Chapter 45

From the torn flesh, a hideous black creature burst forth, its entire body exuding a dark luster, its translucent form covered in irregular tumors and dense █ █.

And the monster, having just crawled out of the [mother's] corpse, immediately let out a shrill shriek and lunged at the terrified bystanders nearby!

It was certainly not the only one.

This horrific scene instantly spread across the street. More and more citizens suffered the same fate. More and more people began to twist, struggle, and scream. Even if those who remained wanted to run—hey, but for the thing that had long since infiltrated their bodies, how could they possibly escape?

They couldn't run more than a few steps before they collapsed in pain, limbs convulsing, eyeballs rolling back.

Immediately after, their abdomens, spines, and even mouths were torn open, and terrifying monsters broke out from within! Then, while cruelly gnawing on the last remains of the [mother], they opened their claws and fangs, pouncing on those poor souls who had not yet become mothers.

What the hell is this?

What exactly are these things that are breathing, eating people, yet are shriveled and swollen, and don't even have complete physical bodies?

They looked like infants, deformed human infants. But in this world, what human infant would tear open its mother's guts, be covered in █ █, struggle out from broken flesh, cry and howl while searching for new prey, and leave behind a ground full of terrified and desperate corpses?

The heavy rain continued to fall, as if to let the entire city experience the baptism of a nightmare.

As the rain grew heavier and the white water accumulated more, more places in Rome turned into hell. The streets were covered in viscous blood, broken corpses paved the steps, and twisted limbs that had not yet fully died floated in the flood. Those dead infants that had just broken out of their cocoons began to crawl slowly but firmly on the streets, their extended █ █ constantly sweeping through the air, seemingly searching for more fresh prey.

Citizens who had originally managed to escape the flood and rain were now panicking in this terrifying wave of monsters; screams and cries for help mingled together, and the modern metropolis instantly turned into a living nightmare.

People constantly tried to escape this hellish scene. But their escape often only brought greater tragedy—the moment they ran, their abdomens would suddenly ache sharply, and the terrifying dead infants would gush out from within, quickly drowning their once-living lives.

Gwendolyn, leader of the Order of the Holy Lance, walked quickly along the blood-stained and limb-strewn street with two vampire knights. Their figures flickered in the curtain of rain.

The vampires of the Stafia clan were all female. And their special attributes made them completely unafraid of this terrifying white rain.

Suddenly, a low, intermittent roar came from afar. Trash cans and scattered corpses by the roadside were knocked flying, and a group of deformed dead infant monsters crawled out from the dim alley entrance. Their skin was dark, their bodies covered in split wounds and sickly swollen pustules, and they approached Gwendolyn and her companions slowly but persistently.

Gwendolyn carried two swords. One was longer and larger, wrapped in cloth and carried on her back, invisible. The other sword was shorter and thinner, hanging at her waist. This group of terrifying-looking dead infant monsters had arrived. Was she going to use the sword on her back?

No.

With a clear ring of steel, she only drew the long sword from her waist, its silver cold light dancing in the dim moonlight. The two guard knights followed closely, each gripping their own longswords. A wave of dead infant monsters approached rapidly, their rotten limbs crawling at a weird, high speed, holding an overwhelming advantage in numbers.

However, just as the first dead infant tried to pounce on Gwendolyn's flank, she didn't even dodge; she simply met it with her sword, and the silver blade precisely split the monster's twisted body in two, rotting blood and viscous liquid splashing in the rain.

This movement wasn't her [slashing] at all, but rather letting the monster rush up and get [cut] in half by itself.

At the same time, one of the guard knights stepped forward, her longsword piercing another dead infant that was about to open its mouth. Although her technique was not as good as Gwendolyn's, she still accurately pierced its chest with one strike. The monster immediately let out a shrill scream, rotten flesh flying, and its spirit dissipating.

Generally, the rhythm of a melee fight in a torrential downpour would be very chaotic. However, Gwendolyn's steps in the rain were light and fluid, and every swing of her sword was accompanied by a flash of light like raindrops. Facing the continuously surging dead infant aliens, she didn't even need to take the initiative to attack. Whenever a monster approached, she could respond immediately. Her movements weren't incredibly fast, but every strike was miraculously precise.

Even when a dozen alien dead infants pounced together, she somehow managed to use a one-meter-long sword, with movements that weren't particularly fast but were incredibly ingenious, to slash and kill them one by one, and it even seemed as if she had hit them all simultaneously.

Qi Xing is the [strongest man on earth], and she is the [invincible Queen of Swords], a peerless powerhouse who has walked to a transcendent realm on a different path from [fierce strength]. She walked all the way out of the Vatican, without flying or running at supersonic speeds, just walking quickly through half of Rome. But she had slashed through half of Rome just like that, and without consuming any energy.

If Gwendolyn and Qi Xing were to compete on who could kill one million people first, Qi Xing would definitely win; but if they were to compare who could [persist in killing without time limits], Qi Xing, even counting the [silver coin], probably couldn't beat her.

If not for this extraordinary ability, before [Master Leipu] had obtained the silver coin, how could the Holy See have used Gwendolyn as a backup plan to check and balance him, to prevent the external guest from acting recklessly?

And this was just the tip of the iceberg of her power.

The two guard knights cooperated tacitly by her side. One kept stabbing the approaching dead infants with her sword, while the other swung her sword in wide arcs, shattering their semi-spiritual bodies. Although their combat skills were far from Gwendolyn's miraculous level, the two of them working together could keep up with her pace as she killed her way through half the city.

"What kind of evil magic is this?"

One of the guard knights, after slaying a dead infant, looked up at the torrential white rain in the sky and the countless dead infant monsters, unable to help but shiver.

The scene was too terrifying; even the captain's guard, who had at least fifty years of combat experience, felt more or less afraid.

"I don't know either."

The captain of the Knights said indifferently,

"We knights don't need to spend time and energy exploring such rare evil arts. Just ask the person in charge—Sister Elaine, what do you think?"

Two seconds later, a communication sound came from the rune stone she carried: "The [Association] has confirmed that this is a reenactment ritual of the creation myth of the African Fang people's supreme god, Mebege."

Sister Elaine's calm analytical voice kept coming through the communication.

"In the Fang people's creation myth, the creator god and father of all living things, Mebege, stuffed his three types of body hair into an egg, and then poured █ fluid into the egg to create the world and give birth to all living things. In this myth, hair and underarm hair represent animals and plants, and █ hair represents humans."

Gwendolyn looked at the dead infants she had slain around her, her feet moving quickly without stopping, but she was still able to interject: "Do these dead infants mean that his evil ritual to create the world was unsuccessful?"

"Not necessarily."

Elaine answered calmly,

"For ritual magic with a performative nature, the effect is influenced by the performer's personality, especially the larger the scale. Especially when the [Silver Coin Messenger] performs it, it is even more influenced by underlying desires."

For example, Professor Vanstra. The ritual he held on the cruise ship was so crazy, naturally because he himself had already had a mental breakdown.

"Perhaps in the heart of the [Silver Coin Messenger] Romani Domingo, humans are just such disgusting things, covered in dense █."

—

Meanwhile, on the other side, the battle between Lady Remina and [The Four Titans]' [Nation-Toppling] was still continuing. Although Lady Remina had not yet used her full strength, she did not expect her dragon fire to be so easily defended by the opponent.

For any dragon, breath is definitely a signature skill. Even if it wasn't a full-power ultimate move, being easily blocked was enough to make the dragon unhappy!

"What kind of spell is this, what is the logic? Little nun, hurry up and use your wisdom."

Remina immediately tapped the rune stone and asked.

So Sister Elaine, while explaining the African creation myth ritual to Captain Gwendolyn, was also multitasking to observe the battlefield on the Duchess's side, carefully observing the enemy's spells.

"Please be cautious, Duchess. Her incantation pronunciation is in the ancient Spanish of the sixteenth century. Although I have long known that [The Four Titans]' Francesca is a great vampire who has existed for a long time. But I didn't expect her to be about the same age as you."

Whether it's dragons or vampires, monsters and ghosts are basically stronger the longer they live. When Elaine said this, both Remina and Francesca were immediately startled.

On one hand, Remina was surprised because she hadn't expected the person opposite her to be an old monster over five hundred years old, just like herself.

On the other hand, both sides were astonished because they hadn't expected Elaine to be able to discern which era the old monster was from and which country she belonged to, just by listening to the accent of the incantation over the communication link—you, a twenty-year-old modern girl, why do you have such a skill? What kind of terrifying doxxer are you?!

Legendary old monsters who have true name weaknesses, like to hide their identities, and are terrified of enemies preparing specific counters against them, are most afraid of these kinds of doxxing experts who come with bizarre true name-piercing skills, ahhh!!

In an instant, Francesca felt her whole body crawl! It was even more terrifying than an ordinary girl encountering a hundred thousand stalkers!

Even Lady Remina was slightly unnerved by Elaine's ability for a moment. Fortunately, she was a righteous hero and wasn't too worried about being doxxed, so she just hurried to ask, "I'm asking you how to break this spell, girl?"

"I'm not a sage reading a script; how could I possibly know how to break the spell just by hearing one incantation?"

Elaine sighed and frowned on the other end of the call, "However, a Spaniard born in the sixteenth century, active in the Americas for hundreds of years, whose magic manifests and controls large amounts of gold, and who is also a vampire—this is likely related to the history of Spanish colonial conquest in South America."

"It is impossible for someone with such a background to use gold alchemy without a cost. Her spell materials are likely her own vital blood. Duchess, if you keep your distance and bombard her with Dragon Fire for a while, she might just defeat herself due to the backlash from spending too much vital blood."

Really? That sounds too easy.

Lady Remina listened, half-doubting.

Francesca, however, didn't even want to fight anymore; she wished she could turn around and run away immediately!

If she fought a few more rounds, who knows, the other side might even see through her real name, who her parents were, and even the color of her underwear! What kind of monster is this? Why even bother fighting?!

But she couldn't just run away blindly. Without an advantage in speed or numbers, running blindly wouldn't work; she would die either way.

Therefore, after a split-second of rapid thinking, Francesca made a decision. She haughtily lifted her head and let out a very loud "Hmph!"

Remina immediately raised her spear, intending to treat her to another blast of Dragon Fire.

"The famous Lady Dracula, and the assistant of [Master Leipu], I have heard of your legends."

The five-hundred-year-old vampire raised her tone and spoke loudly, "Since you both have ears, listen well! What I, the [Nation-Destroyer] Francesca, have to say now!"

She said loudly!

"——Let's negotiate first!"

What??

"We don't have a reason to fight to the death! And is killing me really a good idea? If I have no way out and fight back with my life, I can at least cause you some trouble, and if this continues, you will fall into the trap of Romani Domingo, you know? As long as there is room for compromise, finding it should be the best result for both of us."

"That's why we should negotiate before using violence. Besides, it's never too late to attack."

For a moment, her words actually sounded quite reasonable! She was truly worthy of being an old immortal who had lived for five hundred years; she was so straightforward it was refreshing!

Is this the true level of a great vampire who has survived for so long?

049: You don't call this begging for mercy

A skilled hunter doesn't waste words with their prey.

Unfortunately, in this universe, except for Qi Xing, 99% of people talk too much during combat. Even most experts (regardless of whether they are good or evil) will stop and wait for the opponent to announce their name, trash talk, transform—and all sorts of things like that.

When Qi Xing first transmigrated, he tried to persuade some fellow heroes: "Wouldn't it be better to attack first while the opponent is transforming or talking?" But these heroes all had inexplicable expressions as if to say, "What are you talking about?" It seemed that exchanging greetings and bickering before and after a fight was taken for granted.

Even if one managed a sneak attack, after the sneak attack was over, and before entering a head-on fight, between rounds of combat, everyone would always still say some nonsense.

Later, when Qi Xing discovered that whether it was the heroes or villains of this world, they basically all had this habit, he gave up trying to dissuade them. Because when everyone has this flaw, it isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's not a constraint that only targets good people, but rather an optional tactic.

Everyone can use trash talk to try to distract the enemy's attention and judgment. Both good and evil can use it, and "mouth power" has become a part of combat power, so there is no need to oppose it.

Moreover, Qi Xing later discovered that it was actually quite satisfying to insult the enemy until they broke down before killing them—eliminating the villain physically isn't enough; one must also ruthlessly torture them mentally!

Looking back on it now, Qi Xing suspected that this was likely a setting Samael had written into the foundation of the world.

Returning to the scene. Lady Remina remained vigilant, but on the other hand, she was actually a bit surprised. After all, in the five hundred years she had lived, this was the first time she had seen such a high-handed plea for mercy.

"If I have no way out and fight back with my life, I can at least cause you some trouble, and if this continues, you will fall into the trap of Romani Domingo, you know?"

"That's why we should negotiate before using violence. Besides, it's never too late to attack."

And—huh? Didn't Francesca make a fair point with that…?

"Trouble?" But Remina still raised an eyebrow, "I don't think you have that capability. Even if it might take a little more time, I can deal with you by myself."

The short exchange was enough for the Duchess to gauge the difference in their power. She hadn't used her full strength yet, but the opponent seemed to have already used at least eighty percent, with at most a few trump cards left.

Although an unexpected upset wasn't entirely impossible, in terms of winning odds alone, Lady Remina felt she had at least a seventy to eighty percent chance. The core of a duel between experts is a game of strategy, determined by the psychological state, tactics, and intelligence during the fight.

"Oh? Is that so?" Francesca replied with a cold smile, her face seemingly full of absolute confidence, "Although I've never thought I would lose—but let's put that aside for now. Do you think this [world egg] behind me is really just a burden that needs protection?"

She pointed to the altar behind her, pointing at the faintly glowing egg overflowing with divine power.

"Our leader might be too lazy to care about the lives of his subordinates. But as long as I use this [world egg] to perform a reverse operation, I can at least summon a portion of his divine avatar—by then, hehehe! Duchess Dracula, the thing our leader is best at dealing with is a married woman!"

Yuck, what a despicable act! How terrifying!

However, when Lady Remina heard her words, she felt no fear, and didn't even show any anger. Upon hearing Francesca say this, her expression instead appeared somewhat strange: "You can summon your leader's avatar?"

"What?" Francesca raised an eyebrow, "Do you doubt that I'm just bluffing?"

She made a move as if to touch the glowing egg. But… but Lady Remina did not move to stop her, there wasn't even a change in her aura—not even a shred of intention to stop her.

"Be my guest. I won't stop you, please go ahead." Remina even said this, and even gestured for Francesca to hurry up. It was as if she was very much looking forward to what would happen next!

"I just want to see, to broaden my horizons."

What is this situation? Is she trying to [scare] me?

For a moment, Francesca was actually at a loss. She had originally intended to use this move to buy herself time to escape if things got desperate, or to use intimidation to create some gaps for escape… What should she do now?

Could it be that Dracula's wife is also a legendary battle maniac who really wants to fight a divine avatar and have some combat fun?

As for angering the leader, that was simply not among Francesca's concerns now. Anyway, she was about to run away, to escape [Black Spartacus]. Whatever Romani Domingo did afterward was none of her business.

At worst, after she escaped, she would just find a tomb to hide in and sleep for ten or twenty years. Even if [Black Spartacus] hadn't exploded by then, it would likely have forgotten her. Since that was the case, now…

"Then let me show you my true ability."

Raising her hand, Francesca slapped the altar and chanted loudly in Spanish: "Por el oro robado que se convirtió en mi sangre. (I swear by the stolen gold that has turned into my blood)——"