. A loud chanting voice rang out:
"I come, I see, I record. This place is forbidden..."
Before the sentence could be completed, Fors activated her bracelet, instantly transporting herself and Xio off the bed.
Crack.
A mysterious stone on the bracelet split open.
Fors had already brought Xio to a street about 100 meters from St. Samuel Cathedral.
"Let's go quickly," Fors said.
Realizing their location, Fors's face lit up. She grabbed Xio's hand, intending to run towards St. Samuel Cathedral.
But the street before them suddenly began to twist and warp, transforming into an increasingly narrow dark alley. The remaining light at the entrance was fading fast.
Fors and Xio didn't have time to escape before they were completely engulfed by this dark world.
Footsteps approached from behind them, echoing in the silent darkness.
Fors frantically fiddled with the mysterious bracelet on her wrist, but this time, it had lost its ability to traverse space.
With their greatest means of escape rendered useless, Fors and Xio's faces instantly turned pale. Their bodies trembled as they pressed their backs together, silently praying to the star for help.
"I didn't expect an extra harvest," a not-unpleasant male voice came from in front of Fors.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Didn't the person who introduced you to the supernatural world tell you about our family?"
As he spoke, some light returned to the dark world. Fors and Xio could barely make out the speaker's silhouette, but couldn't discern his features.
"What family?" Fors asked, her voice quavering.
"The Abrahams, a family destined for glory," the man replied proudly, his voice rising. Black tentacles surged from all directions, binding Fors and Xio tightly. "Trying to buy time through conversation? How naive."
At that moment, a beam of light burst forth from above, tearing through the dark world. The black tentacles instantly turned to ash.
"Heh," the man chuckled coldly. He attempted to teleport away but found himself unable to do so. His previously confident expression finally showed a hint of panic.
"When dealing with people like you, the first step is to prevent your ability to teleport freely," a familiar voice said.
Fors and Xio's hearts stirred simultaneously. The voice sounded just like Mr. Hastur!
Had he already returned to Backlund?
"Mr. Hastur?" Fors ventured cautiously.
Hastur?
A strange and cruel smile spread across the man's face. He spoke in a sinister tone: "I've finally found you!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he dropped to one knee and plunged his right hand into his own chest. Blood gushed from his heart, forming an intricate crimson pattern on the ground.
It resembled a layered, illusory doorway. Behind it, a powerful and mysterious being seemed to awaken and approach, seeking to cross over through this door.
As its aura spread, the entire space began to crack and splinter under the strain.
Fors and Xio felt suffocated by the oppressive presence, their throats constricting as if being violently squeezed.
Suddenly, they felt something wrap around their waists. A tremendous force yanked them away from the scene.
"Such persistence," a slightly contemptuous voice remarked. "Too bad your brains don't work as well as your determination."
The world before them shifted once more.
The man kneeling on the ground, using his body as a door, was shocked to find St. Samuel Cathedral directly in front of him. There was no sign of anyone else around.
"Ah!" he cried out.
The gradually expanding door first consumed his body and drained his blood, then was easily suppressed by the nearby St. Samuel Cathedral.
Eight hundred meters away from St. Samuel Cathedral, Fors and Xio found themselves back in their inn room, as if nothing had happened.
"Xio, pinch my cheek. See if I'm dreaming," Fors requested.
Still shaken, Xio gave Fors's cheek a firm pinch. Fors yelped in pain and quickly told her to stop.
"It's not a dream, but did all that really just happen?" Fors wondered aloud.
"I don't know either. It feels like we just had a dream," Xio replied.
Fors looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. One of the stones was missing. She murmured, "Let's just treat it as a dream."
Up in the clouds, Hastur gazed solemnly at the divine power left behind in St. Samuel Cathedral, which was suppressing the Sequence 5 Traveler of the Abraham family.
It was fortunate that he had prepared a contingency plan, directing this matter to the Church of the Evernight Goddess. Otherwise, he might have found himself in real trouble alone.
Tonight's events revealed how deeply the Fallen Mother Goddess had corrupted the Abraham family. Any member of the Abraham family could potentially become a door for the Fallen Mother Goddess's descent.
They seemed to be specifically targeting him. Upon sensing his presence, they were willing to go to any lengths, using their own bodies as doors to summon the Fallen Mother Goddess's power.
"She's trying to strike at the star by targeting its followers," Bernadette concluded based on the night's events.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein