The composite structure of concrete and steel rebar possessed high physical strength; not even a grenade might blow it open. Yet she had effortlessly sliced through it with a sword...
Drip, drip, drip.
A viscous dripping sound quietly arose, adding a touch of foreboding to the dim, cramped sewer.
From the opening in the wall... deep red blood plasma welled out.
A humanoid corpse, twisted beyond recognition, was revealed within the opening.
The moment its body made contact with the air, it began to violently convulse, trying to wriggle free from its confinement in a back-jointed, soft-bodied manner.
Yes... until the very moment the wall was cut open, this thing had still been alive!
"He has fallen into an evil spawn! Take action!"
Utus drew an exquisite old-fashioned flintlock pistol from his waist. As the trigger was pulled, a lead ball blasted the lesser evil spawn's head to pieces.
Thick blood splattered along with corpse fragments across the ground. The headless evil spawn slumped down powerless.
"Probably a sacrificial offering for some ritual."
Some sacrifices used forms similar to "living pillars," something Utus had heard of.
The sacrificial "lambs" were pure, free of any impurity, just like the survivors in the fleshly cradles of the Birth-Feast Hall.
However, once the deity receiving the sacrifice began to feast heartily, contamination and degeneration would taint the offerings' bodies... until they fully degenerated.
From this perspective, so-called lesser evil spawns were actually the byproducts left behind after sacrificial offerings were devoured...
Haida nodded, agreeing with Utus's explanation.
She then began a more detailed inspection of this dead evil spawn's body, hoping to glean some valuable information.
If Doctor Fran were here, what would she do? Perform another autopsy like on that nameless vampire?
Haida inexplicably felt the urge to use profiling to simulate Fran's personality. But recalling the other's earlier warning... she dismissed this quite tempting notion.
"His skin was stripped off. Ascetics do have a skin-stripping habit..."
This bloody and mangled evil spawn body had no skin; its muscles and vascular networks were completely exposed, continuously oozing blood.
Time gradually passed. Including several roll calls during the journey, the fifth round of status confirmation began.
"Squad One area clear. Code phrase: Elderberry."
"Squad Two area encountered lesser evil spawn, neutralized. Code phrase: Joseph's Coat."
...
This evil spawn corpse was quite ordinary. Aside from being skinned and having its head shattered, there was nothing abnormal.
Sister Haida didn't possess Fran's autopsy skill of making the dead speak; the information she could obtain from it was truly limited.
However, Rosalia had some experience in this area...
She approached the evil spawn and carved prayer text into the muscle on its chest with her fingernail. Soon, a drop of bright red blood was extracted.
"Moon's Favored... Can you even drink evil spawn blood?"
Seeing Rosalia about to toss the blood drop into her mouth, Vivian couldn't help but ask curiously.
"This is the Nolaria family's secret art: glimpsing the original owner's memories from blood. If they are of the same clan, one can also learn their clan information."
"I see."
After a brief explanation, Rosalia swallowed the blood drop. Her facial features immediately twisted slightly.
From her expression, it was clear the taste of evil spawn blood also fell into the absolutely terrible category.
"Despair, terror, reluctance. He was embedded in the wall amidst immense pain. His exposed flesh and bones had no skin to cover them. Having given up hope of survival, he also found death impossible."
"The person who tore off his skin wore a crimson leather robe, with a shadowy and aged face, a gaunt and stooped figure."
"He..."
Rosalia wanted to say more, but a violent physiological reaction no longer permitted her to continue deciphering this evil spawn's blood.
"Urgh..." Rosalia leaned against the wall and began to vomit.
Only after vomiting up a mouthful of her own blood did her complexion improve somewhat.
"Ms. Rosalia, can you continue? Should I have an Error-Purger escort you back?"
Haida extended a hand to help her up.
"No need. There was still some lingering contamination in that 'Extracted Blood' just now... Vomiting it out is fine."
Saying this, Rosalia took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood and saliva from the corners of her mouth.
"Alright."
Haida had faced Byers and had a profound understanding of a vampire's self-healing abilities. Naturally, she didn't think Rosalia was pushing herself.
Vivian pondered the content Rosalia had just mentioned from the memories, her expression turning somewhat complex. She thought of a certain deceased Red Cup High Priest.
"Sister Haida. 'Shadowy and aged, gaunt and stooped'—this characteristic..."
Haida also had a rather deep impression of that fellow and immediately understood.
"High Priest of the 'Suffer-Walkers,' Hoven. He died once at the Sated Club and once more at the Secrets-Hunter headquarters."
"The evil spawn here is very likely a remnant from a sacrifice ritual Hoven performed earlier. Inflicting extreme suffering on the sacrificial offering... does indeed fit his modus operandi."
After saying this, Haida picked up Byers's severed arm from the ground and patted it in a manner of encouraging a puppy.
She then waved the blood-soaked silk handkerchief before it again, letting the hand continue searching for the next possible target connected to the evil spawn.
Just then, the sixth round of status confirmation sounds rang in Haida's ears.
"Squad One area located vagrant corpse, sampled. Code phrase: Joseph's Coat."
"Squad Two area clear. Code phrase: Elderberry."
"Squad Three area encountered unknown target, in pursuit. Code phrase: Joseph's Coat."
"Squad Four area clear. Code phrase: Joseph's Coat."
...
Upon hearing Squad Four's transmission, Haida's grey-chestnut eyes suddenly sharpened.
As she fell into silence, a grave atmosphere quietly permeated the air.
The special arrangement Haida had made with the code phrase order was: every five status confirmations, odd and even squads would exchange their code phrase content.
An ordinary team might experience some confusion from this, but these were the Burial Court's Purge Unit. An instruction of this level was like child's play; there was absolutely no possibility of misreporting.
And now, Squad Four, when they should have switched code phrases, still reported the exact same "Joseph's Coat" as the previous five rounds, with no indication of correcting themselves.
"Squad Four, please reaffirm your code phrase."
Though Haida seemed to be inquiring, her actions showed not the slightest hesitation. She immediately headed towards Squad Four's assigned area.
Simultaneously, the exact same male voice, calm and methodical, sounded in her ear again.
"Squad Four area clear. Code phrase: Joseph's Coat..."
Like a mimicking parrot, his intonation, rhythm, even the rhythm of his breathing were identical to before.
—
Seeing Haida's grave expression and her sudden deviation from the planned route with the team, Utus's gaze slightly darkened, guessing something unforeseen had probably occurred.
"Sister Haida, what happened?"
"The Purge Unit has encountered an attack, but the specifics are unclear for now."
While maintaining a fast pace, Haida explained the oddity she had detected in the recent status confirmation.
"One Purge squad reported the wrong code phrase. And after I ordered them to reaffirm, they repeated the same incorrect content again."
"That is indeed somewhat suspicious..."
From Haida's simple description, Utus caught a whiff of danger.
Secrets-Hunters were renowned for following precepts, and Burial Court Hunters were especially adept. Misreporting a code phrase once might be a mistake in the rush, still forgivable.
But after being ordered to reaffirm, they still didn't realize their error... this signaled the severity of the problem.
Had the entire squad's common sense been altered by some relic, or was it... something using their voices to speak?
Though the squad had only six members, each was a Secrets-Hunter equipped with automatic firearms and secret-art ammunition, with over three years of service. An ordinary lesser evil spawn would be riddled with bullets in a single encounter. If combat had occurred, how could there be no sign of resistance?
"Could the Red Cup Sect still have a High Priest-level member remaining in Norlington..."
Haida's elegant brows knitted tightly together. Ominous conjectures swarmed forth, only to be suppressed one by one.
Whatever the situation, the immediate priority was to reach Squad Four's area. She needed to personally confirm this squad of comrades' specific condition.
...Was it a false alarm, or were there no survivors?
In about two or three minutes, Haida had already reached Squad Four's area. Her pace was extremely fast, to the point that Vivian, following closely behind, was panting heavily, somewhat depleted.
Thank goodness I've done some physical training with Sister Haida these past few months, or I'd definitely have been left behind...
Seeing Haida stop, Vivian placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief, using the interval to recover her strength.
Rosalia and Utus beside her were in much better condition.
Though young, Rosalia was a vampire; her physical constitution and stamina far exceeded an ordinary human's. Utus showed no fatigue at all; a hint of a smile even played at his lips, carrying a touch of excitement.
Haida's nostrils slightly flared. Amidst the air filled with foul, damp stench, there was a familiar scent.
"It's the scent of human blood."
Before Haida could voice this conclusion, Rosalia spoke first.
She might be far less acute than Haida regarding other scents, but when it came to blood... no one could challenge a vampire's mastery and talent in this area.
"'Human's'?"
With a questioning tone, Haida repeated the content of Rosalia's statement.
"Yes, the source of the blood is human, not an evil spawn. Though many lesser evil spawns were once human, I can smell the distinction between their blood."
"...I understand. Thank you for the reminder."
This was bad news. It meant Squad Four's Secrets-Hunters were likely in grave danger.
Simultaneously, Haida glanced at Rosalia unobtrusively, inexplicably feeling a hint of goodwill towards her.
Hunters, after all, always liked to hunt in coordination with keen-nosed companions...
She then inquired, "Ms. Rosalia, can you track the source's location based on the blood's scent?"
"I can try."
Though a Moon's Favored, Rosalia was not yet thirty, having spent four of those years at Norlington Central Academy. Therefore, this was her first time participating in such an event and she understandably lacked confidence.
"I can roughly determine it's in the due north direction."
"Good, then you take the lead." Without hesitation, Haida made an exceptionally decisive decision.
Thus, Rosalia began walking at the front of the group, tracking Squad Four's trail while seeking the scent of blood.
The young vampire lady leading the way vaguely felt something was off, as if something wasn't right, but couldn't pinpoint what...
The journey proceeded in silence, the only sound in the sewers being the muffled sound of their boots stepping on ground moss.
Meanwhile, the seventh round of status confirmation transmissions sounded in Haida's ears.
Apart from Squad Four still woodenly reporting an out-of-order code phrase, the other Purge squads reported no abnormalities.
To increase identifiability, most also briefly described their current squad status.
That thing is still maintaining its replies, which means it probably hasn't attacked or affected other squads yet.
Considering this, Haida issued a new order.
"All squads, cease deep penetration. Hold position. Prepare for re-assembly. Report the location immediately if any suspicious entities are encountered."
+++
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