WebNovels

Chapter 292 - Encounter with the Doll Sister

"Very much your style."

At this point, Flamme couldn't say much. Fighting while tracing the faint Grace was too difficult.

She couldn't act as a full combatant; she was responsible for navigation. Unlike Frieren, who had reached a state of multitasking with split souls and simultaneous multi-casting, she couldn't manage everything.

The only one who could perform beyond their usual capabilities was Miriadel. Of course, she wasn't just doing nothing. She scattered fireballs along the path, providing simple and effective coverage of the road behind them.

"ROAR!"

The enraged monsters roared frequently, only to be met with the short-haired girl turning back to make a face and stick out her tongue.

"Can't catch us." A bunch of brainless idiots. This is the power of a marathon.

Flamme couldn't keep a straight face. It was the first time she'd seen someone speak of retreating so matter-of-factly, treating it as a tactic.

Fortunately, the results were impressive; the things that had almost caught up were now ignited and rolling around in misery.

And she knew Miriadel would never back down at a critical moment. When everyone was turned to gold, only this normally unremarkable drunken elf dispelled the curse and fought the demon squad single-handedly. She had earned their current position.

Such courage could not be betrayed.

So Flamme focused her mental energy further on tracking. The traces of Grace in the distance grew clearer, its silhouette slowly taking shape.

It was a vague seated shadow, motionless as if in slumber. Beside it was the figure of a woman standing with her hands clasped in front of her, cold and doll-like. A strange combination.

"It's Master's aura, but it must be a split soul. Why are they everywhere?"

"Then that's it. You point the way, and we'll sprint at full speed."

Before the words had faded, Miriadel was already dashing towards the location the red-haired girl pointed out. Chimneys, ropes, bridges, and eaves along the way became excellent springboards. An occasional slide down a slope was all it took to evade pursuers with effortless ease.

Once the area was confirmed, her movements grew faster and faster. She could always find the optimal route, as if she knew the way by heart.

It was obvious one needed a detailed map in their head to do this. Despite her carefree appearance, she had actually memorized the entire city's layout and could even avoid clusters of monsters.

No wonder Frieren entrusted her with such an important task. Operating in Yharnam was impossible without Miriadel's guidance. She was practically a local expert.

With a guide, they could at least avoid falling into strange traps. The more she watched, the more reliable she seemed. At a critical moment, having an experienced elf was essential.

It eased much of Flamme's anxiety; otherwise, facing this nightmare alone would be too much pressure.

"It's in that church up ahead. I can't make out any more details."

"That's right, the Hunter's Workshop is in the church. The last Hunter, Frieren, you can't sleep any longer."

But the next moment, the roof collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Two massive, beast-like monsters had climbed up. One wore a red hood, and the other wore clerical garb. They were more than twice the size of ordinary monsters.

"It's a Blood-starved Beast and a Cleric Beast... Running into them at a time like this is troublesome."

They lunged quickly, and they couldn't turn their backs. The two, who at least understood the basics of combat, knew they could no longer flee.

Fight and retreat.

If they simply exposed their weaknesses, they would surely be devoured. This city, which literally ate people, showed no mercy.

The beasts' flying fur, blood-stained fangs, and sharp claws all spoke of terror. Furthermore, any injury would be accompanied by contamination.

Defeating them wasn't hard; the difficulty lay in getting through unscathed.

Moreover, the other monsters weren't useless. They were climbing up the ruined slope created by the Blood-starved Beast and the Cleric Beast, forming an encirclement.

Seeing this, Flamme and Miriadel's expressions turned grim. To make matters worse, whispers began to rise in their minds at this critical juncture.

It was the Old God! It was obstructing the outsiders from reaching the workshop.

If they were allowed to rendezvous with Frieren's split soul in the church, there could be unforeseen consequences. If the main consciousness were to fully awaken, it would inevitably receive a sound thrashing. This could not be permitted.

Although constrained by heavy seals and with few pieces to move, deploying all of them was threat enough.

The current situation was not just a joint operation between an elf and a human, but also a game of chess at the level of Old Gods, a constant back-and-forth.

"We can't fall into its rhythm. Keep running and shorten the distance to the church."

Miriadel made a swift decision, grabbing Flamme and leaping. The two landed with a thump in a haystack.

The former sprang to her feet with a kip-up, pulling the latter up with practiced ease and ducking into a small alley.

"ROAR!"

The Blood-starved Beast suddenly lunged to bite them but got stuck in the narrow gap between the walls. It could only roar, and amidst the sounds, one could almost hear curses.

It was thoroughly infuriated; even the last shred of its erased humanity was spewing profanities.

They had expected the Hunter to fight honorably, who would have thought she'd slip away into a narrow area. And their opponent was very familiar with Yharnam.

They constantly wove through the capillary-like paths, steadily closing in on the church, leading the numerous monsters in circles without even letting them touch the corner of their clothes.

"The last open area is just ahead. We can't go around it. We'll have to force our way through."

Hearing the reminder, Flamme nodded, ready for battle. At worst, they would have to clash head-on.

How could they retreat after coming this far? It would be nice to fight alongside Sister Adelle for once.

SWISH!

Suddenly, she threw a cocktail bottle, which happened to hit the Cleric Beast, spreading the scent of blood.

It shook its head, confused, not understanding why this had suddenly happened. The next moment, the Blood-starved Beast pounced on it.

The two behemoths began to grapple, tearing and biting at each other in a bloody and brutal fight.

At the same time, Miriadel frantically threw firebombs at the other monsters. Amidst a series of crackling and shattering sounds, the entire street turned into a sea of fire, blocking the path.

"That idiot Old God must be out of pieces to send such flawed ones."

As she spoke, she followed up with long-range magic to finish them off. The previously menacing monsters instantly became living targets. She had actually achieved fire suppression without taking a single hit.

Flamme, coming to her senses, immediately covered the area with magic projectiles, making the enemy howl in agony. Even the two relatively stronger monsters, the Blood-starved Beast and the Cleric Beast, were grievously wounded by the oriole that came after their fight.

The street fell silent. Only the raging flames remained, occasionally shooting out sparks as houses collapsed.

"I really worked hard." Miriadel stretched smugly and laughed heartily.

She refused to engage, instead brutally beating the enemy with projectiles and ranged attacks. Her long-prepared plans had not been in vain.

She had long thought about how she would fight if she ever returned to Yharnam. Thanks to Frieren's modifications, many of her abilities could now be used normally.

She then pulled Flamme along as they strode up the church steps.

With a creak, they pushed the door open and entered. What greeted their eyes was a tranquil courtyard.

Safe, for now.

The moment she stepped into the church, Flamme finally relaxed, an inexplicable sense of security washing over her.

Beneath her feet were neatly laid steps. Flowers were planted on both sides of the path, their fragrance filling the air, seemingly still carrying the morning dew.

Further up were towering ancient trees, providing a hidden and comforting shade, a good place to cool off in the summer.

Looking back, the great door shut out the world's clamor, leaving the nightmare of Yharnam outside, granting a rare moment of peace.

"This place seems to be protected by some kind of power?"

"Yes, it's Frieren's split soul."

"Now that we finally have a moment, can you tell me more details?"

Miriadel nodded and replied: "Actually, the main body is the master of this entire dreamscape. But she usually doesn't come here, delegating authority to a split soul to manage it, maintaining the dream's operation while she sleeps. You could say it's a massive seal, which also provides energy to the main body."

"Unfortunately, the main body encountered a charm attack in another sleeping world, giving the Old God a chance to ambush her, causing her to fall into a deep slumber within Yharnam."

"Normally, Frieren's power would have been enough to handle it, but in the real world, there was also a mental attack from the demons. All the bad things happened at once."

"So the main body fell into a deep sleep."

"The urgent task now is to awaken the split soul to indirectly activate the main body's consciousness. It's the only way. But it will require a large amount of Old God's blood, because this is an unconventional awakening, it will cost more energy..."

Speaking of this, even the ever-optimistic Miriadel looked worried.

Truly worthy of the demons' 'All-Knowing One,' to have grasped and linked together this chain of unfortunate events.

Although Frieren had also arranged a series of countermeasures, she was still concerned for her childhood friend's safety. It was truly troublesome. It was all the fault of those emotionless, human-skinned monsters. She would exact harsh revenge once they got out.

The two of them walked up the steps together.

Compared to Flamme who was looking around with some caution, she seemed as if she had come home, which made the former curious.

"Did Sister Adelle stay here for a long time?"

"It's a long nightmare of a story. Back then, Frieren's power was unstable and she couldn't control it. She would pull people into her dreams at the drop of a hat, and I was the first. After a few times, I slowly got used to it; it was hard not to. Of course, there were benefits. I got stronger."

To this day, the memory still made her heart pound. Arriving in Yharnam for the first time was absolutely terrifying; she was almost beaten into oblivion by the locals' 'warm' welcome.

Oh well.

As compensation, she gained the power of a Hunter, so it wasn't a loss. Without her second phase, she would have died at the hands of the demons long ago.

Without this trump card, Miriadel would most likely have been in grave danger.

"Then can I get stronger too?"

"From the moment you entered Yharnam, you have been irreversibly influenced by the Old God's blood, especially since you're so conspicuous in its eyes. So you already have some foundation. It should manifest as stronger mental resistance and a stronger body."

"—But none of that matters for me right now. Let's go see Frieren and wake her up."

Arriving at the church door, the short-haired girl knocked politely, waiting obediently. A stark contrast to her usual boisterous behavior when visiting.

Was there a master inside? That's not right, isn't Master's split soul asleep?

Just as Flamme was wondering, footsteps approached. The one who opened the door was indeed the doll-like girl she had observed earlier.

Her features were as exquisitely carved as a sculpture. White hair was held back by a small top hat headband, and she wore a simple, home-style long dress. Her movements were graceful, her expression devoid of joy or sorrow.

The only sign of life was the light in her eyes. She was beautiful, possessing a captivating allure that contrasted with her standoffish expression. Strange, why? Was it the power of the Old God at work?

Perhaps Frieren had given a portion of her power to the doll, which was why it exuded such a powerful aura.

"Welcome."

She curtsied gracefully and said: "It is good to see you again, Lady Miriadel. I have prepared what you require. Everything is proceeding smoothly so far."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Flamme. I have heard the Hunter speak of you. She has a most outstanding apprentice."

"You may simply call me 'Doll'."

"You must have been with Master for a long time. Why has she never given you a name?"

"You may not be aware, but for a great being like the Hunter, who transcends even the Great Ones, it is enough for her to remember my identity as the Doll. A name has never been important. The Fire Keepers and maids she possesses are also defined by their roles. It represents our shared experiences."

"That sounds like quite a story. Let's talk about it later."

Although the red-haired girl's eyes lit up with a fervent curiosity, sensing an epic tale, she ultimately held back. She could always learn about it slowly in the future.

Miss Doll's relationship with Master was surely extraordinary. It was a life-and-death bond, one of complete mutual trust to be given such a heavy responsibility.

How nice.

On the surface, Frieren was a recluse with an icy demeanor, but it turned out she was not at all lacking for companions who would face death with her. To meet so many people in one's life, let alone make it to this day, was truly rare.

The demons did not know that this mage from the age of gods drew her true strength from the people she could entrust her life to.

The Doll led her guests to the chapel.

Inside the dimly lit room, books and jars were piled everywhere, chaotically arranged in the style of a research laboratory. In the center, sitting in a wheelchair, was the silver-haired, twin-tailed girl.

Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful, her breathing even, as if in a normal slumber.

However, those who knew her well were aware that Frieren had long since lost the ability to sleep. The split soul was no exception.

"It is difficult to judge the flow of time in Yharnam. In any case, some time ago, the Hunter suddenly fell into a slumber. I immediately tried to contact the main body, but there was no response."

"It must be because of the charm curse she encountered in the other dreamscape. The events line up," said Miriadel.

"Therefore, I judged that you would come sooner or later."

The reason for stationing the split soul here, besides delegating management, was to serve as a weather vane. If anything were to happen, the one watching over the split soul could react. Just as the Doll now produced a test tube.

Inside was pure, refined Old God's blood, containing immense, murderous energy.

Flamme felt a chill run down her spine. How many monsters had to be hunted for this?

Blood was not easy to preserve, so the Doll must have activated a contingency plan and actively collected it herself, extracting it through alchemy. The blood they brought would speed up the process.

She was strong. To have collected so much blood in Yharnam by herself showed that her combat power was enough to sweep this entire district. No wonder she had such a dense aura; Frieren must have enhanced her with a great deal of power.

"Excellent. I still have the reserves of one tentacle. With the blood collected during this time, it should be enough."

However, the Doll shook her head and replied: "The only thing that went smoothly was extracting the blood. If I could have woken the Hunter, I would have tried injecting it long ago. The current situation is—"

"Even the split soul has been tricked by the Old God and has fallen into a deeper layer of the dream."

"What?"

Hearing the bad news, both Flamme and Miriadel were dumbfounded.

Didn't this mean the original plan to awaken the split soul wouldn't work? Then Frieren's main consciousness couldn't be revived along with it. By the same token, the dreamscape would continue indefinitely.

Once one link in the chain failed, the entire process would be obstructed, triggering a series of dire consequences of inestimable severity.

The Doll's expression remained impassive as she explained: "Do not be too concerned. You must carry the power of the real world with you. As long as it is vast enough, awakening a split soul is not difficult. It merely requires one more element."

However, the short-haired elven girl shook her head: "Mine won't work. It has all been converted into power suitable for use in Yharnam. What about you?"

"...If it requires a vast amount of mana, it should be possible." After a moment's hesitation, Flamme said with determination in her eyes, "I can do it. And I have the power of Grace, which is closely linked to Master. Let's give it a try."

"But the blood remains the most important medium. Allow me to prepare it."

After receiving the blood the two had collected, the Doll began to work intensely on refining it, handling complex laboratory equipment.

"Please wait a moment. Make yourselves at home."

Her busy appearance reminded Flamme of when she used to assist Frieren. Best not to disturb her; the results would be clear soon enough.

Although another obstacle had inexplicably appeared, she somehow no longer felt afraid. The whispers, murmurs, and curses that had echoed in her ears were gone, replaced by peace and serenity.

As long as Master was nearby, it would be fine. She surely had plenty of solutions.

Miriadel, on the other hand, was strolling around casually. She had found a bottle of wine from somewhere and was chugging it down.

"Satisfying."

The critical situation didn't affect her love for alcohol in the slightest. She could still savor its rich flavor, remarking with wonder, "I've always wondered, the alcohol in Yharnam is so strong. Is it some special distillation technique? Worth studying."

"By the way, Sister Adelle, since we could enter the dreamscape safely, does that mean the demons are also hiding in some corner?"

"Definitely. A bunch of skulking cowards. I'm not afraid of them in Yharnam."

Powers other than the Hunter's are severely restricted here, unless Frieren subconsciously grants permission, like with Flamme's current state. As for the demons, not only is their power suppressed, but they also have to fight against the whispers.

When facing them, Frieren wouldn't mind acting like an evil god and hitting them with a wave of mental pollution. The prerequisite being that she could fully recover.

"—I just wonder if the dreamscape will spread?"

"Hard to say, but it actively drew closer to you because of a subconscious affinity. It won't expand arbitrarily now."

"Why?"

"Because both Frieren and the Old God, who are fighting for control, are accumulating power to defeat the other. They have no need to waste energy on expansion. Once a winner is decided, it will either expand to the whole world or the dream will end, putting a stop to all of this."

The red-haired girl put a hand to her forehead. "Sounds like we suddenly have to save the world."

Despite saying so, Flamme had a strong intuition: if the Old God were unleashed, it would be a disaster for the entire world. Its attributes of pollution, mental distortion, and bloodlust were immensely threatening and had to be suppressed.

If it got out of control, the first place to be affected would be her hometown. She had come to the right place; she absolutely couldn't ignore this.

And the hope of lifting the curse on the elf village was also here.

BOOM!

A flash of blue light shone outside the church, unleashing astonishing sword energy accompanied by the scent of blood. There were several rather strong aura reactions, felt even through the church walls.

"Who's fighting?" Flamme frowned.

"It's Ludwig, the Holy Blade. A beast-like, multi-legged, malformed hunter. Very strong. He was defeated once, but the endless nightmare always resurrects its victims. This is getting lively. The Old God probably sent Ludwig to hunt us down just now, unless there's another enemy—"

"The demons!"

The two looked at each other and saw the smiles on each other's faces. This counted as good news.

They didn't react further. They just needed to continue recuperating. The Doll would finish preparing the awakening blood soon enough.

Far away, in a cave at the other end of the street.

A tall, multi-legged, centaur-like monster wielded a greatsword glowing with blue-green light. Its distorted, swollen donkey-like face stared intently at the long-horned figure below, among whom was a freak with wounds glowing with golden light.

"Inhuman monsters, I, Ludwig, the sword of the Healing Church, will hunt you all down."

"You're the one who looks less human."

Grausam's response was met with a sweeping wave of sword energy. It missed. A madman was naturally susceptible to illusions, but the power was still there.

Wherever the Moonlight Greatsword passed, earth and stone disintegrated, and defensive magic shattered on contact. An unlucky demon was merely grazed but blood sprayed everywhere. The contamination would surely seep in; its fate was sealed. Thanks to Macht's timely goldenization, it was saved, but that was just a temporary measure.

Everyone's magical performance was steadily declining. The situation was dire.

Ever since entering this city of blood healing, they had been targeted, always attracting strange enemies.

They had already been forced to leave their previous basement hideout due to monster attacks. After wandering around, they finally found a cave. Although it was full of blood pools, they didn't mind. After clearing out some monsters, it was usable, at least as a hiding place.

But then they ran into Ludwig. And he kept talking about a hunter's duty. From his perspective, he wasn't wrong, but wasn't he worried about his own condition?

It was as if obsession, duty, and loyalty drove this body to fight forever.

"Help me."

Suddenly, he let out another plea for help, causing Grausam to pause for a moment. This allowed the Moonlight Greatsword to slam down on him, sending blood flying.

Another slash followed, striking a golden shield with a clang.

"Since this operation began, I've lost count of how many times I've saved you..."

Macht appeared calm, but he found his curse was still ineffective. Any attempt to use Diagold was obstructed, limited by the rules of this nightmare, rendering a large part of his threat useless.

He had lost one of his greatest weapons.

However, Ludwig, the Holy Blade, didn't care about their situation. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed a flurry of attacks, instantly enveloping the remaining five demons, one of whom was already critically injured and near death.

At the critical moment, Grausam created an illusion to provide cover and escape.

In his eyes, the figure of a silver-haired, twin-tailed girl appeared, fat and bloated and indistinct, but his heart was filled with rage.

"Frieren, it was you who destroyed the Church—"

The enraged, multi-legged monster charged forward, wildly swinging its greatsword, carving trenches in the solid ground. The entire cave shook, collapsing rocks and sending down dust that further obscured their vision, providing a good opportunity for the intruders.

The demon squad quietly retreated.

The hunt.

______

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