"Hmm?" After Erik and the Hokuten family's vengeful spirits dissipated, Mithra noticed something left on the ground.
A white and blue object. She reached out and touched it. It had no texture, but she easily picked it up.
["Consumed by Resentment" Distilled Sense: Sense distilled from the "Consumed by Resentment" entity after its death, containing a portion of the curse. Absorbing it can increase sense power and enhance understanding of specific miracles, but it also carries the Wandering God's curse.]
[—"I did nothing wrong, I only did what most people would do..."]
So this was distilled sense.
Anything related to miracles had a chance of leaving something behind after its destruction, which could be used.
It wasn't easy to obtain. Mithra had killed countless cursed creatures, but this was the first distilled sense she had encountered.
Safin had only mentioned that it could be used to increase sense power. Planet Blue, on the other hand, said it could be used to replenish life locks.
And Night Eyes mentioned that it enhanced understanding of specific miracles.
It had many uses, but this additional sense power had side effects, and this particular distilled sense also contained the Wandering God's curse.
It needed to be used carefully.
"Wow, distilled sense," Nie Hong walked over and saw the object in Mithra's hand, surprised.
Mithra gestured towards Nie Hong. "Want it?"
Nie Hong quickly shook his head. "What would I do with it?"
"Didn't you lose a life lock?" Mithra asked.
Nie Hong was embarrassed. Who had broken his life lock?
But he still waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine. It'll replenish automatically once I achieve Unified Sense. You keep it. You can even sell it. This amount of distilled sense can fetch a good price."
"You can sell it?"
"Of course. It's in high demand," Nie Hong shrugged. "But our instructor said that before achieving 'Clarity', we shouldn't absorb too much of this stuff unless absolutely necessary."
Clarity, she remembered, was the second major hurdle for believers after achieving Unified Sense.
Safin was around that stage.
Avoiding distilled sense before achieving Clarity seemed like a strict requirement.
But Mithra had no place to store it. Nie Hong, who had a small pouch, took it for safekeeping.
The distilled sense was just a minor interlude. The important item was the other object in Mithra's hand.
[Silver Pendant: A pendant a father gave to his daughter, containing a picture of the girl. But before the father left, the girl returned it to him, hoping it would bring him good luck.]
[—Prayers aren't always answered.]
"..."
Mithra clutched the pendant tightly, turned, and silently walked out of the mansion.
They left the mansion in silence. It was time to return.
"What about the townspeople...? I mean, we promised them," Nie Hong asked after they had walked a short distance.
The priority was returning the pendant to Safin, but they had made a promise to the townspeople.
"Let's take the townspeople down the mountain first," Mithra decided after a moment.
Nie Hong looked at Mithra curiously. "What if..."
Before he could finish, a loud explosion echoed.
Mithra and Nie Hong immediately turned towards the sound, which came from the tall church in the town.
They saw a figure floating in the air, dressed in priestly robes that billowed dramatically. A frightening miraculous power emanated from the figure!
Even from a distance, Mithra and Nie Hong could feel a heavy pressure bearing down on them.
Nie Hong broke into a cold sweat, his mind blanking.
Suddenly, the figure turned in mid-air, its gaze meeting Mithra's across the distance!
Mithra saw the elderly priest's lips move as if speaking, then it flew directly towards them!
"Is it coming towards us?!"
"It's coming towards me," Mithra said grimly, then turned to Nie Hong. "You take the townspeople down the mountain. We'll split up."
"But then you'll..."
Before Nie Hong could finish, Mithra, without another word, quickly activated Stabilize and Reinforce Body, then turned and ran down a different path.
Nie Hong reached out but couldn't stop her.
As Mithra ran, the priest changed direction and pursued her.
Nie Hong gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to follow.
That priest was undoubtedly more dangerous than Erik. He could at least assist in fighting Erik, but against the priest, he wasn't sure.
He had to focus on his own task.
He took a deep breath and activated Stabilize.
Ding.
Good, calm down. No wonder Mithra used it so often. It really did clear the mind.
Nie Hong also reactivated Reinforce Body and quickly ran towards the house where the townspeople were hiding.
...
Mithra ran towards the church.
The priest's flying speed wasn't particularly frightening. While the distance between them was closing, it wasn't unmanageable. Mithra weaved between buildings, making it difficult for the priest to target her.
Finally, as if losing patience, the priest raised their staff.
A blue, swirling eye appeared on the head of the staff, marked with claw-like scratches.
It wasn't a pattern from any of the known human miracle systems. A terrifying pressure emanated from it.
A Wandering God pattern!
The staff gathered blue energy and swung towards Mithra...
...Nothing happened?
Bang!
No.
The row of houses Mithra was using as cover exploded. Reacting instantly, she narrowly avoided the attack. The path before her erupted as the blue energy spread, creating a large crater.
"A sense-blocking miracle, similar to 'Invisible Blade'..."
Mithra narrowed her eyes, glanced back at the rapidly approaching priest, and changed direction.
The priest followed closely, unleashing invisible attacks.
Fortunately, even though the attacks were invisible, the dense buildings provided some protection, weakening the threat. By observing her surroundings, she could react before being hit.
However, because of this, Mithra didn't dare to expose herself in open areas. And since she wasn't familiar with Gross Town's layout, she couldn't quickly close the distance to the church.
After a flurry of attacks, the priest was directly above Mithra.
"We thank fate for delivering the Night Eyes to us this night," the priest said, looking down at Mithra.
Mithra responded with her middle finger.
"We respect you, we respect every warrior blessed by the night. Each of you possesses a noble spirit, but we require your eyes. Only then can we see more guidance, to seek out the vanished darkness," the priest continued.
Mithra ignored him and continued moving.
Seeing this, the priest raised their staff, the Night Eyes hunting pattern appearing again.
This time, the blue light gathered for a longer time.
Mithra felt uneasy.
The priest swung the staff again.
She quickly ducked behind a building, but it was instantly riddled with holes and collapsed!
A scattered volley of invisible attacks!
The cover was quickly destroyed. Mithra desperately dodged as craters erupted around her, rapidly spreading towards her.
There was no cover left.
Boom!
Mithra felt a cold impact against her back. A gruesome spray of blood erupted, her internal organs jolted, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The remaining attacks struck her relentlessly.
Invisible strikes, marked only by blue miracle energy and bursts of blood splattering across the street.
The priest landed and walked towards the ruined street.
Suddenly, they stopped, frowning.
Rumble!
A loud crash. Large cracks spread across the street, followed by a series of collapsing sounds!
The priest quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding being caught in the massive collapse.
Brushing dust off their robes, they saw the collapsed street reveal a tunnel beneath.
They paused for a moment, then looked towards the nearby small church.
"It's the secret passage...I was careless."
Just as they were about to continue the pursuit, the priest's body convulsed. They let out an inhuman growl, cursing as their fangs elongated and sharp, dark fur sprouting from their neck like animal hide.
They clutched their head, sweat pouring down their face.
"Ugh...it's still too forced...I need those eyes... Without that weapon, even the most elaborate ritual can't truly inherit that power..."
A moment later, a group of Night Hunter knights and believers arrived. "High Priest Egov...are you alright?"
The priest's head twitched, like a wild animal, their nose sniffing the air. "No, like this...I'll be consumed by the beast... Quickly...take me to the ritual... More eyes...give me more eyes!"
The knights didn't question the order. They immediately escorted High Priest Aqualf back to the church.
...
In the underground passage, the wolf and bear were still feasting on the giant spider monster, a meal that would likely take some time.
Suddenly, footsteps made the wolf perk up its ears and look towards a side passage. It then slapped the bear, which was engrossed in its meal, bringing it back to attention. The bear's beady eyes cautiously looked towards the passage.
Mithra stumbled out, leaning against the wall.
Ding.
She activated Stabilize. The gruesome wounds on her body and the broken bones beneath were regenerating at a visible rate.
"Carry me for a bit. You can eat whatever you want on the way. I need to see someone,"
Despite her injuries, Mithra's voice remained steady, her dull, dark eyes calmly looking at the wolf and bear.
The bear scratched its head and looked at the wolf.
The wolf looked at Mithra with a complicated expression. It finally nodded, but then gestured with its paws, making a tearing motion.
It meant it didn't want any more payment.