Glacial wasteland, somewhere in the Valley of Blood.

"Bell ——!"

The sharp bayonet sword fell to the side, and the bloodied Nightwatchman fell to one knee, his right hand sunk into the deep snow to support his body, and his blurred vision struggled to look at the figure in front of him.

Damn it......

Struggling with difficulty, Edward, who had always been indifferent, only had horror in his eyes at this moment, and the hideous "smile" of the person in front of him.

The swaying steps, the pale and thin appearance, the aura emitted was so trembling!

Farnesis looked up with a twitching expression as he looked at the desperate Night's Watch, a faint, low hiss in his throat.

"You... Are you afraid?" the vain steps didn't even leave deep footprints in the snow, but each step seemed like a sharp sword, piercing Edward's chest.

"You can find my breath under the attack of tens of thousands of carrion demons... A notorious night watchman, a loyal lackey of the de Salion family... I feel very much needed to compliment you!"

It seems that the lungs have been pierced, the right arm is contusion, and there seem to be two wounds on the back... It sucks.

Edward, who had fallen in the snow, clutched his pierced chest, and the tremor of his body made him unable to even stand firm, and could only watch the enemy come towards him.

Although Loren had warned that Farnes was probably still alive, ......

"As the bishop of the Holy Cross Church, he can also become a lackey of the evil god. The dying Edward snorted coldly, "You are really a devout servant of God. ”

"And what about you, wild dog?"

Phanesis, who paused, glanced at him disapprerovingly, very disdainful: "Aren't you so-called 'night watchmen' also coveting the power of the void... It's just that you can only control a very weak force. ”

"No need to struggle, no need to suffer... I will come and give you death. ”

The fallen Edward shuddered, calculating the distance between his bayonet and Phanascis - if he was in his physical condition now, he only had one chance to sneak attack.

"Have you already thought of your last words?"

As he walked slowly, Fanesis's palm once again condensed into a black mist like substance, turning into a sharp sword in the palm of his hand, and his hoarse voice was like a call from hell.

"Have you prayed to the Holy Cross?"

Edward, trembling, bowed his head slightly, as if praying on his deathbed, and his right hand, which was trapped in the snow, was slightly raised, relying on his knees and legs to maintain his balance.

"Don't you answer me?" Farnesis narrowed his eyes slightly, his tight right hand clenched suddenly, and the black mist that turned into a sharp blade suddenly swung down:

"That's... Just die!"

At the moment when the black mist fell, the sudden rise of the Night's Watch recaptured the sword, and the tip of the sword was aimed at the figure of Farnesis in the moment of dodging.

The next moment, the sword body forged from stainless steel suddenly sounded, and the invisible air flow condensed into a beam that pierced out from the tip of the sword!

"Force Impact" ——!

In the snow, Farness's chest suddenly exploded, and Edward immediately seized the opportunity and pounced on the other party like an afterimage.

At that moment, two figures staggered.

"Poof——!

Hot blood poured out of Edward's mouth, and his arms hung at his sides, and he fell to his knees in the snow.

"It's a gift in return for you—a back piercing, remember, you used the same trick when you were at Ebolden, and I missed the Nine-Pointed Grail!"

"Piercing my heart, cutting my throat, and filling my brain, I haven't forgotten any of them. ”

The cold words came, and the shadow of Farnesis hung over Edward's body, watching the Night's Watch struggle and convulse as he collapsed in the snow:

"You have to thank me for avoiding the point and not giving you a direct death. ”

Edward, who was spitting blood from his mouth, was powerless to fight back except for convulsions, and could only stare at the other party with his still indifferent eyes.

"Because I will ravage you and torture you to my heart's content!"

Fanecis, who had fallen into a frenzy, distorted his expression to the extreme, his excited smile turned terrifying and eerie, and countless black mist had completely enveloped the night's mangled body.

Edward, who couldn't move, had already guessed his imminent "end", and sighed in despair.

Is this what death tastes like?

I sure enough... I'm still afraid of death.

The substance-like black mist gradually wrapped around his broken body, and it felt like a bone-chilling cold... It's not the coldness of the body, it's another level... A chill came from his consciousness.

In this instant......

"Bell ——!"

The dying Night's Watch heard the sound of swords clashing, and his vision gradually blurred only to see Fanes's face change, and he turned back suddenly.

In the next second, the black mist wrapped around his body suddenly withdrew, and without even the slightest warning, Fanesis's figure had disappeared without a trace.

"Wait, wait......"

The voice was interrupted, and the dark-eyed night watchman passed out completely.

..................................................................

Dizziness, cold, hunger, numbness, pain...... Edward, unconscious, couldn't describe how uncomfortable he was now, only that he was still alive.

For the dead do not feel hungry.

He suddenly remembered his days begging for a living in the gutters of Ebolden, where he had picked up a bone of flesh that had fallen into a sewage ditch behind the tavern, only to be found by several other members of the gang.

I was so hungry that I resisted, and the result was needless to say... At that time, I collapsed in the stinky ditch, and I almost felt now.

That was the first time he came into contact with this "truth" - only by not doing superfluous stupid things can he live for a long time.

Struggling to open his eyes, the Night's Watch froze.

In front of him, there was a meat bone.

I don't know what kind of animal it is, but it seems that the roaster doesn't know how to cook, and the surface of the whole meat and bones is charred black, and the strong smell keeps getting into his nose, making his stomach cramp for a while.

"Eat something, you're hungry. ”

After only being stunned for a moment, Edward, who did not hesitate, immediately picked up and gnawed desperately - in less than a minute, the entire burnt meat and bones were only bones.

Only then did he realize that he was in a cave, with most of the uncooked pieces of meat still on the campfire in front of him, and a still howling blizzard outside.

As his gaze gradually focused, the night watchman who raised his head stared blankly at the appearance of the person in front of him.

It was a grim face, barely intact above and below its body, and a mottled sword hanging from its empty left arm.

"The werewolf I ran into on the way here took some effort to kill it... Although the meat is not delicious, it can at least keep the stomach warm. ”

The man muttered as he fiddled with the roast on the campfire, only to realize that Edward was lying on a piece of werewolf fur.

"Is it a surprise, Night's Watch?" Raising his head, the expressionless Guard Knight looked at him, "We meet again." ”

Silent... Deathly silence.

Edward, who didn't say a word, froze for a long time, and it took nearly five minutes before he came to his senses:

"W-How could it be you?!"

Isn't he the knight of the guard of Farnesis, why would he save himself?!

What the hell is going on?!

The knight of the guard, who saw his astonishment, was equally silent, and his face was gloomy:

"I don't know. ”

"The only thing I know is... Master Farnesis is no longer what he once was, and now he has lost his faith and has become a vicious dog chasing ambition, ready to do whatever it takes to achieve his ends!"

With a heavy sigh, the guard knight's expression became more and more lonely:

"Let's go after resting, it's not too far from your camp, you can get there in a quarter of an hour—you'll be safe when you get back to the camp, and Lord Farnesis doesn't dare to show up in the open. ”

"But, remember what you saw... I know your duties as night watchmen, and you must remind His Majesty Eckhart II and the archbishop of the Holy Cross to make them aware of how dangerous Fanecis is today!"

After a pause, the pale Edward nodded.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

The expressionless Guardian Knight stood up and looked at the still howling blizzard outside:

"I have my mission!"