Chapter 272: Two Out of Three

“It’s impossible,” Billy said darkly, “There’s no such thing as a curse that guarantees death. If there were, it would only exist in stories.”

Penny once again swung forward and looked at Billy, seemingly intrigued.

“Yes, I was lying to you,” she giggled, appearing quite pleased with the tense looks on their faces just moments ago.

“Aren’t you trapped here just like us?” Angela couldn’t help but step forward. She’d been watching the tide outside—it was rising fast, nearly level with the windowsill.

She didn’t want to waste any more time chatting with this enigmatic Penny.

“The sacrifices are already in place. If you tell us how to escape, we might be able to help you get out too.”

“You’re lying!”

Penny puffed her cheeks and deliberately leaned on her arm, causing the great bell to sway in a new direction.

The long, rhythmic swinging resumed, and the tip of Mochi Mochi’s shoe nearly struck Angela.

She quickly staggered back.

Penny burst into laughter, head thrown back like a gleeful child.

Angela bit her lip in anger, on the verge of unleashing the soul inside her to teach Penny a lesson.

But Saul raised a hand to stop her.

He stepped forward and grabbed Mochi Mochi’s swinging calf midair, halting the great bell’s movement completely.

Penny, who was hanging from the bell, stopped as well—yet her body didn’t sway, as though inertia didn’t apply to her at all.

“You didn’t appear out of nowhere just to mess with us. Time’s running out. Say what you want or plan to do—fast.”

Looking down from above, Penny’s playful smile finally faded.

“Is Brother Saul really that eager to leave Penny behind? This might be the last time we ever meet.”

Saul simply stared at her.

Under his steady gaze, Penny finally gave in.

“Fine,” she sighed, leaping off the bell and landing lightly on Saul’s arm.

His arm didn’t so much as flex, yet it held her weight with ease.

She landed on him like a butterfly landing softly on a flower.

“Just ignite the soul flame of the sacrifice, and the gate of the town will open—for a brief time.”

She had barely finished her sentence when Billy suddenly moved.

A black flame burst from his fingertip. With a flick of his arm, it landed on Mochi Mochi.

It was as if the flame fell onto an oil-soaked rag—Mochi Mochi ignited instantly.

His whole body went up in flames. Limbs that had hung limp began to tremble violently.

Saul heard a sharp, agonized wail.

It was the sound of Mochi Mochi’s soul crying out.

Saul’s eyes flicked toward Billy, whose expression remained unmoved.

This man had just risked himself to try and save Mochi Mochi, yet the moment he learned that escaping required sacrificing him, he’d been the first to act.

The flames consuming Mochi Mochi’s body spread to the great bell, and from there to the roof of the clocktower.

Everything, whether flammable or not, began to burn.

Firelight pierced through the tower’s windows, casting golden light onto the blood-colored ocean outside.

The three people inside the clocktower quickly cast protective spells around themselves, shielding from the heat and flames.

“And then?” Saul asked.

Billy’s flames were unusual—Mochi Mochi’s corpse turned to ash in no time. The copper bell began to melt and drip.

But the iron chain suspending the bell merely caught fire—it didn’t melt or break.

Penny’s expression, however, grew worse. She looked more unstable by the second.

“Then we wait for the cage to appear, which will point out where the door is,” she said.

Her body swayed as she jumped off Saul’s arm, and stumbled.

She hit the ground hard, unable to stay on her feet.

Saul watched her reaction closely. Billy, meanwhile, was focused on the deformed, unrecognizable bell.

CLANG!

Finally, the melted copper bell dropped to the floor. The fire scattered like rats, fleeing in every direction.

Some hit the apprentices’ protective shields and fizzled out with a hiss.

When the bell fell, it revealed something still hanging from the chain below.

It was a crystal orb, filled with a red liquid.

The liquid had already filled most of the orb and was still rising.

It looked like… a miniature version of Grind Sail Town.

“Is this the source of the curse?” Billy stared at the orb, visibly tempted.

But this was also the curse’s most potent moment. Even a true wizard might not be able to take that orb now.

Suddenly, a red light appeared inside the orb. It projected two beams of light onto the orb’s surface, forming two tiny red dots.

Then the beams pierced through the orb and continued across the tower—out the window and into the churning blood sea.

Saul followed the direction of the beams. They pointed straight at the town’s two gates.

“The doors are open now. But only for three minutes.”

“Go!” Billy barked. More experienced than the others, he immediately flew up, grabbing Angela to leave.

But before they could take off, Penny spoke in a chilly voice, “This escape path has a restriction. Only two people can use it.”

She might have been lying, but the atmosphere inside the clocktower shifted instantly.

Billy and Saul locked eyes. Sparks practically flew between them.

Saul knew that if it came down to a direct fight, he probably wouldn’t win against Billy. And Angela clearly mattered to him.

But Saul had no intention of giving up his chance to escape.

If Billy really does come after me… Saul thought, watching Angela from the corner of his eye. His fingertips began turning transparent.

Angela didn’t need a warning to realize Saul would target her.

She hastily maintained her defensive spells and backed away, moving behind Billy to use his body as a shield.

“Get in,” Billy said suddenly, cracking open his protective barrier.

Angela’s eyes lit up. She knew that meant he was going to protect her.

A Third Rank apprentice’s barrier was far better than hers. She didn’t hesitate—she slipped inside.

Angela glanced smugly at Saul.

So what if you’re talented? Can you beat someone who’s about to become a full-fledged wizard?

Schlk—

Her gloating was cut short by a sharp pain in her abdomen.

“Huh?” she gasped in disbelief, staring at Billy’s hand buried in her stomach.

Before she could react, he pulled his hand out.

He was holding a small, pale gray lump—solid, rough, and irregular like an unremarkable rock.

“Pulled it a bit early,” Billy said, “but it should be able to reproduce on its own now.”

He tucked it away with a quick flash—Saul barely saw it.

Then he shoved the trembling, pain-wracked Angela out of his shield and let her collapse in agony.

“Why…?” she groaned, unable to even lift her head.

Billy ignored her completely. He looked at Saul with a blank expression and said, “No need to be tense. Now it’s just the two of us.”

A wave surged through the window—blood tide had risen to their level.

Overhead, the crystal orb began to flicker.

Saul hadn’t been surprised by Billy’s ruthlessness, but he hadn’t expected him to act at such a critical moment.

Was that an apology for attacking me earlier while trying to save Mochi Mochi? Saul wondered.

Billy gave Saul a small nod, then turned and stepped onto the windowsill.

The man made decisions about gain and loss without the slightest hesitation.

Saul knew now wasn’t the time to settle scores. He jumped up onto the other window.

But the moment he saw where the gate lay, he froze.

Though the red beams from the orb pointed toward the town’s two gates, those gates had long since been submerged.

To follow the beams, they would have to dive beneath the surface.

And that crimson tide was the curse’s most lethal power.

After all that running and scheming… are we really going to have to dive straight into the blood sea to escape?

(End of Chapter)

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