"Even low-intelligence secondary evil spawn have become more cunning..."
She watched the seemingly lifeless head without any change in expression, pretending to leave.
The moment Haida turned around, the severed evil spawn head abruptly extended spider-like bony limbs from its neck stump, opened needle-like bone spikes, and leaped toward her back with an extremely rapid, jumping motion.
"Not only can it disguise itself as a weathered corpse, but it has also learned to play dead."
She then gripped the wooden handle of the folding knife, turned around, and plunged the blade straight into its fang-filled maw.
Fran glanced at the completely silent evil spawn skewered on the knife, identifying the connection structure of its trachea and bones. She then crouched and poked the headless body on the ground with her finger.
"The human organ structure is relatively well-preserved, clearly not summoned through a ritual... probably converted from a senior devotee."
Even evil spawn have a certain need to feed.
Its flesh existing in the material world has lost its vitality over the long years, forcing it to lie dormant, waiting for prey to come near... to tear open their chests, drink their bone and blood, to soothe its parched and withered throat.
"Although a bit overly hospitable... at least we've encountered some moving things..."
Fran looked down the street. The half-collapsed high-rises on both sides were obscured by gray-yellow dust haze. Several highly weathered, withered corpses wandered in the shadows of the building ruins.
Their skin was covered in keratin and scales, with proliferating polyps hanging clusters of eyeballs like grapes underneath.
Haida frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.
"Why have the only survivors we've seen along the way been Marian and Dorothy? Have everyone else really died?"
Marian was a senior doctor in the Medical Division, not a combatant. And Dorothy was merely a "Mirror-Wiper" of the Lamp Moth cult, equivalent to a sub-deacon. Even if she possessed near-High Priest-level mastery in prophecy, she hadn't truly entered the higher realm belonging to prophets and sages.
If a doomsday event truly occurred, the most likely scenario was that no one survived.
But since there were survivors, and they weren't top-tier individuals like Ahern or Grantham... it suggests there were ways to avoid this disaster, so the number of survivors should have been higher.
"Most survivors are within the secret realm on Green Maple Street. It's the only place in all of Norlington still suitable for ordinary people to live."
Fran rubbed her temples, explaining to Haida.
"Swaying Heart-Clock's memory theft is akin to targeted retrieval, so the information she got from Dorothy wasn't actually much.
"The shops around the fortune-telling hut, although dark, don't mean no one lives there."
"So that's it..."
Haida recalled the feeling the street gave her. Although its tranquility felt unreal, it indeed didn't resemble the ruins of the city center... where every corner was permeated with a thick, ominous aura of death.
Although Haida deliberately avoided using firearms to prevent noise from attracting hordes of evil spawn, these creatures had been suffering from a thirst for flesh and blood for countless years. So much so that merely catching a whiff of a living being's scent drove them into a frenzy.
They slowly rose from the rubble and drifting dust, looking around dazedly and drunkenly, searching for the source of the life aura.
"Dr. Fran, do you think forcibly breaking through is feasible?"
Haida asked Fran for her opinion in a low voice.
Although she had learned basic stealth and concealment skills, they might not fool these keen-scented evil spawn.
It would be nice if Vivian were here now... Confidential Division agents were the true professionals in this area.
"Hmm... These severely weakened secondary evil spawn obviously can't stop you. But deeper areas might contain higher-order abominations, even Sacred Spawn... If something like that gets hold of us, escaping would be troublesome."
"Then shall we try to infiltrate?"
Naturally aware of the risks of a forced breakthrough, Haida began discussing the feasibility of the other plan.
"Without the protection of concealment secret arts, relying only on stealth skills meant for humans... is not enough to evade the perception of those things."
Fran wagged her index finger and proposed her own plan.
"My suggestion is to forcibly break through the evil spawn group first, enter the inner ring of the central district, and then use medicine to conceal our presence."
As she spoke, she took out two green capsules from her medical case and placed one in Haida's hand.
[God's 15-Second Blink (Maker: Fran Herschel)]
[Quality: Ordinary]
[Effect: From the moment the capsule is swallowed, for the next 15 seconds, the user's presence is reduced to its lowest.]
[Note: "Seriously? Only 15 seconds? What am I supposed to do with that?"]
Haida took the green capsule, quickly sorting out the action sequence in her mind. A conjecture then surfaced.
"How long does the medicine's effect last?"
If the capsule's effect could last longer, infiltration was clearly the lower-risk option. Exposing themselves first and then trying to escape was obviously a compromised choice born of necessity.
Fran pursed her lips slightly with a hint of slyness, revealing a neat and delicate canine tooth.
"15 seconds, you know."
"Alright, I understand." Haida nodded.
The medicine's duration was shorter than she imagined, but it was indeed the optimal solution that could be executed now.
"But..."
She then narrowed her eyes, looking at Fran's slender, smooth calves beneath the astrologer's robe, thinking of other matters requiring attention.
"Dr. Fran, your current state probably isn't suitable for rapid movement. If you don't mind, I could carry you on my back?"
"Oh, that would be wonderful! I'll trouble you then."
Fran clapped her hands lightly, a glint flashing in her deep amber eyes. She agreed to Haida's offer without the slightest hesitation.
Actually, the plan Fran had conceived herself was for Sister Haida to stuff her head and scattered limbs together into the medical case, which would be much easier to carry and move...
But since Haida had offered, she had no reason to object.
After Haida crouched down on one knee, Fran reached out, climbed onto her shoulders, and wrapped her arms around her neck. The black tendrils of [Far Caress] also coiled around her waist to prevent falling.
"Huff..."
Fran, without a torso, felt as light as nothing to Haida. Apart from the warm softness of skin contact on her neck and the occasional breath against her cheek... she didn't feel any different from before carrying her.
She slightly closed her eyes and began the forced breakthrough through the outer districts.
The wind whistled; figures flashed past.
Haida held her breath and focused, swiftly moving through the ruins that could hardly be called roads.
The black, form-fitting nun's robe flapped up and down with the howling wind, like the mane of a fine steed, like dark clouds treading snow.
Ordinary secondary evil spawn, even if they noticed a living thing flashing past before them, would mostly hesitate in a dazed moment, wondering what had just gone by.
And sometimes, one or two evil spawn would be lurking or wandering on the necessary path. Haida would give it a slash in passing and then move on swiftly...
After some time, although these hastily revived abominations moved slowly, they still gathered a certain scale behind her. And as they went deeper, the pollution and malice around grew denser, to the point where the air took on a sticky, turbid feeling.
Passing through the last alleyway would lead to the inner ring of the central district...
A trace of gravity appeared in Haida's hazel eyes.
At the end of the alleyway stood a dancer in exotic flowing skirts. Even stained with dust, her skirt's hem still showed a bright crimson color. Although her flesh had dried and decayed, one could still glimpse a captivating charm from her graceful posture.
It was the Lord of Desire priestess who perished in the Central Museum, Mr. Sines.
"The living die inexplicably, while the dead remain. This is the altered future..."
Haida felt a strange restlessness smoldering in her veins. She drew the power sword "Nirvana," suppressing the hunting fervor passed down through the Burial Court hunters.
Just as the mirror-like blade of the power sword was about to touch the evil-spawnified Sines, a heavy, vast pressure suddenly pressed down!
A huge, jagged-toothed maw bit down from above onto Sines's withered corpse, then swallowed it whole. Dense, fragmented chewing sounds rang out in its throat.
Without a doubt, this was a "Sacred Spawn."
Compared to those "Favored Ones" who become arrogant and haughty after receiving a great being's casual glance, these are the true ancient race that has received divine favor...
At this moment, Haida and Fran had each swallowed the green capsule, concealing all presence, and entered the inner ring area.
Under Fran's signal, Haida hid deep inside a building that wasn't yet destroyed. While the drug's effect still lasted, she could glimpse the true form of this Sacred Spawn.
Its neck was extremely long. Its entire body was covered in fine silver scales, with white, fine feathers extending from the gaps between the scales. Sticky oil soaked the feathers and its body, making the originally elegant form appear ominous and sinister.
This Sacred Spawn's image closely resembled a mythological creature in Haida's knowledge—a dragon.
8 seconds, 7 seconds, 6 seconds... The medicine's duration was constantly ticking away.
Through the window ledge, Haida saw this Sacred Spawn was already preparing to fly away, yet she revealed no emotion or aura.
...2 seconds, 1 second, 0 seconds.
As [God's 15-Second Blink] declared its end, the massive Sacred Spawn was also nowhere to be seen.
Haida remained cautious, not making any move.
When three minutes had passed, just as she was about to get up... a huge draconic vertical pupil suddenly appeared pressed against the window ledge.
This dragon eye was turbid and ashen-gray, even showing floating sediment within its lens structure. Countless tiny, fleshy eyeballs swam up and down like schooling fish inside, directly locking onto Haida's face.
"Woooo—"
Its roar was deafening, carrying bone-deep anger and resentment. But Haida inexplicably sensed a hidden emotion within it... fear.
The enormous Sacred Spawn flapped its wings and flew away, stirring up a sky full of swirling dust.
Haida narrowed her eyes, feeling a flicker of confusion. Why did it just roar and leave?
She had almost instinctively raised her hand to thrust the power sword into its eye...
Fran withdrew her arms from around Haida's neck, stepping down from her back with somewhat unsteady steps. She then reached up to smooth back the hair and ear feathers completely disheveled by the wind pressure.
"Huff, being carried while running actually gave me a feeling like I was racing..."
After sharing her thoughts, Fran turned her gaze to Haida, who was still thinking.
"Don't find it strange. Trust your feeling. It was afraid of you... wasn't it?"
"I did sense its fear. But... why?"
Haida frowned slightly, still somewhat puzzled.
Even among Sacred Spawn, there are distinctions of rank and strength. Those transformed from dragons undoubtedly stand at the pinnacle of strength... So, why did it feel this fear toward her?
"Regarding that... you'll find out soon. Believe me, it won't be long."
Fran extended an index finger, lightly touching her lower lip, preparing to keep it a secret for now.
"Shall we rest for a bit? Although we're in Norlington's central area, that big guy's presence will temporarily drive away other abominations around here. It's safe for now."
"Mhm."
Haida didn't feel tired, but having time to adjust her state was certainly not a bad thing.
Fran, as if performing a magic trick, took out two bacon sandwiches from her medical case and handed one to Haida.
The searing, enticing aroma of the fried meat, together with fresh lettuce, was sandwiched between soft, sweet white bread.
"Dr. Fran, you even prepared dinner?"
Haida took the sandwich, and after taking a bite, she felt a flicker of curiosity.
Having often been treated to Fran's cooking... she was already very familiar with her skills and had a deeper understanding.
This doctor had an almost nitpicky demand for the quality of food from her own hands, to the point that even a vegetable salad could leave one amazed.
And this sandwich, while it could be called tasty, was only ordinarily "delicious."
Based on Haida's simple sense of taste... she didn't think this came from Fran's hands.
"When I was at Miss Dorothy's food cupboard, I found two unwanted sandwiches. I called out for the owner a couple of times but got no response. It was around dinner time... To avoid wasting food, I casually took them with me."
While saying this, Fran blinked quite innocently, her amber gaze clear and sincere.
I bet when you were calling for the owner, Dorothy was in a hypnotized state...
The corner of Haida's mouth twitched slightly, almost about to speak.
But she ultimately held back the urge to retort, nodded, and swallowed the remaining sandwich in her hand.
"But..."
Haida's gaze grew distant as she looked at Fran holding the sandwich, suddenly thinking of a new question.
"Dr. Fran, in your current state, can you actually eat?"
Being able to speak without lungs to push air was strange enough. But without a torso and digestive system... where exactly does the food residue from the esophagus go?
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL