Chapter 16: The Bloodstained Contract

The dissatisfaction in Lilith’s eyes was replaced by suspicion.
‘Vera? That little girl with the unknown power?’

She released her grip on Bai Jin, letting her collapse like a rag doll on the floor, gasping for breath.

Lilith didn’t even spare her another glance, a perfect picture of ruthless indifference after the fact.

She quickly pulled open the door, her saintly authority silencing all noise.
“What’s the situation with Vera? When did she disappear?”

Director Emma said anxiously, “Just now, the children all woke up and wanted to thank Vera, but we couldn’t find her anywhere.”

Lilith frowned.
“Did anyone see her after she came out of our room?”

Director Emma replied, “We did see Vera come out of Lilith’s room, but at that time, we were all busy saving people and didn’t pay attention to where Vera went.”

“Who knew we couldn’t find her later. She wasn’t in her room either, and we searched the entire orphanage.”

Lilith’s brow furrowed tightly.
‘So she disappeared right after leaving this room? Could it be such a coincidence?’

‘Could it be those two seriously injured members of the God-Burying Society who fled? Do they have the guts to come back and kidnap someone?’

“Director Emma!”
Lilith’s voice became solemn.
“Immediately put the whole town on lockdown! Close the gates, and sound the Holy Bell alarm!”

Watching Director Emma and the others hurry away, Lilith quickly closed the door.

She closed her eyes, raised her hands, and her fingertips traced complex, crimson runes in the air as she murmured.

“With the Holy Blood as the guide, with my blood as the proof, trace the source and find the trail, with nowhere to hide!”

「Holy Blood Contract · Bloodsearch」

A faint, bloody smell filled the air.
Lilith’s mental power turned into an invisible probe, following two wisps of aura carrying her blood in the void, rapidly penetrating walls and sweeping through the streets.

It finally locked onto the wilderness outside the town, a certain distance from the orphanage.
But the two blood source markers were like faint, flickering flames in the darkness, so conspicuous.

As her perception outlined their position, Lilith’s mind suddenly jolted.
Near the two markers, she clearly captured another wisp of aura.

‘It’s Vera! That child’s unique, pure life aura.’

A hint of astonishment flashed in Lilith’s eyes.
‘Vera is with the members of the God-Burying Society? Was she kidnapped? Or…’

Just as Lilith was guessing Vera’s situation, a sudden change occurred!

A cold, obscure power with a destructive aura instantly cut off all of Lilith’s perception, and the residual blood on the two members of the God-Burying Society was also erased.

“Pfft!”
The forced interruption of the tracking made Lilith let out a muffled groan, and blood spilled from her mouth.

The light of the Holy Blood crest on her forehead flashed rapidly, her eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity and a hint of apprehension.

“A stronger existence has blocked my perception.”
Lilith’s voice was low.
In a few breaths, her condition was completely restored by the Holy Blood.

To be able to cut off her tracking so easily, the opponent’s power level was far beyond those two minions!
They were definitely core members of the God-Burying Society.

‘Could it be that the opponent has been observing in secret all along? Was Vera’s disappearance also his doing?’

A sense of crisis flooded Lilith like a cold tide.
A powerful enemy lurking, desperate fugitives eager to recover from serious injuries, and Vera… her fate was uncertain!

“Director Emma!”
Lilith opened the door again and added sharply to the figure who hadn’t gone far.

“Raise the alert to the highest level! Activate the Holy Blood Barrier! Use the standard for resisting a Wind Contract!”

Director Emma looked back in shock, then nodded heavily and led the others towards the center of Twilight Town.

Lilith closed the door and leaned against the cold door panel, taking a deep breath.

‘She is the only one in the town with the power of a contract. The others are just lambs to the slaughter…’

‘No, there’s still Louise. With her here, at least there won’t be any problems in the town.’

‘So she just needs to go to the wilderness, deal with those two known threats, and see what the situation is with Vera.’

Just as Lilith made up her mind and was about to go alone, Bai Jin’s weak yet stubborn voice came through.

“I’m… going too!”

Lilith looked down and saw Bai Jin supporting her body with trembling arms, struggling to get up from the floor.

Her face was as pale as paper, her nun’s habit soaked in cold sweat and bloodstains, and her messy silver hair stuck to her forehead.

But her eyes were fixed on Lilith, a complex flame burning within them.

It was concern for Vera, anger at her own predicament, and a kind of inexplicable determination.

“You?”
Lilith looked down at her.
“You can’t even stand properly. What help can you be if you go?”

“Instead of causing trouble for me, you’d better just stay put!”

“Vera… she saved those children…”
Bai Jin gritted her teeth, enduring the intense pain as if her whole body were falling apart, and finally stood up shakily.

“She hasn’t been accepted by everyone yet…”
Although her body was still trembling uncontrollably, Bai Jin’s gaze was incredibly firm.

“Besides, the life force flowing in my body now is all yours, right?”

Lilith’s gaze narrowed slightly.

Bai Jin took a deep breath, enduring the stinging pain from the chains, and looked directly at Lilith.
“Then, can I also use the Holy Blood Contract, just like you?”

This sentence struck Lilith’s thoughts like a bolt of lightning.
Her eyes lit up in an instant, and she looked Bai Jin up and down with an excited gaze.

“Heh…”
Lilith let out a light laugh, slowly approaching Bai Jin.
She pinched Bai Jin’s cheeks with her right hand, forcing her to meet her gaze.

“An interesting idea. You want to use the power of the Holy Blood? Of course you can! And in your current state, you don’t have to believe in the Holy Blood to exchange for power.”

Her fingertips gently caressed Bai Jin’s face.
“However, the price is very painful, you know~”

Lilith’s voice was like a demon’s whisper.
“To drive the Blood Contract, you burn life force. Every use is like lighting a fire in your body, burning your flesh and soul.”

“This pain… tsk tsk, it just so happens to be able to produce more death energy for me. It’s truly killing two birds with one stone~”

Bai Jin’s body trembled involuntarily, but the determination in her eyes did not retreat.

“Very good,”
Lilith withdrew her hand in satisfaction, a brilliant smile on her face.

“Time is tight. I’ll only teach you the three simplest and most practical ones.”

She spoke extremely quickly, her fingers drawing in the air.
Three crimson models of Blood Contracts, formed from pure life force, appeared and surged into Bai Jin’s head.

「Holy Blood Contract · Blood Blade」
Burn life force to condense a crimson sharp blade in your palm or on your weapon.
Price: A large amount of life force is drawn at the moment of condensation, accompanied by intense burning pain.

「Holy Blood Contract · Recovery」
Burn life force to accelerate wound healing and dispel mild negative effects.
Price: The healing process is accompanied by a continuous tearing pain. The stronger the effect, the greater the pain.

「Holy Blood Contract · Blood Evasion」
Burn life force to gain a short-term increase in movement speed far beyond that of a normal person, used for dodging or pursuit.
Price: It’s like your blood vessels are ignited when you burst forth, followed by intense exhaustion and severe pain after use.

All three contracts, without exception, were cruel methods of exchanging power based on burning life force!

“Did you see them clearly? Did you remember them?”
Lilith’s voice carried an unquestionable command.
“Your life force is the fuel, and pain is the fuse.”

“If you don’t want to be torn apart by the enemy, or drag me down, then you’d better ‘use’ them properly! Now, keep up!”

Lilith wasted no more words, turned around, and forcefully pushed open the door.
The cold night wind rushed in.

Her small figure, like a cheetah blending into the shadows, shot out in an instant.

Bai Jin looked at the three floating, blood-colored contract models in front of her, feeling the violent life energy they contained and their unspoken “self-destructive” tendency.
A chill rose from the bottom of her heart.

But she had no choice.
She gritted her teeth, forcibly enduring the intense pain in her body and the fear in her heart, and staggered after the golden figure that had disappeared into the night.