Chapter 338
You’re Mistaken, Alain Is a Woman
Star Antimony Kingdom, Leipzig, the City of Knowledge.
The Ghoul suddenly sat up from the bed again. The youth, who looked to be in his early twenties, scanned his surroundings with lingering panic.
It was late at night. The two rows of candles lit in the room cast a blood-red hue through their red paper shades. A lingering scent of blood permeated the room, and animal remains were placed around the ritual array.
“… Is this real now?”
The Ghoul’s doubt blurted out. He had just experienced something terrifying in an illusion. He couldn’t recall the specifics of what happened—those details faded rapidly from his mind after the dream ended. But the feeling of terror had been deeply etched into his heart.
It felt as if he had already lived through this scene before. It was like waking from a dream, only to fall into an even deeper one. The fragmented experience was like a shattered mirror, or a broken glass cup—something transparent yet hard had pierced deep into his soul, causing him intense discomfort all over.
“Ah!”
As the Ghoul tried to push himself up, he found his left arm suddenly powerless. There was no visible wound, yet a sharp pain shot from his left arm. He let out an involuntary cry and fell back onto the bed.
“—What’s wrong, Mr. Oliva?”
As he broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, a young woman’s voice suddenly called out from the doorway. It was Jeanette Neumann, who had been cohabiting with him for a while in preparation for her Ascension Ritual. But the Ghoul, whose true name was Oliva, felt a chill run down his spine. The fear surging within him subconsciously made him doubt if the person speaking at the door was truly Miss Jeanette.
His Ascension Ritual had undoubtedly failed. This meant he hadn’t obtained any Path Trait. If he hadn’t obtained a Path Trait, how could he have determined that he had already left the ritual? Or, was this another illusion…?
Without waiting for Oliva’s response, Jeanette used her key to unlock the door and enter. She was still in her pajamas and appeared somewhat weary, but she clearly wasn’t exhibiting the same symptoms as Oliva.
“Don’t come any closer!” the Ghoul shouted, his eyes flashing with terror. He tried to shrink back, but his excessive movement aggravated his left arm, and the intense pain instantly brought his actions to a halt.
Just by observing his reaction, Jeanette seemed to understand.
“… Is this debilitating damage to your spiritual body?” she asked, rallying her spirits with concern. “Then your left arm needs to be amputated quickly, or it might spread.”
The Ghoul, however, kicked his legs in fear, letting out a cry that was almost a scream but surprisingly full of vigor. “Don’t come over! You’re fake! You killed me!”
Hearing this, Jeanette froze. She looked at Oliva in confusion.
… Could it be that he suffered severe spiritual damage from dying so horribly during the New Moon Ritual, leading to mental derangement? Oliva felt his memories rapidly becoming vague. He worried that he might indeed have woken up from the dream. If that were the case, he needed to record the crucial information he still remembered as quickly as possible.
So, he blurted out without hesitation, “Alain might have swapped identities with Gray, Alain is a man! He’s dangerous, controlling Shadow Demons, Children of the Moon, and Earthbound Spirits!”
“… Huh?” Jeanette asked with a hint of helplessness, “What are you talking about?”
The settlement screen was very clear—they had definitely encountered Mr. Gray. Although Jeanette fled upon meeting him and was disoriented after falling into a trap… looking at the painful illusions they both experienced before death, she knew how she had died. The final victor was undoubtedly Gray, who had defeated them.
Even though the secret tunnel was very dark at the time, Jeanette, possessing dark vision, had clearly seen the appearances of both individuals. That Child of the Moon was the female Child of the Moon holding the sleeping girl at the final settlement! And the sleeping girl in her arms was Gray. The final settlement screen also showed the young man with Shadow Demons coiled around him and an evil smile—that must have been Alain, who had Transcended the Path. Miss Alain had displayed her shadow abilities in the waiting hall… Only Gray, who turned out to be a man, had made her misjudge.
It was truly strange. Her Path of Love’s sensing ability had told her that the other person should feel like a girl. She could only attribute it to the powerful disguise ability of Path Adaptation.
Jeanette’s departure from Avalon years ago had another important reason—her sexual orientation was beyond Avalon’s comprehension. Although she was a woman, she was also attracted to women. In Avalon, with its extremely high moral standards, this was undoubtedly a taboo. This was the trait of the Path of Love; she would pay any price to achieve her desires. Similarly, she possessed a keen, hunter-like instinct that allowed her to directly find suitable prey. No need to see their face, hear their voice, or interact with them—a single glance from afar was enough to tell if they were within her range of interest. This was the unique sensitivity of the Path of Love in its domain of “what it loves.”
Furthermore, Alain was a Transcendent Path, while she and the Ghoul had died from illusions… According to the Ghoul, they had died from an Earthbound Spirit. But how could a Transcendent Path gain the power of an Earthbound Spirit? That was an Undead, a Phantom Demon of the Twilight Path! Not a Demon of the Transcendent Path! But if it was Path Adaptation, then it wouldn’t be strange. Path Adaptation could learn the abilities of any Phantom Demon, whether it was an Earthbound Spirit or a Succubus… Seeing her lying there sleeping, it was possible she was mimicking a Succubus’s abilities.
The settlement screen for Ascension Rituals was undoubtedly meaningful. For the dead, it revealed the cause of death; for survivors, it explained the reason for their survival and the fundamental cause of their victory.
—So, the answer could be deduced with a little analysis: Mr. Gray killed them in their sleep!
“What a terrifying combination,” Jeanette said seriously. “A woman controlling Shadow Demons and a man who can create illusions to kill in dreams… And they seem to know each other and trust each other.”
“—They must be Star Antimony people, I think they are with the Rose Cross. If not, they are likely people the Rose Cross is looking for. Perhaps by following them, we can find the Rose Cross.”
“No, no! Wrong, wrong!” Oliva screamed in terror, “She used the power of the Shadow Demon… that Shadow Demon is with that woman! It’s all Alain, both of them are Alain!”
“Alright, alright…” Jeanette replied helplessly. “I get it, I get it.” She felt her good brother’s mental state was not right; he was indeed a bit crazy. Although her own memories were also beginning to fade, a simple deduction told her something was wrong—if Gray had Shadow Demons, would they have died slowly in illusions? Could she have simply run away? They would have been sliced to pieces by the Shadow Demon upon meeting. Moreover, Shadow Demons are dangerous demons with an irrepressible wrathful heart and constant killing intent. How could a Demon Scholar possessing a Shadow Demon, under its influence, still possess the rationality to cooperate with a Child of the Moon? It was best not to believe Oliva’s words.
To prevent her fading memories from being confused by Oliva’s words, Jeanette firmly held him down and patiently began to brainwash him. “Listen, your memory is faulty. Stick to what I remember…”
At this very moment, in another location in Leipzig, the City of Knowledge, no more than ten kilometers away from them.
The Stranger opened his eyes with satisfaction, sat up from his bed, and put on his glasses. He had reaped a great harvest this time. …Although he didn’t know what happened during the whole process, he had successfully advanced. He had also gained considerable inspiration from Basil Valentine. —And he even praised me! He praised me several times!
“Thank you, Lord Valentine! I will work hard!” The Stranger announced energetically, clenching his fist. Just then, his door was knocked. —Undoubtedly, it must be Prince or General Karl looking for him. The Stranger suddenly felt guilty, remembering something else. …Speaking of which, hadn’t I forgotten to go find them?
It feels like the updates are getting later and later, sigh, three updates are exhausting…
Get a grip, and continue updating!
(End of this chapter)
