章 26: The Pursuit

In the Braveheart Bar, Kaspars limped through the bar counter and made his way to the kitchen area. Pausing suddenly, he lightly tapped on a discreet door, and after receiving permission, he opened it and slipped inside.

It was a card room, where over a dozen people were gathered around playing poker. Upon seeing Kaspars enter, a man in a white shirt and black vest slowly rose to his feet, while the others paused in place, all remaining perfectly silent. This man was none other than Maric of the Temperance Faction, with his cadre of animated corpses.

Even though Kaspars had encountered scenes like this before, he still felt his scalp tingle. Swallowing his nervousness, he spoke up, "Mr. Maric, I've got news about Jason. Recently, he's killed several people in the Cherwood Borough. A friend of mine told me the case has now been handed over to the Mandated Punishers."

The pale Maric gave a slight nod and asked, "When did this happen?"

"The disappearances started last week, but it wasn't until today around noon that a detective helped the police find an alley full of shattered human remains. Then the case was handed to the Mandated Punishers," Kaspars explained in detail before taking his leave.

After Kaspars left, Miss Sharon's spectral figure suddenly materialized beside Maric, propping her chin on her hand with a blank expression as she asked, "What do you think, Maric?"

"Jason may have sustained severe injuries in a previous encounter, making it harder for him to resist his bloodlust," Maric replied evenly. Although he used the word "may," his tone was certain.

"He's never bothered trying to resist. The injuries only made him feel 'hungrier' faster," Sharon, pale and beautiful, stated with quiet assurance.

"The indulgence may be indulgent, but they're not stupid or reckless. Jason wouldn't risk acting in the Cherwood Borough unless he was fairly certain he could evade both the Mandated Punishers and our pursuit," Maric reasoned calmly.

"I'll head to Cherwood Borough and stay near the Mandated Punishers' team," Sharon said, her body gradually fading as her voice turned ethereal.

"Be careful. The team leader of the Mandated Punishers in Backlund has contracted a Sacred Artifact… and Jason may have already called for backup," Maric cautioned the empty air.

"I know," Sharon's disembodied voice drifted back from an indeterminate source.

...

On Saturday morning, since the abandoned manor in the northern suburbs had been sold—and with a certain specter possibly residing there—Ebner and Xio wisely chose not to practice shooting there again.

However, due to Ebner's assistance in solving two recent missing persons cases, he'd earned some favor with Sergeant Fassin and managed to secure access to use the police shooting range.

It was, once again, the outspoken Officer Aetris who welcomed them and led them to the underground range beneath the police station.

"Who's this lady? Your fiancée? What's she doing here?" Aetris eyed Xio, who was following behind Ebner, with some confusion. He'd never seen anyone bring a lady to the range before.

"She's my shooting and combat instructor," Ebner replied, casting Aetris a glance as he noted the officer's weary appearance, observing that his typically sharp words weren't quite as biting today.

"Oh, so you found a clever excuse for a date!" Aetris scoffed, though lacking his usual enthusiasm. Had he been in better spirits, he would likely have been lobbing quips left and right.

There's no need to go over the details of their shooting practice; suffice it to say that Xio was rather pleased since practicing at the police range meant she wouldn't be covering the cost of the bullets.

During their combat training afterward, Ebner asked Xio for pointers on sword techniques. While she wasn't exactly an expert, she did know the basics, as swordsmanship was part of knightly training.

Time slipped by as Ebner practiced his strikes again and again.

At noon, after parting ways with Xio, Ebner stopped by Grant's clothing shop. Since the investigation now had its "conclusion," he figured it was time to update Jane.

Jane, seeing him come in, immediately knew he had something to say. As the shop wasn't a convenient place to talk, she led him to a nearby café.

"Ebner, do you have the results?" Jane asked anxiously.

"Yes, your father isn't sneaking off for an affair… He's just been, well, doing volunteer work," Ebner replied carefully. In a sense, handling bodies could be considered a form of volunteer work, so he wasn't lying.

"Volunteer work? In the middle of the night?" Jane looked doubtful and couldn't help but snark, "What, is he volunteering to comfort lonely single women?"

What a biting comment… Ebner thought to himself. Thankfully, he'd already prepared his response and calmly said, "He's helping the poor in the Eastern District, giving them a place to rest." Even if that rest is after death.

"Then why go at night?" Jane still didn't understand.

"Because it's only at night that those without homes, who are forced to roam the streets, truly need help," Ebner explained.

"Is that so… Then I must've misjudged him! No wonder he mentioned renting some vehicles for nighttime use, even though he's so busy with the new store opening… I'd thought he was doing it for a mistress!" Trusting Ebner completely, or perhaps wanting to believe her father was innocent, Jane immediately accepted his explanation.

After wrapping up Jane's request, Ebner promptly returned to his studies and reading.

Time flew by, and soon it was June 12th.

It was a Tuesday, and as usual, Ebner spent his morning at the public library. Today, he was reading a copy of Revelations of the Night. Though he was technically a follower of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, he knew it was wise to understand the teachings of the Goddess, especially in Loen.

"The Creator awoke from chaos, shattered the darkness, and made the first light, sacrificing Himself to transform into the universe, His body becoming the earth and the stars, His eyes transforming—one into the sun, the other into the crimson moon, His blood flowing to form the oceans and rivers, nurturing and giving rise to life…"

"His lungs evolved into Elves; His heart into Giants; His liver into Treefolk; His head into Dragons; His kidneys into Feathered Serpents; His hair into the Phoenix; His ears into Magic Wolves; His mouth and teeth into Chimeras; His remaining bodily fluids into Sea Monsters, with their essence as Naga; His stomach, his intestines, and His wicked parts transforming into demons, evil spirits, and various other unnameable beings. His spirit became the Eternal Blazing Sun, Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom…"

As Ebner read, a thought stirred within him: if this world's creations all stem from the original Creator, meaning everything ultimately traces back to Him, then perhaps with enough foundational knowledge and a sufficiently advanced Pure White Eye, he might one day be able to see beyond any entity's origins, tracing them all the way back to the First?

The moment he had this thought, his Pure White Eye suddenly activated on its own, sending his mind and spirit into a wondrous state. Faint, fragmented sounds echoed in his ears.

To his surprise, he felt something within himself dissolving and merging with his spirit under the influence of the Pure White Eye.

It was a unique and indescribable sensation, and Ebner half-closed his eyes, quietly taking it all in.

At that moment, he didn't need anyone to tell him: he knew he had fully digested the Reader potion.

"Two weeks!" Ebner murmured.

...

Meanwhile, in the southwest of the Cherwood Borough, an intense, large-scale battle raged on, one that hadn't drawn a single public alarm.

This was a chase between the Mandated Punishers and the indulgence Zombies of the Rose School of Thought.

Leading the flight was the hedonist ghoul Jason. Blackened spots covered his face, resembling the scars left from healing wounds, and his eyes were filled with such solidified malice that they could make any child cry at night, unchecked and unrestrained.

He was faster than a steam train at full speed, darting past an entire street in an instant. Yet, despite his speed, a powerful force had sealed the area completely, isolating it from reality, and trapping him within range of two pursuing Mandated Punishers!

These pursuers were Wind-blessed, surrounded by gales as they flew in mid-air.

Seeing another volley of wind blades tearing into his flesh, Jason gritted his teeth and desperately zig-zagged, searching for an opening in the barrier. The blackened spots on his face had begun to swell, a putrid liquid seemingly ready to seep through.

Where Jason passed, puddles on the ground and moisture in the dirt froze over in an instant, covering everything in a layer of white frost. Leaves on nearby trees wilted and decayed at a visible rate as they drifted to the ground.

Finally, after looping through the entire limited area, Jason spotted a gap in the barrier. Ecstatic, he forced himself through with all his strength, tearing open a breach and leaping toward freedom. What he failed to notice, however, was the chilling smiles on the faces of the Wind-blessed above.

As expected, a bolt of silver lightning struck down from the sky, hitting Jason squarely, blasting a chunk of rotten flesh off his body. Just one strike left him on the verge of collapse.

"So it was a trap after all…" Jason thought, his realization coming far too late.

Seeing their ambush work perfectly, the two Wind-blessed closed in for the kill. But at that very moment, a werewolf burst through the gap, scooping Jason up and making a mad dash for escape. Ignoring the furious strikes from the Mandated Punishers, it fled at an astonishing speed.

The Wind-blessed could only watch helplessly, their flight speed unable to keep pace.

Then, the barrier surrounding the area shattered, and in an instant, the frozen puddles, withered leaves, and all other signs of the battle faded, leaving everything as if untouched.

"Captain, we're sorry. They got away…" the two Wind-blessed muttered in shame to the team leader who materialized after the barrier dissolved.

"I underestimated them… I didn't think the Rose School would send a wraith to delay me," the team captain said, his expression grave.

Meanwhile, in the glass of a window on a nearby street, a certain wraith silently retreated, leaving no trace of her presence.

Elsewhere, the badly wounded werewolf collapsed midway, no longer able to stave off his injuries. Jason, now somewhat recovered, hoisted him onto his back and leapt into the back garden of a nearby clothing shop...

(End of Chapter)