Lynch lay quietly on the floor of the barn, another unfamiliar body lying right beside him.
It was Miss Valente’s body.
Side by side, their arms touched, and their hands were tightly clasped together.
Maya, her appearance strangely eerie, lay opposite the two of them, her eyes closed and unmoving.
Lynch had brought her back overnight, having laid out the entire truth to her.
This was her only chance to return to a normal life.
Even if Miss Valente assumed Maya’s condition, the female reporter would only escape the fate of becoming a sacrifice; she would still be forced to live as a ghoul forever, never able to reclaim her identity as a human. But if she was willing to cooperate as zero sacrifice, while there was still a high chance she couldn't escape eventually being sacrificed, if Lynch and Miss Valente succeeded and destroyed Mordiggian’s avatar, she would be able to completely rid herself of the curse, regaining her life as a human.
To spend a lifetime crawling through dark caves or sewers with ghouls, or to live under the sun like a human being?
Maya had chosen the latter almost without a second thought. Without even doubting whether Lynch was tricking her, she followed him out of the underground caves beneath Thorn Flower and came to the farmstead in Green Wheat District.
All the necessary materials had already been prepared on the farmstead. In truth, over ten days ago in the cave, these ritual materials were ready, but Maya’s sudden awakening and escape had aborted the ritual.
Though Maya’s sudden awakening in the cave still held many suspicious points, there was no need to dwell on them for now. With her active cooperation, the ritual proceeded smoothly to completion, and she entered her final state.
Using the Dreamlands memories of the dead city, Zur Baha Sahr, as a springboard, a link was forged between Maya and Mordiggian’s avatar. Once completed, Maya could connect directly to where the avatar resided—inside the real Zur Baha Sahr. Once she fell asleep, she would drag surrounding humans into the real Zur Baha Sahr with her until all twelve sacrifices were gathered, at which point she too would be dragged inside.
This was why her existence was necessary. Otherwise, if Miss Valente acted as the channel, Lynch would have had to venture into Zur Baha Sahr alone.
As someone who could only stay in peak form for three minutes, Lynch had actually wanted to find a few extra helpers, fearing he wouldn't be able to handle unexpected trouble along the way. However, he was well aware that this matter had to be kept strictly secret.
When sacrificing thirteen people every twenty years could keep the world safe, why look for trouble? Mild-mannered experts would simply ignore the issue, while short-tempered ones might actively stop them. Thus, no one could know, leaving Lynch and Miss Valente as the only ones to take the risk.
Lynch actually knew someone he trusted implicitly—someone whose strength he believed in completely—but in the end, he had only left a letter on Maya’s elevator before leaving.
There was no need to drag an uninvolved police officer into such a dangerous gamble.
“Tap, tap.”
Elder Nikolai shuffled over to the trio and bowed slightly to Miss Valente. “Everything is ready and can begin at any time. But... will you truly not reconsider, Miss Valente?”
“There is no need.” The noble lady shook her head gently. “Mr. Levive was right. My previous thoughts were far too shallow. Even insects have their struggles, and I must make mine. You don't need to persuade me, Elder Nikolai. And rest assured, if we fail, find a way to continue. There is still a fallback; we won't gamble with the world's fate. As for you, Mr. Levive... are you truly willing to face death for my sake without regret?”
Lynch smiled and said nothing.
A dormant evil god's soul fragment—or avatar—was likely the lowest difficulty boss one could face. Moreover, this evil god had stolen the divine authority of death, and Lynch speculated that the red moon's authority likely contained death as well.
This was a stepping stone delivered right to his doorstep on the path of immortality. No matter how dangerous, he had to take it. Otherwise, was he supposed to wait and clash head-on with an evil god at full strength later?
Besides, if they succeeded, not only would Maya’s life be saved, but Miss Valente’s life right in front of him would also be spared.
What was there to hesitate about? Go all in.
“Thank you.” Although she couldn't read Lynch’s inner thoughts, the smile on his face said everything. Miss Valente offered a faint smile and closed her eyes again. “Let us begin, Elder Nikolai. Mr. Levive, see you in a moment.”
Warm moisture and a slight tremor came from her palm. Lynch turned his head to see Miss Valente’s beautiful face frozen stiff, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly—she was clearly quite nervous. Lynch was equally nervous, but he gently squeezed the small hand in his, letting her muscles relax a bit.
The ghoul’s distinct voice echoed in his ears. Amidst the uncanny chanting, the half-asleep Maya’s breathing grew deeper and longer, steady and rhythmic. Hearing it, Lynch couldn't help closing his eyes and letting out a yawn.
So sleepy.
Yet when he opened his eyes again, everything was pitch black, as if he had suddenly lost his sight. The chanting in his ears abruptly ceased, and a dead silence enveloped his surroundings. A heavy stench of decay and filth struck his nose, making him dizzy and nauseous, as if he had been abruptly dropped into a thousand-year-old tomb.
Lynch’s heart tightened. He immediately activated the Phantasmal Sound authority, while tightly gripping the noble lady beside him. Soon, Miss Valente gently squeezed back, letting Lynch breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed they had entered smoothly; the first hurdle was cleared.
“I activated sound suppression. We can speak softly; the sound won't travel.”
Lynch spoke with extreme caution. Before entering, Miss Valente and Elder Nikolai had explicitly warned that due to Mordiggian’s reverse information interference, this place wouldn't be completely buried under soil, and the urban space remained normal. But after being buried thousands of feet underground for over ten thousand years and affected by mysterious filth, no one knew what monsters lurked inside. They must not let down their guard just because the space was open.
“Phew... Thank you. Take this and stuff it into your nose.”
Two sponge-like items were placed into his palm. Lynch obediently stuffed them into his nostrils. A faint, pungent mint fragrance rushed straight into his brain, not only driving away the ubiquitous filth, but instantly clearing his sluggish mind.
“Hss... Good stuff. It's actually this effective?”
“Heh, are you doubting a professional apothecary of the Church of Suffering?” Though she smiled, her held hand was still trembling slightly. Miss Valente’s voice shook as she tried her best to maintain her composure. “We're finally in. Every day, I thought that before I died, I had to find a way to burst in here and hurl a few curses at this damned city. Now my wish is finally fulfilled. The next step is to blast a shot right into Mordiggian’s face—preferably kicking its ass hard back into the Dreamlands, just like you said.”
“Hmm, that reminds me of a question I once heard.”
Lynch pulled Miss Valente behind him, then snapped his cane open into its segmented whip form and swept a circle around them, confirming no objects were too close before easing his heightened guard slightly.
“What question?” Miss Valente leaned close against Lynch’s back, a rustling sound coming from her hands.
“How do you destroy an evil god’s avatar in three steps?”
“Huh?”
“Enter, destroy, leave.”
“Hahaha, what kind of answer is that?” The noble lady finally stopped trembling, bursting into a brief, unrestrained laugh before gasping, “Thank you for the joke. I feel much better now. Can we light a lamp now?”
“Although it's dangerous, we must light a flame, or we'll be at a disadvantage.”
Having already checked that no objects or sounds were nearby, Lynch cautiously pulled out a lighter. After a few clicks, a wisp of flame flickered to life in his hand, its dim halo illuminating their faces, which were almost pressed together.
“It's a bit dim,” Lynch sighed, but at least he could see there was nothing in their immediate vicinity.
However, there was no response. Lynch only felt a finger gently poke his arm.
Turning around, he saw Miss Valente’s face frozen in terror, her eyes wide, pointing in a direction beside them.
Lynch’s heart sank. Holding his cane, he tilted his head to look over. In the darkness, he faintly made out a massive face covered in fangs.
Rate on N.U.
