Bloodstained Bride

He turned to head toward Nature Church, but suddenly stopped and looked back at Shade.

Shade raised his left hand, pinching a Red Butterfly Pendant between his fingers.

"I know I can't defeat you right now, but you need to understand one thing—bringing the dead back to life comes at a price. I know two girls who, even with the blessings of gods, still had to pay a heavy price to gain lives beyond what they should have had. Do you know what that price was? Eternal bonds, the torment of separation, and cycles of time. Mr. Barton, what price are you prepared to pay?"

"Any price. Everything."

He paused and looked at Shade.

"Mr. Watson, in half an hour, the power of True Death will strike the Interstice again, triggering Middlesburg's third earthquake. It will also be the final earthquake. By then, I will lead all the undead in the Interstice city to attack Nature Church; I will lead all the undead on Sikar Mountain in the Interstice to attack the mountainside and summit. At least tens of millions of souls will launch a final assault on the three seals. Even if The Church can stop them, I will have the remaining undead fuse into the ultimate death aggregate. This is the final battle.

"No matter which version of me it is, one of us will eventually pass through one of the passages, enter True Death, and bring back my beloved."

"Why tell me this?"

"I hope you'll leave this place."

Shade shook his head, clutching his right shoulder. His arm was truly broken.

"The Church will begin the ritual early. Starting it early will weaken the seal, and it won't remain effective for three years, but at the very least, once the ritual succeeds, it can put most