Headless Knight

In the misty mountains and forests, the muddy dirt road was covered with withered branches and fallen leaves, and in the middle of the road were the tracks of passing vehicles and hoofprints.

Desolate! Secluded! Isolated from the world!

A carriage slowly approached from a distance. The driver couldn't help but glance at the ten strangely dressed people by the roadside. There was a priest, two handsome men, two beautiful women, and five burly men—all unfamiliar faces he had never seen before.

"Lucian, you said the air here smells nice?"

"Yes, this world feels like home." Lucian was starting to like it here. Having avenged his great grudge, he had no attachment to the other world and began to consider settling down here.

"And you, how are you feeling?"

When Russell asked others, the answers were all similar: compared to the smog-filled London, every breath of air here was a pleasure.

"I see..."

Russell nodded silently, channeling his Magic Power into his eyes. Wisps of black lines floated in the air, revealing a world favored by darkness. Or perhaps, it was the excessive activity of dark creatures that caused this world to become demonized, easily breeding dark-oriented monsters, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle.

For ordinary people, this world is absolutely terrible, with monsters and demons running rampant, pushing them down from the top of the food chain.

The advantage is that, due to the abundance of free energy, the human physique becomes stronger, and with a little training, one can master mysterious powers. Even ordinary people without Magic Power within them can skillfully wield some witchcraft...

Well, it seems survival is even more difficult now. After all, compared to devils, the terrifying upright ape is the most frightening creature!

After traveling two kilometers along the dirt road, a rather large village comes into view. It is very old and has a strong sense of medieval European town.

Upon seeing this, Amelia and the others were shocked. Apart from Michael, a modern man, the youngest among them had lived for four hundred years and was very familiar with the style before them.

It was precisely because of their familiarity with the place that they were so surprised. Having no experience with time travel for the first time, they mistakenly thought they had traveled back in time.

Michael, on the other hand, a young man who had grown up in a modern city, was the first to accept the reality of time travel. Not because of the bombardment of the information age, but because Selene was by his side, and he didn't care where he went.

Russell stared at the wooden plank nailed to the tree, his brow furrowing into a deep frown. The name of the town was written on it—a very familiar name.

Sleepy Hollow!

"My lord, is there something wrong here?" Amelia asked, seeing Russell standing under the tree for a while.

"Nothing much, just go ahead and find out about the vampires, and ask Alexander and his son if they've appeared."

Alexander and William entered this world first, but seemed to have vanished into thin air; even the Werewolf couldn't detect their whereabouts.

A group of ten people entered the town. Their modern attire made the townspeople feel uneasy. They regarded them as outsiders and closed their doors and windows tightly, hiding behind them to peek.

It's normal. In this dangerous world, when you see a strange person, your first reaction isn't curiosity, but to get as far away as possible.

The group found an inn in the town. The tavern on the first floor was deserted, and the middle-aged owner was drinking alone in silence. When he heard the door open, he hurriedly greeted them with a smile, but when he saw Russell and the others' strange attire, his expression immediately changed.

His eyes were filled with fear and unease!

Russell chuckled softly, reached out and took the necklace from Amelia's neck, slapping it onto the bar with a thud. "Hello sir, don't be nervous. We are exorcists passing by, not bad people. We want to ask you some questions."

The dazzling jewels made the middle-aged shop owner dizzy for a moment. When he heard Russell call himself an exorcist, his eyes lit up and he became much more polite, instructing the shop assistants to serve Lucian and his companions.

The shopkeeper smiled and reached out, but Russell grabbed the necklace and asked with a forced laugh, "Excuse my bluntness, but you are a priest, aren't you?"

"It's fake, it's for work!"

"So you came here... for the Headless Knight's bounty?"

"No, I'm not interested in the Headless Knight. I'd like to inquire about vampires."

"Vampire?"

"That's right!"

As Russell talked with the middle-aged boss, he gradually gleaned some information. It was the late 18th century, and Sleepy Hollow was located in a small country in Europe. The country's name was unimportant; he had never heard of it before. When he asked Amelia, she hadn't heard of it either.

However, from the middle-aged boss, he roughly understood the world background: an alternate history incorporating a dark and magical worldview, with traces of Grimm's Fairy Tales and One Thousand and One Nights that actually existed here.

For example, in the story of Snow White, Sleepy Hollow was part of the kingdom hundreds of years ago, and the Witch queen once ruled it. After her death, the kingdom split into several small kingdoms.

"Sir, is there anything else I can do for you?" The middle-aged boss rubbed his hands together, looked at the jewelry necklace in Russell's hand, and smiled obsequiously.

Having found no information about the vampires, Russell shook his head, put the necklace in his pocket, snapped his the Snap, and signaled his underlings to leave.

"Wait a minute, sir, you haven't given me the necklace yet."

"Why should I give you the necklace?" Russell asked, bewildered. Was it just because his boss had chatted with him for a while?

"You just said..." The middle-aged boss was dumbfounded. Russell had simply put the necklace on the table and had never actually said he would give it to him.

Okay, even if I didn't say it, I still have to pay for the meal!

The middle-aged boss, looking aggressive, pointed to the table where Lucian and the others had sat, only to be dumbfounded once again. The food served to them hadn't been touched at all; it was exactly the same as when it was served.

Werewolf and vampires live on blood, even if they are mixed-race. No matter how delicious human food is, they cannot enjoy it, let alone a few pieces of hard bread and cheap beer.

"Damn it, it's already on the table." Under the middle-aged boss's glaring gaze, Russell and his group strode away.

"Sir, where to next?"

"Buy a few horses and a map, let's go to the nearest big city..." Russell clutched the Cross necklace on his chest. "Perhaps the Church has information about vampires."

As they were talking, a warning bell suddenly rang out over the town, a cold wind blew, and the heavy clatter of horses' hooves came from the town's entrance.

In an instant, the already desolate town became even more deserted. People looked fearful, quickly returned home, locked their doors and windows, and closed their eyes to recite the Bible and pray.

Tap! Tap! Tap—

As the sound of hooves drew closer, a black steed carrying its rider burst out of the mist. The man and his horse charged forward with an unstoppable force.

Aside from being missing a head, there's nothing to criticize about this Black Knight!

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Lucian stood in front of Russell, drew his pistol, and the Werewolf became alert, gripping their ultraviolet weapons tightly.

Russell placed his hand on his shoulder, shook his head slightly, and gestured to the others. "Don't meddle in other people's business. The Headless Knight kills by selecting his targets; it has nothing to do with us."

Lucian nodded, still standing with several Werewolf warriors behind Russell, his muscles taut, until the Headless Knight rode away, at which point he sheathed his weapon.

"I told you, the Headless Knight wouldn't attack randomly..."

"Hissing sound~~~"

The tall horse reared up, turned around under the rider's control, and a sharp longsword was pointed directly at the group.

Russell: (one-one)

"Grown ups!?"

"Stop talking nonsense, kill him!"