Chapter 57: The Trap in the Alley

Lucia, seemingly quite inebriated, was leading Rachel aimlessly through the streets of the North Outer District at three in the morning.

“Hey, Lucia, are you really alright? You seem incredibly drunk. Maybe we should just head back.”

“Me, *hic*… I’m not drunk at all! Just two more laps with me!”

Lucia swayed as she stumbled towards an alleyway. Rachel, sighing, pressed a hand to her forehead. Lucia currently resembled nothing so much as a belligerent drunkard.

“Huh… it’s a dead end.”

The leading Lucia awkwardly scratched her head, then turned to walk back towards Rachel.

Yet Rachel suddenly felt a prickle of unease. Lucia didn’t seem to be wandering aimlessly; she had entered this dead end with a specific purpose.

‘Could it be…’

“Heh.”

Rachel scoffed, watching Lucia’s still-swaying figure gradually draw closer.

“When did you figure it out?”

At Rachel’s question, Lucia’s swaying form abruptly steadied. Her voice, no longer playful, turned utterly cold and filled with hostility.

“The moment you told me the Bloodkin were hunting…”

“Members of our organization always keep information about such vile creatures confidential. We would never use it to scare someone.”

Lucia’s gaze was dark as she stared at Rachel. Even if she were genuinely trying to warn a girl out late at night, she would never reveal any information about the Bloodkin to frighten them.

“Rachel, is it? Is that a fake name, or did you steal someone’s identity? And where did you get that Mage’s emblem? Speak!”

“Hahahaha!”

Rachel burst into a frenzied laugh, listening to Lucia’s interrogation.

“So that’s it. It truly was an oversight on my part. The Mage Association has far too many rules; I honestly don’t recall that particular one.”

“However… little Lucia, what kind of attitude is that?”

After her wild laughter subsided, a surge of anger began to color Rachel’s tone.

She hadn’t expected Lucia, a mere Nun with weak frontal combat abilities, to dare stand here and confront her. Even if there was another fourth-tier Guardian Nun nearby, it seemed utterly audacious!

“You’re just a Nun. Do you truly believe you can contend with a Bloodkin?”

“When I heard you were a Nun, I had originally intended not to take the risk and let you go. But to think you’d be so arrogant!”

Bang—!

Rachel’s eyes snapped open, now completely crimson. As she took a single step, the brick beneath her foot immediately caved into a deep crater.

The next moment, Rachel appeared directly before Lucia.

At least in one regard, Rachel hadn’t lied to Lucia: she truly did enjoy the blood of virgins. Lucia’s scent had indeed captivated her.

Now, it was time to savor this rich, pure blood!

Clang—!

Crimson claws clashed against a silver gun-sword.

Rachel instantly realized something was wrong. She saw only a flash of silver before her, then felt a powerful force repel her.

Moreover, Rachel even felt a searing pain in her palm.

Lucia left Rachel no time to recover. With two gun-swords firmly gripped, she immediately lunged forward, the cold gleam of her blade tips aimed at Rachel’s shoulder.

This was precisely why Lucia hadn’t immediately summoned her weapons earlier.

Regular Nuns were typically considered ranged support, with very limited close-combat abilities. Beheading Nuns, however, were entirely different.

By not summoning her gun-swords prematurely, Rachel would assume she was just an ordinary Nun and lower her guard. Then, once Rachel was close, she could immediately counterattack. This strategy would allow her to catch Rachel off guard, even if her physical prowess was slightly inferior.

Lucia’s plan was sound. If her opponent had merely been a third-tier Bloodkin, they would likely be overwhelmed by Lucia’s assault by now.

Unfortunately, Rachel was fourth-tier, and she was far more than just a simple Bloodkin.

Suddenly, the bricks beneath Rachel’s feet surged upwards, forming an earthen wall between the two. Lucia’s gun-sword pierced the solid barrier, but its momentum had already slowed, and the sensation told her she hadn’t struck Rachel at all.

“Hey, look over here!”

Rachel had somehow already shifted to the side, her claw slashing towards Lucia’s back. Lucia decisively abandoned the gun-sword embedded in the earthen wall, then sidestepped to dodge, but still sustained a scratch on her shoulder.

Indeed, even with the blessing of angels, a third-tier Lucia simply couldn’t match the physical prowess of a fourth-tier Bloodkin.

“A Beheading Nun… I truly didn’t expect such a being to still exist. No wonder you dared to act as bait… Hmm? What is this…”

Rachel was still marveling at Lucia’s identity as a Beheading Nun. The very next second, however, she witnessed something even more astonishing: the scratch on Lucia’s shoulder was rapidly healing.

“What… what exactly are you? Tsk… a Beheading Nun with regenerative abilities? How troublesome…”

Rachel had originally intended to completely subdue Lucia, then take her away to savor her later. However, defeating a Beheading Nun with regenerative abilities in a short amount of time proved to be a significant challenge.

Furthermore, from their brief exchange, it was clear Lucia wasn’t an ordinary third-tier combatant. Not only did she possess regenerative powers, but her physical capabilities far surpassed those of normal humans, almost rivaling a Bloodkin’s.

Rachel said no more. She leaped upwards, intending to jump onto the three-story rooftop nearby. However, standing atop that very roof was a hooded figure.

Rachel’s eyes narrowed. This must be the teacher Lucia had mentioned earlier.

Still, how could a mere fourth-tier Guardian Nun possibly stop her?

‘No, wait!’

Lucia herself was a Beheading Nun. How could her teacher possibly be a Guardian Nun?

Rachel suddenly realized her mistake. She immediately grew wary, pressing a foot against the wall, ready to defend against an attack.

After all, the opponent was only fourth-tier. She refused to believe this person also possessed regenerative abilities.

Bang—

The next instant, six gun-swords erupted downwards like bullets.

‘This power… something’s wrong!’

Rachel swiped a claw at the silver glint before her. The silver gun-swords were almost piercing her palm; if she resisted them head-on, she would surely be severely wounded!

The situation allowed Rachel no further deliberation. She immediately dropped from the wall, flipping in mid-air to redirect the force, only then managing to deflect the incoming gun-swords.

But the moment Rachel landed, a silver figure was already before her.

Swish—

Lovelenica’s blade slashed across Rachel’s face. Though Rachel had dodged with incredible speed, a fresh bloodstain appeared on her cheek.

‘Fifth-tier!’

Only then did Rachel realize that not a single word from Lucia’s mouth had been true!

The moment Lucia began to suspect Rachel, she had already decided to conceal all truthful information.

Even if Rachel had genuinely been innocent, merely forgetting the rules, Lucia still intended to mislead her.

“You… who exactly are you!?”

This was the first time Rachel had felt such a profound sense of danger since acquiring her immense power.

Lovelenica gave a cold smile. Lucia had also moved to stand beside her.

“We are the agents of the divine, the executors of divine judgment on earth. Our mission is to utterly eradicate all who defile the gods. Come, vampire!”