92 Sin of Hell’s River

Atop the snow-covered ground beneath the moonlight, Serena was laughing hysterically as she lifted her transformed, sharp claws. She was staring at Ralf who was struggling with all his might under the 'Halting Gaze'. She shook her head lightly and said, "Perhaps, if you had never seen this, you would not have to die.

"After all, I need sufficient eye-witnesses from both sides to spread the word about everything that happened here today."

However, since those of the Blood Clan had an extraordinary sense of hearing, a shudder suddenly went through the complacent Serena's body!

"Cough… you want to spread word? Word from the person involved may be even more convincing than an eye-witness… Cough…"

Serena Corleone turned around in disbelief.

'No way.'

Under the lunar light, a voice that was extremely familiar to both people rose up from the vacant snowy ground.

"Is it not? Se— ugly-faced woman?"

With shock filling both Ralf and Serena, the supposedly dead Thales coughed violently. He was panting as he flipped over and climbed up from the ground. His hands were still tied behind his back.

"There is a bardic poem that you do not understand, which has a line that is sung like this," Thales stood up with much difficulty while he immediately thought about the situation and solution before him, slowly saying, "What does not kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller…"

During the few seconds that Serena averted her gaze, Ralf struggled free from his rigid state. It felt like finally being freed from a bound state. 

But, both of them did not do anything else. With their eyes wide opened, they were only staring in shock at Thales, who was speaking.

"How is it possible?"

Serena shook her head with a surprised look on her face. 

She dipped her head down and looked at the hand that she had strangled Thales with.

'Did I spend too much time in the prison, to the extent that my estimation of my own power deteriorated?

'But, he was truly not breathing anymore.

'What is going on?

'There must be a problem.'

Ralf looked at Thales and gave a relieved smile as he made a hand sign.

'Do not, look, her, eyes'

Thales returned Ralf's gaze and lightly nodded.

The Blood Clanswoman with silver hair and red eyes clenched her teeth. She turned around and stared furiously at Thales. "Damn it…"

Thales gave her a smile which had been absent on his face for a long time. He purposely avoided Serena's gaze, not giving her a chance to activate her power.

The second prince clenched the top and bottom row of his teeth together and put the tip of his tongue in between the rows of his teeth.

He was probably too nervous and terrified earlier, which was why he did not think about biting the tip of his tongue.

Thales smiled bitterly from the bottom of his heart. 'Even though I was forced to watch 'The Journey' so many times…

'The first target, Dark Night Black Coffin.

'Do I really want to let that Mystic out?'

Asda's strange expression flashed before his eyes.

But Thales only hesitated for a second before he was ready to start.

However, just as Thales was ready to bite the tip of his tongue to activate the forbidden ability, some strange changes occurred in his body.

Weird fluctuations surged up his heart and bubbled up to his chest, neck, face and finally his eyes.

His blurred vision became clear and bright. He could fully capture everything in an instant, whether they were big or small objects.

Serena became clearer before his eyes. 

Thales was momentarily stunned.

'What is this?'

He could feel Serena as if she was a blood-red beacon, emitting glaring red light in the boundless darkness.

He turned his head around and saw Katerina lying unconscious on the ground beneath a big tree to his left. She was breathing heavily despite being unconscious, and her entire frame was glimmering with a dim, waning white light.

'Is there a problem with my eyesight?'

Thales blinked his eyes in confusion as he stared at the scene before him. But to his surprise, he discovered that everything in the world seemed to slow down. It had actually taken Serena a full five seconds to complete the act of clenching her teeth.

"Damn… It…" Her voice became incomparably slow and deep, as if it was caused by a tape recorder having its speed adjusted.

That's not right.

'This is… a series of plays based on time-stop… I mean… time has become slower?

'No.'

Thales felt that his own movements had also become slower.

'It is only my train of thought that has become faster.'

He narrowed his eyes as he wanted to see a little clearer.

The fluctuations rushed up to his brain, and the scene before his eyes changed once again.

That moment, Thales could even see something that resembled radiation clearly with his eyes: The blood in Serena's body was moving around vigorously. It filled her heart, chest, both of her arms, and also the wings that were furled behind her.

He could see Serena's muscles contracting and relaxing with great force, but the fluctuations of her aura within her body moved in sections, as if her body was full of empty spaces in between. It gave off a disconnected feeling… like some part of it was damaged.

It seemed as though he had gotten control of Serena's claws, arms, legs, torso, and every mobile as well as immobile part of her body, her center of gravity, strength, speed, and movements, all in an instant. He could understand everything clearly in his heart.

'What is going on?' Thales thought in panic. 

Thales turned around and stared at the black coffin. This unique anti-mystic equipment was visibly radiating a deep black energy and black light.

Strange fluctuations of different colors were also surging out continuously.

It made it appear like a very ill-omen. 

'If I use mystic energy to open it, then what is inside…' His heart skipped a beat.

'Are there any better methods to settle this predicament before my eyes?'

Thales was just done thinking when the fluctuations disappeared from his field of vision. It was as if they possessed consciousness....

Everything before his eyes went back to normal.

'This is…' Thales furrowed his brows together. 'What kind of power is this?'

"Damned little sh*t." Serena resumed her normal talking 'speed' as she spoke with her teeth tightly clenched together. "Alright, this time I will chop off your head."

But after a few seconds, the fluctuations appeared again.

This time, it rushed straight up to his brain.

'Wait a minute.'

A shudder went through Thales' body.

Some sort of amplification method seemed to have been activated during that instant in his brain, which had been obvious since the start.

'A better method…'

The distance of the black coffin, Serena's speed, a True Form transformation, the possible direction of attack, Ralf's best route to provide him aid and protection, the limits that would be placed on his speed due to the snow-covered ground… everything before his eyes became usable information that was systematically and rapidly stored into his brain.

Possible plans, expected risks, influential factors, estimations of success rate…

This time, the fluctuations seemed to consume more energy than the previous few times. It remained in his mind for a while before it disappeared from his brain.

Thales felt like he had just run a thousand meters in an instant. He was shaking and drenched in cold sweat.

'Am I… something out of a sci-fi novel or am I an Eradicator?'

However, he just suddenly knew how to settle the situation before him.

He also knew what method would bring him the least side-effects and the least amount of failure.

Maybe, he did not have to use that power after all.

He had a better method.

Thales cautiously avoided meeting Serena's gaze as he calmed his breathing. Meanwhile, he walked to the spot between Ralf and Serena, and put on a smile.

"You know, I really want to call you a whore," Thales said insipidly with his hands behind his back.

'Foolish mortal,' Serena frowned and thought to herself, 'Are you really that confident to be this near to me?

'I shall kill this little brat first. It would be even better if I can behead him. This is nothing to be afraid of…

'What I need to take note of is that disabled supra class member.' The Blood Clanswoman glanced at Ralf, who was wearing a silver mask. 'I have to make sure he stays here so that the truth will not be leaked.

'I have to be quicker…' Serena gritted her teeth. 'Chris and Istrone cannot stall any longer.'

"Oh, then why don't you?" Serena's face blossomed into a smile as though she was conjuring tricks. Her swift change made Thales gasp in amazement. 

"Dear Thales?"

She calculated the distance between herself and Ralf, as well as the time she would take to transform into her True Form before pouncing on him.

Ralf furrowed his eyebrows.

He saw Thales' hands, which were tied together behind him. They were rapidly moving.

Even though Thales was not using his head and his chest as well to form his messages, Ralf still recognized what Thales was trying to convey.

'Push, me, left, tree'

He repeated it twice.

Ralf narrowed his eyes.

It was such a familiar feeling.

It was the same feeling he felt the last time they were in the dungeon.

"Because, if I call you a whore… I am afraid I would have insulted this divine profession," Thales replied flatly.

Serena chuckled softly and exercised her claws. "So a whore is a divine profession in your mind?"

Thales exhaled and enunciated each word clearly under Serena's astonished gaze, "But I still have to thank you. At least before you killed me, you told me the truth.

"My blood is indeed very nutritious."

The next second, Thales gestured with his hands behind his back.

'Begin.'

Ralf's pupils trembled before Serena could even react.

His psionic ability was activated in an instant.

A gust of fierce wind rose from nowhere and attacked swiftly!

*Woo—*

But it did not attack Serena, who was completely on guard.

Instead, it swept Thales up and blew him towards the sky!

Thales clenched his teeth tightly and barely managed to support his whole body. He squinted his eyes to resist the impact of the wind. After all, he was not Human Kite Ralf, who had immersed himself in this path for many years.

Time once again seemed to slow down when he was up in the air—but, he knew this was not the case.

Those fluctuations gradually filled all four of his limbs.

Thales immediately felt his limbs turning gently, allowing him to maintain his balance in the wind.

Serena hissed sharply as she transformed into her scary True Form within his peripheral vision!

"Where are you going to run to?" Serena widened her eyes, which resembled the black hole, and unfolded her red skeletal wings. They tore her cape apart. She flapped her wings and flew up in the air as she roared in her hoarse voice, "Mortal brat!"

However, Ralf's gaze was full of determination as he stepped upon the fierce winds to pounce on the Blood Clanswoman.

He had to hold this monster back.

This was the boy's plan.

Thales flew down towards the big tree on his left.

It was the birch tree that was broken during the sisters' fight earlier.

A figure was lying unconsciously on the ground beside the tree.

Serena's expression immediately changed when she realized what Thales was going to do.

But at the next moment, the sound of the wind howled behind the patricide. 

Serena instinctively turned around and attacked with her claws.

*Clang!*

It was a fierce sound of metal clashing against each other!

Ralf was technically not the one who attacked.

It was the piece of steel rope in Ralf's hand.

Taken by surprise, Serena furrowed her brows. Her arms were tightly bound by the steel rope in the surprise attack.

"Aargh!" Serena yelled frantically as she was dragged backwards by the steel rope, which was controlled by the fierce wind.

She tried to tear the steel rope apart, but her efforts were to no avail as sparks flew in all directions.

On the other end of the rope was Ralf, and he was flying in the air with clenched teeth.

The steel prosthetics made of two coarse metal plates below his knees had already disappeared without a trace.

That piece of steel rope was a tool used by Ralf to fasten his prosthetics in place, so it was incomparably tough and durable.

'I will never let you go over there.' the Phantom Wind Follower's gaze was resolute.

Thales landed on the snowy ground on his bound hands. He then rolled forward twice in a disheveled state.

The fluctuations had dissipated.

A sense of exhaustion came over him.

His entire body was sore, some joints were even aching due to laceration.

Thales vaguely understood that this was because his current physical condition was completely unable to keep up with the act of balancing himself on the wind just now.

However, he was still struggling with his hands behind of his back as he squirmed and crawled towards that person.

She was the critical point of his plan.

Katerina Corleone.

The dying Night Queen.

*Dong!*

Thales knocked his head against Katerina's beautiful face!

The collision slightly roused the latter up from her coma. 

He stared at Katerina's unfocused gaze and spat out two words.

"Bite me."

The seriously injured Katerina, whose four limbs were broken, and who only had her torso left, brought her head up in much difficulty. She glanced at him, her gaze revealing her confusion.

The prince could be heard saying coldly, "Suck my blood."

But the Night Queen, who had lost her confidence only glanced at the situation on the field before she shook her head weakly and in anguish. "It is no use.

"My injuries are too severe.

"You should quickly leave.

"Maybe you can escape from this."

Katerina lowered her head in resignation and closed her purple eyes.

On the other side, Ralf was still using his steel rope to deal with Serena strenuously while maintaining his distance from her.

Thales furrowed his eyebrows tightly together.

'This woman.

'I cannot believe it. She is a queen?'

Right at this moment, Ralf's painful grunt could be heard from afar.

There was no time to waste anymore.

Thales made a decision.

The prince who had his hands tied behind his back licked his lips with his tongue and furrowed his brows. "Did Serena not say that my blood… is more nutritious?"

At the next moment, Thales closed his eyes, closed his teeth around the tip of his tongue, and forcefully slammed his chin onto the snow-covered ground!

He heard a soft *plop*.

Then, he felt an excruciating pain coming from the tip of his tongue!

It was so painful that Thales had tears flowing out from his eyes!

'The feeling of biting down onto my own tongue…

'It's so painfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuul!'

But Thales still struggled to stand up while tears of pain flowed down his cheeks.

Without a sign of hesitation, he threw himself to Katerina's side without turning back.

Then, under the master of the Corleone Family, the Weeper, the Night Queen, Katerina Van Corleone's astonished gaze...

Thales intentionally kissed Katerina on the mouth!

Katerina instinctively wanted to break free.

Thales pushed his bloody tongue into her mouth with his eyes wide opened in anger.

One second passed.

Katerina's whole frame trembled!

'This is…

'The taste of this blood…'

"Woowoo!" Ralf's unclear grunts travelled into his ears once again!

Thales furrowed his eyebrows and stared straight into Katerina's disbelieving stare.

'This woman… why does she not play by the rules?

'Her older sister, Serena was obviously excited and intoxicated while she savored the taste. She had an excited expression on her face.

'Could it be that she does not like…'

But he did not finish his thought.

Because the next moment, Katerina was struggling with her disabled body, revealing her scary, blood-thirsty gaze.

The purple-eyed Blood Clanswoman, who only had her torso intact, abruptly flipped over and pinned the seven-year-old child underneath her!

*Thud!*

The Night Queen moved forward in a crazed and wild manner.

She bit down onto Thales' lips tightly.

And frantically sucked on his blood!

Pain.

Thales felt excruciating pain coming from his tongue.

Thales once again had tears flowing out of his eyes because of the pain.

"Woowoo…"

He shook his head forcefully and desperately, forcing Katerina to release his mouth.

Tears were flowing down Thales' cheeks as he was panting violently.

'I was wrong.

'This… she is absolutely crazier than her older sister!

Thales lifted his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at Katerina, who was pressing onto him. She had a furious expression on her face because she was interrupted during her feasting.

The next second, Thales anxiously stretched out his head to reveal the skin on his neck like he was an anxious lover.

He recklessly said to Katerina, "Quick, neck!

"Be quick!"

A yearning look appeared in Katerina's eyes.

She lowered her head fiercely and tore apart the collar on Thales' shoulder with her teeth!

"Hey! You—"

Before Thales could finish speaking, Katerina had already bared her fangs and bit into his throat savagely!

She started to suck on his blood.

The feeling of pain from the sucking, dizziness, numbness, and pleasure all rushed into Thales' heart in an instant.

Thales had tears of pain flowing down from his eyes. He looked miserably and pitiably at Katerina, who was violently attacking his body. He then finished his sentence weakly and bitterly. "Can you please…

"Be gentler?"

…

Serena grabbed onto a tree and finally regained her footing amid the fierce wind.

'Damn worm.

'You have played for long enough.'

The next second, she lifted her head ferociously and firmly held onto the steel rope before suddenly pulling on it!

She activated her great strength that had been reinforced by her True Form.

Ralf, who was already exhausted, was swung around by the great force and his movements became sluggish!

He was slammed forcefully onto a birch tree beside him and fell powerlessly onto the snow-covered ground.

Ralf climbed up with much difficulty, but he could only lean against the birch tree powerlessly without his prosthetics.

Ralf used his psionic ability to suck in a breath of cold air once again. He extended both his hands and brought out two hidden blades.

He soared into the air once again to face Serena.

They were now fighting at close quarters.

But just as Ralf went towards her, Serena swung her claws upwards with agility and had them pierce his first hidden blade in an angle that was incredibly difficult to handle.

The strength in Ralf's blade vanished entirely.

*Ding!*

The hardness of the blade was no match to the steel rope's, and it shattered inch by inch into smaller pieces.

Serena's use of her strength was very ingenious. Ralf suddenly paused midair, and he had no choice but to adjust the wind first in order to whittle her strength down.

However, just then, Serena extended one of her long legs without any expression on her face and she stepped onto his other arm forcefully. 

Ralf grunted and flew backwards.

His arm seemed to be fractured!

Serena had a ferocious look on her face as she increased the speed of her flapping skeletal wings in an instant. She closed in on Ralf extremely fast!

She used her sharp claws to attack him rapidly.

*Clang!*

She broke Ralf's last hidden blade.

'I miscalculated,' Ralf thought in disappointment.

'I can't hold her back at all.'

He recalled what the Air Mystic said to him a very long time ago.

"I have also seen quite a number of the supreme class… Their battle styles are basically the ability to use their strength at will, being meticulous down to the smallest detail, in a manner that is always just right, and not in the least bit sluggish in their movements…" Asda slowly said.

"The battles between supreme class members seem boring and simple, fast but monotonous. However, this type of detailed and scary control is far from what those supra class brats, who recklessly waste their energy or strength can ever imagine.

"As for your question… If you meet a supreme class..." Asda's blue shirt was very vibrant, Ralf could still remember his indifferent and expressionless face till this day.

"If you do not get near a supreme class member, you might be able to use your psionic ability to deal with that person for a while."

But Asda immediately raised his head and had a pensive look on his face.

"There is only one exception.

"If you happen to meet Black Sword…"

Ralf remembered Asda chuckling at the time. "Remember to write your will beforehand."

Ralf silently sighed in his heart at his memory of the past.

'Darn it…

'As expected, supreme class and supra class are simply not on the same level.

'I cannot even hold her back for a few minutes.'

The Phantom Wind Follower closed his eyes gently.

'This is going to end here.

'At least, I have paid my debt.'

However, the next moment, a violent sound of the wind along with the sounds of fighting travelled swiftly towards him!

Then, the final sound came:

*Riiippp!*

Ralf opened his eyes in surprise.

"Damn it…"

Serena could be seen holding her left shoulder and flapping her skeletal wings as she shrieked in pain. She was backing away frantically!

Until she was a few meters away.

A few seconds later, the patricide lifted her head and stared at the person opposite her, filled with hatred.

It was that Blood Clanswoman in her pure white True Form.

"Dear older sister."

The elegant beauty, Katerina Corleone, was standing coldly across Serena.

All four of her limbs were strong and in perfect condition, her skeletal wings were contracting and expanding with ease.

Her purple eyes were icy and sharp.

It was as if she had never been injured.

The queen held Thales with her left hand, who was moaning and panting in her embrace in a semi-conscious state.

Serena was staring ferociously and angrily at her younger sister as she let out an indignant roar.

The Night Queen took a step forward and she simply threw the bloody left arm she just tore off onto the snow-covered ground. Her face immediately became stern and serious.

"Second round."

…

Tower of Eradication, Sharp Blade Valley, Underground Chamber.

Shao was stroking his long, white beard as he slowly walked into the room.

He lit up the Everlasting Lamp at the corner of the room.

It was a strange, circular room.

It was completely void of all objects.

It only had thick stone walls.

There were different kinds of scratches, all of different lengths on the stone walls. Some of them were deeper and some of them were shallower.

It seemed like the walls were scratched out frantically.

Shao turned around and stared at the other side of the room.

A curled-up figure was trembling nonstop at the corner.

Shao stared at the person for a while before he slowly sighed. "Is it more serious now?"

The figure kept on trembling. It took the person a long while before he spoke, "It is… swallowing me…"

Shao's expression was serious. "Swallow? Do you mean it is corroding your body?"

The figure was trembling as he lifted his head and gave Shao a broken smile.

"Not only that.

"This power… It's as if it is going to… Come alive in my body…"

Shao furrowed his brows. "What is going on?"

The figure continued to tremble, as if he had seen his greatest fear. "It has its own conscious, like a demon at the bottom of my heart. It keeps urging me, threatening me, frightening me…

"To fight as if my life depends on it. To battle. To kill.

"I cannot stop… Cannot stop…

"Until I meet my death… Or death rejects me once again...

"I cannot stop…"

Shao closed his eyes and kept quiet for a long time.

His eyes were surrounded by a red rim when he reopened them.

Shao, a Far Eastern scion of the Tower of Eradication with a virtuous and respectable name, slowly sat down with his legs crossed next to the figure. His eyes were filled with grief.

"Maybe this plan is absolutely wrong.

"Even a genius like Crassus can only… How is it possible for us to…"

Shao's speech was grave and filled with pain.

"Both of you… I should not have let you go that time."

But the figure only laughed coldly.

"Impossible.

"Horace and I… Let us not consider the possibility of him surviving…

"He-he fought so many battles after that… and killed so many people…"

"If Horace had been the one to go at that time…

"Can you imagine what he would be like right now?"

That figure curled up even tighter.

Shao held onto his sword tightly, his heart was filled with regret and pain. After a long while, he sighed.

The figure saw Shao's demeanor and he did his best to give Shao a smile.

"Teacher...

"Do not worry…

"I… can still hold on… Until I finish my mission…

"I can do this…"

Shao's expression was bitter when he reached his hand out and placed it on the figure's shoulder. He said with an aching heart, "You have suffered, child.

"For these past thirty years, you have had to bear… The sin that should not exist in the human world…"