"Eek--!"
A faint voice, belonging not to a boy but to a girl, drifted over.
Vane paused, ignoring the terrified, contorted boy on the ground, and got up to turn around.
In the distance, billowing smoke and dust swept in, while in contrast, a point of light kept approaching in my mind.
Vane breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that most of the Bloodline Heir had returned.
"[Vampire curses!] Why are you taking so long to get back! Hurry up, everyone..."
Vane's words abruptly stopped, and his eyes widened gradually.
He saw the two figures struggling in the crowd.
The familiar uniform and the occasional groaning sound made him pale.
[Stop! I order you to stop immediately! Don't bring them with you!!]
Vane issued commands rapidly in his mind.
The Bloodline Heir Army displayed astonishing efficiency, while simultaneously applying an abrupt stop that defied the laws of physics—
There was no forward leaning due to inertia, no staggering; all kinetic energy was completely absorbed.
However, Dario and Irene, caught in the middle, were not so Good Fortune.
The momentum abruptly stopped, but the body's inertia remained.
The two flew out of the crowd one after the other, tracing two less-than-graceful arcs, and tumbled awkwardly to Vane's feet.
Dario, being an experienced warrior, adjusted his posture the instant he landed, quickly raising his head with one hand on the ground.
Irene, on the other hand, was not so composed. She almost landed on her stomach, feeling dizzy and disoriented as she tried to get up.
As soon as the two regained their footing, they instinctively looked ahead at the only "person" wearing clothes.
Three faces, six eyes, a perfect match.
"Don't come any closer!!" (Irene)
"Who exactly are you people!?" (Dario)
"Don't look at me!!" (Vane)
Seeing him being seen by acquaintances (two people:?), the immense shame made Vane immediately want to escape the world.
"Go home! Go home now!!"
To the astonishment of Dario and his apprentice, Vane's figure vanished in a flash of light.
In the dimly lit hall, Ifrit, whose television had been forcibly taken away, was perched on Gorth's head.
Her hands gripped the pair of massive, branch-like horns tightly, and she shook them while drawing out her words in a coquettish tone:
"Third Brother~ let me watch a little longer, just a little longer!"
Reluctantly, Gorth put down his paintbrush and reached up to remove the "hanger" from his head.
"Don't call me Third Brother..."
Gorth's voice carried a hint of inexplicable awkwardness.
"It's painful to hear, you should switch back to the third child."
Gently pressing down Ifrit, who was trying to climb back up, Gorth patiently explained:
"It's not that I don't want you to see it. It's a rule set by the second brother, and it's no use telling me."
"She's not here..."
Ifrit mumbled, rolled over and hugged Gorth's arm, blinking hard as if trying to squeeze out a few non-existent tears.
"Third brother, you're the best! I'm almost at the most crucial part! Did Tang Sanzang and the Queen of the Women's Kingdom actually get married?"
"Let me read this part, just this part! I promise I'll draw well afterwards!"
Gorth looked down at Ifrit, who was rubbing against him, feeling both hesitant and helpless.
He was silent for a few seconds, then sighed:
You'll regret this...
"Huh?" Ifrit didn't understand.
Gorth said no more and put down the Ten Percent Off bracket that served as a canvas stand.
"Go ahead and go see it, just don't blame me later."
"Great! Long live the third brother!"
Ifrit cheered and ran towards her favorite "viewing seat" while hugging Ten Percent Off.
Just as she took two steps—
In the central open space of the hall, a familiar light shone.
Ifrit froze, her first thought was--
Vera is back!
"Reporting to the boss! It was the third brother who told me to look at it! It has nothing to do with me!"
She tossed the Ten Percent Off towards Gorth, then instantly stood at attention, looking like a "good girl."
"Bilibili--!"
Gorth caught the Ten Percent Off steadily and looked at the light with a puzzled expression.
It wasn't Vera.
It's Vane.
But his condition... is quite strange.
At this moment, Vane's eyes were unfocused, his expression blank, and he just stood there motionless.
Ifrit breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it wasn't Vera, but her curiosity was immediately piqued by Vane's appearance.
"Fourth brother, what's wrong?"
Gorth was also full of doubts. He stepped forward and waved his hand in front of his eyes.
"Fourth brother? Are you alright?"
Vane finally moved. He walked past the two men and mechanically walked to the sofa, slowly sitting down.
"Fourth brother?"
Ignoring Gorth's calls, Vane leaned against the wall, raised his head, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
In the horrified gazes of Gorth and the other man, his figure gradually turned grayish-white, radiating a holy light and becoming transparent.
"There's... nothing left to cherish..."
"Fourth brother--!"
Meanwhile, on the other side --
"Is this our destination?"
Vera squinted, surveying the stone forest ahead.
The jagged rock pillars, varying in height, resemble the densely interwoven skeletons of Behemoth, forming a natural, dark labyrinth.
Hedley compared the map with the surrounding terrain features and nodded:
"If the intelligence is correct, the Blood Butcher Squad is hiding in this stone forest."
"No wonder he was able to hide for so long," Vera said, withdrawing her gaze.
"It really is a perfect place for filth and corruption to hide."
Vera gently placed Liz on her mount's back, leaped down, and headed towards the stone forest.
"Rest on the spot and recover your strength," she ordered the team behind her.
"I'll go in and check things out first."
Are you going alone?
Upon hearing this, Hedley paused in his steps.
Upon hearing this, the mercenary group, who were organizing their equipment, immediately became agitated.
"That won't do! It's too dangerous for our leader to be alone!"
"Take me with you, boss! I'm tough and big, I can be your shield in a pinch!"
"I'll go! I'm fast! Let me carry you in, I promise it'll be quick and safe!"
"[Sarkaz swear word!] You fucking ripped me off!?"
"Get out of my way!"
W pushed through the crowd, weighing several seemingly unstable Originium explosives in his hand.
"Investigate what? Watch me blow this whole rocky forest to smithereens!"
As she spoke, she made a throwing motion, as if she were preparing to throw it.
"State--"
W froze, his poised stance gone, clutching his forehead where he'd been flicked, somewhat dazed.
"Are you trying to trigger a landslide?"
Vera withdrew her slender fingers, took the explosive from W's hand, and frowned:
"Also, if you don't want Oripathy to worsen, use your Originium Arts less."
As she spoke, she tucked it back into the handbag around W's waist.
W stared blankly at Vera's actions until the explosives were stuffed back into the bag, at which point he subconsciously touched his forehead.
Ignoring W's unusual behavior, Vera was about to turn and leave when Hedley stopped her.
"What? You're going to stop me too?"
"... The terrain here is very complex, making it too difficult to search for someone alone."
Are you afraid I'll get lost?
Hedley choked, Ines stepped forward from the side.
"Let me do it." She walked to Hedley's side and looked calmly at Vera.
"My Originium Arts are well-suited for reconnaissance; they're much more efficient than searching with the naked eye."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the restless mercenaries behind her.
"... If you insist on going in alone, these guys will definitely find all sorts of excuses to sneak in and help, and then the situation might become even more chaotic."
Vera turned her head following her gaze, and the mercenaries unconsciously pointed their toes towards the stone forest;
Those whose gazes fell upon her had shifty eyes and whistled, their acting skills utterly terrible.
"Never mind... let's take a break first."
"Yes, boss!"
The mercenaries immediately sprang into action, some setting up pots, others starting fires.
The slaves, who had just dismounted, stared at the scene in disbelief.
"Is it time to eat again?"
What do you mean by "again"?
Upon hearing this, Rice frowned and looked at the crowd with displeasure.
"It's been four hours since the last meal! This is a reasonable time to replenish energy!"
Ignoring the stunned silence of the crowd, Rice picked up the food and walked past W, who was still in a daze, and curiously poked the other's shoulder.
"What's wrong with you? Did you hit her too hard, boss?"
"She cares about me..."
"Ah?"
Rice was puzzled for a moment, then realized that the other person was referring to Vera.
"Isn't it obvious? Does the boss not care?"
Upon hearing this, W snapped out of his daze, looked at Rice, scoffed, and turned to leave.
On the other side, Vera carefully helped Liz down.
The girl's body was still weak, and her entire weight was leaning on Vera.
Just as Vera adjusted her posture, a barely audible voice came from her arms:
"Feel sorry..."
Vera paused slightly, looking down to meet his lifeless eyes.
"Knowing you're a burden, you should focus on getting better as soon as possible."
Vera's tone was somewhat stiff, but her grip on Liz's arm softened.
Stop saying these useless things.
Liz gently shook her head, her voice perfectly calm:
"My leg... it won't get better."
Vera frowned immediately, about to retort, when she caught a glimpse of something in the distance out of the corner of her eye—
Three children, recently rescued from slave traders, are helplessly surrounding a Berserk Boar.
Above it, a girl hangs in mid-air, her legs too short to reach the ground, caught in a dilemma.
Vera carefully settled Liz in her seat, making sure she was comfortable, before getting up and leaving.
"It will heal."
Leaving behind those four words and a slightly stunned Liz, Vera strode towards the children.
Upon reaching the wild boar, he lifted the girl off his back like a package and gently placed her on the ground.
"If you can't get down, ask someone for help. Don't try to be a hero."
The girl was clearly taken aback by Vera's help and was somewhat stunned.
"Big Sister! We'll help her!"
Vera looked down at the three boys below.
"You three little bean sprouts?"
Hearing this, the two lowered their heads, only the one who looked the oldest blushed and stammered:
"I will protect the second child and make sure she doesn't fall..."
Vera, who was about to turn and leave, paused.
"Second son?"
The boy clearly hadn't expected Vera to be interested in that nickname, and responded instinctively.
"Um... we don't have names, so we'll address each other by age."
"So you're the boss?"
The eldest boy nodded, and the other two boys realized what was happening and quickly explained.
"I'll protect the second child too!"
"Even if she had fallen just now, we would have caught her."
"Yeah..."
Vera's voice was somewhat low, and the two boys thought they had offended her with their tone, so they quickly lowered their heads.
Vera stretched out both hands towards the other person, and the leader quickly stepped in front of them.
"I'm... I'm sorry...?"
The expected pain did not come; Vera gently rubbed their heads.
"Then you must protect it well..."