Before the shot was fired, the black tears flowing from the statue of the Virgin Mary grew more numerous and viscous.
The black tears dripped onto the ground. Instead of spreading like water, they writhed as though they possessed a life and will of their own, gradually gathering into the shape of tiny monsters.
At the same time, soft muttering sounded beside Lu Ban's ear.
The muttering was not human speech, but some sort of voice from primordial antiquity. These sounds would not vanish with the changes of human civilization. They were etched into the genes of every living creature, capable of awakening the most instinctive fear.
Lu Ban felt the area around him sink into darkness. He saw many people lying in that darkness.
Trist had been reduced to a dried corpse, his features withered and emaciated. His parched throat produced a sound as he reached toward Lu Ban, uttering broken words.
"Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't you save me?"
Momiji was covered in rot, her flesh a bloody mess, dressed in boots and a kimono. One of her eyes had fallen out, her expression twisted into something ferocious as thick black fog billowed around her.
"You could have changed all of this. You could have saved everyone."
All the flesh on Amber's body had been burned away, leaving her even smaller. Her hollow eyes stared at Lu Ban as a voice carrying scorching heat echoed around him.
"You killed me. You killed me. Why? Why? I trusted you so much. You personally sent me to the altar."
There were even more—deaths he had experienced during his missions. Those spirits surrounded Lu Ban, condemning him in overlapping voices and trying to torment his will.
Every sin, regret, and pain took physical form, repeating endlessly before Lu Ban's