Chapter 302: Chapter 302

"This—how... how could this happen?!" Mrs. Andersen cried out in panic, her voice trembling. Whatever lay beyond the fence seemed to fill her with utter terror.

Fiona blinked innocently. "I have no idea—it just suddenly happened like that..."

Mrs. Andersen looked at Fiona anxiously, raising a hand. "Come here, don’t stand so close to it."

Fiona obediently stepped back as told.

Meanwhile, Nyx frowned, confused by Mrs. Andersen’s reaction. Finally, she decided to voice her question directly.

"Mrs. Andersen, is there... something outside the fence?"

Mrs. Andersen pressed her lips together, then replied softly, "I’m not originally from here. But Alex always told me the outside is dangerous—dark spirits lurking beyond, waiting for us."

She paused, then continued, "I didn’t believe it at first. But after what happened yesterday, and after your sudden appearance... I can’t help but accept that maybe—it’s true. Maybe something exists out there, trying to destroy the love between me and Alex."

Fiona’s eyes widened, sparkling with curiosity. "That sounds like your love story with Mr. Andersen must be really sweet!"

Hearing that, Mrs. Andersen blushed visibly and smiled shyly, her expression softening as she opened up.

She looked at Fiona and nodded. "Yes... Alex and I grew up together. Since we were little, he promised he would marry me one day. When we got older, he left our poor village to make a living. He told me he’d come back for me."

Mrs. Andersen walked a few steps ahead, lowering her gaze as though lost in her memories. "I waited for him—for so long. People in the village talked about me behind my back, I knew they did... because I had no husband. But I never gave up. Alex said he loved me the most and would come for me. So I waited. I kept waiting. And finally—finally, he came back for me!"

Just as her voice rose with emotion, she suddenly spun around.

Both Nyx and Fiona froze.

The face that looked back at them was that of an older woman, deeply wrinkled and sagging. The excitement in her expression stretched those wrinkles grotesquely tight. Her hollow eyes stared straight at them, and her mouth—split to her ears—revealed only a pitch-black void inside. No teeth. No tongue. No flesh.

"I finally waited long enough for him to return and take me away!" she shrieked. "I was right! Our love will never die, isn’t that so?!"

Overcome by a surge of frenzy, Mrs. Andersen’s entire body lunged forward—her speed unnaturally fast, almost impossible to track.

Fiona quickly dodged aside and shouted, "Nyx, are you sure you called her Mrs. Andersen just now? What the hell is this thing?!"

"This is Mrs. Andersen," Nyx replied flatly.

At that moment, Mrs. Andersen let out a deafening roar.

Her face was that of an older woman, but her body remained young, her movements unnaturally quick as she darted from one spot to another, crawling on all fours like a beast rather than a human.

A shiver ran down Fiona’s spine, the hairs at her nape standing on end. She spun around, swung her arm, and her sword flashed—slashing the lunging figure of Mrs. Andersen aside!

The impact sent Mrs. Andersen crashing into the fence, leaving a deep dent and spreading cracks along its surface.

Her body had been nearly severed in two. Blood gushed out in torrents—but it wasn’t red. It was thick and black, and instead of organs spilling out, a strange mix of yellow-green, mucus-like fluid oozed with a faint sheen, almost luminescent.

Mrs. Andersen screamed in agony, her mouth stretching wider and wider—no longer stopping at her ears, but tearing all the way to the back of her head.

Her once soft brown hair was now brittle and lifeless, standing on end as a bone-snapping sound echoed through the air.

She fell to the ground, mouth gaping—until it split her head completely in two.

And from within that gaping maw, another head emerged—as if she were shedding her skin.

The new head opened its mouth in a silent howl. Its wet hair clung to its face; its arms grew unnaturally long; its features warped grotesquely—nose gone, chin sharpened to a point, and clusters of translucent membranes began sprouting across its face, writhing faintly as if alive.

The transformation happened fast—but Fiona was faster.

Her sword tip shot forward like an arrow, piercing straight into where the creature’s nose should have been.

"Trying to transform? Then die already!" Fiona shouted, thrusting her arm forward with force. Her blade flared with light, driving straight through the monster’s body—piercing it from head to tail!

The shrill scream that followed was so piercingly loud that Nyx and Fiona covered their ears and stumbled back.

Nyx’s eyes widened—she hadn’t expected the creature’s attack to carry such an overwhelming force.

"Damn it!" Fiona roared. Her sword, as if resonating with her fury, began to stab through the monster’s body again and again, almost turning it into a sieve.

The strange black and yellow fluids gushed out endlessly.

But by now, the creature’s new head had fully emerged—it opened its mouth wide, its throat expanding like a water pipe with a diameter of over five centimeters.

A shockwave erupted from its mouth, so intense it seemed almost tangible. The vibration struck Fiona’s sword midair, freezing it in place as the blade trembled violently, on the verge of shattering.

At that instant, a cane appeared out of nowhere. With a graceful motion, several slender blades fanned out from it, forming what looked like a gleaming metal fan—and in one swift movement, they sliced clean through the monster’s neck!

The creature’s head dropped to the ground, while its body scrambled away at an unbelievable speed, vanishing from sight within moments.

Fiona finally lowered her bloodied hands from her ears. Bright red stained her palms—her eardrums had burst from the noise. Nyx didn’t fare much better.

Gripping her cane, Nyx instinctively brushed her thumb over the carved rose embedded at its top and slowly walked toward the monster’s severed head.

But before she could get closer, the head suddenly softened—and within seconds, melted into a puddle of dark liquid that seeped silently into the soil. Check latest chapters at 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍

Fiona wiped the blood still dripping from her ears, the sharp pain stabbing through her skull making her grit her teeth in frustration. "We didn’t get a damn thing out of this. Let’s just hope the others are making good use of the time we nearly got ourselves killed for!"

Ten minutes earlier, Hermes and the others had reached the third floor.

It was lavishly decorated, breathtaking in its beauty.

Golden-trimmed bas-reliefs adorned the walls, each depicting ancient scenes so old and faded that their stories were impossible to discern.

There were many rooms on this floor, but the group could tell almost instantly which one belonged to the Andersens.

A crimson wooden door stood out, etched with intricate gold patterns that shimmered faintly. The light radiating from it seemed to call to them, declaring in silence that this was the place they had been looking for.