Chapter 34: Moved to avoid Nidalee’s Q, but at what cost?

“Holy Slaughter Canon?”

Those guys again?

Ina, still in Cynthia’s arms, fixated on the two white-robed figures.
She’d heard that name too many times.

Glancing at Lorena, she saw her frowning, clearly clueless about the pair’s origins.

“Hmph.”

The men didn’t respond to Cynthia, exchanging a glance before moving in a strange, synchronized step, their forms blurring.
In a blink, they vanished from sight.

“Behind you!”

Cynthia’s shout rang out.
She thrust a palm infused with condensed magic backward, the force exploding like a bomb, forcing the reappearing white-robed man to stagger back.

On the other side, Lorena, already on edge, swung her sword backward the instant she heard Cynthia’s warning, stepping oppositely.

Clang!

Her blade met the short dagger in the second man’s right hand, sparking sharply.
But his left dagger grazed her shoulder armor, leaving a scratch.

“Tch… how’d you know?”

The man blocked by Cynthia clicked his tongue, impressed.
“Didn’t expect a master like you in Bazerolle.”

“You killed those adventurers, didn’t you?”

“Guess.”

The man raised an eyebrow, signaling his partner with a glance.

The second man didn’t press Lorena, retreating to join his comrade.

Lorena seized the moment to regroup with Cynthia and Ina, gripping her sword tightly, eyes locked on the pair.

Memories clicked—she had seen them, among those entering the sewer through the sealed entrance.

But Holy Slaughter Canon?
Never heard of it.
Yet their robes screamed Holy Church.

“You know our name…” the first man said lightly.
“Guess that makes you…”

He trailed off, smirking.
“Forget it. Call me No. 27. This guy’s No. 29.”

“No. 27? You’re not him,” Cynthia shot back, eyes flickering with recognition.

“Haha, you know some secrets, huh?”

No. 27 toyed with his blade, playful.
“But I am No. 27 now. We had a… reshuffle.”

“No. 28 went on a mission days ago. Hasn’t returned.”

“If he’s gone for good, No. 29 here might become No. 28.”

“He’s not coming back.”

Cynthia tightened her grip on Ina, a red spear materializing in her right hand.
“Maybe you’ll need a new No. 27 when I’m done.”

“Big talk… but you seem to know about No. 28.”

No. 27 waved to No. 29, unconcerned.
“No choice but to keep you here.”

He sneered at Ina.
“A troublesome burden. How long can you last with her?”

Metal clashed again.
Lorena barely followed.
Cynthia’s spear had already met No. 27’s dual blades.

Instinctively, Lorena raised her gauntlets to guard her neck as that chilling pressure returned.
A force struck her arm, pushing her back, but her swing at No. 29 hit air—he’d already retreated.

So fast…

But their blades didn’t pierce her armor much.

Weak penetration?

Her gauntlet bore only a scratch.
She could hold defensively.

Cynthia, meanwhile, fought No. 27 fiercely, limited by protecting Ina.
She stayed defensive, parrying his flurry of strikes.

“What’s wrong? All that bravado, and you’re just blocking?!”

No. 27 taunted, shifting angles to find a gap.

Cynthia didn’t flinch, her spear deflecting every strike with precision.
Once or twice could be luck, but every time? No coincidence.

“Tch, annoying…”

No. 27 spun his blades, dropping his restraint.
He dodged twice in a flash, reappearing behind Cynthia.

He was certain she couldn’t react to his double-step.

Her slow turn seemed to confirm it.
His blade sped toward her neck.

“Your life’s mine—what?!”

A staff intercepted his dagger, deflecting it past Cynthia’s hair.

Jet-black magic erupted from the staff’s tip, locking onto No. 27 like it had eyes.

To dodge, he abandoned his attack, leaping back.

Simultaneously, Cynthia raised her spear and hurled it at him.

No. 27 evaded both the magic and the spear, which grazed his side and flew into the distance.

“Hmph, didn’t expect your burden to wield dark magic… but that’s it.”

No. 27 steadied himself, mocking Cynthia’s now-empty hand.
“What’ll you block with now?”

“I should ask you that!”

Lorena’s shout came from behind.
No. 27 instinctively swung back, clashing with her sword.

Her strike’s force dislodged his right dagger, sending it clattering.

He retreated, staring at Lorena, baffled.
“You?! How?! Where’s No. 29?!”

“No. 29?”

Lorena stepped beside Cynthia, pointing back.
“Over there—on the wall.”

Cynthia didn’t know their thoughts but had subtly used her vampire powers, keeping the green blood at bay.
Her dress wasn’t fancy, but monster gore wasn’t welcome.

She shook the green residue from her swords and urged Ina and Lorena onward.

After what felt like ages, they hit another fork.
Lorena paused, scanning.

The area was wider—a junction.

“This is…”

Lorena traced their route.
“Near Bazerolle’s inner city. Turn right.”

“Right?”

Cynthia eyed both paths.
“Why not straight?”

“Straight’s longer. Right hits the East District—church territory—faster.”

A chill hit Ina, making her yelp and grab Cynthia’s arm.

Cynthia stiffened as Ina pressed against her.

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

Cynthia peered.

Red eyes glowed in the dark, followed by a hoarse growl.
Mummy-like figures shambled into the Stone’s light, crimson eyes blazing, clothed in tattered adventurer gear.

“Zombies?!”

Ina’s grip tightened, fear dripping from her voice.

“Yina… scared of these?”

Cynthia, unfazed, found Ina’s panic curious.

“Scared? No way…”

Ina’s bravado crumbled as the undead advanced.

“Eek!”

She hid behind Cynthia, refusing to look.

Spiders? Fine.
Dead pursuers? Manageable.
But undead—zombies, ghosts, skeletons—were her kryptonite.

Should’ve stayed back…

Cynthia patted Ina’s head, eyeing the undead across the waterway.
“They’re slow. Can’t reach us yet.”

She’s adorable like this.

Hiding a smile, Cynthia knew teasing wasn’t right.

The undead, drawn by their voices and light, moved sluggishly.

Lorena, map in hand, drew her sword.
“They… became undead?”

“Hm… after being killed.”

Cynthia’s eyes caught clean knife wounds—human-made, not monster claws.
Mostly neck slashes, precise and lethal.
No blood lingered, as if drained.

“They won’t rise again, right?”

Ina peeked, voice shaky.

“Dead for good,” Cynthia said.

Ina relaxed slightly, eyeing the corpses with unease.
“Gross…”

“Still scared?”

“Not that… Their blood was drained forcibly.”

Ina studied their distorted faces.
“They resisted but failed… turned undead.”

Her eyes lit up.
“The red monster Tiani mentioned?”

“Could be.”

Cynthia agreed but noted the familiar knife wounds.
They nagged at her.

She looked down the middle path.
That’s the answer.

“Lorena, we go this way.”

Lorena hesitated but nodded.
“Got it.”

They ventured deeper, cautious.

Battle scars—adventurer remains and spider corpses—lined the path.
The deeper they went, the worse it got.

“Too many…”

Ina swallowed, sticking to Cynthia.

The air reeked; without Stones, they’d be retching.
Rustling and splashes came from the unseen dark.

“Their nest?”

Lorena’s voice trembled.

Torn bodies and eerie sounds unnerved her.

Cynthia, leading, scanned silently.
Her vampire sight caught every spider.
Blood magic quietly dispatched any that neared, unnoticed by the others.

In this gore-soaked place, her magic was seamless.

Then, the Blood Demon spoke.

[Blood Crown’s power… it’s close.]

Cynthia, tied to the Blood Demon, felt it faintly.

“Right path.”

[Careful. Its range will suppress you more as we go.]

“Noted.”

The pressure grew, her blood control faltering, like facing Damus in Tara Town.
Worse was coming.

They passed the spider zone, entering a square chamber aglow with white light.

“Sewage treatment plant,” Lorena said, pointing to engraved stones.
“[Purification] effects clean the water.”

“Advanced stuff,” Ina said, impressed.

Better than most plants. Nuclear waste, though?

“Monsters avoided this. The stones?”

“Maybe,” Lorena said, unsure.

Cynthia’s ears twitched.
“Quiet—”

Her pupils dilated.
She yanked Ina back, leaped aside, and kicked Lorena clear.

Two white-robed men appeared, daggers aimed at their prior positions.
Neck-level strikes.

Lorena recognized them—sewer entrants.

Cynthia’s voice roared.

“You… Holy Slaughter Canon rats!”