Chapter 189 He is not the murderer! - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Blood trickled like a stream, slowly spreading in all directions. There was no doubt—this was a fatal wound. Even a high-tier extraordinary being would have no hope of survival without using the power of the divine-given factor. Let alone a mere second-tier? At this moment, the boy's eyes dimmed, his pupils dilated, and with a slight twitch, he fell to the ground with a thud. Everyone's gaze simultaneously focused on this sudden scene, their mouths slightly agape. Clearly, for this arrogant fool who had angered Saint Loran VI, they all thought of capturing him alive and bringing him before His Majesty to earn a reward. That's why everyone was so diligent in the hunt. Strictly speaking, the boy was the Silent Church's trophy, but with so many people present, some were surely thinking of intercepting the prize midway. After all, the branch of the Sacred Spirit Tree could fulfill any wish for the one who possessed it. Power, wealth, status, women, sealed items... But now, their scheming had fallen apart entirely. What Saint Loran VI wanted was a living Lynn, not a dead man! So, upon realizing what had happened, everyone became indignant and outraged. "Kasimo! What have you done?!" "You're a soldier—do you intend to defy His Majesty?!" "Who is your superior?! Who gave you the orders just now?!" At this moment, all the extraordinary beings present were completely incensed by Kasimo's unilateral actions and loudly berated him. "Calm down," said Kasimo, the army assassin general, slowly sheathing his dagger. "Someone will explain the reasons to you later." He smiled as he spoke. Unfortunately, this answer did nothing to quell the crowd's anger, and the argument continued. Almost no one cared about Lynn's condition at this moment. Only Tia instinctively took a step forward, her pale delicate hands clutching her skirt hem tightly, as if suppressing some emotion. But before she could approach Lynn, she suddenly felt someone pull her back. Tia looked back in astonishment and saw her friend. Louise had been silently observing her reactions from the beginning. As a woman, her sixth sense had long told her that something was off with her friend. And seeing her suspicions confirmed, Louise's face also turned grim. "Tia, you really have something with him..." The words trailed off as she glanced at the bewildered Tia and then back at the black-haired boy lying in a pool of blood, her teeth clenched. As the saintess chosen by the church, her every action represented the goddess's will. Therefore, Louise could not allow Tia to do anything that might tarnish the church's image. Even taking a step back. Why this guy, of all people?! The bastard who killed Sister Trina!!! Having been raised by the nun from a young age, Louise was now in unprecedented agony. Clearly, she had misunderstood the relationship between Tia and Lynn. "He's dying, Louise, he..." Tia tried to maintain her usual cold and indifferent tone. Alas, the faint tremor in her voice betrayed that she wasn't as composed as she appeared. "Let him die, then!" Louise interrupted, gripping her wrist with force, trying to bring her back to her senses through pain. "Wake up, Tia! He's a limb-seeker! That heinous murderer!" "Choosing to sympathize with him leaves those innocent people he killed in what place?" "Such a person doesn't deserve to live in this world!" "And you, as the Silent Saintess, do you want to disgrace yourself in front of so many people now?!" "Moreover, even if you save him now, what then? When he faces judgment, will our esteemed Saintess lower herself to rescue him at the gallows?!" Louise's unprecedented anger emerged in response to Tia's reaction. Fortunately, everyone was collectively condemning Kasimo's actions, and she kept her voice low, so no one noticed. The force of her words caused Tia's body to go rigid. Indeed. What good would saving him now do? He was doomed to die. Better to die now than to be captured and tortured. Even if Sia's brother's methods were brutal last time, they were nowhere near the cruelty of the nobility's true methods. Moreover, she had always wanted to sever ties with him and return to her original life. And now was the best opportunity, wasn't it? Aside from herself, the only other person who knew the truth was lying dead here. No one would ever learn of what had once transpired. For a moment, Tia was lost in confusion and struggle. Seeing her expression, Louise let out a small sigh of relief and continued persuading, "The Moonlight Ceremony is in about a week. As the only one in this church who has received the goddess's blessing, you're an essential part of the ritual and must maintain physical and spiritual purity." "Since they're arguing so fiercely, why not let them handle it entirely? After it's over, take a moment to relax and prepare for the ceremony in perfect condition." After harsh criticism, Louise softened her tone, hoping to bring Tia back to reason. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that the bond Tia felt wasn't born of love or desire but of guilt and debt. "." Tia stood silently. After a pause, she whispered, "I understand now." "Thank you, Louise." Hearing this, Louise felt a glimmer of joy and squeezed her small hand. "Since you understand, let them handle the aftermath, and let's head back to the churc..." "No." To her surprise, Tia firmly refused. Louise was taken aback. "Why?" "No matter what, you live only once," Tia's voice was light, watching as the boy's breaths grew weaker. "At least, in the final stretch of his life, he shouldn't die unnoticed like this." "If someone must witness the end of his life, I wish it to be me." Hearing her words, Louise fell silent. After a long pause, she sighed gently. "Count me in, though I'm not responsible for any subsequent funerary arrangements." "Thank you, Louise." Tia glanced at her, showing a hint of gratitude. Meanwhile, the argument regarding the limb-seeker continued unabated. Moreover, the shattered hopes of obtaining the Sacred Spirit Tree branch had ignited true anger among several extraordinary beings toward Kasimo, who seemed ready for a brawl. "Spare yourselves; you're no match for me." As a military extraordinary, Kasimo, who had successfully assassinated Lynn, glanced at the group of challengers. They belonged to the Fertile Church. A long-standing undercurrent suggested they coveted the Sacred Spirit Tree, even privately speculating it was the "Tree of Fertility" described in the scriptures. But out of reverence for Saint Loran VI, they never made such claims publicly. "You seem confident?" the Fertile Church's extraordinary said coldly. "What if we include everyone behind me?" "Even with the thirteen losers behind you, the result will be the same." Extraordinary beings from the military often surpassed those from other factions in power. Not due to superior divine-given factors but because of skill—those trained in the military were veterans of both beast and demon battles, excelling in chaotic fighting and slaughter. Hearing this, the Fertile Church extraordinary furrowed his brow. "What nonsense are you spouting? I clearly have twenty-six men here, how could..." But before he finished, he turned to look, and suddenly froze. Meanwhile, a realization slowly dawned on someone in the crowd, prompting them to ask absentmindedly, "Doesn't it feel like there are far fewer people now?" Initially, the old factory was teeming with squads of extraordinary beings sent by various factions. But now, only half of them seemed to remain. Surely, they should have been busy dealing with the chaotic scene. Moreover, with the main forces yet to arrive, how could those involved just quietly slip away, abandoning such an opportunity? What other possibility was there, except for leaving of their own volition? Could it be...an external force? A sense of foreboding began to creep into their minds. Everyone suddenly became more vigilant. A perceptive extraordinary being then heightened his tone in alarm, "Do you hear something strange?!" Strange sounds? Someone furrowed their brows, then held their breath, listening intently. "...It sounds like a rustling noise. Maybe rats in the sewer?" "No, that's not it at all!" The person suddenly clutched his ears and collapsed in distress, "That’s... that’s—" All eyes turned toward him. His state was peculiar. Moreover, ever since the limb-seeker was executed, an odd atmosphere had settled over the surroundings. As extraordinary beings, they frequently encountered supernatural events involving sealed items and pollutants, so they were quite cautious, refraining from getting too close initially. Yet, the next moment, they witnessed a chilling scene. The extraordinary who had claimed to hear strange noises was now clutching his ears forcefully, his body convulsing unnaturally, with thin streaks of blood seeping from his fingertips. "Ugh..." Finally, the extraordinary could no longer bear the sudden pain and vomited, doubled over. Chunks mixed with stomach acid splattered onto the ground. Someone stared intently and then revealed a heavy expression. Those were human fingers. But how did they end up in his stomach? While they were trapped by this conundrum, a transformation occurred. The extraordinary who had been clutching his ears suddenly froze, his expression solidified. "Thump!!!" Before everyone’s eyes, two arms as thick as an adult's unexpectedly emerged from his ears. Although the term "emerge" was used, it was more like forcing an ill-fitting item through a narrow passage with sheer brutality, coercing an alteration in its shape and shoving it through. Unsurprisingly, the result was catastrophic. Accompanied by an eruption of blood and flesh, the extraordinary’s head was forcibly burst open by the arms squeezing through his ears. Blood mingled with brain matter splattered everywhere. A sight that was stomach-turning. "Alert!!!" In an instant, Kasimo, the once-relaxed military extraordinary, became grimly serious. To silently abduct half the people with so many fourth-tier extraordinaries present, and even sow curses and pollution invisibly. Unless the adversary possessed a higher tier or wielded even more terrifying and bizarre sealed items. Either scenario was ominous for them. At this moment, everyone's gaze fixated on the arms protruding from his ears. After killing the extraordinary, these arms, fused together, did not perish alongside him. Remarkably, supported by their fingers, they began to wriggle forward like a living creature. The friction between their nails and the ground produced a faint rustling sound. Witnessing this, everyone’s expressions changed once more. Where was it going? The next target? Or perhaps, back to its creator? Moreover, what kind of entity, possessing how many similar limbs, could produce such a concentrated rustling noise? Wait a minute! Rattling noises, multiple limbs, serial murders, limb-seeker... At this point, some of the in-the-dark extraordinaries began to piece together the clues and vaguely surmised something. Meanwhile, the arm that was swiftly crawling halted at the edge of the wall, its supporting fingers going limp, lying motionless on the ground. Has it stopped? Due to a lack of power? Or— Just then, someone seemed to notice something, exclaiming in a terrified tone, "Look up!" Everyone followed the direction of the arm. Together, they met a pair of malevolent blood-red eyes staring back. It was a form like a gecko, draped in a tattered black robe of the Celestial Church, its body sewn with various limbs, nearly entirely devoid of human semblance. It looked akin to a grotesque, substantial worm, coiled on the ceiling of the old factory. "I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice the anomaly," the figure chuckled sinisterly. "Is it stupidity or greed? Capital city extraordinaries, sacrificing vigilance for tangible benefits, only to become part of my body." Speaking thus, he flexed several of the freshly attached, blood-soaked limbs, judging by their complexion and decomposition, newly acquired. Following that, accompanied by the sound of limbs scratching the walls, a pitch-black curtain slowly enveloped the entire factory. As if forming an impregnable barrier, no one could escape until the ritual was complete. Elsewhere in the crowd, a voice emerged with difficulty, "Are you the real limb-seeker?" "Indeed." Boer Xiuman grinned ominously, gnawing on one of the limbs as he slithered and crawled like a centipede. "That boy wasn’t the murderer; this entire spectacle was just to draw me out." "It's ironic, really, the only one who genuinely intended to act was killed due to your infighting." "Yet, I must extend my thanks to him." "Thanks for causing such a commotion, gathering you fourth-tier extraordinaries all in one place, perfectly meeting my advancement criteria, saving me the trouble of hunting each one down." "As a token of gratitude, once this is over, I’ll replace my left hand with that boy’s."