Chapter Twenty-Two: The Blood of the Demon

Judging by the outcome, I did deceive them. But I told myself I could have carried the statue outside, allowing them to witness the starlit night; their souls failing to linger was unexpected to me. In any case, it wasn’t my fault, merely a misunderstanding.

The rangers swayed a few times before regaining their balance. Terror still etched their faces, unable to escape the shadow of those girls’ tragedy.

I said, “We’ve got it! Let’s move!”

Bella said, “Give me the statue!”

Before I could comply, a crisp sound echoed as the chamber door slammed shut. It was an iron door—not easily forced open. From the mound of corpses, a man emerged, gaunt as a skeleton, with short, gray-white hair and a sharp, prominent nose centered in his face. He was the museum curator from my hallucination.

His words were like a delirious murmur: “You… you’ve harmed my children.”

I saw the sharp fangs in his mouth—he was the same kind as Bella, transformed by the statue into this monstrous race, his fate akin to Henry’s.

In a flash, Bella appeared before him, her hand like a guillotine, slicing from his right shoulder to his left abdomen. The curator cried out in pain and staggered back. Bella shouted fiercely and, with even greater speed, pursued him; but as she stepped into the heap of bones, she triggered a trap she hadn’t anticipated.

With a snap, two bear traps clamped onto her flesh like fangs. Bella screamed in agony, collapsing amidst the corpses.

I shouted, “Shoot! Cover Bella!”

But even before my command, the others opened fire—a storm of bullets. Yet the curator leapt behind a cabinet, and though bullets riddled it like a beehive, he was nowhere to be seen.

Porscht cursed, his body swelling, half-transformed into a demon. Felhier warned, “Careful, don’t draw the demon’s attention!”—as if such a risk was not insignificant.

I hurried to check Bella’s wounds. She’d already pried open the bear traps, and her injuries healed with supernatural speed. She commanded, “Let me drink your blood, now.”

I recoiled, horrified. “No!”

Bella lunged at me. I hesitated a moment, and her fangs pierced through my clothing, sinking into my shoulder. The sensation was strangely blissful—like being embraced by a lover on a warm afternoon. My blood flowed into her mouth as if a dam had burst. After half a minute, she said, “Lie down for a moment, don’t move.”

I felt utterly weak. “You picked the wrong person! I’m your most reliable fighter—how could you…”

Bella replied, “I’m more than enough!”

At that moment, the curator dropped from above, landing on the ranger Jingyuan, biting into his neck. Jingyuan’s blood sprayed like a fountain, and he collapsed with a groan. I knew instantly he wouldn’t survive, and regret flooded me—now I’d be responsible for Jingyuan’s death benefits.

Bella pursued the curator. In a blink, she was behind him, but the curator’s head rotated fully, owl-like, as a long tongue shot from his mouth. Bella was startled, but deftly twisted and pushed his attack aside, evading the tongue. The curator dove back into the bone pile, slippery as a fish in water.

Bella gritted her teeth. “Smith’s blood?”

Salvador asked, “What’s Smith’s blood?”

Bella replied, “It’s one of the lost vampire bloodlines, masters of organ transformation. He liquefied himself into blood and now lurks underground.”

In an instant, Salvador fired at a pool of blood near me. The blood rippled, then slithered away—it was the curator, aiming to kill me first.

I quickly drank the Serpent’s Blood, bracing against unforeseen danger.

Bella crossed her legs and shut her eyes, resembling a meditating monk. After ten seconds, she sprang into motion, seizing a shadow that appeared behind the decoy. The curator roared in fury, his tongue whipping out like an iron lash at Bella. She dodged and landed two punches to his head—the first caved in his face, the second cracked his skull audibly.

The curator raised his hand, claws sharp for a final struggle. Bella shouted, “Catch!” and hurled him at Porscht, who caught him with his demon’s giant arm and crushed him in half.

Everyone cheered in unison, “We got him!”

Bella exhaled deeply and said, “Not easy—but well done, everyone…”

At that moment I noticed something wrong with the decoy. His body sagged as if suddenly paralyzed. My eyes widened—his throat had been slit, but no blood flowed.

The throat was his only vulnerable spot. This meant he’d been struck by the curator’s tongue-whip—when the curator’s final attack seemed aimed at Bella, it had truly targeted the decoy.

I shouted, “Salvador! Watch out!”

The decoy let out a pitiful wail, eyes rolling back, hands clawing at Salvador. Salvador reacted swiftly, leaping aside, and the decoy missed.

Bella muttered through clenched teeth, “A parasitic trick—what a despicable bastard!” The decoy’s body twisted, his tongue flicking weakly like a snake just roused from slumber.

Porscht shouted, “While he’s still disoriented, use the divine bullets!”

The decoy moved sluggishly, surrounded by the group. After a volley of fire, his body was riddled with wounds.

We had no other way. The instant the curator’s tongue struck, the decoy had died.

But the curator was not dead. His blood oozed from the decoy’s body, bubbling and coalescing. We watched in horror, unsure what to do.

Bella asked, “Does anyone have a flamethrower? Any gasoline?”

The group exchanged glances. Xisus said, “We didn’t bring any.”

I declared, “Watch me!” I stepped forward, plunged my Radiant Hand into the blood, and whispered an incantation. Soon, the blood solidified into golden foil. Porscht and Felhier exchanged satisfied looks.

I asked Bella, “Is it over now?”

She nodded. “Yes, he’s dead for good. Now give me the statue.” She took the idol, scrutinized it front and back, and smiled. “This is it—the sacred relic of the Ix Sisters. Its reputation is well deserved.”

We had nearly perished to its dark magic, and reflecting on the ordeal sent chills down my spine.

Salvador knelt before the decoy’s corpse, weeping bitterly. I said nothing, just patted his head and stood by him until he looked up. I said, “Let’s go.”

He asked, “What about the decoy’s body?”

I replied, “Leave it here. What else can we do? No gasoline, so we can’t burn it.”

Salvador said, “Just… leave it like this?”

I asked, “Did he have a widow? Children?”

Salvador nodded.

I said, “Those are his true legacy, not his corpse. We’ll make sure he gets a generous death benefit.”

Salvador whispered his thanks.

We searched the chamber and found the curator’s journal. His name was Coripo. After acquiring the Ix goddess statue, he quickly fell under its mental control. According to Mayan cult customs, he selected melancholy, fragile schoolgirls from museum visitors, luring them into the Ix cult and having them secretly recruit others.

The cult’s ultimate goal was for these girls to die before the evil idol, but at first, they gathered like a family, discussing cheerful topics, forging a close atmosphere that bred psychological pressure and dependence.

The tragedy occurred before the apocalypse; one day, at the curator’s instigation, they committed collective suicide.

The practice disgusted me, yet those girls’ “souls” claimed to remain in a blissful afterlife.

But were they truly souls? Were these pitiful girls really present? I thought not—they were but echoes of brainwaves, lingering in this bloody, cruel chamber, continuing to perform sacrifices for the Ix Sisters, luring outsiders to die on moose antlers. What I destroyed were not the girls themselves, but the evil spirits beguiled by Ix.

I found Bella and said, “Commander, I have an idea. Could you pass it on to Le Gang for me?”

Bella replied, “Go ahead.”

I said, “Instead of hoping to find another Yune, why not raise these moose and use them as a transport corps?”

Bella laughed. “Moose?”

“Yes, these mutated moose are strong, fast, and quite patient. They just need to eat grass…”

Bella interrupted, “These blood-grasses.”

“Not necessarily. The blood-grass turned them into vicious beasts, but that may not be their true diet. Wild grass grows fast in the wasteland—plenty in Black Coffin town as well.”

Bella said, “You saw how terrifying they are when berserk. If they go out of control, many would die.”

“But it’s worth a try. We could raise some calves. We’ll find a way.”

Bella sighed. “Calves? Where do we find those? We can’t risk entering the forest.”

I walked to a corner of the hall, lifted a cloth, and revealed five moose calves. They had not yet fed like their parents, nor shown any signs of demonization. Their big bright eyes gazed at us, full of fear but no hostility. I had deliberately hidden this spot during our search.

Bella smiled. “So we killed their parents, only to raise them ourselves?”

I said, “The Ix cult used lives to create blood-grass, which made the calves savage. Now that we’ve destroyed the cult, the blood-grass will soon wither. Without care, these calves can’t survive. I think we’ve freed their parents and found the calves a new home.”

Bella said, “You do have a way of making things sound righteous. I thought only vampires excelled at hypocrisy.”

What else could I do? Berate myself as a cruel scoundrel? I’m just doing everything I can to fulfill Black Coffin’s grand strategy.

I said, “Until we find a reliable means of transport, we have to try every possibility, don’t we?”

Bella sighed. “You’re quite the bold lieutenant. With your rank, you shouldn’t be making such audacious proposals. But then, you won’t be a lieutenant for much longer.”

My heart skipped a beat. “But my actions this time were all meritorious! How could you—”

Bella smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell my mother. She’ll have Le Gang promote you. But until you’re truly qualified, you’d better stay humble.”

This filled me with delight: I realized I’d taken another solid step forward.

But the deaths of Jingyuan and the decoy cast a shadow over my heart. I knew that in places far from Black Coffin, the world was more mysterious and dangerous—by comparison, our home was as peaceful as a beginner’s village.

Black Coffin’s current manpower and technology are still far from supporting its ambitions.

So am I.

I need powerful allies. Outliers like Abel are rare, but at least I must have someone of Bella’s caliber. Yet how could these highborn nobles willingly risk their lives to pioneer the unknown?

I would never involve Lamia.