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Page 172
The whole process was easy and quick, like taking a walk after a meal.
Unlike the empty white wall in reality, a door appeared in the same spot in the dream.
Upon closer inspection, its address is indeed 408.
"What could it be? I'm inexplicably looking forward to it."
Fran gripped the doorknob, trying to see if he could turn it. But the handle wouldn't budge, showing no sign of opening, as if the lock cylinder had been cast in molten iron.
"Did you reject me? How cold-hearted."
Currently in a dream state, using [The Crown Thief] would consume even more spiritual energy. Fran, who had no intention of fighting a door to the death, released her grip and turned to look at Luyala.
"Luya, can you open it?"
Luya nodded, seemingly eager to try it.
She stepped to the door and stretched out long, branch-like glass horns toward it. Then, pure, dazzling white light poured out from the cracks in the door and from the lock.
"clatter."
The sound of the lock being opened rang out.
Almost at the same moment, the door to room 408 opened by itself.
Before opening the door, Vivian considered all the possible scenarios.
A room that is no different from an ordinary room, or a hotbed of decay and filth.
An ancient relic with strange abilities, or perhaps a mythical creature with extraordinary spirituality.
But all that could be seen in the room were countless gleaming blades, like mirrors reflecting light. Though there was no blood, a strong metallic smell permeated the air.
They intertwine and stand tall, clustering around a standing silver mirror on either side.
That mirror exuded a chilling, terrifying aura.
"call……"
A faint, almost ethereal lament rose and fell, like the biting wind of winter.
After that, a slender girl dressed in a pale gauze dress slowly appeared in the reflection of the silver mirror.
---
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soup!
Chapter Sixty-Five: Concealment in a Dwelling
"Leave..."
The girl's voice echoed softly from the mirror.
Her voice was distant and indifferent, sounding no different from an ordinary person's, yet carrying a strange sharpness. It was as if a cold blade was slicing past the ear, making one feel cut even just by listening to it.
"There are no walls here, but there are no doors either. Whether you seek advancement or seclusion, this is not where you will find what you desire."
"Oh...we can communicate."
Fran gently stroked his cheek, quickly assessing the woman in the mirror.
"You seem to be in better condition than most of your kind who are keen on devouring life, probably because the summoning ritual is still in effect. Surprisingly, there are still spells that can summon 'you' after the Lost Age?"
When questioned by the doctor, the figure in the mirror remained silent, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.
Or perhaps... it's impossible.
Although Haida did not speak, she took down her power sword "Nirvana" and kept a watchful eye on the object in the mirror.
The general rules for funeral maids contain some mention of the Maiden in the Mirror. They are true dream beings, possessing the ability to briefly enter the material world. However… they are extremely rare.
Ancient rituals are mostly unstable and difficult to invoke through corresponding spirituality and offerings. Even if they are successful by chance, the individuals appearing in these rituals are often in a semi-mad, out-of-control state, making them difficult to restrain.
In such circumstances, they would arbitrarily take lives according to their own whims.
"Ugh……"
Seeing that the group showed no sign of leaving, the girl in the mirror sighed and slowly stepped out of the silver mirror.
She raised her arm and pointed at Fran, the blades on the ground swirling upwards, rushing towards him with a howling wind. Broken blades, mixed with sharp, glass-like fragments, shimmered like stars.
Vivian was taken aback. She thought that since they were still in the process of talking, the other party would not launch an attack so abruptly.
The truth is, the girl in the mirror never uses words to drive away outsiders.
Vivian instinctively tried to find cover, but clearly, she couldn't outrun the howling wind. The biting wind whipped at her face, bringing a chill, but the pain and warmth of blood loss didn't follow.
She kept her neck protected and stared intently, discovering that Dr. Fran held countless sharp, shard-like objects in his palm.
Without a sound, the [Crown Thief] had already been activated.
She waved her hand gently, tossing aside the heavy blades that were almost piled up together.
"Isn't such a harsh warning a bit impolite?"
A strange glint appeared in the pale eyes of the girl in the mirror, but it quickly vanished. She drew a hiltless sword from among the many blades scattered throughout the room, leaped forward, and slashed at Fran like a prism of light.
The "warning" just now, though dangerous, was not fatal. It would probably only cause some damage to one's consciousness and reason due to being awakened by the intense pain.
This sword strike, however, was aimed directly at his life.
An astonishingly stable dream, a door forcibly opened, and an unfathomable spirituality… The girl in the mirror truly felt the threat posed by the doctor before her. She had to eliminate it first.
Before she could even make a move, Haida had already reversed her grip on the hilt of her sword, using a standard reverse parry to block the cold blade of the girl in the mirror. The heavy power sword seemed weightless in Haida's hands, inexplicably giving one a sense of lightness.
Like the feathers of a sparrow, graceful and agile.
"when!"
The sword in the girl's hand in the mirror shattered with a sound, but at the same time it also turned into countless snowflake-like dazzling fragments, tearing open the hem of Sister Sihaida's robe.
Above the fourth tier, the power of a high priest... and possessing the blade-like characteristics of a mythical creature.
Ignoring the tiny scratch on her cheek, Haida quickly assessed her enemy. Her thoughts raced, and she felt an indescribable excitement creeping up her spine and into her brain.
The girl in the mirror showed a hint of surprise in her pale eyes once again.
The swordswoman is clearly just a mortal, so how could her body possess such power? And that forged weapon... why is it able to manifest in the dream dimension and still retain unimaginable toughness?
Before she could reach a conclusion, Haida had already stepped into room 408 and unleashed her power sword.
The metallic hum produced a resounding clang, filled with barely concealed excitement and fervor.
Nirvana craves powerful opponents, scalding blood, and qualified heads.
Yes, the power sword "Nirvana" also entered the dream along with Haida. After consuming a large number of spirits, it has now developed the most basic self-awareness and possesses the spirit of its creation.
In her haste, the girl in the mirror summoned the intertwined broken blades around her, attempting to block the sword head-on.
The scattered fragments of the sword flew up like dust, and the cracking of metal echoed incessantly.
Haida narrowed her gray-chestnut eyes, ignoring the numerous rips in her nun's robes, and pressed down hard on the sword's edge.
Having lost the material advantage of refined gold in the material world, "Nirvana" can no longer cut as easily as before. But as a cast object, its spirit still possesses an indomitable will.
Finally, the blade summoned by the girl in the mirror shattered completely. Her body was exposed beneath the power sword's edge, almost touching it.
"Qiang!"
The sword struck her chest and abdomen, leaving a deep gash. Her body began to become increasingly unstable, like the afterimage of a shattered silver mirror.
In that instant of close combat, the girl in the mirror, oblivious to the cracks appearing on her body, lightly raised her wrist, seemingly to caress the nun's face before her.
Haida suddenly tilted her head back, narrowly avoiding her touch.
At the same time, a crimson flower bloomed on the nun's neck, then slowly congealed in the increasingly cold wind.
The girl in the mirror is elevated amidst a cluster of sharp objects and self-inflicted wounds. Therefore, her touch also carries a deadly sharpness.
This guy was hit by that sword but still retains the ability to move... That's tricky.
Haida quickly adjusted her breathing, and wisps of warm white mist emerged from her breath.
The room grew colder, and her fingers and body began to stiffen under the chill. But as the winter's spirit gradually came alive, the girl in the mirror became increasingly agile.
We need to end this battle as soon as possible.
As her heart began to pound powerfully in her chest, warmth returned to Haida's limbs with her blood. She once again assumed a two-handed sword stance, preparing to end this dangerous encounter with a devastating blow.
The girl in the mirror became increasingly unstable due to the sword that had just severed her body, and the indifferent expression on her face began to distort slightly.
Sometime later, the pale pupil of her left eye turned a vivid crimson. A trickle of blood slowly oozed out.
“Dr. Fran, something has changed about the girl in the mirror… Should we offer Sister Heda some assistance?”
Vivian keenly sensed something amiss, and then looked somewhat awkwardly at Fran beside her.
It's not fair to blame her for watching from the sidelines; with the Calling Bird and her guns nowhere to be found, there's really nothing she can do right now.
If Heda accidentally attracts the attention of the girl in the mirror, she will have to be distracted and protect her.
“Aijiusi%★Ling*♂Si [－Shui←＾Wu〃〉Lusi Sou Suo,＝qUN:Of course.”
Fran nodded lightly.
"While I have faith in Sister Haida's strength, we must also consider the potential losses... This girl in the mirror is quite special. If we are not careful enough, we may have to pay a heavy price."
With that, Fran stepped into the room 408, where blades littered the floor. Luara followed behind her, her hooves trotting along.
After a brief internal struggle, Vivian gritted her teeth and followed.
The confrontation between Haida and the girl in the mirror has reached a fever pitch, with each seemingly only seeing the other.
As light and shadow intertwined, in an instant, the sound of a sword blade piercing flesh rang out.
Haida lowered her sword, covering the cuts on her arm. Bright red blood could be seen trickling from between her fingers.
The girl in the mirror had created an even larger rift in the wound that already pierced her chest and abdomen. She was on the verge of dissipating, but countless branch-like veins spread from her crimson eye, forcibly stabilizing her half-shattered body.
“You are the rightful swordsman, you have won… but you cannot leave with this victory. You have stepped into taboo territory.”
As she spoke, she sighed again.
"After becoming dead, try to climb onto the blade like Li Chu. Perhaps, you will become 'us'."
Just then, Fran's voice quietly sounded beside the girl in the mirror.
“I originally thought that the things in the room should be ‘pure.’ But this assumption is clearly flawed… Something has infiltrated your body and is forcibly supporting your spirituality.”
"..."
The girl in the mirror remained silent once more, as if the doctor before her could glean secrets from her words if she spoke.
Suddenly, her crimson eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed something amiss.
Why does this doctor always keep his left hand behind his back?
Instead of executing the already wounded Haida, the girl in the mirror picked up another broken blade from the pile of broken blades, intending to eliminate the strange doctor first. She posed an indescribable, invisible threat to her, like a thorn in her side.
"If you're only realizing something's wrong now, it's a bit too late, isn't it?"
As the girl approached with her sword drawn, Fran maintained his friendly smile and gestured with a raised left arm.
...There was only the white sleeves of the doctor's coat there; otherwise, it was completely empty.
Her arm was gone. But what did that mean?
The girl in the mirror clearly looked confused. Just then, a colorful, translucent bubble burst beside her, revealing the figures of Luyala and Vivian.
when--
Caught off guard, Vivian nimbly flashed in front of her, her movements swift and agile, like a black crow dancing in the night.
The next moment, she placed Fran's left arm, with its stitches, on the cheek of the girl in the mirror.
Almost the instant they made contact, the latter's blood-red eyeball, along with a cluster of nerves, was ripped off. Without the spiritual support of this eerie eyeball, the girl's mangled body in the mirror began to rapidly dissolve and collapse.
"Truly persistent..."
She muttered to herself, seemingly without much emotion.
"The era without walls is hard to let go of, but returning to the past is a luxury. The pure white door is dilapidated and no longer offers any guidance... Why do you still yearn for housing so much?"
A few breaths later, her spirit dissipated, leaving only a chilling aura that lingered throughout room 408.
"call……"