The Black Saint is My StalkerCh161 - A new dawn

The sun was setting.

A single car drove out of Ironworks. Away from the town, distancing from the miasma and the stifling stench of death and anguish. BFTeS3

Franz’s face was set in apparent apathy, but in truth, his heart was in turmoil. To think that he had come all this way, only to be sent off with a kid that wasn’t his own, and having to leave his master behind once more.

At least this time, he knew where Iszak was. And would know the cause of his death if that would come to be.

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A scowl formed on his lips, his foot came down heavily on the gas.

In the rearview mirror, a white form could be seen curled up on the backseat. The child laid so still that one might assume he was dead. But Franz knew better. The child was a wolf spirit, a werewolf that could lucidly travel between dream realms. dMGRsB

Whatever dreams that the spirit wolf was sampling was none of Franz’s concern. Instead, the corrupted blood focused on driving. The highway lay vacant, sky dark overhead. The roads were flanked with farmland on one side and forest on the other.

The car eventually slowed, pulling into private property. It was a quaint farmhouse, one with white painted walls and a dark tiled roof. It was one like any other, dark within and not a single sign of life. For a moment, Franz almost thought that he had taken the wrong turn, or that forgetful master of his had given him the wrong instructions. But upon closer inspection, despite the darkness of the house, there was indeed a figure that stood on the porch.

It was a man, standing straight and arms hidden behind their upright form. With vampire eyes, Franz could make out the Saint of Shield’s visage perfectly in the dark. Miguel smiled pleasantly, waiting for Franz to exit the car.

“Franz Von Hatzfeld, I’ve heard of your work in New Lidway. I am Miguel Ramirez, the Saint of Shields, but I suppose you already know that. Ah. Though you may call me Miguel, titles are…rather stiff.” The saint’s voice was melodic and chirpy. Its sound alone agitated Franz, but the corrupted blood gathered that he wasn’t exactly in the best of moods.

A gloved hand was held out in greeting, but the corrupted blood ignored it when he crossed the driveway and stomped up the porch. “My master said that you would help,” Franz uncharacteristically bypassed any decorum. “There’s a child in the car that needs protection. Get him off my hands and we can set out for Ironworks—“

“Wow, slow down,” Miguel had the galls to chuckle, hands held out to signal Franz to calm. “I can’t help before knowing the issue first. Your Lord Bathory was unfortunately extremely vague about the issue so I’m going to need you to clarify the situation first.”

“…” Franz scowled and lamented the fact that his vampiric charm could not work on a saint. “There’s no time for explanations. Come at once!”

In the end, they still only arrived after the battle was over. K4ACHP

…

A large white wolf stalked the rubble, except it wasn’t visible to most. It was but a specter that had no physical form. It sniffed, in search of traces. Traces of fate.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

A smell was picked up. The wolf lumbered forward. It came upon a gory heap; a pair of legs attached to the remains of a torso with bone and organs exposed. The wolf sniffed at the bloody bits, confirming the presence of a familiar soul. The specter lowered itself atop the torso, feeding it with its spiritual powers.

Vibkis, atf wjrr bo wfja yfujc ab aklamt. Ygujcr, oifrt, jcv fnfc ybcf gfobgwfv. Dla ys yla, Prhjx’r ybvs gfyelia larfio. Vibkis, yief fsfr qffifv bqfc. Prhjx kjr jyif ab vlrmfgc atf rqlglaeji yfjra atja ibbwfv bnfg tlw. Lf mtemxifv, gfjmtlcu ab qfa lar ijguf, oieoos tfjv. “Glv sbe tfiq wf? Tbe vlvc’a tjnf ab. Xlnfc atf alwf, P kbeiv tjnf ubaafc eq wsrfio.” QL0ysP

Though he supposed he would have been vulnerable for longer. The wolf did indeed help him with that.

The fluffy head nuzzled against Iszak’s palm before dissipating, the ghostly form making its leave.

The noble blood rolled his shoulders and tested his joins. The night sky hung overhead, clouds obscuring stars. A light drizzle began to fall. Luckily, he was a vampire unaffected by both cold and dark. Iszak looked around. He saw a hunched form in the distance. The swell of miasma had already quelled, and he felt no immediate danger.

From the soft muffled sobs and the Saint of Eternity’s hunched back, Iszak decided it best to keep his distance. He stalked the grounds, his sharp vampire nose on the prowl for a familiar scent. Rbvkqs

It wasn’t long before he found what it was he sought.

Slumped against the remnants of what used to be either ceiling or wall was Jayden Lee Jones. The entire left side of his body was utterly mangled, shrapnels of debris embedded in limbs and torso. His dark skin had turned ashen, eyes sunken in.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Slowly, Iszak knelt. The damage was fatal, but there was still a pulse, albeit light.

Despite the biting pain and the fatigue, Jayden’s eyes opened. His vision was blurred, unhelpful in the darkness of night. But not even the clouds could hide the ethereal glow that enshrouded Iszak’s pale form. c e0Yn

The vampire tilted his head. “Do you wish to live?”

Live? Jayden had no reason to live. His love was dead. The world was in ruins. The Collapse was imminent. To live was only to prolong his suffering.

And yet.

There was an inexplicable itch under his skin. Like frustration unending. Jayden’s thoughts weren’t clear and yet he inexplicably said, “Yes.” BmI1fR

The vampire smiled. He brought his hand up to his lips, sharp fangs piercing an ivory palm. The blood that flowed was ruby red, glowing strangely bright in the dark, Iszak brought his hand to Jayden’s lips.

Who knew blood could taste so deliciously sweet?

…

The tears stopped, washed, and obscured within the drizzle that fell from the heavens. The sky wept, and Graham found his sorrow so deep that numbness had taken over. aDVZlW

He did not know how long he knelt there.

How long did he cradle this lifeless corpse in his arms?

What was the point of coddling the dead?

He should know by now. One thousand and seven hundred-odd years and Graham should be more than familiar with death. With heartbreak.  ANyi0a

On his lap, Han Li appeared as though sleeping, dark lashes lowered over pale skin. With rainfall, some of the filth could be wiped away. Graham did just that, trying to wipe away the mask of death and violence from Han Li’s pale face. But those eyes never did open again.

He knew this and yet he made no move to stand up, to stop his wiping, to end his delusion that those dark eyes might open. That Han Li might call to him once more. So that Graham could hear those words again, and confirm that they weren’t just a conjuring of his imagination.

I love you.

Surely…not… San7wH

Not even nearby rustling could rouse him from his trance. The flavor of sorrow he tasted then was one all-consuming, mind-numbing.

Emilia Rose was slow to rise, stumbling. Her body was cold and sore, mind disorientated. She jerked up, frightened at first, wide eyes veering around in search of the source of her fear.

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But the miasma in the air had quelled tremendously. The gut-wrenching fear that threatened to inundate her entire being had subsided. Confused, she looked around to find answers to her current state, and the situation at hand.

Luckily, she didn’t have to look far. Emilia perked up at the side of the Saint of Eternity kneeling amid the rubble. “G-Graham…!” She approached, uncaring for hunched shoulders and lowered head. Emilia was impartial to the blatant tragedy and horror-inducing sorrow pronounced on Graham’s expression. She was only interested in the specimen that lay dead in the Saint of Eternity’s lap. Fu5tI2

Emilia’s confused and uncertain expression was quickly replaced with one of avid joy. “Y-You killed it!” she cheered, her elation and relief overwhelming. She sighed, her smile so wide that it strained her cheeks. “Y-You did it, Graham! Y-you saved me…!”

“…” Graham didn’t have to think twice. He reached for the Archivist that sat in its holster against his chest. Gun drawn, barrel pointed, trigger pulled.

Emilia couldn’t even react. The gunshot roared and when she fell backward, her smile was still evident on her lips. There was a hole in her skull. Graham was cold and didn’t spare her a second glance. But his hand shook uncontrollably, his grip around his gun suddenly felt weak.

He looked at Han Li, who seemed as though he were having a peaceful dream. “Did I do the right thing?” 8MP6w4

No answer.

No way of knowing.

Slowly, finally, Graham rose to his feet, Han Li in his arms. Graham didn’t know how he had been kneeling there and feared that rigor mortis might be settling in soon. He didn’t know. He lost track of time. He lost track of himself.

A forlorn immortal walked both aimless and purposeful, his lover dead in his arms. That night, he mourned alone. 9er Fo

…

When Franz returned to the site with Saint Miguel in tow, they brought with them reinforcement from the Association. But by then, the Saint of Eternity had disappeared from the area as well, gone with the prize specimen of a half-demon corpse.

Curiously enough, president Aaron Lancert of the DASR had also been due to be at the facility during the chaotic unfolding of events but he too, could not be found.

Duan Jiayu of the Sanlongyan had also disappeared. q1VgSx

There were traces of witchcraft uncovered. Realms shifted.

A new dawn brought with it no light.

Author: Happy New Year everyone! This is the final chapter of the arc and will mark the beginning of my writing hiatus! I’ll see you guys soon after my life has been sorted out ; u ;

With that being said, there is still a spicy bonus chapter that I’ve yet to release. It’s canon-divergent and contains some really questionable content…woops x u x I’m considering making the iffy parts patreon exclusive because…u-um yeah I’m a bit worried. JWwCcK

I’m working on a new comic project! Sneak peeks are available on my patreon~ The comic will be set in the same universe as TBSMS! Let me know if you’re interested in knowing more.

In the meantime, I’ll still be uploading one chapter per week for The Villainous Mage King Has No Shame. Sorry if the replies to comments have been a bit slow, it’s been a super busy time for me ; u ; But I just want to say that I love you guys and thank you for all the sweet comments and support you’ve shown me thus far. I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without all my lovely readers <3 <3

Chrysanthemum Garden.