I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 100

Thanks to the abundant materials in this world, Kenneth's understanding of the Third Law has greatly improved. After letting Meryl experience the blind and foolish XP at the soul level, looking at the vacant-eyed wretch, if there hadn't been a shortage of time, Kenneth would have definitely let Meryl see the XP that could make the Abyss look away.

"Partner, you're finally out. Today I want to go...sniff around...this smell...partner, there's a woman in your room!"

In just a moment, Arcueid, with her ridiculously strong sense of smell, caught the scent. Looking at Kenneth's door, Arcueid's aura subtly turned ominous. Seeing that Arcueid was about to tear her apart, Kenneth, with the thought of sacrificing his friend rather than himself, reached into the space with his right hand and pulled Meryl out.

The space shifted again, and Meryl, who was still in Aba Aba, glanced at Arcueid, whose aura was obviously off, and instantly changed to a tearful expression.

"Kenneth, you heartless bastard! Last night you clearly said you were single, yet you toyed with my body (referring to my soul), turned me into your shape (referring to mental corruption), and now you're going to throw me out! Waaah, I'm so pitiful..."

Meryl's tearful plea was so heartbreaking that it brought tears to the eyes of anyone who heard it. If it were anyone else, they might have really turned their anger towards Kenneth, but unfortunately, she was facing Arcueid. Just when Meryl thought Arcueid would settle scores with Kenneth, the murderous gaze became even colder, and it seemed that the target of that gaze was herself.

With a gulp, Mary stopped her performance and turned her stiff neck to look at Arcueid. Upon meeting his eerily red gaze, Mary realized something was wrong and immediately tried to hide behind Kenneth.

"Wait, why is her attention still on Miss Meryl?! And were you serious about taking a half step back?! Oh no! She's coming! Help Miss Meryl!"

As Kenneth expected, Arcueid would never turn against him before Meryl sent the gift. Moreover, this beating would allow Arcueid to vent her emotions and teach the scoundrel a lesson. Sacrificing Meryl for the benefit of the world was a deal Kenneth would definitely consider worthwhile.

Seeing that Kenneth wasn't going to pay attention to her, Meryl, who was wriggling on the ground, was about to struggle when Arcueid's foot landed directly on her.

"I'm sorry, please help me! Miss Mary is really going to be beaten to death!"

As Meryl's cries for help echoed in his mind, the emotionless Kenneth immediately cut off the internet connection. He had started the fire himself, so he should put it out himself. Kenneth had no intention of feeling sorry for this arrogant scoundrel.

Ignoring everything, Kenneth only stopped Arcueid when Meryl peacefully closed her eyes. To Kenneth's surprise, Arcueid actually stopped beating her. Noticing the surprise on Kenneth's face, Arcueid, feeling slighted, instantly showed an angry expression.

"Partner, do you think I'm stupid?! I went to your room this morning, and this woman wasn't there then, so this guy must be a thief!"

Although he was a bit carried away at first, Arcueid realized something was wrong after beating her up for a while. Looking at the smug Arcueid in front of him, Kenneth inexplicably had the illusion that his daughter had grown up.

"How could this happen? Miss Meryl wasn't lying, this guy really did something horrible to her, ugh!!"

Seemingly finding Meryl too noisy, Arcueid conjured a rag and stuffed it into the scoundrel's mouth. Kenneth glanced at Arcueid, who seemed to be saying, "I'm so smart, come and praise me," and then looked at Meryl with pity.

Having spent his days hunting geese only to be pecked blind by them, Kenneth never expected that the cunning and shrewd Mary would fall for Arcueid's tricks. However, Arcueid's quick thinking saved Kenneth the trouble of explaining. He patted Arcueid's head encouragingly, then ignored Mary's gaze and said:

"Arquette, do you know Nightmare? This guy is the last Nightmare on Earth."

Kenneth stepped on Mary, who was wriggling and trying to pick up the wand, and exposed Mary's secrets. Although Arcueid in the dream was indeed very moist, Kenneth would not thank Mary for it. A dignified mage having his dream recorded on a disc was not something Kenneth and Mary were done with.

"Nightmare, is it something that sneaks into other people's dreams? If that's the case..."

Suddenly, Arcueid's eyes revealed a wisdom that was not hers. She led the still struggling Meryl away, and as if she had something important to talk to Meryl about, Arcueid turned and went back to the room.

"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh..."

With a click, the door closed, and Meryl, who had been thrown to the ground by Arcueid, struggled frantically. Seeing Arcueid approaching with a red glint in her eyes, Meryl knew there was no hope of escaping and instinctively stuck out her butt. Don't ask why she stuck out her butt; there's plenty of flesh there so it won't hurt when she gets hit. Meryl was an expert at taking a beating.

After waiting for a while without hearing any sound, Mary, who was lying on the ground in the OR2 position, turned her head because she felt a little itchy. The next second, Mary saw Arcueid, who looked like a thief, with his head pressed against the door.

"Shh!"

After confirming that Kenneth wasn't listening anymore, Arcueid gestured for Meryl to shut up and tiptoed to the bedside. After rummaging through drawers and cabinets, a stack of comics was neatly piled up in front of Meryl. Meryl glanced at the eager Arcueid, then smiled knowingly and approached the comics.

In a corner of Misaki City, Rosie, invited by Nero Chaos, swaggered into the hotel where Altruchi was staying. Her rose-like magical eyes flashed with pink light, and the doorman, now a Dead Apostle, immediately led Rosie to the elevator in the VIP area.

As a hedonist adrift within the Dead Apostle faction, Rogean would hang out with anyone who could bring her fun. But now, more curious about what other interesting things Misaki City held than about capturing Arcueid, Rogean arrived at the penthouse suite and saw Arcueid waiting for her. She felt she had made the right choice coming this time.

As Rojane entered the hotel, Chaos, who had been monitoring Altrouge, also received the intelligence. Watching Roja complete the ceremony and begin carving the throne again, Nero Chaos spoke in his flat, monotone voice:

"Rose has gone to see that ancient Crimson. How much longer do you need?"

His patience was completely worn down by Roya's pointless efforts, and unease was building up inside him. If he hadn't been unsure of how to deal with Roya's eyes, Chaos would have actually started the ritual that had already been completed.

"Has she already gone? I thought that Rosie would be able to endure it a little longer."

By handing over the foundation of the ritual to Rojane and luring her to see Arcueid, every step Roya takes now is part of his calculations. Imagining the ancient red offering everything for Arcueid's awakening, Roya is so excited he wants to poke his own brain with his finger.

"This filthy land is unworthy to bear my princess. My princess will arrive in her most magnificent form. Just bear with it a little longer, and I will take care of that guy for you!"

"It's not for me, it's to get rid of that man for yourself!"

Hearing Roya's usual stalling tactics, the beasts within Nero Chaos began to stir uncontrollably. Sensing his collaborator's abnormality, Roya, who was meticulously sculpting the throne, stopped what he was doing.

“That’s right, it’s for myself. Your wait will not be in vain. This ceremony! This throne will be my masterpiece! And we still have to wait for the ancient red one to enter, don’t we?”

Under Roya's explanation, Nero Chaos suppressed the restlessness within his mind. Roya was right; they needed a little more time to wait for Altrouge to enter. An operation that would cost the last two princesses of the royal family—such an operation was indeed worth the wait.

"Give me a specific time!"

“My ceremony is ready, and Rosie has also brought my masterpiece to the Ancient Crimson. I think that the princess will become part of the ceremony before my throne is completed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Roya focused all his attention on the throne that was about to be completed, on this jade throne that would 'poison' the world, take over the entire city, build it with the blood of hundreds of thousands of people, kill the world represented by Arcueid, turn the princess of the True Ancestor into a world-destroying poison, and replace Arcueid with the throne in front of him. Roya's ritual was crazy and twisted.

Chapter 264 The Ceremony About to Begin

With a snap, she closed the comic book. Looking at Arcueid, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement, the worldly-wise Mary could only say: "That's it?" Her eyes darted around, and Mary, whose mind was already filled with colorful rubbish, gently tapped her wand on the comic book.

"Ahem, I can certainly let you experience the stories in these comics, but Arcueid, have you considered that these plots might not be a little exciting enough?"

"Exciting? More exciting than an amusement park?"

Faced with Melly's ill-intentioned temptation, Arcueid, being a naive child, inevitably fell for it.

"Yes, it's even more thrilling than an amusement park! I have some great stuff here, I can teach you how to do the 'Duang Lang' (a type of acrobatic exercise)!"

Seeing Arcueid, who knew nothing, Meryl, whose face was full of Van Game fantasies, tapped her wand and brought Arcueid into the world of illusion. Starting from the easy level, Meryl used the knowledge she learned from Kenneth to corrupt the little white rabbit in front of her.

"Do I really have to wear this? It feels so awkward..."

"Don't worry, this is called attack speed gear. Men all love this kind of build. Come on, let me explain the scenario to you. This is called role-playing... yeah, it's like a level-based game..."

That night, as Kenneth entered a dream, his consciousness was plunged into boundless darkness. Realizing that the scoundrel was asking for a beating again, Kenneth was about to use his mental power to drag out Meryl when a white light suddenly shone before his eyes. Only then did Kenneth realize that he was in a prison cell, and his limbs were firmly bound to a torture chair.

"Investigator Arcueid has intervened in the investigation. Partner, surrender!"

With a thud, the prison gate collapsed, and right before Kenneth's twitching eyes, Arcueid, in black stockings, high heels, and rabbit ears, flashing an excited punch like a thug, stepped in front of Kenneth.

"Partner, tell me where your accomplice is! Hmm! Still not going to talk? Let me pry your mouth open!"

Putting aside Arcueid's constant use of "partner" and asking where the accomplice was, the way he tapped his mouth was quite unexpected for Kenneth. Even though he knew he was dreaming, Kenneth felt a sharp pain in his mouth.

"Huff...huff, looks like you're still pretty stubborn, huh? Partner! Let's try a different approach then, let's make you die from exhaustion!"

His black and white striped prison uniform was torn to shreds. As Arcueid grew more and more energetic, the shackles binding his limbs snapped open with a crack. Kenneth, who already understood what was going on, looked up and scanned his surroundings.

"Huh? It cut off? Didn't that guy say you couldn't resist, partner? Hmm, never mind! Continue the torture!"

With a powerful tackle, Kenneth was pinned to the ground, and Arcueid, in high spirits, continued the interrogation using techniques he had learned from Meryl.

"You idiot, fine, I'm not exactly a decent person anyway. But before that, you spying rat, you should leave."

With a thud, Kenneth ejected the scoundrel from the dream, while simultaneously erecting a barrier specifically to protect Meryl. Meryl, who was already naked, froze on the spot in Arcueid's former apartment.

"Wait! I haven't even gotten on the bus yet! I've helped you so much and you're just taking all the food for yourself!"

No matter how much Mary knocked on the door, Kenneth, who had no ambition, wouldn't let this scoundrel in. If you had to describe Mary's feelings at that moment, it would be something like, "All the happiness belongs to others; I only find their noise annoying." The next day, when Kenneth opened the door as he was about to go out, Mary, who had been lurking in the corner all night, slid down the doorframe like a wilted eggplant.

"Kenneth, you bastard! You've eaten your fill and now you're abandoning me, huh?!"

He retreated and slammed the door shut in one smooth motion. In a fit of despair, Meryl rushed into the room. After leaving Meryl to watch the house, Kenneth took Arcueid directly to the shopping street. When they passed an open space, Kenneth sensed something and stopped.

"Huh? What are you looking at, partner? What do you think of this doll?"

Arcueid handed the cat-shaped doll to Kenneth, then followed Kenneth's gaze to the open space where the swing had been set up.

"Huh? Is that a swing? Partner, you have good taste. Let's go."

Holding onto Kenneth's arm, Arcueid hopped and skipped onto the children's swing and began to swing. In response to Arcueid's playful antics, Kenneth focused his attention on his feet.

Including the nodes under his feet, Kenneth discovered a total of three nodes in Misaki City. Based on the appearance of the circuit, Kenneth also deduced the effect of the ritual under his feet, which gathered the humans within the range, a degraded version of the 'Human Orange Juice Project'.

"Is this another milestone? With this level of completion, it seems we'll be seeing each other again soon."

Without a doubt, the node beneath their feet is the so-called 'poison that kills the world,' the grand ritual by which Roa captured Arcueid. However, Kenneth had no intention of destroying the node. The Moon King, a bomb that always hangs over Arcueid's head, is also the root cause of Arcueid's vampiric urges.

When Arcueid is completely dominated by the vampire impulse, the Crimson Moon will descend in its form from a thousand years ago. In order to sever the Crimson Moon's control over Arcueid, Kenneth needs the Crimson Moon to descend, and Roya's ritual is undoubtedly a shortcut for Kenneth to achieve his goal.

"Ha, poison that kills the world, foolish serpent. The poison born from killing the world is beyond your imagination. I wonder what your expression will be when you meet the Moon King."

"Higher, even higher, whoosh...we're flying..."

Looking at Arcueid before him, Kenneth pondered how to maintain Arcueid's true self within Zhu Yue's consciousness. Meanwhile, in the dimly lit basement, watching the images transmitted from the node, Roya's seaweed-like hair writhed like snakes in extreme rage.

"That guy! That guy!! How dare he let my princess fall so low! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"

With his eyes blazing with iridescent light, a short sword flashed, and the spell used for projection collapsed in front of him. Looking at the deranged Roya, Nero Chaos gave a sarcastic smile.

“We can’t sit still now, Michael. We have to wait until your art is finished, don’t we?”

His contorted expression returned to normal with heavy breathing. He sheathed his drawn dagger and refocused his attention on the throne before him, though the engraving motion was noticeably faster than before.

"We can inform them now. Tomorrow, the core of the ceremony will be completed."

"Hmph, it should have been done a long time ago."

As Nero Chaos announced the start time of the ceremony, a crow with a wingspan of several meters spread its wings on a desolate mountain outside Misaki City; in a hotel in Misaki City, after reading the message from Rosie, Altrouge immediately turned her gaze to a building not far away.

"It's finally starting... Let me see what you're capable of. This poison that wants to kill the world, you want to kill me too? What a bunch of arrogant fools..."

Chapter 265 The Launching Ceremony

Although the disappearances stopped with Floff's departure, the nights in Misaki City remained chilly. As the city, still shrouded in lingering gloom, slept early, the moonlight streaming down from the sky was blocked, and the shadows enveloping half the city silently began to alter the world.

—Be careful.

The birds that fly in my night sky show only disrespect to the dead.

A low, murmuring voice echoed in the ears of every primate that had fallen into slumber. The deathly winged canopy covering the sky swallowed up the moonlight and stars, and an absolute, lightless world of death descended as the wingspan of several kilometers closed.

The Reality Marble - Never More: This is the ability that Blackwing displayed when he executed the previous sixteenth Ancestor. In that ancestor's city, as the funeral bird closed its wings, there was no bloodshed. Not a single scar was left on the city walls, in the garden, or on the curtains. Hundreds of high-ranking Dead Apostles, including the previous sixteenth Ancestor, silently disappeared from the world.

It was during that attack that the Dead Apostles learned of the power of Brakmoia, who was given the derogatory title of Black Wing and transformed into a familiar to drive the Crimson Moon. Now, in this remote Far East, Brakmoia has opened a path of no return to death.

"This ability... it belongs to the Blackwing Duke! This city actually hides twenty-seven ancestors?! Damn it, this magic is...!!"

The mournful cawing of crows echoed through the night sky. The same feathers, the same darkness, and the same ritual that enveloped the entire city brought back memories of bloodshed buried deep within. Chiel, who was cleaning up the ghouls of Misaki City, looked incredulously at Blackmore, who was walking in the night sky in death.

"This city has been taken over by the Twenty-Seven Ancestors! Contact the church immediately! We need support!"

He gave the order to Noyer, who was already incapacitated by fear, that the tragedy in France must never be repeated. He then raised the Seventh Holy Scripture and charged straight into the area shrouded in darkness.

With a 'whoosh', a cage woven of thorns blocked Hiel's path, and the spreading roses turned the surrounding hundred meters into a sea of ​​flowers. The night breeze blew and the shadows of the flowers swayed. Rita Rogean appeared in Hiel's sight with light and graceful steps.

"Oh ho, I can't help but run into you everywhere, agents of the Burial Agency."

"Twenty-seventh Ancestor...you really want to reenact that French ceremony! So, Roya!!"

The ritual that led to his tragedy was about to be repeated. As the last survivor of France, Hiers' emotions, which had been suppressed by reason, instantly reached the brink of riot. His nails dug into his skin, and blood flowed down his face. Looking at one of the murderers in front of him, the flames of revenge drove Hiers to raise the holy book in his hand.

five two six six five two two five one

"What an easily angered little thing. If you approach a rose rashly, you'll get pricked."

Beneath the sea of ​​flowers lurks a deadly danger. Thorny roses will pierce any creature that dares to cross them. Watching Hiel charge towards her, crushing the thorns, Rosie swung her hand, creating a gentle breeze. In an instant, moonlight spilled down and petals fluttered. Under this dreamlike night sky, Hiel's body was instantly covered with fine lines of blood.

Every petal carried a deadly intent, every inch of land was fraught with danger. Had Siel not promptly donned the magical armor formed from the Seventh Holy Scripture, she would likely be nothing more than a skeleton stripped of flesh and blood lying in this sea of ​​flowers. The Sixth Cause of Death of the Seventh Holy Scripture possessed a conceptual defense that could not be broken until the wearer died, exhausted their magic power, or was proven to be a witch. Under this rain of flowers as sharp as bone-slicing steel blades, Siel, with her ample experience against Dead Apostles, immediately equipped herself with this armor.

"Tsk, this is it. A weapon made from the flesh and blood of your own kind. You people can even regard something like this as sacred. What a bunch of hypocrites."

Blood dripped down, and the spreading flowers and plants made anthropomorphic sucking sounds. As the nearby roses grew more and more vibrant, Rita Rogean drew the long whip from her waist that resembled a rose branch. As the ancestor opposed by the church, Rogean, who recognized the Seventh Holy Scripture, mocked the church's so-called glory.

Petals fell and scraped against the magic armor with a sharp scraping sound. The black keys swung and cleared a path wide enough for passage. The thorns blocking the way turned into fragments, and the black keys, now ignited, slashed out with a wall of fire towards Rojaan.

The whip lashed out, tearing through the flames. As the petals burned, they fell like sparks before my eyes. The whip handle struck the black key, emitting a piercing shriek. With a flick of my left hand, I shattered the falling black key.

"The consciousness of martyrs is not for a heretic like you to judge. Ancestor, lurking in this city, repent for your evil deeds!"

With a tearing sound, the shattered black keys reformed under the infusion of magic. Grabbing Rogean's wrist with one hand, the cold light in Shier's hand decisively slashed across Rogean's neck, blood falling like flower petals. Rogean's raised right arm fell limply to the ground.

After a brief moment of shock, Hiel, who had executed Rogean, leaped away from Rogean's corpse. Something was wrong, very wrong. The strength Rogean had displayed was completely inconsistent with the blood ring possessed by the Ancestor. The corpse in front of him lay in the flower bushes, its blood-stained white clothes appearing particularly alluring in the sea of ​​flowers. With a black key between his fingers, Hiel, his whole body tense, became wary of Rogean's gradually bloodless body.

"Won't you appreciate it a little longer? Such a beautiful funeral is a rare sight."

With a series of whooshing sounds, black keys were thrown towards the direction of the sound. Amidst the dense sounds of impact, Rosie, who was completely unharmed, appeared in Hiel's sight surrounded by roses.

"How can this be!"

“Nothing is impossible, agent of the burial agency. You have seen the death I desired, and now it is my turn to witness your death!”

The tone suddenly shifted, and as Rosie lashed out with her long whip, a sonic boom resounded. The fallen corpse transformed into flesh and blood, merging into the sea of ​​flowers. The whip's gust of wind carried countless petals, striking Hiel with lightning speed.

A long, serpentine whip lashed across his body, carrying the unsuspecting Hiel into the sky. The surging petals ravaged his magical armor like blades, piercing his body and causing him to cough up blood. Hiel's vision blurred violently for a moment. More painful than the physical pain was the agony of his soul being torn apart by thorns, which made Hiel tremble uncontrollably. Looking into Rojane's rose-like, shimmering eyes, Hiel felt he had found the truth.

The Rose Eyes, tearing apart souls and replaying past memories, are merely the surface. As a Blood Ring capable of distorting the laws of the planet, the true power of these eyes lies in reversing the boundary between illusion and reality. They transform past realities into phantoms and reveal the reality that lingers in the illusion, blurring the lines between the real and the illusory, manipulating the world with the power to erode the laws of the planet.

"Interesting. You can still stand up. Your resilience is impressive. In that case, you have the value of becoming one of my collectibles."

Seeing that Siel could still get up after taking her blow, Rogean revealed a wicked smile. The swaying vision returned to stillness, and Siel looked at the long whip in Rogean's hand with utmost seriousness.