Though it was unclear what had happened to this fellow, it was evident he was no longer capable of communication... and had become quite dangerous.
"Blasphemy!" Byers suddenly roared, and the circle of tallow candles surrounding him extinguished.
"I am more lucid now than ever, more understanding of everything in this world than ever... I am about to cast off the constraints of this heavy silken cocoon, to emerge and touch a higher realm."
He trembled as he stood up, slowly turning to look at Haida.
Byers was draped in a scarlet leather robe, his pupils empty and unfocused, drool mixed with blood sliding from the corner of his mouth. It was as if the very thoughts constituting his consciousness had been stripped away, the vacated part of his brain filled with something else...
"Child, fire immediately."
Terence also sensed something was wrong with the Blood Kin's current state and immediately gave the firing order to Child, who had been aiming for a while.
Judging by Sister Haida's posture of drawing her sword, she was likely preparing for close combat. If those two began grappling at close quarters, there probably wouldn't be such a good opportunity for suppression.
"Right."
Upon receiving permission, Child directly pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle. Byers didn't dodge, taking the shot squarely in the sternum. The immense impact hurled him backward, smashing into the altar constructed from tallow, bone, and blood behind him.
"Target hit confirmed, no excessive penetration. This guy's body is much harder than expected..."
With some surprise, Child quickly reported his observations after the hit.
At such close range, this sniper rifle could easily pierce steel plate. A flesh-and-blood humanoid creature should have been shot clean through...
Seeing the target take a solid hit, Terence felt a bit of his unease subside.
[Redundant Knowledge Intrusion] floods the brain and central nervous system with a large amount of disordered information, impairing the target's mobility. Even the Dancer-Priestess of the Sated Club couldn't fully negate its effects.
Even if this Blood Kin could mitigate the negative effects of this secret art, it would likely take considerable time.
He still remembered the scene of Dr. Fran dissecting Sines alive last time. She was carving away flesh while the other kept regenerating—the whole process was like a tasteless gore film...
But this time, Fran stood very quietly in place, lightly fiddling with her hair, seemingly with no intention of intervening.
Soon, the fallen Byers stood up again. Logically, he should have lost control of his body, but now this Blood Kin appeared completely normal. Even the pulped wound on his chest was wriggling as it healed.
"Disrupting thoughts... a crude White Cup trick..."
Just as Byers was about to say something else, Haida lunged forward, her sword slashing down fiercely from his head.
He raised his right arm to block. Yet the metal bone that could easily withstand large-caliber bullets was sliced through like butter under a hot knife, without the slightest resistance... The whole process was effortless and graceful.
The sight of his arm being severed felt somewhat familiar, causing fragments of Byers's remaining memories to surface.
"Sister?"
Before his muttered word could fully leave his throat, the power sword, with a shrieking metallic hum, cleaved him in two from the skull downward.
Even without an active disruption field, the hardness and sharpness of Adamantium were enough to give "Nirvana" an almost absolute advantage in almost any clash of force.
"Well done! But it's not over yet. Worthy hunter, kill me... My heart is right here! Quickly, they're about to crawl out of my head!"
The two halves of Byers's severed body began sprouting tender pink tendrils of flesh, pulling along the cut surface to reunite them into one...
But with a sliver of regained sanity, he showed a strong inclination to seek death, even actively tearing open his own newly healed chest, revealing the heart that was still frantically beating.
"...As you wish."
Though unclear about what exactly Byers had encountered or why he suddenly sought death, Haida's course of action didn't change.
The power sword "Nirvana" cleanly pierced Byers's heart. His constantly struggling, reassembling body then rotted and collapsed.
"Huff... Finally, it's all over..."
As if receiving a long-awaited release, Byers collapsed softly to the ground with a fleshy thud.
Fran, who had been observing the entire fight with Vivian, smiled slightly, her amber eyes sparkling with excitement.
The reason she hadn't shown any intention to act throughout was not only her confidence in Sister Haida's abilities but also her own considerations... The moment she stepped into the sewer, the monthly house call had been triggered.
[Dear Dr. Fran, the October monthly house call has been triggered. For this autopsy, your subject is the 'Falling Sun Rider' of the Sun-Forging cult—the Blood Kin 'Byers Nolaria.' Please begin the examination promptly. The subject's remains are expected to be damaged by parasites within 10 minutes.]
[Completing and presenting the autopsy report will count as completing this month's house call.]
---
Even with the foe beheaded, the sword's restless hum had not faded, as if still unsatisfied.
Though skilled with the sword, Haida had ended the battle with only the simplest of slashes and a thrust. The metal bones that could withstand heavy firearms couldn't hold for even an instant.
What she displayed was... nearly pure martial prowess, devoid of any impurity.
Professor Terence lightly rubbed his temples, suppressing his widely diverging feelings of shock and absurdity.
Though he had heard rumors of Sister Haida tearing apart deacons with her bare hands, he had assumed it was an exaggerated turn of phrase. Judging by this Burial Attendant's current performance... "tearing apart" might be a literal statement of fact.
More than Haida's displayed prowess, he was now more concerned with the cleanup of this vampire.
This guy's identity, motives, and that sudden death-seeking behavior at the end... were all difficult-to-solve puzzles.
Where did he come from? Why create Blood Servants and construct a "Birth-Feast Hall"? And why seek a release-like state by letting Sister Haida's blade pierce his own heart?
With this Blood Kin's death, the answers to the above questions likely sank into obscurity... But the situation was urgent; capturing him alive was naturally an unattainable luxury.
"Hmm~ Professor Terence, I smell worry. Please relax. Frowning constantly easily causes wrinkles."
Fran approached Terence, whose face was clouded with gloom, offering some comfort.
"Thank you for your concern, Dr. Fran. I'm just... somewhat perplexed. This Blood Kin seems to have appeared out of thin air and somehow got involved with the Red Cup. It's a bit hard to sort things out at the moment."
Terence responded politely to Fran, then slightly collected his worried expression.
"Perplexity is normal. No need to worry."
Fran balanced a gleaming scalpel on her fingertip, playing with it skillfully.
"As a coroner, I can responsibly tell you... the dead can also speak."
---
The group stood in a circle around Byers's corpse, watching as Fran skillfully dismantled the organs and bones step by step.
The scene somewhat resembled a professor leading several students in an anatomy class, only far bloodier. And the donor was freshly killed, very fresh, with muscles even still twitching...
"Astonishing vitality. Even with the skull split in two... the contents inside can still maintain activity and stick back together."
Looking at Byers's groove-filled pinkish-gray brain, Fran inexplicably felt like giving it a squeeze. But considering her image, she suppressed the impulse to play with the corpse...
Since this was official business, she should be serious.
"Sister Haida, use your sword to stir his brain a bit more thoroughly."
Fran's sudden command made Vivian pale beside her, biting her lip tightly.
Though she had witnessed a similar scene at the Sated Club, just hearing those words made her stomach feel physiologically unwell.
I need to request stomach medicine be added to the General Affairs Division's mission supply list next time...
"Alright."
Given that Fran usually didn't do meaningless things and possessed indisputable authority in the medical field... Haida didn't ask for a reason, directly plunging the power sword into the exposed brain.
Squelch!
The expected brain matter splattering didn't occur. Byers's brain bloomed like a flower bud, countless maggot-like tendrils of flesh struggling to emerge, only to be minced to pieces by the blade.
"The second-category, upper-tier secret art [Cistanche]. This thing ate his brain, occupied the cranial cavity in its place, and developed to near maturity."
Fran used the scalpel to pick up a still-writhing tendril and began explaining with great familiarity.
"Cistanche... I see."
Terence stroked his chin with a look of understanding.
The reason [Redundant Knowledge Intrusion] was ineffective was because this guy's brain had already been eaten empty by the parasite... Thus, his previously unreasonable mental resistance was explained.
"But this secret art can be removed by physical means. It shouldn't be able to parasitize a high-ranking Blood Kin..."
Hearing this, Fran nodded slightly with appreciation.
It was clear Professor Terence was quite knowledgeable about the Red Cup's secret arts. If her gloves weren't covered in sticky blood plasma, she'd almost feel like giving him a round of applause...
"Under normal circumstances, of course not. But if he encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat or escape while in a weakened state... Being captured and implanted with [Cistanche] to become a breeding bed doesn't seem impossible, right?"
An enemy he couldn't defeat or escape?
Upon hearing this description, Terence first thought of Ahern.
After all, traces suggesting he had been here were discovered earlier... But the Burial Primus couldn't betray the Secrets-Hunters, much less worship the Red Cup. Any suspicion towards him had proven meaningless.
So, that meant there might still be a High Priest-level threat lurking in the Norlington sewers...
"Alright, internal autopsy complete."
With the final cut, Fran neatly arranged Byers's organs to one side. Though, due to Haida's earlier bisecting slash, these organs were somewhat fragmented.
"Um, Dr. Fran..." Vivian stepped forward timidly, seemingly wanting to say something.
"There are a few survivors in the breeding beds over there who seem like they could still be saved..."
Though she had some experience working with Fran, facing this doctor always made her feel instinctively weak-kneed.
If Fran remained in a harmless, quiet state, it was manageable. But when she picked up a scalpel... what followed was enough to give anyone nightmares for days.
"Oh, no need to worry. I checked when I arrived; their vital signs are stable."
As a doctor with professional ethics, Fran naturally wouldn't overlook the living. That would be a very low-level mistake.
"The breeding beds within the [Birth-Feast Hall] are pure. No contamination, and they can sustain life."
She then walked to a flesh-womb enclosing a survivor, removed her bloodstained gloves, and reached out to brush away the still-warm tendrils from the face of the person inside.
"The Red Cup is not only the god who strips away life but also the one who bestows it, bringing forth new life. Hmm... But thank you for reminding me, Vivian. After completing the autopsy, I'll give them some simple temporary treatment."
"Although being in the 'swaddling clothes' can maintain vital signs, not eating or moving for a long time weakens a person. It wouldn't be good if something unexpected happened."
She then returned to discussing the vampire Byers on the ground.
"All his bones are made from spiritual steel, and even his outer skin is covered with plating. Though it's a primitive and crude concept, it effectively blocks direct sunlight..."
Professor Terence stroked his neatly trimmed beard, taking another careful look at the bloody, mangled corpse on the ground.
Bones and skin both made of metal? No wonder the sniper bullet only caused a wound without penetration.
"Since this Blood Kin dared come to Norlington to search for the missing artificial sun, he naturally had a way to deal with it. Otherwise, it would just be simple suicide..."
Simultaneously, Terence glanced almost imperceptibly at Haida.
And being able to so easily cut open the other's body, Sister Haida's new sword, though not the "False Sun," was likely some unregistered relic.
After carefully selecting and collecting samples, Fran had fully grasped Byers's condition. Though detailed analysis was still needed, producing an autopsy report was completely sufficient.
"Vivian, may I borrow your notebook and pen? I need to write an autopsy report."
"Um, sure."
Confidential Division agents often served as scribes, so Vivian naturally wouldn't refuse such a reasonable and normal request.
After some writing, Fran completed the autopsy report for Byers.
[Autopsy Pathology Report]
[Subject: Unnamed Blood Kin (Suspected from Sun-Forging Cult)]
[Examiner: Fran Herschel]
[Overall Findings: Male, corpse length 173cm. All bones have been replaced by 'S-813. Pseudomorph Steel.' Skin is completely covered by scale-like steel plating. Cranial cavity occupied by Red Cup second-category, upper-tier secret art 'Cistanche.' Confirmed that no other biological tissue exists within cranial cavity besides 'Cistanche.']
[Inferences: 1. Subject lacks blessings or holy marks of the 'Molting Moon,' likely not one of the 'Moon's Favored.']
[2. Both the Birth-Feast Hall and Cistanche involve High Priest-level mystical knowledge. It can be inferred he encountered an unnamed Red Cup High Priest in life.]
[3. The subject received a large amount of mystical enlightenment, difficult for an ordinary High Priest to bestow. Perhaps he encountered something else...]
---
With the autopsy report written, Fran's monthly house call was complete.
[Autopsy of Blood Kin 'Byers' completed. This month's routine house call task completed. Completion: A. Your next monthly house call will be randomly triggered next month.]
[This consultation fee: Unknown item x1 (Ordinary quality. Unidentified)]
[Your Parsing Rate changes: Xenology (33.5% → 34%), Anatomy (79.5% → 79.9%), Modern Neurology (21.5% → 22.5%)]
"Though his head was hollowed out, he truly is a Blood Kin body full of research value."
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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