stonecrandall Page 26
Page 26
“I’ve come to take you home, Longinus.”
Chapter 29 Knights and Demons
Crash—
As the cathedral's stained glass windows shattered, moonlight once again illuminated the previously dark exhibition hall.
In this pitch-black realm, no light that is not permitted can penetrate, and no ordinary creature can linger here.
The blaring alarms fell completely silent with a snap of the girl's fingers.
She fluttered her black wings and landed lightly on the chandelier beside the dome, looking down at the exhibition stand in the center of the hall.
There lay quietly her goal, the sacred spear that she could never let go of—the Spear of Longinus.
"It seems there's an untimely barrier between you and me."
She raised her right hand slightly and swung her arm.
"Blood Shadow - Touch of Shadows".
Several vines made of black mist shot out from the shadows where the moonlight could not reach, twisting and piercing through the display base of a sacred artifact.
But before the base was pierced, a golden light shot out from it and landed on top of the central display case, taking shape.
"A cute little kitten... Oh, it's a spirit of an artifact! That's wonderful, but it's a pity it can't transform into human form."
The blonde girl smiled.
"I've changed my mind. Go back to your master, and I'll spare your life, okay?"
...
Reinhardt looked up at the blonde girl, remaining motionless.
"How sad."
The pity in the girl's eyes vanished, quickly turning into a raging fury.
"Could you please move your filthy little body, filled with holy light, away from Longinus?"
She gave a wicked smile.
"Because I hate holy light the most."
The girl raised her hand and pointed, and countless vines attacked Reinhardt from all directions.
The golden Persian cat showed no fear. It raised its paw, and in an instant, all the sacred artifacts around it emitted a golden light, breaking through the darkness and converging on its paw.
The Lance of Longinus, inside the glass case beneath it, also emitted a bright golden light, which flowed towards the cat's hand.
The girl raised an eyebrow slightly, her face revealing barely concealed anger.
"Longinus...my Longinus...how dare you...defile...!"
Consumed by anger, she spoke briefly and casually.
"Die."
...
The moonlight in the sky was instantly obscured by the black mist, and the hall was plunged into darkness once again.
In that instant, an endless, vast darkness seemed to surge towards Reinhardt like a giant wave.
"Holy Light Barrier!"
It immediately used its gathered power to summon a golden barrier like a shield, but in the face of overwhelming darkness, the boundless black mist, carrying vines, easily pierced through the barrier, shooting like countless sharp arrows at the Persian cat that was shining alone in the darkness.
blah blah-
Bang!
Someone is running, and then suddenly leaps up in the next instant.
The intense light burned away the surrounding darkness, like a raging fire, instantly illuminating the isolated hall as bright as day.
“Ahhhhh——!”
Yin Shang raised the Sword of Hesitation high, leaped into the air, and slammed it towards the girl standing on the chandelier.
"Drink——!!"
Looking at the figure that was enveloped in holy light, piercing through the darkness, and roaring as it brandished the holy artifact, the girl felt a moment of disorientation.
"..."
"It really looks like it."
It was in that moment of distraction that she missed her last chance to dodge.
Boom! !
...
The incredibly blazing holy sword struck the dark monster before him, but Yin Shang's face showed no sign of relaxation or smile.
Because his sword was blocked.
blah-
呲——
The holy sword emitted a blazing holy light that was being constantly extinguished, yet it was gradually being pushed back.
The girl caught it with her bare hands, without even using her second hand. With a gentle lift of her slender, fair arm, she pushed the holy sword back.
Yin Shang grunted, quickly adjusted his body, and landed on the ground after doing two backflips.
The girl shook her hand, and there wasn't even a scratch on it.
"Hello, little cutie. Are you the owner of this kitten?"
She smiled slightly.
"Could you please keep your pet under control so I can easily and happily take my Longinus away?"
Yin Shang roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't even think about it! Reinhardt, come back!"
“Yes!” Reinhardt replied.
Reinhardt transformed into a beam of light and returned to the Wandering Sword in Yin Shang's hand.
"You're safe here; she won't pick us off one by one."
Yin Shang raised his head and glared angrily at the monster on the chandelier.
"Let's deal with her with all our might!"
Reinhardt was clearly startled: "Master, are we going to use all our strength? Isn't your body already..."
“If we don’t use it, there is no hope of defeating her,” Yin Shang asserted.
"Alright, Reinhardt, we—"
Before Yin Shang could finish discussing the battle plan with Reinhardt, footsteps sounded again from the thick darkness of the outer perimeter.
Swish, swish——
The maid wielded her scythe, cleaving through the black mist, and rushed into the exhibition hall with Ludwig following closely behind.
"you?!"
Yin Shang immediately and warily pointed his sword at them, while Ruo Keke completely ignored them and pointed her scythe at the blonde girl in the distance.
“Sir Knight, we’re not here to fight you, quite the opposite… it’s with her!” Ruo Keke said.
"Huh? What?"
Now it was Yin Shang's turn to be completely confused, and he turned to look at the vampire in the distance.
...
"Oh, I thought it was someone else. Isn't this Coco, the maid that Little Hilly praises so much?"
she smiled.
"I order you, Miss Maid, to deal with this church knight over here. I have important business to attend to; this concerns little Hilly's life or death. Don't let him get in my way."
If Coco remained unmoved: "I cannot comply, Your Majesty."
She stood protectively in front of Ludwig, glaring at the blonde girl.
“I am loyal to the Vampire Council, not to you. Moreover, you are highly suspected of threatening the vampire clan.”
Yin Shang was even more confused: "What? Hey, Miss Maid, you know her?"
If Coco glanced at Yin Shang, she would reply:
"Haven't you heard of her? She is the de facto ruler of the vampire clan, the vampire princess Yang Lingxi."
Ludwig nodded and said, "That's right. Although I've never seen her, I've heard about her appearance and abilities. Since Coco says so, I can be sure it's her."
...
"hehe."
A girl with golden curly hair sat gently on the chandelier, her feet, covered in black stockings, swinging in the air.
She has pointed ears and bloodshot eyes typical of vampires, and her exquisite and charming face is adorned with a dangerous smile.
Ruo Keke asked, "Your Majesty, why are you rebelling?"
"What are you talking about, maid? I don't understand," the blonde girl said with a smile.
"Stop playing dumb, Your Majesty! The Vampire Queen has been missing with you for a long time, and you... have never shown any ability to use such magic before!"
If Coco's voice trembled slightly, it was unclear whether it was due to the vast and oppressive darkness surrounding her or her emotional turmoil.
"The Dark Domain... is the power of the Vampire Queen, a magic that only she can use!"
The blonde girl remained silent, smiling as she waited for Coco to continue.
"Moreover... if we want to take away the Spear of Longinus, now is undoubtedly the best time."
"Why would you need the Lance of Longinus? Isn't the answer... obvious?"
Coco swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and stated the conclusion she and Ludwig had reached after discussing it.
"Because the Spear of Longinus, though it once defeated the fallen Pope Ragnar..."
"...and it even pierced through the vampire queen!"
She tried to hide her trembling voice.
"This is a unique artifact in the world, powerful enough to kill Her Majesty the Queen!"
...
...
"Aha."
"Miss Maid, you're overthinking it. Little Shirley is perfectly fine... for now."
"However, she encountered some minor problems."
She smiled wickedly.
"If we can fix Longinus, many minor problems will be solved."
"After all, as I said, this gun is a matter of life and death for little Shirley."
Her words shocked Ruo Keke, whose hands, gripping the sickle tightly, trembled uncontrollably.
"Why...why would you do this to Her Majesty—"
"Your Majesty...what's wrong with you?!"
She could never believe that the princess who was inseparable from Her Majesty the Queen would one day harm the vampire queen.
...
Ludwig grasped Coco's hand, steadying her trembling arm.
"Humph!"
Ludwig flung the parasol aside with one hand and gripped the unsheathed rapier in front of her chest.