Robert lay on the ground, panting heavily as blood gushed from his wound.
The bizarre serpent that crawled out from the wound had no intention of letting Cecia leave. It slithered out from Robert's injury, yet it was unable to completely detach itself from his body.
A long portion of its tail remained inside, deeply embedded in Robert's flesh.
The serpent's shape shifted constantly, growing larger and larger. Its scales were of mismatched sizes, and twisted, bizarre things writhed beneath them. The strange phenomena that followed its appearance further hinted that this serpent was no ordinary creature.
The surrounding light began to warp and distort, as though night itself were falling.
Its very existence was an antithesis to the light.
It was born from darkness and chaos, a place devoid of order and rules.
The great serpent hissed loudly, exposing its fangs.
It flicked its tongue. Cecia watched as the serpent lunged violently toward her.
But Cecia froze. Her consciousness had grown blurred and hazy, losing all sense of boundaries.
The serpent's hissing echoed from all directions.
The Serpent of Chaos blocked Cecia's path of retreat, emitting a massive wave of mana that made her intensely drowsy.
Cecia fell into a trance; the time and space around her seemed to have ground to a halt.
The serpent coiled around Cecia's arm, its scales rough and ice-cold to the touch. It flicked its tongue, lightly brushing against her delicate cheek.
Yet, she did not dodge.
The serpent before her did not seem like something that should appear during this Spirit Realm Excursion.
It came from a place far more ancient, far more mysterious, and far more distant.
As Cecia looked into its eyes, its golden vertical pupils did not reflect her image, but rather a chaotic, disorganized mess.
“God, God, God.”
“You are yesterday, you are today, and you are tomorrow.”
“You are the sun of the living, the Book of the Dead of the deceased.”
It called out to Cecia with familiarity, like an old friend whom she had not seen in ages. The serpent's voice was filled with temptation.
Cecia's consciousness grew hazier.
“Your heart is lighter than a feather, and your soul shall ascend, as great as an eagle soaring through the heavens.”
Cecia's gaze grew vacant, utterly captivated by the venomous serpent's words.
“You are the God of Perfection, the God of Eternity, the One and Only God.”
Arrogant words filled Cecia's mind, like warm water poured into her ears. As they flowed through her entire body, she was overcome by a deep, innate sense of pride.
It was so satisfying, so pleasant, so abundant.
Cecia felt that its words made perfect sense.
She was the sun. She was the only one.
She was meant to be this perfect.
“So, lovely lady, could you tell me your name? If you speak your name aloud, I shall grant you everything.”
Cecia was just about to speak.
But Cecia had long since forgotten her own name.
Nearby, Vesper suddenly moved. The veins all over her body bulged as she forced her way through the air that had become so thick it was almost solid.
She snatched the dagger from Cecia's hand in one swift motion and sliced open her own wrist.
The pitch-black blood scalded the serpent. Screaming in agony, the serpent recoiled as if it had encountered the most terrifying thing in the world, retreating from the dense Abyssal aura and burrowing back into Robert's mangled arm.
Cecia also snapped out of her entranced, negligent state.
Her eyes flew wide in horror. She panted heavily, drenched in a cold sweat as if she had just startled awake from a nightmare.
She stared at the retreating serpent, then looked down at Vesper, whose wrist was slit and bleeding continuously.
Cecia shot a fierce glare at a completely bewildered Fekro before hoisting Vesper onto her back and fleeing the church.
Leaping through the air, the two of them quickly arrived at the Adventurers Guild tavern.
Cecia deftly produced some bandages and began to staunch the bleeding on Vesper's wrist.
Vesper's blood was pitch-black.
“Potato, what did you mean by calling it a traitor?”
“That serpent is a servant of Apep, the God of Chaos. It is a Serpent of Chaos. It used to receive offerings alongside the Overlord of the Abyss, but it later defected with a large faction of believers while still operating under the name of the Abyss Cult. That's why I call it a traitor.”
Vesper allowed Cecia to hold her hand and wrap the bandage.
“My blood has a suppressing effect on it. Chaos was born from the Abyss. Even if it is His weakest servant, it will instinctively fear such pure Abyssal power.”
Cecia wrapped the final layer of bandage, watching the blood that was still seeping through.
“But why did it come looking for me?”
“Because this is the Spirit Realm—the place where gods reside, far from the material world. Things you would normally never encounter will appear here.” Vesper stared at her bandaged hand and continued, “As for why it came looking for you, I don't know either.”
“Potato, was Robert seduced by that serpent?”
“Rather than seduced, it would be more accurate to say it made him lose his sense of boundaries.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nightingale, it's because of chaos. Chaos is completely devoid of logic. For a god like Apep, everything lies beyond the realm of reason.”
Once the bleeding stopped, Cecia sat down beside Vesper.
She ordered a few dishes, and the two began to chat while they ate.
Vesper asked, “What's the plan next?”
“We wait. We'll wait it out. Once we clean up that wave of Starfolk, we will settle the score with Robert.”
“Why not just deal with Robert directly, Nightingale?”
“Potato, you'll have to ask Fekro about that.” Cecia tapped her fingers on the table in thought. “He probably has some kind of plan, and besides, that serpent is far too bizarre.”
“Nightingale, it is not actually strong; it is merely adept at bewitching minds. That serpent will never be able to charm you a second time.”
“Is that so?”
Cecia murmured quietly.
The tavern was packed with adventurers. With the Tide Festival arriving tomorrow, the townspeople all seemed exceptionally cheerful.
The air was thick with the scent of various alcohols and the savory aroma of fish soup.
Yet, Cecia frowned.
The livelier the atmosphere became, the more uneasy she felt.
Yet, her brief clash with Robert had been Cecia's very first life-or-death battle. The rush of hot blood pumping from her heart made every pore on her body open.
A thrilling sensation of excitement surged through her entire body.
Cecia suddenly felt a flush of heat. She was both nervous and exhilarated.
These two contradictory emotions continuously tore at her.
Cecia could only reassure herself repeatedly in her mind:
It's fine, Cecia. These people are all fake. They died long ago in history anyway, and I can't change history, right?
Cecia and Vesper soon went to rest and prepare, for both of them knew that tonight's battle would be anything but easy.
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