Chapter 333: Gherlos(2)

"Such a perfect face, and that petite body. I’d be in heaven."

With all sorts of inappropriate thoughts running through his head, the knight stepped into the room. A strange chill swept over him, and he instinctively glanced toward the space beneath the bed.

"I keep feeling like something’s hiding in the shadows. Don’t tell me a magical beast got inside?"

The Templar Knight was just about to bend down and investigate when Gherlos chuckled behind him.

"Stop wearing that heavy armor already. Why don’t you take a bath first? I like things clean."

"You’re quite sensible, aren’t you? I suppose you understand and have accepted everything by now."

The knight dropped the act and began undoing the straps of his heavy armor.

"You’re the most obedient one I’ve ever met. Heh. It’s a shame that you’ll... never mind. Talking about it ruins the mood."

After removing the cumbersome armor, the knight turned around.

Gherlos was leaning against the door, her snow-white legs crossed elegantly. Her phoenix-like eyes, cold as blue ice, were staring directly at his... neck?

Was it just his imagination? Why did it feel like she wanted to kill someone?

No, that couldn’t be right. This woman’s Divine Artifact was nothing more than a glove puppet. It had no combat ability whatsoever.

Just as he was about to move toward her, the knight realized he could no longer move.

An invisible restraint had locked tightly around his throat, joints, and every vital point of his body. Even his mana had come to a complete standstill.

"He’s really easy to fool, don’t you think?" Gherlos said to her puppet.

"That’s right! That’s right!"

The puppet replied in a voice completely different from Gherlos’s and nodded frantically. Then its head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees before turning to look at the knight.

The scene was bizarre beyond words. Combined with the screams coming from outside the castle, it was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

The knight panicked.

"What do you mean by this?!"

"I’m the Divine Chosen of Slaughter. Of course I’m here to slaughter people."

A sickly smile curled across Gherlos’s lips.

"Isn’t that perfectly reasonable?"

"Stop joking around. Is this some kind of game you’ve prepared? You’re planning to kill someone with that puppet? Once I break free, you’ll..."

Sharp, scythe-like hooked claws slowly emerged from the puppet’s hands.

Countless nearly invisible threads extended from the claws, weaving an intricate web throughout the room.

"Shh~"

Gherlos raised a finger to her lips and made a small beckoning gesture.

Transparent threads wrapped around the knight’s neck.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The knight discovered in horror that he could no longer make a sound.

"Sorry. I only awakened recently, so I’m still not very familiar with my combat techniques. If I fought you head-on, my chances of winning would be far too low."

With a wave of her hand, a monstrous scythe appeared in her grasp.

Unlike ordinary scythes with a single blade, her Divine Artifact possessed three crimson blades. The upright edges resembled the dorsal fins of a shark.

"Besides, I’m not just a child who plays with puppets."

"My Divine Artifact has always been Blooddrinker Scythe."

Puchi~

The razor-sharp blade plunged into the knight’s chest.

"MMPH! MMPH!"

The knight desperately forced his mana into motion, trying to break free.

Then he realized something horrifying.

Blood poured from his wound like rivers flowing into the sea, surging endlessly into the Divine Artifact scythe.

His strength drained away at an astonishing rate.

This highly decorated knight managed only a few weak groans before collapsing to the ground like a pile of rotten flesh.

Before dying, his gaze finally landed beneath the bed.

A heap of scattered armor, staffs, and weapons.

"So... the missing warriors... were here..."

His consciousness quickly faded away.

"Little Scythe, strip away his mana."

Gherlos released Blooddrinker Scythe.

The adorable puppet that normally fit over her hand instantly twisted and burst apart, transforming into a grotesque monster. It crawled onto the corpse, dug out the shriveled heart, and began devouring it with great relish.

The knight’s inheritance flowed along the threads and into the Divine Artifact.

The next moment, blazing flames appeared along the scythe’s blades.

"Oh! Oh! Fire mana! Nice!"

Spinning around excitedly, Gherlos finally sighed.

"I’ve finally collected a third elemental mana attribute. That increases my chances of escaping by another ten percent."

Soon, the puppet finished eating the heart and transformed into a pendant, returning to the scythe.

"My divine power reserves are complete, and my mana attributes are almost sufficient as well."

"When you were lusting after my body, I was lusting after yours too~"

Humming a tune she had composed herself, Gherlos glanced at the corpse on the floor and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"I hope the Night Demon can keep the Shadow World Sect occupied for a while."

"But... where should I run to?"

Pulling a third-tier ice-element staff from beneath the bed, Gherlos then retrieved a bundle of luggage she had packed in advance from under the blanket.

Almost unconsciously, she opened the package and looked at the keepsakes her mother had left behind.

Her fists clenched tightly.

Blooddrinker Scythe radiated a terrifying killing intent, and a sinister aura surged wildly through the room.

"Damn the Shadow World Sect. Damn the rebels. They all deserve to die!"

"I’m going to kill every last one of you."

Her homeland had been destroyed.

The entire clan had been wiped out. The men were all hanged, while the women were dragged into military camps.

She alone had survived.

Had she not awakened as a Divine Chosen at the crucial moment and become a bargaining chip for the rebels, she would have either been hanged or turned into a breeding machine.

Stepping out of the room, Gherlos’s demeanor was completely different from before.

Her long hair flowed elegantly behind her as she walked toward the castle gates with graceful steps.

"Miss Gherlos, please do not act on your own."

The cultists in the castle hall noticed her luggage and immediately showed hostile expressions.

"Where are you going? If you’re planning to assist our companions in the city, please move together with us."

"Haha, sorry."

Gherlos awkwardly pushed her hands forward.

"I was so busy packing my luggage that I forgot to deal with all of you."

"Huh?"

In the next instant, the domineering Blooddrinker Scythe materialized from thin air.

The puppet hanging from the end of the scythe seemed to come alive, floating into the air and slashing with its claws.

Countless transparent threads of divine power flashed through the hall, slicing everything in their path.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Large numbers of cultists clutched their throats as blood erupted uncontrollably from the wounds before they collapsed to the ground.

Only a handful of stronger fighters and heavily armored soldiers survived by sheer luck, though even they found themselves missing arms, legs, or other body parts.

"I spent all this time weaving the web. Otherwise, once surrounded by a sea of enemies, I’d end up getting ’baptized.’"

Chuckling to herself, Gherlos recalled the puppet and swung her scythe.

Wrapped in overwhelming killing intent, she charged toward the remaining survivors.

...

Meanwhile, Phield and the Night Demon had already clashed several times.

Dense swarms of Night Demons slammed viciously into Phield’s group, only to be shredded into pieces by chaotic waves of sword energy.

With Rosalia clearing the path, the group trampled over piles of corpses and crushed rat heads as they pushed their way into the city.

"Where the hell did so many Night Demons come from? And you still claim you’re not a Calamity Divine Chosen? This demonic tide is so dense that it feels like we’re back in Nightfall Domain."

Phield was speechless.

Ever since visiting Nightfall Domain, it felt like he could see its shadow no matter where he went.