A New Vessel

In the blink of an eye, several images flashed through my mind.

The scene of my fight yesterday with the elder hillman—Lady Red Moon herself had verified that it was the authority of the earth.

My meeting today with Elder Bruno—he transformed a fresh body into his own, which felt more like the authority of death.

It was possible for the earth to possess the authority of death, that made sense. But it was impossible for Mordiggian to possess the authority of the earth; that did not add up.

So, who was the true follower of Mordiggian?

Whom should I trust: Elder Bruno the ghoul, or my closest neighbor?

There was no need to hesitate. Lynch had already made his choice; Elder Bruno was definitely lying.

If one sentence was a lie, the credibility of everything else plummeted. His motive for goading me into stopping this ritual was highly suspect.

Yet, I could not just watch the ritual continue. What if that was the only lie Bruno had told?

Damn it, how was I supposed to judge?

Lynch felt as if his head were about to explode. His brain raced at high speed, and within seconds, he had made up his mind. His gaze shifted from the brazier to the woman in the center of the arena.

Miss Valente.

I could not completely destroy the arena to interrupt the ritual, but I could not let it continue either. I would simply pause the ritual and demand answers.

Whether considering the ritual itself or her relationship with the hillmen, this woman’s importance should be paramount. If I took her hostage, no one else would dare act rashly.

And even if things truly went wrong in the end, I still had an ace up my sleeve. Yes, that was it. As long as I controlled her, everything would become simple.

With his mind made up, Lynch did not delay a moment longer. Moving as agilely as a cat, he slipped into the hole in the roof.

The ritual below was still ongoing. The white-haired elder ghoul seemed to sense something and glanced up, but immediately resumed chanting. It appeared he had not discovered me.

Then, I am coming down.

Lynch gritted his teeth, cast aside all reservations, and lunged straight toward the center of the ritual. While in mid-air, he adjusted his posture like a cat, bracing himself for the impact.

"Ah!"

A ghoul seemed to have spotted the anomaly in the air and pointed toward the center of the ritual, letting out a cry. The elder hillman also ceased his movements, but whether out of caution or a failure to react in time, he did not launch an attack, merely watching as Lynch arrived.

Thud.

He landed on all fours, rolled forward to dissipate the momentum, and then sprang up lightly. He was already upon Miss Valente in the center of the altar. His left hand pressed down on her shoulder, while his right hand flicked open the serrated blade of his cane, aiming it like a razor at her... wait?

The woman, who had been lying there with her eyes tightly shut and a pained expression, suddenly snapped her eyes open the moment he touched her. The abruptness sent a shiver down Lynch’s spine, and cold sweat threatened to break out.

There was no time to think. Lynch pressed down on her with increased force, and his blade sped toward her throat: "Don't move."

Lynch was on top, pinning Miss Valente down tightly. He was just about to subdue her, but she seemed not to have reacted yet. She lay motionless on the spot, merely holding her folding fan up toward Lynch as if it were a straw she was clutching to defend herself against his threat.

That thing is useless, I... what the hell.

Just as the blade was about to reach Miss Valente’s neck, Lynch suddenly felt a scorching and ominous aura emanating from the fan. He felt like a frog being stared at by a snake; total disaster was right before him.

Instinctively trusting his body’s premonition, Lynch didn't bother to keep controlling the woman beneath him. His body recoiled violently, and with a pained groan from his muscles, he dodged the woman’s front at top speed.

"Boom."

The gunshot rang out.

A burst of flame erupted from the tip of the folding fan, and the shockwave instantly swept across the area in front of it.

Lynch let out a muffled grunt. Ignoring the ringing in his ears, he discarded the overly long cane and lunged to engage Miss Valente in close quarters. He wrapped one arm around her back to pin the hands holding the fan, while his other hand reached into his coat to pull out his revolver.

Miss Valente’s strength wasn't particularly great, but her body was remarkably flexible. Even while controlled by Lynch, she simply twisted her arm and slipped out of his grip. She struck with her elbow to deflect his pistol, and simultaneously, the folding fan passed over her shoulder, pointing directly at the space behind her.

This woman is truly terrifying.

Lynch’s eyes felt as if they were about to burst. He tucked his head and butted forward, barely managing to push the fan upward with his forehead. A second roar followed, accompanied by a violent vibration above his head and the smell of singed hair.

Taking this opportunity, Lynch rolled over and pinned Miss Valente beneath him. He twisted her arm behind her back, forced the fan out of her hand, and pressed his pistol against the back of her head, finally letting out a sigh of relief: "Behave yourself."

This woman is truly fierce. If I hadn't ambushed her to seize the initiative, she probably would have beaten me to death within a few rounds. And what the hell is that thing in her hand? A shotgun? What kind of noble lady carries a shotgun around? Damn it, she held that fan toward me several times yesterday; she must have been hesitating over whether to blow my head off.

No sooner had he relaxed than a mass of light suddenly exploded from the woman’s body.

【Authority, Protection, Ability, Shield of Piety.】

Lynch felt a massive repulsive force emanating from the woman. Not only was his pistol knocked aside, but he couldn't even maintain his hold on her. He was thrown to the side, and his hand, which had been twisting her wrist, slid off due to the force, forcing him to let go.

"Hiss, it hurts. My arm."

The woman rolled to the other side, attempting to create distance, but as soon as she started moving, she let out a stifled scream and clutched her shoulder. Apparently, Lynch had been a bit slow in releasing her wrist, nearly breaking her arm.

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Is the bone alright? Let me see."

"It's fine. I can still move it. It's not a major issue."

"That’s good. I’m really sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Before he could finish, they both froze as they looked at each other. The next moment, they each grabbed their respective weapons and aimed them at one another.

Damn it, I should have taken the chance to subdue her. Now I've ruined it. What about these ghouls?

Lynch was covered in cold sweat. He quickly scanned his surroundings and saw the eight ghouls standing in a circle around the barn, staring blankly at them, but none of them showed any intention of approaching, including the white-haired ghoul.

"Miss Valente, the ritual has been interrupted." The elder hillman, Nikolai, ignored Lynch and stared at the young lady who was wincing while rubbing her arm. "Perhaps this is the will of fate. Why not reconsider your decision?"

Hiss, what is going on?

Lynch immediately realized the problem. It seemed the elder ghoul didn't want the ritual to succeed either; it was only Miss Valente’s insistence that kept it going. Thinking back, his gaze had swept over me twice earlier. Damn, this guy probably discovered me long ago. He was just waiting for me to disrupt the ritual, which is why he hadn't bothered me. Tch, I still underestimated the perception of these super-powered individuals. I should have activated my divine authority before moving if I wanted to ambush them.

"Mr. Lynch Levive, you are far too rough."

Miss Valente had clearly recognized Lynch’s identity by now. She sighed and lowered her folding fan:

"Didn't we agree that I would come to see you for a talk in a couple of days? Why did you suddenly break into my family’s farm?"

Lynch scratched his head and awkwardly put away his weapon. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to tell the truth. After all, there was nothing to hide; since the other party wanted to reason, he would simply lay everything out.

The group listened silently to Lynch’s account. It was not until he had finished the entire story that Miss Valente exchanged a glance with Nikolai, revealing a helpless expression.

"No wonder. I understand, but it is a pity." Miss Valente shook her head. "I know you want to save the reporter Maya. She is indeed an innocent chosen one. So, to show our sincerity, we intended to solve her problem first and let her return to normal."

"Hm?" Lynch frowned.

"Her situation actually involves a very complex problem. There must be an existence like her, but we really do not want to harm an innocent person. Since you made the request, we decided to hold this ritual to transfer her condition to another vessel, so she would no longer be involved in the incident."

"Then what about the new vessel?" Lynch pressed. "Isn't that person also innocent?"

"No, that person is not innocent at all."

"Who is it?"

"Me."