"Hey."
Alexander turned his head, waved, and greeted the grey-clad, hooded woman approaching him.
The woman wore an extremely simple grey leather outfit, tightly fitted to her body, with her face concealed by a hood.
She walked almost silently, having followed them since they entered the thirteenth district.
Just now, she had secretly emerged, trying to approach them soundlessly.
If Alexander's senses hadn't been blessed by that pale death, becoming increasingly sensitive, he wouldn't have discovered her so easily.
The woman in the grey leather outfit froze awkwardly; she seemed not to have expected Alexander to notice her.
"Who are you?!" Reyna turned her head in surprise.
Following Alexander's gaze, she finally noticed the woman in grey leather.
If the woman hadn't been unarmed, with only two long rapiers strapped to her waist, Reyna might have already unleashed a psychic cannon.
"I am the Sixth Seat Assassin of the Dying-worshippers," the woman in the leather outfit said in a low, hoarse voice, offering a slight aquila salute to Alexander and Reyna.
"Sixth Seat?" Reyna observed the woman in the leather outfit warily.
"Just call me Sixth Seat. Only the Chief Assassin of each generation of Dying-worshippers is worthy of a name."
The woman in the leather outfit, who called herself Sixth Seat, said in a raspy voice:
"You two are Reyna and Esteemed Alexander of the Ark Gang, correct?"
Sixth Seat's gaze briefly flickered over Reyna before settling on the faintly smiling Alexander.
Her eyes held a hint of wariness.
Her skills, honed since childhood, her body, modified with flesh and various drug injections, and her physique, blessed by the God of Death, should have allowed her to be almost completely silent.
Yet, this man in front of her had managed to notice her… and it seemed he had noticed her long ago, just waiting for her to emerge from the shadows.
No wonder the governor specified that the Chief Assassin should assassinate him.
Sixth Seat withdrew her wary gaze, suppressing the confusion in her heart, and pointed respectfully towards the greyish-white church not far away:
"I am aware of your intentions. Please come this way."
Sixth Seat gestured, indicating for Alexander and Reyna to follow.
As he walked, Alexander looked at the woman in the leather outfit with interest.
He was wondering where exactly that secret phrase should be used.
Alexander pondered for a moment, then leaned closer to Sixth Seat and whispered:
"Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death."
Sixth Seat blinked in confusion. She performed an aquila salute and whispered, "The God of Death craves death."
And then? Was there no 'then'?
Alexander frowned. It seemed this secret phrase wasn't meant to be used here.
Was it only useful when meeting a higher-ranking member of the Dying-worshippers?
As Alexander pondered, the three had already reached the church.
"Alexander, look," Reyna whispered, leaning close to Alexander.
She pointed to the pale church.
Between the bricks of the church walls, there were skeletal remains, grotesquely intertwined like exquisite carvings.
The entire church seemed to be built from bones, sending a shiver down one's spine.
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
This church was indeed... the one he had seen in his Bottom Nest illusion.
"The bones of the righteous have shaped the temple of death; their spirits shall return to the throne of the God of Death."
Sixth Seat said devoutly, guiding them into the church.
Upon entering the church, they found a deep, dark corridor, dim and cold, with only a few sparse white candle lamps hanging between the bone and stone walls.
The lamplight cast shadows beneath the stone statues in the wall's recesses.
The appearance of each statue was largely similar: a slender woman in a dark leather outfit and hood.
Alexander looked with interest at the text below the statues; it was written in high gothic.
He couldn't understand it.
"Chief Assassin... Marika."
"Chief Assassin... Aiya."
"Chief Assassin... Cassandra."
"Chief Assassin... Hassan."
"Chief Assassin... Aleto."
Reyna read aloud in a low voice beside him; she knew some high gothic.
Her gaze stopped at the last statue:
"Chief Assassin, Dixus."
"These are the statues of our successive Chief Assassins."
Sixth Seat walked ahead of them, guiding the way and saying:
"Every Chief Assassin, under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, is able to see the previous Chief Assassins in their dreams, learn the killing arts taught by the God of Death, and receive a name bestowed by the God of Death... which is the Emperor."
"Every Chief Assassin is a weapon chosen by the God of Death, bringing more death to Him."
"It must be hallucinations caused by hallucinogenic drugs," Reyna muttered softly beside him.
She considered herself chosen by the Emperor, yet had never seen or heard the Emperor's voice.
But this strange, bizarre cult now claimed that each of their leaders was personally blessed by the Emperor and received a name bestowed by the Emperor.
Reyna couldn't accept it.
"I actually think it might be true," Alexander's mouth twitched slightly.
Because several of the Chief Assassins' names could be found in various literary and gaming works from humanity's third millennium, and all were associated with assassins.
The few remaining names Alexander didn't recognize were likely from human cultural products after the third millennium.
The Sixth Seat Assassin, walking ahead of them, looked at Alexander with slightly softened eyes.
"You are more blessed than your companion, able to comprehend the mysteries of the God of Death."
"Even in death, you will have a chance to return to his throne."
"As long as he doesn't raise you up to do grunt work, burning with flames all over…" Alexander said something that seemed rather nonsensical to others.
Sixth Seat gave Alexander a puzzled look.
Under her guidance, Alexander and Reyna were able to enter the deepest part of the church.
The entire church was enveloped in darkness, where faint whispers and light footsteps could be heard, as well as the sound of leather and stone rubbing.
It took Reyna a few seconds to adjust to the darkness.
The church was lined with rows of rough, pale stone benches, where several young women in white leather outfits knelt, softly praying.
The air carried a strange chill and a musty smell. Reyna's nose caught whiffs of an unusual fragrance.
It smelled like... like wine, like fermented blood, like light, airy death.
Reyna heard the gurgling of water. Her gaze followed the sound.
Blood, so red it was almost black, flowed from both sides of the church, spreading into the circular pool at the end of the church.
Ten women knelt devoutly by the pool, dressed in grey leather, praying silently.
And at the end of the church, under the gaze of the statue symbolizing the Emperor, a woman in a tight black leather outfit with a chained hood was immersed in the blood pool, her head bowed in prayer.
"Is that your Chief Assassin?" Alexander glanced at Sixth Seat and asked.
Sixth Seat nodded slightly: "The Chief has not yet completed her prayer. Please, both of you, follow me to the prepared room to rest and wait."
"After the prayer, the Chief will personally discuss the cooperation with you."
Alexander nodded slightly. The two followed Sixth Seat's guidance to a simple room.
The room had two wooden windows, a small table, and a few protein bars on the table. Other than that, there was nothing else, giving it a very spartan feel.
After they entered, Sixth Seat offered a slight aquila salute and left.
"Alexander…" Reyna sat beside Alexander and whispered, "I used my psychic senses to confirm that there's no danger in the room."
"But those Dying-worshippers assassins, the more I look at them, the more I feel something isn't right."
"They might—"
Reyna made a throat-slitting gesture.
Alexander just smiled and asked in return: "How are the battles against the genestealer going?"
"I'm putting out fires everywhere, and with you helping me handle all the affairs, the Ark Gang's material logistics are much smoother now. We should be able to hold on for a few more days."
Reyna's expression wasn't very good, clearly indicating that the battle was not going well.
"Don't worry, today we'll get a new batch of assistance," Alexander said with a smile.
"Are you that confident?" Reyna couldn't help but shake her head.
"Anyway, we won't die." With that, Alexander leaned against the headboard, closed his eyes, and rested.
Dixus rose from the blood pool, blackened blood flowing down her body.
"Chief." Sixth Seat saw Dixus emerge from the blood pool and come to her side.
"How are those two?" Dixus asked softly, her voice like the cold wind blowing through the gloomy church.
"The woman has very strong psychic powers, but isn't very intelligent."
"The man's senses are quite keen; he easily discovered me and seems to know a lot about us."
Sixth Seat's voice deepened slightly:
"He seems to trust us, but it appears to be more out of self-confidence. This person is difficult to deal with."
Dixus nodded slightly and walked forward with light steps. Sixth Seat quickly followed.
"No matter who they are, or what their status, death will visit them equally."
"Death is irresistible, for the Death God's Chosen has descended upon Ashford, and we must offer more death for his arrival."
Dixus' tone was as calm as night, giving Sixth Seat a sense of reassurance.
Suddenly, Sixth Seat remembered the words Alexander had spoken to her on the way.
"Oh, right, Chief, this man is also a bit strange and inexplicable."
Sixth Seat thought for a moment and said:
"On the way, he suddenly whispered to me something like... 'Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death.'"
"This isn't a prayer from our scriptures, it's truly strange... Could this man be from another Dying-worshippers cult—"
"What did you just say?!"
Dixus' tone suddenly rose, and her eyes looked at Sixth Seat with a hint of horror.
"I said he was on the way... he whispered in my ear: 'Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death'…"
Sixth Seat was startled; she had never seen Dixus act like this before.
Because they had received training since childhood, including mental training, they should normally not have such great emotional fluctuations.
"Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death."
Dixus' eyes were slightly dazed. It was only after a moment that she looked at Sixth Seat with tension:
"Is he blue?"
"…No, Chief, you think he is…?" A flicker of terror also crossed Sixth Seat's eyes.
"Not blue, but… how could he…" Dixus' eyes were filled with deep confusion.
According to what she had seen in the Emperor's revelation…
It should be a blue, divine being, reciting "Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death."
That would be the Death God's Chosen.
She had to go and see that man named Alexander.
"She's here."
In the small room of the Dying-worshippers, Sanguinius suddenly spoke.
A brilliant and dazzling white light, visible only to Alexander, marked out the Chief Assassin Dixus, who was hidden in the shadows of the room, almost invisible.
It seemed the Dying-worshippers assassins had some skill. Although Alexander had vaguely sensed someone entering, he couldn't figure out how she had silently slipped into this sealed room.
She was now squatting in the shadows, silently watching Alexander.
Alexander's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
He really had an urge to ask Dixus: Are you taking a dump?
Alexander broke off a piece from the protein bar on the table, rolled it into a ball, and held it between his fingers.
Boing!
Alexander flicked the protein bar ball with his finger.
The ball hit the wall, a light rebound, and shot straight towards Dixus, who was squatting in the corner.
Since returning from the Bottom Nest, Alexander had found his shooting skills becoming increasingly proficient, even to a bizarre degree.
Alexander couldn't quite explain whether this was the effect of the yellow weasel's blessing, or if, as Sanguinius said, his Warp essence was being slightly recognized?
Dixus, hidden in the corner, saw the ball flying towards her and quickly dodged. However—
Thud!
The ball accurately hit her forehead, making a crisp sound.
The air was dead silent. Reyna turned her head in confusion, looking in the direction of the sound.
Dixus also stood up from the shadows, rubbing her forehead, utterly bewildered.
Let alone a ball made of protein bar, she should have dodged even a bullet.
Dixus, Alexander, and Reyna all stared at each other in the room.
Finally, Alexander broke the silence.
"I am the Death God's Chosen; the Emperor sent me."
Alexander looked at Dixus with a calm expression and said:
"Only sacrifice to death, only worship the God of Death."
"Huh?" Reyna looked at Alexander in confusion: "You, the Death God's Chosen?"
"Out of the three of us, only one hasn't been invited by the Emperor. Guess who?" Alexander glanced at Reyna, shrugging.
Reyna's expression immediately scrunched up.
"But…" Chief Assassin Dixus said with some hesitation, "In the visions the God of Death—the Emperor—showed, you should be a blue, divine figure…"
"…Huh?" Reyna looked at Dixus and Alexander with even more confusion.
"…Blue?" Alexander's eye twitched slightly.
After a moment of silence, he said: "You two, step out for a moment."
Dixus bowed slightly and silently walked out of the room.
Reyna blinked, then also walked out of the room, still full of confusion.
Alexander took out Body Clay from his four-dimensional pocket.