Lovia the Shepherd's reply, however, only made Joshua even more vigilant. He glanced at the other members of the exploration squad and asked urgently: "Did you hear any abnormal footsteps?"
Derrick, carrying the giant hammer "
"No, I heard it very clearly." Joshua, who wore red gloves, frowned and expressed his opinion.
Hearing this, the "Demon Hunter" Colin, who was at the front, turned half-around and calmly ordered: "Hainmu, Antilna, check Joshua's condition."
"Yes, Chief." Hainmu immediately walked to Joshua and pressed the "Non-Dark Cross", composed of pure light, against his teammate's forehead.
The sealed artefact showed no change.
Immediately after, the warrior with wine-red hair, Antilna, came to Joshua's side and raised her left hand.
Her wrist was adorned with a pale gold bracelet from which hung three small bells covered in golden scales.
A jingling sound rang out, echoing around, and it calmed Joshua's mind, relaxing his tension and anxiety.
"No problem." Antilna turned her gaze to Chief Colin Iliat.
Two complex dark green symbols had emerged in Colin's eyes. He looked at Joshua for a few seconds, nodded, and said: "It might not be a hallucination, but you must always watch for any abnormality within yourself."
Seeing the Chief support him, Joshua breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Okay."
Setting aside their doubts for now, the
Suddenly, everyone heard a muffled groan.
Because he was a "Dawn Knight" and had great strength, as soon as the groan sounded, his hands snapped his neck bones with a crack.
Joshua fell down with a dark, twisted expression, his eyes full of disbelief: The one who killed him was himself!
"…" Derrick and the others didn't immediately understand what had happened, but their long training and experience of operating in the depths of darkness caused them to instinctively form a battle formation and be on guard for possible subsequent attacks.
Then, they heard another muffled groan.
It came from the Shepherd elder Lovia.
This lady with silver-grey hair had her facial muscles tighten, with obvious twitching and writhing, as if another face was emerging.
She fell to her knees on the wide steps with a thud, her pain beyond expression.
Her hands rose slowly but irresistibly and gripped her own neck.
Just as Lovia was about to exert force, two straight swords coated with grey ointment reached out and pushed her hands apart.
The prepared "Demon Hunter" Colin had already reacted in time.
Lovia's body twitched, her head lowered further, her mouth opened, and she vomited pieces of torn flesh and incomplete organs.
She exhaled, as if finally recovering, then supporting herself on her elbows, crawled forward and, prostrating herself, began to swallow the pieces of flesh and organs she had just vomited, one by one, reverently and humbly.
The "Demon Hunter" Colin, with several old scars on his face, silently watched this scene without stopping her.
Finally, Lovia raised her head and, with unfocused pale grey eyes, said: "It is Fall.
"It is the Fall that every being has."
"Can you fix it?" Colin asked, his tone unchanged.
Lovia nodded without hesitation: "Yes."
As soon as she spoke, she grasped the index finger of her left hand with her right, snapped it off with a crack, pulled it out forcefully, and shoved it into her mouth with blood and bone, chewing and whispering: "The Lord who created all; "The Ruler behind the curtain of shadows; "The depraved nature of all living beings…»
The honorific name of the
The orange-red twilight grew denser, closer to the color of blood.
Above the
Although through True Vision he saw nothing, he could vaguely perceive a gaze from a distant place, which interfered with his observation, reducing clarity and range.
Moreover, that gaze gave Klein an odd familiarity.