At the entrance to the cave in the research institute's mountainside, a group of Resurrection Association refugees and soldiers were kneeling on the ground, forming several circles. Around the periphery were suppression troops and the corpses of the sacrificed followers from the association.
In the center of the circle, a man wearing a bloodied mask had fallen onto the ground, a peculiar dagger with blades on both ends of the handle deeply embedded in his chest.
Mr. Bloodshirt, the worshiped leader of the Resurrection Association, was dying, his life swiftly draining from his body; yet the surrounding followers merely worshiped, with no one stepping forward to help.
Blood seeped out from the wound, enveloping the dagger and pulling it out. More blood gushed forth, gathering into the shape of a familiar, bat-like familiar—high-ranking military personnel among the followers who provided Mr. Bloodshirt with the permissions to wield dark magic.
