Chapter 8 Night of Slaughter (1) Lord Kerber is the best in the world...
As more and more abyssal creatures awakened in the Fountain of Life, and as the commotion of doubt continued to grow on the lake's surface, several electronic notification sounds suddenly rang out simultaneously, converging into a loud echo.
"Ding! The deceased has been reborn. The [Opening Ceremony] will be held one day from now. All new students are requested to proceed to Avalon City and complete their registration before nightfall. Teleportation countdown begins... ten, nine..."
The newly resurrected "newcomers" took out their respective [Student Handbooks], including some abyssal creatures who were at a loss as to what to do with the little box.
Xia Ying's focus was different from theirs; what surprised her was the magic circle that was gradually rising from the water.
"...two, one."
The ten-second countdown ended, and the suddenly glowing magic circle swallowed all the creatures whole.
He released her hand and looked hesitantly at the human girl who was standing motionless with her back to him: "Hey, are you alright?"
The words had barely left her mouth when Xia Ying collapsed forward.
To put it simply, Xia Ying felt as if she had been stuffed into a high-speed blender and blended at maximum power sixty times per second, then with a "whoosh," her brain was turned into a paste...
This time, however, she didn't fall face-first; instead, she fell into someone's arms.
"You seem to fall down very easily, Xia Ying."
A familiar female voice rang out, and Xia Ying steadied herself. Then she saw the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade at the other person's waist: "Miss Qiongqi!"
Just as Qiongqi was about to speak, Cerberus stepped forward and blocked Xia Ying behind him with an unhappy expression: "Don't touch her."
"!!"
The sudden appearance of Ke'er caused a look of astonishment to flash across Qiongqi's eyes. This astonishment quickly turned into a high level of vigilance. Then, with a flash of light, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow was already in her hand.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Cerberus.” She watched his every move with wary eyes. “Ever since you disappeared from the Underworld, the creatures of the Abyss have all thought you had finally died of madness.”
Cerberus's expression instantly darkened, and he muttered with hatred, "...This is never going to end."
Xia Ying's gaze swept between the two of them: "Did you know each other before?"
“I think very few creatures of the abyss are unaware of the name ‘Cerberus’,” Qiongqi said coldly and mockingly. “After all, he was once…”
Xia Ying suddenly grabbed Cerberus's sleeve, peeked out from behind him, and smiled at Qiongqi, who looked like he was facing a formidable enemy.
"Excuse me, my dog Kerbera is a little shy." She seemed oblivious to the deadly black flames and raging shadows, continuing to approach the enraged Infernal Hound.
Qiongqi's eyes widened, and it could almost foresee the terrible scene that was about to unfold.
As Xia Ying approached, the flames deftly bypassed her, and the shadows lay obediently at her feet. So, she naturally and effortlessly raised her hand and patted Cerberus on the back of the head.
The last trace of ferocity in the Fiery Hellhound was dispelled by this slap.
Cerberus turned around and glared at Xia Ying: "I told you not to hit her in the head!"
"It was an emergency," Xia Ying blinked. "I'll be more careful next time."
Although the dog was still grumbling and muttering incessantly, Xia Ying clearly felt it was time to move on to the next step.
"Let me introduce you. This is Miss Qiongqi, a survivor of the Charon like me, and she has helped me a lot... Kelp, say hello."
Under Xia Ying's intense gaze, Cerberus nodded somewhat reluctantly and with great dissatisfaction. However, judging from Qiongqi's ghost-like expression, she was not much better off than Cerberus.
“Miss Qiongqi, you seem to already know this man’s name is Cerberus,” Xia Ying said with a smile, turning the introduction to the other side. “He is a very important companion of mine.”
...Seriously? That Cerberus?
Qiongqi's expression suddenly became very complicated. Before she could react, a small abyssal creature with gray skin, sharp horns, and wings intervened in their conversation.
"I am Gargoyle Number 263, responsible for maintaining order in the plaza," Gargoyle Number 263 said, frowning. "You're freshmen, right? Fighting in Twilight Plaza violates the academy's rules on order. However, since you didn't cause any property damage this time..."
It glanced at Xia Ying unconsciously, then thought for a moment, and drew a line in the notebook in its hand: "Let's just count it as one warning for now. If there are three warnings, you'll have to pay a fine and go to solitary confinement."
Xia Ying subconsciously repeated, "Twilight Square?"
"Yes, this is the Twilight Square in the Midgard District of Avalon City, one of the few safe zones of the Cocytus Academy, so people often choose to trade items and information here. And also... well, you'll find out later."
Gargoyle 263 ended the conversation rather impatiently.
"In short, stop fighting! We're busy every recruitment cycle!"
It flapped its little wings and took off, hurrying to the next location where a fight had broken out.
She saw in the distance a huge lapis lazuli scale, from which Twilight Plaza was built and radiated outwards.
She saw shops and stalls of all sizes scattered about, where countless abyssal creatures were having countless conversations, transactions, and interactions. Those deals that had been made were slowly sinking to the bottom of the water with their unseen conspiracies, while fresh desires and schemes were constantly bubbling up.
This is the Academy of Cocytus, a corner of a city teeming with monsters.
At that moment, Xia Ying suddenly realized with unusual clarity that she was in the midst of it all.
"Xia Ying, what brings you to Cocytus?"
Qiongqi's voice interrupted her reverie.
Xia Ying withdrew her gaze and looked at the questioner: "And you, Miss Qiongqi?"
Qiongqi curled the corners of her lips, but did not answer immediately. She looked around at the surrounding shops and extended an invitation to the two of them.
"Let's find somewhere to chat." She slammed the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade back into its sheath. "It's on me."
####
A few minutes later, they entered a shop with a barbaric and rough style, its door adorned with lion heads, spears, and shields.
Xia Ying sat down at the heavy, weathered oak table and whispered to Cerberus, "Do the abyssal creatures eat cooked food? It's not going to be raw, bloody meat and offal served up, is it?"
“…” Cerberus paused suspiciously, “Not all abyssal species eat those things.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than a warm voice rang out: "Welcome to 'Poisonous Frosting'! Is this your first time here?"
"Yes, we are freshmen."
As Xia Ying answered, she turned her head and saw a faceless humanoid creature that was completely covered from head to toe in metal armor, yet still had a pink ruffled apron on it.
"Are you the store manager?" Xia Ying looked at the clean, shiny, and impeccable suit of armor with admiration. "Your store's sterile suits have really high hygiene standards."
"Thank you, sweetheart, you can call me that. But everything in Cocytus belongs to the Demon Lord; I am merely the operator of this dessert shop."
Nevertheless, the other party still answered with pride.
"Indeed, some people have said that I am suitable for this line of work. After all, I am quick and efficient, and I don't shed fur like beast-like abyssal creatures... If you don't mind, I recommend that you try our shop's signature dessert."
Xia Ying looked at the pretty desserts on the menu, drizzled with pink jam and decorated with berries and pudding, and couldn't help but nod.
"Okay, three Death Parfaits, please." The shopkeeper happily put away the menu. "I'll be right back."
Then, he clattered back into the transparent kitchen in his armor, set out three tall, wide-mouthed glasses, and then carried out a potted shrub from the freezer. The shrub's branches were adorned with red fruits, but the fruits didn't look like apples; they looked more like a group of wrinkled, red-faced old men.
With a flash of the axe, a broken branch was thrown onto the cutting board. The old apple, suddenly separated from its mother, screamed. The shopkeeper swung the axe down, and juice splattered everywhere. The scream stopped abruptly. The shopkeeper picked up a fruit that had been cut in half and squeezed the pink liquid into a cup.
Xia Ying, who witnessed everything, opened her mouth in surprise. The shop owner was indeed as efficient as he had said. He quickly processed the man-eating flower eyeballs and slime pieces, mixed them with cream, ice cream and the juice of the old apple man, and plated them into a beautiful dessert.
He carried out the dessert on a tray with great joy, momentarily forgetting that he was taller than the kitchen door. His helmet, knocked off by the door frame, rolled a few times on the ground, while the headless body continued forward obliviously, placing the food on the oak table.
Xia Ying glanced at the headless armor, then at the sweet pastries in front of her, her pupils dilating violently: "...Thank you."
Cerberus watched silently as the headless knight left, then slumped back in his chair, deflated, and shoved a spoonful of parfait into his mouth: "That guy was a headless knight. This is the first time I've ever heard of something like that being good at making desserts."
Xia Ying repeated in confusion, "A headless knight?"
"They are more common in the Nibelungen Abyss, usually as bloodthirsty and brutal abyssal creatures. But in Cocytus, they are also allowed to indulge in some seemingly bizarre things."
Qiongqi took a bite of the parfait, let out a pleasant sigh, and gently tapped the side of the cup with his spoon.
"The Demon Lord has established rules in his territory that are completely different from those in the Demon Realm, and for some abyssal creatures, this may be the reason why they came to Cocytus."
After thinking it over and over, Xia Ying finally mustered up the courage to carefully taste the Death Parfait.
It was surprisingly delicious.
She asked, "Miss Qiongqi, is this also your reason for coming here?"
Qiongqi replied without hesitation, "Of course not, I came here to make myself stronger."
"Get stronger?"
Qiongqi replied, "The opportunity to acquire magical artifacts, the chance to fight various powerful enemies without fear of actual death, not to mention the 'learning' itself in Cocytus..."
Cerberus interrupted her rudely: "And what is the price for demanding these from the Lord of Demons?"
“Indeed, it is said that the Lord of Demons never allows himself to suffer losses,” Qiongqi frankly admitted. “But I really can’t imagine what an omnipotent abyssal creature would have to obtain through such a… roundabout way, so I’ve stopped thinking about it.”
She gestured with her chin toward the demon hound: "Didn't you yourself still end up in Cocytus?"
Cerberus did not answer, but someone else gave him the answer.
Xia Ying's voice was calm: "Because I was coming here, Ke Er decided to come along."
Cerberus snorted coldly, turned his face away, and did not refute.
Although she didn't understand the other party's intention, Xia Ying did as she was told. Qiongqi touched Xia Ying's communicator with his own [Student Handbook]. The moment the two communicators touched, a notification sound rang out:
"Beep! Xia Ying's/Qiong Qi's contact information has been entered."
"Go check in early and get a good night's sleep." Qiongqi got up and left, waving casually with his back to Xia Ying. "If you're determined to abandon the demon hound, feel free to contact me."
Xia Ying swiftly grabbed the enraged Cerberus, rapidly rubbing its head and back with one hand while quickly scooping up a spoonful of ice cream and stuffing it into its mouth with the other.
"Lord Cerberus is the best, strongest, and most handsome dog in the world. I wouldn't even glance at a mediocre cat or dog on the street if I were with Lord Cerberus, let alone bring them home."
Xia Ying completed a long chant without blushing or panting, while the dog's tail spun like a propeller. She still stubbornly said, "It's good that you know!"
As Xia Ying stepped out of the "poisonous frosting," she suddenly heard a distant bell ringing from somewhere.
With the sound of the bell as the dividing line, the sky began to darken at a visible speed. Dusk passed in an instant, and day and night completed their alternation in a very short moment. In the black velvet sky, a strange celestial phenomenon that Xia Ying had never seen before gradually appeared.
There were three moons that partially overlapped, but with different hues and phases. The pale and indigo moons were shaped like hooks, hanging diagonally at opposite corners, while the red moon at the top was nearly full and the brightest.
Cerberus stood still in the red moonlight, as if bathed in flowing blood.
"The night of slaughter is fast approaching."
He looked up at the crimson moon and murmured to himself.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Xia Ying said: "Lord Kerber is the best, strongest, and most handsome dog in the world."
Xia Ying thought to herself: Lord Kerber is the easiest dog in the world to handle.
Cerberus, you've really raised a bad person.
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