Chapter 11: Playing Mysterious
With a thud, the headless body of the short-haired man hit the ground.
Green phosphorescent flames burned. Having just finished the battle, Su Xiao stood amidst the fire, holding a long blade, his eyes glowing red.
[Notification: You have killed Soul Spirit Sword · Man.]
[You have obtained 2.6% World Source, now totaling 12.3% World Source.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has been activated, permanently increasing Mana Points by 50.]
[You have obtained an Epic Chest (40%).]
……
Su Xiao looked at the corpse of Eagle Marquis not far away, pondered for a moment, then stepped forward to pick up the body and walked out of the restaurant.
Five minutes later, Su Xiao walked out of the hotel holding Dragon-Slaying Flash, with a large blood-dripping cloth bag in his other hand.
The streets in the surrounding area were eerily quiet. Eagle Marquis's troops hadn't come to reinforce, and the city's security forces hadn't arrived either. The only carriage on the street was the one Su Xiao had arrived in.
Boom!
Another explosion came from inside the hotel. Burning wooden planks flew everywhere as the entire building was gradually engulfed in flames.
The young adjutant was sitting on top of the carriage. Her left cheek was swollen, as if she had a walnut stuffed in her mouth, and she was muttering something under her breath.
[Hidden Quest: Eagle's Fall (Completed).]
[You have obtained a Random Chest (Random Chests can yield items, equipment, skill scrolls, etc., of White to ??? quality).]
……
The hidden quest was complete, but Su Xiao's work wasn't finished. Eagle Marquis had kidnapped the Soul Speaker, who was now in a certain manor.
The carriage sped out of the port area, heading straight for Eagle Marquis's manor.
Ten minutes later, the carriage entered the manor's courtyard, which was now littered with corpses.
The Eagle Fort was pitch black inside. As soon as Su Xiao entered the first floor of the fort, several dozen Moon Apostles walked toward him. Of course, such a coincidence didn't happen naturally. When Su Xiao attacked the Snus Hotel, he had already sent Crow's Eye people to watch the Eagle Fort.
Just as Su Xiao attacked the Snus Hotel, a group of Moon Apostles came to assault the Eagle Fort. Unfortunately, they hadn't expected Su Xiao to kill Eagle Marquis so quickly.
"Leave the person behind."
Su Xiao raised Dragon-Slaying Flash, pointing at a figure being held by the Moon Apostles. The figure wore a wrinkled robe with its head wrapped in cloth strips—this was most likely the Soul Speaker.
But Su Xiao vaguely felt something was wrong. Someone like Moon Goddess shouldn't be this "greedy."
"Impossible."
A man with short brown hair and over a dozen nose and ear piercings spoke. Just as one of the Moon Apostles behind him was about to say something, Su Xiao across from him had already drawn his blade.
Su Xiao pulled out the long sword at his waist. The earring-wearing Moon Apostle extended both arms outward, and half-meter-long arm blades sprang from his sleeves.
Boom!
Su Xiao and that Moon Apostle vanished simultaneously, followed by a sharp clang of metal.
A shockwave spread outward from the center point where Su Xiao and the Moon Apostle stood. Cracks instantly covered the walls of the front hall, and glass shattered.
Both Su Xiao and that Moon Apostle were somewhat surprised, but only for an instant.
Clang, clang, clang…
Slashing strikes spread out, too fast for the eyes to follow. Sharp blade auras pierced the outer wall and disappeared into the night, unstoppable.
Clang!
Su Xiao blocked the arm blade. The earring-wearing Moon Apostle thrust his other arm blade toward Su Xiao's chin.
Su Xiao didn't dodge but instead delivered a straight kick.
Bang!
The earring-wearing Moon Apostle staggered back two steps. The next moment, he had to cross his arm blades in front of his neck, the immense force from the slash nearly forcing him to one knee.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Su Xiao's long blade flipped, and he stabbed it toward the ground. The incoming arm blade slowed down.
'Blade Path Sword: Azure Demon.'
Just as Su Xiao was about to strike, he felt an extraordinarily mysterious sensation—it was one of the ultimate abilities of a Blade Grandmaster, the passive activation of the 'Blade's Extreme' ability.
A blue blade aura, fast to the extreme, slashed out. Blood splattered, and an arm flew through the air.
The earring-wearing Moon Apostle retreated over a dozen steps before stopping. His teeth ground together with a cracking sound, and his expression looked like he might lose control at any moment.
"Sir, calm down."
"Hurry, Sir is about to lose control."
One of the Moon Apostles took out a very primitive syringe and injected it into the back of their leader's neck.
After the unknown potion was injected into his body, the Moon Apostle leader's expression gradually calmed. He hadn't used his trump card, and neither had Su Xiao.
"Be careful you don't 'choke to death.'"
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing his words, the Moon Apostle leader's face turned very ugly.
"Be careful *you* don't 'choke to death.' Let's go."
Hearing this, the several Moon Apostles holding the Soul Speaker threw him to the ground. Led by the Moon Apostle leader, they walked past Su Xiao.
Everyone present knew this matter couldn't be blown out of proportion. If the two of them fought, it could be considered a "personal grudge." But if all those Moon Apostles attacked, the Crow's Eye outside the Eagle Fort weren't to be trifled with either, and the situation would become uncontrollable.
Su Xiao approached the Soul Speaker, pulled off the cloth strips from the other's head, and… no notification appeared.
This was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with a rag stuffed in his mouth.
Su Xiao pulled the rag out of the middle-aged man's mouth, and the man retched a few times.
"Commander Kukulin, you're truly a good person. To rescue me in such a situation, I really…"
The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with tears. Su Xiao frowned.
"You're not the Soul Speaker?"
"I, I'm not. He's in the dungeon."
"Then who are you?"
"I'm the butler, Butler Leef Ke. Have you forgotten me?"
"…"
Su Xiao was clearly stunned for a moment.
"Adjutant, go call those Moon Apostles back."
Su Xiao's frown deepened. He felt that the guy he had just fought was indeed very strong, but he was an idiot.
"Got it."
The young adjutant jogged to the entrance of the Eagle Fort.
"Hey, Moon—ah, no—suspicious persons over there."
The young adjutant was also very clever, knowing that tonight's conflict couldn't escalate to the level of a fight between the Ninth Corps Commander and the Moon Apostle leader.
The several dozen Moon Apostles stopped. A few of them had particularly ugly expressions. The young adjutant's words "suspicious persons" were too cutting.
"Come back. It seems we made a mistake."
Hearing this, the Moon Apostle leader was clearly stunned for two seconds. His arm had been severed, and the enemy was telling him they had made a mistake?!
Su Xiao also came to the front door and tossed the middle-aged man in his hand toward those Moon Apostles. These people deserved their bad luck. If they had just said the Soul Speaker was in the underground dungeon, it would have been over. Instead, they had to play mysterious.
The completely bewildered Butler Leef Ke rolled to the feet of the Moon Apostles. His mouth opened and closed. From hell to heaven, then back to hell—the extreme ups and downs made him want to die.
"Kukulin."
The Moon Apostle leader gritted his teeth, feeling immense humiliation in his heart.
"Sir, Sir, it seems we forgot to clarify… the Soul Speaker is still in the dungeon."
"?"
The Moon Apostle leader glared, angrily staring at that subordinate.
"We, earlier, warned him!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Sir is right."
"Also, this arm of mine was severed in the chaotic battle, not cut off by Kukulin at all. Understand?"
The Moon Apostle leader looked around at his subordinates with a gaze that could devour someone. Tonight's matter was just too damn embarrassing.
"Sir is brave."
Another extremely cutting compliment.
"Take the person. Let's go!"
Leaving these words, the Moon Apostle leader, with his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, turned and left. When he had confronted Su Xiao earlier, Su Xiao's aura had inevitably stirred his hunting instincts. He had been protecting the Moon Goddess in the capital for who knows how long without encountering such an opponent, so he had forgotten that detail.
"This idiot."
In this murderous atmosphere, even Su Xiao couldn't help but smile.
Entering the interior of the Eagle Fort, Su Xiao quickly found the dungeon. Inside was an old woman locked up, her head lowered, muttering something. This aura was more fitting for the Soul Speaker.