Chapter 93 : Bloodstorm!?

Bloodstorm!?

As the vision abruptly ended, Serea found herself back in that familiar consciousness space, turning to look at Betimia beside her.

"I really hate it when people stop talking halfway."

Serea quipped, still in the mood to tease, since this was her own mental space; no matter how long she lingered here, only an instant would pass outside.

"The end result is, humanity won. The girl who held off the undead became a human hero."

As Betimia spoke, Serea continued the thought herself.

"So that girl's name was Addis. For humanity to defeat the army in the black mist, she was corrupted by power and eventually fell to become a lich?"

At Serea's words, Betimia showed a surprised expression.

"You know!"

"It was simple deduction. So, what was the girl's relationship to you, and why were you in her tomb?"

Upon Serea's initiative to ask, Betimia explained.

"Addis Bloodstorm was my elder sister. And just as you said, when she gained power, darkness corrupted her heart. She became bloodthirsty and murderous, and in the end, Addis committed heinous crimes, attempting to use the power of a lich to establish a kingdom for the undead."

"What's so bad about that? She helped you drive back your enemies, after all."

Betimia found herself at a loss for words, choked by Serea's retort.

"But if the undead were to found a kingdom in human lands, that would never be allowed. No race in this world would accept undead who live on the flesh and souls of the living."

"Uh... The undead don't eat food; they absorb mana from the air to generate their own death force, or rely on a source to provide death power. Consuming corpses and souls is only to increase their numbers in battle."

Betimia was unsure how to argue, and upon reflection, realized that as an undead, she indeed didn't need to eat.

"But even so, the undead threaten the survival of humans and other races. 'If they are not of our kind, their hearts must be different!'"

"That line actually makes sense."

Saying that, Serea quietly made a mental note, while Betimia had yet to realize to whom she was actually speaking...

"And after that?"

"Then, Lord Bloodstorm led the Crimson Legion to breach Lich Addis's castle. But by then, Addis Bloodstorm's consciousness had almost completely vanished. A new soul was born within her—Addis Reaper's Shadow!"

"You killed her?"

"We didn't. We believed that Addis, my sister, as a hero of humanity, would ultimately defeat the demon. So we pleaded with the church to purify and seal her here, and I personally stood guard over the seal until the demon within her was wholly cleansed."

"Did you succeed?"

Betimia fell silent. Seeing her undead form, Serea could already guess the outcome.

Not only had Addis not been purified, but she had truly become Addis Reaper's Shadow.

Although she couldn't return to the world because of the seal, Betimia—charged with guarding her—had died here, and was infected by Addis's death force, becoming a bloodthirsty banshee herself.

Thinking back, the last person who tried something like this now had grass growing tall on their grave...

"Alright, let's get back to when you said, 'let me accept your request.' What exactly did you want to ask of me?"

"You are the successor to the Bloodstorm, so..."

"After all this talk, who even is the Bloodstorm?"

"The master of the Crimson Legion."

"What's his name? Who were your enemies? And how much do you actually know about the Crimson Legion?"

"... I have slept here for I know not how long. My soul, now fragmented, has caused me to forget his name and some crucial memories. All I know I have already told you. In the last moment of my consciousness, Lord Bloodstorm ordered me to guard Addis's ancient tomb. Only the descendants of Bloodstorm could resist the corruption of the death curse and prevent Addis's resurrection."

"So your surname is also Bloodstorm?"

"But I have already fallen to undeath, and have been controlled by Addis."

Serea seemed troubled by this.

"Correction: my surname is 'Bloodstorm.' But beyond that, I don't seem to have much to do with the person you're talking about."

"I could never be mistaken. The blood of Bloodstorm flows within you, so I ask you—stop Addis's resurrection!"

Serea was silent for a moment.

"Are you joking, or am I? You want me to take on a powerful lich? Don't you think I've got a long enough life left to live...?"

"No, though Addis is about to be revived, her body has been destroyed. As a lich, her remaining soul is only stored in that bone ring. As long as you seize the ring, you can stop her resurrection."

"What happens to the person who removes the ring?"

"An ordinary person would become the new Addis Reaper's Shadow. But descendants of the Bloodstorm won't; you can temporarily resist the corruption of death."

"Temporarily?"

"Yes, but as long as you don't succumb to that power and seal the ring in time, Addis cannot revive through your body. Only those of the Bloodstorm clan are unique in this way."

"Relying on the ring to possess a body for resurrection, huh? How very lich-like."

As she spoke, Serea suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, Addis already took a little girl away—does that mean..."

"Yes, Addis Reaper's Shadow is about to be revived, so only you can stop her!"

"Tsk tsk, I'm not obligated to take your request. If things go south, I'm out of here."

"No, you bear the surname of 'Bloodstorm'—you will stop her, I believe it!"

"Uh, you believe? Well, that's your business."

Betimia tried to say something else, but suddenly clutched her head in pain.

"Ugh... No... Addis Reaper's Shadow is about to fully revive, you must stop her!"

As she finished, a powerful force pushed Serea back into reality. Seeing Betimia's painful expression in the real world, Serea knew Addis was trying to take control of her body.

"Kill me! Don't let me become your hindrance!"

Betimia shouted in agony, while Little Black had already charged at her—angry enough, Little Black's strike would be fatal!

But just then, that voice rang out once more.

"Seeking death? Not so easily!"

A surge of death force blocked Little Black; this power was even stronger than before.

"This is bad, Addis has seized control of a new body!"

Betimia seemed to see something terrifying, and at the same moment, the ground began to shake violently.

RUMBLE—

"What's happening?"

Serea had just regained her senses, but feeling the tremors beneath her feet, a sense of foreboding grew within her.

BANG!

Suddenly, the stone slabs under the group's feet cracked. They all fell into a deeper, wider underground space.

During the fall, Celia decisively pulled Serea into an embrace to shield her. After a series of jolts, the group crashed to the ground.

Luckily, the drop wasn't long, and though they landed on broken stone, no one was seriously hurt.

Feeling the pain in her body, Serea wobbled to her feet, with Celia and the others close by.

Now, in this unfamiliar and perilous space, Serea quickly summoned the Skeleton Warriors and skeletons back to her.

(To be continued...)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=