Undercurrents Stir (Continued)

"I will not change my mind."

Maria silently stood up, turned her back, and prepared to leave.

"Great Beast... they shouldn't exist in this world!"

Maria knew that Father Agniel's words did not reflect the views of the people of this world, but... even so, she was annoyed.

Did the Great Beast help humanity?

Ridiculous!

Great Beast beasts never care about humans.

The so-called help was merely the aftermath of their achieving their own goals.

When humans finish eating, they leave behind scraps. Should the ants that collect these scraps be expected to thank humans for it?

This is clearly impossible.

So after Father Agniel expressed his opinion, Maria didn't say anything more, but simply got up and prepared to leave.

What others think is their business; for Hunter, all he can do is hunt...

Slaughter those Great Beast completely!

"This..."

Father Agniel breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Maria was about to leave, but his expression turned grim again when he heard that Maria was still going to fight the Great Beast.

From a personal perspective, he didn't want to offend someone like Maria, but... equally, he didn't want ordinary people to be dragged into battles that didn't belong to them.

Just as he chose to leave Laterano and come to Siracusa to establish the Gray Hall with Madam Sicily, his purpose from the beginning was to ensure that everyone could live their own lives within their own sphere of influence.

He doesn't stop the fighting; he only stops the fighting of one group from affecting the weaker ones.

Competition among those of equal standing is their own right; life and death are their own choices... but for those who are weaker, it is an undeserved disaster.

But if Maria were to engage in direct combat with the Great Beast... he really didn't know what to do.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to speak.

"Is this battle... something you absolutely have to do?"

"..."

Maria did not answer.

In the dim candlelight, they could only see Maria's blurry, uncertain silhouette.

She walked steadily and resolutely toward the church entrance.

Perhaps the people of this world have become accustomed to the existence of Great Beast, but for Hunter, the idea of peacefully coexisting with Great Beast is absolutely not part of their code of conduct.

The war between Hunter and Great Beast is inevitable and will not be affected by anything.

Is there really not even the slightest room for compromise?

Father Agniel was also utterly dejected at this moment.

He knew he had no way of stopping Maria... and as for the Great Beast, he couldn't persuade it either.

He could only do his best to protect the safety of others.

"... If you want to evacuate the others, you'd better hurry."

Maria turned around and, through the darkness, silently stared at a corner of the church, where the warm yellow light could only illuminate a small area, and Father Agniel sat within that area of yellow light.

At this moment, he truly possessed the temperament befitting his appearance and age.

An old man.

"That Great Beast has the ability to control other people... I don't know exactly how it does it, but there's no doubt I won't show any mercy to those people."

"... Even if the other party is just a child who poses no threat to you?"

Even if the other party is just an embryo in its mother's womb.

After Maria finished speaking, she took another deep look at Father Agniel, whose face was pale, and then left the church completely.

Maria's cruelty was more profound than he had ever known...

During their conversation earlier that night, Maria's agreeable nature clearly gave him the wrong impression, making him think that Maria was someone who could be persuaded...

"Well..."

The priest silently raised his head and gazed at the church ceiling.

On the gray ceiling, a beautiful bas-relief tells a story of salvation.

Unable to resist, Agniel recalled the conflict between his family and the Gray Hall that could erupt at any moment.

A massive crisis is brewing in the darkness.

"The calamity of Siracusa has come."

He closed his eyes and couldn't help but murmur.

The night passed quickly.

When Celinina woke up the next day, she found Maria resting with her eyes closed in a chair.

And I, who was originally crouching in the corner wrapped in a blanket, was now lying in bed without even realizing it...

Because Lavinia's room wasn't very big, and she clearly hadn't expected three people to be living there one day, there was only one bed in the entire room.

Celinina, thinking she had just arrived and didn't want to trouble others, wrapped herself in a blanket and squatted in the corner to sleep. But at some point, Maria returned and put her and Lavinia to rest together.

After hesitating for a few moments, the little girl got out of bed and carefully grabbed the blanket next to her.

She wanted to cover Maria with a blanket... after all, the weather in Siracusa is still quite cold, and Maria's way of resting could easily make her catch a cold.

But clearly, even though Maria was just sitting, the girl was still not tall enough for her to reach Maria's shoulder.

Left with no other choice, she could only try to stand on tiptoe and raise her hand to Maria's shoulder.

However, this action led to Maria's awakening.

His grey eyes stared at the girl.

"..."

"..."

The two of them just stared at each other without saying a word.

After a moment of stiffness, the girl hesitantly picked up the blanket.

"Um... do you... need it?"

"Thank you, but I don't need these, girl."

Maria shook her head.

After noticing that Lavinia was still asleep, she said nothing, gestured for Celinina to follow her, and then led the girl outside the room.

Throughout the journey, Maria remained silent.

Little Celinina stared blankly at the girl, and after hesitating for a long time, she cautiously asked.

"You're not in a good mood...?"

Maria paused in her steps.

After a moment, he shook his head.

"This has nothing to do with today's training."

After saying that, she quietly continued to lead the way.

The girl standing nearby hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, then fell silent.

The two continued their actions.

Near Lavinia's house, there is an undeveloped hill. Although there are some plans on the edges, the interior remains sparsely populated.

After Maria led Celinina to a clearly man-made flat area, she silently turned and looked at her.

Maria took a deep breath and silently shook her head.

"I'll ask you one last time, Celinina, you really want to learn my hunting skills, don't you?"

"Yes!"

Celinina nodded earnestly, her words and eyes revealing not a trace of hesitation.

Upon receiving this response, Maria closed her eyes and then took a deep breath.

"In my opinion, I would prefer you to refuse, but... since you've put it that way..."

As Maria spoke, she raised her hand and placed a string of strange Blood Vial aside.

Celinina was still watching all this when Maria was already right in front of her!

Those grey eyes... held no trace of gentleness...

"Bang!"

A heavy blow landed on Celinina instantly... She felt as if she had been hit by a meteorite, the powerful and terrifying shockwave reaching every inch of her body almost instantly!

She could even hear the sound of her bones breaking!

The fear of death spread throughout her body almost instantly!

I'm going to die...

I'm really going to die!

I... can't withstand this attack!

"Your first lesson, girl, is to understand death..."

Watching the girl fly away like a tattered doll, Maria showed no mercy. She simply walked forward slowly, pinpointed the spot where the girl had fallen, and looked down at her.

"Forehead..."

The poor girl could do nothing but stare wide-eyed at the towering Maria.

Just one strike...

With just a commonplace blow, her body had completely lost its ability to fight.

She couldn't help coughing, spitting out the blood inside her, but this only squeezed the broken bones, causing further damage to her already ruptured internal organs.

Judging from Maria's expression, she had just held back?

In an instant, Celinina truly saw the absolute difference in the power wielded by the two people.

That's a distance even more terrifying than a chasm...

She even thought Maria wouldn't kill her... but what she felt right now was death...

She could feel the blood flowing uncontrollably through her body, the roar in her ears grew heavier, her vision dwindled, and she felt increasingly fragile...

"Feel all of this, and then... remember it with your body... girl."

Maria gently knelt down in front of the girl, looking at the poor girl whose chest was heaving and whose eyes were wide open. She lowered her eyes and placed her hand on the girl's abdomen.

It ended her suffering.

Then...

"Pfft!"

Accompanied by a cold, penetrating sound, Celinina's thoughts quickly sank into oblivion.

... I... died like this?

Celinina was stunned...

She had so much to say, but in the end, she just pursed her lips and opened her mouth wide.

"..."

"..."

"... I... I'm not dead?"