Chapter 249: Scarlet Tail

"Let me tell you one last piece of news." Before Reindot's phantom dissipated, he looked in the direction of the King Insect.

"That thing has two weaknesses, but the only one that can kill it in a single strike is the main body hidden beneath its largest eyeball."

"With your current strength, finishing it off should be easy, but remember, don't let it run away, otherwise I will definitely..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body turned completely ethereal and dissipated before Edward's eyes.

And as Reindot's phantom dissipated, Edward's trial to ascend to Champion came to an end.

The entire Mirror World shattered, time resumed its flow, and the wounds Reindot had cut into Edward's body healed instantly, leaving no trace behind.

"Otherwise what? Finish your sentence." Edward shook his head helplessly, gripping the longsword in his hand and feeling an unprecedented sense of power within his body.

He had ascended to Champion.

He had imagined this scenario many times; he had thought he would be extremely excited or thrilled, yet his true emotion was merely the calm that follows relief.

"It is time to end this."

Edward raised his longsword, his body suddenly accelerating, crossing several streets in the span of a breath.

In the instant before the King Insect could react, countless sword lights descended, and its massive body was cut into several segments in the blink of an eye.

"Found it."

Edward's sharp eyes locked onto the brain previously hidden by flesh and blood, as well as the Parasite main body hiding beneath the creature's eyeball.

Without giving it a single chance to catch its breath, he surged forward as if he had transformed into a massive tidal wave.

The next second, the fleshy brain used to store energy and control the body, along with the King Insect's main body as a Parasite hiding behind the eyeball, were both slashed into dust by Edward.

Ghost Fire of a ghostly green color burned fiercely, scorching every piece of flesh remaining on the King Insect's body into charcoal.

"What happened?" Yun Mu looked at the scene before her with a surprised expression.

How did Uncle Edward suddenly become so strong? If he had this kind of strength earlier, why would he have needed to take the two of them and run? Could it be some special explosive technique that carries severe side effects after use? Thinking of this, Yun Mu couldn't help but feel a bit worried about Edward's physical state.

"Let's go over and take a look." Seeing that the King Insect's body had been burned to charcoal by the Ghost Fire, she said to Brenna beside her.

"Mm."

Brenna was also very curious about what had just happened and why Edward's strength had suddenly increased several times over in such a short period.

"Cough, cough."

Just as she wanted to stand up, she felt something strange in her lungs and couldn't help but cough softly.

Earlier, while piloting the Princess, the mech had been swatted away several times by that monster, so Brenna, sitting in the cockpit, naturally suffered the impact.

"Are you okay?" Hearing Brenna's coughing, Yun Mu looked at her with concern.

"Cough, I'm fine."

Clearing her throat, Brenna pushed hard with her legs and stood up from the ground.

However, whether it was because she had been sitting for too long or because of the injuries she had sustained earlier.

Just as she stood up and took a step forward, she suddenly felt her legs go soft.

"Ah!"

Letting out a cute cry, Brenna subconsciously reached out both hands and grabbed Yun Mu's waist.

"..."

The two were silent for a moment, and then, Yun Mu expressionlessly picked Brenna up.

"Let's go," she said.

"Mm."

Brenna, her face flushed red, rested in Yun Mu's arms and nodded.

At the same time, inside the distant Dark Night Church.

The battle belonging to the High-level Transcendents was also nearing its end.

First, Dunn's arrival caused Natavia's pressure to multiply, and then, Lucy fought for control of the body against the Scarlet Avatar, preventing that Outer God of Scarlet from fighting properly.

And during the subsequent battle, perhaps because the outcome on the Lady of Dark Night's side had already been decided, the Scarlet Avatar's power was suddenly reduced significantly.

Coupled with Lucy's assistance from the sidelines, it didn't take long for Bishop Muse to slay the Scarlet Avatar and seal the corpse inside a stone coffin engraved with Dark Night inscriptions.

"It's over."

Lucy's figure condensed beside Bishop Muse, causing the latter to raise an eyebrow.

After a brief silence, he said: "Thank you very much; this time, it was thanks to your help, Miss Lucy."

"It's nothing." Hearing his words, Lucy shook her head: "Even without me, you would have eventually been able to defeat Him."

"Because the true battlefield had already been decided long ago."

She looked up at the night sky; at some point, a silent and mysterious night curtain had already shrouded the entire Frostfall City, and the countless stars in the sky, as well as that bright full moon, had all disappeared.

"What about that Scarlet Messenger?" she asked, looking at the four Master-level Transcendents not far away.

Lienie glanced at Dunn: "Ask him."

"I have exiled her from this world." Seeing everyone's gaze turn to him, Dunn explained.

"Exiled... She won't come back, will she?"

"If the Scarlet had not been defeated by the Lady of Dark Night, then that would indeed be a possibility, but under the current circumstances, I don't believe she can return."

"Because everyone present is a High-level Transcendent, the information regarding that Scarlet Messenger will not dissipate from your minds for the time being."

"Once everyone has forgotten her, there will be absolutely no possibility of a return."

Dunn took a notebook from his pocket and picked up the fountain pen he carried with him to record it in the notebook.

Noticing Lucy's curious gaze, he explained: "This is a notebook made from the molted skin of the Elven Ancient Tree Batuoer; I record the targets I have exiled on it so that the information is not lost."

"This is just a measure taken just in case, and it will not affect the effect of the exile, so please rest assured."

"Then what will you do next?" Lucy asked again. "We will proceed to destroy this body and then handle the matters of the Church branch in Frostfall City." Bishop Muse knew she was asking this on behalf of Yun Mu and Brenna, so he explained in detail.

"Those parasitized staff members were ordered by Land to be protected in front of the room with the Scarlet Anchor; although it is a pity, being able to resolve an Outer God invasion event by sacrificing only these people is already considered a very good result."

"For the next period of time, the city will likely be completely sealed off. It won't be unblocked until every inch of the city has been inspected and thoroughly cleaned."

"As for Miss Yun Mu, there is no need to worry. For everyone who was infected by the Scarlet Curse but did not mutate into a monster, I will preside over a ritual to beseech the Lady of the Dark Night to bestow a miracle and purge the curse from their bodies."

"As for the rest, that is a matter for the people of the Kingdom and the Guard Hall to handle; it has nothing to do with the Church."

"Of course, this incident is related to the former Bishop Land, so the Church will certainly provide compensation. You can make this clear to Her Highness the Princess."

"So, this is the Church's stance?"

After hearing Lucy's relay, Brenna sighed with a headache.

"Compensation... The Parasites that Land cultivated, along with the man himself—can the guards, ordinary citizens, and soldiers of the Fifth Mechanized Infantry Regiment he killed really be accounted for with just a word like 'compensation'?"

"Forget it, let the people from the Church argue with the ministers of Parliament. I will write down the entire sequence of events in full and deliver it to my father in an envelope."

Having said this, she sighed again and looked out the window of Frost Bank.

After this incident, how long will it take for Frostfall City to recover its former vitality? The nobles who died in the Church will likely cause the city's upper-class structure to be completely shattered and reorganized; there will surely be quite a lot of trouble then.

But what is fortunate is that the Scarlet Shadow has finally dissipated, and it is time for her to breathe a sigh of relief.

Despite the heavy price paid, tomorrow's sun will eventually shine once more upon this city covered in warm snow.

"By the way, where is Miss Yun?" Lucy asked Brenna at this moment. She looked around but did not see Yun Mu's figure in the room.

"Miss Yun's Spirituality was exhausted, so she fell asleep on the way back," Brenna explained to her.

"I see."

"Where is this..."

In her sleep, Yun Mu opened her eyes and found herself lying on a soft, enormous, pale purple bed.

The air was filled with a faint incense, which smelled so relaxing that one couldn't help but feel at ease.

"How did I end up here?"

Carefully getting off the bed, she found herself wearing a clean, white, thin nightgown. The hem of the nightgown barely covered the base of her thighs, revealing two slender, fair legs.

And on the floor by the bed, a pair of fluffy little bear slippers had been thoughtfully placed.

Yun Mu put on the slippers and walked around the floor, observing the structure of the room.

There was nothing much to say about the shape; it was a very common square. However, the room was extremely large. On both sides of the bed where Yun Mu had just been lying, there were chains hanging with gold, silver, and gemstone ornaments, plus pale purple mosquito nets that emitted a faint fluorescent glow, looking both beautiful and luxurious.

After stepping onto the floor, the first thing that caught one's attention was, of course, the handmade, ultra-large carpet with an extremely intricate, gorgeous, and slightly mysterious pattern.

There was also a desk made of unknown wood, a crystal ball on an obsidian base placed on a stand to the left of the desk, and a tall bookshelf holding an unknown number of books.

Incense, carvings, a mechanical clock, all kinds of collections... there were too many things, and Yun Mu couldn't even count them all.

The only thing she could confirm was that the owner of this room must be a woman, and a very wealthy one at that! Otherwise, the room could not possibly be furnished so luxuriously.

The question was, why exactly did she appear in this room?

Yun Mu pondered for a moment, but could not think of an answer. She could only walk to the room's only exit, turn the doorknob with her hand, and gently push the door open.

"Hehe, you've come."

A woman seemed to have been waiting here for a long time—

She had a very beautiful face that made even Yun Mu feel inferior. She wore a luxurious robe in pale purple, fragrant like lavender and mysterious like a purple rose. There was a black mole on her left chest, eyes as clear as a serene night sky, and long, dark purple hair with streaks of black.

In just an instant, Yun Mu recognized the identity of the lady before her.

The Lady of the Dark Night, Dailianna! She opened her mouth, slightly hesitant: "Am I... in a dream?"

"Of course," the Lady of the Dark Night answered her question. "You are currently in my dream."

"No, or perhaps I should say, you have never woken up from the very beginning." The corners of her mouth curled up slightly; for some reason, Yun Mu had the illusion that she was smirking.

"What does that mean?" She frowned and asked the other party.

"Sit down first." The Lady of the Dark Night sat on a comfortable sofa and gestured for her to sit opposite her.

After Yun Mu sat down, the Lady of the Dark Night continued: "The night is not just a silent sky; when people are asleep, dreams are also a part of the night."

"When the Sacred Night arrived, the entire Frostfall City was already part of the dream."

"Your Excellency, do you mean that when the night arrived, we were all already in a dream?" Yun Mu tried to understand the meaning behind her words.

"You can think of it that way." The Lady of the Dark Night waved her hand, and a cup of steaming tea appeared on the table in front of Yun Mu.

"The Scarlet incident has ended. Frostfall City did not lose a single citizen, but the damaged streets and the wounded hearts of the people will need time to slowly heal."

"Dreams can be illusory, but as long as I wish, reality is also within them." She chuckled, her tone quite self-satisfied.

"Illusory... reality..." Yun Mu muttered these two words, a monstrous wave already rising in her heart.

To transform the entire city into a dream, with reality and illusion determined by oneself—the power of the Lady of the Dark Night was truly terrifying.

Or rather, is this the power of a deity? Yun Mu wanted to speak but stopped, her heart filled with countless mysteries and doubts. She wanted to ask, but didn't know if she should.

Fortunately, as if seeing through her thoughts, the Lady of the Dark Night chuckled: "If you have any questions, just ask. Big sister here can answer anything for you~"

Perhaps to close the distance, or perhaps because it would seem more intimate, the Lady of the Dark Night actually referred to herself as "big sister."

She took off the sandal on her right foot with great interest, then rested it over her left knee. As a goddess, her exquisite and fair jade-like foot was presented before Yun Mu.

Of course, Yun Mu was not interested in this; the reason it was described in such detail was simply because the author in charge of the writing liked it.

"Can I ask anything?" She raised her head and looked at the Lady of the Dark Night's face.

"That's right, anything at all." The Lady of the Dark Night smiled with a bit of mischief: "Even if you want to ask about the color of big sister's underwear, that's fine too~"

"No, never mind, I'm not interested."

(End of chapter)