The Road Ahead Under the Blood Moon

Cainhurst Castle, once a bastion of luxury and elegance, bustling with servants, had now succumbed to ruin.

It was a desolate husk, overrun by grotesque monsters.

Fetid blood and dismembered limbs coated the floors, while dusty cobwebs smothered the faded, gilded carvings.

The despairing wails and the guttural screeches of crawling creatures formed a cacophony, a grotesque and absurd melody that hammered at the intruders’ highly strung nerves.

It instilled an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, rendering them powerless to resist.

Hiss—!!!

A colossal black spider, the size of a wolfhound, shrieked as it lunged towards its prey, its horrifying maw dripping with viscous fluid.

“Oh my, what impatient little things you are,” a voice echoed, ethereal and magnetic, from beneath the dark demon-hunting attire.

Though lighthearted, it held no warmth, as indifferent as ice.

In the darkness, a grey mist scythe, gleaming with a chilling light, flashed past.

The grotesque attacker froze abruptly mid-air.

A thin line slowly split its body down the middle.

Pugh!!!

Foul, sickly green fluid, mixed with viscera, gushed forth from the two halves of the corpse, splattering everywhere.

‘Another animal corrupted by defiled demonic power and divinity,’ the doll thought, sighing.

Air, heated by magic patterns, escaped her lips, instantly turning into a wisp of white mist that dissipated.

Shaking the Nightmare Scythe—its blade enveloped in wind magic, thus untouched by the foul fluids—the doll couldn’t help but furrow her elegant brows.

Along the way, the doll had encountered countless unspeakable, twisted monsters.

There were humanoid soul-suckers with squid-like heads, lurkers resembling bloated toads that attacked with rapiers, and creatures hiding atop tall bookshelves, their swollen, rotten-orange heads peeking out as they shot poisoned darts from tubes.

Even more prevalent were the corrupted insects: flies, cockroaches, and spiders.

These creatures, once confined to the castle’s darkest corners, now strutted brazenly through the bloody ruins, their smallest forms having mutated to the size of washbasins.

While these abominations were mere fodder for the doll, who could dispatch them with a single stroke, she, accustomed to a pristine existence, found little joy in being a pest exterminator.

The Nightmare Scythe in her hand seemed to share her displeasure.

Were it not for the magic enveloping it, it would have long since dematerialized into mist, retreating into the doll’s nightmare barrier.

“Miss Sally, are you alright?” a worried voice called from behind, prompting the doll to turn.

“Hah… I’m fine. These creatures aren’t worthy enough to breach my defenses.”

“You, on the other hand, should be wary of their attacks.”

Glancing at the two figures clinging ever closer behind her, the doll, clutching her massive scythe, smiled faintly.

Her voice, though weary and slightly impatient, remained steady.

“But I saw you frowning and sighing…” Harriet, with her long burgundy hair, nestled in the golden-haired youth’s arms, watched the doll’s silver-grey eyes with concern.

“I imagine… no one would be in good spirits after hacking through dozens of cockroaches and spiders. Oh, and speaking of that,” she said, rubbing between her brows with a black demon-hunting glove, “judging by the recent monsters, I’ve identified servants, attendants, knights, and various miscellaneous pets and insects.”

“But why haven’t I seen a single maid? Or are there no maids on this floor?”

“No, our operational area covers the entire castle, so there should be some here… I’m not sure… My apologies!”

The doll’s observation made Harriet frown as well.

After a moment of troubled thought, she bowed her head to the doll in a gesture of regret.

“Hah, no need to apologize. However, adhering to the principle that anything out of the ordinary signals trouble, I sense something unpleasant might occur soon… Stay vigilant.”

Shaking her head, the doll refreshed the protective magic on the two individuals.

Once more, she led the way into the oppressive darkness of the ruins.

“Oh-la-la-la-ah-yoh~~~ Cthulhu’s beard is long and long~~ Ee-yah-hoo-hah-heh~~ The King in Yellow never bathes~~ Hail Titan!~~ Hail~~ Sleeping R’lyeh~ Ha-yoh-yah-yoh-yoh~~”

Twisted, bizarre singing echoed through the secret chamber.

The off-key melody, performed with blasphemous words, took on a venomous guise and a horrifying madness, subtly instilling in listeners an inexplicable dread of the unspeakable darkness lurking in chaos.

“Hmm, today’s Evil God’s concert piece, ‘Pitiable Humans,’ concludes now! Listeners! How was my performance?”

“Good!!” The darkness in the interplay of light and shadow twisted and shifted, cheering with voices not of this world.

“Thank you all~~”

Ending once more with an absurd aria, the frenzied cheers and singing instantly died down, leaving only the lingering, corrupted magical power slowly reverberating within the chamber.

“Oh~~ my little Annelise! How did I sing?”

The words, filled with disdain, mockery, and avarice, received no response.

Only a few weak, slumping, suppressed gasps echoed in the darkness.

“Little Annelise! This simply won’t do! Where is the courage and determination you showed when you first trapped me here? If you’re like this… it won’t be fun anymore! Hehehehehehe~~ If I stop having fun, I’ll gobble you right up!”

“Hah… ah-hah, you monster, may you die a terrible death!”

Her voice, dry and hoarse, made even speaking a monumental effort, yet Annelise still poured all her strength into uttering her curse.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha, little Anna, my vessel, your joke was truly a resounding success! Ah ha ha ha, you’ve killed me with laughter, ha ha ha!!”

After a bout of wild, malicious laughter, the maddening voice, accompanied by a supernatural ticking, spoke again:

“Now, in this feeble world, who can truly punish us, the great, supreme Old Ones? Once our brethren awaken, we shall surely reset the order of this world!

However, this sweet despair, laced with a bitter touch of malice, I shall accept without reserve! It is truly delicious~~”

Again, cold, slimy tentacles greedily licked at her soul through an unseen barrier.

The once elegant and powerful princess, however, no longer possessed even the strength to retch or gag.

Only faint breaths remained, a testament that the will of the body’s original owner still persisted.

“Are you truly giving up? Alas, I thought you would accompany me for a while longer. Such a fine toy is rare indeed…”

The shrill voice carried immense regret, as if a cherished possession had broken.

But then, a sound of surprise cut through the air.

“Hmm?… It seems a few little mice have intruded into our castle? And they even killed my pet spider… This looks quite interesting, doesn’t it? Oh my, oh my, I’m getting happy without even realizing it!

This joy, where a broken toy is replaced by a new one… Oh! It’s absolutely wonderful!!! I can barely contain myself! But first, I shall let my banshees give them a proper welcome!”

Things are always more delicious when eaten little by little.

Similarly, human despair is sweeter when harvested gradually; the Star-Prowler, who prided themselves as an elegant gentleman among evil gods, truly understood this art.

“Hehehehe, little mice, let us play a game! Don’t break too quickly, now; this god is quite looking forward to it…”

In the secret chamber, the malicious laughter began to echo once more.

On the third floor of the ancient castle, like a stone dropped into still water, piercing wails and roars abruptly shattered the deadly silence, merging into a continuous din.