13 Mink Street

After the round of attacks ended, the scene fell silent once more. Paige and Fannie began casting Purification on themselves, while Ophelia and the female warrior Panmir applied Darkmoon Blessing.

They were different names for the Arts, but the effects were similar. Both removed negative states. Even if there was no contamination, it was still a cautious measure for peace of mind.

Karon had not entered the black mist and had not engaged in close combat, so he did not cast purification on himself. Of course, the real reason was that he knew his body, thanks to the evil heretical dog at home, was not afraid of this level of contamination.

Yet when Ophelia walked over to him, she still casually gave him a Darkmoon Blessing. At once, Karon felt the Darkmoon Blade within his body stir again. Alarmed, he immediately suppressed it.

Fannie returned to the tree and resumed surveillance. Paige and Panmir moved further out, concealing themselves at a distance. Ophelia sat down again, thrusting her greatsword back into the ground.

Karon looked at the sword and unconsciously licked his lips. For a practitioner of the Darkmoon Blade, this weapon was simply a perfect match. Earlier, he had noticed that Ophelia had barely exerted herself. Once Darkmoon power entered the sword, it was greatly amplified.

Sigh. Back then, when that young master gave Pu’er the Darkmoon Blade, why did he not include a sword as well? Giving things without pairing them properly, no wonder he ended up forgotten in the vast sea.

”Mr. Karon, you like this sword?” Ophelia asked.

”Yes.” At this moment, politeness was no longer appropriate.

”This is a specialty of the Darkmoon Island forges, made from Darkmoon crystal. When I return, I can have one sent to Mr. Karon.”

The one you send will definitely not be as good as the one in your hand.

”Alright, thank you. I will send you the latest edition of Rogin’s Secret Diary.” Mentioning that book, Karon suddenly realized that the author and Ophelia’s ancestor were quite similar. One had not expected that fifty years after his death, the queen with whom he had an affair would still be alive. The other had not expected that more than a hundred years later, the woman he had once loved would also still be alive, even if she had become a cat.

Bang!

Fannie fired a flare, lighting up the area ahead and revealing four figures. One of them was Zema. Three chains extended from his body, dragging along three severely injured teammates. The man himself was covered in blood.

Paige immediately stepped forward, laying the injured on the ground and casting purification on each of them.

Karon asked, ”How is it up ahead?”

Zema licked his cracked lips and said, ”The attack has been repelled.”

”And the captain and the others?”

”The captain led the others in pursuit.”

”...”

Zema smiled. “The captain believes this attack wasn’t aimed at Miss Ophelia. It’s more likely that our contact with other Whip of Order squads led them to mistake us for reinforcements, so they struck first. He’s ordered me and the three wounded to remain and continue protecting Miss Ophelia. The close protection detail will rejoin the unit and move out to support them.”

”I do not need protection. I can join you,” Ophelia said.

Zema shook his head. ”No, Miss Ophelia, you cannot come to harm. We are still counting on receiving our reward from you after the mission is complete.”

Ophelia replied, ”If you truly only care about the mission, then your captain should come back to withdraw with us instead of continuing the pursuit.”

”No, that is not the same. A lion may disdain the gaze of wolves, but if the wolves dare to bare their teeth, they must be bitten to death completely.

“Please rest assured, miss. Though these three brothers are heavily injured, if danger arises, they can detonate their spirituality at any moment to take the enemy down with them. You are still safe.”

Fannie picked up her rifle. ”Paige, Karon, return to formation. We are going to support the captain.”

”Yes.”

”Yes.”

Being denied the chance to join the reinforcement had already angered Ophelia. Seeing even Karon run off to reinforce made her even more irritated.

***

Following Fannie and Paige at a run, Karon returned to the site of their initial encounter. The VIP car was still pinned in place. Moving a little farther ahead, bodies lay scattered along both sides of the road.

Judging by their clothing, they were likely members of other Whip of Order squads, but each of them bore a charred mark at the center of the forehead.

“They were driven into derangement,” Fannie said. “These idiots, knowing what was coming, they still didn’t choose to kill themselves. Instead they let themselves be taken, and now we have to deal with them.”

Paige said disdainfully, ”They’re just a bunch of ducklings. What kind of reaction were you expecting from them?”

Clearly, after being controlled, these Whip of Order members had attacked Nio’s squad, only to be met with a fierce counterattack. Without hesitation or moral restraint, they had all been killed. Every corpse showed a clean, decisive death. Because the enemy at that time was not limited to the two crippled Whip of Order squads, there had been no opportunity to try to restrain them and find another way to restore them. Treating them as enemies and killing them had been the simplest choice.

This was the way Nio’s squad operated.

Karon silently mourned these fallen colleagues. He thought it was immoral to speak of the dead like that, then quietly picked up a sword and a shield from beside two corpses.

Paige said, ”Why the rush? After this is over, we will clean up the place. Anything usable will be taken. What we cannot use will be sold on the black market. The credits in their wallets will be collected too, though we will leave behind photos of their wives and children.”

”I don’t have equipment,” Karon explained.

”Oh, right.” Paige seemed to recall how Karon had been aiming his little revolver earlier. ”My oversight.”

After they ran even farther ahead, a massive centipede appeared. Its body was silver, and it was much larger than the one that had attacked Karon earlier. On its head, a ferocious human face could clearly be seen.

More corpses lay scattered across the ground, both centipedes and humans. The centipede was already suppressed. Its huge body was forcibly confined within a space by a ritual array set by Marlow. Two teammates were bombarding it with Arts, but its shell was tough, and the black mist it emitted reduced the damage of Arts, leaving them in a stalemate.

Another teammate lay leaning against a rock, a centipede leg piercing through his chest, using a scroll to heal himself. Karon recognized him. His name was Kensey.

The scroll in Kensey’s hand burned, sending healing Arts into his body. He then silently cast Purification on himself. Seeing Fannie and the others arrive, he pointed west. ”The captain took Wynn and Gray forward in pursuit. Go support him. Don’t let the leader escape. You aren’t needed here. Let Marlow and the others wear it down. I won’t die.”

As he spoke, he even took out a cigarette, lit it, blew out a smoke ring, and casually touched the sharp limb that had pierced his chest. ”Damn, never been stabbed so deep in my life.”

Since Kensey said not to worry about him, Fannie and Paige truly did not. Karon could only follow and continue forward, passing by the trapped centipede. Though it still appeared fierce, the human face on its head now showed exhaustion and despair beneath its ferocity.

Marlow saw Karon and the others arriving and, while continuing to maintain the ritual array, laughed and shouted, ”Karon, hurry! Call the police, haha!”

”...” These people really were madmen. Though each of them was injured, what shone on their faces was something like enjoyment, as if they were playing a game. They truly liked this kind of scene and experience, and reveled in it. They valued their lives, but not simply out of fear of death. They wanted to stay alive so they could continue risking their lives again next time.

Karon felt that he was about to run out of strength, yet Fannie and Paige still moved as if tireless. Several times, he nearly used the Darkmoon Blade or Sea God’s Armor to boost his speed.

He was an anomaly. His physical condition was not strong, but his inner spirituality was abundant. Still, after a moment’s thought, he restrained himself and clenched his teeth, continuing to follow the two women.

Up ahead, an old man in a gray robe was nailed to a rock, a black spear piercing his body. He seemed to be trying to pull the spear out, but when he saw Fannie and the others arrive, he simply gave up and sat cross-legged to meditate and recover. Though he had killed his opponent, his spirituality was exhausted. With reinforcements arriving, he chose to rest.

Finally, Karon saw the battlefield still in combat. An old woman was raging like a mad beast, summoning wave after wave of yellow storms around herself. With her as the center, a wide area of the mountains had been flattened.

Yet beside her, a black figure flickered in and out of existence, like an experienced hunter toying with its prey.

Blood flowed from the old woman’s eyes. They had likely been pierced. Now, in fear and despair, she could only enter this frenzied state, using brute force to push her opponent back and create a protective barrier for herself. But everyone knew her strength would eventually run out.

Fannie raised her rifle to aim. ”Too far. Paige, throw me.”

”Alright.” Black vine-like tendrils appeared from Paige’s arms. They wrapped around Fannie, stabilizing her shooting posture. Paige began to run, dragging Fannie along in the air like a kite.

Karon took a deep breath, gripping his sword and shield as he ran behind Paige.

He did not know why he was running or what tactic he was part of. Strictly speaking, this was his first real coordinated operation as an attached member of this squad, and coordinated operations were real combat.

Even so, he felt that he could not just stand back and watch.

Wynn sensed the arrival of reinforcements. Without any communication, he instantly closed in on the old woman. Though blind, she could sense his presence and intensified her storm. Several times, it nearly grazed Wynn, but he continued drawing her attention.

Now the distance was right. Paige swung her vines, flinging Fannie forward. Midair, a black glow burst from Fannie, gathering into her rifle.

Bang! A shot rang out.

Crack! The old woman’s head was hit. Everything above her neck exploded.

The kill was successful. Paige pulled her vines back, dragging Fannie down. Karon tried to catch her, but Paige redirected her midair. Fannie landed with one hand, sliding to dissipate the force.

Wynn moved in to inspect the body, but at that moment, a fleshy tumor suddenly emerged from the headless corpse. It had a mouth and a single eye.

The yellow storm erupted again. A barrier appeared in front of Wynn, but it was instantly shattered and he was blown away. Upon landing, his form vanished again as he pressed forward once more.

A piercing scream erupted from the tumor. The headless body grabbed it, raised it, and hurled it into the distance. Karon could only marvel at such a perfect escape.

But another gunshot followed.

Bang! The tumor exploded midair, dissolving into a pool of pus. The headless body finally collapsed.

Yet it was still not over yet. Wynn spreaded his hands. ”Order—Cage!”

Within the exploded tumor, countless black beetle-like creatures emerged.

”Paige, kill the insects!” Wynn shouted. Vines shot out, seeking and crushing the insects one by one.

Fannie slung her rifle and continued forward. Karon followed with his sword and shield.

The entire battle had been segmented. From being ambushed and surrounded, it had turned into relentless pursuit. Nio’s squad split themselves into segments, not seeking stability, only ensuring that no enemy escaped. They were like mad hounds, eyes red with blood, intent only on tearing every enemy apart.

Not far ahead, at the bottom of a slope, Karon finally saw Nio. Before him stood a shirtless middle-aged man, his body covered in flowing, obscure runes, holding an axe. Their battlefield was filled with thick dust, as rocks had been ground into powder.

Fannie immediately raised her rifle to aim. Below, Nio was already locked in combat again. The man’s axe came down again and again, but Nio’s movements were swift and fluid, evading every strike while never allowing the distance between them to widen.

At the same time, although Nio held no weapon, each time his fingertips brushed across the man’s body, bursts of black sparks flared. The man roared in fury as the fight dragged on. In contrast to his frenzy, Nio seemed like an elegant pianist, calmly performing a piece, unhurried, as though merely waiting for the final note before taking his bow.

“It’s too far. We need to go down.” As soon as she spoke, Fannie jumped off the slope, lowering her body as she slid down.

Karon hesitated for a moment before following, but the slope was too steep. He had to use his sword to steady himself and control his descent.

Ahead, Fannie had already switched to blue purification rounds. When Nio created a brief opening, her shots rang out in quick succession, striking the other man and causing the runes on his body to twist violently.

Seizing each moment the man staggered from the impact, Nio closed in again, his hands igniting more black flames across the man’s body as the latter’s aura steadily weakened.

But just then, Karon saw something shift ahead of Fannie as she slid down. A rock suddenly rose to its feet. It was no rock at all, but a figure. It was a naked man covered in runes. Not a boy, though he first appeared like one, but a dwarf with a mature face and a beard.

He had been lying there like a camouflaged lizard, completely undetected.

In truth, the dwarf’s younger brother had told him to stay hidden, but now that the enemy had come within reach and his brother was already losing ground, the man ignored the earlier warning. He lunged at Fannie like a madman. As he charged, his hands began to dissolve, transforming into twin blades.

Fannie clearly had not anticipated this opponent. There was no time to change her ammunition; She could only flip her rifle, hooking the sling around the dwarf’s neck and bracing the stock against his chest to force him to stay at a distance.

But the dwarf’s right arm suddenly contracted, while his left arm extended, lengthening enough to offset the rifle’s reach. The blade came slashing down toward Fannie.

Despair flickered through her mind.

“Damn it!” The moment Karon saw the dwarf rise, he threw aside his sword and shield and charged down from above. Before the blade could fall, he slammed into the dwarf, sending both of them tumbling.

“Ahhh!!!” The dwarf roared. The instant he regained his footing, he raised his blade-arm and drove it down toward Karon beneath him.

No sound of flesh being pierced followed. The blade jammed against a layer of flowing blue armor, unable to penetrate. Karon reached up and seized the dwarf’s neck. The Blades of Darkmoon appeared along the backs of his hands, poised just above the throat.

Then he drove them down. Two crimson curved blades bit into the dwarf’s neck.

“Ahhh!!!” The dwarf’s body was as hard as stone, but the Blades of Darkmoon did not rely on a single strike. Their damage lingered, steadily cutting deeper.

“Ghh...!” His eyes rolled back as his body convulsed. The blades had already sunk into his neck. He struggled wildly, trying to push Karon away, but the blades were anchored at the back of his neck. The harder he pushed, the deeper they sank, as if he were driving himself into them.

Pain had already stripped away his ability to think.

With a final wet sound, the blades broke through. His head slid free.

Karon pushed himself upright. At that moment, there was no thought of having revealed his trump card. Only one thought remained in his mind, After running for so long, I finally got one.