Chapter 1501: Chapter 1501

Passing through the opaque mist brought them inside the manor grounds, but what met their eyes was not a spacious courtyard. Instead, they found themselves in a vast maze constructed from bizarre, blood-red plants and twisted, irregularly shaped gray flagstones.

A hazy white fog enveloped their surroundings, and glancing up, they saw the sky was just as indistinct. They could vaguely make out something immense shifting in the heights above, but from the ground, it was impossible to see clearly.

The other four stepped through the misty gateway one by one to join Jenkins. After confirming that the servants scattered around were still just corpses, the group began to move swiftly, following the map provided by the Church. Before leaving the manor, the advance team had already marked every fork in the path with the bodies of the cursed vampire servants. Thus, all they needed to do was follow the grim trail of bodies to know which way to go.

After a full ten minutes of running, they finally saw the gate of a towering structure ahead. The hazy mist completely obscured the building's walls, so from a distance, all they could see was a solitary door standing there.

The door was brass-colored, and a ring of hissing, leaking steam pipes encircled its base. This was clearly not the original entrance; the power of the Blood-mist Maze had warped the environment and the physical matter within it.

The advance team had reached this point but had neither the strength nor the time to proceed further. It was now up to Jenkins and his party to find a way to open this door. The Church had also prepared for this eventuality; if they failed, the next attempt could be made by a team with a lower overall power level, carrying a Series B Extraordinary key.

"I'll give it a try," Jenkins said.

He cautiously placed his hands flat against the door, and Miss Knight mirrored his action. With his feet planted firmly on the ground, the enhancement from his Titan's Power gave him unparalleled strength. Signs of draconification appeared on Miss Knight again; along with a surge in power, an oppressive aura, like that of a wild beast, emanated from her. As they both strained, the door's hinges emitted a grating, ear-splitting shriek.

The door slowly swung inward until the gap was wide enough for a person of average build to squeeze through sideways. Only then did they stop.

"You can come in. It's safe for now."

A few seconds later, his head reappeared, and the rest of the group entered the building one by one.

The power of the maze had transformed what was once a simple three-story house into something akin to a giant's dwelling. The ceiling of the ground floor alone was now nearly a hundred feet high. Once inside, the blood-red flowers that grew rampant in the courtyard were gone, replaced by a dark, coppery-red coating that covered every surface.

The figures in the oil paintings had become grotesque, and bloody veins traced runic patterns across the decorative armor in the corners. Even the chandelier hanging from the ceiling had been altered; wicked, bat-like statues held up human skulls, their hollow eyes illuminating the path forward.

Outside had been a thick white fog, but inside, a red mist permeated the air. It carried a strange, sweet fragrance, but a closer inspection revealed the distinct tang of blood.

"It might be toxic. We need to move quickly," Jenkins said with a frown.

He pressed a hand to his chest, quieting the cat hidden in his inner pocket. He then looked toward the diviner, who, after a moment of concentration, gestured for them to head left down the corridor.

The enemies they encountered inside the building included the cursed servants they had seen in the courtyard, but now they were joined by guests who had attended the banquet. For reasons unknown, these newly cursed beings were significantly stronger than the servants. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelꞁire.net

Even without direct contact, some of the cursed individuals carrying the Blood Mosquito Curse could even withstand direct hits from two different divine arts. This was a testament to the terrifying power of the Blood-mist Maze, and it meant this outbreak of the curse was no less severe than any recorded in history.

Thanks to the well-balanced composition of their team, they dealt with most of the enemies blocking their path. Jenkins's primary role was to control their foes with his Ice Solidification ability—the most powerful skill he could afford to reveal.

After about ten minutes of walking and navigating various forks in the path, the group entered a rather large hall. It was likely a servants' dining room, but now all the wooden furniture was piled up in the corners. A tall, slender man shrouded in blood-red smoke stood alone in the center of the room.

In truth, he was no longer human. When the sound of footsteps caused him to turn, what the five of them saw was a giant mosquito's head.

Its compound-like eyes stared at them. Black scales covered the rest of the monster's humanoid body. It took a silent step back and vanished into the thick red mist that filled the hall.

"It turned invisible? Be careful," Jenkins warned.

Even his monocle couldn't pierce the potent supernatural fog. In his Eye of Reality, however, the monster's black spiritual aura was impossible to miss.

The group spread out, cautiously exploring the massive room. Suddenly, Jenkins whipped around and struck with his cane, which landed with perfect accuracy on the mosquito-headed monster's abdomen.

While the immense spirit of life wasn't a direct counter to the Blood Mosquito Curse, the infusion of natural energy still made the grotesquely transformed creature howl in agony. It let out a bizarre shriek and tried to retreat into the mist again, but Jenkins wasn't about to give it the chance. He lunged forward, aiming to drive his cane into its head.

Miss Capet was the closest to Jenkins. A ball of green fire glowing in her palm, she also rushed forward to prevent the monster from disappearing. The moment the three of them converged, a woman's sigh echoed from somewhere deep within the house.

Instantly, the red mist roiling through the room converged on the trio and then vanished. When the mist cleared, Jenkins, Miss Capet, and the mosquito-faced monster were gone as well, leaving only Miss Knight and the other two staring at each other in bewilderment.

The sensation of his foot finding nothing but air was followed by the disappearance of the hall and the monster. The fall lasted only a second, but just before he hit the ground, Jenkins managed to twist his body in mid-air, landing on his back instead of his face.

Though dazed from the impact, he didn't even have time to groan and clutch his head. His first instinct was to place a hand on his chest to check on Chocolate, worried the fall might have harmed the fragile little cat. As he unfastened the button, the cat, which had been cooped up for a long time, darted out, leaped onto his shoulder, and gently tickled the back of his neck with the tip of its tail.