Chapter 32
Chapter 32: Conflicted Feelings
Absorbing damage and retaliating was itself one of the extraordinary characteristics of the Wrath Path.
The Eighth Sequence “Poisoner” could inflict toxicity on those who attacked them, the Seventh Sequence “Gravedigger” could make those who attacked their manipulated undead corpse puppets suffer bone spike counterattacks, and the Sixth Sequence “Instigator” could nullify a certain degree of damage and return it intact.
As sequences advanced, the retaliation abilities of the Wrath Path continuously improved and diversified. By the “Instigator” level, they even possessed characteristics that could influence opponents’ thinking and provoke their desire to attack.
The authority brought by the Chapter of Wrath was far more powerful and versatile than these characteristics.
Of course, Funis also noticed the notation “Stored charges: 1/1” in the red text. She speculated this ability couldn’t be used multiple times in rapid succession at will.
But even so, if the authority’s effects were genuine, the crucial timing of its release could fundamentally reverse the tide of battle, creating enormous advantages.
After calming down, Funis gathered up her scattered rapier, revolver, and ammunition pouch, found a corner in the theater to sit down, and began carefully studying this Original Codex that had suddenly latched onto her.
The source of this power wasn’t important to Funis. Her ultimate goal was always to defeat and kill the Blood Witch Qixiya, then thoroughly end her current fallen, corrupted self.
As long as it could improve her strength, Funis would accept anything.
Then she turned her attention to the last two lines of the text.
【Switchable Path: Wrath Path Seventh Sequence – Gravedigger】
【Note: When switched to Wrath Path, normal advancement through potions and rituals is possible. Sequence advancement will bring corresponding improvements to authority level】
Funis had already tried it—just by lightly glancing at the area where the bloody text appeared, the extraordinary characteristics in her body would silently be replaced, with no side effects or discomfort felt.
This meant that she had been a powerless Ninth Sequence not long ago, but now had already freeloaded her way to Seventh Sequence through the Chapter of Wrath.
But according to the note below, the Chapter of Wrath brought her an independent new path that didn’t affect her original Witch Path, and the two paths could advance separately.
So Funis still needed to obtain sword rust secretions to make potions to advance her Witch Path to Eighth Sequence, which would give her a chance to gain another unknown sequence’s extraordinary characteristics.
Currently, it seemed the Chapter of Wrath had provided a powerful but limited authority and a new path independent of her own.
And all of this was related to the Wrath Path and Samael, who represented wrath.
At this point, a bold and absurd idea suddenly arose in Funis’s mind.
It was her blood touching the Chapter of Wrath that had opened that mysterious space and allowed her to see the fallen angel Samael there. If she could obtain other codex fragments, might she be able to gain new authorities and paths in the same way?
However, four pages were known to be sealed in Vatica, the capital of the Kabbalist Papal State, currently under joint guard by the Charity House and Temperance House, the two most powerful combat organizations. As a succubus and witch, Funis didn’t dare even think about it—she should stay as far away from Vatica and the Pope as possible.
Interestingly, one of those four pages had been personally brought back by her when she was still Serra. The Pope had personally received her for this, and that day the entire Vatica rang with ceremonial cannons in her honor—the height of glory.
Now she craved what she had completely disdained then. This sense of displacement was truly strange and thought-provoking.
After organizing her thoughts, Funis used silk threads to pry open the rocks and steel pressing down on Weiss’s corpse and roughly searched his body.
For some reason, touching the man’s body made her feel somewhat inexplicably nauseous, even though he was dead. This strange discomfort was hard to explain, and Funis felt she should ask Qixiya about it when she had the chance.
The “Burst” state had caused Weiss’s shirt to become tattered from his bulging muscles. Funis found a copper plate engraved with the Blood Wine Society’s emblem in his pocket, with a line of symbols she couldn’t understand carved on the back, like some kind of code.
Fortunately, soon after, Funis found a folded piece of letter paper in his pants pocket with symbols corresponding one-to-one with Columbian alphabet letters.
“Vivian,” she read aloud.
Funis frowned.
The clue was too direct and simple—she even suspected it might be some kind of trap. But on second thought, the Blackwater District itself wasn’t very large, and secret warehouses could be hidden in any corner.
The Vivian Glass Factory was just four hundred meters east of the grand theater, a few minutes’ walk. Taking a look wouldn’t cost her anything.
The rest were less important items: three Columbian gold coins, one Columbian silver coin, and a pocket watch with a broken glass face. Funis silently collected them all in her ammunition pouch—she had sewn and repaired the broken leather straps with silk thread and needle, something Qixiya had taught her. Simple mending was no longer difficult for Funis.
Finally, there was the metal prosthetic limb she had forcibly dismantled with rapid revolver fire. Due to Weiss’s high-risk operations before death, most components had been melted, and the steam boiler was nearly scrapped—calling it scrap metal wouldn’t be wrong.
But what interested Funis wasn’t the prosthetic itself, but the double-barreled gun chamber embedded in its palm.
She didn’t know why Weiss had installed a hunting gun structure inside. Since loading ammunition was already so difficult, in Funis’s aesthetic judgment, a shotgun would obviously be more suitable.
Stuffing a mechanical arm in an enemy’s mouth and firing buckshot—how cool would that be!
She fell in love at first sight and her mind was full of thoughts about “getting one for myself too.”
Of course, she first thought of an auxiliary arm attached to the side. Chopping off her own tender arm to attach a chunk of iron was still somewhat daunting.
However, just as Funis raised her rapier to pry it open for a closer look, she suddenly heard the sound of high heels clicking across the floor, echoing repeatedly in the empty theater.
Funis had a bad feeling.
“That’s not something a lady should be interested in. How would you wear dresses with that kind of thing attached?” A sweet girlish voice with a teasing tone drifted from directly behind her.
Without thinking, Funis spun around and threw her short rapier in reverse grip, then drew her revolver for three rapid shots.
Sticky blood flow lashed out like a whip from midair, catching the rapier and whirling it in a circle. The three bullets were instantly deflected in all directions.
Rock fragments scattered from the ricochets.
Amid the clanging and collision sounds, Funis skillfully drew three transparent fine needles forged from crystal ore from her arm needle pouch at a speed nearly impossible to track, raising her hand to fire them at the ceiling to trigger a falling object trap.
But she stiffly stopped her motion the next moment.
Because vines had already bound her forearms, as well as her limbs and entire body.
A slender figure in a flowing black dress sat cross-legged on the back of a theater seat amidst writhing scarlet tendrils, wine-red eyes gazing over with faint appreciation.
Undoubtedly Qixiya again—this woman just liked to appear suddenly and inexplicably at times like this.
“It’s not necessarily something I’d have to wear…” Funis muttered.
“Hard to say. I get the feeling you’re a bit hesitant now—do you think dressing up prettily is more important these days?” Qixiya smiled.
Funis had no retort. She bit her lip and looked away.
How annoying! This feeling of having her thoughts so easily seen through was truly detestable!