Under the moonlight, the Grand Canal of Venice gently rippled, the entire world enveloped in a soft, rustling murmur.
The Rialto Bridge spanning the Grand Canal was eerily silent. Its massive eaves cast deep shadows over the corridor, where a pair of red eyes shifted through the darkness.
Xia Pingzhou put away his mobile phone, slowly raising his gaze from the screen.
The mont his eyes landed on the bridge corridor, a cold system notification rang out in his mind.
[System Notification: Encountered two rare demons — "Copycat Demon" (Compatibility with Host Body Two's Celestial Drive: 95%)]
'Compatibility? Does that an they are suitable for a contract?' he wondered, raising a brow slightly.
"Well?" Bloodline curled her lips into a smile, her crimson eyes turning toward Xia Pingzhou.
"Cripple them for ," Xia Pingzhou replied, his face entirely expressionless. "I will finish them off."
"Finish them off?" Bloodline chuckled. "Only our rookie could make 'please feed ' sound so dignified."
Xia Pingzhou remained silent.
Having a stoic persona ca with one distinct advantage: when choked up and unsure of what to say, he simply said nothing. When others stared at his poker face, they would assu he was pondering so incredibly serious issue and imdiately hold back their teasing.
To conceal his lack of a retort, he focused his gaze forward with even greater intensity and solemnity.
At that mont, two eerie figures were slowly erging from the shadows, their muffled footsteps echoing through the corridor.
Indeed, they were human figures. Judging by their silhouettes, they did not look like demons at all. As their forms were gradually exposed to the moonlight, Xia Pingzhou's pupils slightly dilated.
What entered his vision were undoubtedly two humans. However, Xia Pingzhou was not surprised that these demons had disguised themselves as people; rather, it was their specific appearances that caught him off guard.
One of the demons wore a blood-red dress with matching high heels, its long, pale golden wavy hair fluttering in the wind. The other wore a black hoodie, bearing a handso but aloof face.
They were exact replicas of Bloodline and Xia Pingzhou.
'They transford into us?' Xia Pingzhou mused. 'Does that an they can copy our abilities as well?'
"Oh? Copycat Demons?" A flash of surprise crossed Bloodline's features. "These things are quite rare. I heard White Wolf ntion them once. There are probably no more than five of them in the entire world. I did not expect us to run into them."
"Do not accidentally kill them both. Leave at least one alive; I need to form a contract with it," Xia Pingzhou stated.
"So demanding. Then I will take out the one pretending to be
first."
As soon as the words left her lips, Bloodline surged forward, her figure violently darting out like a blood-red curtain dancing beneath the moonlight.
Her movents were completely untraceable. Xia Pingzhou could only see a crimson flash of a blade; at so unseen mont, she had ford a rippling Blood Sword in her right hand. Bloodline's high heels tapped lightly against the bridge corridor as she landed behind her duplicate and sheathed her weapon.
A thin bloody line appeared across the waist of the demon that had transford into her. Its body split into two along the dotted line, the top half sliding downward from the severed gap.
Xia Pingzhou released his Celestial Drive, and a black-and-white halo ford around him. He raised his hand, his well-defined joints standing out as his fingers pinched the phantom of the Queen Golem.
With a sharp crack, the Chess Shadow shattered, and the phantom of the Queen Golem swept past him.
She spun her body in mid-air, her twin daggers transforming into a whirlwind of blades that completely shredded the two halves of the duplicate Bloodline into a mist of blood.
This scene reflected in Xia Pingzhou's pitch-black eyes, his dark hair blown wildly by the wind howling over the Grand Canal.
[Detected the kill of a C-rank or higher demon. The cumulative kill count for the 'Winter of the Wild Hunt' system has been updated: 20/40]
[Current progression for Host Body Two's Celestial Drive 'Chessboard' is at: 8%]
"It took on my appearance, you know. Could you not have been a little gentler with it?"
Bloodline teased while slowly turning her head, shifting her gaze to the second Copycat Demon.
She raised her slender fingers and pointed at it. Blood condensed into a single droplet, which then compressed into a fine needle. With a casual flick of her fingers, akin to tapping ash from a cigarette, the crimson needle shot out like a bullet straight toward the Copycat Demon's skull.
"King Golem," the Copycat Demon abruptly declared.
Xia Pingzhou froze. 'This demon can actually use my Ability?'
In a split second, a translucent King appeared behind the Copycat Demon.
The King hoisted its Scepter high, and black-and-white energy coalesced into a Barrier that enveloped the Copycat Demon's body. The incoming blood needle struck the Barrier mid-air, emitting a violent hum before its kinetic force slowly dissipated.
Eventually, the blood needle broke apart, turning into scattered droplets that dripped onto the bridge structure.
"Wow, seriously?" Bloodline raised her eyebrows. "A re demon managed to block my attack?"
Without hesitation, Xia Pingzhou instructed, "Attack the statue behind it."
"Yes, sir," Bloodline replied playfully, her figure instantly relocating to the rear of the Copycat Demon.
She lowered her face, her crimson eyes gleaming brightly in the shadows of the corridor. Blood seeped from between her fingers, weaving a wavelike trajectory through the air.
The ink-like red fluid appeared entirely liquid, yet in the next second, it acted like a sledgehamr. Accompanied by a fierce gale, it utterly smashed the King's head into pieces.
Amidst the shower of Silver fragnts fluttering through the air, Bloodline twisted her body without even looking back. Facing the Copycat Demon's back, she delivered a casual, effortless slap toward its head, much like spiking a volleyball.
With a deafening boom, its head was instantly swatted away, flying a hundred ters into the sky. It ricocheted off the spire of a nearby building before plunging down into the Grand Canal.
"Was it necessary to be that brutal?" Xia Pingzhou felt a phantom ache in his own neck.
"Weren't you just as brutal with my duplicate?"
"That was just a demon."
"This is also just a demon," Bloodline retorted disapprovingly, brushing back her pale golden hair.
She stood with one hand on her hip, the hem of her red dress swaying gently.
The next mont, the headless Copycat Demon slowly fell to its knees. Its body twitched and writhed, gradually becoming transparent until it shrunk down into a tiny paper figure.
"Don't kill ! Please don't kill ! Go kill my brother!"
The paper figure curled up on the ground, hugging its knees while trembling uncontrollably. Tears welled up in its pitch-black eye sockets.
"So this is its True Self." Bloodline crossed her arms, looking down at the paper figure. "Well, what are you going to do with it?"
"Form a contract," Xia Pingzhou replied.
Curiosity piqued, Bloodline asked, "Is there any point in forming a contract with such a weak demon? Even though it can mimic our appearance and so of our abilities, its actual power is far inferior to its target."
"It managed to block one of your attacks."
Resting her hand against her chin, Bloodline mused, "True enough... I didn't think it could withstand my move. Was that your Ability earlier?" She looked at Xia Pingzhou.
"Yes. It can copy my Ability. Regardless of the actual strength, that is enough for ."
Speaking, Xia Pingzhou stepped toward the paper figure. The M??bius Strip orbiting him abruptly transford into a Key radiating a black-and-white halo, hovering quietly in mid-air.
The front of the Key was engraved with the form of the Shadow Demon, while the back was densely etched with various Chess Shadows: the Queen, the King, Knights, Soldiers...
This was the Contract Form of his Celestial Drive. As the na implied, it was a shape that only manifested when forming a pact with a demon.
According to the mories implanted in Xia Pingzhou's body, the Contract Form of every Celestial Drive was unique, though most took the shape of so kind of vessel.
So were wine glasses, so were flasks, and so were even glass orbs...
Yet, as seen right before him, the Contract Form of Xia Pingzhou's Celestial Drive, Chessboard, was a Key.
This was clearly exceptionally rare, as a Key completely defied the definition of a vessel. "If it were possible, I'd like to be an Exorcist too. It seems much more fun than being an Esper," Bloodline suddenly chid in.
"If you were an Exorcist, you would look like a hundred-year-old hag by now. The demon you just dismbered wouldn't have bothered transforming into a hag; it would have simply turned and fled... and I would be down one demon kill."
"Did our Young Lady ever teach you sothing?"
"Teach
what?"
"If you have nothing nice to say, don't speak at all."
"She doesn't know how to speak nicely either."
With that, Xia Pingzhou reached out and gripped the Key. He bent down and extended it toward the paper figure.
"Form a contract with ," he demanded, "or die."
The paper figure froze for a long mont. It slowly loosened its grip on its knees, stumbled forward two steps, and threw its arms wide. It tightly hugged the Key, which was noticeably larger than its own body, much like a person hugging a massive pillar.
Its body rged with the Key, swiftly transforming into a pattern engraved on the front face, right next to the Shadow Demon.
The Shadow Demon covered its mouth with its hands, letting out a sinister "Heh heh heh" as if welcoming this new resident.
The black-and-white stream of light swirled around the Key, carrying it back into Xia Pingzhou's palm.
Imdiately after, a series of system panels popped up in his vision.
[Notification: Host Body Two's Celestial Drive 'Chessboard' has successfully ford a contract with the rare demon 'Copycat Demon'.]
[Copycat Demon's Ability: Replicates a Chess Piece on the Chessboard for 8 seconds, simultaneously acquiring its Authority. (Excludes fused Chess Pieces)]
[Note: The Copycat Demon's attributes and Authority will be noticeably weaker compared to its original target.]
[Copycat Demon's Maximum Presence Duration: 8 seconds]
[Shadow Demon's Maximum Presence Duration: 5 seconds]
[Current available slots for Celestial Drive: 0 (The Exorcist must advance to Tier 3 to form a pact with a new demon)]
"Shall we continue?" Bloodline rubbed her temples, her mouth curling into a slight grin. "Even though I might have had a bit too much alcohol, keeping you company for the rest of the night shouldn't be an issue."
"Then let us proceed."
With those words, the Key in Xia Pingzhou's grasp dissolved seamlessly into his palm.
Just as his fellow mbers had stated, the demons infesting this floating city of Venice were countless. Over a short span of ti, the duo managed to clear out the surrounding demons entirely while casually chatting.
The vast majority of them were below C-rank; only five or six were C-rank and above.
[The cumulative kill count for the 'Winter of the Wild Hunt' system has been updated: 26/40]
[Current progression for Host Body Two's Celestial Drive 'Chessboard' is at: 30%]
After exterminating another dozen or so demons, Xia Pingzhou glanced at the statistics on his character panel and suddenly halted his steps on the street.
"We should call it a night," he said.
"I'm the muscle here, and I haven't even complained about being tired yet," Bloodline remarked, planting a hand on her hip and turning to face him.
"It isn't that I don't want to continue..." Xia Pingzhou paused, "It's that we can't continue."
"Why? Did our Young Lady call you back to play Child's Play with her?" Bloodline guessed.
"No, soone nearby is going on a killing spree."
As he spoke, Xia Pingzhou checked the map on his app.
The blinking red dots on the map were vanishing one after another, indicating that the demons in the vicinity were being rapidly obliterated. This Exorcist was utterly relentless, sweeping through the entire city's prey like a torrential storm.
"Who is it?" Bloodline asked.
"Who else could it be?"
"Oh, little miss Ripper," Bloodline concluded. "Not surprising... Her Celestial Drive is already closing in on the third tier. She urgently needs to absorb sustenance."
Xia Pingzhou considered this for a mont. "Will she be the first in our group to reach Calamity-Tier?"
"Hard to say. Ayase Origami, White Wolf, and I have all brushed against the threshold of Near-Calamity Tier for a long ti now. It's just a matter of who manages to break through first." Bloodline paused. "As for the Leader, no one really knows the full extent of his situation."
"How did soone who took a hundred years of Cultivation just to reach Near-Calamity Tier end up mixing in with us?" Xia Pingzhou mocked.
Bloodline yawned, casually defending herself.
"Because this person who took a century to reach Near-Calamity Tier has a nasty side effect attached to her Supernatural Ability. While granting her eternal youth, it drastically slashes the speed of her Cultivation. Do you understand now?"
'It will take
a month at most to reach Near-Calamity Tier. And not just for one body; all my bodies will synchronize their breakthrough to Near-Calamity Tier...'
Xia Pingzhou really wanted to tell her that, but doing so would cross the line into blatant humiliation.
"Want to head back to the private booth for a drink with us?" she invited. "It would be a good chance to familiarize yourself with the new Number 5."
Just as Xia Pingzhou was about to accept, a scrap of paper abruptly flew out of his sleeve. He had no idea when it had been hidden in there.
Imdiately after, the paper tore itself apart with a sharp rustle, dissolving into fluttering confetti that arranged itself in mid-air to form a jagged, crooked word:
— "Return."
Bloodline smirked, resting her hand lightly on Xia Pingzhou's shoulder as she teased maliciously, "Looks like sobody is a little angry."
Xia Pingzhou watched the confetti fall onto the bridge deck and blow away in the wind. "No," he replied deadpan. "I have never seen her genuinely angry."
"What makes you say that?"
"I feel like... her anger is more of a fabricated emotion, sothing she puts on just to appear more like a 'real person'."
"Why do you make our Young Lady sound like a Robot?"
"What else would she be?"
Bloodline considered this. "But she wouldn't bother feigning 'emotions' in front of just anyone."
She paused for a second before adding casually, "Is it possible that she only keeps up that icy facade for people she doesn't care about?"
"Let's go. We are heading back to the tavern," Xia Pingzhou stated after a montary silence.
"Oh?" Bloodline arched an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to scurry right back."
"We will invite her to join us. Since she is awake anyway."
"You've got a backbone."
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