The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

Although we don't know what happened to this guy, it's clear that he has lost the ability to communicate... and has become very dangerous.

"Nonsense!" Byus roared suddenly, and the yellow oil candles surrounding him went out.

"I am more clear-headed than ever before, and I understand everything about this world better than ever before... I am about to break free from the heavy silk cocoon and ascend to a higher realm."

Sota stood up shakily and slowly turned to look at Haida.

Byas, draped in a bright red leather robe, had empty, unfocused pupils, and drool mixed with blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. It was as if the very thoughts that constituted his consciousness had been completely ripped away, and the empty space in his brain had been filled with something else…

"Zaird, fire directly."

Terence noticed that the vampire was acting strangely and immediately gave the shooting order to Child, who had been aiming at the vampire for a while.

Judging from Sister Heda's sword-drawing stance, she's most likely preparing for close combat. If they wait until the two start fighting at close range, she probably won't have such a good opportunity to suppress him.

"Ah."

After receiving permission, Child pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle. Byars did not dodge and was hit directly in the sternum. The huge impact threw him off balance, slamming him onto the altar made of oil candles and blood behind him.

"Hit confirmed, no excessive penetration. This guy's body is much tougher than I expected..."

With a hint of surprise, Child quickly reported on the observations after the target was hit.

At such close range, this sniper rifle could easily penetrate steel plates. A humanoid creature made of flesh and blood should have been easily pierced through...

Seeing that the other person had taken a solid shot, Terence's unease subsided slightly.

[Redundant Information Intrusion] can release a large amount of disordered information into the brain and central nervous system, thereby impairing the target's ability to act. Even the high priestess of the Hungry Club is not completely immune to its effects.

Even if the vampire in front of us can dispel the negative effects of this secret technique, it will probably take quite some time.

He still remembered the scene when Dr. Fran performed a live dissection on Sayens. And as she removed the flesh, it continued to grow back; the whole process was comparable to a gruesome splatter film…

However, this time Fran stayed quietly in place, gently fiddling with his hair, seemingly having no intention of making a move.

Soon, the fallen Byas stood up again. Logically, he should have lost control of his body, but at this moment, the vampire acted as if nothing was wrong, and even the wound on his chest, which had been smashed into a pulp, was wriggling and healing.

"Distracting thinking, just a crude trick of the white glass..."

Just as Byars was about to say something else, Heda suddenly stepped forward and slashed his head with her sword.

He immediately stretched out his right arm to block. But the metal skeleton, which could easily stop a large-caliber bullet, was sliced ​​open like butter under a hot knife without any resistance... The whole process was easy and effortless.

The scene of his arm being severed seemed so familiar that Bayes' remaining memories began to surface.

"nun?"

Before his words could even escape his throat, the power sword, with a shrill metallic hum, severed him in two, starting from his skull.

Even without a disintegration field mounted on the sword, the hardness and sharpness of the refined gold are enough to give "Nirvana" an almost absolute advantage in almost all head-on collisions.

"Well done, but it's not over yet. Qualified hunter, kill me... my heart is right here! Quick, it's about to crawl out of my brain!"

Biatheus's body, severed in two, began to sprout tender pink flesh, attempting to pull it back together along the cut surfaces... 4→

But after regaining a sliver of his senses, he exhibited a strong suicidal tendency, even tearing open his newly healed chest to reveal his still-beating heart.

"...As you wish."

Although it is unclear what exactly happened to Byas or why he suddenly sought death, Heda's mission remains unchanged.

The power sword "Nie" pierced through Baias's heart with a clean cut, and his body, which was struggling to regenerate, began to decay and collapse.

"Phew... Finally, it's all over..."

As if granted a long-awaited release, Byas collapsed to the ground with a dull, fleshy thud.

Fran, who had watched the entire match with Vivian, smiled and pursed his lips, his amber eyes sparkling with excitement.

The reason she showed no intention of taking any action throughout was not only because she trusted Sister Haida's strength, but also because she had her own considerations... The monthly house call was triggered the moment she stepped into the sewers.

[Dear Dr. Fran, your October monthly outpatient visit has been triggered. Your autopsy this time targets the 'Sunforge Order's' Sun Rider—the vampire 'Byers Noralia'. Please begin the examination as soon as possible; the body is expected to be damaged by parasites within 10 minutes.]

[The month's outpatient visits are considered complete upon completion and presentation of the autopsy report.]

-

Chapter Seventy-Three: Residing in the Skull

Even though the enemy had been beheaded, the restless whistling of the sword had not yet subsided, as if it was still not satisfied.

Although Haida was a skilled swordswoman, she ended the battle with just a simple slash and thrust. Her metal skeleton, capable of withstanding heavy firearms, couldn't withstand the attack for even a moment.

What she displayed was pure, unadulterated force... almost pure violence.

Professor Terence rubbed his temples, suppressing the growing shock and absurdity.

Although he had heard rumors of Sister Heda tearing apart the altar priests before, he thought it was an exaggeration. But judging from the funeral maid's current behavior... the "tear apart" claim might be a more accurate statement of the facts.

More than the power Haida had shown, he was now concerned with finishing off this vampire.

His identity, motives, and sudden suicide attempt at the end... are all mysteries that are difficult to solve.

Where did he come from? Why did he create blood servants and build a "birth banquet hall"? And why did he seek liberation by letting Sister Heda pierce his heart with the sword?

With the death of this vampire, the answers to the above questions will likely also be lost forever... But the situation was urgent at the time, and keeping someone alive was naturally an unattainable luxury.

"Hmm~ Professor Terence, I sense your worry. Please relax, frowning all the time can easily cause wrinkles."

Fran approached Terence, whose face was shrouded in gloom, and offered him some words of comfort.

"Thank you for your concern, Dr. Fran. I'm just... a little confused. This vampire seems to have appeared out of nowhere, and yet it's inexplicably connected to the Crimson Grail. I'm having trouble figuring it out for a moment."

Terence responded politely to Fran, then slightly concealed the worry on his face.

"Confusion is normal, there's no need to worry."

Fran held a gleaming scalpel between his fingers, twirling it lightly.

"As a coroner, I can tell you with certainty... even the dead can speak."

-

Several people stood in a circle around Byas's body, watching Fran skillfully disassemble the organs and bones one by one.

The scene was somewhat similar to a dissection lesson led by a professor, but far more gruesome. The donors were also killed and used immediately, extremely fresh; you could even see their muscles twitching…

"Amazing vitality. Even when the skull is split in two... the contents inside can remain active and reattach themselves."

Fran looked at Byers's deeply furrowed, pinkish-brown brain and felt a strange urge to reach out and pinch it. But considering her own image, she ultimately suppressed the urge to play with the corpse…

Since it's just a routine matter, we should be serious about it.

"Sister Haida, smash his brains a little with your sword."

Fran's sudden order made Vivian turn pale and bite her lip.

Although she had seen a similar scene once before at the Hungry Club, just hearing those words made her stomach start to feel uncomfortable.

Next time, I'll apply to the General Affairs Department to add stomach medicine to the list of mission supplies...

"it is good."

Given that Fran rarely does anything meaningless and possesses undisputed authority in the medical field... Haida did not ask why and directly plunged her power sword into the exposed brain.

"grumble!"

The expected scene of brains splattering did not occur. Instead, Byers' brain burst open like a flower bud, and countless worm-egg-like buds struggled to emerge before being pulverized by the sword's edge.

"The second type of superior secret technique [Cistanche deserticola]. This thing devoured his brain, then occupied the cranial cavity and took its place, and developed to near maturity."

Fran picked up a still-twitching granulation tissue with his scalpel and began to explain it in great detail.

"Cistanche deserticola... I see."

Terence stroked his chin, a knowing look on his face.

The reason why the [Redundant Consciousness Intrusion] didn't work is because this guy's brain has been eaten away by the parasite... which explains his previous unreasonable mental resistance.

"But this secret technique can be removed by physical means; it shouldn't be able to parasitize high-ranking vampires..."

Upon hearing this, Fran nodded slightly in approval.

It was clear that Professor Terence was quite knowledgeable about the secrets of the Crimson Cup. If it weren't for the sticky blood stains on his gloves, she might have even wanted to applaud him…

"Under normal circumstances, of course not. But if he encounters an enemy he cannot defeat or escape from while in a weakened state... it seems not impossible that he could be captured and planted with Cistanche deserticola as a seedbed, right?"

Unable to defeat and unable to escape?

Upon hearing this description, Terence's first thought was of Yaheng.

After all, traces suggesting he had been there had been discovered before... but the Funeral Lord couldn't possibly have betrayed the Hunters, much less be a believer in the Crimson Cup. Any suspicion of him has been proven meaningless.

So, this means that there might still be a high priest-level threat lurking in the Norrington sewers...

"Alright, internal autopsy complete."

With the final strike, Fran neatly arranged Byers' organs to one side. However, due to Heda's earlier sword that had cleaved his body in two, the organs appeared somewhat fragmented.

"Um, Dr. Fran..." Vivian stepped forward somewhat timidly, as if she had something to say.

"There are a few survivors in the warm bed next to here who seem to be treatable."

Although she had worked with Fran several times, she still instinctively felt weak in the knees every time she faced the doctor.

If Fran had remained harmlessly quiet, that would have been fine. But when she picked up a scalpel… what happened afterward was enough to give anyone nightmares for days on end.

"Oh, don't worry. I checked when I arrived, and their vital signs are all stable."

As a doctor with strong professional ethics, Fran certainly wouldn't overlook the situation of the living. That would be a very basic mistake.

"The seedbed in the [Birthday Banquet Hall] is pure. It is free from pollution and can sustain life."

She then went to a flesh-and-blood womb containing survivors, took off her blood-stained gloves, and reached out to brush away the still-warm flesh from the person's face.

"The Crimson Cup is not only the god who takes life, but also the god who gives life and brings new life. Hmm... but Vivian, you reminded me. I will do some simple temporary treatment for them after the autopsy is completed."

"Although being in 'swaddling clothes' can maintain vital signs, a person will become very weak if they don't eat or exercise for a long time. It would be bad if something unexpected happened."

She then resumed talking about the vampire Byath lying on the ground.

"His entire skeleton was made of spiritually imbued steel, and even his outer skin was covered with inlays. Although it was a primitive and crude idea, it was indeed effective in blocking direct sunlight..."

Professor Terence stroked his neatly trimmed beard and couldn't help but take another closer look at the mangled corpse on the ground.

The bones and skin are made of metal? No wonder the sniper bullet only caused wounds and didn't penetrate.

"Since this vampire dared to come to Norrington in search of the missing artificial sun, it must have a way to deal with it. Otherwise, it would just be suicide..."

At the same time, Terence glanced at Haida almost imperceptibly.

The fact that Sister Heda's new sword could cut through the opponent's body so easily suggests that, although it wasn't "Pseudo-Sun," it was probably some unregistered relic.

After a process of selective sampling, Fran had a complete grasp of Byers' condition. Although detailed tests had not yet been conducted, an autopsy report would suffice.

"Vivian, could I borrow your notebook and pen? I need to write an autopsy report."

"OK, all right."

Confidential investigators typically also serve as interviewers, so Vivian naturally wouldn't refuse such a reasonable and normal request.

After some writing, Fran completed the autopsy report on Byers.

Autopsy Pathology Report

[Subject examined: Unknown vampire (suspected to be from the Sunforge Order)]

[Inspector: Fran Hesser]

[Comprehensive Examination Results: Male, body length 173cm. All bones have been replaced with 'S-813. Pseudo-substrate steel,' and the skin is completely covered with a scaly steel inlay. The cranial cavity is occupied by the Crimson Cup Class II superior secret technique "Cistanche deserticola." It has been confirmed that there are no other biological tissues besides "Cistanche deserticola" in the cranial cavity.]

[Reference inference: 1. The person examined did not possess the blessing or stigmata of the 'Moon of Rebirth,' and should not be a 'Family of the Moon.']

[2. Both the birthday banquet hall and the Cistanche deserticola involve esoteric knowledge at the level of a high priest, therefore it can be inferred that he encountered an unknown high priest named Red Cup during his lifetime.]

[3. This individual received profound mystical enlightenment, something that ordinary priests rarely bestow. Perhaps, he encountered something else entirely...]

-

With the autopsy report completed, Fran's outpatient visits for the month were also finished.

The autopsy of 'Vampire' Byers is complete. Your monthly house call is complete, completion level: A. Your next monthly house call will be randomly triggered next month.

[This consultation fee: 1 unknown item (common quality, unidentified)]

【您的解析度变化：异种学（33.5%→34%），解剖学（79.5%→79.9%），现代神经学（21.5%→22.5%）】

"Although his head was hollowed out, he was indeed a vampire body full of research value."