abnormal mutation

Chapter 34 The Mourner

"Bang—" Roland fired a shot at close range onto the coffin. The bullet bounced off, and the black membrane remained largely unchanged.

He was getting anxious. If the extraordinary one used that extraordinary ability twice more, his entire army would be wiped out. He still had four bullets left in his gun, and he couldn't afford to waste them.

The two old men rushed over, ignoring Kili lying on the ground, seemingly wanting to save their master first.

Unexpectedly, Kiley flipped over and pounced on the old woman from behind, opening his mouth wide and biting her neck hard.

"Click——"

The old woman wasn't dead; she struggled desperately with all her might, but her body was too stiff, and she slammed her head against the ground with loud thuds, unable to turn over. Kili held on tightly, violently shaking his head, splattering blackish-red blood that shattered into tiny ice crystals on the ground.

Roland was overjoyed. Kiley's pain had lessened considerably, and he had regained his mobility. The spell had not caused serious damage.

He stood in front of the coffin, facing the old man charging towards him, the dark muzzle of a gun pointed at his head. The old man remained expressionless, neither flinching nor flinching, as if he knew nothing of fear.

The distance closed rapidly until the old man was only an arm's length away from him, and Roland immediately pulled the trigger.

"boom--"

The old man was struck as if by a heavy blow; his head suddenly tilted back, his body paused, and he fell backward to the ground. Roland could even hear the sound of his neck bones cracking.

But he wasn't dead. There was a large hole in his nostril, his neck was crooked, and he was looking at this sideways, struggling to get up.

Roland rushed forward, kicked him to the ground, then took two steps to get above his head, raised his gun and fired.

"Bang bang—"

Two shots, two holes; the marksmanship was terrible. Fortunately, the ground below was solid, offering no cushioning and thus amplifying the damage. The old man twitched a few times and then went still.

On the other side, the old woman stopped struggling. Killy released its grip, a canine tooth broken, its mouth full of blood. It turned its head to signal Roland to stay away, then staggered towards the coffin.

Without Killy's prompting, Roland had already run more than ten meters ahead, leaving the Twin Wolves, Luke, and the others behind. He knew he was the key; as long as he lived, the Extraordinary wouldn't waste his power on ordinary people.

Although the Twin Wolf mercenaries do not possess magic, their claws and teeth are imbued with spirituality, making their attack power terrifying. The black coffin will not be able to withstand them for long.

After leaving the battlefield, Roland didn't go too far. Although the fog around him had thinned a bit, there were still no lights or smoke, and it was eerily quiet. He must still be in that illusion or dreamscape called the Cemetery of Slumber.

Suddenly, both Kiley and Fridge warned him at the same time. Fridge was controlled by an unknown force, biting and knocking Kiley away before turning and charging towards Roland.

'Possession or mind control?' He could still communicate telepathically with Fletcher and knew clearly how anxious, tormented, and powerless it was.

However, Roland felt that his opponent had run out of tricks. Low-sequence extraordinary beings have fewer abilities to begin with. He had dodged magic circles, been immune to illusions and hypnosis, and had two wolf mercenaries. His opponent was getting anxious.

"Roland, you've angered me." The black wolf rapidly approached, speaking in human language, "You asked for this."

A few meters away, the black wolf suddenly leaped up, its claws and teeth gleaming coldly, its fierce eyes revealing a hint of urgency. It had to subdue Roland immediately, because Kiley was hot on its heels, and Frederick's soul was resisting fiercely and could not be controlled for long.

'He's definitely getting anxious.'

This method is clumsy. The other party is probably wary of his soul strength and dares not possess him, or is unable to possess him continuously, and at the same time lacks other decisive means.

Roland stood still, neither dodging nor avoiding, because the twin wolf mercenaries could not harm their master.

The moment the wolf's claws touched his body, they instantly disintegrated, turning into black smoke that merged into Roland's body, becoming one with him.

"This..." Before the extraordinary one could finish a single word, he was completely "sealed" and unable to move. In this state, even escaping the black wolf was a pipe dream.

"I knew you couldn't do it. There are many ways to fail: die in the jaws of wolves, be riddled with bullets. But you chose the most pathetic way to die," Roland sneered.

As he spoke, he lay down on the spot, mentally summoning the chessboard. A powerful, invisible force descended, and the surrounding light and shadow shifted. He had entered the spirit realm and was rapidly ascending.

'The spirit world?!'

The extraordinary individual, sensing the changes in the outside world, was shocked. He didn't know where Roland intended to take him, but it certainly wasn't good. Yet, he was powerless to resist, with no room for struggle whatsoever. 'Roland, what happened to you?' His mind was in turmoil, his thoughts churning, past memories constantly resurfacing.

Roland appeared calm, but was actually under immense mental tension, forcibly controlling Freich through their soul bond, daring not to relax for even a moment. He commanded the chessboard to move towards him, reducing time and minimizing variables.

A moment later, the chessboard descended from the sky, and Roland crashed into it, enveloped by a strong sense of security.

He released Frederick's restraints, and the black wolf tumbled to the ground. A spirit emerged from the wolf's body, transforming into a human form, and looked around with a bewildered expression. Frederick bared his teeth and blocked his path from behind.

“A priest?!” Roland was shocked. The person in front of him was none other than the old priest Colin who had died last year. He had even attended the church’s funeral.

“Roland, I’m sorry to meet you in this way.” The old priest turned his head, his expression wistful. “You’ve changed a lot, it’s unbelievable.”

"You are truly the one who has been hiding your true intentions. We have known each other for over a decade, and I am grateful for your continued care and concern. But I never imagined that it was all a conspiracy," Roland sneered.

The old priest shook his head: "No, I genuinely admired you back then and wanted to convert you to the church. But fate is fickle, and life is unpredictable; time did not allow me to look for someone else."

His spirit form was dressed in a priest's robe, with white hair, a gentle demeanor, and an infectious smile, a stark contrast to his fighting style just now.

"Did you cast the Nightmare Killing Technique?"

"Yes, after your spirit dies, your soul will not immediately collapse, and your body will continue to live for a period of time, which is just the right time to perform extraordinary rituals and be reborn in another body, which is also more secure."

"I didn't die from the nightmare, so you're getting anxious?" Roland guessed. The old priest's move tonight was tantamount to going straight to his face and attacking him, which was truly arrogant.

"The rebirth ritual has very strict time requirements. I originally wanted to quietly replace you and continue living under your identity, but unfortunately..." The old priest said with great regret.

He never imagined that Roland could see through the magic circle just by intuition; if his illusion had been cast any slower, Roland would have escaped.

"Do you know that I was kidnapped a few days ago and almost died?"

"How could that be?" the old priest exclaimed in surprise. "Before I died, I specifically instructed my old friends to take care of you. Who would dare to provoke you?"

"Out-of-towners, huh?" Roland sighed helplessly. It seemed that the strict investigation in Ice River Town wasn't entirely just an excuse used by the authorities.

"It's good that you're alright. My situation is special, so I can't keep an eye on you all the time." The old priest turned to look at the black wolf. "You don't have any talent, so how come you can enter and leave the spirit world and summon spirit creatures?"

"It's just a stroke of luck. What path did you take to become an extraordinary person?" he asked curiously.

"The Mourner's Path, Sequence 8 Soul Master." The old priest didn't hide anything. "I'm not very good at combat, unfortunately..."

Why did you do that?

"fear death."

"I do not believe."

"I am a follower of the goddess Oborozuki."

"..." Roland was astonished; it was the first time he had ever heard of this.

Oborozuki refers to the purple moon, and Sakura refers to the red moon. Both goddesses are chief deities, legally recognized by the church, and not excluded. However, their priesthood is not very proper. Sakura governs "sexual desire" and "reproduction," while Oborozuki is in charge of "lies" and "forgetting." The nature of believers is not very pure.

It sounds outrageous that a follower of the Moonlit Night would be working at the Cathedral of the Lord of Order. Of course, given the Father's magnanimity, it's not impossible.

From this perspective, the old priest, who appeared to be without desires, was actually a person with a hidden obsession.

“If you die, your extraordinary abilities will be wasted. You might as well leave your inheritance to me, and I will sweep your grave every year.” Roland smiled, but his words were unusually cold.

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(End of this chapter)