Roughly three system hours later.
Theresa returned, bringing back a large quantity of flesh that could be used as offerings for the reverse summoning circle. All of it was “pork” raised from ghouls.
Just like what had happened with the Goat Tavern, the slaughterhouse hadn’t fallen into ruin after Bai Tang killed the Pig-Head Butcher. In a very short time, another bizarre creature had taken over and continued operating it, maintaining the normal functioning of Undead Street.
“Alright, everything’s basically ready now!” Theresa clapped her hands and looked at Bai Tang and Jiang Yetong. “Do you two still have anything to talk about? If you do, now’s your last chance. Once Long Night falls, activating the circle will become much more difficult.”
The girl wagged her finger.
“After Long Night begins, those unspeakable terrifying existences will awaken. Activating the teleportation circle won’t be so easy then.”
At this moment, Jiang Yetong was already standing in the center of the summoning circle. Her hood was pulled tightly over her head, hiding the pair of fluffy cat ears on top and only revealing her human ears on the sides of her face.
She was ready to be sent back at any moment.
“Senior Bai Tang meow, meow meow is about to go back meow. Is there anything meow meow needs to do meow?”
Bai Tang fell silent.
If it had been before, she might have desperately wanted to know whether her parents on Earth were safe, whether they were still grieving over her sudden disappearance. She would have wanted Jiang Yetong to pass on a message — that she had only gone to a very, very faraway place and was still alive and well, so they didn’t need to worry anymore.
But now…
Earth was currently being invaded by bizarre creatures, and it happened to coincide with the time of her inexplicable disappearance. Perhaps her name had already been listed by the authorities as one of the victims killed by bizarre creatures.
Perhaps her parents had already accepted the fact that she was dead.
Thinking about it carefully, this might not be such a bad thing after all.
If she used Jiang Yetong to tell her parents that she was still alive, after the brief moment of joy, they would likely lose their appetite and sleep, left only with long-lasting worry.
After all, what child in this world would want their parents to grow increasingly haggard because of worry for them?
Bai Tang shook her head hard and forced a sweet smile onto her face.
“No need. It’s fine like this!”
Bai Tang waved at Jiang Yetong. Seeing the girl’s hesitant expression, she opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say something like “You’ll have to rely on yourself after returning to Earth” or “You have to work hard to survive.”
But when she saw the girl’s eyes — which now carried a hint of growth and determination that hadn’t been there when they first met — the words that reached her throat were swallowed back down, turning into a slightly raised corner of her lips.
The other party was no longer the timid female university student she once was. Having witnessed true hell, there were some things she no longer needed to nag about.
“Bye bye~”
With that, Bai Tang slowly stepped back, moving completely out of the summoning circle’s range.
Hum——!
The entire reverse summoning circle suddenly lit up with a blazing crimson glow. The complex, interlocking runes seemed to come completely alive, wildly dancing and twisting with no pattern whatsoever — chaotic and disordered.
At the same time, the mountain of sacrificial flesh piled beside the circle was rapidly consumed. It was as if someone had pressed a fast-forward button; the flesh visibly rotted and disappeared at an astonishing speed.
Even the bones weren’t spared. They all turned into pools of black liquid.
The crimson light enveloping the summoning circle completely faded. When Bai Tang looked again, the space was completely empty. Jiang Yetong’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Even the patterns of the summoning circle on the ground had completely dimmed after the girl disappeared, as if weathered away, vanishing without a trace.
“She… she’s really gone?”
Bai Tang clenched her fists. For some reason, her heart suddenly felt hollow.
Now that Jiang Yetong had left, was she the only human left in this hell world again?
“By using sacrificial flesh to activate the teleportation circle early, she should have already returned to your homeland if nothing went wrong.”
Theresa nodded as she spoke.
Noticing that Bai Tang seemed a little down, she walked over to the girl’s side. After thinking for a moment, she reached out and ruffled Bai Tang’s hair, then said in surprise, “So you can cry too, huh.”
Bai Tang was startled. Out of reflex, she raised her hand to wipe her eyes, but didn’t feel the wetness she expected.
Only then did she realize she had been tricked. She slapped away the hand on her head and jumped in anger.
“I wasn’t crying!”
“Hehe, I was just teasing you~”
Faced with the girl’s anger, the demon hunter made a peace sign with one hand, the corners of her mouth lifting as her neat white teeth gleamed.
Seeing that Bai Tang no longer looked so dejected, Theresa took the opportunity to say, “Since everything’s done, I should get going too.”
“You’re leaving as well?”
Bai Tang was taken aback.
“Of course. The bounty target has been dealt with, and the reward is still waiting for me to collect it!” Theresa said matter-of-factly. “I still have to keep hunting bounties after this. Otherwise, I won’t have Ghost Coins, and without Ghost Coins, I won’t have food or a place to sleep. Unless you’re going to support me?!”
That’s right. Theresa was a demon hunter by nature. She traveled the hell world taking on demon hunter bounties to earn Ghost Coins. This time, she had only come to Undead Street because she was chasing a bounty target. This small street was merely a very short stop on her journey.
Now that the target was dead, there was no reason for her to stay.
“Still, if you ever want to find me one day, you can go to the Demon Hunter Tavern. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get some information about me~”
Worried that Bai Tang wouldn’t understand, Theresa explained further.
“The Demon Hunter Tavern is a place established by demon hunters who, for various reasons, can no longer continue hunting. It mainly serves other demon hunters. We usually accept bounties there.”
“But because Undead Street is too small, there isn’t one here.”
Theresa believed that Bai Tang wouldn’t stay in a small place like Undead Street forever. One day, she would leave and step into the deeper darkness and unknowns of the hell world.
That day wouldn’t be too far away.
“Alright. I’ll remember.”
Bai Tang nodded. She looked up at the sky, which was quickly darkening. All banquets in the world must come to an end. Meetings and partings were common occurrences.
But as long as she became strong enough and traveled far enough, she wouldn’t have to worry about never seeing them again in the future, right?
“Are you in a hurry? If not, how about we go to the tavern for one last drink?”
“Bai Tang, are you treating?”
“You…!” Bai Tang rolled her eyes speechlessly. “Fine, I’m treating! Happy now?!”
Like the impulsiveness of youth.
Many years later, during a casual toast, Bai Tang would surely recall that distant afternoon when she parted ways with the demon hunter Theresa Delina at the tavern.
And the bold declaration the demon hunter made during her ridiculous drunken act.
“I promise!” Theresa’s cheeks were flushed red. She had one foot on the table, completely ignoring the stunned gazes of the bizarre creatures in the tavern and the puppet owner’s attempts to stop her. She raised her juice cup high.
“The next time I meet you again, Bai Tang, I will become a powerful demon hunter that makes both ‘Chaos and Evil’ tremble in fear!”
“I know, I know!” Bai Tang said hurriedly. “Theresa, get down from the table already!”
“Hahaha, I just realized your face is really soft to pinch~”
This was strange. Weren’t they drinking juice?
Why was Theresa acting like she was drunk on alcohol?!
The sky was growing dark, and visibility had dropped below five meters.
Outside the tavern, relying on the dim yellow light coming from inside, the two girls stood facing each other, yet the directions they were heading were completely opposite.
“Well then, it’s getting late. You should head back too, Bai Tang.”
“Alright.”
The demon hunter once again draped her dark gray cloak over her shoulders.
She raised a hand and pressed down on her jazz hat. Accompanied by the shrill caws of crows, she gradually walked away, leaving behind only a back that was slowly being swallowed by the darkness.