Spirit Case Files

Chapter 14

Taking advantage of the priest's large movement and the fact that he hadn't had time to retract his hand, Fia brought her hands together, gathering powerful dark energy to push towards him. Before her palms even landed, Barberen felt an unbelievable shock. Her hand, which wasn't holding the sword, quickly clenched, radiating a holy light, and drew a strange character in the air before her.

The gleaming text made sudden contact with their palms, generating a violent impact. Both were thrown backward by the recoil. But Fia seemed to adapt faster, lightly stepping against the wall behind her and leaping behind the still retreating Barberenni, grabbing her by the neck with her arm while knocking the Holy Cross Sword away with her other hand.

"Hey! You junior who's with Lin," Fia called out triumphantly, "Stop it now! Otherwise, your companion might be in trouble!"

---janeadam

Reply [32]: Qing Lin Anxue lowered her bow as expected, and Yuan Peilin was finally able to end her embarrassing situation of jumping up and down, letting out a long sigh of relief. After all, she could never bring herself to hurt her junior, especially Qing Lin Anxue.

“Your neck is beautiful, and your blood must be very pure…” Fia looked down at the female priest with a half-smile, as if admiring a fine work of art.

“Hmph, believers of the Lord are not afraid of death!” Barberenni said with a resolute expression, turning her head to the side.

Fia chuckled, "Don't misunderstand, dear Miss Barberen, I just want you to give me some time. I promise I can prove my innocence..." With that, she released the priest.

Seeing the bewildered look on Barberen's face, Fia continued, "Actually, I don't care what the Vatican thinks of vampires. After all, this kind of struggle has been going on for hundreds of years. I'm just unwilling to let some scum laugh in the shadows..."

"..."

After the barrier was lifted, Barberen and Qinglin Anxue stood silently for a while, watching their friends' departing figures.

“Perhaps, really…” Qing Lin Anxue hesitated before speaking.

A hint of confusion flickered in the priest's eyes: "Then let's wait and see..."

Don't think that an apology can solve everything!

Back home, Yuan Peilin naturally confronted the culprit, Fia, to demand an explanation, even though he knew it would be futile.

"Alright, isn't everything alright now?" Fia didn't seem to have any sincerity in apologizing. Instead, she leaned back on the sofa with her eyes half-closed, looking quite content.

"But I was almost killed by my junior!" Yuan Peilin pointed to his hands, which were blue from the cold, but Fia showed no interest in looking at them.

"Junior? You mean that really pretty girl?" Fia sat up straight excitedly. "Speaking of which, what's your relationship with her?"

"Wh...what? Of course, it's a senior-junior relationship." Yuan Peilin was a little at a loss for words when asked this question.

"Oh? Is it really that simple? Then why does she seem like a completely different person to you...?"

Yuan Peilin was speechless for a moment, not expecting the change to be so obvious in other people's eyes. In truth, he did have a very special feeling for Qinglin Anxue; he always felt inexplicably nervous and uneasy in her presence. Perhaps, it was time to confirm it…

“So…” Fia interrupted Yuan Peilin’s thoughts, no longer dwelling on the previous question, “After what just happened, do you want to know the truth about the murder?”

"...Can I not know?"

"Hehehe, you think you can stay out of this?"

"..."

The city at night is different from its bustling daytime atmosphere. Under the cover of darkness, people begin to tear off the masks they wear and vent their various desires. This is even more pronounced in the red-light district.

This is a street bathed in brightly colored lights, the air thick with an atmosphere of decadence and debauchery. Here, all the dark sides hidden deep within the human psyche are laid bare. Drugs, compensated dating, extortion, blackmail… all foreshadow the destruction of this species.

Two figures squeezed through the bustling crowd. One was clearly a young foreign man, always sporting a playboy smile, seemingly quite at ease in his surroundings. The other, quite the opposite, was younger than the foreign man, with an indifferent expression and eyes that revealed disdain for everything around him…

“Fia, you should know I’m still a high school student…” Hara Peilin’s tone was very dissatisfied, “You actually brought me into a place like this.”

Fia laughed heartily after hearing this, putting her arm around the boy's shoulder: "What does it matter? This is that guy's favorite haunt. Besides, you should broaden your horizons..."

Just then, a very sexy woman walked towards them and gave Fia a seductive wink, to which Fia immediately returned an elegant flying kiss.

Is this the kind of insight you're referring to?

...

Walking in such a place is easy to get tired of. The two of them found a spot to lean against the wall and watched the crowds coming and going, their numbers never waning. Without exception, their faces were plastered with satisfied smiles as they tirelessly struck up conversations and joked with people, but their eyes betrayed no sincerity whatsoever.

“Fia, I have a question.” Yuan Peilin broke the silence.

"What?"

"Would you vampires do something like that?"

Fia lowered her head and thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Well... if I like it, I'll definitely do it. But I won't get lost in it like they did..."

"So..." Yuan Peilin pondered something, "What exactly is the difference between you vampires and humans?"

"Actually, there's not much difference in general. If I really had to point out something..."

"How was it?"

"That's because of their different attitudes toward beliefs. Humans' beliefs are very fragile. If they are subjected to the pressure of reality, they will immediately waver, which is why they choose to escape in places like this. On the other hand, once vampires have decided on their path, they will find a way to overcome any obstacles they encounter until they achieve their ultimate goal."

"You mean to say that human nature is very fickle?"

"Yes, that's how I see it as a vampire. Of course, not all humans are like that."

Such an explanation was flawless. Just as he was savoring it, Yuan Peilin felt a sudden tremor in his brain. Fia, standing beside him, clearly had the same reaction.

"Pei Lin, can you feel it?" Fia's voice sounded very excited.

“…Yes.” Yuan Peilin nodded solemnly. “Is this the murderer you’re talking about?”

"Hmm, looks like you've grown quite a bit. It's going to be a tough battle, hehe..."

...

---janeadam

Reply [33]: After the experience, Fia, relying on her vampire instincts, remembered the approximate location. As she got closer, she also began to sense a strange demonic aura...

Turning from the wide, brightly lit street into a dark alley, and then into a passage that seemed to lead to a basement, a heavy door stood to the side. Pushing it open gently, a cacophony of noise immediately assaulted her ears. A cacophony of musical instruments and screams mingled together, making the usually quiet Hara Pei-lin feel utterly irritated. Different colored lights flickered and shimmered, making the entire space appear as if countless splashes of dye were being poured over it.

It was a large room, crammed with all sorts of people. They were all wildly twisting their bodies to the loud music, their sweat-soaked faces unable to conceal their excitement. It seemed nothing could stop them. But, the instant two people stepped in, they…

It has stopped.

Everything seemed abrupt; the music and the excited crowd seemed to freeze at some point, as if cut off by something. Everyone stood motionless, staring intently at Fia and Yuan Peilin at the door. But their gazes were dull and lifeless.

Then, the previously still crowd began to part, creating a gap, and a figure slowly emerged from the center. Judging from her clothing, it was a woman, and her face gradually became clearer as the light shifted—a blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman.

"As expected, you still managed to catch me here..." the foreign woman chuckled. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not so easily defeated now."

Fia's expression remained unchanged, but her tone was clearly mocking: "Poor woman, she lost her life because of her own ignorance."

The foreign woman laughed even harder after hearing this: "I actually think she's quite cute, actively seducing you for a pendant. It's fortunate that there's a silly woman like her, otherwise I'd still be trapped in that damned demon-sealing chain."

"Hmph, Dize, what methods did you use to seduce her this time? Was it money? Or power?"

"Heh heh, you'd never guess," Dize said sinisterly. "This human is utterly foolish, trying to resurrect his dead child, heh heh heh..."

"Is that so...?" Fia's eyes suddenly turned blood red, her joints cracked and popped, and when she opened her mouth, two sharp fangs could be seen. "Now it's time to settle our score, isn't it? To escape my pursuit, you've repeatedly tried to frame me using vampire killing methods. You really have guts..."

Dize seemed completely unfazed by the aura emanating from Fia: "Hmph, this is just a little escape tactic. Who told that priest to be so dim-witted?" She shifted her gaze to Yuan Peilin beside Fia, "Is this the helper you found? Looks unremarkable, just here to die for nothing..."

Yuan Peilin remained silent, then suddenly swung his arm, sending a pre-prepared spiritual energy projectile flying towards the mocking Dizhe. Dizhe, however, laughed wildly and leaped backward, easily dodging the projectile.

"You two should play with my servants first! Hahahaha..."

As soon as Dize finished speaking, the people who had been standing still in front of him suddenly shot out a fierce killing intent in their eyes, and some rushed or leaped towards Yuan Peilin and Fia.

Fia and Yuan Peilin leaped to the sides, and the sound of bones breaking came from where they had just been standing. It turned out that the people who had missed their target had not known how to dodge and had collided with each other.

"Fia! Is there any chance these people can recover!?" Yuan Peilin shouted, ducking to avoid a punch thrown at him. The punch slammed heavily against the wall behind Yuan Peilin, making a cracking sound. The attacker, however, seemed oblivious and continued attacking his targets.

Fia's situation was even worse; he was surrounded by five or six people, who were punching and kicking him. He replied with a bitter face, "They were all bewitched by that bastard Dize; they should be able to recover!"

"Then we'll just have to knock them out!" Yuan Peilin swung his hand and struck one of the men on the back of the neck, but the man only fell to the ground due to the force and immediately stood up again. They were just puppets whose bodies were being manipulated, and they couldn't stop their movements at all.

This will exhaust them to death! Yuan Peilin's face was already beaded with sweat, and Fia probably wasn't doing much better. Just then, in this predicament, a soft, melodious song suddenly drifted into the room…

"Souls infested by filth and defilement, please cast off those invading sins, desires, hatred, worries, and anxieties. Let the remaining natural heart reflect the brilliant sunlight, let darkness and dampness vanish as soon as possible, and let the tainted souls be purified and sublimated..."

A hymn!? A hymn with purifying power! The two combatants simultaneously looked back, where two women stood. One woman wore a priest's robe, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, her eyes slightly closed; the hymn was emanating from her lips. The other woman stood quietly to the side, coldly surveying her surroundings, a short bow clutched in her hand. Without a doubt, it was Barbrenne and Qinglin Anxue.

As the hymn drew to a close, expressions of pain appeared on the faces of those who had been misled; some even clutched their ears and collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. The hymn ended after a long note, and the suffering people ceased their struggles and movements, all collapsing unconscious to the ground.

“Miss Barberne…” Fia brushed the dust off her clothes and said with a smile, “I must admit, you are a very qualified priest.”

Barberenni made no response to such praise: "Hmph, receiving praise from a vampire is not a pleasant thing."

"..."

"Hehehe, what a pity, a good show has been ruined..." Dize, who had been hiding in the shadows, came out again. His once smooth face was now twisted beyond recognition, his muscles were tangled together, making him look ferocious and terrifying.

"So you're the real culprit who harmed people!" Barbrenne gripped the crucifix tightly and shouted angrily.

"So what if you're a foolish clergyman?"

Barberen extended the cross forward, her whole body radiating holy power, and uttered a spell: "Lord! Please open your eyes and look at this dark corner, let your light descend here, and drive away these shameless people with cunning and evil deeds..." A dazzling light gradually shone from the cross, then gradually converged and gathered into a cylinder, shooting towards Dize.

"Hehehe... Do you think you can defeat me with such boring tricks?" Dize let out a strange laugh, and a black mist spewed from its mouth, completely swallowing up the white light.

---janeadam

Reply [34]: Barberen took two steps back in surprise. Suddenly, an tentacle shot out from the void in front of her, about to break through the priest's chest. But the tentacle stopped at the last moment. Barberen looked up and saw that it had been caught by Fia in time.

“This guy is a monster formed from human desires. The only way to deal with him is to fight violence with violence!” The last few words were squeezed out from between Fia’s teeth, and the tentacles were crushed into pieces in his hand.

"Hmph, all you do is talk big!" A tentacle suddenly pierced through Fia's body.

"Idiot, I'm a vampire..." Fia ripped out the tentacle and crushed it to pieces. But the wound emitted a puff of white smoke and quickly healed.

The next moment, Fia moved. His upper body was low to the ground, his feet skimming across the surface at high speed, and his body shot towards Dize like a bullet. Facing the oncoming tentacles, he bent two fingers into claws, drawing black lines in the air, and the tentacles snapped into several pieces.

Just as Fia's claws were about to touch Dize, she saw Dize's wicked smile, and its female body suddenly disintegrated into countless tentacles that wrapped around Fia's entire body, rendering her unable to move for a moment.

"Get away! Disgusting thing!" Fia channeled her dark power and successfully forced the tentacle into the air.

The tentacles melted and reassembled in mid-air, quickly forming a human outline again, but with an explosion, it was blasted to the ground and smashed into a pile of mud. Yuan Peilin first threw a spirit energy bullet, successfully hitting Dize in mid-air, and then, holding another spirit energy bullet that had been condensed, rushed towards Dize, who had fallen to the ground, preparing to stuff the spirit energy bullet into its body and detonate it.

However, before it could get close, a tentacle shot out from the clump of "mud" and struck Yuan Peilin's head. Yuan Peilin reacted extremely quickly, stopping abruptly and leaning back, the tentacle passing over his head.

Almost simultaneously, Qing Lin Anxue, wielding her ice bow, fired an ice arrow that bypassed Yuan Peilin and struck Dize. Dize screamed as his body was rapidly encased in ice. Seeing her opportunity, Barberenni's cross transformed into a holy sword in golden light, and she charged towards the shaking ice.

"Die, demon!" The priest swung his sword repeatedly, slashing and hacking, shattering the ice into countless fragments. Because the Holy Cross Sword was a blessed weapon, Dize couldn't immediately restore it. A painful cry emanated from somewhere within the fragments.

Fia then walked over, picked up a red stone from the shards, and smiled as she turned it over to examine it.

"What is this?" Barbrennie asked curiously. Yuan Peilin and Qinglin Anxue also came over.

“It’s the core of this thing. If that’s the case…” Fia said, giving a wicked smile, and pinched the red stone in her hand, applying slight pressure.