Rest in Peace

“Ha... ha... ah...” Li Yue leaned against the wall, gazing at the azure sky. She dragged her fingers heavily across her cheek, leaving ten bloody gashes that appeared and then rapidly healed.

“Calm down... calm down... calm down.” Li Yue hugged herself, forcing her body to steady. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she fought to suppress the bloodthirsty desire raging within her.

“If I lose to these urges, how am I any different from them?” Li Yue forced herself to recall those bloodstained memories. Intense hatred dragged her back from the edge of a bottomless abyss of desire. Clo’s love made her sink deeper, but only that hatred, more painful than blood itself, could bring her back to the shore of sanity.

Li Yue panted softly. Her breathing gradually slowed, but the rhythm of her heart grew faster and faster. The blood sword in her chest emitted threads of black and red blood. As they slowly interlaced, a pitch black serpentine pattern seemed to swim across her skin, finally forming a dark mark on her back.

“Clo always said that such a beautiful back should have some magical markings tattooed on it. I suppose she got her wish.” Li Yue laughed at herself. She clenched her fists, feeling a strange sense of power that could destroy everything. But reality told her this was an illusion; a mere drop of blood could not restore her to the peak of her former strength.

While she was still relatively lucid, she sensed that shattered soul. She had planned to do this for a while, though she had been briefly interrupted by Melina. The bruises Clo had left on her body the night before had already vanished.

“That feels much better... That idiot, she could have been a bit gentler, especially since I didn't even resist.” Li Yue puffed out her cheeks, seemingly a bit miffed, but a faint smile remained on her face. It was hard to tell if it was simply because her mood had improved after feeding.

“A pious soul... is it always this clear?” A look of sadness crossed Li Yue’s face. “I am the most violent of gods, so why...?”

“Is it simply because I founded this nation? All I ever did was manage the order of the River of the Dead, nothing more...” Li Yue recalled those relatively peaceful years. “Redemption saved so many people, so I can understand why humans love him...”

Li Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her figure drifted through the golden corridors. Gradually, she began to pay more attention to the shifting scenery. The number of students she encountered dwindled; she was likely entering a restricted area.

She stepped through a wooden door and into a plaza. The area was deserted. An open air fountain continued to spray water, and the sunlight was a bit piercing, giving her a sense of unreality. Within her field of vision, she could see the familiar bell tower.

Ten minutes ago, it seemed someone had once again tried their best to toll that massive, silent ancient bell, but now the place was empty.

“Has everyone been driven away?” Li Yue sensed the life force in the surrounding area. No concealment magic could hide from Li Yue at full strength. She sensed life itself, not magical fluctuations. Unless one achieved total death, they could not escape her search—but to be dead was to be truly gone.

“Within range... no living people.” Li Yue sensed the location of the funeral hall, but she didn't seem to be in a hurry. She wanted to check the bell tower first. Given her personality, she wasn't in the mood to climb the stairs; she would likely use Death Abyss to teleport directly to the top.

However, wanting to see if there were any traces, she slowly climbed the stone steps from the ground floor, one by one.

“There are scuff marks from leather shoes on the steps. There must have been a struggle, but not a fight. It looks more like some pulling and shoving.” Li Yue looked at the friction marks on the stairs. She pushed open a wooden door, and the ancient bell stood silently before her. She remained quiet, responding to its silence.

“A Silent Death... just how many times must it toll for the deceased before an ordinary object becomes tainted with the aura of death?” Li Yue smiled faintly. “Silent Death... I like it.”

She stood in the bell tower, her body completely hidden in the shadows. From here, she could overlook most of the academy's outer grounds. With her exceptional eyesight, she even spotted Clo sitting on a lawn bench, eating sweets.

“Still the same as ever, eating sweets whenever she feels wronged or anxious.” Li Yue smiled tenderly. She looked down at the plaza below. Guards were beginning to emerge, seemingly coming out for their shift.

“Just happened to be during their shift change, so I walked right in. What good luck?” Li Yue laughed at herself. “I never believe in coincidences.”

Li Yue smiled slightly, her figure vanishing from the bell tower like a phantom. As she left, she gave the bell’s clapper a heavy strike. A muffled sound echoed through the campus.

“That crisp toll from before was probably produced using offensive magic.” Li Yue thought carefully as she walked freely. The guards running past her seemed unable to see her. Even as Li Yue whistled, they noticed nothing.

“Their strength is too mediocre. If they could see me, I would at least have a reason to kill them.” The vertical pupils in Li Yue’s eyes shimmered with a dark light. The blood red color had spread to the corners of her eyes, looking like red eyeshadow. Her body seemed to be shifting toward her former peak state as her power temporarily returned.

Ahead was the place where her believer’s corpse lay. She could sense a faint lingering resentment from that soul, and even a trace of terror and shame.

Because he didn't finish his work, and because his death caused me trouble... even in death, he felt guilty...?

“How could I ever blame a mortal... really...” Li Yue remained silent for a long time. She stood in the orchid blue funeral hall, unable to bring herself to call the corpse foolish.

The orchid blue hall slowly turned a dark red. A church of death was dark red; only the chapels of certain heretical gods were orchid blue, such as the God of Rhythm or the Specter.

“Your soul is so shattered... there is no way this was a natural death. These are clearly marks of it being forcibly dragged from the body...” Li Yue’s eyes narrowed. She was starting to feel angry.

“Rest in peace...” she spoke softly. She felt something approaching her. She didn't know who she was saying those words to—perhaps the old man, perhaps the culprit.

Or perhaps... everyone.