New Gods of North America.

Chapter 630 Damn it!

Damn!

I never expected to encounter a hunter here!
Ed Dumany vividly remembered the "bloody rose" that suddenly bloomed in the warehouse; it was one of the lingering shadows in his heart.

During the emergency evacuation back then, he personally witnessed several of his comrades who tried to ambush him being torn into scattered pieces of flesh by blood threads that seemed to offer no resistance.

The mentor also perished in that scheme, and along with him, his students, who were even more favored by him, were also forever silenced.
This is also an important reason why he was able to become a "mentor" later on - the succession of the sect is becoming increasingly difficult, and there are not many people left in their branch.

Ed Dumani initially believed there was nothing wrong with his plan. This modified Gate of the Underworld ritual was the culmination of his mentor's life's wisdom and the most precious legacy he had received. He was confident that if he followed the steps of the ritual correctly, the serpent of death, "Koyatl," would bestow its blessings.

The mentor had already proven this with facts back then, and the rank he has risen to and the gains he has accumulated have repeatedly verified the reliability of the ritual.

Compared to many other members of covert organizations who have tried to make contact with higher-ups but never succeeded, Ed Dumany is now on a path of certainty for advancement.
Although Koyatl is not a widely believed and recognized deity in mysticism, and is even notorious outside of the Tranquility sect, Ed Dumany is still willing to "make deals with the devil" as some poor souls curse him, as long as He responds.

Even when Ed Dumany realized yesterday that a ritual node had been deliberately disrupted, he still thought it was just a minor accident.

The ceremony could be rearranged from scratch, but the local Holy Spirit Churches might not always be so lucky. So he changed his plans on the spot today, intending to leave a deep enough impression on the clergy of the New World.

In the past two years, he has successfully completed ceremonies of varying scales in several Old World war zones, including the province of Venice, without even the Holy See's branches there being able to detect or stop them in time.

It is evident that the Church of Windsor and the Hunter's Guild did not disclose the details of the ritual to the public. Once outside of Windsor, no one would be able to identify the ritual so quickly and accurately.

But damn it!
Why are there hunters in the New World?!

Shouldn't they also be targets of extermination by the local church here?!

If I had known it would turn out this way, I wouldn't have arranged this scattered "unexpected gift" tonight. My men's ambushes at other points might have also gone awry.

The more troublesome part is that his own resurrected corpse was also destroyed in tonight's ambush.

It was created successfully by combining Voodoo magic with the blessing of "Koyatl".

The ritual can be repeated, but finding another "Koyatl" believer of the same rank who is completely unguarded is not an easy task.

Damn Americans!
The descendants of these exiles and traitors, like their ancestors, only cause trouble!
Ed Dumany quickly made up his mind. Based on what he knew, the Americans today only knew how to blindly expand their territory, but their actual level of control was no match for that of the Old World.
Even on the East Coast, there are almost unmanaged areas like this, which are no different from the sheep pastures that the Windsor nobles have arbitrarily fenced off.

If you flee to the west, there should be even less of a proper governing body there. Further west, there are said to be large untapped gold mines. Whether it's spreading your faith or accumulating wealth, it's a much safer option than cooperating with the local officials on the East Coast.

It was clear that the next ceremony could not be held in this city, so it was better to ask for another sum of money and leave as soon as possible.

Given the force and organization demonstrated by the local church, it's unlikely that the other side would want the matter to be publicly exposed.

Ed Dumany, keeping a low profile, quickly escaped to the edge of the warehouse district.
He slipped into a relatively familiar dark alley, pulled off his hooded outer robe to reveal the clothing commonly worn by local laborers underneath, waited briefly, and then quietly continued on his way.

"Hey! You idiot, going out so late, you're probably planning to grab a drink, right? How about you treat us to a round of drinks too?"

Just as they reached the corner of the dark alley, several young men surrounded them with daggers.

The serpentine mist surged forward as the thugs prepared to "teach Ed Dumani a lesson" for his provocative act, only to suddenly feel a violent sense of suffocation.

"Clang—"

The dagger fell to the ground. Ed Dumani felt a little better. He ignored the few guys who would soon stop convulsing, glanced around, and then avoided his usual route, continuing his winding path through the alleys towards the stronghold.

Only after walking into the block where the outpost was located did Ed Dumany look up and see the empty flowerpot on the windowsill, a symbol of safety, and finally feel completely relieved.

One of his men was also on his way back to the stronghold. After noticing Ed Dumani, he quickened his pace in the dark alley and followed a step behind him, bowing his head respectfully: "Mentor."

"Hmm." Ed Dumany maintained his usual authoritative demeanor, his steps unwavering. "How's it going on your end?"

The subordinate's tone was full of admiration: "I modified the magic circle according to your instructions, and not long after, the magic circle seemed to be triggered by an extraordinary, heterogeneous power. I believe that those troublemakers who dared to approach have all fallen silent forever, just as you hoped."

“Not bad.” Ed Dumani nodded slightly without turning his head.

The two had already reached the back door of the base. The subordinate quickly took a few steps, opened the door with the key, and then stepped back to let the instructor go first.
After Ed Dumani entered, his men, after confirming that no one was following them, closed the door again and followed him up the stairs.

"Mentor, what are your plans for the next step? Do we need to complete the preparations for the next ceremony as soon as possible?"

Ed Dumany was considering how to articulate his plan to evacuate as quickly as possible in a way that was both authoritative and dignified.

Then he suddenly sensed a rather unusual and vigorous life force.

not good!

The base has been compromised!

The serpentine mist, emanating an aura of death, instantly pierced the corner above the stairs.
It seemed they hadn't hit anything alive; a faint rustling sound, like insects crawling rapidly, could be heard coming from the wooden floor upstairs.

The two men each drew weapons from their bodies: a small feathered serpent scepter imbued with the aura of "Koyater," and a poisoned dagger. Then, they began to leap upwards with a series of thuds.

The men who remained at the outpost were already lying on the floor. Ed Dumani didn't even glance at them before turning and rushing towards his bedroom.

As soon as he entered, he saw that his bed had been ransacked, and the hole that had been secretly cut into the wall behind the cabinet was now exposed. The briefcase containing cash and his mentor's notes was lying open on the floor. The two preventative curses placed on the wall and the briefcase had not worked.
Even the candles that the group used for their daily prayers were pulled off their pure silver candlesticks.

A slender blonde figure sat on the windowsill carrying a bundle, and as she leaned back and rolled outwards, she blew Ed Dumani a kiss.
The serpentine mist flew out of the window but missed its target, while the latter was caught in the grip of metal vines that suddenly burst out from beside his feet, which tightened around him with a stinging sensation.

The feathered serpent on the small scepter seemed to blink, and the metal vines quickly lost their vitality.
The subordinates who arrived shortly after had already rushed to the windowsill. After looking down and realizing they couldn't catch up, they turned to their mentor, who was gritting his teeth and tearing apart the bloody metal wires covered in spikes: "Let me treat you first."

“That’s a precious manuscript left by Grand Master Sarayan. We must get it back.” Ed Dumani gripped the feathered serpent staff tightly. “That damned thief! She shouldn’t be a member of the local church.”

But what answered him was the sudden whooshing sound coming from outside the window:

"save--

"Oh!"

A green firework exploded in the night sky.

Ed Dumany's eyes nearly bloodshot instantly. He realized this firework was different from the one used by the local church, but it would likely still quickly attract the attention of the local church members.
"Leave a warning marker, then we'll head to the backup location. Once we catch her, I'm going to use her as a sacrifice, chopping her up and offering her to the Serpent of Death!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)