Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 204: Silence

Chapter 204: Silence

Krobridge was in a terrible state with fires breaking out in a few places while the skyline darkened from the smoke.

Compared to roughly an hour ago, the streets were eerily silent with not a single soul in sight.

But of course not everywhere was quiet.

At this point, the academic building of Kro Institute was in shambles as explosions rang out intermittently.

At the same time, baleful cries rang out amidst the clashing of metal.

If one looked closely, they would find a being glowing a bright crimson, floating in the sky while facing off against a woman standing atop a collapsed building and glowing with a silver light.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Alex had just dispatched Horace and was about to move toward the altars.

Alas, he was a bit slow in this endeavor.

"Aaagh!!!" Bone-chilling screams escaped the lips of the captured Dukes as the blood-red apparitions born out of the desiccated body of the headless evil god rushed into their bodies and possessed them.

Alex swiftly snapped his fingers and teleported to the center of the altars, before using his cane wrapped in black and white light to strike one of the Dukes.

Of course, his attempt was met with resistance as a crimson light exploded, repelling his attack with relative ease.

Before he could perform another attack, the Dukes went silent almost instantaneously, realizing an eerie feeling that caused Alex to turn vigilant.

A moment later he quickly snapped, teleporting away from his position just as the Dukes lunged at him in unison.

Appearing a few meters away, Alex watched as the bodies of the Dukes underwent a qualitative transformation, their flesh peeling off to reveal a bloody interior.

They stared at him, seemingly sizing him up but before they could attack him again, a Sonic boom drew their attention.

Damian slammed into the earth, his body all bloodied over.

It seemed his fight with Elizabeth wasn’t going so well.

At the same time, Elizabeth landed not too far from his fallen figure, her irises completely gone, leaving behind the whites and her entire body glowing a bright silver light.

If one looked closely, it was easy to make out a few cracks appearing on her perfect skin.

Using the distraction provided by Elizabeth’s entry, Alex snapped his fingers, attempting to unfurl Eternal Night but suddenly, there was a dull thud and his Materialization was canceled midway through.

At the same time, terror mixed with overwhelming fear enveloped his being, keeping him rooted to the spot.

Elizabeth seemed to be in a similar state but handled it quite well as she resisted the fear just enough to turn in a certain direction.

There, a man wearing a crow mask and dark cloak stood with a gold inlaid cane.

Despite not having a heart, Elizabeth felt something palpitate strongly within her.

"Impressive." Crow Mask remarked as his cold gaze swept over the ravaged remnants of the academic buildings.

Taking a step forward, he slowly made his way over, his cane making a dull thud each time it made contact with the ground.

Each step he took caused Alex’s heart to constrict further, the overwhelming fear he felt placing him in a chokehold.

Meanwhile, Damian had an expression filled with dread as he watched Crow Mask approach.

Soon enough, Crow Mask arrived before Alex, casually turning to meet his gaze.

Silence reigned as the wind billowed, with only the clacking of the teeth done by the possessed Dukes keeping them company.

Over a minute of scrutiny passed before Crow Mask inquired. "How did you do it?"

"..." Maybe it was the fear he felt or his desire to not speak, but Alex remained silent, his gaze reflecting conflicting emotions.

"How did you get them to help you?... I never thought they’d be willing to help you, even if you are the so-called Dark Lord."

"..." Still no response.

Crow Mask reached out with one hand and grabbed Alex at the back of his head before pulling him closer.

"Tell me."

"... You and I both know why that is, Crow Mask... or should I say, Abraham Thornheart."

"Oh... How did you know?"

"..."

"It must have been Albion. That bastard always got on my nerves."

"..." Despite not saying anything, Alex’s reaction to Abraham’s words betrayed his inner thoughts.

"What?... Did you think I wouldn’t know?... I watched over BoneHaven to ensure there were no mistakes. Naturally, I would keep a close eye on Albion."

"... Why?"

"Why?" Abraham released Alex’s head before going ahead to remove the mask on his face, revealing his appearance underneath.

With a playful expression on his face, Abraham remarked. "Because you aren’t a part of my plan."

"...What?"

"Did you think it was because you were special?... Don’t get the wrong idea, Alex. I only came for you because Albion came to you. He knew well enough that as a nobody, I wouldn’t take you seriously.

"But I couldn’t allow even the slightest possibility of you becoming a problem so I had to take care of you."

"So you sent Fatima?"

"Of course not. But her presence was welcome since I didn’t want to go through the trouble of handling things myself. Then again, I’d never have imagined that you’d survive and become such a troublesome individual. A horrendous miscalculation on my part."

"...and now?" Alex struggled to break free amidst the conversation, pushing back against the fear that held him captive.

Abraham glanced in the direction of the bronze statue that still stood tall despite the situation taking place in Krobridge.

His gaze suffused a strangeness as he remarked. "Now the final piece is set in place and everything will be completed."

"Now!" Alex exclaimed at that moment, raising his hand to snap while Elizabeth broke out from her constraints and charged at Abraham.

Unfortunately, before they could attempt whatever they had in mind, darkness erupted all around Abraham after which shadowy tentacles shot out to ensnare Alex and Elizabeth once again.

"What?... Did you think I would fall for your pathetic schemes?... I let you lure me into a conversation because I am completely aware of my victory. Just like in BoneHaven, you cannot prevent me from reaching my goal."

With those words, Abraham turned away from the duo to face Damian who was cowering in a corner.

"You had such grand dreams. Unfortunately, you met me. Now come... complete the ritual and become the Blood God."

"But..."

"Come on... Do it."

Despite the immense trepidation in his heart, Damian slowly got to his feet and as his eyes grew wet, he chanted. "Merge."

A terrifying shriek erupted from the throats of the Dukes before they charged toward Damian.

Their flesh entangled with one another and immediately began to merge up until a ghastly monstrosity with red flesh and faces etched on its surface emerged.

"The ritual is incomplete!... All residents of Krobridge have been taken away!"

"I realize that and though unfortunate, there are ways to make up for it. Isn’t that right, Lady Elizabeth?"

"...What?" Alex frowned at Abraham’s response.

Glancing at Elizabeth, he found that she had a complicated expression on her face.

Abraham turned away from the grotesque monster Damian had turned into and set his sights on Elizabeth.

"The ritual involves the blood of Simonian Vampires, specifically those in the Blood Domain. It also involves the body of 11 Vampires that have reached the status of Dukes and lastly, it requires the hearts of a million men. Of course, that last part can be replaced with something else, after all, what is required is something with overwhelming vitality.... something that a homunculus surely possesses." Abraham casually explained as he arrived before Elizabeth.

"... You won’t get away with this," Elizabeth muttered in a hoarse voice.

Abraham grinned. "I already have."

Without hesitation, he jammed his hand into Elizabeth’s chest, eliciting a muffled groan from her.

The next moment, he pulled his hand out and in his grasp, a transparent stone without blemish was held.

"..." Alex’s expression turned grim at the sight.

Even if he hadn’t been privy to the stone before and even what it was, he could sense the power within.

The cries of wronged souls could be heard coming from it.

"The Philosopher’s Stone, a transcendent material capable of forming life but is it possible to create life without being a True God?... Of course not, so these abominations are made using the souls of others. Who would have thought the Great Families, touted as heroes of the continent would perform such twisted acts." Abraham spoke with a hint of mockery in his voice before he turned away from Elizabeth.

"... They did what they had to... to protect the continent," Elizabeth muttered in an exhausted tone, her skin already showing signs of ruin as cracks appeared in different locations with chips appearing to reveal a hollow interior.

Alex watched all this happen, unable to do a thing as he was trapped in Abraham’s overwhelming darkness.

Taking casual steps, Abraham once again arrived before Damian... or at least what was left of him, and in a straightforward manner, handed over the Philosopher’s Stone.

The monstrosity took it and placed it in what should have been its chest.

A moment later, the sound of bone realignment and flesh forming echoed before a rejuvenated Damian was revealed with red hair and an overflowing divinity.

"I..."

Before he could celebrate his recovery, several shadowy tendrils wrapped around him, keeping him in place long enough for Abraham to penetrate his chest with his palm.

Just like that, Damian could do nothing but watch as his divinity was taken away from him, leaving him a dry husk.

Moments later, he crumbled to dust and his ashes were blown away by the wind.

"A wonderful end, if I do say so myself," Abraham muttered as he glanced at his palm, a blood-red essence congealing to form a glowing crimson rock.

Turning around with a triumphant look on his face, Abraham approached Alex.

"... You won, let me go," Alex muttered as he tried without success to break free from his bindings.

Chuckling lightly, Abraham replied. "Unfortunately, I cannot do that. You see, you were meant to be dead and I for one despise when something doesn’t go according to how it’s meant to go."

With those words, he pierced Alex’s chest with his palm, ripping out his heart in one swift motion.

"Goodbye, Mr. Regulus. I hope you stay dead this time." With those words, Abraham disappeared into a shroud of darkness.

Alex remained standing, finally freed from his constraints but of course, it was of no use.

As his body turned cold and his breath slowly came to an end, he thought of nothing but his wife and child awaiting him back on Earth.

It would seem his promise to return was not to be fulfilled.

Chuckling self-deprecatingly, he accepted the cold embrace of death.

But just before he completely lost consciousness, he heard a series of footsteps and then... silence.

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