area51novel Page 20
Page 20
Jill closed her eyes almost reflexively.
Saeko Busujima and Nami immediately followed suit.
next second.
[Buzz——!!!]
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
There was only a burst of extremely piercing high-frequency beeping!
The cat-head landmines simultaneously erupted with an indescribably intense white-purple light!
The light was like a concentrated version of the midday sun, filled with destructive purifying power!
Intense ultraviolet radiation instantly enveloped the female ghost!
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--!!!"
The female ghost let out a heart-wrenching, inhuman scream!
Her body was as if it had been splashed with strong acid; her skin quickly dissolved and vaporized, emitting large amounts of white smoke!
The cells that make up her body collapsed and disintegrated at a visible speed under strong ultraviolet radiation!
The air was filled with the stench of burning protein.
That kind of pain far surpassed the burning of flames; it was a devastating blow that directly targeted her demonic essence!
"No! Impossible! This light..."
The female ghost writhed in agony on the ground, her body dissolving as she emitted various incomprehensible noises and wails.
The light continued to shine, like a maggot clinging to a bone.
"Master Lei...save me...Master Lei!!!"
In the moments before her body completely collapsed, she used her last strength to let out a desperate cry for help.
Then, the sound stopped suddenly.
The bright light then went out.
The high-frequency buzzing sound disappeared.
All that remained in the restaurant was the slowly settling dust and a pile of ashes on the floor.
Zhou Ye slowly opened his eyes and looked at the pile of ashes.
"It's done."
He uttered two words softly.
Nami covered her ears, feeling a little dizzy from the shock. She looked at the epicenter of the explosion, still shaken.
"My God... this thing is incredibly powerful..."
Saeko Busujima stood there, knife in hand, her sharp observation undiminished by the dust and smoke.
She checked to see if the ghost's presence had completely disappeared.
With the threat cleared, Jill relaxed her shoulders, and the heavy RPG-7 rocket launcher slid off her shoulder and crashed to the ground with a thud.
Exhausted, she staggered back two steps, then slowly slumped to the ground against the wall, panting heavily.
Sweat soaked her hair, and her face was pale.
The battle just now, especially the last time she carried the RPG and aimed it, had exhausted her last bit of strength.
Zhou Ye got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and walked over to Jill.
"Are you okay?"
Jill waved her hand and exhaled a breath of stale air.
"Thankfully...it's finally...resolved..."
She looked at the charred remains on the ground, but there was no joy on her face.
"It's finally over... but the thought of still having some 'tiredness' left makes me not happy."
She mentioned that name unintentionally.
Saeko Busujima, who had been silent all along, then interjected:
"The 'tired' that the female ghost mentioned earlier refers to the fifth of the twelve ghost moons."
Her voice was calm, as if she were stating a fact.
But this fact instantly made the atmosphere heavy.
Zhou Ye's heart skipped a beat.
It really is tiring! The fifth moon of the waning moon!
Jill suddenly looked up at Saeko Busujima.
"Late crescent moon? The twelfth ghost moon? What's that?"
Her voice was filled with urgency and confusion.
The ghost she had encountered before, who was immune to bullets and used silk threads, has now given rise to another one, "Lei," and the so-called "Twelve Ghost Months." These unfamiliar terms made her feel intensely uneasy.
"Bukushima-kun, what are the Twelve Ghost Months?"
Saeko Busujima slowly sheathed her long sword, her movements fluid and elegant.
"The so-called Twelve Ghost Months,"
she explained.
"It refers to the leader of the demons, named Muzan Kibutsuji, and the twelve most powerful demons selected around him."
"These twelve ghost moons are further divided into the first quarter moon and the last quarter moon."
There are six waxing crescent moons and six waning crescent moons. The higher the rank, the stronger the power.
Her tone remained completely unchanged, as if she were reciting content from a textbook.
"That female ghost wasn't even among the top-tier ghosts; she wasn't even ranked as low as the Lower Moon. And the 'Rai' she mentioned was the Fifth Lower Moon."
Chapter 14 White Lies
"The fifth of the lower moons..."
Jill muttered to herself, her face growing even uglier.
If a female ghost who isn't even ranked is this troublesome, then how strong must the real Lower Moon ghost be?
As Zhou Ye listened to Saeko's explanation, his mind raced.
He was certainly familiar with the setting of Demon Slayer.
Rui, the fifth Lower Moon, is a character in the original work who requires the Water Pillar Giyu Tomioka to intervene in order to defeat him.
Although Saeko Busujima is currently a Water Pillar candidate with formidable strength, what about their side?
A Jill who just got a gun, a water pillar candidate, a gem magician, Bajiquan, and conversion magic user Nami, and yourself who has Herrscher of Reason, Herrscher of the Void, and Talking Tom fragments—this lineup is for fighting the Twelve Demon Moons.
They're probably just going to their deaths!
"Wait a moment!"
Nami suddenly spoke, interrupting Saeko's story.
She walked up to Saeko, her expression serious, and asked, feigning confusion:
"What are these 'ghosts' you're talking about? That female ghost from earlier, and what you called 'Rai,' 'Twelve Demon Moons,' 'Muzan Kibutsuji'... what does all this have to do with anything?"
Nami frowned and crossed her arms.
"Isn't what we're dealing with a bio-virus leak? Zombies, bio-weapons, I can understand that. They're bio-monsters created by Umbrella."
"But what's with these 'ghosts'? How did something from Japanese legend end up in a run-down mansion in America?"
Her question was also the one Zhou Ye wanted to ask: the way this worldview was pieced together was too absurd. He and Nami only knew snippets of scene descriptions from the dungeon cards, far less than the locals knew.
Saeko Busujima glanced at Nami, then looked at Zhou Ye and Gil.
"Ghosts are not just legends."
Her answer was concise and clear.
"They are real. They feed on humans and fear sunlight and specially made Nichirin swords."
"As for why they're here..."
Saeko paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
"It is entirely related to Umbrella Corporation."
"what?"
Jill was astonished.
"Umbrella and ghosts?" Zhou Ye frowned as well.
"Based on some intelligence obtained by the Demon Slayer Corps,"
Saeko continued,
"The top executives at Umbrella Corporation, or other biopharmaceutical companies, have always been pursuing 'immortality.' Their research into viruses and the creation of biological weapons are all for this ultimate goal."
"And Muzan Kibutsuji, as the progenitor of demons, possesses a near-infinite lifespan. This is exactly what Umbrella has been dreaming of."
"so…"
Zhou Ye seemed to have grasped some truth.
"Umbrella found Muzan Kibutsuji and wanted to obtain the secret of immortality from him?"