Chapter 35

The blood-soaked fabric, jars, eggs, and other items, along with the intense, pungent smell, did not cause the slightest change in the expression of the parish priest, Guillaume Benet. He turned his body and looked at a certain place in the church, where the blue of his eyes reflected the figure of Lumián running madly.

The color of the parish priest's eyes then lightened, becoming almost transparent.

In his eyes, a series of complex mercury-colored symbols appeared around Lumián, intertwining like small rivers. Lumián himself seemed to be running in a surreal, shimmering river formed by these symbols, with more indistinct tributaries ahead.

Guillaume Benet extended his right hand and reached out to a mercury-colored symbol around the target.

Lumián forcefully stomped his right foot, preparing to throw his body toward the stained glass, intending to crash out of the church.

At that moment, his foot slipped, and he failed to fully exert his strength.

His body flew up in a disheveled manner.

With a bang, a crash, and a crack, Lumián shattered the stained glass depicting Saint Cis, but he did not manage to escape, stopping inside the church.

Multiple cuts appeared on his body, and fresh red blood quickly gushed out.

At this moment, the shepherd Pierre Berry, who had just beheaded Ava with an axe, locked onto Lumián.

He still wore a gentle smile, but his blue eyes were filled with ferocity, as if some seal within him had been broken, revealing his true self.

Pierre Berry, gripping the axe, strode toward Lumián.

With each step, his body seemed to grow taller and stronger, though in reality, it remained the same, giving him the aura of a giant.

Lumián, with his back to the cruel shepherd, leaned against the broken stained glass window.

He had just escaped the pain of a severe fall and multiple stab wounds and was about to push himself up and roll out of the church when he suddenly felt an intense sense of danger.

Someone behind me... Lumián's mind flashed, and he continued to hold onto the broken glass window frame, ignoring the pain and the blood, preparing to roll out.

This was just a feint. He quickly pulled back, not advancing but retreating, falling backward.

Bang!

An axe swung and smashed into the window frame, which was now only a collection of broken glass, splitting it from the wall and sending it flying out of the church.

Lumián, falling backward and rolling, narrowly avoided the ferocious blow from Pierre Berry.

He did not feel any relief or joy, as he had been forced back into the church, and the fastest escape route was completely blocked by the transformed shepherd Pierre Berry.

Although Lumián had read many novels, he did not entertain the childish notion that rolling would keep him from being hit. As soon as he passed Pierre Berry, he immediately used his elbow to push off and his waist to spring up.

His gaze swept around, and he noticed that, apart from a few like young Guillaume, the remaining young people seemed to be influenced by something, losing their sanity and becoming mad.

They ignored the headless body of Ava and the blood splattered around, shouting joyfully:

"Send the 'Spring Sprite' away!

"Send the 'Spring Sprite' away!

"..."

The few like young Guillaume were completely stunned, standing there, staring at Ava's wide-open, slightly smiling eyes, motionless.

Their faces were filled with fear, panic, and disbelief, as if they were trapped in a nightmare from which they could not escape.

Pierre Berry, though still the same height, gave Lumián the illusion that he was almost as tall as the church ceiling.

The shepherd, after missing his target, quickly withdrew his axe, turned his body, and swung it again at Lumián, who had not yet regained his footing and had already run forward, successfully evading the blow.

Thud, thud, thud!

Lumián fully utilized his hunter's speed and agility, running in a curved path.

Target: the parish priest!

His experience told him that in such a situation, he must target the leader among the enemies, regardless of how others dealt with him, maintaining a fierce stance that either they let him go or both would die.

The shepherd Pierre Berry did not chase Lumián. Holding the blood-stained axe, he stood before the wall where the window frame had been, extending his left hand toward Lumián's figure.

The entire church suddenly became dim, and the area around Lumián became even darker, deep and mysterious.

This darkness seemed to have a life of its own, gently swaying.

It was as if a curtain, behind which lay pale, black, and strange arms, about to reach out.

In the nearly transparent eyes of the parish priest Guillaume Benet, Lumián's figure still sank in the surreal, shimmering river formed by the complex mercury-colored symbols, with similar but more surreal tributaries ahead, symbolizing the future.

After a period of effort, Guillaume Benet's right hand finally grasped the key pattern composed of multiple symbols.

If he reversed it, all of Lumián's efforts would be in vain, and his future fate would be rewritten.

Suddenly, the parish priest's eyes froze.

"Ah!!!!"

He shouted loudly, his eyes tightly closed, and fresh red blood and turbid tears streamed down his face.

Amid the screams, Guillaume Benet's body swelled as if filled with a large amount of gas.

Rip!

His white, gold-embroidered robe could not withstand the pressure and quickly tore apart.

His skin had stretched to near transparency, and the bizarre marks previously hidden by his clothing were now exposed.

These were black, seal-like marks, connected to an indescribable world, emitting an extremely terrifying aura.

This aura instantly filled the church, and the young people still celebrating the "Spring Sprite" fell into a state of intense fear. Some ran around the altar, some knelt on the ground, and some lay prostrate, not daring to raise their heads.

The few like young Guillaume, already frightened, fainted, their bodies wet with a foul odor.

The shepherd Pierre Berry, about to use a secret technique to capture Lumián, dropped his axe, knelt on one knee, and lowered his head, ceasing all movement.

In the entire church, the only one unaffected was Lumián.

He was also affected, experiencing intense pain in his head, but compared to the mysterious voice that could put him in a near-death state, this aura was still far from that level.

Additionally, he felt a burning sensation in his chest, suspecting that the black thorn symbol had become prominent, possibly along with the blue-black symbols resembling eyes and insects.

Lumián did not have time to check his condition or understand why he suddenly had the upper hand. He continued to run toward the parish priest Guillaume Benet.

If an opportunity appeared, he could not let it pass!

As he got closer, he saw the seal-like black marks clearly:

They seemed to be composed of unique characters and strange symbols.

His gaze quickly scanned, and he recognized something familiar.

On the left chest of the parish priest Guillaume Benet, a black symbol resembling thorns emerged from inside and wrapped around to the back!

This was identical to the one on Lumián's chest, just much lighter.

"Does he have it too?"

Lumián's heart trembled.

"Is this the root of the village's abnormality?

"Why do I have it, and when did I get it?

"..."

Thoughts rapidly flashed through Lumián's mind, but they did not affect his actions.

He ran to Guillaume Benet, extended his right arm, and wrapped it around the enemy's head.

Without pausing, he forcefully circled around to the back of the parish priest.

With a crack, Guillaume Benet's head turned, facing his own spine.

Phew... Lumián, seeing this, quietly sighed in relief.

The biggest trouble was resolved. He needed to hurry home and escape with his sister, leaving the rest to the three outsiders!

At that moment, the supposedly dead Guillaume Benet opened his eyes.

His eyes were blood-red.

Buzz!

Lumián's head felt as if it had been split in two by an axe, the intense pain preventing him from even screaming.

Everything he saw instantly shattered, becoming pitch black.

He lost consciousness.

...

...

Pain!

It hurts!

Lumián suddenly sat up, opened his eyes, and rubbed his head.

He then saw the wooden table by the window, the tilted chair, and the wardrobes and small bookshelves on either side.

All of this was very familiar to him.

This was his bedroom.

"Did my sister save me? How long was I unconscious? What happened in the church?" Lumián, not thinking much, immediately recalled what had happened, flipped off the bed, and rushed out, holding his head.

Soon, he found Aurore in the kitchen on the first floor.

Aurore, wearing a light blue dress, was seriously preparing dinner.

"Aurore! Sister, we need to escape!" Lumián shouted, "The parish priest and many people in the village have gone mad. They killed Ava at the end of the celebration!"

He was unsure if his sister knew what had happened, as there were many ways to save someone, not necessarily by being on the scene. So, he directly stated the key points to avoid wasting time.

Aurore turned around, looking puzzled, and asked:

"Celebration?

"Lenten celebration?"

"Yes," Lumián nodded forcefully.

Aurore smiled:

"That story you just told was quite good. In just two sentences, you painted a picture of a bizarre event, making it seem terrifying.

"But next time, please do some research. Lent is still a few days away."

"..." Lumián was stunned.