"The curse on me hasn't even been lifted, and now there's another one? Can I even handle this?"
Wayne's expression turned grim. He finally understood what the omnipresent warnings meant. Right now, he wished he could give Bloody Mike a shove to hurry up and finish the ritual.
Wait, no!
If—and he meant *if*—he was also in the town right now, did completing the ritual mean he would be laid to rest as well?
With his life on the line, Wayne asked straight out.
The priest nodded. Indeed, everyone would be laid to rest.
Wayne's face completely changed. "Where is the ritual taking place? Out with it, quick!"
The priest did not answer directly. He said that every year he went to sweep the graves at Nelson Manor, and a few days ago, he had seen fresh bouquets before the tombstones, heralding the return of the Nelson family's heir.
"Perhaps he has come for revenge, but continuing the Nelson family's unfinished ritual will allow everyone to find peace. I hope you will not stop him."
"Then won't we end up dead too?"
"..."
The priest fell silent. That was indeed the case.
He began recounting the town's tragedy. On the surface, the Town of Kafuno was no different from any other town, and its residents were indistinguishable from normal people. But on this night each year, everyone's true faces were exposed. They struggled amidst the scorching flames, their souls trapped in endless agony, yearning for release.
Yet once this night passed, everyone would forget. Not even a nightmare would linger.
Wayne and the others sympathized with the townsfolk's plight, but they all declined the invitation. At this moment, all they wanted was to stop the ritual so they wouldn't end up resting in peace alongside them.
The priest naturally wouldn't let them leave. Unfortunately, his rigid mind couldn't deploy advanced divine arts; Veronica's shot interrupted his incantation, and Wayne added two strikes with his crowbar, leaving him completely motionless.
The group bolted out of the church. William glanced back, puzzled. "Doesn't this count as laying him to rest?"
Obviously not. The priest's withered body was reassembling itself, the missing parts growing back out of thin air. Having possessed magic in life, his recovery speed far exceeded that of ordinary townsfolk. Wayne and the others hadn't gotten far before he was already back on his feet and walking.
Dense clusters of zombies surrounded the church. They seemed to fear something, not daring to step onto church grounds, howling as they waited for Wayne and the others to serve themselves up on a silver platter.
Behind them, the priest walked out of the church holding a Bible in one hand.
Wayne stood on the lawn between the fence and the gate. With wolves ahead and tigers behind, they had to break out as quickly as possible.
*Bang!*
Veronica spun around and blew the priest's head off with a single shot. Her miraculous marksmanship made Wayne intensely envious.
*Coach, how much does this magic cost?*
"We're going to Nelson Manor! The Death Walker must be there!" Veronica said through gritted teeth. She'd been duped! Every single time, it was right outside the school gates. Couldn't the filthy adult world have a shred of honesty?
"Wayne and I already checked—the castle is empty. We even destroyed a summoning ritual," William said hurriedly. "Maybe we didn't search thoroughly, but if the Death Walker really isn't there, won't we be wasting precious time?"
Hearing him say that, Wayne's heart thumped. Something clicked in his mind, and he whipped around to stare at the church.
The priest knew Mike was back!
The priest was glad to let Mike finish the ritual!
The priest refused to disclose the ritual's location!
The zombies didn't dare set foot on church grounds!
Following this line of reasoning, the bizarre ritual on the castle platform was nothing more than a smokescreen, a pawn to stall for time. Everything fell into place.
Wayne's eyes lit up. To prove his theory, he snatched a fistful of air and sniffed deeply.
He didn't smell the scent of any living person aside from themselves. Mike hadn't come to the church. But... magic could conceal scents. It couldn't be ruled out that Mike was meticulous and had erased all traces so his plan wouldn't be disturbed.
As that someone once said, only magic can defeat magic!
"Goddess above, this is the last of my mana."
Wayne chose to believe just a little. Betting all his magic, his chest expanded as he drew in a massive breath.
Filtering out the scents of the gay guy, the young lady, the black cat, and the handsome devil, he caught the thick scent of death. The Book of Greed immediately cast an excited gaze.
Wayne ran out of breath and coughed violently a few times. Excitedly, he told Veronica, "I smell it! Bloody Mike is in the church!"
"..." x3
*Do you really have a dog's nose?* x3
*Even a dog's nose isn't that sharp!* x3
"It's the blessing of the Goddess of Moonlight! She granted me the olfactory senses of a beast..."
Wayne dashed two steps toward the church, but seeing that no one followed, he stopped at once. "What are you standing there for? Let's go!"
William and Veronica exchanged a look. The former nodded, willing to give Wayne a chance. The latter gritted her teeth; it was only a trip inside the church, and even if it failed, it wouldn't waste much time.
It took a swindler to know a swindler. What if he actually guessed right?
The group hurried into the church. As Wayne passed the priest, who was slowly getting back up, he swung his crowbar, knocking the man's head flying.
Inside the church, the light was dim. William quickly gathered a bit of mana and waved his large hand, acting as a temporary light source.
Wayne shook his head, pulled out his portable flashlight, and while the remnants of his enhanced sense of smell still lingered, went straight through the side door into the church's rear courtyard, stopping before a row of living quarters.
"Bloody Mike, I know you're inside! Come out—your plan has already failed!" Wayne shouted, his voice carrying far into the night sky.
A moment later, the middle door slowly opened, and a man in a dark suit walked out.
Mike Nelson.
His attire couldn't be called flashy, merely formal. His frame wasn't particularly tall, and though he was only in his thirties, his temples were grayed. A life of hardship in his early years had forced him to bid farewell to his youth prematurely.
One of Mike's eyes flared with crimson light. He swept his gaze over the group and put on a pair of white gloves.
On the back of the gloves, a pitch-black inverted triangle was drawn—a magical artifact.
"I spent a good deal of time setting up a fake ritual at the castle, yet it failed to lure you there. What should I say? Bad luck, or did I overestimate you?"
Mike gave a self-deprecating chuckle. He had prepared extensively for tonight's ritual and considered all kinds of possibilities, including mages intruding to disrupt things.
In the end, instead of formidable mages, only a few novices had shown up, turning his painstakingly calculated maneuver into a battle of wits against thin air.
Veronica gave a cold snort and pulled the trigger repeatedly. Her marksmanship was impeccable, striking Mike's chest and head.
Two pitch-black holes appeared on Mike's body, yet he did not collapse as expected. He raised a hand and tapped his temple. "Don't waste your breath. I've already merged into this town. Here, you cannot kill me."
Wayne: *That's only because your health bar hasn't shown up yet!*
Veronica frowned. "You accepted the curse, turned into an undead, and plan to sacrifice yourself to the Goddess of Death?"
"It isn't a curse. It's a law, and a very precious one at that..."
Mike smiled. "Judging by your appearance, you must still be students. It's normal for greenhouse flowers of the academic faction not to know the truths of this world. After all, teachers don't teach such profound knowledge. Some teachers don't even know what magic really is, or what they themselves believe in."
Veronica had no interest in listening to his nonsense. She flung a can—an advanced version of the oral mushrooms. Hallucinogenic and rotting spores rapidly sprouted, feeding on Mike's body, expanding as they corroded his flesh and mind.
The effect was mediocre. Mike was merely clad in a layer of human skin, offering little nourishment to speak of, and his willpower was strong enough that the hallucinogenic spores couldn't interfere with his thoughts in the least.
Veronica immediately found it troublesome. Deciding to try close-quarters combat, she took the crowbar Wayne handed her, intending to dismantle Mike into spare parts.
Regardless of anything else, dish out some physical damage first!
Mike was far too prepared. He snapped his fingers, and the ground instantly turned into black mud. Skeletal arms wound their way upward, gripping their ankles and pinning them in place, unable to move.
Monica reacted fastest, scrambling up Wayne's clothes to perch on his shoulder.
Mike did not strike directly. Connected to the black arms by some bond, he looked at Veronica and William in pleasant surprise. "Forgive my rudeness. So you're heretics blessed by a Vicar. Excellent—high-quality sacrifices will increase the ritual's chance of success."
With that, he pushed back his sleeve to glance at his wristwatch. His crimson right eye shifted to pitch-black as he murmured, "It's coming... this long-delayed night..."
*Boom!*
A thunderous blast roared like an artillery shell firing. Mike looked toward the sound, but his vision blurred as he was sent flying into the building behind him.
It was Veronica. The power of the dragon blood maiden was far too immense. Even with her magic sealed, she could break free of magical restraints purely through physical strength.
Veronica tossed down a glass vial. Rapidly growing vines swept across the black mire, freeing Wayne and the others.
*Crash!*
*Rumble—*
On the other side, Veronica unleashed violent physical fury, pinning Mike to the ground and grinding him into the dirt with reckless abandon. Regardless of whether she could kill him, the spectacle was immense; the row of living quarters was on the verge of being completely demolished by her.
Monica pressed against Wayne's ear and whispered, "Veronica doesn't have mana; she can't win. I'll give you mana—you deal with the Death Walker."
Because of the curse, Monica had lost her original body. Although her mana wasn't randomly sealed by the curse, she could only cast a few limited supportive spells.
And due to differing faiths, Veronica and William couldn't borrow her mana.
Wayne was different. Monica had once infused him with a magic seed; he was a standard believer of the Goddess of Moonlight.
At least, that was what Monica believed—she had recruited a high-potential follower for the Goddess.
"Is this reliable?"
Wayne pursed his lips. Being topped up on mana was a good thing, but he had never studied magic. Giving him mana wouldn't let him pull off any fancy tricks, and the Book of Greed had no desire for other people's mana...
Wasn't this just a pointless gesture?
Monica said gravely, "Magic isn't that complicated. Its form depends on your mindset. Use your imagination. Picture the most powerful magic in your mind—just don't make it too absurd, or the backlash will drag me down with you.
"Remember: mana is just the lever; your mind is the key!"
Wayne understood even less now. In his mind, the most powerful magic was an everyday household item called an atomic bomb—temperatures exceeding four thousand degrees, where all living beings are equal. Could that thing really be rubbed into existence with mana?
"Have you thought of something?"
"I've got an idea. A huge boom, super bright, super hot. Will that work? Feels like that should belong to the Goddess of the Sun..."
"Doesn't matter. The Goddess of Moonlight can manage it too."
"..."
*For real? Believers need to respect science; competing like that is a bad habit.*
Wayne wore a conflicted look. Monica was confident it would work, but he himself didn't have much faith. Crucially, if it succeeded, he wouldn't be able to run away in time either.
As mana surged into his body, Wayne had no time to overthink. An image flashed through his mind, instantly invigorating him.
*I choose you!*
Chapter 15