Deep within the King's Campus, in the Eight Point Nest's torture chamber.
The sudden darkness plunged the torture chamber into chaos; prisoners screamed, guards panicked, and these cultists scrambled to relight the lamps, but it was exceedingly difficult in the pitch-black environment where nothing could be seen.
Finally, after much effort, one of the guards fumbled for the matches he usually used to light cigarettes. After striking one, a faint light finally appeared in the dark environment. Just as this guard was about to use the tiny glow of the match to light the other gas lamps, he suddenly discovered that before him, the faint light illuminated the indifferent face of a strange man.
"Who... ah!"
Before the man could say anything more, his body was pierced by a sharp blade. He let out a scream and fell, and the only light that had just been lit was instantly extinguished, plunging the entire space back into darkness.
Following the first scream, the second and third screams came one after another. Dorothy's Corpse Puppets transformed into assassins in the darkness, stabbing the helpless guards in the dark one by one at close range. The vibrations they made in their panic betrayed their positions.
As screams echoed repeatedly, the number of guards rapidly decreased. In the end, only two Stealth Shadows remained. Although they also couldn't see in the completely dark environment, relying on their keen hearing and movements, they dodged the Corpse Puppets' assassinations again and again, and even counterattacked, cutting off the head of one Corpse Puppet.
For these two Stealth Shadows, Dorothy directly controlled the Corpse Puppets in the darkness to draw their guns and fire continuously towards the source of the vibrations from a distance.
Stealth Shadows being able to dodge bullets doesn't mean their speed is actually faster than bullets; it's merely because they start making evasive movements before the shooter fires, upon sensing a gun is pointed at them.
And in this dark environment, it was already difficult for these two Stealth Shadows just to evade close-range assassinations. With their vision completely black and unable to see anything, they naturally wouldn't sense a gun being pointed at them. So, when the guns aimed at them fired, they had no time to evade.
Continuous gunshots echoed through the narrow darkness, the muzzle flashes becoming the only flickering light in the dark. When the gunfire ceased, the last two Stealth Shadows had also fallen. The dark torture chamber now only held the gasps of the prisoners.
After dealing with all the guards, Dorothy controlled a Corpse Puppet to take out a pre-prepared gas lamp and light it. Then, using the light from this lamp, the other gas lamps around were lit again, and the entire torture chamber returned to being illuminated.
With the return of light, the prisoners trapped in the cell compartments, covered in wounds, screamed in fright when they saw the countless fallen bodies. With fearful eyes, they looked at the two blood-soaked men still standing: Dorothy's two Corpse Puppets.
"Calm down, Mr.s, we have no intention of harming you. On the contrary, we can save you."
Looking at the panicked and frightened prisoner slaves before him, Corpse Puppet Brandon pressed down the brim of his hat with a blood-stained hand and continued speaking.
Brandon's words momentarily stunned the prisoners. Just then, another Corpse Puppet had found the keys on a fallen guard and began opening the cell doors one by one, releasing all the injured prisoners within in one go.
After regaining their freedom, the prisoner slaves, finally realizing what was happening, cheered. Many of them gathered in front of Brandon, and some spoke with gratitude and relief.
"Oh... Holy Mother above, I thought I would be tortured to death by those fellows. Thank you so much! You must be angels sent by the Holy Mother! Angels specifically sent to save us from these demons! May I ask what to call you?"
Looking at the somewhat emotional prisoners before him, Corpse Puppet Brandon lit a cigarette with his blood-covered hand, took a puff, and replied with a smile.
"Rose Cross... you only need to know this term.
"Go back, prisoners. This path leads to the exit, to your freedom."
After Brandon finished speaking, he pointed towards the exit passage not far away. He then saw the injured prisoners, after expressing their immense gratitude by kowtowing and thanking him, supporting each other as they walked towards the exit. Soon, not a single one remained. After they had all left, Dorothy emerged from behind a cover at the entrance of the torture chamber and looked at the empty torture chamber before her.
Dorothy wasn't worried that releasing these prisoners would trigger the alarm when they passed through the spider silk corridor, because everyone who could receive the spider silk warning had already been killed by Dorothy.
After Naifnis successfully obtained the qualification to enter the inner area, she got general information about the spider silk corridor from Eile. This spider silk corridor, upon detecting abnormal contact, would silently send an alarm to the minds of the Extraordinary individuals belonging to the Eight Point Nest in the vicinity.
This is why, even though Ci Rong was clearly entangled with the Hunter in the distance, Dorothy still needed Naifnis to carry her in. It was because there were definitely Extraordinary individuals remaining in the inner area, so she couldn't trigger the alarm yet.
And now, the two Student-ranked Extraordinary individuals left in the inner area had been dealt with by Dorothy, so she no longer needed to worry about the spider web.
After releasing the prisoners, Dorothy quickly began cleaning up the battlefield. She controlled all the guards' bodies and stored them in the magic box, replenishing her Corpse Puppet reserves, and then continued her exploration.
This time, Dorothy left a small Corpse Puppet in the torture chamber to monitor, and still had another small Corpse Puppet lead the way, with herself following behind, continuing deeper into the ruins via the stairs from the torture chamber.
Carrying a gas lamp, Dorothy walked downwards all the way, and soon reached a new level below the torture chamber. This level was also a large, spacious area about the same size as the torture chamber. There were no people inside, but by the faint light, Dorothy saw what looked like a huge, blurry outline within.
'It seems... there's something?'
Thinking this, Dorothy went to the stone pillar at the edge of the underground space, searched a bit, and found a gas lamp hanging on it. After trying it, she found it could be lit.
'A gas lamp that can still be used, must have been installed recently... This proves those fellows were also active on this level...'
Dorothy thought this, and then she began to light the other gas lamps on this level. After several lamps slowly lit up, the scene on this level gradually appeared before Dorothy's eyes.
Then, she immediately froze.
Unlike the torture chamber on the level above, this level seemed to be the ruins of a shattered altar.
This altar, built in an unknown era, was long dilapidated. All the sacrificial vessels and ritual implements were gone, leaving only the incomplete raised platform, cracked stone steps, and blurry carvings. The most conspicuous feature in the entire altar ruins was a divine statue standing on the raised platform, in the center of the shattered altar.
This divine statue seemed to be of a young goddess with a slender figure. She wore a simple, long, plain, thin robe and held a round, bright mirror in her hands placed before her chest.
If only looking at the body, this was a beautiful goddess statue, dignified and serene, a piece of excellent craftsmanship. However, the head of this goddess statue had been cut off and replaced with a terrifying spider's head with multiple eyes, sickle-shaped chelicerae, and fangs, hideous and frightful.
Looking at the stone statue before her, Dorothy stood rooted to the spot, her eyes wide. She had actually seen this scene before.
Not long ago, on the train Dorothy took to Tivian, among the goods Sodod of the Alster Security Agency, who was ambushed and killed halfway, was transporting to Tivian, there was a photo. It showed a scene almost identical to the one before her: a goddess statue with its head cut off and replaced with a spider's head.
'Interesting... There's one in Razor Mountain, and another one so far away. What kind of deity is this divine statue? Why are there statues in different parts of Prit? And one even appeared in the ruins of the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society). Could this deity have some connection with the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society)?'
Looking at the goddess statue before her, Dorothy thought to herself, and at the same time began to carefully observe the specific details of the statue. She first focused her gaze on its head.
'The break on the head looks quite new, very different from the damage elsewhere. It should have been done recently. Moreover, the material used for this spider head carving is distinctly different from the material of the goddess statue's body. These two are clearly not one piece.
'So, this goddess statue and the spider head carving should be two different works, just forcibly pieced together. The goddess statue's head was cut off and replaced with this spider head, and this should have happened recently, quite possibly done by the Eight Point Nest.'
While observing, Dorothy analyzed, and suddenly, she had a slight inkling as to why the Eight Point Nest wanted to control this ruin.
'The Eight Point Nest went to great lengths to corrupt the Secret Knowledge Society, using the Secret Knowledge Society's convenience for action within the school to find the ruin entrance. Their main objective is likely this Holy Altar hidden within the ruin.
'They cut off the head of this goddess statue and replaced it with a spider. I don't know what meaning this has, and from the current situation, the strange occurrences in Razor Mountain might also be connected to them.'
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Thinking this, Dorothy now suspected if there was any connection between the goddess statue and the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society), so she kept holding her Light, looking around the statue, observing carefully, trying to find any clues.
'The style of this Holy Altar... seems a bit similar to the style of the Shining Light Church's Church. Could this statue be related to the Shining Light Church? Could she be a statue of the Holy Mother?'
'No, I've seen many paintings and statues of the Holy Mother, usually depicting a relatively full-figured mature woman. Although this statue only has the body part, her physique is rather slender, especially her chest which is too obviously different compared to the Holy Mother statues. Overall, she seems more like a young girl, and statues and paintings of life generally don't include things like mirrors. This might be a goddess with a youthful appearance.'
Dorothy continued to analyze the statue before her. Just as she was carefully observing her surroundings, she noticed something slightly unusual on a wall nearby.
On that wall, on the mottled surface, there was a place where a piece of black cloth was conspicuously hung. Looking around, there were no such extra things hung on the walls in other places.
'A piece of cloth?'
Looking at that piece of cloth, Dorothy felt suspicious. She then took out her magic box and summoned a human Corpse Puppet, telling him to go forward and examine the black cloth.
'It looks a bit new, as if those guys just hung it up. Are they trying to cover something?'
Thinking this, Dorothy controlled the Corpse Puppet to slowly lift the cloth.
Then, what appeared before Dorothy was a cracked brick wall. In one corner of the brick wall, a small area of bricks and Stone were damaged and peeled off, revealing the second layer of wall underneath. Behind the wall surface that was originally supposed to be covered with bricks, there were intertwined characters carved.
'There's something behind this brick wall? Was this brick wall built afterwards to cover up what was carved on the real wall surface?'
Seeing this scene, Dorothy's eyes lit up. She then controlled the Corpse Puppet to tear off the black cloth and slowly began to remove the loosened bricks and Stones. Soon, many of these bricks and Stones were removed, and the carved characters that were covered up gradually became visible.
Those were two passages of text carved in different languages, serving as a Comparison translation for each other. One was prite language, and the other, Dorothy surprisingly recognized, was empire language!
When dealing with Deer Skull, Dorothy had obtained an empire language translation from Aldrich. That translation was also in empire language. On that translation back then, everything recorded was poetry praising a monarch named "Light King," extolling his great achievements in uniting allies, expelling evil gods and demons, and establishing the Empire.
And now, what was written on the wall at this time was also in empire language, just like the poetry. The author who wrote the "Light King" poetry and the author who carved the words on the wall might have something in common.
Next, Dorothy began to seriously read the content of the Stone carving on the wall. Fortunately, it seemed that later generations had carved the Comparison translation of the prite language on the side, allowing Dorothy to understand it.
After a brief glance, Dorothy discovered that this was a farewell message.
Qian:;!! Xun""' Mian:;; Fei"? Xiao:"?. Shuo. Qun!?,"2;'5;5,,5,!9,.!5;"3?"0,;:0...
"It is finished. All Holy Altars and Churches on the island have been closed and taken over.
"Whether public or secret. Whether in towns or in this context, the term refers to something related to wild/untamed spirits/powers.. Even this one built in ancient ruins, used for training and meditation, is no exception...
"According to the agreement, the belief in the goddess will completely withdraw from the land of the three islands. If we wish to continue following the goddess, we can only leave our homeland and go far to the East.
"I am reluctant to leave here. This is my hometown. However, for the goddess, I must give up everything. I have already sworn an oath to Jingyue.
"People of Pritania, please do not be afraid. Although we, the servants of the goddess, will go far away, the goddess's favor will always remain in this land."
...
North of King's Campus, North Pine Forest Farm.
Amidst the darkness of the night, the brutal and bloody struggle was nearing its end. Ci Rong's and A Ming's teams were no match for the well-prepared Hunters. Under a perfect ambush, their collapse was rapid.
Soon, Ci Rong's subordinates were completely annihilated, and his colleague A Ming was also beheaded by a Wind Blade in his fight against the Hunter Captain, thus dying. He himself was also injured.
At this moment, Ci Rong, dragging his injured body, was speeding through the dark forest. At this moment, he was a lone soldier, desperately trying to escape forward, while the Hunter team was in hot pursuit behind him.
The Hunters were pursuing their prey under the leadership of the Captain. One after another, black streaks of "Shadow" flashed through the forest, and the fleeing figure in the distance was getting closer and closer.
Ci Rong is a Black Rank "Shadow" Extraordinary. Logically, he possesses remarkable speed, but this speed is currently being hindered by his injuries, preventing him from using his full strength.
"Huff... huff... Damned... Black Dogs..."
Feeling the footsteps behind him getting closer and closer, Ci Rong could only grit his teeth in frustration and desperately speed up, but this did not help him widen the distance.
A Hunter Captain and several team members were running at the front of the team. Looking at the prey getting closer ahead, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth behind his mask. In his hand, he also held a small Stone knife tightly.
Just as this Captain, who was a Wind Art User by birth, was preparing to use a Wind Blade to strike down the prey ahead, amidst the dark forest, a very faint and dense sound suddenly echoed, and then amidst a rustling sound, large patches of black "Shadow" suddenly appeared from the forest, towards the Hunters in the front team.
Those were clearly a large swarm of bats with sharp fangs, pointed ears, and flapping wings!
"Quick, dodge!"
The leading Captain immediately reminded his surrounding team members, shouting. He then also swung the Stone knife in his hand, conjuring a strong wind that scattered many of the incoming bats, creating an environment for the team members to dodge.
However, three Hunter team members still didn't make it in time. They were instantly engulfed by the swarm of bats before they could react. Their entire bodies were wrapped in black, and they fell to the ground, struggling desperately, emitting painful screams.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
After only five or six seconds, the team members' struggles stopped. The bats covering them scattered and flew away, leaving behind only three corpses full of blood holes. Then, they all collectively flew in one direction.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, these small bats gathered together and instantly condensed into a human form.
When the bats disappeared, a thin, tall man wearing a black suit, with a bald head, pointed ears, pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, and prominent cheekbones stood on the ground. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his scarlet eyes coldly scanned the surrounding environment.
"Lord Claudius!"
Seeing the man appear, Ci Rong cried out in joy, while the Hunter Captain clenched his fist with a solemn expression.
"Chalk's... Vampire..."
...