The Black Saint is My StalkerCh98 - Some sort of elaborate prank

Edited by dreamandwonder

Valtteri’s complexion worsened, going paler than pale. “Shit!” he cursed as he uncharacteristically fumbled for his crossbow. “We can’t just…leave…the guardians!” Z1rcR7

With only so few guardians present at the scene, likely due to the delayed code red, they were quickly overwhelmed by the slew of demons. This was nothing like the night that Valtteri had to deal with. It was much worse.

Han Li clicked his tongue, ripped his seat belt off, and kicked the door open without ceremony. It swung open with such violence that it had managed to punt an unsuspecting desire demon back a few feet. “Right…so we’re just going to let whatever magic that was get to the Pillar?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Actually, it was already too late in that regard. Han Li had already confirmed that whatever magic it was that unleashed the slew of demons onto the Pillar had already reached the core of the magical structure within the building. If they didn’t act quickly, Han Li was certain whatever perpetrator was behind this whole mess, whether it be Aoibhinn or Andraste, would corrupt the integrity of the Edelstein Barrier. They would no doubt bring ruin to the delicately balanced world that they knew.

The very moment that Han Li stepped out of the car, he jumped by the massive bat-like creature with a maw that stretched open half its body, revealing multiple rows of teeth hidden within. It swallowed the hunter whole— yAVOLE

For only a second.

Purple lightning sizzled as Weian shot through the demon’s skull as though a missile, ripping through corrupted flesh, skin, and bones. The demon shrieked, spitting out its prize as though burned, but Han Li did not allow it to retreat. Talismans chased the beast down and baptized it in lightning. Weian flew into his grasp and with one sure leap forward, Han Li cleaved through the monstrosity with ease, severing it in two.

Without their earpieces, Valtteri had to shout over the ruckus of raining bullets and demonic cries, “Well…I didn’t say that either!”

Compared to his lazy participation only moments ago at the church site, Valtteri hopped into action, unleashing a rain of crossbow bolts that lit the scene with fire and smoke. The other guardians were startled by their appearance but most of them recognized Valtteri’s face and quickly quelled their apprehension, working in tandem to rally their forces and resist the surge of demons that quickly flooded the lawn.

But the demons weren’t the only ones that received backup. Guardians filled in the ranks, rushing out from inside the building, they met the invaders with dedicated ferocity. Bullets sang, weapons brandished, and clashed against swelling miasma.

Once the sides had equalized in strength, Han Li felt a tug on his arm. “Let’s…go.”

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.

Han Li nodded, letting Valtteri lead him into the tall building.

… RvHNO0

“Memxlcu tfii! Ktbrf yijrafv ybiibmxlcu qglmxr gfjiis vlv ajxf boo, vlv atfs!? Ktlcx atfs mjc pera vb ktja atfs qifjrf? Gjwc mecar.” Kgfnbg vfilnfgfv j vfnjrajalcu xlmx…ab bcf bo atf mtegmt qliijgr atja rabbv ajii lc atf cjnf. “Memx!” Ktf rtbea mjwf bea j yla tlut yea Kgfnbg wjrxfv tlr qjlc klat wbgf uijglcu lcreiar jcv gjwqjca mbwqijlcar.

Leonie for once did not chide and scold the rampaging exorcist and instead bent down to inspect the demon corpse that dissipated before her eyes into a wisp of blackened smoke. Sure enough, a crimson mistletoe was left behind.

But that was hardly the most alarming of developments. Leonie’s brows remained furrowed in concern as she looked up, her eyes veering toward the ruined altar. The Crimson Witch, as Valtteri had warned, was not there. She was, in fact, but an illusion. The church lied in shambles, but that was the least of their concerns.

“Oscar?” Leonie tried. The paladin had also retreated into a corner of his own since the last of the demons was slain. He had become reckless and inconsolable since Valtteri and Han Li’s departure, refusing to listen to any orders given. Even now, he sported an ugly gash on his right forearm, a trophy earned from being rash on the field. PktRaF

Although she had little skill in the art of healing, as a sentinel, Leonie couldn’t help but feel responsible for his injury. “Oscar?” she tried again, approaching cautiously.

The paladin paid her no heed, cursing beneath his breath as paced back and forth. Agitation was ripe on his visage as he violently tapped on his phone and placed it to his ear. Though he had obviously caught sight of Leonie in his peripherals, he purposely ignored her muttering as he waited on the dial tone.

Leonie found her smile straining but still, she stood there maintaining her amiable expression, waiting patiently for her team to calm down from the woes.

It was then that Oscar suddenly perked up. “Hey, mate,” he said into his phone, his mind racing a hundred kilometers an hour. PtJcI9

“Boss,” came a voice on the other side. His colleague sounded frantic, commotion could be glimmered from the background from sharp screeches and loud thundering booms. “Pillar’s under bloody attack, c-can you come back? I know you’re on a hunt but shit’s really blowing up here and we’d really appreciate it if you’d be here to hold the fort. It’s not looking good.”

“Bloody hell, that bad?” Oscar hissed, “Alright, you lads hang on. I’ll bring my team over, we can use everyone we got. Just hang in there, right?”

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Without wasting a beat, Oscar hung up and pocketed his phone, “Aye you! The twat was right. Pillar’s under threat and we gotta get our arses there before these fucking demons tear up the dimensions.”

“Oh fuck me,” Trevor rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth, “None of this would have happened if we just had a scout that wasn’t some bloody cock-up and actually got us to the right damned place—“ he complained restlessly, following after the hurried paladin. ok3guV

“Oscar your arm—“ Leonie started, but again, she was completely ignored. Oscar stormed right past her with Trevor almost pumping into her small form as he stomped right on through.

She gasped, flustered but decided to drop the topic and just follow suit. If there was, in fact, a problem at the Edelstein Pillar, she wasn’t going to oppose going.

Pretending as though she had a choice in the matter, Leonie obediently followed the two men to a black company car parked outside. With Oscar’s impatient and absolutely reckless driving, they would get to the Pillar sooner than later, so long as the paladin didn’t send their car into an accident.

… WwMxAZ

“It was underground,” Han Li said, as the two rushed through the sterile halls, their footsteps echoing as they went.

“Probably in…the basement…” Valtteri muttered to himself as he pressed his hand against a scanner, the elevator dinged and opened up in response. “B13…that’s where the Earthbound Layer is…if something were to happen there…”

Neither hunter wanted to think about it. Silently, they rode the elevator into the earth, down and down they went.

Darkness greeted them when the door opened up. The hallway was lined with only emergency lights and strange magic festered in the air. Han Li was instantly drawn to the giant magical structure that rested behind tethered glass, a bright formation of lights drawn between nine totems. AKJ7Rp

“Fuck…this…isn’t good.” Valtteri, who had shed off his usual lazy demeanor, broke out into a jog, rushing toward the control room.

Han Li wordlessly followed, but he did not miss the way that guardians slumped against the walls. A thin tendril of black could be seen against the floor and walls, like dark veins that pulsed across the building.

Ahead of him, Valtteri banged incessantly against a door. “Open up!” he shouted before running a hand through his hair, frustration welling up into agitation. “Shit, this door…can only be opened from the inside…unless…there’s someone with access…” And though Valtteri was a trusted guardian, he did not have the right to enter the Earthbound Layer’s control room on his own.

“Stand back,” Han Li chirped, brandishing his sword. kKlWdO

A static opponent like a piece of machinery wasn’t really his favorite, but at least it was something he could take his anger out on.

But the control room door proved to be a much more worthy opponent than the boom barrier. Specially reinforced metals and layers of wards and magic staved off his blade and talismans. Soon, Valtteri was in on the destruction, shooting his explosive darts at the door and drawing runes that hindered existing wards.

It took a few precious moments but after a thundering bang, the door unhinged and the alarm sounded, blaring across the entire floor.

Not that it really mattered, because no one was awake to hear it. iUwkaN

Inside, the researcher that had been there previously laid on the ground, face down. Han Li knelt down to check his vitals, confirming that the man was still, in fact, alive. But his breath was shallow and eyes white when Han Li tried to pry them open. Behind him, Valtteri rushed to the control panel, trying to recall all his guardian’s training as he checked the Layer’s status.

He frowned at what saw.

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There wasn’t anything wrong.

Nothing aside from the fact that everyone on the whole damned floor was slumped, asleep from some strange spell that wasn’t warded off by the intricate defense systems. It couldn’t be some sort of elaborate prank…right? GzufR1

“What’s up?” Han Li hummed as he joined Valtteri’s side, looking up through the window to look at the magical structure that took up most of the floor. “Anything wrong with it?”

“Not that I can see from here…Say, can…you use that eye of yours again? I reckon all the cameras down on this floor if no one else in the building noticed what’s going on down here…”

“Sure,” Han Li shrugged, eagerly tapping into the well of demonic power that laid dormant inside his belly. The third eye blinked open, and what he saw was a mass of black veins surrounding the entire room. The magical mass at the center was so bright that it left him dizzy, for he could see the Edelstein Barrier reach and stretch into other realms.

Han Li shook his head and held his breath, forcing himself to focus once more. Ignoring the bright mass of magic that bubbled behind the glass window, Han Li tried to zero in on the alarming black veins of magic. vzh3D

What he found was something dark, strange, and pulsing. A strange mass of magic hid right beneath the panel at which Valtteri stood. “Uh,” Han Li said, “I think you should move aside.”

Author: T__T I’m back to work and I just wanna shrivel up, please make my funeral fun thanks