Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 216 Red

Lu Ze looked around.

He seemed to be in an underground building, in a very dark environment with only the eerie blue flames of his lava sword burning, slightly illuminating the surroundings.

On the magic circle beneath their feet, the blood had not yet dried, and the servant's body, now broken in two, lay on it, a crazed smile frozen on his face.

"What is this place?"

Sophia stood up from the ground, moved to Luze's side, and asked in a low voice.

She looked very scared.

Yes, considering the waiters' madness before their deaths, the place they were transported to must be fraught with danger. In the darkness unlit by the firelight, countless terrifying enemies may be lurking.

"Don't move."

Lu Ze said.

"call!"

A crimson flame ignited in his palm, its dazzling light instantly illuminating everything around him.

This appears to be a vast, empty hall, with thick pillars supporting the dome. Two enormous black thrones stand in the center of the hall, with inverted candlesticks hanging from the ceiling. The black pillars are adorned with knife-cut etched patterns.

The hall has an overall asymmetrical and quirky style, with the number of candlesticks on the left and right sides not matching, and the patterns and shapes also being different.

Luze maintained his demonic body, his scarlet eyes scanning his surroundings warily, sensing any potential malice.

His gaze passed over the two thrones in the center, which seemed to be reserved for giants to sit on, and he saw several asymmetrical doors on the wall at the end of the hall, each door inlaid with a sacred emblem.

In the very center of the wall was a long passageway.

The passageway stretched inwards, becoming dark and gloomy, where nothing could be seen.
Can't you see it?

I saw it.

I saw it.

It's red.

It is an extremely vibrant red.

Red, red, red.

It's like the color of hot blood pumped from a dissected heart; like the color of a burning house, the intense heat of the flames like the color of a blooming flower; like the color of a fierce battlefield, the color of the last remaining will to survive in people's minds when they lose their minds and fight each other like wild beasts.

In a daze, Lu Ze vaguely saw a handsome man with long crimson hair riding a headless, fiery skeletal horse across the battlefield. Wherever his horse trod, crimson flames suddenly rose.
A magnificent sound, originating from an unknown place, resounded throughout the world.

Those were hymns from ancient times, in that ignorant age, when people knelt on the ground, praising them aloud in voices of fear and devotion—

"He was born of blood and fire."

"And so war broke out on the earth."

"From that time on, there was nothing red in the world but Him."

Luze's consciousness was crumbling. He opened his mouth and began chanting a prayer, as if he too had become an ancient ancestor, involuntarily moving closer to that crimson figure, until—

"Wow—"

The illusory sound of the ocean waves rose up, shattering the illusion.

Lu Ze suddenly woke up with a start, finding himself still standing in the center of the hall. However, the once peaceful underground building suddenly became filled with a sense of danger. Deep in the passageway, it seemed that bright red blood was slowly flowing out, emanating an extremely terrifying aura, yet also possessing an irresistible attraction.

"Ah, ah"

He heard a desperate yet joyful murmur. Turning his head, he saw Sofia Einhorn staring wide-eyed, tears of blood streaming down her face, involuntarily looking towards the tunnel. Her beautiful face was contorted, but her lips twitched, forcing out a joyful smile as she struggled, moved, and stepped towards the tunnel.

What's inside is both attracting and destroying her.

Behind them, the waiter's body, cleaved in two, had somehow dissolved into pure blood, flowing across the ground and seemingly extending into the passageway.
Danger!

Escape! The "malicious perception" screamed, frantically stimulating Lu Ze's brain, telling him that there was an extremely dangerous presence deep in that tunnel, and he had to get away as fast as possible!

"Snapped!"

Lu Ze delivered a karate chop to Sophia's neck, knocking her unconscious. Lu Ze then grabbed her by the clothes and ran outside at full speed.

—The “malicious perception” was warning him that he could not leave Sophia with that being deep in the tunnel, or something even more terrible would happen!

"call!"

He tucked Sophia around his waist, pushed off the ground with his feet, and leaped into the air. Then, his bat wings flapped against the air, propelling him through the hall and heading straight for the path leading to the upper level.

Behind him, it seemed as if blood was slowly flowing, following him at a leisurely pace.

Damn!

Lu Ze's hair stood on end, and he could only increase his flight speed as much as possible.

The front of the hall was a series of steps leading upwards. As he climbed the steps, suddenly, signs of a large-scale collapse came into view.

The passageway is blocked!

Broken bricks, mud, and stone pillars filled the area, cutting off their escape route.

On the messy ground, there were remnants of explosives and shell casings, soot marks on the walls, and the faint smell of gunpowder in the air—all of this proved that someone had deliberately blown up the passage and blocked it off.

And it was done not long ago!

Hey!
What the hell did that?!

Don't let me catch you!
Lu Ze was on the verge of tears, gritting his teeth and cursing the person who did this.

Looking back, at the end of the firelight, crimson blood was spreading upwards along the steps. In the darkness, something seemed to be treading on the blood, walking steadily toward them.

Lu Ze didn't have much time left. He hesitated for only a moment before continuing his actions. He reached into his robes and took out a dark blue stone. The stone was mottled and uneven, as if it had been burned by an invisible force.

"Door!"

He shouted in ancient Hermetic.

A faint, ethereal blue light suddenly emanated from the stone, enveloping Luze's body and Sofia Einhorn, who was tucked around his waist.

The teleportation stone that Fors left him proved invaluable at this moment!

Their figures gradually blurred until they vanished completely. They escaped before the blood could spread.

"Ok?"

In the darkness, the being stopped, and after a moment, chuckled softly.

"What a coincidence."

"brush!"

After a few seconds in this strange world, Luze, carrying Sophia, descended from the sky and landed on solid ground.

The crimson moonlight poured down like water, the streets were quiet and peaceful, and there was not a soul on the road.

"This should still be Backlund. That's good."

Lu Ze looked around and, after confirming that he had left that dangerous underground area, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Then, he felt a little scared.

That place was terrifying. I didn't even see what was actually inside, and I almost died. Even when I faced evil gods, I never had an experience like this!
No, that's because what I encountered wasn't the evil god's true form, but merely a wisp of its will. As for that guy, he might actually be the true form. From the illusion, his true form seemed to be a red-haired man?

Thinking of this, Lu Ze couldn't help but turn his gaze to the unconscious Sophia.

The latter's fiery red hair shimmered with a magnificent luster under the moonlight.

(End of this chapter)