Chapter 2058: The Black Hand

"I read his soul and memories carefully," Elayne said. "The Demon King of Death promised Jester that he would help his organization, the Black Hand, revive their former master, Hassan-i Sabbah. I don’t know if the alliance between the Black Hand and the Demon King still remains after Jester’s death. It seemed he was the main bridge connecting the two sides."

"Huh, they want to revive... who is that?" Sailor asked in confusion.

"Earth stuff," Mark explained. "The Black Hand is an organization of elite assassins that originated on Earth. They’re extremely strong and dangerous. It seems we’ve finally uncovered their greatest desire and true purpose — to bring their old master back to life. I bet they wanted Elayne’s unique power specifically for that ritual."

"Jester’s memories showed me that they’ve been gathering powerful relics from all over the world and kidnapping skilled sorcerers and necromancers," Elayne continued. "They are definitely planning to resurrect Hassan-i Sabbah from his grave so he can begin his reign anew, this time as a true king of the dead... They don’t actually care about Thanatos at all. They were only using him as a means to an end. But I still don’t understand how they plan to pull this off. Apparently they already possess his mummified corpse, yet his soul is nowhere to be found."

"Maybe his soul isn’t in the Netherworld and is trapped in Hell instead?" Mark suggested. "I mean, he founded an organization of assassins that has done nothing but horrible and awful things to countless innocent people for centuries..."

"They did fight against corruption in the past as well, in the name of their religion and their country," Elayne explained. "But nowadays it seems the entire organization has been twisted through the heavy use of dark magic and curses. Indeed, they no longer appear to be the same group they once were, which is unfortunate."

"But summoning that old man back... I don’t think something like that is even truly possible..." Mark muttered.

"Hm..." Blank carefully analyzed the entire conversation and rapidly pieced the information together. "I suppose we can expect them to retaliate after some time passes? We did kill one of their high-ranking members, after all."

"It’s confusing..." Elayne admitted. "I don’t know if a full retaliation would even be possible. Jester was the only one among them who managed to reach this world... The others have not really explored the other side and might remain uninterested for now. However, his death is still something significant... The problem is that my daughter, her friends, and my other self are still on Earth. They could become targets... I cannot communicate with my other self right now unless she creates a connection first, but... I hope they’re prepared for anything. I can only pray to God for their safety..."

"So you’re religious. I should have guessed whenever I saw you praying quietly sometimes..." Blank observed.

"N-Not really that deeply religious, but my family is Christian. We believe in God and Jesus Christ and... well, yes," Elayne sighed softly. "I know it might seem a little foolish considering we’ve already faced actual gods and other divine beings ourselves, but... I always end up praying anyway. I guess it’s the one thing a person can still do when they feel despair and hopelessness. Even if... maybe it doesn’t always work... I still like to believe that it does, even if only a little bit."

Blank smiled faintly in understanding. "No, there’s nothing wrong with that at all. We all have our own gods or beliefs. We all pray at some point in our lives... I would be lying if I said I never prayed myself."

"I have never really believed in anything myself, but... I respect her religion completely and I would never dare insult her or Christianity just because of my own lack of belief," Mark added. "I’m glad she can find some peace of mind through prayer if that makes her happy and helps her feel better. Secretly, I also hope it works. She is a very kind and pure-hearted woman... If there really is a God up there, I’m sure He will listen to her at least."

"M-Mark... I am not pure-hearted. Quit saying things like that...!" Elayne blushed deeply, feeling embarrassed. "I am a sinner just like everyone else here... I have very... very dark thoughts sometimes. And existing here as an Undead only amplifies those thoughts on certain days."

Mark gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "That’s only natural. But the fact that you still keep persevering with your beliefs and your faith is exactly what makes you so special and unique, Elayne."

"Aw... Mark..." Elayne’s eyes sparkled with soft golden light as she hugged him tightly and kissed his lips. "I love you, Mark..."

"I love you too," Mark hugged her back firmly, kissing her forehead and gently caressing her hair.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence as the two lovebirds continued hugging and exchanging quiet, affectionate words.

Blank felt a flicker of jealousy, yet at the same time he was genuinely happy that she was happy.

The rest of the group simply stared in silence, unsure how to react.

"Uh, this is getting a little weird. Can’t we move on? You’ll have all the time in the world once we’re done with this place," Sailor finally said.

"I agree!" A fiery spirit suddenly appeared beside Elayne — Ignis, or at least a fragment of him. "We have to keep moving so we can find my other siblings!"

"Listen to what the hothead is saying," Gardenia appeared on Elayne’s left side. "Hurry up!"

"R-Right," Elayne nodded, quickly composing herself. "Ah, wait. I did kill hundreds of those undead creatures earlier. Did I gain any levels from that?"

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have slain over two hundred Bone, Ghost, and Zombie Beasts within Tiers 1 to 3!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL UP!]

[...]

[Your Level has increased from Level 263 to Level 276/300!]

[Several Skills have gained Bonus Skill Proficiency and Leveled Up!]

"Oh, thirteen levels! That’s not bad at all!"

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