Chapter 2356: "Richard

Chapter 2356: Chapter 2356: "Richard

The man holding the notebook took a step forward and suddenly appeared in front of Shard, his outstretched right hand reaching towards Shard’s chest. But then he swiftly retreated a step back.

The crimson dagger left a light trace in the air, the red "Moonlight Greatsword" slicing off the stranger’s clothing, yet he still managed to evade.

The stranger’s retreat was merely to better seize Shard’s outstretched hand, but Shard, remembering Luviya and Miss Belindel’s warnings, immediately used "Lagre’s Leap" to dodge away.

As his figure vanished, the blood-colored mist released jointly by Mr. Albert and Mr. Benhart instantly engulfed the spot where the stranger had been standing.

Though this toxic mist was ineffective against the notebook as a relic, the eerie sound of corrosion filled the air, as the human skin of the stranger standing in the red mist began rapidly dissolving.

He immediately levitated, attempting to ascend into the sky, but Shard appeared above him and opened his mouth to spew out another mouthful of red mist:

"Corrupt Blood Fog!"

The poison mist meant specifically to corrode flesh accelerated the decay of that body, but even as his skin dissolved and his flesh decayed, the stranger still stretched his hand towards Shard’s chest during his downward fall.

The moment his hand touched Shard’s chest, Shard felt the badge he wore on his chest vibrate with a "buzz~". The Death Angel’s power helped him withstand the first instant death verdict, and then his heart contracted violently, with the "Heart of Stone" power also coming into play.

The Spirit entered the longsword in his hand, a white angel’s phantom appeared out of thin air behind Shard in the midst of the dissipating blood mist. Even as the stranger, now turned completely into a "Bloodman" because of corrosion, persistently pressed his hand on Shard’s chest, his free right hand shattered the crimson "Moonlight Dagger" in Shard’s right hand, then lifted it, blocking the energy-formed pure white Holy Sword swung by the angel as his own bones cracked.

The floating black notebook beside it shook wildly at that moment, the Spiritual Light emerging on it quickly dimming, proving that the strength of the Sage Level "Richard’s Notes" pales compared to the Angel-Level "Angel’s Right Arm".

The "Bloodman" body also paused at this moment, allowing Shard’s right hand’s Silver Cross Sword to pierce directly through its body.

The angel’s phantom coordinated with Shard, slashing off the "Bloodman’s" right arm and then raising its hand, cutting towards the "Bloodman’s" head with the Light Sword.

This time it couldn’t avoid, as the continuous blood fog created by Mr. Benhart and Mr. Albert had already compressed the vision in the courtyard of the barn to an extreme.

It could not evade the angel phantom’s Light Sword, having to raise its left arm to block again. Meanwhile, the floating notebook collided with Shard’s face. Shard reached down, grasping the crimson dagger once more.

The color of the blood mist and Shard’s weapon was remarkably similar. Plus, he’d already used that crimson Moonlight Dagger earlier, and the Angel’s Right Arm piercing the "Bloodman’s" body severely interfered with its perception.

Therefore, it did not attempt to block the short dagger this time, but focused on using its left hand to block the Light Sword swung by the angel phantom.

Thus, the crimson Crystal Dagger "Madeline’s Love" pierced straight through the notebook attempting to pounce on Shard. In that instant, it seemed even the surrounding red mist froze.

The pink crystal quickly spread outward from the "wound" on the notebook, covering its surface with a thin layer of crystal in the blink of an eye.

Simultaneously, the "Bloodman’s" left arm was severed by the Light Sword swung by the angel’s phantom, which continued its momentum, slashing the entire human body before Shard into two halves.

Once the unknown man’s body was occupied by the consciousness within "Richard’s Notes", he was, in fact, already dead, so Shard was not guilty of murdering an innocent person.

"This weapon... So, you were sent by her, the assassin."

The corpse fell, igniting in pure white flames. As Shard withdrew the "Angel’s Right Arm" from the body, the pierced notebook emitted a voice.

At this moment, "Madeline’s Love" had completely dissolved in Shard’s hand, with its crystal clinging to the notebook, seemingly intent on completely converting the notebook into crystal.

The trembling notebook suddenly shot into the sky, flying like a meteor out of the red mist in the barnyard and towards the distant darkness.

"It’s trying to escape!"

Shard leapt up, transforming into a swarm of Red Butterflies to give chase, while Mr. Benhart, outside the mist, was about to pursue when Mr. Albert moved first:

"I’ll go help him; you stay here and calm down Mrs. Jude."

"Why me?"

"You’re better at socializing than I am."

As he spoke, the coroner transformed into a swarm of bats and followed, leaving Mr. Benhart standing on the spot watching the three red lights fade into the darkness.

The "Red Butterfly Incarnation" state, though now well-mastered by Shard, still couldn’t match the speed of "travel by light," even if it surpassed human running and carriage speed.

Fortunately, the target Shard was chasing wasn’t flying fast either; although "Madeline’s Love" hadn’t achieved the imagined killing blow, the notebook was evidently at its last gasp as well.

The chase left two light traces above the nocturnal fields, but soon the notebook in front couldn’t hold up, crashing down near a country riverbank not far from both the barn and the orphanage.

When the notebook, its surface completely crystallized, hit the ground heavily, the swarm of Red Butterflies that Shard transformed into appeared beside it.

Before his feet touched the ground, he was quick to throw the at the notebook, which was vibrating as if about to explode. Unexpectedly, the notebook managed to dodge and attempted to fly into the night sky again as the chains, like a long snake, tried to attack it once more.

A crimson glimmer suddenly flew over from afar, and Mr. Albert struck it with his hand, knocking the already wobbly notebook back down.

This time, there was no escape. The immediately wrapped around it, but Shard was surprised to find that the sins associated with the object were quite negligible:

"So how exactly are sins judged?"

Shard then gripped his sword with both hands, using the Silver Cross Sword to firmly pin the crystallized notebook to the riverbank. The typical indestructible trait of such relics had now completely faded from , signifying its imminent end.

Amidst the sound of rushing water, the notebook trembled twice more before becoming completely motionless.

A group of bats landed behind Shard, and the robed coroner revealed his human form. The two stood together watching as an unstable white light rose from the notebook, followed by the apparition of a tall man in robes within it.

His body was extremely unstable, and his scholarly attire did not resemble that of the current Sixth Era.

"Richard?"

Shard asked cautiously, and the phantom-like man nodded, then looked down at the notebook which was gradually becoming fully crystallized, his face devoid of any expression:

"I have lost. After such a prolonged time, the end came so suddenly... Finally, I wish to speak with you alone, about her."

"Why would I want to talk with you alone?"

Shard feigned surprise, and Richard uttered a single word:

"Mermaid."

Shard took a deep breath and then looked at Mr. Albert beside him, who nodded thoughtfully:

"I’ll wait for you nearby."

He then swiftly turned and walked toward the fields by the river.

Shard did not object to having a conversation, as he was genuinely curious about what had occurred in the past:

"The ’her’ you want to discuss, is it Madeline or the mermaid?"

"Richard," whose height was similar to Shard’s and whose build was average, had very short cropped hair, making it impossible for Shard to determine his exact hair color in the nighttime. His nose was small, but his deeply set eyes were incredibly piercing.

"Richard" was not a tangible entity, enveloped in the gradually waning Whisper Element, he was merely a phantom—a projection of a consciousness on the brink of fading.

"Both."

The man answered Shard’s question, and Shard hesitated for a moment before releasing the long sword in his hand. Five pebbles flew around the notebook as he extended his fingers toward it, and then silver Moonlight Thorns emerged from the ground, entwining the pebbles, completely encasing the notebook.

Shard then stepped back a few paces, resting his knee on the large stone by the riverbank and looking at the scholar-like man conversing with him under the moonlight.

The flowing river and the serene night created a fitting atmosphere, granting Shard a brief respite after a night of ambush and chaos:

"Are you going to tell me your own story? Up till now, all I knew was you were a ’fool who wore a mask for so long you couldn’t remove it; a fool who claimed righteousness yet consistently brought disaster.’"

Richard, with his back to the river, his slightly glowing body barely noticeable in the long night:

"Did the mermaid tell you that?"

After a slight pause, he continued:

"My story took place far in the past, during the Era of Chaos in the Fourth Era. Madeline and I were both believers in the Church of the God of Love. We met and fell in love after joining the church, and with blessings from our lord and fellow believers, we were meant to enter the sanctity of marriage."

Shard said nothing, quietly listening to the long-lost tale.

"The circumstances of that bygone era were vastly different from those of today. Perhaps you think this city was chaotic enough last Sunday night, but that night was quieter than most nights I lived through when I was alive."

Shard did not display any particular emotion; the Fourth Era, known as the Era of Darkness and Chaos, was certainly not an overstatement.