143 Alarm

The rain from the sky fell endlessly as the sound covered everything. In the midst of the storm, the white-faced woman and old man walked down the street as the rain splashed on their black clothes.

The woman lowered her head as she walked and tore off the ribbon wrapped around her waist. The large black robe slipped off, and as it fell, her naked body was exposed to the storm. Rain washed over her pale skin. Raindrops rolled down her slender neck and onto her chest, following a faint scar down her slender legs to the puddles on the ground.The wind picked up the black robe, and it tossed and turned before finally flying up to the sky.

The bare woman drew two slender steel objects from the lining of the flying black robe. One was short, the other long. The set of double swords seemed to come to life in her hands. They easily cut through the rain, setting off a wave of water vapor.

The blades had a strange design. There were many upturned pieces like the scales of a cold-blooded creature. As her blood flowed into the blade, the scales vibrated slightly. The spitting of snakes cut through the wind—Alchemy double swords: Snake Scales

This was a weapon of alchemy, forged by the bones of a famous assassin from a century ago. It contained the assassin's soul and murderous intent. The ashes of the deceased gave life to the blades, making them extremely sharp and the possessor of incredible power.

In the pouring rain, the white-faced woman's figure suddenly dimmed and disappeared. At first, one could still see a faint outline, but as the two swords danced, even the vague shadow disappeared. Then there was no trace of the white-faced woman in the heavy rain anymore.

"Pay attention to the Eyes of Aether searching, be careful when decoding the alarms, and do not disturb the Professor," Claude warned through the soul line.

In the storm, the old man halted. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and illuminated the building before him. Like the entire street, the church in the Rodrigo district was dark. All was asleep.

The white-faced woman walked quietly and flipped over the fence without disturbing the alarm above.

The old man stopped in front of the door. Under the Eyes of Aether, the lock on the door was wrapped in a complicated seal. Both using a key and opening it regularly would raise the alarm. 

The two began to act after exchanging a few sentences telepathically. Soon, the heavy door trembled and fell forward entirely. The sword Snake Scales had cut the door off its hinges and separated it from the building.

The old man walked forward and grasped the heavy door. A strange power was brewing in his burly body. Then he gently and slowly pulled the whole door out as if it was light as straw and tossed it onto the grass. The two entered.

Behind the door, the night watchman was shocked when he saw the door collapse without a sound. Eyes widening, he opened his mouth to shout something, only to be met with a sharp blade slitting his throat, blood spewing out. The blood gathered in the rain and seeped into the grass.

The man crossed over the body and walked straight towards the church behind the courtyard. Along the way, the hidden woman unlocked the alarms and traps one by one under Claude's guidance.

Sometimes, the grass flipped over after some small crackles. Other times, the stone beast on the wall split into two.

"D*mmit! What school does the Professor even belong to?" Even Claude, a Revelations musician who was an expert at insight, was forced to put his all into dealing with the Professor’s traps. This interlocking trap needed a long time to figure out, even for him. Without extreme caution, they would be caught easily.

Fortunately, the white-faced woman’s Snake Scales double swords were the best dismantling tool. These two alchemy weapons were designed to decode and kill.

In silence, the two quietly approached the door, their sounds covered by the rain. With the Eyes of Aether, they were able to see dozens of figures inside the church’s hall, guarding it from all directions.

Gathering in the church at this time and guarding all entrances...They obviously were not religious believers who came to pray before bed.

"They are all Professor’s men. Be careful of them," Claude said.

He paused and instantly became shocked. "Wait, don't do it yet!" He squinted, his Starry Eyes penetrated the wall and focused on a red light that represented danger. As he continued to probe, more and more red lights lit up from inside the hall. Practically the entire hall was covered in the light!

"Be careful… there’s a trap."

Claude swallowed heavily. Cold sweat seeped out from his forehead. "This hall is full of traps, and the Professor used his men as bait. There are no musicians, but there are two pieces of alchemy equipment. Wait for me to cast the silent enchantment and then…"

"Why so complicated?" Blue Teeth muttered impatiently. The dark musician walked out of the shadows and pressed his hands onto the heavy gates of the church hall. Two tongues poked out from his mouth and he began singing a very different melody.

The hoarse tune loomed in the rain, calling up a puff of gray air. The puff spread from his hands and fell upon the heavy iron gates. The intricate patterns, the iron-cast Virgin Mary and the golden grains on the gates blurred. As if a millennium of weather had occurred in one moment, the iron gates crumbled to dust and were blown into the hall by the humid wind.

Blue Teeth strode into the hall and looked around at the stunned thugs. His mouth cracked open and the melody changed. Suddenly, black smoke spewed out.

The black smoke quickly spread as soon as it had left his mouth, engulfing the hall in a flash. Wherever the black smoke passed, everything was cast into absolute darkness. Even the sound of the alarm had disappeared. The hall was completely isolated from the outside world.

Claude's expression changed, fear in his eyes. This was the nightmare fog that dark musicians commonly used. Using Satan’s power to transform the aether, it could devour all light and sound to suppress the enemy's actions.

The white-faced woman and old man stepped into the fog. The black smoke rolled turbulently without stop, but there was no sound. Everything inside was unclear.

Soon, the black smoke dissipated, revealing the blood and mutilated limbs scattered on the ground. The burly old man stood in the blood. His palms reached out from his heavy rain cloak, grasping the head of a survivor.

The lucky survivor stared at him in great horror. He tried to scream but could make no sound. Then the old man clasped his fingers and the skull exploded! Boom!

"What a waste," Blue Teeth said as he glanced at the old man. "Does the Chainsaw Fraternity not know to treasure these materials?"

The old man remained silent and just glanced at him.

"Hurry up! Let’s get out of here. The trap could be triggered at any time!" Claude urged, gazing in the Professor's direction. "Kill him while he’s still unprepared. He has begun his treatment, and a great deal of aether is gathering in the prayer room!" His complexion suddenly changed before he finished his words. "Be careful!"

A shrill scream burst out. The alarm had been triggered! Under the Starry Eyes, the entire hall quivered. The glowing red light began moving, trembling, and then it exploded!

A piercing ray of aether light burst through the entire hall—dozens of traps were being triggered at the same time! In an instant, an invisible force attacked the mind.

The little doll at Claude's waist shattered. Blood drained from his face and oozed out from his nostrils, dripping onto the ground. He had taken all the psychological pain for the others!

"F*ck, I told you to be careful!" Claude looked at his precious secret treasure and exploded in rage. "Which b*stard triggered the trap?"

-

Bai Xi stood on the rooftop outside the church. As the shrill alarm rang, she lowered the crossbow in her hand and whistled proudly.

"Sneaking in is too boring, so let me help you make it more interesting," Ye Qingxuan thought.

Seeing the chaotic aether in the church, he gloated. How could he enjoy being the mastermind if he did not take the initiative to make a mess? He must admit that it felt really d*mn good.

-

In the hall, a piercing melody suddenly sounded in the air. The fiery and manic music echoed between the pillars, creating tidal waves in the still aether. Notes flashed on the walls, stone carvings, and columns. It was the grand movement that described the image of Hell!

A gust of crazed wind blew violently for no reason. The burning air was like a blade, sweeping through the wind. Seemingly out of nowhere, a strong wind blew ferociously like a blade with a burning breath. It was just an instant sweep, and the hair curled up.

"Foehn wind!" Claude cried. He stared blankly at the trap, a chill running down his spine. "This is...Fire Cellar!"

The next moment, a crack appeared in in the air. A drop of red light fell down like water. What followed was an incredible red tide. It was molten iron and lava. The red tide swept through like a tsunami, easily turning all ornaments in the hall to ash.

Blurry figures rose in the flames. Lava oozed from their bodies. As the flames rolled, the fire demons slowly gathered from all directions.

"We’ve been discovered!" Claude shouted. "Don’t hold back and attack! Break through or you’ll die!"

As the firelight wavered, Blue Teeth’s expression changed, pain flashing past his eyes. Facing the incoming flames, he opened his mouth wide. Behind his sharp teeth, his two tongues began chanting crazily.

The most strident and eccentric melody came from his mouth. The strange tune directed the aether, suddenly creating a suction force. The rolling flames were pulled by that horrible suction, flooding into his mouth. The dark mouth devoured the flames wildly as if it was bottomless.

Even standing beside him, the heat practically ignited the old man's hair. The heavy rain cloak was burned to ashes instantly.

In the formless flames, the giant demons made of molten lava and iron burst out in shrill roars and darted toward Blue Teeth. They were demons born from the flames. The aether had endowed them with this strange life. The minstrels of Canaan named them "ifrits." Only heroes and demons could control and overcome their power!

Amidst the thundering, the old man stepped forward. The scriptures on his face shone brightly. His heavy rain coat was ripped from the inside.

A sabre that shone like black obsidian was raised. As he waved his arms, the blade, which had no sharp edge, sliced the air, sweeping toward the front.

The ifrits in front were instantly chopped in half. The formless spirit was about to group together again, but a terrible quake ripped them apart completely.

After a scream, the ifrits were defeated. They melted into a hot metal liquid and dripped onto the ground, sizzling.

"The Sighing Sword that can cut through aether?" Claude muttered. "As expected of the Chainsaw Fraternity."