Chapter 132: A Big Reunion

-----

“Please, Hunter Sara, another question! Please just answer another one!”

“We implore you!”

“Hunter Sara!”

“Lady Sara!”

Sara found herself swarmed by interviewers, paparazzi, and journalists as she made her way back to Anna’s apartment complex. She had been doing this entire routine since yesterday, and after a whole day, she was finally coming to see Anna, her savior, once more.

However, they were not letting her have it so easily, surrounding her and constantly asking her more questions. The citizens had heard news about her having gone berserk, which took many hunters to take her down.

The source of this information, the chairman of the Hunter Association Building in the Stronghold City, said she had been possessed by an Evil Constellation, but that she had been purified by the Hunters and brought to safety.

There were no casualties whatsoever, but many Hunters were severely wounded after what happened; some are still hospitalized.

Sara had already given a public apology and explained her circumstances to the people, but they kept trying to dig further, trying to make her spill something important she might not have said before.

“Ugh… All of you just look like tasty bags of meat,” Sara thought, suddenly realizing her thought process has been turning strange lately. “Wait, bags of meat? What am I even thinking about?”

Although nobody else but Anna knew this, she had become something else now. She was no longer a human, but Undead.

Whenever she felt hungry, she would start to see normal people as bags of blood, meat, and tasty souls, which creeped her out.

However, eventually, she’ll have to accept this new side of her if she wants to keep “living” among humans.

Either this or stay dead like the Death Apostle left her as...

“I’ve already made my public apologies and... I have nothing else to say.” Sara sighed, accepting the microphones. “I’m very sorry about what I’ve done... But I wasn’t being myself in that moment. I will make sure to pay for what I’ve done by compensating the victims and protecting the city… much… better. Ugh…”

Sara was constantly getting dizzier the hungrier she became. Resisting the urge to bite off the nose of one of the people trying to interview her, she walked away, running from the people.

At the same time, not so far away, the same scene was happening with a red-haired and popular hunter across all of America. Scarlet was being interviewed for the millionth time today after her amazing feats.

“Not only did you fend off two of those terrorists with everyone else, but you protected the entire city from a horde of undead! What do you have to say about your recent accomplishments?”

“Hunter Scarlet! What do you think about the security of Stronghold City? Any thoughts on what we could improve?”

“Hahh…” Scarlet ignored the people as she walked away from them, ignoring a similar urge in Sara to drink their tasty blood.

As someone who was experimented on and merged with the genes of Vampiric Monsters such as Blood Bats and Vampiric Zombies, Scarlet naturally developed the traits and abilities of a Vampire, without their major weaknesses.

Of course, except for her incredible and intense craving for fresh blood, something she desired above all things... She could, of course, eat normally too, but now and then, she needed fresh blood, be it from monsters or humans. Usually, thugs deserve no mercy.

“I’ve already said more than enough…” She sighed. “And it’s not like I am trying to gain any fame; I was among those damn terrorists not so long ago... Leave me alone, you bag of blood.”

Scarlet decided to run as fast as she could, leaving the normal citizens behind quite easily with her super-enhanced speed as a hunter, suddenly stumbling on Sara on her way to visit Jack, the only man she cared for right now.

“Huh?”

“Hah?”

“Why are you here?”

“Why are YOU here?”

The two confronted one another in a single second, their sharp glares glancing at one another’s very souls! Sara didn’t have a good relationship with Scarlet, but Scarlet was much more aggressive now because she thought the little Undead came to meet Jack, and she didn’t want any more rivals aside from Henrietta.

“I’ve come to meet Anna; she’s…  my friend. And I need to talk to her about something.” Sara sighed.

“Anna? Jack’s sister?” Asked Scarlet, squinting her eyes. “Okay then… Well, let’s go together. As long as you don’t bother Jack, I don’t really care what you want, honestly.”

“Does she have to be so toxic?” Sara thought, growing slightly angered at Scarlet.

“Ugh, this woman and her resting bitch face are so annoying, I want to punch her.” Scarlet thought, glaring at Sara.

Both women walked towards Jack’s apartment, knocking on the door almost at the same time.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

It was so loud that some of the neighbors looked through the windows, terrified to see two incredibly popular Hunter ladies glaring at one another fiercely.

“Yeah?” Jack opened the door, and behind him were Anna and Hilda talking. The table was covered with many materials that Anna wanted Hilda to work on. “Oh, it’s you girls…”

“Jack! Nice to meet you!” Scarlet instantly went towards Jack, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek. “You’re so handsome today too!”

“Huh?” Jack wondered confusedly. “Don’t get so comfortable yet, Scarlet. We’ve got a lot to talk about first…” Jack gently pushed her away.

“I-I came to meet Anna… May I come in?” Sara asked timidly.

“Sure.” Jack was completely different from Sara, as he let her in easily while Scarlet was still in front of the door!

“Y-You…!” Scarlet was filled with jealousy but was stopped from doing anything funny by the seriously pissed-off glare of Jack.

“So? You came to talk or something?” Jack was still angry that Scarlet had hidden from him being part of the Dawn of a New World for so long.

“A-Are you mad at me?” Scarlet asked with puppy eyes.

“Of course I am; even if you joined us and all, you were still with the criminals all this time!” Jack roared angrily. “Did you ever take innocent lives? I know I’m not the one to talk, but... Have you done the things they did?”

“I-I haven’t done anything extreme! Maybe killing a few thugs here and there…” Scarlet said it nervously. “People that deserved it, I swear! I’ve been mostly trying to meld with society after everything. C-Can I come in? I don’t want the neighbors to listen.”

“Hmmm…” Jack was still indecisive, but then Anna walked to his side.

“Let her in; don’t be so grumpy; she changed for the best. Don’t discourage her from having taken that decision now…” She crossed her arms.

“Hah… Fine.” Jack said, letting Scarlet in.

“Uwaah! Thank you so much, Anna! You’re a real angel!” Scarlet gently petted Anna’s head.

“No problem.” Anna smiled a bit. “Her appearance really reminds me of Blednica… For a second, I thought that bitch had revived and followed me all the way to Earth!”

As they let Scarlet in, Sara timidly sat down near Hilda, as the blacksmith was checking the goods that Anna had shown her.

“These ores and crystals—just where did you even get them? Demonite Ore, Crimson Copper Ore, Blood Crystals, Abyssitite... The bones of a Blood Thrall Wendigo King…” She said in amusement.

“I had been saving and investing in the Hunter Shop for a while now, so I bought these.” Anna lied. “I’ve got some even more amazing items, but I want to talk more in private inside your Divine Forge, if that’s alright with you.”

“Sure! We’re friends after all! Ah, my Constellation’s getting super excited as well!” Hilda celebrated happily.

[The Cosmic Throne {Divine Forger of Olympus} seems eager to see what you have for his Incarnation! If you can provide good enough materials, he assures you that his Incarnation will make you some top-notch equipment, for free!]

“He sure seems excited…” Anna laughed a bit. “Though, not much about these other guys…”

[The Cosmic Throne {Queen of the Underworld} is glaring at you furiously from a distance, planning your demise…]

[The Cosmic Throne {Cursed Eight-Legged Maiden} is plotting something devious.]

Hel and Arachne weren’t leaving her alone one second, constantly harassing her and telling her they'd plot her demise and stuff… Anna was getting really pissed off.

[The Seamless Abyss] glares in silence with his countless eyes at the two small constellations.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Queen of the Underworld} shivers in horror, escaping immediately.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Cursed Eight-Legged Maiden} has left without saying another word.]

“Hah, you finally stepped in, Seamless.” Anna sighed in relief.

[The Seamless Abyss] is simply watching at you through the eye you possess, he has done nothing else.]

[That some pathetic Constellations escape from his very watch means they’re lesser than mortals like you, who face him without fear.]

[His endless darkness begins to swirl around… His eyes were blinking rapidly. Strange, nefarious sounds can be heard across the Void.]

[It can’t be deciphered if he’s either excited, interested, bored, happy, or angry.]

“Hahah… Y-Yeah.”

Not even Anna was that calm; a Void Ruler was an enigmatic, creepy entity from the Outer Void; their very existences were much different than your run-of-the-mill Constellations.

They were so strange that it wasn’t rare for the Constellations to refer to them as “Alien Gods”.

[The Cosmic Throne {Butterfly That Flies Across The Universe} remains in silence before the presence of a Void Ruler]

[The Cosmic Throne {Monkey that Dances in Chaos} remains in silence, but you can clearly hear his breathing, which is becoming accelerated.]

“Huh, these two idiots are actually afraid for once. I think I’ve never seen them this serious before!”

[The Cosmic Throne {Jester Filled With Lies} is in silence before his almighty master.]

“Almighty master?!”

Did the jester just reveal to Anna that he had something to do with Seamless Abyss? Anna had many questions but couldn’t really ask any for now; the Constellations were too intimidated to even speak a word.

[The Cosmic Throne {Maiden that Watches Over Nature} has recently woken up from her slumber to see this... She is speechless.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Warrior That Seeks Calamity} remains in silence.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Divine Judge of Flames} is amazed by what you’ve accomplished if you’ve attracted the attention of a Void Ruler.]

“Gabriel is the only one who is not that afraid? That shows how high he is in the hierarchy compared to the others…”

[The Cosmic Throne {Ancient King that Sits On A Throne of Gold} laughs.]

“Gilgamesh is laughing?! Ah, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. This Gilgamesh is quite literally like that one from the Fate Series… He probably fears nobody, not even Void Rulers.”

[The Cosmic Throne {Black Jackal that Judges the Death} gasps in shock and escapes.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Lady that Soothes the Souls of the Death} sighs…]

[The Cosmic Throne {Drama Loving King of Wine} sips wine silently, watching things with interest.]

[The Cosmic Throne {Giantess Queen of the Frost Throne} is watching over Dan Baihe, ignoring you…]

[The Cosmic Throne {Emperor of the Blood Throne} notices what is going on and spits the blood he was drinking while sitting on his comfortable throne.]

“You guys are so dramatic…”

“I guess you can start explaining yourself now.” Anna’s brother said, crossing his arms as he confronted Scarlet. “Now that things have calmed down and we’re preparing to raid the castle… Please tell us what you know about them. Everything you can.”

“Sigh… I guess there’s no helping it.” Scarlet smiled. “For you, I would do anything, Jack... I’ll say everything I know if that can earn a bit more of your trust.” She smiled gently at the love of her life.

“Your flattery is not working; speak.” Jack was dead serious, though, slightly breaking her heart.

“Y-Yes…” Scarlet sighed, laughing a bit over the irony of her situation.

She didn’t explain a thing Anna didn’t know already. She spoke about the origins of her group, about the members, how they came together, and more. And also about the pact they did with Beelzebub not so long ago, which was Heisenberg’s idea.

“They never let me see more of their plans; I guess they didn’t trust me for a long while.” Scarlet sighed. “But I know that Heisenberg is planning something big; he and Beelzebub are gathering power and energies. They gained power with each Apostle you guys killed too! It was all a trap to gather their leftover energy.”

“These Apostles… Fenrir, do you know something more about them?” Jack asked his dog friend.

“Hmmm, I do know that they’re wannabe Archdemons. They’re “Ascended” Demons from the Demonic Realm, or, well, different parallel ones. Not all of them originate from the same.” Said Fenrir. “They arrive on worlds that are undergoing the {Awakening}, sometimes cooperating with Constellations to become {Calamities} that bring {Scenarios}, or sometimes they go rogue and do as they please; it depends on how much power and authority the Constellations have or how much the Void Rulers care... It looks like Beelzebub has managed to get to a sweet point where nobody is bothering him yet, though they probably want him dead anyway.”

“O-Okay, I barely understood half of what you said," Jack said, while rubbing his chin. “But I kind of get it... So they want to ascend and become Archdemons? What’s stopping them?”

Sara, Anna, and Hilda were attentively hearing. Annabelle and Baihe were in the gym exercising and sparring to practice their skills in the meantime, explaining their absence.

“First, they need to gather Souls, countless sacrifices, and millions. So this is one of Beelzebub’s plans. Most likely, he wants to sacrifice everyone in Stronghold for that purpose…” He said. “Once they get enough power, they battle against the Archdemons, and if they win, they can take their seats as an Archdemon of a certain Sin. For starters, Uroboros was an Abyssal Concept Fragment that defeated Beelzebub and took his throne as the Archdemon of Gluttony. This happens all the time; sometimes they aren’t even originally demons.”

“Archdemons… are sure a pain.” Sara sighed. “But I wonder what’s the deal with this position; do they serve some purpose in the great scheme of things?”

“Of course they do.” Fenrir spoke. “They fulfill the greatest task in the Awakening of Worlds… They bring monsters, dungeons, and destruction, which hastens evolution and development. They’re a necessity. Constellations sometimes act evilly, but the majority choose an Incarnation, someone to become THEM- Ah, and that’s all I can say before the Void Rulers come to smack me.”

“Intriguing.” Jack said. “So this means that Heisenberg is trying to help Beelzebub, or…?”

“No… Well, yes.” Scarlet said. “But it’s much more than helping him. He and Beelzebub… They have become one. He has become his vessel, and, at the same time, this has twisted Heisenberg into something even more malign—something even darker. He’s definitely not the same man I remember. The man I once called my big brother…”

Scarlet seemed really sad, actually, making Jack begin to reconsider his attitude towards her. He hadn’t considered all she had gone through herself, as a lab rat, persecuted, and then eventually melding with society, working hard to become a hunter.

“Sorry about how I treated you before.” Jack said. “I understand how you feel now… A bit. Scarlet, I hope you can keep helping us stop this madness before things become even worse.”

“O-Of course!” Scarlet blushed a bit, smiling. “I will help as much as I can. It is my decision… I don’t want this to happen either. I will stop Heisenberg’s madness, and also my siblings, who have fallen too low now to come back…”

“…” Anna remained in silence, thinking about what had happened recently. “I better get a stronger set of armor and a new weapon before the castle raid. Even with everything I’ve acquired so far, I am not sure if I’ll be able to do it. Especially if something else than just Beelzebub shows up.”

“Alright, let’s go for now, Anna.” Hilda opened a portal to her Divine Forge, as Anna nodded and entered with her.

Once inside and separated from her brother’s eyes and everyone else, Anna showed Hilda what she wanted to talk about privately.

There are two shiny jewels: one black-colored jewel with the shape of an eye and another crimson-colored jewel with the shape of a tear.

“T-These items…! I cannot even appraise their Ranks?!” Hilda was amazed. “W-What are these?!”

“Hilda… I want you to make me a weapon and an armor out of these. Can you do that? I’ll pay you as much as you want!” Anna said.

“I-I’ll do it for free! This might be my only chance to work on such incredible materials! And maybe I can finally fulfill my Sponsor’s Quest!” Hilda was pumped.

“Thank you! If anything, let me help too…” Anna smiled, looking at her Jack of all Trades Skill. “I’m surprisingly good at learning.”

Meanwhile, Sara was left alone. At the very least, she was given the Urn of Souls, so she was slurping souls from there like noodles.

However, she was internally sobbing because she wanted to spend some time with Anna…

“Sigh…”

-----