Chapter 31: Instinct
As the prayer ended, the hilt suddenly grew fangs and stabbed into her palm.
In the severe pain, l saw her blood vessels glowing under her skin, and countless tiny cuneiform characters flowed along her bloodstream toward her heart.
When the first character touched her heart valve, the air in the entire prayer hall let out a crisp sound of shattering glass.
The next mont, seventeen illusory figures appeared around l.
A high priestess draped in a starry veil held her wrist, a phantom assassin corrected the angle of her grip on the knife, and a dancer's perfu lingered around her neck.
As the last illusory figure dissipated, the atmosphere in the prayer hall gradually cald down.
l uncontrollably swung the knife.
Where the blade's light passed, all the candlelight solidified into blood-colored ice crystals.
“Buzz—”
The New Moon made a slight tremor in her hand, as if responding to the user's heartbeat.
The vein-like patterns gradually faded, disappearing under the moonlight along with the short knife.
But l could feel that it had already bound itself to her soul—the faintly visible New Moon mark on the back of her hand was the best proof.
With just a thought, she would be able to summon it again.
“How does it feel?”
Oliver's voice returned to normal.
“I feel”
l slowly stood up, the blood-like moonlight still enveloping her body.
“Very wondrous....”
The girl said softly.
“It's like suddenly having the mories of seventeen people, but it's not entirely mories,” l carefully chose her words, “more like an instinct, a kind of... intuition?”
She lowered her head, looked at the moon disc mark on the back of her right hand, and then a thought stirred.
The next mont, crimson moonlight condensed into a blade in her palm, and a New Moon rose in her hand.
l raised her hand.
The blade cut a beautiful arc in the air, her movents as fluid as flowing water.
As if she had practiced thousands of tis.
“That is your body adapting to these techniques.”
Oliver explained, “But rember, these are just the basics. In a real fight, you need to apply them according to the actual situation.”
With that, Oliver suddenly walked to the wall and took down a ceremonial sword.
His movents seed casual, but l felt a sharp aura from them.
“Oh right, how about we practice?”
Oliver said with a smile.
“Don't mind that I'm a bishop. I used to be a soldier—don't be nervous, I'll control my strength.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Oliver's figure suddenly blurred.
The sword cut through the air, heading straight for l's throat.
“As for the blood shed in battle, just consider it as gratitude to the Red Moon.”
“Clang!”
l almost instinctively raised the New Moon to block in front of her, parrying the fatal blow.
tal collided, making a crisp sound that echoed in the quiet church.
“Very good. Your body has already begun to react on its own.”
Oliver nodded in approval, then changed his move.
The sword's edge ca down in a flurry like raindrops.
Looking at the sudden storm of sword strikes, l's body seed to be taken over by so force.
Her movents were fluid and graceful.
The New Moon cut silver marks under the moonlight, precisely parrying every attack.
“Clang clang clang—!”
The ear-piercing sound of tal clashing was incessant.
The two figures intertwined in the candlelight and moonlight.
During the fight, l was surprised to find that she could actually see through Oliver's attack trajectory, as if those attacks had beco slow and clear.
(Is this the combat instinct left by the previous users....)
Suddenly, Oliver's sword style changed.
The sword in his hand bypassed l's defense in a strange manner, like a poisonous snake.
Just as the sword tip was about to touch her ribs, in a crucial mont, a hint of blood color suddenly spread in l's amber pupils.
The next mont, her body made an unexpected reaction.
She did not retreat.
Instead, she took a step forward.
The New Moon pressed down, and its sharp tip pierced the blade of the sword like a hook, pinning it firmly to the ground.
At the sa ti, l's left hand grabbed the candlestick on the table and swung it forward.
The burning candle wick stopped less than two centiters from Oliver's throat.
The scarlet fla licked Oliver's neck, seemingly wanting to drink the flowing blood through that thin layer of skin.
Silence spread through the church.
The candlelight flickered between the two of them, casting shadows on the wall, like a silent pantomi.
Oliver was stunned for a mont, then ca to his senses and clapped in praise.
“Magnificent.”
He slowly withdrew his stance, bent down, and picked up the sword.
The mark on it where it had been pierced by the New Moon was clearly visible under the moonlight.
The sharp blade had even left an irregular crack on the hard sword body.
l put away the New Moon, feeling the warmth coming from the mark on the back of her hand.
The moonlight shone on her through the stained-glass window, coating her in a faint red blush.
“In that instant just now, I saw the shadows of several people on you.”
Oliver said with a profound aning, “Your body almost instinctively integrated everything it learned. This kind of talent, I have never seen in any Shepherd. It's as if different streams have converged into one river.”
He said, then re-hung the sword on the wall and took a piece of silk to gently wipe the crack on the sword body.
“And this river, might just turn into an ocean. Congratulations, Miss l—you have gained its approval.”
“Then... when do I need to return it?”
l asked.
“Each generation of users has not actually returned the New Moon to the Church.”
Oliver laughed.
“It will always accompany the user until they die and dedicate their life and soul to the Red Moon. Then, the Red Moon will send it back, waiting for the next qualified person.”
Hearing this, l lowered her head again and looked at the mark on her hand, seeming to understand sothing.
“I understand, Bishop.”
“It's good that you understand.”
Oliver nodded slightly, “Go back. It's getting late—and give this to your sister on your way.”
He said, taking a pendant from his wide divine robe.
“This is a talisman blessed by the Red Moon. Wearing it will help you fight against the contamination of (Knowledge).”
Hearing this, l's eyes lit up.
She reached out and took the pendant, looking at Oliver gratefully.
“Thank you, Bishop!”
Oliver smiled softly, then drew a moon disc on his chest.
l also drew a moon disc on her chest, then said goodbye to Oliver.
“Then I'll be leaving now, Mr. Oliver—good night.”
“I wish you pleasant dreams, Miss l.”
l nodded, turned, and left the prayer hall.
Moonlight spilled through the stained-glass window, staining her back with a layer of blood.
The mont that figure disappeared behind the door, all the candles in the prayer hall extinguished at the sa ti.
Only blood colored moonlight remained, quietly watching everything.
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