The Second Victim

The heavy door opened a crack in silence, revealing the space within.

However, at that same moment, as if hearing the sudden sound of Lynch’s footsteps behind her, Dr. Jenna turned her head in alert, cautiously facing Lynch and Judy while keeping her back toward the opening door.

Countless pioneers have left lessons written in blood and life: in any wilderness exploration, turning one's back to an unknown environment is an absolute taboo. Thus, the moment the doctor noticed Lynch’s anxious pace, she realized her mistake.

But it was already too late.

What Lynch had imagined in his mind was not a hallucination, but a warning sign.

Right behind the doctor, through the gap in the opening door, large masses of gray mist were surging outward in a competitive rush.

However, if one looked closely under the light, it was not mist at all, but countless eerie and hideous formless hands. The tips of these black, monstrous fingers seemed to carry an uncanny sharpness, reaching out toward Dr. Jenna’s back like phantoms.

Dr. Jenna’s expression changed drastically. Without a second’s hesitation, she stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and Lynch at top speed, while simultaneously distancing herself from the enemy she had yet to see behind her.

【Authority, Netherfire, Ability, Soul Resistance.】

With the first step, a dozen clusters of green soul fire drifted from Dr. Jenna’s chest and then expanded violently. With a sharp sonic boom, the soul fire erupted outward, blowing away everything that approached.

【Authority, Cold, Ability, Wall of Freezing.】

With the second step, the sound of shattering glass came from behind the doctor. A blue wall of ice appeared from nothingness, growing from thin to thick in the blink of an eye, blocking every angle from behind.

The rescue coming toward her had reached her; the mysterious Ms. Selene had already reached out her hand toward the doctor, and the distance between their fingertips was closing.

【Authority...】

Before the third step could be taken, everything had changed.

They were only a single step away from salvation; the doctor’s fingers had even brushed Lynch’s, and her expression had softened, revealing a joyful smile.

Yet the next moment, a dark shadow flickered in Lynch’s gaze, and a black ghostly hand violently pierced through the doctor’s chest.

Neither the active resistance of the soul fire nor the passive obstruction of the ice wall had any effect. The ghostly hand behind her passed through all obstacles as if it had no physical form, then pierced through the doctor’s body.

The smile ceased before it could fully bloom, her eyes turned vacant, and her body, mid-stride, seemed to lose all strength. Her feet gave way, and she tumbled forward.

Lynch, however, did not stop. He had already stepped forward to grab the doctor’s hand. Her palm was ice cold, as if it had already frozen stiff.

Without a second thought, he used force to swing the doctor, whose condition was unclear, behind him. Simultaneously, he crossed his body, taking her place to confront the ghostly hands composed of countless mist.

The aura of death on these formless things was palpable; it was undoubtedly the effect of the Authority of Death. Aside from camouflage, the only effect of his round fan was immunity to death.

Not immortality, but resistance to all effects derived from the Authority of Death.

Lynch covered his face slightly with the round fan and stepped forward, maintaining a few steps of distance from the door that was still opening automatically, blocking all the mist with his body.

In an instant, countless hands of mist reached out toward him. Thousands of sharp wails echoed in his ears, and an eerie wind capable of freezing the soul swirled around him. His whole body turned cold, his breath turning to ice.

Yet Lynch did not retreat; he advanced, taking a step forward.

Don’t joke around. I play with the Authority of Death, too. I even saw the River Styx with my own eyes with the help of Madam Bessie. Do you think I’m afraid of mist like you that doesn't even have a physical form?

I said, get lost.

Thinking this, Lynch swung the round fan with force.

A breeze brushed past, blowing against the mist emanating from the gate. Like sunlight hitting snow, the aura of death surrounding him dissolved rapidly under the breeze, turning into a gentle wind against his face.

Selene’s face wore a seductive smile as she stepped forward again, letting the aura of death continuing to pour from the gate envelop her body once more. Then, suddenly sensing something, she mobilized the Authority of Death within her soul, utilizing the opportunity of immunity to death damage to absorb all the aura of death around her into her body.

【Authority, Death, Ability, Death Extraction.】

The seventh item of the Authority of Death was mastered instinctively in this specific environment filled with the aura of death, drawing the power of the dead from her surroundings for her own use.

With each breath, the aura of death flowed entirely into her body, then condensed at her fingertips.

Forming a pistol gesture with her thumb and forefinger, the green skull formed by Death Coil expanded larger and larger at her fingertips, growing from its original thumb-size directly to the size of three basketballs. The green light was eerie, the deathly aura sinister, even more concentrated than the aura of death emerging from the gate.

【Authority, Death, Ability, Death Coil.】

Go, Death Coil (Spirit Ball version).

The giant skull detached from her fingertips and plunged straight into the opened gate. The moment it rushed inside, the power of death exploded violently. With a sharp shriek, the death power, purified by the divine authority, swept through the space behind the gate.

"Hehehe..."

Lynch chuckled and took another step forward, swinging the round fan again. For a moment, the area behind the door was filled with a raging surge of death power, and no more mist could emerge from the gate.

Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps came from behind.

Having bought a moment of time, Lynch turned around to see a conscious Judy supporting Dr. Jenna, staggering as they ran toward the gate.

Dr. Jenna held her chest, her pale face wreathed in a faint black mist, her expression full of pain. Her limbs were limp and her footsteps unsteady, relying entirely on Judy to keep from collapsing.

Realizing Dr. Jenna’s goal, Lynch couldn't bother with posing anymore. He rushed over to support the other side of the doctor, and the three women stumbled all the way to the side of the half-open door.

Dr. Jenna gasped, pressing her chest. Suddenly, she opened her mouth, and a stream of black mist poured out, followed by a spray of black water. Only then did she steady herself against the stone door. While gasping for air, her fingers began to write rapidly on the stone gate with great speed.

Lynch didn't have time to look closely, waving the round fan several times to force the mist that was trying to emerge back inside.

Not until the third time did the mist inside, though still spreading outward, lose its intense aura of death. Then, a muffled thud came from behind. Turning around, he found Dr. Jenna slumped against the stone door, gasping for a long time before struggling to rise with Judy’s help.

"What happened?"

The moment Lynch’s question left his lips, his expression changed.

He had already seen it: there was a hole in Dr. Jenna’s right chest, exactly where she had been pierced just moments ago.

No blood flowed from the hole, but black mist swirled around it, and the mangled flesh emitted an eerie and cruel aura.

"Hit a trap. How embarrassing." Dr. Jenna wiped the black water from the corner of her mouth, still wearing an indifferent smile, but her complexion turned increasingly ugly at a visible rate. "It’s fine, it’s already been dealt with."

"Did the person you mentioned make a move?"

"No, I don’t know. It’s hard to judge whether there was a problem here to begin with, or if the person trying to sabotage the ritual made a move."

Dr. Jenna’s voice was quite weak, black mist constantly spilling from her mouth and nose.

"I probably won’t last until the end, but you all still can. The door is already open; hurry to the front tomb and rendezvous with them."

"We’re still continuing?" Lynch frowned. "I think we should send you back to Rhine first."

"Don’t you understand yet? It’s useless. From the moment the mist started rising outside, no one can leave this valley unless they enter the main tomb." Dr. Jenna sighed and said weakly, "I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. Leave me here; there’s no need to carry a burden who will die soon. Don’t feel sad for me. Since I chose this line of work, I knew this day would come eventually. I have no regrets, the only pity is that I couldn't leave behind a beautiful future for Louise."

Everything changed too quickly. A companion who was laughing and chatting freely just a moment ago had suddenly become weak and dying within minutes. Even if she was just a companion whose allegiance was unclear, and they had only known each other for a few days, Lynch still felt a blockage of discomfort in his chest, witnessing once again the cruelty of the mysterious world.

"We cannot leave her here." Judy suddenly interrupted the doctor’s final words. "Something is coming."

Lynch’s heart tightened. He held his breath and listened. Indeed, in the darkness behind them, there was a rustling sound moving from the distance toward the entrance.

After a moment of thought, Lynch gritted his teeth. Ignoring the doctor’s weak exclamation, he hoisted her onto his back. He nodded to Judy and silently slipped into the darkness, moving toward the depths of the tomb.