Chapter 103: Different Abilities (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Hearing the tinkling sound, feeling her shoulder grow unnaturally cold, and unable to locate the source of danger, Lyra’s first reaction was to use the “Paper Doll Substitute.”

Her body rapidly shrank and thinned, transforming into a neatly cut paper doll.

The paper doll darkened swiftly, turning yellow and brittle in an instant, as if it had been stored for twenty years.

Without a sound, the aged pale-yellow paper doll disintegrated into countless tiny fragments.

Lyra’s figure reappeared beside the staircase, still holding the same oil lamp, but the next second, she felt her shoulder grow cold again.

In a flash of thought, she raised her right hand and pinched the bridge of her nose.

She activated “Spirit Sight,” then turned her gaze toward the opposite room, toward its glass window.

Against the backdrop of night and the dim yellow glow of the oil lamp, the bathroom’s glass functioned like a mirror, reflecting Lyra’s upper body.

On each of her shoulders sat a transparent, blurry infant!

The two infants had plump, fleshy faces, pale skin tinged blue, and expressions twisted with agony.

At that moment, they both leaned forward, pressing their mouths to Lyra’s neck, as if sucking something.

Seeing this, Lyra did not panic—instead, she exhaled in relief.

Knowing the source of the anomaly was far better than facing complete uncertainty!

Now she could identify the nature of the problem and make targeted choices.

Just like now!

Lyra drew her delicate silver pistol and fired at the transparent, terrifying infant on her left shoulder.

Bang!

A golden bullet shot from the barrel, wreathed in phantom flames.

The infant immediately let out a wailing “Waa-waa-waa!” and flew off Lyra’s shoulder, dragging the golden fire that burned it.

Bang! Lyra fired another bullet above the other shoulder.

The infant spirit, engulfed in violent flames, cried out as it followed its companion toward the end of the corridor.

There stood a female figure, her eyes nearly blue, features soft, face round, black hair flowing—clearly the parish priest’s mistress, Pierre Béry’s sister, Sybil Béry.

Her skin was covered in a bluish tint, and on either side of her neck grew what looked like fleshy tumors.

The two transparent, blurry infants flew back to her shoulders and began suckling the corresponding “tumors,” as if nursing.

As they suckled, the golden flames burning them gradually faded.

But Lyra would not stand idle—she aimed at Sybil Béry and pulled the trigger.

With a bang, a bullet forged of gold pierced the few meters between them, striking Sybil squarely in the head.

For some reason, Sybil made no attempt to dodge—her forehead instantly split open into a bloody hole.

Inside the hole, milky white and crimson blood intertwined, while phantom golden flames swiftly devoured them.

Thud—Sybil collapsed, life gone; the two transparent infants with bluish faces wailed and dissolved.

Was that it? Lyra could hardly believe it.

The silver bells on her veil and boots still rang loudly—louder than before!

In an instant, Lyra felt something cold and sinister growing rapidly inside her.

She quickly turned to the bathroom, to its glass window, and saw her own skin had turned bluish without her noticing.

The next second, her body reverted into a paper doll.

The paper doll curled into a ball and fell heavily to the floor.

Lyra’s figure materialized inside the bathroom, but the sensation of that cold thing growing within her did not vanish.

Almost simultaneously, a soft voice sounded at her ear:

“I made a pact with a strange spirit from the Spirit Realm, gaining one of its traits.

“Whoever kills me, I can be reborn inside them, taking over their body.

“You’re beautiful. I like you. The parish priest probably likes you too…”

Hearing Sybil’s words, Lyra didn’t hesitate—she grabbed her silver-white pistol and oil lamp and bolted out of the bathroom.

She needed to find Valentine.

Exorcism was one of the Sun Domain’s greatest strengths, and they were especially effective against such things!

…………

Valentine was trapped in the area near the balcony.

It was surrounded by thick, pitch-black vines hanging from the ceiling, bristling with thorns and blooming with enormous, foul-smelling crimson flowers.

Valentine half-opened his arms, letting golden flames spontaneously burst forth, burning away the aberrations around him.

At that moment, a figure materialized in midair.

He wore a long white robe trimmed with gold thread, had short black hair, serious blue eyes, and a slightly hooked nose—it was Father Guillaume Béry of Keduo Village.

Having ended his invisibility, he hovered in midair, gazing down at Valentine, and whispered in Ancient Hermes:

“Valentine!”

Accompanying the voice, a dark glow flickered within the priest’s robe.

This was a power Guillaume Béry had obtained through his pact:

By uttering the target’s true name, he could affect their spirit, inducing dizziness and other reactions.

The closer the language used was to natural speech and the Spirit Realm, and the more accurately he knew the target’s true identity, the stronger the effect.

If his own spirit was significantly stronger, he could even extract the enemy’s spirit outright, leaving them utterly dazed and helpless.

Hearing the priest’s call, Valentine’s mind rang sharply—he was suddenly dizzy, unable to think clearly.

But he quickly regained control, restoring his clarity.

Since entering Keduo Village, he had never revealed his full name; Father Guillaume Béry’s ability would have little effect.

Guillaume Béry never expected success—he threw a human bone he had prepared in advance while Valentine was still reeling from the dizziness.

Plop—the moment the bone hit the ground, the priest swiftly chanted in Hermes:

“See nothing. Hear nothing. Wake not.”

This was a curse, another power Guillaume Béry had gained through his pact:

By throwing a bone symbolizing the dead, he could make the target blind, deaf, and unable to awaken—as if dead.

Valentine was not asleep, so “wake not” did not apply—but his lingering dizziness intensified, blurring his vision, ringing his ears, limiting his sight to under three meters and silencing all sounds beyond range.

Seizing the opportunity, the priest extended his right hand.

His blue eyes lightened, becoming transparent, almost illusory.

Around Valentine, intricate mercury-colored symbols emerged—one after another, like tiny rivers twisting upon themselves, forming a vast, shimmering phantom river.

Downstream, countless tributaries branched off, but as the main current advanced, most were swallowed, leaving only one.

Guillaume Béry observed for several seconds, then, while Valentine remained trapped by the curse of blindness and deafness, he reached for one of the mercury symbols.

He intended to amplify the corresponding tributary, turning the fate of paralysis from the abyssal demonic flowers into reality for Valentine.

…………

The shadow on the side raised its axe and swung at Ryan. The alert warrior dodged in time, dropping the oil lamp he had been carrying.

His body instantly covered itself in silver-white full-body armor, and a massive sword of light appeared in his hand.

Ding-ding-ding!

Ryan slashed continuously, driving the shadow back into the wall, while surrounding the area with specks of dawnlight, dispelling the shadows.

The black, pale, sinister, or terrifying arms that had been reaching from behind the shadows were pushed far away, unable to touch Ryan’s body.

With a clang, the shadow fully retracted into the wall, returning to normal.

It vanished under the dawnlight.

Nearby, the remaining shadows expanded, and out stepped Pierre Béry, the shepherd, clad in a long coat with a hood.

He bent slightly, gripping his axe, and charged toward Ryan with heavy steps.

With each step, a layer of sealed power within him was released—after a few strides, Pierre Béry, though unchanged in height, seemed to have gained the stature and strength of a giant.

Opposite him, Ryan had also grown much larger, gripping the “Dawn Sword” as he slashed at his charging, bull-like foe.

Clang!

The great sword met the axe, sending sparks flying in a cascade.

Both Pierre Béry and Ryan stepped back—Pierre took three heavy steps to stabilize, while Ryan needed only one.

Ryan pushed off his rear foot, seizing the moment Pierre was still unsteady, lunging forward to slash at his chest.

At that instant, Pierre Béry opened his mouth.

His tongue twisted into a strange chameleon.

The chameleon’s head was wedged between its legs, one foreleg shoved into its mouth.

Seeing the chameleon, Ryan’s head erupted in searing pain, preventing him from completing his attack.

Headache curse!

A power Pierre Béry obtained through a pact with a strange spirit who had loved studying curses in life.

Seizing Ryan’s moment of agony, he summoned the retreating shadows back and launched a furious assault.

Ding-ding-ding—the sound of blows drove Ryan steadily backward.

…………

As commotion erupted outside, Lu Mi sat up abruptly, instinctively telling Aurora beside him:

“Something’s wrong!

“Go out and meet up with Ryan and the others!”

This was a principle Ryan Cos had repeatedly told his sister and brother:

When attacked, stay as close to each other as possible—a team that coordinates far outperforms five individuals fighting alone!

“Good!” Aurora left her bed, one hand reaching for the hidden pocket in her long dress, sprinting toward the door.

As Lu Mi approached the open door, he suddenly saw a man.

It was Michel Gariq, the assistant priest dressed in a white robe embroidered with gold thread.

The slender, curly-haired young man’s eyes were utterly hollow as he smiled at Lu Mi:

“Would you like to pray?”

With a puff, Lu Mi whipped his axe backward and slashed it across Michel’s neck.

Michel’s head tilted sideways, but little blood spilled out.

He gazed askance at Lu Mi, his face still glowing with the same cheerful smile:

“Would you like to pray?”

Lu Mi was about to raise his axe again and sever the man’s neck when a sudden, intense sense of danger struck him.

Leveraging the terrifying flexibility of the “Dancer,” he spun his body violently and swung the axe behind him.

The next instant, his gaze froze.

He saw Aurora.

Aurora’s pale blue eyes had also become eerily hollow; she was tossing a powder ground from some tree’s wood toward Lu Mi.

Gazing at his sister’s familiar face, Lu Mi’s axe slowed, then came to a complete stop.

He even forgot to dodge.

A crackling sound erupted as a bolt of silver-white lightning struck Lu Mi’s head.

He collapsed into unconsciousness.

His vision plunged into darkness.

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(End of Chapter)