Chapter 42
The Hooked Demon
The abandoned chemical plant was flanked by cracked brick walls, but it appeared relatively tidy from the outside. Sparse vines and weeds grew, covered only by a layer of drab gray dust and mud.
It felt more like a derelict villa or a storeroom than a factory.
The corridor wasn’t wide, barely accommodating two or three people walking side-by-side. With no lighting whatsoever, it was pitch black inside, even though it was noon outside.
As Eivass entered, he was hit by the strong smell of dust, accompanied by a pungent, durian-like odor that stung his nostrils.
Lulu, holding the child, coughed softly as she cautiously ventured further in. Even though she knew there was no one there, she tiptoed as if in fear. She felt her heart race. Despite still being on Glass Island, she experienced an unprecedented sense of adventure. Everything about this place was so novel, filling her with excitement.
“We came here…” Lulu whispered, “To escape that killer? Since this is a chemical plant, should we grab some chemical reagents for self-defense? What if he follows us?”
“He’d have to find the entrance first.” Eivass stated with blunt precision. “This chemical plant doesn’t have a main entrance. The back door effectively leads to a dead end; only the back door of the warehouse provides access here. After it was abandoned, the original main entrance was blocked by a newly built stone warehouse. As the warehouse expanded, it became completely sealed off.
“This chemical plant is two stories high, with higher sections accessible by ladder. Each floor has numerous interconnected rooms, and there are three staircases connecting the levels. If the intruder is alone, we have ample space to employ guerrilla tactics…”
He was interrupted mid-sentence by a mournful bell. Eivass immediately fell silent, turning to meet their gazes.
“The fourth one,” Sherlock said softly. “The three of us, plus ‘Bone Sculpture’, that makes four.”
Eivass narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who do you think could still be alive?”
“Coco. I suspect she has a dual Path.” Sherlock reminded him softly. “Don’t you remember, Fox? Madam Erini mentioned that ‘three progressors this time possess multiple Paths’. You, Knight, and Lulu are clearly newcomers. King and Cheese aren’t particularly intelligent. Besides myself and Bone Sculpture, there should be one more… either Basil or Coco.”
“I don’t have much of an impression of Madam Basil,” Lulu chimed in, whispering. “I can’t even recall her characteristics.”
“That’s one manifestation of Path Adaptation, gaining advantages by hiding oneself and blending into the environment. Don’t underestimate her—if you think carefully, you’ll realize that among the nine of us, only Basil has revealed absolutely no information. We know nothing about her.” the Newsboy warned. “If this is a New Moon Ritual, my greatest caution wouldn’t be Bone Sculpture, but her. Every Extraordinary with an Adapted Path is a professional hunter and assassin. I won’t feel at ease until she’s dead.”
“What about Coco?” Eivass countered. “Why do you think Coco is dual-Path?”
“I’m not certain, but I lean towards the third person being Coco. The reason…” Sherlock began. “Is her statement, ‘My profession is not Demon Scholar’. She was among the last two to be brought in, even later than ‘King’. If King is in Star Antimony, then Coco is definitely not in Avalon. However, in Star Antimony, while Transcendent Paths are legal, ordinary people cannot obtain professions other than Demon Scholar.”
“Is it like in Avalon, where the Authority Path professions are limited to Law Master, Arbitrator, and Sky Knight?” Lulu inquired.
Sherlock corrected her, “Strictly speaking, only Law Master and Supervisor. Not all Supervisors can advance to Arbitrator; even if their level is sufficient, advancement is prohibited without the approval of the Round Table Hall. A necessary condition for an Arbitrator is obtaining ‘Arbitration Authority,’ allowing them to conduct solo trials bypassing judicial institutions. Even if a Supervisor enters the Inspection Department, they only have enforcement power at most and cannot meet the advancement conditions for an Arbitrator. ‘Knight’s’ progression from Light Cavalry to Sky Knight is an advancement exclusive to the military system… every Sky Knight is an elite among elites in Avalon’s army.”
“Ah, I know this!” Lulu’s eyes lit up. “They need to turn the Red Gryphon into a talking White Gryphon to advance from Light Cavalry to Sky Knight, right!”
“Yes. They must wait for their Gryphon partners to mature, their dangerous reddish-brown fur to completely shed and turn pure white, their physique to rapidly increase from 1.8 meters to over 2.5 meters, their volatile temperament to become calm, and their intelligence to reach the level where they can speak simple human language… only then can Light Cavalry advance to Sky Knight. This requires them to constantly strengthen their partners using the Path of Authority. A White Gryphon consumes thirty pounds of fresh meat daily without training, doubling that during training and combat. Ordinary Supervisors’ Gryphons, due to different breeds, can only grow up to 1.5 meters in their lifetime and cannot learn to speak. They only require about five pounds of fresh meat daily and have a lifespan of merely thirty years. They are more like loyal pets capable of carrying riders than partners. The White-feathered Gryphons used by the military can live for several hundred years—long after their human partners have aged and died. In the Star Antimony Kingdom, the Extraordinary profession corresponding to Supervisor is Fiend, and the one corresponding to Law Master is Demon Scholar. It’s impossible for an ordinary person who enters the Royal Law University to become an Extraordinary and then a Light Cavalryman upon graduation. Due to the scarcity of pure Gryphon resources, the loyalty of Light Cavalry must be ensured, so they are exclusively selected from Knight families—just like our ‘Knight,’ who wore a helmet during his ritual.”
“Knight” perhaps didn’t realize he was the first to reveal himself. Even sooner than Lulu. This is because in Avalon, individuals outside of Knight families are forbidden from privately owning armor. Such an act would likely be punishable by death. This implies his father or mother must have been a Knight of the Round Table, which is why he could obtain a Knight’s helmet and become a Light Cavalryman.
“…Nobles of the Star Antimony Kingdom?” Lulu murmured. “I’ve heard that in Star Antimony, there are hereditary ‘Nobles.’ They have titles, their own land and manors. I’ve read about them in many plays and poems.”
Avalon viewed Star Antimony as an enemy, yet dared not engage in direct war… partly because they couldn’t be certain if the Royal Curse originated from Star Antimony. Avalon’s power, rather than being concentrated in the Queen, was vested in the Round Table Hall. Such a vague pretext was insufficient to prompt the considerably weaker Avalon to declare war on Star Antimony.
The Star Antimony Kingdom was currently the most powerful nation on the continent. They were once the sole empire on this continent. Even after splitting into four nations, they remained powerful. The Star Antimony Kingdom, founded by Valentin I, who wrote the sacred scripture of the Path of Balance, “The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony,” had already reclaimed two fragments of the former empire, restoring eighty percent of its territory.
Avalon could defeat Iris Flower, but certainly not Star Antimony. Their alchemical research, more than fifty years ahead of Avalon, had led to highly advanced technology in Star Antimony. Just a few years prior, they had launched a war and annexed another neighboring country that had seceded from the empire… the gigantic, self-regenerating golems on the battlefield were terrifying.
Only when Avalon allied with Iris Flower and the Church of the Holy See could they barely maintain a political equilibrium. However, if any nation were truly attacked by Star Antimony, unless they demonstrated strong resistance, their allies might not necessarily participate in their defense.
But Princess Isabel’s heart harbored another question: why would a noble from such a powerful nation only become an Extraordinary at this age? Although she appeared very young, perhaps in her early twenties, Princess Isabel’s keen perception from the Path of Beauty, and her recognition as a fellow woman, assured her that Miss Coco… or rather, Madam Coco, was at least over thirty years old. She likely used alchemical medicine to maintain her youthful, maiden-like appearance. Was becoming an Extraordinary in her thirties a bit late?
She immediately reacted, stating with certainty, “Coco must be that person with a dual Path!”
“Why are you so sure?” Sherlock retorted.
“Because Miss Coco is not as young as she appears; she should be over thirty. She must have used alchemical medicine to maintain her youth.”
“…I see. That makes sense… The fifth survivor should be Coco.” Sherlock nodded slowly, his expression becoming grave. “Then things might be rather grim.”
Eivass raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying the enemy might be a Demon Scholar?”
“Listen, both of you. I just remembered an incident.” Sherlock said in a low voice. “Ten years ago, in 1888, which is four years after the current timeline, the Lloyd District experienced a series of serial murders. Every eight days, a pregnant woman was killed, her infant brutally cut out, and its kidneys removed. This clearly indicated ritualistic killing. The Inspection Bureau referred to it as the ‘Jack the Ripper’ incident. I was sixteen years old then and participated in the investigation.”
The detective with a boyish face spoke slowly. “The killer was a young Demon Scholar who inherited a Hooked Demon from his mentor. This demon was born over a hundred years ago from the imagery of ‘surgical abortion.’ Therefore, he attempted to strengthen this imagery by performing such rituals to enhance the demon he possessed. He was eventually apprehended and executed. However, before his execution, Jack revealed that he had a master. —He confessed that his master had stayed on Glass Island for a considerable period, seemingly serving a certain individual. Over the past few years, he had killed many people for that mastermind. Recently, he went abroad, reportedly to the Horus Empire or the Ancient Kingdom of Anxi. ‘To cross the desert, he needed to maintain his purity, so he transferred the demon to me,’ after which his master vanished without a trace. Based on the timeline, that Demon Scholar should be on Glass Island now. The Hooked Demon itself is a Lower Demon, not very strong in direct combat, but exceptionally skilled at sneak attacks…”
Sherlock paused here and suddenly asked, “Did you have any curses on you when you appeared?”
Eivass and Lulu exchanged glances. Eivass replied, “We didn’t have any, but Little Eivass did. It was a weak curse, but used for tracking.”
“That’s it!” Sherlock affirmed. “I had one too when I appeared, the exact same type. I dispelled it myself with magic. This might be why we haven’t been attacked yet… The curse tracking counters the concealment ability of the Adapted Path. The person who just died should be Basil. She held on for a long time, but couldn’t escape. The Hooked Demon can track targets through curses and jump through space directly. Mirror Demons also require a medium, mirrors, and Shadow Demons cannot appear at noon. Moreover, both those demons are Upper Demons…”
“Coco is only First Tier, right?” Eivass asked.
“Transcendent Paths themselves are knowledgeable about demons. Her anti-demon ritual should be able to dispel lower-level demons. It’s also possible she transferred her curse to someone else.”
“So, our enemy is the Demon Scholar controlling the Hooked Demon?” Lulu understood.
“Well, to be precise, it’s the Hooked Demon he’s remotely controlling. The only problem is, although the Hooked Demon only has Second Tier strength, it’s incredibly fast and excels at sneak attacks… defeating it is almost impossible even for a Second Tier Extraordinary. Unless one of us is a Law Master who can instantly suppress it, killing it would be impossible.”
Sherlock frowned and grumbled with some dissatisfaction, “I don’t know how much the difficulty of this ritual has been increased by Bone Sculpture and Coco—they raised the difficulty yet refuse to cooperate with us! The three of us definitely can’t defeat the Hooked Demon, and adding ‘Knight’ probably won’t help. He’s not a Supervisor or a Law Master, but a Light Cavalryman; he has no suppression ability. Based on the calculated difficulty of this ritual, it’s estimated that at least one of them, Coco or Bone Sculpture, must be willing to cooperate with us for any hope of repelling the Hooked Demon. Now we can only hope you haven’t left any other cursed items… A Second Tier Demon Scholar can only curse one person per day. I’ve already been cursed, leaving you two. If we’re lucky, we might be able to stall until it ends… there are only about two hours left.”
Upon hearing this, Eivass subconsciously touched his nose.
…To be honest.
Not to brag.
If the enemy turns out to be a demon… then the difficulty of this ritual might have been inadvertently increased by me.
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