Chapter Sixty-One: Deadly Pursuit

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Bella clawed wildly at the ground, leaving deep scratches behind. “You... let me go, let me go,” she pleaded.

But Missouri had no intention of releasing her. He was concentrating all his will to break Bella, to render her unable to resist.

Typhon said, “Release her. At least give her a chance to explain.”

Missouri replied, “That would only be a vile excuse. These innocent children present here can attest to Bella’s crimes!” He spoke with righteous indignation. Had I not known the truth beforehand, I might have been moved by his feigned compassion.

Typhon raised his voice, “I’ll say it again—release my adopted daughter!”

Missouri glared fiercely at Typhon, yet Typhon exuded an equally formidable authority, like a goddess of judgment over life and death. Missouri sighed, “Are you involved in this too?”

Finally, he let go of Bella.

Typhon said, “I just want to understand why she did this.” She grabbed one of the girls and demanded, “Answer me! What happened here?”

The girl trembled with fear, but Typhon’s presence calmed her somewhat. She said, “We... Ix said... we must only die by suicide before her, offering our devoted will to her. Only after death can we attain... happiness.”

Typhon tossed her aside and said, “This doesn’t seem like the evil church of Cypheros.”

Bochi, furious, exclaimed, “Heretics are all the same. Though their forms differ, their essence remains blasphemous spawn!”

Missouri asked the girl, “How long has this been going on?”

The girl answered, “I... don’t know. Many died before us, and we... will die soon as well.”

Missouri cradled her gently. “Poor child, you must understand that within the Black Coffin lies light and justice. We pity mortals, just as shepherds care for their lambs.”

Perhaps Missouri was right. He did not drink mortal blood directly; rather, he fed mortals to the weak-blooded and feasted on them through the weak-blooded.

Bella stood up. Typhon, Bochi, and Missouri surrounded her from three sides, countless gun barrels aimed at her. She had nowhere to run.

Typhon asked, “Child, why did you do this?”

Bella wept, “Don’t force me! Don’t force me! Can’t you see? I had no choice. She wouldn’t let me escape.”

Missouri inquired, “Who is she?”

Bella said, “She is a spirit who has forgotten her identity, a wandering deity of millennia, a soul betrayed, a ghost thirsting for revenge.”

She began to laugh and said, “At first, she told me she could reverse this curse. She said she could turn me from vampire back to human, let me feel human warmth, human love, human tenderness, human delicacies. I’ve had enough—I’ve suffered being this cold, dead demon, neither human nor ghost, this vampire monster. She said she could cure my illness, as long as I... as long as I obeyed her.”

Bochi said, “You believed that? The blood curse upon us is both a blessing and a punishment. Only through enduring the punishment can we enjoy the blessing. It makes us both higher and lower than humans. We are more divine, yet more impure. We are gods walking the earth, and demons fleeing hell.”

Bella said, “But... I truly felt it. Those girls... their feelings and burning hope merged into my body and elevated me. Lady Typhon, my mother, do you know? I feel I have found the right path.”

Typhon frowned. “What right path?”

Bella said, “We fall from humans to corpses, then from corpses ascend to gods.”

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Missouri shouted, “What utter nonsense!” His eyes blazed with light. Bella screamed sharply, once more overwhelmed by the heavy force of his will.

I noticed the change in Bella.

A blood-red head sprouted from her. Its face was like a white mask, bearing simple, expressionless features. Four pristine, jade-like arms burst through her flesh, swaying outward. Her hair grew wildly black, covering her entire body. From the hair emerged hollow faces. She had a white bony tail ending in a blood-red scythe.

This malformed creature was even more terrifying than the Sun King. The Sun King had no fixed form, but this evil spirit resembled an incurably deformed monstrosity.

Missouri gasped, “What the hell is this...?”

Le Gang and I almost swore. This ancient evil spirit was horrifying—not just for her grotesque appearance, but for the darkness and malevolence she radiated.

The spirit wailed mournfully and swung her scythe at Missouri. Missouri stretched out his hand and shouted, “Submit to the King!” I felt an invisible pressure wave crushing my mind, thoughts becoming chaotic—surely Missouri’s full mental assault.

Yet the scythe continued its descent. Missouri, caught unprepared, dodged with inhuman speed. The scythe sliced the ground, splitting an arbiter in two. The arbiters shouted in shock, “Take cover! Take cover and fire!”

Divine swords blasted at the spirit, who dodged swiftly but was still hit several times. Her body trembled in pain. Then, she chanted incoherent melodies. The arbiters and rangers yelled, “Wraith! Wraith!” and began firing and swinging wildly. A minute later, the rangers were shooting their own heads off, and the arbiters removed their helmets and imitated them.

The spirit had driven them to suicide.

Bochi shed his priestly robe, revealing a corpulent body. Suddenly, he roared. Blood-red patterns appeared on his skin. With one hand, he uprooted a phoenix tree and hurled it at the spirit. The spirit’s scythe shattered the tree.

I worried Bochi might uproot our tree too, but the spirit whispered to Bochi, who clutched his head and shouted angrily, “No one will shake my faith!” Roaring, he charged the spirit, punching her masked face. The huge body of the spirit soared. Bochi kicked hard again, smashing a stone wall into rubble.

Perhaps Bochi’s strength exceeded even Le Gang’s.

Missouri said, “Well done!”

Typhon appeared nearby, standing at a distance. Missouri asked, “Why don’t you join the fight?”

Typhon sighed, “I am a lady.”

At that moment, translucent figures pierced through the rubble—those who had died, spirits clad in red, their faces twisted, wielding scythes, charging at the three elders.

Bochi shouted, “Are these illusions?”

Missouri’s expression changed drastically. “No!” A spirit lunged at Missouri. He drew a slender sword, blood flowing along its blade, piercing the spirit. The spirit bled white liquid. Missouri shouted, “It’s necro-plasma!”

The spirits surged like a tide. I estimated at least a thousand. They were the departed who had sacrificed themselves to the evil spirit over millennia. Their faith had become residual brainwaves, forming a massive energy.

Typhon’s swordsmanship was superb, but she did not attack aggressively. Instead, she retreated step by step. Few spirits attacked her; most focused on Missouri and Bochi.

Bochi resembled a legendary berserker. Despite wounds bleeding freely, he grew more fierce in battle. His fists stirred violent winds, capable of shattering groups of spirits in an instant.

Missouri’s blood formed a solemn armor around him. Spirits that neared were thrown into disarray and easily slain by Missouri.

Missouri glared at Typhon, furious. “Typhon! Are you daydreaming?”

Typhon smiled, “War is a man’s affair. We women only need to watch from afar, intoxicated by your valor. What’s wrong with that?”

Missouri snorted and unleashed stronger willpower. The spirits shrieked and fled into the distance under the pressure. Missouri said, “Typhon, if you try to take advantage of the situation, the Council of Elders will not forgive you!”

Typhon shook her head. “I understand matters far better than you. I know tradition and propriety.”

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Le Gang whispered, “Missouri is very weak now. He’s expended too much willpower and drained too much divine blood.”

Divine blood, also called demon blood, is the lifeblood of vampires. It is their source of life and power.

Missouri and Bochi exchanged a glance and approached the rubble. Missouri’s blood gathered on the slender sword’s blade, extending it to about two meters in length. Bochi’s hands were wrapped in blood, resembling two war hammers. Bochi struck with a mighty punch like firing a crimson cannonball. A thunderous explosion followed; the rubble resembled a cluster of grenades detonating, sending dust rising over three meters high.

Bochi laughed, “I’ve severely wounded her!”

A lock of long hair wrapped around Bochi’s feet, toppling him. The hair spun, slamming Bochi toward Missouri. Bochi’s strength was terrifying, but his reflexes slowed. His other hand, still wrapped in a blood-red orb, struck Missouri. The sound of metal shattering rang out. Missouri’s armor shattered. He yelled, “Bochi, you idiot!” and hurriedly retreated.

But the evil spirit appeared behind him. Her scythe sliced through Missouri’s flesh and pierced his chest. Missouri screamed in pain and swung his elbow back fiercely, sending the spirit flying to a distance. She chanted chaotic melodies as shadowy figures emerged around her, filling the sky.

Missouri spat blood, looking left and right in shock. Typhon and Bochi had already fled. His expression twisted with rage. Suddenly, he burst into incredible speed, escaping the pursuing ghosts like an arrow from a bow.

The spirit smiled softly. The many energy forms returned into her body. She reverted to Bella, now utterly exhausted, fleeing in the opposite direction and vanishing like a phantom.

Le Gang said, “We must pursue.”

I tried to lighten the mood, “Pursue who?”

Le Gang said, “Bella,” then hurried toward Missouri’s direction. I hadn’t expected him to have such a sense of humor.

That demon Tanqi followed us. Le Gang tracked Missouri’s scent and would not lose it.

I asked, “Could Missouri be heading for the Ranger camp?”

Le Gang said, “When he’s this weak, he trusts no one. He’ll go to his secret lair. No one has ever entered there except him, and no one knows where it truly is.”

I said, “That’s where the secret of the Black Coffin lies?”

Le Gang nodded, “Yes.”

I asked, “But he’s ahead of us. How do we get inside?”

Though severely wounded, Missouri could quickly recover through blood-drinking and sleep. Wouldn’t Le Gang’s entire plan be for nothing then?

Le Gang said, “When we were at the Pan-American Pyramid, you led us through the shadow passage, crossing space. Do you remember?”

I was stunned. “You’re counting on that?”

Le Gang said, “Yes. Only you can penetrate the layers of defense, enter Missouri’s refuge, and deliver the final blow.”