Episode 443: The Fall of the House of Usher (3)

Sinclair's story came to Tudor's mind.

'It is said that in the past, when the emperor went to subjugate the Usher family, the Usher family wanted to have a one-on-one conversation between the emperor and the head of the family, leaving all the attendants behind.'

The emperor experienced the betrayal of two confidants in a place where he firmly believed that no one could harm him.

The assassins of the House of Usher were just as secretive and shrewd.

Tudor thought that what could be learned from this anecdote was that the assassins of the House of Usher had been trying to gain the trust of their targets for a very long time.

… … But reality was one step ahead of that.

Wow-

Tudor quickly turned his head to the side as he felt the cold wind behind him.

The dagger wielded by Bianca passed through Tudor's side.

"Bianca!"

Tudor's voice seemed not to reach her.

In the blank, dilated pupils, it doesn't look like the gun it used to be.

Madeline burst into laughter as she looked at Bianca standing like a doll.

"When members of the Usher family are in the mansion, they become brainwashed without their knowledge. In a way, the path into the mansion is the route that draws the magic circle of brainwashing. "Walking along that path is the prerequisite for brainwashing."

She continued, winking at Tudor.

"The last line you said is the trigger. "Once brainwashing is activated, outsiders are considered the first priority to be killed."

"Shit!"

Tudor raised his spear.

Bianca, with an expressionless face, raised her bow and fired an arrow.

Puff poop!

The spear rotated once and struck down the arrows.

However, Bianca's rate of fire was as fast as ever, so even Tudor had no choice but to step back again and again.

"… … Ugh! "Do you think you're stronger than when you were sober?"

Tudor forces a smile and tries to make a joke, but Bianca's expression is extremely cold.

Madeline laughed as she looked at Bianca, who had turned into a doll.

"I finally have that young, fresh body in my hands! "I was always worried about this half-rotten body!"

After speaking, Madeline took off the belly band that was covering her stomach.

Then, the rotten and crumbling belly skin and the empty abdomen inside were clearly visible.

"… … also. "Did the real Madeleine die a long time ago?"

"Hohoho- That's right. I've had a lot of trouble covering up the bad smell. I always had to fill it with things like perfume or dried flowers. But that's goodbye now."

Madeline turned her head and looked at Roderick sitting on the chair.

"Poor Roderick. So, all you have to do is hand over your body to me. "Because you are so stubborn, your daughter will pay the price."

Roderick's pupils twitched at her words.

Tudor called Roderick with a glimmer of hope.

"Master Rodrik! Your daughter is in danger! You need to wake up! "The devil is after Bianca's body!"

Tudor continued to shout, avoiding Bianca, who was shooting arrows at him with blank eyes.

However, Roderick could not move from his spot.

The pupil wavered for just a moment, but soon the thick mist and the red evil spirit of death enveloped Rodrik's body again.

Madeline laughed.

"Hohohoho- what do you expect when you see miasma rising from the swamp?"

It was as she said.

The devil had released a poison throughout the swamp, which mixed with the moisture rising to the surface and was encroaching on the entire mansion.

"Ugh… … ."

Tudor knew it too.

It is impossible to purify the mansion unless this water mist, which flows around the entire mansion site, is completely removed.

That's why Vikir also said that there was no chance of winning if you fought inside the mansion, so you had to lure the demon outside.

But even that was impossible because of Bianca rushing in front of him.

Even if you run outside of Tudor, the devil won't move.

Because he had already obtained Bianca's body, which he had longed for.

"Wake! Bianca!"

Tudor pushed Bianca against the spear and turned the tip of the blade.

Rather than dealing with Bianca, I planned to target Madeline right behind her.

however.

"Hohohoho- that can't be happening."

Madeline was still motionless.

With an attitude that clearly shows absolute confidence and arrogance.

Klik-

Bianca aims an arrow at Tudor's back as he runs toward Madeline.

at that time.

"… … !"

Madeline's eyes widened slightly.

Surprisingly, even though Bianca was pointing an arrow at his back, Tudor was running towards Madeline without looking back.

Kiiiiing-

An aura as blue as a tidal wave rises at the end of Gungnir.

I could see that he was pouring all his strength towards the front without paying any attention to the threat behind his back.

"Hohohoho-what, are you trusting your friend? "Do you think he won't shoot an arrow?"

"shut up!"

Tudor continued to run toward the front where Madeline was.

Even though Bianca, standing behind, is aiming at Tudor's back with her bow and arrow.

The corners of Madeline's eyes were curved seductively.

"Poor thing. Who doesn't believe that Don Quixote is a fool? In the end, he is killed by the arrow of the woman he loves. After all, the end of a relationship is the grave."

Soon, she gave a cold command to Bianca behind her.

"Hey. Shoot. "Let's make it easier now."

After receiving Madeline's order, Bianca moved immediately.

Bianca protests without a moment's hesitation towards her friend Tudor's back.

Soon, an arrow exploded with tremendous force.

… Puff!

A powerful charge containing all of Bianca's power and mana was fired, creating a gray-white gust of wind.

It flew in a graceful parabola and landed directly in Tudor's back.

Pugh-

The sound of flesh being torn and blood splattering echoed throughout the room.

"Hohohohoho- that's disgusting, what a bunch of sloppy people! Now, both Usher's family and Don Quixote's family are over!"

The moment Madeline saw Bianca's arrow piercing Tudor's back, she burst into laughter.

… … however.

Her laughter didn't last long.

Pugh-

Red blood spurting from Tudor's back and stomach.

Bianca's arrow clearly pierced Tudor's body.

And at that moment, as if Tudor knew in advance the direction and location from which the arrow would fly, he shifted his posture to the side and rotated his body so that the arrow tore through the flesh on his side and flew away.

In this way, the arrow that passed through Tudor's body flew away leaving only a relatively light wound.

Arrows stained red with Tudor blood.

Wow!

It flew away without losing any of its strength and, surprisingly, got stuck in the exact center between Madeline's eyes.

"What!?"

Madeline was astonished as the arrow pierced her skull and exited the back of her head.

My vision turned black and the thought stopped for a moment.

My whole body began to tremble and sway.

Even if he was a devil, he couldn't help but be shaken when his head was pierced by an unexpected arrow.

Moreover, what is this black blood on the arrowhead... … !

'… … Please go to a comfortable place.'

Along with strange auditory hallucinations in his head, memories that were not his own began to appear in the center of his blackened vision.

A body growing cold. The rough palm that covered his vision. A face and voice full of scars.

'… … 'He's a good person.'

At the same time, Madeline felt her whole body shaking violently.

She felt her fingers and toes twisting and curling strangely, like the body of an insect curling inward when it dies.

"Keuuuuuuuu!"

When Madeline was twisting her body and moaning.

Right then.

"run!"

Bianca's pupils returned to their original state.

She grabbed the back of Tudor's neck, who was staggering and bleeding from his side, and turned around and started running.

The ice wall collapsed due to Madeline's shock, and Bianca and Tudor threw themselves through the window beyond.

at the same time.

… Push!

Tudor lit the black firecracker he had drawn from the moment the arrow pierced his body.

"… … Oh my, this can't be happening. You weren't brainwashed!? why!"

Even though Madeline was pierced through the forehead and back of the head by an arrow, she continued to run forward without falling.

But was it too unexpected? It didn't stop Bianca and Tudor from throwing themselves into the swamp outside the window.

… with a plop!

The mud and bog of the swamp envelops my entire body.

An unpleasant sensation, as if the evil spirit of the red death was sticking out its long tongue and licking my entire body.

But even in the meantime, Tudor and Bianca looked at each other and made up their minds.

Soon, Tudor's arm, which was above the water, stretched high.

Bianca was holding the Tudor from sinking into the swamp.

Push-pow!

Fireworks exploded. A black pillar stretches high into the sky.

So that we can clearly see beyond the ridge where Bikir is waiting after completing some preparations.

"It's a success!"

Without even thinking about who came first, Tudor and Bianca hugged each other.

"Good job, Bianca! "The last arrow went right in!"

"… … "If it weren't for Piggy's blood that was already on the arrowhead, it would have failed."

But the work is not completely over yet.

[K-Aaaaaaaaaah! These cheeky bugs!]The scream that came from the window was clearly not human.

A voice that pierces the eardrums of the listener and drives fear into them like a stake.

The devil's voice.

There was no doubt that Madeline was showing her true colors.

As soon as they heard that, Tudor and Bianca nodded as if they had made a promise.

As their original goal was to lure the devil out of the mansion, Tudor and Bianca quickly dived into the swamp.

with a splash-

It's too far to swim to the bridge that connects the mansion to the ground.

There was a risk of being caught by the devil right away, so it was better to go into the water, hold your breath as much as possible, and move slowly.

Tudor and Bianca swam under the water where black aquatic plants swayed.

Reddish will-o'-the-wisdom lights were circling above the water, giving a clear view of the eerie and grim scene beneath the water.

… Quack! Splash-splash-splash-splash!

I could hear the sound of the mansion's windows being smashed behind me, and the remains of the broken windows falling onto the surface of the swamp.

The surface of the water is distorted roughly.

[…] … Where are you! … … where are you!]For some reason, the devil's voice was coming straight from the water.

Tudor and Bianca endured the chills running down their spines and dived deeper and deeper.

Black water plants reach out like water ghosts.

To avoid the light emitted by the reddish wisps, Tudor and Bianca hid inside the aquatic weed forest.

And many things began to move forward, wading through the heavy mud and waves of the bottom of the swamp.

slowly. slowly. To lure the devil out of the mansion.

Towards the other side of the ridge where Bikir and his friends were waiting.