Blood tax

Chapter 585: The Loser Eats Dust (Part )

Salorian hasn't chased after them yet... While Griffith was talking to Lana and Fiona, Erza was always on guard against enemies that might appear from nowhere.

But nothing happened for the time being. The guests and waiters walked around, looking relaxed and showing no signs of hallucination.

"What day and time is it?"

"July 1444, 7," Lannes replied. "Ten ten minutes at night."

"That night, I didn't come to Bremi," Griffith recalled for a while, and said, "At this time, I was accompanying Sonya after leaving the dance, on the beach by the sea..."

Time goes back nearly a year...

What Erza is concerned about is how to crack the secret of this area as quickly as possible and break free.

According to previous understanding, the first rule of "Loser Eats Dust" is to copy the shadow of the person touched and create a nearly perfect copy; every time Griffith is killed in "Loser Eats Dust", his time will go back a certain distance until a certain ending.

That's it?
Erza thought for a while and asked:

"Then, Miss Lana and Miss Xia Long, why are you here? The palace ball should not be over yet."

"We are here to investigate!" Fiona said loudly, "Today, here, some people are plotting!"

"Really? If so, then we can investigate," Erza said, "The domain needs to be built on matter and consciousness. I can speculate that the second rule of 'Loser Eats Dust' is -

"The domain is a projection of the human mind. When Salorian trapped Griffith in it, he also revealed his own memories and thoughts. Salorian's real body should be at a certain distance from us in this time and space."

At this moment, Fiona suddenly shuddered.

"Follow me, tonight's guests have arrived."

Fiona led everyone to the end of the corridor, turned the corner to a storage room, and opened a secret passage at an angle.

"This is the property of the Xia Long family. Long ago, our ancestors built a secret passage behind the wall, leading to a secret room underground. There is more than one entrance, so the conspiracy group can gather quietly."

Fiona applied a strange powder to everyone.

"Invisibility powder can block our presence and presence. As long as we don't get too close, we won't be discovered."

"Isn't it dangerous for you to do this?"

Rana shrugged his shoulders, looking helpless. He led the way expertly down the dark steps. The town of Bremi was on the cliffs above the bay. The foundation of the hotel was a mixture of different styles, partly blending in with the solid limestone beneath the town.

The stairs led through some old stone doors. Griffith could vaguely make out unfamiliar heraldry carved into them.

"The family that owned this property in the early years was the De Raple family, but they have fallen into decline and no trace of them can be found. One of Xialong's ancestors, named Norris, made a fortune during the war and bought this place as a suburban villa.

“The old owner required the buyer to keep the building as it was, leaving the moss, bats and spider webs in their original places, based on family inheritance documents, and not to rebuild!
“Of course that’s impossible.

"At that time, what Norris got was a First Age ruin that was about to collapse. Several secret passages led to the cliffs, which were covered with mosses and full of white-headed gulls' nests. Except for a few towers and the hall of this inn, the stone walls of most floors had been damaged and the interior decoration had peeled off. A large-scale repair was required.

"It is said that at that time, the people in the town hated this place and the de Raple family who once lived here. Norris even hired stonemasons from Bayerland to allow the project to proceed."

Rana added: "That was hundreds of years ago. In that era, all the towns and villages had stories of monsters. The legends were mostly descriptions of very scary creatures, and the locals were frightened and silent, or evasive, which exacerbated the fear."

"I think your ancestors bought this place for more than just a beach villa," Erza chuckled. "Look at that strange stone base and the completely different materials between the stone pillars. I told you that this villa was built on the site of an ancient prehistoric temple, which can even be traced back to before the First Age.

"Look, the inscription is blurred but still visible, the characters seem to be the symbol of the ancient Mother of Truth."

"What is the Mother of Truth?" Rana asked in surprise, "This is the first time I've heard of it."

"This is an ancient god that was banished. Bayerlan forbade citizens from participating in his dark worship. However, there are some remaining ruins in various places. There is even a temple outside the Pasha City, which was once crowded with worshippers and held some unspeakable rituals."

The traces of the ancient gods were not destroyed by the decline of faith. On the steps and platforms leading to the deep underground, Griffith also discovered the remaining framework of the ancient temple, which had been transformed over the years and integrated into the new civilization.

There were wailing and whistling sounds coming from the windswept cliffs below the limestone cliffs, and the stench of corruption filled the tunnel. The end of the stairs led to the exit of the cliff, and the other end led to a secret room with an arch and two rows of stone columns at the door, all in an elegant and harmonious classical style. Griffith tried to interpret the blurred and strange patterns above, but he couldn't understand it at all.

The secret room was deep in the foundation. Griffith and the others came to the entrance, and there was an extremely unpleasant stench. Even with the sea breeze blowing from the exit from time to time, it was still unbearable.

They looked inside and saw a dimly lit cave in front of them. A large pit was surrounded by various strange, primitive and crude stone rings and surprisingly thick iron chains. Dark green water with white foam surged in the pit, and in the dim light, a huge shadow emerged from the water. It was an endless twisted tentacles, an amorphous mass, and the projection of a giant imprisoned somewhere.

Soon, the terrifying shadow and aura disappeared, and several figures in black robes appeared at the other end of the pit.

Griffith couldn't see their faces clearly, but he could hear their voices, some of which sounded very familiar.

"According to reliable intelligence, the sword that will kill the Hunter has already been forged."

"The question is how to find him. What does the Holy See plan to do?"

"They found the abandoned 'Saint' project. Some suitable containers will be sent to candidates according to God's will, such as His Highness Commodus. Of course, this is all unofficial. The Church does not recognize the qualifications of the 'Saint', and the actions of the relevant persons in charge have not received any instructions from the top."

"I'd rather bet on a dog than trust that frivolous kid."

"Sir, this is a bet after all. We don't know who is the most suitable..."

"Then, follow the guidance of the Holy Light and send our people as well. Be careful."

Griffith heard that the person giving the orders in the conversation was the Duke of the South, Lord Mirantis. After assigning the tasks, he respectfully said to a black shadow:
"Please report to the Hermit that we have investigated the nature of Fiona de Chalon."

Hermit, investigation into Fiona?
The four people hiding at the edge of the secret room held their breath. It was very likely that Salorian was just a stone's throw away from them.

Someone asked, "What's wrong with this girl?"

Another person at the meeting explained respectfully:
"Sharon's bloodline has an ancient heritage and contains a hint of divinity. Her existence constitutes a core of radiant psionic energy, spreading extraordinary characteristics in a form that is almost a plague, creating similar people.

"When Fiona de Chalon appeared on the battlefield, she greatly enhanced the organization and morale of the army. Even the most disorderly militia gained a high sense of mission. The essence of this improvement did not come from the Chalon flag. Our people managed to replace the seal with a replica and replaced it after the war. The Countess did not realize that the power to cover the battlefield was her characteristic.

"This attack achieved our original goal. We tested the bloodline characteristics of Fiona de Chalon, and the conclusion is completely consistent with the Hermit's speculation."

Fiona and Lana, who were eavesdropping, were stunned.

By this time, Griffith could roughly guess what Salorian was up to.

Salorian wants to create a world for him and his lover lady; he feels that this is not enough, he needs to transform the whole world into Shoggoth to be satisfied! ?

The conspiracy ended quickly, and the participants withdrew respectfully, leaving only one person in the secret room.

"Come here, my students," Salorian's voice floated out, "Griffith, you don't know yet, it is at this point in time that I found the key to victory -

"The bloodline of an ancient being hides a backdoor that controls humans, allowing the loss of control to spread throughout the magic network.

"As long as the timing is right, I can destroy Tyberion's psychic army in one fell swoop, and in the process destroy the entire credibility of the spellcaster, making them politically bankrupt."

As he spoke, his form transformed into a brilliant and perfect youth. The shadows on the ground also came alive, transforming into the images of Griffith and Erza. "What the hell is this!" Lana and Fiona shouted together.

As the four were about to fight, Salorian raised his index and middle fingers and pointed at Erza. Suddenly, strange ripples appeared in the air, and the phantom of a spear suddenly appeared in front of Erza's chest, and in an instant it materialized into a real holy spear.

Blood flowed from the corner of Erza's mouth, and she fell down after staggering.

The speed of this attack was beyond the scope of cognition! There was no sign of attack, and no chance to dodge. The moment the two sides met, Erza was knocked down.

She half-knelt on the ground, tightly grasping the gun that pierced her chest: "I know the second rule of 'Loser Eats Dust':
"Except for Griffith, who is the core of the domain, those who were killed by Salorian and the shadow in 'The Loser Eats Dust' will die in the same way even if time goes back, and their shadows will remain. Until the end comes, the rewind stops, and the shadow replaces the real body and remains in reality.

“This is the power of ‘The Loser Eats Dust’. Once you are defeated, he will take it away from you.

"Leave here, Griffith. There will be others to help you. Tell them the rule of 'Losers Eat Dust'!"

Erza disappeared in a cloud of light.

Rana, who had come to his senses, wanted to fight back, but at that moment, he was just a Beyonder who had just been promoted to Sequence 7. Salorian swung his scepter and smashed Griffith, Rana, and Fiona to the ground.

"The power to expel magic is a consensus among many gods, and some of them are particularly fond of you. In order to achieve this goal, they sent their spokespersons and power to you, and carefully kept the secret for you. This is the hand of God. Even though you are young, you already have the gift of the times.

"This is the source of Erza Valkyrie's confidence. She believes that as long as she protects you and delays time, the protection of the gods will follow.

“That was an obstacle I had to overcome in my plan.

"How did I do it? Theoretically, all mysterious projections in reality must exist in real form, specifically in the form of human beings, and gather around you.

"Griffith, my student, I have bestowed upon you the highest honor. If you are still unwilling to accept Minos and become my sword, the power of 'The Loser Eats Dust' will be triggered, and the gift you have received will be taken away."

"The Loser Eats Dust" is the ability to restrain Griffith and face Salorian alone, exclude external interference and seize Griffith's personality. Any interference from the gods will be at an absolute disadvantage. Once defeated, they will be absorbed by "The Loser Eats Dust" and transformed into a "shadow" controlled by Salorian.

The shadows around him rushed forward and killed Lana and Fiona on the spot. Soon, the shadows of the two were also copied.

Salorian raised the Scepter of Destruction again.

“Your foreign aid is strong, Griffith, and now it’s mine!
"Destroy once again, and accelerate your fall towards the end."

The irresistible blow knocked Griffith away.

He turned and ran, but the deadly attack followed him. Erza's shadow made a projection gesture with ease, and the illusory psychic line connected Griffith and the Holy Lance together.

Will be in!

Griffith escaped from the secret room and ran towards the cliff. He was shot in the back, and two streams of bright red blood spurted out from his chest. A sharp spear with golden light shattered his heart, and it exploded into flying light fragments like a broken star!
The shield and armor were pierced by the blow that twisted cause and effect, and Griffith fell to the ground with blood seeping through his flesh.

"We must act quickly," said Erza's shadow. "The ability of 'Loser Eats Dust' is indeed powerful, but the will of the gods is also difficult to guess. If they know of any clues and come with all their might, it will be difficult to deal with."

"That's what I mean," Griffith's shadow nodded in response, "We must locate his position as soon as possible after each time rewind and kill him quickly. As long as time reaches the origin, the rewind will end and we will enter reality."

Four shadows gathered around Salorian. After a moment, Rana's shadow was a little unsure and asked:
"So, what are we waiting for?"

"After Griffith was shot, time went back," Erza's shadow replied, "My projection really hit the vital point. There's no way he could survive."

"Oh..." Lana and Fiona's shadow nodded together, "But why is he not dead yet? He is still climbing up the cliff~"

Salori arranged for everyone to come out, holding a scepter in his hand, and swung it at the dying Griffith.

There was no way to resist. Just a single blow from Erza's shadow hit the vital point, piercing through the shield and heart. Griffith didn't even understand why he was still alive.

The gushing blood formed a pool under his body, and his broken ribs fell to the ground. He crawled in the sticky and warm blood with a hazy consciousness in the severe pain.

He couldn't win. Facing Salorian and two shadows of the God's Hand level alone, he had no chance of winning. After falling into the "loser eats dust", Griffith lost Erza as soon as possible, and he lost the strongest fighting force around him.

The plan of "Loser Eats Dust" was started long ago, even before Griffith got the bone ring Minos! Salorian had an absolute advantage from the beginning of the plan with his deliberate plan!
However, we cannot fall into retrogression like this... In the next time and space, we still have to face the mysterious "loser eats dust" and the overwhelming gap in combat power.

A shrill roar like the howling of ghosts rang out in the air, and the power gathered by the Scepter of Salorian shattered the air and was coming like a tidal wave!

It's over. I will fall into the flashback again and be killed again. Eventually, the shadow of "The Loser Eats Dust" will replace my real body...

Griffith turned over and smiled miserably as he looked at his chest with a big hole in it.

Eh, wait a minute?
Relief, despair, pain, and surprise flashed across his face. Griffith suddenly jumped up from the pool of blood, opened his arms and rushed towards the psychic impact shot out by the Scepter of Destruction.

In a split second, Salorian was a little surprised. He saw Griffith, whose face was covered in blood, with a weird and crazy smile on his face, and he raised his middle finger to him in contempt.

"boom--!"

Griffith was blown away by the explosion and fell into the sea along with tons of boulders and was swept away by the waves.

……

"puff--"

Under the thick night, the huge waves threw Griffith onto the beach with a crash. Soaked, rolled, and repeatedly ravaged by the huge waves, Griffith was like a rag with only half a breath left. He struggled on the beach, squirming like a salted fish. The waves that came from time to time hit his head and slammed it into the sand.

"Haha."

"Hahahaha!"

Griffith chuckled, looking up at the stars in the night sky and laughed. Suddenly, a wave of salty and fishy seawater poured into his mouth, like someone was poking the back of his throat with a stick.

"Ah—cough, cough, cough!"

Griffith nearly fainted. He turned over hastily, spitting out the seawater that had filled his stomach, and nearly coughing out his lungs.

In the distance, a slender girl rushed down the steps, across the beach, and ran towards us. She was barefoot, and the waves wet her ankles and the hem of her skirt.

The closer she got, the brighter the golden halo around them became. Griffith staggered to his feet, walked towards her, and kneeled down in one step, falling on the girl's shoulders.

"Oops~"

The slender girl was directly pressed to the ground. She struggled for a few times, and finally lifted the knight up, took out a bottle of healing potion and poured it into Griffith's mouth.

The wounds are healing and spiritual energy is recovering!
A gentle and tolerant will was watching them from above the stars.

"Sonia," Griffith gasped, grabbing the girl's hand. "I need help."

"Griffith, my knight, I am here."

Sonya's eyes were bright, and her psychic energy was replenishing Griffith's strength through their embrace.

"Please fight without reservation and without fear!"