Attack

Lumian was half-closing his eyes, feeling the pores of his body opening up, when suddenly he had an extremely strong Danger Premonition.

In the Dream Ruins, he had many similar experiences. He would suddenly brake and fall to the side, like a fleshy sac without bones that couldn't stand up.

The whistling Wind Sound filled his ears, and a sharp Axe grazed Lumian's body as it struck the air.

Lumian fell to the ground with a thud, trying to get up by rolling over, but just then, Paleness, Pitch-Black, strange, or Evil arms reached out from the shadows, grabbed his clothes, and bound his body.

The icy cold and stiff sensation quickly seeped into Lumian's body. He twisted and turned frantically, trying to break free using his incredible flexibility, while screaming at the top of his lungs, "Help..."

His mouth was suddenly covered by two Evil hands covered in tiny bumps, and his voice stopped abruptly, leaving only muffled whimpers.

At the same time, Lumian saw a long, human-shaped shadow cast on the wall, which was raising its Axe towards him.

When!

A two-handed greatsword made entirely of light blocked the Axe's Downward Slash.

Ryan was the first to arrive. He didn't even bother to put on the "Dawn Armor," and simply conjured the "Dawn Sword."

The Axe, which existed in shadow, revealed its heavy, sharp, and dark shape once it was removed from the wall.

The second person to arrive at the Washroom door was Lya, who was in the Study across the street. The Silver Bells on her veil and boots jingled not too hurriedly.

Lya raised her right hand, aiming her Silver-White Pistol at the eerie arms that were gripping Lumian.

They were straining frantically, as if trying to drag Lumian into the shadows.

On Lumian's neck, forehead, and the back of his hands, bluish veins bulged out, as if he were using all his strength.

Even so, he was still unable to resist those Paleness or Pitch-Black arms, and his whole body gradually merged into the shadows.

Bang!

Lya fired, a golden bullet Entanglement in intense flashes struck an arm so Pitch-Black it seemed to drip ink.

The arm suddenly burst into Burning, and it quickly released Lumian's neck, retreating back into the shadows of the corner.

This is exactly what Aurora saw when she arrived at the Washroom door.

Seeing that a third of her younger brother's body had thinned and darkened into a shadow, and his expression was becoming increasingly stiff, as if he were about to be frozen, Aurora didn't bother to analyze the current situation and directly pulled out a handful of Iron-Black material from her Hidden Pocket.

She sprinkled the powder in her hand onto Lumian, her light blue eyes darkening slightly.

Lumian immediately felt an invisible giant hand grab his body and forcibly pull him toward Aurora.

He remembered his Older Sister using a similar spell before, but the effect was to push him away, while this time it pulled him Past.

The giant hand was so powerful that it was on par with those Evil and terrifying arms, and Lumian's slide into the shadows stopped instantly.

Ta-da!

Ryan unleashed a series of slashes, sending the figure wielding the sharp Axe crashing back against the wall.

The next second, Valentine appeared behind Lya and Aurora.

Upon seeing Lumian's condition, he immediately opened his arms halfway.

Illusory Golden Flame appeared out of thin air around Lumian, instantly igniting countless Evil arms.

Those arms, whether Pitch-Black or Paleness, either dripped liquid like melting Candle or hissed and evaporated, turning into wisps of black smoke that dissipated into the air.

In just a second or two, four-fifths of the strange arm that had been gripping Lumian disappeared.

The remaining parts, unable to withstand the invisible giant hand and Lumian's struggles, successively drifted away from the target.

Lumian immediately felt relieved, and following the pull of the invisible giant hand, he half-flew and half-pounced in front of Aurora.

At that moment, as the arms, some Pitch-Black and some Paleness, retracted, the figure holding the Axe froze on the wall, quickly blending into the surrounding shadows, and there was nothing unusual about it.

Lumian stood up, looked around, and chuckled, "That's it?"

"They only sent one person? They're really underestimating us!"

Aurora glared at him.

"Don't speak!"

How could you say such unlucky things at a time like this?

As Aurora's voice still echoed in the corridor, behind Lya, on the wall next to the Wooden Door of the Study, a Black Vines covered in sharp thorns, unusually thick, and seemingly from the Abyss, fell from the roof.

At its top blooms a giant Flowers, bright red like blood, with a foul odor.

The Flowers suddenly swelled up, like a mouth opened to its limit.

It suddenly swallowed Lya's head whole and began to writhe wildly.

As it chewed, the food in its mouth turned into a thin sheet of paper, which it tore into pieces.

Immediately afterwards, the greatsword of pure light flew out of the Washroom and pinned the Giant Evil Flower to the wall.

Streams of bright red blood immediately flowed down the sword and evaporated into mist.

Almost simultaneously, similar Black Vines began to hang from the roof of Lumian, covering the walls, blocking the windows, and sprouting giant, bright red flowers.

Aurora had already taken out a material that resembled polished pearls, scattering it into the air to combine with some natural force that had been manipulated.

An invisible warm breeze blew by, and the Black Vines lost their vitality and withered, no longer able to support the bright red Flowers in mid-air.

They drooped limply down to the second-floor floor.

"The effect is quite good..." Aurora thought to herself.

Her spell came from a member of the Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society. He had learned the "Weed-Clearing Spell" from somewhere while tidying up his Lawn and garden. Aurora had traded it because she thought it was cheap and she couldn't lose out. She usually only used it to clear Weeds growing on the walls of her house, but it had come in handy today.

However, those Black Vines, which seemed to come from the Abyss, were exceptionally resilient; they only withered and did not die on the spot.

This gave Valentine time to summon the Golden, illusory "fire of light" once more, allowing it to Burning the filthy creatures freely in the corridors and rooms.

Ryan then filled the area with the clear Dawn, driving away all evil and dispelling all illusions.

Faced with these circumstances and having nowhere to turn, the "Hunter" Lumian suppressed his urge to perform the mysterious dance, watching as his Older Sister and the Three Foreigners worked together to clear away the anomaly that had invaded the second floor.

Before long, the black Vines and bright red Flowers turned into wisps of smoke.

However, the Silver Bells on Lya's veil and boots were still jingling, indicating that the danger was not over.

Lumian quickly looked around, sniffed, and said, "The air doesn't smell quite right..."

There seemed to be a faint, sweet, fishy smell lingering in the air.

"I feel a little dizzy and want to sleep." Lya didn't hide her discomfort.

The gases from Burning Vines and Flowers have anesthetic properties? How insidious! Aurora, with her extensive knowledge of Mysticism, immediately realized what was going on.

She then took out a handful of translucent powder and threw it forward.

A howling wind suddenly appeared, sweeping across every part of the second floor.

Upon seeing this, Ryan, Lumian, Valentine, and Lya each rushed into different rooms and pushed open the windows that were closed by Black Vines.

Once the strong winds, which posed no threat to humans, subsided, Aurora looked at Lumian and asked, "And now?"

Lumian sniffed carefully:

"It doesn't taste like that anymore."

"I feel much better too," Lya added.

At this moment, the Silver Bells on her veil and boots stopped jingling.

This indicates that the crisis is over.

"A probing attack by the Parish Priest and his men?" Aurora guessed.

Lumian glanced at Valentine face looked grim:

"I think it should be, but I don't know if it's Guillaume Béné, who just received the ' Gift,' or Pierre Berri, the Shepherd was already very skilled."

Valentine's expression softened upon hearing his form of address.

Ryan looked around and said in a deep voice, "Regardless of the possibility, it reminds us that we must raise our level of vigilance."

"From now on, we will split into two groups, taking turns resting and standing guard at night, regardless of day or night."

If someone is on night duty alone, they are likely to be attacked and find themselves in trouble, with no one to help them in time.

"No problem." Aurora and Lumian exchanged a glance and said, "My brother and I are in a group."

Ryan and the others did not object.

After that, the two groups took turns on guard duty every six hours. Although nothing happened until Lent Festival, they all knew that danger was coming, and it would come again and again.

During this time, Lumian continued to explore the Dream while resting.

He didn't immediately go Hunting the Flame Monster, suppressing his eagerness and striving to fully understand the target's activity patterns.

Relying on his "Invisibility" ability, through repeated long-distance tracking, through repeated observation, and through sufficient patience, Lumian finally obtained the information he wanted:

In the morning of Dream time, the Flame Monster would go to that open space to set traps and practice the skills it had mastered. This would last forty-five minutes to an hour and a half. Then, it would leave along a fixed route and enter an area littered with flesh and blood to replenish its energy.

Its afternoon activities are unpredictable, mainly involving taking different routes to patrol its own "Territory." Lumian has not yet discovered the criteria by which it chooses its routes.

By evening, it will once again enter the Hunting area along that fixed route.

After that, Lumian knew nothing more. Each time he went to the Dream Ruins, he would stay for a maximum of six hours and never explored at night.

The night Lent Festival.

Lumian awoke in his bedroom within the Dream, amidst a light Gray Fog. He glanced at the "Fallen Mercury" placed beside him, and his mind instantly focused.

Tonight, he will Hunting Flame Monster.