Chapter 474: Two Faced Lady
As the Two Faced Lady drew closer, she removed the white cloak she wore, revealing her crimson kimono. Her black hair was allowed to flow down to her neck, and her forehead down to her nose was painted crimson, with a faint golden marking on her forehead. It was mixed with red.
Then the other part of her face was painted white down to her right exposed shoulder, but her lips were bright crimson.
The closer she came, the farther the townsfolk distanced themselves from Hinata. Only one man stood there with a torch.
He went on his knees when the Two Faced Lady was close. She wrapped her hand around the wood, one finger after another, before lifting it up.
The man fled as the Two Faced Lady slowly turned to Hinata, but at that moment, an antelope with two huge spiked horns that curved backward emerged from a portal.
It had hind legs that seemed borrowed from a grasshopper, and its tail ended with wings harder than any known steel.
It flashed forward and swung its tail, which grew in length. The feathered tail acted like a fan blade. It took off the Two Faced Lady’s head and left a thin trail of blood in the air.
Then the chimeric antelope slammed its horns into the headless body. The spikes on its horns suddenly grew at the faint touch of blood.
Before the eyes of the townsfolk, bone spikes tore through the Two Faced Lady’s headless body.
Screams erupted in the next moment. People were about to scamper when the head lying on the floor screamed,
"Do not take another step!!"
The headless body grabbed the antelope as crimson-backed centipedes burst out of her flesh, latching onto the antelope.
Hinata retrieved her summon. That move freed the Two Faced Lady. She staggered backward, but what looked like an unconscious move took her straight to where her head was, and she picked it up, then reconnected her head.
All the wounds closed up, and her crimson lips tilted upwards.
Hinata tore off the rope that bound her and took the torch the Two Faced Lady dropped. She resummoned her chimeric beast.
"Let’s see how tough you are once I set you on fire."
The Two Faced Lady smirked. "I’ve never seen this before. How do you control that beast, and where do you keep it?" She tilted her head.
Hinata’s antelope charged at the Two Faced Lady, but she leaped, kicked the head of the antelope, forcing it backward, as she somersaulted several times and landed.
This time around, she pulled out a bamboo flute from her bosom and swiftly began to blow it.
The entire townsfolk screamed and fell on the ground, consumed with fear, but none of them was affected. Only Hinata collapsed and began to vomit blood.
The Two Faced Lady increased the intensity, and Hinata’s throat bulged as a huge centipede forced its way out and coiled around her neck. It dug all its sharp legs into the soft flesh of her neck while aiming to bite and pump its venom into her head at the command of the one who held the flute.
Hinata’s antelope shot forward, but the Two Faced Lady played another tune, forcing Hinata to scream as another centipede forced its way out of her back.
Blood poured from Hinata’s orifices as she ordered her antelope to stand down. The pain she felt made her unable to reason for a moment.
Just as the Two Faced Lady slowly rose to her feet, an arrow suddenly tore through her throat and came out of her mouth.
A purple light flashed in the darkness, and Godfrey appeared before her, grabbed the arrow that was about to fly into the distance at its midsection, then, while it crackled with lightning, he plunged it through her abdomen.
It burst a huge hole through her abdomen. The golden lightning crept to other parts of her body, frying her from the inside out.
She turned pitch-black and collapsed on the ground, twitching as lightning kept crackling.
All the townsfolk couldn’t believe their eyes.
Ken and Ema hurried over on the backs of their summons.
Godfrey picked up the flute while Ken and Ema faced Hinata.
"Ken..." Hinata whispered.
Ken’s breath shook. His eyes reddened as he swiftly decapitated the centipedes at her throat and back.
Hinata collapsed on the ground, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.
"It’s... over." She smiled while crying at the same time.
Godfrey stared at the flute in his hand, then remembered Yuna’s story. Then his eyes went to Ema.
"There’s something else. And another. I don’t think it’s ov—"
A soothing flute sounded. It wasn’t ferocious like the Two Faced Lady’s but calm, like an ancient man playing a calm melody to soothe his boredom.
But centipedes shot out of Hinata’s body with so much ferocity, she was torn apart. Over six huge centipedes lunged at Ken.
They were fast, but his draw speed was faster. One swing was all it took, and all the centipedes were cut three times.
What everyone saw was one swing, but Ken had swung his katana three times, yet their eyes couldn’t follow, not even Ema’s.
"Argh!" With a yell, Ken cut off Hinata’s head from her mangled body because she was still alive. This was horrible. The pain he saw a fellow human going through snapped him.
’Way Of Flames.’
A thought crossed his mind, and a large amount of fire burst out of his curved blade. It burned bright under the night sky as the samurai kid tilted his head toward the townsfolk.
When they saw the glowing left eye in his side profile, everyone began to retreat. Some fled into the town.
"Ken..."
Godfrey muttered. The seventeen-year-old paused, his hand trembling immensely. "They’re the cause... can’t you see that?"
"They’re the victims... can’t you see that?" Godfrey responded.
"It’s the same pattern. You told me there were always people burned at stakes. It’s all been a game. This town will perish like all the others you’ve seen. Let’s get to the source, the dungeon boss."
While Godfrey spoke, Ema suddenly exclaimed,
"The Two Faced Lady! She’s gone!"
Godfrey looked behind him. He finally confirmed it. Whatever they were facing was a master of stealth. Even when his senses were high, he still couldn’t sense when the Two Faced Lady, whom he assumed dead, left.
Only sight mattered here. This was also why the centipedes could only be spotted with the eyes and couldn’t be felt.
"I’ll kill her," Ken declared.
"There are two mana signatures much stronger than hers. But I can also sense her. Yoru will chase after the woman. Follow him," Ema said as her bear ran in a specific direction toward the horizon.
Ken summoned Asahi, then used Echo to manifest another horse. Both of them followed the bear.
"I can only guess the two stronger mana signatures are coming here," Godfrey said while staring at Ema.
"Just one, and it’s big," she said while retreating. "Don’t die. I need you to feel safe."
At that moment, a loud screech pierced the cold night air. That Two Faced Lady had called something, and it wasn’t small in the slightest.
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