Chapter 33: Second Encounter

Cynthia didn’t notice their thoughts, but she’d subtly used her vampire abilities.

Manipulating the green blood, she kept it away from them.
Her dress wasn’t fancy, but she’d rather not have it stained by monster gore.

She flicked her swords, splattering the green residue onto the ground, and signaled Ina and Lorena to move.

They’d been trekking through the sewer for what felt like ages.
At another fork, Lorena paused, scanning the area.

The space was wider, clearly a junction.

“This is…”

Lorena recalled their route.
“We’re nearing Bazerolle’s inner city. Right turn next.”

“Right?”

Cynthia eyed the left and right paths, then looked at Lorena.
“Why not straight?”

“Straight’s a longer route. Right gets us to the East District—near the church—faster.”

Suddenly, a chill hit Ina, who was behind Cynthia.
She yelped, clutching Cynthia’s arm.

Cynthia froze briefly as Ina’s soft frame pressed against her.

Before she could ask, Ina, trembling, pointed to the middle path.
“Tch… there…”

Cynthia peered into the darkness.

Before she could make out details, glowing red eyes appeared, followed by a hoarse growl.

Figures shambled from the shadows into the Purification Stone’s light—emaciated, mummy-like, eyes blazing crimson.
Their tattered clothes marked them as stranded adventurers.

“Zombies?!”

Ina’s grip tightened, her voice thick with fear.

“Yina… you’re scared of these?”

Cynthia, unfazed by the undead, found Ina’s reaction intriguing.

“Kidding? I’m not scared…”

Ina’s bravado faltered as the undead lurched toward them.

“Eek!”

She shrank behind Cynthia, refusing to look.

She’d faced Corrupted Demon Spiders without flinching, even handled dead pursuers when she met Cynthia.
But undead—zombies, ghosts, skeletons—were her nightmare.

Should’ve stayed behind…

Cynthia glanced at the undead across the waterway, patting Ina’s head.
“Don’t worry. They can’t reach us yet.”

She’s kinda cute like this.

Suppressing a smile, Cynthia knew teasing wasn’t fair now.

As she soothed Ina, she studied the undead.
Drawn by their voices and the Stone’s light, their sluggish pace meant a detour would take time.

Lorena, map in hand, drew her sword and stood by Cynthia.
“They… turned into undead?”

“Hm…”

Cynthia squinted, then shook her head.
“Turned after being killed.”

Her keen eyes caught details.
“Knife wounds—clean cuts.”

Cynthia pointed out smooth slashes, clearly not from monsters.
Unless a beast wielded a blade, these were human-made.

The wounds, mostly on necks, suggested swift, lethal strikes.
Oddly, no blood lingered—as if drained.

“They won’t… get up again, right?”

Ina peeked out, voice shaky.

“Dead for good,” Cynthia assured.

Ina exhaled, daring to look at the corpses, though her face stayed uneasy.
“Gross feeling…”

“Still scared?”

Cynthia assumed it was fear, but Ina’s reply surprised her.

“Not scared… It’s like… their blood was forcibly drained.”

Ina studied their twisted faces.
“They resisted, but failed… and became undead.”

Her eyes flashed with realization.
“Could it be that red monster Tiani mentioned?”

“Not impossible.”

Cynthia shared the thought but saw more.
The knife wounds felt familiar, nagging at her.

She glanced down the middle path.
That’s the key.

“Lorena, we take this way.”

Lorena hesitated but nodded.
“Alright, I trust you.”

The trio ventured deeper, cautious in the dark.

Signs of battles littered the path—adventurer remnants and spider corpses.
The deeper they went, the grimmer it got.

“This… too many, right?”

Ina swallowed, sticking close to Cynthia, terrified of falling behind.

The air reeked, unbearable without the Purification Stones.
Rustling echoed from the unseen darkness, punctuated by splashes.

“Have we… hit their nest?”

Lorena’s voice wavered.

Torn corpses and eerie sounds unnerved even her.

Cynthia, leading, scanned silently.
The Stones’ dim light limited visibility, but her vampire sight saw all—especially the lingering spiders.

Using blood magic discreetly, she snuffed out approaching spiders before they got close.
In this blood-soaked place, her magic flowed effortlessly, unnoticed by Ina or Lorena.

Blood magic, unlike elemental magic, didn’t need mana, making it invisible to others.

Then, the Blood Demon’s voice stirred in her mind.

[I feel it… the Blood Crown’s power.]

[It’s close.]

Fused with the Blood Demon, Cynthia sensed it too, though faintly.

“We’re on the right path.”

[Careful. We’re in the Blood Crown’s range. The deeper we go, the more it’ll suppress your power.]

“Got it.”

The Blood Demon fell silent.

Cynthia felt growing pressure, her blood control weakening, like facing Damus in Tara Town’s depths.
It might soon surpass that.

They pushed through the spider territory, arriving at a square chamber glowing with white light.

“Sewage treatment plant,” Lorena said, pointing to engraved stones.
“Those have [Purification] effects, treating sewage before discharge.”

“Wow, that’s advanced,” Ina marveled.
“Better than most treatment plants.”

Can it handle nuclear waste? she wondered idly.

“The monsters didn’t enter here. The stones’ work?”

“Maybe,” Lorena said, unsure.

Cynthia’s ears twitched, catching a sound.
She raised a hand to hush them.
“Quiet—”

Her pupils dilated.
She yanked Ina back, leaping away and kicking Lorena aside.

Lorena stumbled, barely catching herself.
Before she could react, a chilling sight froze her.

Two white-robed figures appeared where they’d stood, wielding dual daggers, aimed at where their necks would’ve been.

Lorena’s mind raced—familiar faces?

Before she could place them, Cynthia’s voice thundered, icy with recognition.

“You…”

“Rats of the Holy Slaughter Canon!”