Boom!
Another pale flash of lightning tore through the sky, followed closely by thunder that exploded above the Capital.
Icy rain pounded madly on Marianne, mixed with blood and grime, washing over the wounds of varying depths on her body, bringing waves of sharp pain.
She looked down at herself.
The carefully maintained maid outfit was already in tatters, the ragged fabric clinging to her skin, outlining the crisscrossing wounds beneath.
The once white stockings on her legs were now stained pitch-black with muddy water and blood, and her whole body swayed unsteadily in the pouring rain, like a candle flickering in the wind, only kept from falling by a stubborn refusal to yield.
Too strong.
This suddenly appeared enemy was unreasonably strong.
Marianne had thought her Brand of Shadow could catch the opponent off guard and finish them.
However, the moment she tried to manipulate the fear in their heart, that power surged back into her like a bursting dam.
She saw it.
Saw the fear she had hidden deepest, that she had even deliberately forgotten—
Master, seeing her off, looked at her one last time with those eyes that always held warmth, and said with a smile, “See you tomorrow.”
Then he left the house and never returned.
That was her eternal nightmare.
Even though it had already passed, even though Master had always stayed by her side, that fear never disappeared.
She had already come close to losing Allen twice.
The first time, she had pushed him into the lake with her own hands, but at the last moment came to her senses.
It was the Lord who saved Allen, allowing her to end her past suffering.
The second time, Allen was gravely injured by that Cultist and was on the verge of death from blood loss.
It was the physician of the Judgement Court who had her perform an on-the-spot blood transfusion, saving his life.
Now, Allen had awakened the power of God’s Messenger and would not die so easily anymore.
Yet the unease in Marianne’s heart only grew instead of diminishing.
She always had a premonition that Allen would suddenly leave one day, like a dog that knows its death is near, choosing to quietly leave home and face its end alone in an undisturbed corner.
Allen was God’s Messenger, and he ultimately did not belong to this world.
Sometimes, Marianne could see in Allen’s eyes a vast and lonely sorrow that should not belong to a mortal.
He always said with a smile, “Marianne, you must form the best CP with Livia.”
Though Allen did not speak the cruel premise behind those words, Marianne heard it clearly—after I die, you must be happy too.
He was just that kind of person, gentle to the point of cruelty.
Because he did not want others to grieve over that predetermined fate, he planned to leave without saying goodbye, departing silently.
Marianne did not want to think about this. She believed that Allen would surely choose to stay by her side because of her love.
Allen loved her. Though this love was not the simple desire between a man and a woman, precisely because of that, this love was eternal enough.
However, after Livia made clear her feelings for Allen, the anxiety in Marianne’s heart grew day by day.
It was this crack that gave the Evil God the opportunity to exploit, and allowed this mysterious enemy before her, relying on a deeper understanding of the Engraved Mark, to completely detonate the shadow within her heart.
“Stop agonizing, because… I have always been here.”
Amidst the fear and pain that threatened to tear her apart, Allen’s words rang in her mind like an anchor, steadying her sanity that was on the verge of collapse.
In this brief moment of clarity, Marianne drew her dagger and slashed a deep gash in her own leg, using the intense pain to forcibly suppress her mental collapse.
In front of Master’s enemy, she had shown such an ugly display because of her fear of losing Master…
Such a shameful appearance was utterly unworthy of the identity of “Allen’s Apostle,” let alone a qualified Head Maid. This was a dereliction of duty!
Marianne was furious beyond measure, no longer hiding her killing intent, and lunged at the opponent like a beast driven into a corner.
Using the walls, she launched attacks from multiple angles, her figure elusive, the dagger in her hand turning into deadly fangs, repeatedly stabbing at the enemy’s vital points.
However, the opponent merely held a broken sword picked up casually and effortlessly blocked all her attacks, as if toying with a mouse.
After several probes, Marianne finally seized an opening, activated her Brand of Shadow, and slipped into the shadows.
While the opponent searched for her, she emerged from the shadow behind him and precisely pierced his heart with her dagger.
Got him!
However, the opponent merely glanced down at the dagger protruding from his chest and let out a light chuckle.
“As expected, city mice are more interesting than country mice. I quite enjoy this game of whack-a-mole.”
He suddenly reached out as if nothing had happened, clamped his hand tightly around Marianne’s neck, and lifted her whole body up.
“Cough… ugh…”
Watching her struggle in agony from suffocation, he let out a hearty laugh.
“Laugh, scream, call all your companions over! Killing just you won’t be nearly satisfying enough!”
“Never!”
A sharp light flashed in Marianne’s eyes as she instantly activated her ability.
The shadow beneath the enemy came to life, transforming into countless pitch-black tentacles that tightly bound his arm, allowing her to break free.
“Oh? Your Engraved Mark is indeed interesting.”
The mysterious person casually tore off the tentacles on his body and looked at her with keen interest.
“However, since I already know the characteristics of your Engraved Mark, then… how will you deal with me?”
He snapped his fingers.
All the shadows in the alley, like frightened mice, instantly scattered and fled, eventually vanishing without a trace.
This bizarre scene made Marianne’s heart sink.
Could he… have the same kind of Engraved Mark as me?
No, that’s not right!
Marianne suddenly felt a strong sense of wrongness.
The surrounding scenery still looked like that rainy alley, the graffiti on the walls, the puddles on the ground, everything so familiar.
But the raindrops hitting the ground made no sound.
A sense of isolation from the real world wrapped tightly around her.
This is not the Capital… where is this?
The Bloodline of the Sigil within her became unusually active at this moment, and she could even feel her body’s regenerative ability continuously strengthening.
This feeling was extremely similar to the environment when Allen fought the Heretical God’s Creation.
This place… is the domain of an Evil God?
She looked warily at the mysterious person: “Who exactly are you? A minion of the Evil God? Or a lackey of the Cult?”
“I don’t know who I am either.” The mysterious person said in an unfathomable tone.
“However, I have nothing to do with the Evil God or the Cult. I hate all gods. I am someone abandoned by this world. So… I will destroy this world, destroy this ugly thing that refuses to accept me.”
“Such big words.” Marianne gripped her dagger tightly.
She realized that before killing the opponent, she could no longer escape this place.
Even if the disparity in strength was vast, she had no choice but to fight.
No, she didn’t even need to kill the opponent.
She and Allen were of one mind and body; Allen would definitely find her.
The only thing she had to do was survive!
“Come on, I’d like to see how long a toy like you can last before I break you.”
It was an unimaginably grueling battle.
The ground of the alley had long been stained red with her blood, then washed and diluted by the rain, mixing into the murky puddles.
Marianne fought the opponent again and again, but the opponent always effortlessly neutralized all her attacks.
He seemed to be teasing a trapped beast in an arena, repeatedly inflicting heavy wounds on her, then giving her chances to catch her breath and recover, enjoying her futile struggles.
Unable to continue relying on the Brand of Shadow, Marianne was at best an excellent Assassin, utterly incapable of confronting such a powerful enemy head-on.
If not for this special space greatly enhancing her regenerative ability, she would likely have died over a hundred times already.
Marianne gasped for breath, rainwater and blood dripping from the tips of her hair.
She could not even tell whether what surged through her veins at this moment was her own blood or the filthy power of that deity.
If it were Livia, she would surely defeat such an enemy with ease.
Her skills had reached perfection under Allen’s guidance, but her mental fortitude was ultimately still too immature.
In this cage tailor-made for her, despair surged like a tide.
There was no glorious death in battle here, not even a evenly matched fight.
The opponent was merely playing with a toy he didn’t want to break just yet.
And the opponent was probably about to get bored.
The whispers of the Evil Gods were madly eroding her sanity. Countless dead “hers” murmured in her ear.
“Look at how pathetic you are. If you don’t accept His Blessing, you’ll never see your beloved Master again.”
“Crave power, crave survival, don’t you? Call His name in your heart…”
“Marianne, you are truly weak. As you are, you can only watch helplessly as Allen leaves you silently.”
“Livia can fight alongside Allen until death. And you? You only hold him back.”
“Trash… you have always been that trash who only hides in her room crying, waiting for someone to save you.”
“Admit it, aren’t you hoping he’ll come save you right now? Hero saves the beauty… what a classic trope, and you will always be the useless beauty. Why can’t you be the one to save your beloved Master?”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Even if I die, I won’t let you succeed!”
She had indeed thought of using the Evil God, but the Evil God was not a fool.
They saw through the crack in her heart and were watching her struggle with keen interest, tempting her to completely Fall.
Even if Allen could perform Purification on the Corruption on her… how could he save the distortion in her heart?
These voices, every word and sentence, stabbed at the most unbearable corners of her heart.
Marianne’s sanity was being worn away bit by bit.
Her attacks grew more frenzied, completely abandoning defense, as she lunged at the opponent in an almost suicidal manner.
Only then did she truly understand how great the gap was between her and Livia.
No matter how desperate the situation, Livia could calmly analyze it.
But she had completely lost her composure.
At this rate, she would probably die here before Allen could arrive.
No…
I… don’t want to die!
Marianne’s vision had already blurred. She couldn’t see the enemy’s face; that area was only a mass of impenetrable darkness.
But this darkness gave her a final inspiration.
She suddenly erupted with her last strength and charged at the enemy once more.
This time, her target was still the heart, the most direct feint.
As expected, the opponent contemptuously swung his sword to block.
Now!
Marianne deliberately exposed a huge opening, and at the moment the sword’s edge was about to tear her body apart, she activated her final trump card.
Her figure instantly merged into the shadow of the opponent’s face, perfectly dodging the fatal blow, and then suddenly reappeared at zero distance!
The cold dagger drew a powerful arc of blood, precisely slicing the opponent’s throat.
Hot blood spurted out, splattering all over her face.
However, the instant she succeeded, a terrifying force kicked her in the abdomen.
“Bang!”
Marianne was sent flying backward, like a broken doll, crashing heavily into the stone wall behind her.
The sturdy wall caved inward from the impact, cracks like spider webs instantly spreading, and half of it collapsed.
She felt as if everything inside her body was broken.
A large mouthful of blood spewed from her mouth, and she could no longer move at all.
She was dying.
Blood foam blocked her throat, and she could no longer utter any last words.
But she still used her last strength to raise her head and stare fixedly at the enemy who was clutching his neck, blood continuously pouring from between his fingers, with a mocking gaze.
The opponent also looked at her.
The ease and comfort on his face had completely vanished, replaced by a kind of resentment and fury at being bitten back by a pet.
“…I admit, you are more interesting than I thought. You are indeed different from those trash who only kneel and beg for mercy.”
The mysterious person walked step by step toward Marianne, each step carrying intense killing intent.
He wanted to personally tear apart this maid who had wounded him.
Marianne’s strike had indeed caused him no small amount of trouble.
Even with his astonishing recovery ability, the wound on his neck could not heal immediately, and blood dripped onto the ground.
Marianne raised her head and looked at the black sky.
The rain had, at some point, turned blood-red.
She was being submerged in a rain of blood, and the annoying whispers in her mind gradually faded away.
Probably the Evil Gods also found it boring and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to a soul that refused to submit even in death.
This time she was probably really going to die…
Marianne remembered the scene when the Pseudo-Mark was transplanted.
The intense pain nearly sent her into shock, and it was deep-seated hatred that kept her going.
And now, relying on her love for that person, she had endured to the end through pain far exceeding that time.
Love and hatred, life and death, all for him alone.
How wonderful.
So happy.
Ah…
So this is what death feels like.
With a faint smile, Marianne slowly closed her eyes.
Just then, a voice engraved deep in her soul pierced through the blood-colored rain and rang out clearly in the alley.
“Hey, you sneaky piece of trash, what have you done to my cute Head Maid?”