Chapter 44

"I returned from Japan two days ago. By the time I knew, it was too late to notify you in advance."

The Black Mask replied, then asked in return,

"In any case, that is the current situation. Before the ritual ends, the leader will not come to save us. We must face this crisis ourselves—what do you intend to do, [Qingguo Qingcheng]?"

Huh????

Does such a simple question even need to be asked?

"Of course, it's to run away as fast as I can without looking back! You idiot!"

047: This organization is just unreliable.

"Wait a second????"

The reaction of [Qingguo Qingcheng], the strongest of the [The Four Titans] in [Black Spartacus], was so ridiculous that even the Black Mask was momentarily stunned.

"You are a great vampire who has lived for over five hundred years. Shouldn't you be in a base with full preparations and many powerful subordinates, pouring virgin blood into a red wine glass, reading a classic novel while waiting for the opponent to come?"

"We know that the most terrifying and brutal evil killer and monster hunter of the last decade is coming. To play those kinds of silly games in this situation is just having water in your brain!?"

What a strong desire to survive! The Green Mask was merciless with the sarcasm!

"Do you not have the self-esteem and pride of a villain??"

The Black Mask was finally shocked,

"Besides, even if the leader doesn't necessarily come to support us, don't you still have reliable allies like [Clematis] and me?"

"Go look in a mirror before you say such things!"

Reliable?

Is there really any cell in this entire [Black Spartacus] organization that is reliable?!

The Green Mask—[Qingguo Qingcheng], as the strongest in this organization besides the leader, knew very well that this organization was just unreliable, unreliable, unreliable, ahhh!!!

"Since the person on the other side is [Rep-Man], and the leader is unlikely to come to support, I have no benefit in confronting them head-on!"

Cowardly?

Self-esteem?

Playing it cool?

She didn't have any of those useless things! Rather, in this hateful, dark, and absurd world, this was the secret to her living for five hundred years!

"A great vampire who has lived for over five hundred years? So what! Someone who fights based on thoughts like 'maybe I can win' or 'maybe the boss will come to save me' wouldn't even live for fifty years!"

After saying this, the Green Mask actually intended to hang up the call immediately!

There was someone coming who could kill her with one punch; no matter what, she should run away immediately, right?

"Aren't you still supposed to help the leader guard the [world egg] that maintains the ritual?"

The voice of the Black Mask finally changed, transmitting a wave of metallic texture,

"Are you not planning to wait for the leader to grant you a reward, fulfill your wish, and lift the curse on you after the ritual succeeds in his world?"

"Miracles are limited. Just in time, [Madame Poison Bee] and [Spicy Girl] have fallen, so you should seize this opportunity—"

"No need."

Before the voice finished, his words were interrupted by [Qingguo Qingcheng].

"The reason I joined [Black Spartacus] is simply because the leader is super strong. After all, I don't want to be chased and beaten by the church all day. As long as I can severely damage the [Roman Church], it's no big deal to contribute some labor to the organization."

"But you say I should expect the leader to grant me a reward after the great success and fulfill my wish—huh? How could anyone be stupid enough to believe that kind of thing?"

"Let me tell you! In my five hundred-plus years of life, such good things have never just run in front of me on their own!"

"If you want something, go grab it! No matter what means you use! That is my philosophy of life!"

After saying this, taking advantage of the Black Mask being stunned on the other side and unable to do anything to stop her, the Green Mask slapped the candle flame out—in an instant, this spell communication was cut off. The Black Mask disappeared, and the whole room immediately lit up.

The person wearing the Black Mask was actually not here from the beginning. Their communication used the mask as a medium, using the candlelight to send each other's phantoms to the other side.

Why use spell communication instead of a video call? Because this one-on-one communication magic based on sympathetic magic principles is almost impossible to wiretap, which is somewhat similar to quantum encryption in science and technology. Therefore, the supernatural society actually likes this set.

Now that the candle was out and the phantom reflected by the firelight disappeared, the other side could not find trouble with [Qingguo Qingcheng] for a while. Without another word, she turned and ran!

The Basilica of San Clemente is a relic of an ancient temple, mostly located underground, but not too deep. The patterns and colors on the surrounding murals had long been blurred and peeled off. However, the stone pillars that had supported it for two thousand years still stood firmly. The entire church ruin exuded a desolate and mysterious atmosphere. On the mottled stone walls, vines slowly crawled along the cracks carved by time, as if telling the whispers of ancient gods.

[Qingguo Qingcheng] ran past layer after layer of arches. This place was once a battlefield where [Christianity]'s faith defeated the old gods—defeating [Mithra] and Apollo, competing for the status of [Sun God]. Among the mottled stone pillars and broken walls, one could vaguely discern the outline of the once magnificent altar. The wind traveled between the broken walls, bringing the low sound of white rain in the distance.

A team of voodoo priests gathered here, wearing dark robes, their faces painted with strange charms, holding sacrificial vessels pieced together from ancient Roman rubble and mysterious voodoo symbols. They surrounded an altar made of abandoned stone slabs—on the altar, there stood an [egg].

An egg symbolizing the egg of the new world.

The priests formed a tight circle around it, drawing complex symbol arrays with powder and blood on the damp stone floor, chanting low and powerful spells, each sentence seeming to resonate with the inside of the egg. At the same time, thick clouds slowly gathered, and the white rain roared in the distance, adding a bit of murderous color to this ritual.

[Qingguo Qingcheng]'s task was originally to be responsible for guarding this egg here. Until the ritual was completed, the white rain tonight would drown everything, dyeing at least five million people in [Rome] black, soaking the land of the city of [Rome].

But she was no longer planning to continue helping!

Anyway, run first! Run before [Rep-Man] comes! As for the remaining priests… hmm… it's fine not to let them know; they can just buy her time! She is really too smart!

And then… then how to escape? Where to escape? Flying in the rainy night is easy to be discovered by the [Roman Curia], and if she is shot down by [Rep-Man], it will be over. Just steal a car and drive away in the middle of the night!

"The situation outside has changed, and I need to go out to help. You stay here and perform the ritual, do not move, do not make mistakes."

After saying this with a serious face to the voodoo priests, she was about to escape into the rain—

—Unfortunately, the next second, the sky suddenly exploded.

Boom!!!

A black shadow tore through the sky, carrying extremely terrifying impact, falling from the sky at the speed of a falling comet, smashing through the roof of the ruins!

The air was torn by a sharp whistling sound, and the strong wind rolled up. The thick white rain was pushed away by this overwhelming wind and scorching fire power, and burned out!

Her figure smashed through the dilapidated dome like a meteorite. Gravel splashed, raising large amounts of dust and debris, the earth trembled under the impact, and the shock wave boomed and spread, knocking all the voodoo priests around the altar to the ground!

Before the voodoo priests could react or stand up, she swept her long spear casually, like a raging storm, cutting three priests who were about to stand up and cast spells in half! Blood mist exploded, and the broken bodies flew backward, smashing the stone carvings beside the altar!

The remaining voodoo priests turned pale and retreated in horror. Their spells were not yet completed, and all their defenses and courage were shattered by this destructive, violent power!

"Sorry for the intrusion—"

The person who rushed into the ruins looked petite, actually like a young girl of ten or so. The huge pink-white dress was particularly dazzling in the night, and she wore a ruffled bonnet with red trim on her silver hair.

But the smile on her lips was enough to let people know that she possessed earth-shattering power.

Correspondingly, there was a pair of dragon wings on her back larger than her height, which were slightly flapping, scraping up wind and fire.

She was a dragon.

No matter how much her appearance resembled a human girl, she was a dragon, with the speed and power of a dragon.

So [Qingguo Qingcheng] had already started to break out in cold sweat.

" — — It's really impossible to let me succeed (escape) this easily, right?!"

— —

Back to Lady Remina.

Following Elaine's guidance, she flew directly out of the Vatican and aimed straight for the ruins of the Basilica of San Clemente, crashing inside to save time.

Upon crashing in, she discovered she was quite lucky and had indeed found the right place. A group of Voodoo priests had already been knocked to the ground by her shockwave, and that faintly glowing egg on the altar, overflowing with divine power — — oh my, isn't that the [world egg] from the ritual?

What a stroke of luck!

That said, Lady Remina did not rush headlong to smash the egg. Because there was someone else beside the altar, someone strong enough that she could not simply ignore.

It was a little girl with long golden hair, about 1.4 meters tall, wearing a green Voodoo mask. Although she looked frail and weak, Lady Remina did not think she was truly weak at all.

And the next second, the voice of Sister Elaine came through the communication channel in Remina's ear: "Please be careful, Duchess. This is the head of The Four Titans of the [Black Spartacus], Francesca, the [Alluring]."

"She is a great vampire who has existed for at least several hundred years. Even though you are a Dragonborn over five hundred years old, please do not underestimate her."

Elaine remained in the Vatican and did not actually come out — — her combat power wouldn't be of any help anyway. However, she had Lady Remina carry a Rune communication stone made by the [Association], so the two could communicate in real-time, issue commands quickly, relay intelligence, and utilize their combined wisdom.

"Oh — —" Hearing the sister's words, Lady Remina looked at the golden-haired Mysterious Little Girl wearing a mask and realized with a start, "So you are Francesca, the [Alluring]. I have indeed heard of your name."

Old monsters who have lived for hundreds of years in the dark world. Although they haven't necessarily met or dealt with each other, they have at least heard rumors about one another. It's just that Lady Remina had never left Europe, and this Francesca, the [Alluring], seemed to have always stayed in the Americas, so they had never met, only heard of each other.

But…

"Seeing you is not as good as hearing about you." Lady Remina looked the golden-haired little girl up and down and frowned, "Although I can't see your face, no matter how beautiful it is, any monarch who likes a little girl like you, who can be [Alluring] by a little lass like you — — must be a loli-con, right?"

That said, the Duchess herself looked very young, so saying this was completely unconvincing. It only made people wonder what kind of appearance Duke Dracula actually liked.

The golden-haired little girl — — Francesca, the [Alluring], hid her expression under the green mask. Although she didn't retort, the corners of her mouth were actually twitching.

She also recognized the Lady Remina before her: one of the top experts of the Roman Curia, Dracula's wife and agent (because Dracula himself never left Romania), a Dragonborn from Eastern Europe.

So… what should she do now? Fight or flee? If she fled directly, the Dragonborn's flying speed was clearly faster than hers. Expose her back to the spear of Dracula's wife? That would be practically asking for death.

No choice… anyway, let's try fighting first.

If she could win, then fight!

If she was going to lose, then improvise!

Without another word, Lady Remina attacked first. With the agility of her dragon wings, she carved an arc in the air, her spear pointed directly at the heart of the [Alluring] girl!

At the critical moment, the golden-haired vampire hurriedly whipped her hair. Her beautiful long hair, which seemed to be made of gold, actually transformed in mid-air into a shield made of solidified gold!

Under the violent impact of the dragon spear, that layer of golden shield sent countless sparks flying, and the shockwave even caused stone debris to fly throughout the entire ruin!

Blocking Lady Dracula's ruthless spear, she didn't dare to hesitate; she let out a low growl, both angry and shocked, and quickly counterattacked, her eyes glowing blood-red beneath the mask. Gold condensed into two sharp swords in her hands, and with superhuman agility, she slashed fiercely at the rapidly approaching dragon!

The short blades cut through the air, heading straight for Lady Remina's flank. Unfortunately, Dracula's wife was long accustomed to such battlefield engagements; she dodged nimbly in mid-air while swinging the heavy and massive steel spear in her hand, thrusting backhand in an attempt to drive her opponent back.

Two completely different powers instantly intertwined amidst the broken walls and ruins: on one side was Lady Remina, wife of Dracula, with that dragon power filled with endless wildness and arrogance, each of her strikes like an exploding bomb; on the other side was the golden-haired vampire known as [the Alluring]. Whether it was bizarre magic or a special ability, she kept manifesting various golden weapons. That endless, brilliant golden light was indeed even more mesmerizing than a beautiful woman. Dragon fire and golden light wove into a tragic and beautiful picture.

After several rounds of fighting, the situation had become slightly deadlocked. But Lady Remina suddenly whipped her strong dragon tail, and with just the force of the tail strike, she forcibly shattered the [Alluring] one's offensive as she closed in!

Flames ignited at her fingertips, and her spear tip began to glow with intense heat. A scorching wind roared out, accompanied by her breath — —

"The spine of the Carpathians is forged here!"

"Seventy thousand souls are tempered into my spear tip!"

"With the Impaler's wedding ring as the contract,"

"Dragon blood as the catalyst, the stake is erected!"

No sooner said than done! Lady Remina proclaimed loudly and slammed her spear into the ground. A ring of scorching shockwaves instantly swept through the entire ancient ruin hall, and the dragon fire engulfed everything in an instant!

The last few Voodoo priests didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly evaporated in the flame storm. Their bodies turned into charcoal, collapsing in the burning ruins, their broken bones twisting in the flames, burned to ash!

The [Alluring] one hurriedly raised her golden shield to block, only to find that the edge of her shield had already developed fine cracks under the Duchess's violent dragon tail strike, and the golden light was trembling and scattering.

There was no need for [Rep-Man] at all; even the Duchess alone could force her into such a desperate situation. Did she underestimate the Curia too much, or did she overestimate her own abilities?

That wasn't entirely the case.

When the dragon fire dissipated, there were no other small fry left on the battlefield. But Lady Remina pulled up her spear and frowned again. Because the [world egg] on the altar had not been damaged in the slightest by the flames.

Because Francesca, the [Alluring], had not been swallowed by the flames either. Countless liquid gold surged around her skin, forming an incredible armor on the very outside of her body.

Let your thunder roar, let your flames dance wildly; nothing can shake the immortality forged of gold.

"Well, little girl. It's up to you now."

So Lady Remina curled her lips, tapped the communication rune stone, and said, "What kind of spell is this, what is the logic behind it? Little sister, hurry up and use your wisdom."

048: Anyway, let's discuss it first!

The thick white rain was still pouring down.

In two other places in Rome, battles were also taking place.

Their battles were not as intense as Lady Remina's, nor were they as evenly matched… but the others also had to face other absurdities and horrors.

The white rain that created the new world fell on the citizens of Rome, not just turning them into black people, but even making them all give birth to children.

What kind of children would they give birth to?

For the citizens who were drenched by the white rain, turning into black people was just the beginning.

At first, they were just avoiding the heavy rain, avoiding the rising flood, wailing and terrified at having turned black.

A vendor had already hidden in a high place to escape the flood, and was blankly wiping the rain from his face, muttering [What the hell is this]. But the next second, his pupils suddenly dilated, and an indescribable pain suddenly appeared on his face.

"Ah — —" He screamed and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach tightly, his veins bulging wildly like twisted snakes.

Then, his chest exploded.