Suicide

In the sky above Leytin City, black smoke surged like the eye of a storm, spreading out in all directions.

Theresa stepped lightly across the roof tiles, dashing away from the black smoke.

Her Rank Two Natural Contractor abilities granted her immense agility, allowing her to move like the wind across rooftops and through narrow alleys, swift and graceful.

She hadn't run far when she suddenly spotted a black-haired, black-eyed girl standing at the entrance of an alley, waving at her.

“Don't just stand there, run!” Theresa shouted at the girl, rushing forward without looking back.

But shortly after she dashed past the alleyway, she glanced back only to find the girl still standing there, completely frozen.

Theresa's heart softened. She leapt down from the eaves, landed in front of the girl, and scooped her up into her arms.

Then, pushing off the ground with her toes, she carried her into a nearby narrow alley and set her down only after finding a safe spot.

“Don't stay out there, it's very dangerous,” Theresa warned the girl sternly.

Solana pretended to listen intently, but her mind was already elsewhere.

She knew Ignis would definitely come, and her main body would likely be assassinated again. Death in this loop was already inevitable, so she needed to seize this opportunity to gather more information and pave the way for the next loop. She had already formulated her next strategy.

Most importantly, she needed to increase her strength as quickly as possible so she could abduct her main body from the convent at the earliest opportunity. This would allow her to protect herself better from behind the scenes.

With this in mind, she quickly asked:

“Um... Sister Theresa...”

“Hmm? You know me?” A flash of surprise crossed Theresa's face.

“Mm-hmm... We met last time...” The girl nodded.

“By the way, Sister, do you know what that black smoke is?”

Hearing this question, Theresa felt a wave of impatience. She answered dismissively:

“That's a Rank Two ability of the Demon pathway.”

Theresa didn't expect the girl to understand. After all, how could a child know about such things? Besides, she had no time to waste on idle chatter.

She wanted to make the girl back off, but the child's next words made her expression stiffen.

“Oh... then at Rank Three, can they also erase conceptual things...?”

“How do you know that?” Theresa blurted out.

Even Theresa had only encountered a Rank Three Beyonder of the Demon pathway for the first time today. She had only learned of their abilities by chance, overhearing some members of the Order mention them before.

How could a little girl possibly know this?!

“Hehehe... It's a secret,” Solana giggled. “By the way, Sister, is that Rank Three Beyonder currently relying on magic stones to force his advancement?”

“Yes. That's why his current mental state is extremely unstable, and his desire to devour is incredibly intense. These are all consequences of forcing an advancement using magic stones.”

Seeing that the girl knew so many insider secrets, Theresa didn't dare underestimate her. She continued:

“But those madmen of the Abyssal Order love using these things to experiment on ordinary people. Most importantly, while this stuff can rapidly boost one's strength, it's highly addictive. Those who have consumed magic stones have a far stronger desire to devour than naturally advanced Beyonders. The Order uses this to control puppets and make them do their bidding.”

“Then what is their normal method of advancement?” Solana asked, pretending to be casual.

“Normally... to advance from Rank Two to Rank Three, they need to absorb enough despair, draw a demon magic circle, and sacrifice a Beyonder of the same rank.”

“It's the same for advancing from Rank One to Rank Two. They need to contaminate a certain number of people and also sacrifice a same-rank Beyonder.”

No wonder I felt faint signs of a breakthrough earlier. It turns out I contaminated enough people in the previous loop... Solana thought to herself.

“What if they sacrifice a higher-rank Beyonder during the advancement from Rank One to Rank Two?”

“A higher rank? If that's the case, it would be considered exceeding the requirements. But to them, it's completely unnecessary because...” Theresa frowned.

Solana immediately cut her off:

“Mm-hmm, so do you know what their demon magic circle looks like, Sister?”

“Why are you asking about this?” A hint of vigilance appeared on Theresa's face.

“Because my mother is an arcane scholar. She has a way to reverse this disaster through the demon magic circle.”

“Really?” Theresa stared into the girl's eyes, half-believing and half-doubting.

“Mm-hmm, of course!”

Looking at the girl's earnest expression, Theresa hesitated for a moment before giving in.

“Then watch closely.”

As she spoke, she drew an inverted pentagram on the ground with a horned demon head in the center. Its eyes were pitch-black, looking eerie and terrifying, as if it were truly staring at you from the Abyss.

Solana studied it a few times, carving the pattern deep into her memory.

“Thank you, Sister!”

Having achieved her goal, Solana cheerfully ran toward the exit of the narrow alley.

Just then, a cloud of black mist suddenly surged from the mouth of the alley.

“Watch out!”

Theresa cried out in alarm, only to see flames suddenly erupt around the girl, dispersing the black mist before she vanished past the alley entrance.

Theresa was left utterly speechless with shock.

...

On the other side, Celia had regained consciousness. She struggled to push herself up from the ground, her head still spinning with dizziness.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Who is it?” Celia asked.

“It's me, Camilla! Ignis went out, and she asked me to look after you!” a cheerful female voice called out from outside.

Regardless, Celia jogged to the door and pulled it open.

“Hehehe, good morning, little Celia!” Camilla said with a bright smile the moment the door opened.

“Mm... good morning, Sister Camilla,” Celia said, pretending to rub her sleepy eyes. “Where did Sister Ignis go...?”

“Her?” Camilla thought for a moment. “She went to deal with an idiot!”

“An idiot?”

“Hehehe, I'm talking about an Abyssal cultist!” Camilla winked. “By the way, little Celia, do you know why I came here today?”

“Eh? Did Ignis send you to protect me?” Celia asked in confusion.

“Yup, but that's only one of the reasons!” Camilla raised an index finger.

“Eh? Is there another reason?” Celia tilted her head, her face full of curiosity.

“Of course. Our Lord said that you must die here today...”

Camilla's smile widened. She suddenly produced a dagger and pressed it against Celia's chin.

Yet Celia merely stared back at her calmly, looking completely unlike someone about to face death.

“Eh? You're actually not afraid?” Camilla covered her mouth with one hand, the playfulness in her eyes fading slightly.

“Afraid?” Celia reached out and grabbed the blade, slowly guiding it toward her own throat. Blood dripped from her fingertips, but a faint smile remained on her lips. “Why should I be afraid?”

Soon, the amusement vanished from her eyes, replaced by an icy coldness. “Listen closely... I won't let you succeed...”

“...And I will find every single person who wants to kill me, one by one!”

With that, Celia lunged forward directly into the tip of the dagger.

Blood splattered as the dagger pierced straight through Celia's throat.

Camilla froze instantly.

Stunned by this bizarre sight, Camilla pulled the dagger out with trembling hands.

Celia collapsed instantly.

Camilla seemed unable to recover from the shock. Her eyes remained glued to the corpse, her heart hammering wildly.

She noticed that there was not a single trace of fear on Celia's face—only a serene, almost peaceful smile.

Camilla murmured in her heart:

“Is she... really not afraid of death?”

“She even said she would find me?”

“But isn't she already dead...”