Mithra had almost been turned into mush by the continuous invisible attacks. Fortunately, she had memorized the surrounding area when leaving the church and managed to make a correct guess based on a single hammer blow.
The pain of regeneration was stimulating, but also tiring.
The wolf and bear carried Mithra through the tunnels. They had been "beasts of burden" in these tunnels and were quite familiar with the layout.
The wolf had initially planned to escort Mithra all the way, but Mithra warned them that she was being pursued and they might encounter her pursuers if they stayed.
That wouldn't end well for the evolved beasts.
So the wolf and bear, after some hesitation, decided to carry Mithra part of the way and then escape.
Honestly, they had wanted to escape for a long time, but for newly intelligent beasts, without someone pointing it out, they hadn't realized they were already free.
With the humans in chaos, this was the perfect opportunity to escape.
The wolf and bear were strong; ordinary cursed creatures in the tunnels were no match for them. Their journey was smooth.
Back in the shallower levels, although the path was unfamiliar, the wolf sniffed out the scent trail left by Mithra and Nie Hong. Following it, they eventually reached the familiar pile of corpses.
The wolf set down Mithra, who had long since regenerated.
"That's about it. Go out through that entrance and follow the strongest human scent. You'll reach the mountains. Then you can live freely. Avoid contact with humans," Mithra advised.
Humans these days weren't tolerant of intelligent beasts. If they were discovered, these two wouldn't be safe.
The wolf nodded.
The bear, however, stared intently at Mithra's arm.
Seeing this, Mithra extended her arm. "Want to try some? You didn't eat anything along the way."
The wolf shuddered, remembering Mithra's "malicious" smile as she cut off her flesh. It shivered, slapped the bear, and quickly headed for the exit.
The bear whimpered and followed its friend.
After pushing the bear into the somewhat cramped tunnel entrance, the wolf paused and looked back at Mithra. After a moment of hesitation, it gave a thumbs-up before disappearing completely.
Mithra was slightly surprised and shook her head.
Where did it learn all those gestures?
The pile of corpses was quiet again.
The shallow levels of the mine were eerily silent. The usual sounds of the cursed creatures were gone, replaced by the crackling of a few burning torches.
Mithra glanced at the pendant in her hand.
If she hadn't been afraid of losing the pendant, she would have severed both her arms and fought the flying old man.
After a moment, she looked up and walked back along the familiar path, pendant in hand.
A light appeared ahead. Safin's cave.
Mithra's pace faltered almost imperceptibly, but she quickly regained her steady rhythm and arrived at the cave entrance.
"I'm back," she said, touching the rock face.
She saw Safin's hunched figure.
His body was trembling violently, his gasps for air mixed with bestial growls.
"Mithra..." a distorted, guttural voice faintly called her name.
"Your pendant," Mithra reached out.
"Stay away from me!" A furious roar erupted, a gust of wind pushing Mithra back.
Mithra withdrew the pendant and looked at the figure impassively. No... it could hardly be called a "figure" anymore.
"Sorry..." its voice suddenly weakened. "I didn't mean that... Ugh... give me some time... No... there's no time... Please stay away... I can't remember... who I am... who... are... you...? Aaarrgh—!!"
The figure suddenly turned, a wolf-like, inhuman face with a gaping maw roaring at Mithra.
Rip!
Its body swelled, tearing the already tattered uniform. Sharp claws dug into its own stomach.
Amidst growls and screams, blood flowed. A dark grey sword hilt was pulled from its flesh.
Slowly, then completely.
Mithra took two steps back, her pupils flickering as she looked at the blood-soaked sword.
It was a large sword, shimmering with a faint blue light. The blade had a graceful curve, its tip sharp, the light on its surface like still water.
Gush—
But this beauty was quickly shattered.
Eyes opened on the blade.
Dark, empty eyes, with a black substance swirling within.
Night Eyes!
Several Night Eyes were embedded on the blade, becoming part of its power!
This weapon was—
"Get out!"
A roar, accompanied by a gust of wind, struck Mithra.
Slash!
With no chance to react, Mithra was cut in half!
The tall, beast-like figure, after delivering this single blow, turned and fled towards the tunnel entrance.
Mithra collapsed, the silver pendant falling to the side.
Looking at her severed body, she silently pushed herself up with her hands, retrieved the pendant, then clumsily pulled her lower body closer, pressing the severed halves together.
She wasn't particularly surprised by what had just happened.
There were supposed to be two items in the ruins deep within the tunnels.
One was the beast tooth, which had become the old man's power source. The other, a supposedly more important weapon, was still missing.
The Night Hunters church had been searching for this weapon, but after all their efforts, they only obtained the tooth.
Where did the weapon go?
Someone who had arrived at the depths of the tunnels earlier and was more professional than the Night Hunters church.
The day the Sanctuary investigation team was ambushed by the church in the tunnels, the mountain shook.
Safin had no concrete proof, but he told Mithra that the curse in the tunnels had weakened.
He was still cursed, but from a distance, he could sense the church's progress.
How had the Sanctuary's investigation team, ambushed and pursued, managed to survive in the depths of the tunnels?
Why had a curse-ridden Safin been able to single-handedly block the tunnel entrance, forcing the church to find another way?
The suspicious points and the answers were already quite clear.
When the Sanctuary investigation team was cornered in the tunnels, Safin took the weapon that should have been on the weapon rack in the ruins.
The sealed weapon of the "Night Hunter."
A greatsword containing the most essential power of the Night Hunter.
Using that sword, Safin repelled the church.
He couldn't stay in the depths of the tunnels; the sword would quickly corrupt him.
He couldn't leave the tunnels. He had to use himself to block the church, waiting for the Sanctuary to investigate and resolve the situation in the mining town.
He waited for a long time, but no one came.
And the hope that finally arrived was, ironically, just a girl with Night Eyes.
Out of selfishness, he wanted to use her to retrieve a precious item.
But he was still too kind.
Knowing his time was running out, that he was losing control and might drag the tunnels and even Gross Town into the abyss, he hesitated and made excuses for the girl to leave.
Unfortunately...
"I don't have any goals. Most things don't interest me. But if I have a task, I'm rather persistent," Mithra muttered, finally putting herself back together.
She was grateful that Lebaance's regeneration hadn't resulted in any deformities due to her clumsy efforts. It even set her bones and healed her body.
She stood up again and looked back at the cave with its extinguished fire.
Then, without a second thought, she turned and left.
...
Mithra arrived at the pile of corpses, following the trail of destruction.
The piled bodies seemed to form a makeshift arena.
The beastman, wielding the grotesque greatsword, turned. Its eye sockets were empty, yet its gaze was intense.
"Roar—!!" A frenzied roar, a declaration of its current state.
["The Night Hunter," Sa■: It was the sick dog of the werewolves, born blind and pursuing the light, eventually becoming a devotee of darkness. "Hunting" was its eternal prayer, but no one ever answered. Gradually, it became a feared god. Wandering Gods spread through miracles, and through miracles, they are immortal. Now, reborn from a weakened body, even at a fraction of its power, the hunt never ends.]
[—Are you the prey, or the hunter?]
Black smoke billowed. Mithra put the pendant in her mouth and swallowed it.
Her skin receded, her hair fell out, her bones shifted.
A grotesque "corpse" stood among the scattered bodies, even more hideous than the corpses beneath her feet.
After the transformation, she suddenly bent down and slammed a hand into the ground.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave sent the surrounding corpses flying, cracking the ground.
Then, the twisted figure looked up, letting out a shrill, raspy scream towards the newly awakened Wandering God, a scream filled with rage and resentment.
"Aaargh—!!"
Tonight, the "Stranger" joined the hunt.