Summoning Genius of Kizen Chapter 28The Watchmen's lights were drawing closer. The hunting dogs, noses pressed to the ground, sniffing, were also tightening the encirclement. 'Come out.' Simon pulled a skeleton from his subspace. He gave it a halt command and made it lie prone in the grass. "Kami. This way." Simon grabbed Kamibarez's trembling wrist and lowered his posture. After a lantern's light swept past, he led her from behind a tree to a large rock. Then, he pulled out another skeleton from his subspace and made it lie prone. Currently, Simon could control up to two skeletons. 'I have to use everything I can.' Simon picked up stones from the ground and put them into his subspace, while diligently rolling his eyes to gather as much situational information as possible. How many Watchmen there were, how many of them held lanterns. Their weapons, the breed of hunting dogs, their habits, the terrain, the wind direction, the sound of the valley stream. The dogs were currently struggling because the wind was at their backs, but the wind direction could change at any moment. It was time to make his move. 'Now!' Simon's eyes snapped open. The skeleton lying under the tree sprang up and began to run. "Over there!" The Watchmen reacted immediately, and the hunting dogs barked loudly, chasing after the skeleton. "Half of you chase! The other half keep advancing!" "The other dogs are still sniffing!" As expected of hunting experts, they weren't completely fooled by a single trick. This time, Simon made the skeleton crouching by the rock run. "That's the real one!" "Catch it!" The Watchmen and hunters rushed to the side. "Kami, run!" This was the moment. Simon and Kamibarez, who had been hiding behind the rock, turned and sprinted away. 'We haven't completely shaken them off. Some people are still on our tail!' Simon looked back while running frantically. A few Watchmen were still following them closely. "Hang in there, Kami!" "Yes!" Woof! Woof! The hunting dogs, having caught their scent, were tearing through the grass and closing in. No matter how fast a person was, they couldn't outrun a dog. "Kami! Anything is fine, just spray some Hemomancy in the direction the dogs are coming from!" "Understood!" Kamibarez cast dark magic while running. Fresh blood spurted from a small magic circle that bloomed at her fingertip. As she twisted her waist and swung her arm backward, the jet-black mixed blood flew on the wind, soaking the grass. Woof! Woof woof woof! Grrrrr! The scent of vampire blood was so strong it was used as an ingredient for high-end perfumes. The thick, bloody scent excited the dogs, making them thrash and dig through the grass. In this gap, Simon and Kamibarez sped up further, widening the distance. Thump! Thump! His heart pounded wildly with tension. He was starting to worry about Kamibarez's stamina, but she was also running desperately, following closely behind Simon. "There they are!" A lantern's light swept past Simon and Kamibarez's backs. At the same time, the sound of a bowstring being drawn taut was heard. Thwack! Thud! Arrows suddenly flew and embedded themselves in the ground, making Kamibarez let out a short scream. "Th-they really shot! What do we do?" "It's okay." Simon said calmly. "They saw our school uniforms. No matter what, a subordinate wouldn't be able to injure a Kizen student." As Simon said, the arrows were embedding themselves far from where the two were running. It was clearly a warning shot. "Those bastards...!" "Stop! I said stop!" Would you let yourself be caught? Simon grinned and pulled an imaginary lever. Thump! The subspace opened on the ground, and the stones he had put in earlier poured out at maximum output. It was just a stone throw, but the rushing Watchmen, perhaps thinking it was dark magic, stopped and became wary. "Kami, this way!" "Yes!" Thanks to Simon's quick thinking, they bought a little more time. It seemed like they were running aimlessly, but Simon had actually been following the sound of water. Finally, they arrived at the valley. 'Oh no.' But it was a cliff. A stream flowed softly far below the sheer cliff, and the distance to the opposite cliff was quite significant. "Kami! Do you remember that leaping technique you learned in Martial Arts? Can you use it?" Her face pale, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She was one of the two people who couldn't jump over the cliff during Martial Arts class. Woof! Woof! But there was no time to hesitate. Even at this moment, the dogs' barking and the lantern lights were getting closer. "Simon. I'm fine." Kamibarez smiled weakly and pushed Simon's chest. "You go first. Even if I'm caught, I'll never say anything about Simon..." "Excuse me." Simon swiftly approached, lifted her into his arms, and turned to sprint across the grass. 'The sensation of treading on Jet Black!!' Thuuuuuump! Black smoke exploded from his fingertips, and Simon flew into the sky. Below was a dizzying precipice, above, a large full moon. The cold headwind and the thrill of having nothing beneath his two feet. For a moment, he felt perfectly exhilarated, then Simon's body descended. Splaaash! He scraped the ground, landing on the opposite bank by a hair's breadth. Simon quickly ran down the slope of the hill and set Kamibarez down. Both of them pressed their bodies as close to the ground as possible. "The bastards?" "They're gone!" Above their heads, the lantern lights could be seen moving back and forth. After meticulously sweeping the area for a few minutes, the lights finally receded. "Let's go that way." "Move! They couldn't have gone far!" Woof! Woof! Woof! The lights and the dogs' barking grew fainter and fainter, until all signs of human presence completely vanished. Simon finally let out a sigh of relief. "Phew... Kami, are you okay?" Kamibarez somehow looked dazed. Then, when her eyes met Simon's, tears began to well up in her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere...?" As a flustered Simon sat up, she shook her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve. "I really thought I was going to be caught. Thank you. Thank you for saving me...!" She then burst into a wailing cry. Simon silently patted her shoulder. 'She was that scared, but she said it was okay if she got caught?' He felt like he was starting to understand her personality a little. As time passed, Kamibarez calmed down. The two stood up and brushed the dirt from their uniforms. "Let's go back. We'll have to take a detour to avoid the Watchmen, is that okay?" "Yes." The two began to walk back into the dark forest. They decided not to light their lanterns, fearing detection by monsters or Watchmen. Thankfully, the moon in the sky was bright. About an hour passed as they walked through the forest. '...Where are we now?' Walking frantically, it seemed they had ventured deeper into the forest than expected. The surroundings were eerie, as if the forest had never looked like this before. The increasingly tall trees covered the night sky with their dense leaves, and eyes, whether of beasts or monsters, appeared and disappeared here and there. Eerie howls made their shoulders twitch and their nerves fray. It was almost as if it would be better to go back to the Watchmen; the midnight forest had something that stimulated primal human fear. Even Kamibarez, a vampire, seemed terrified, clutching the end of Simon's sleeve slightly and looking around. 'I have the map in my head, but I don't even know where this is.' Had they been bewitched? No matter how much they walked, it felt like they were going in circles. 'I'm tired, and my body temperature keeps dropping. What should I do?' "...Simon." Kamibarez said, her face pale. "Don't you hear something?" "An owl?" "No." She pressed closer to Simon, her voice filled with terror. "A person... sound..." "..." Simon closed his mouth and focused on his hearing. Indeed. Faintly, but he could hear it. He couldn't tell if it was a wild animal, a monster, or a person, but an indistinguishable voice was repeating. "Let's go." He had heard that there were people living in the forests of Locke Island. If it was a person, they might be able to ask for help. The two nodded and moved forward, searching for the voice. -#$#@%@#^@. He focused on his ears as he walked. Little by little, the voice began to become clearer. -@$%@^Have mercy on us. -$톰íRemove our fate @%#$^@ Almighty @$@%Mother. The voice was cold, monotonous, and dry. -$††@^We worship @%@$$^Holy. What in the world is that saying? As he frowned and concentrated on the voice. "...Simon." Simon was startled. Kamibarez was crying profusely, her face filled with terror. Yet, the corners of her mouth were twitching upwards, making her look somewhat grotesque. "What's wrong? Kami." "...Let's run." -#$^$#*#Only the Most High Mother %@%* Glory. "...We have to run." "Run? What are you talking about all of a sudden?" "Ugh. Ahh. Ahh. Ahhh..." She began to convulse and flail. Simon took care of her and ran in the opposite direction of the sound. But the voice was getting closer instead. -@#$@#Have mercy. Sins of the world#@$@#$@. Simon, frantically pushing through the bushes, finally arrived at the source of the voice. An altar was visible. Someone in a long gray robe was prostrate on the ground. Their arms were on the ground, palms facing the sky. On the altar hung unknown objects and animal entrails, and below it, a beast, its chest pierced by a dagger, writhed as a sacrifice. Sticky blood stained the surroundings crimson. And in the center of the altar. Something large was placed there. Simon knew what it was, but he couldn't believe it. Something that should never be on Locke Island. Something that should never be in Kizen. A cross. It was a cross. Why was a cross here? A naked woman was grotesquely hanging from the cross, thorny vines covering her body. The one prostrate beneath the altar raised their upper body, recited a prayer, then prostrated themselves again, palms facing the sky. Simon felt the blood in his entire body turn cold. '...A Priest!' A Priest was in Kizen. Kneeling, bowing, and reciting prayers in Kizen's territory. 'I have to run.' He had seen something he shouldn't have. If they were caught, it was over. Kamibarez, who had witnessed this stark scene, was completely paralyzed with terror. Fortunately, she covered her mouth with both hands, preventing any sound from escaping. Just as Simon put his arm around her shoulder and was about to turn back. Rustle. The grass on the ground was stepped on, making a sound. The Priest, who had been praying, paused. "..." "..." Feeling his throat go dry, Simon slowly turned his head to look back. '!!!' The Priest was standing, staring in their direction. From the darkness revealed by the hood of the robe, two eyes seemed to glow. Simon's legs tensed. "Run!"
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