Chapter 32: Immortal and Honor
The White Bull self-destructed, flames soaring into the sky, with splashing fire spreading like celestial maidens scattering blossoms. The explosive force of the BNTT-815 type explosive was moderate; its strength lay in splashing and adhesive combustion.
Patches of flame clung to the buildings on either side of the main street. If this weren’t Doom Town, a massive fire would have already broken out.
“Cough, cough, cough~”
The Captain, who had thrown himself into a building, coughed uncontrollably. Fortunately, the explosion’s center was over thirty meters away, and the splashing flames hadn’t touched him; otherwise, he’d be dead or half-crippled.
Inside the abandoned stone building, the Captain smelled a faint odor of burnt flesh. He turned his head and saw Killer Bee lying on the ground. Killer Bee was unlucky—a clump of orange-red flame had stuck to her head, burning fiercely, roasting her skull.
“Killer Bee?”
“...”
Killer Bee’s fingers twitched slightly, and a necklace appeared in her hand.
“Save... me.”
Killer Bee spoke weakly, the flame sizzling as it scorched her head. Her meaning was simple: if he saved her, this Holy Spirit-grade equipment would belong to the Captain.
The Captain didn’t look at Killer Bee. He made a move to leap out of the stone building’s rear window. The Immortal wasn’t dead yet, and the White Bull had died inexplicably. This place was no longer safe.
Dragging his slightly lame leg, the Captain was about to jump out the window when a figure suddenly descended from above, holding a cluster of fluorescent green energy.
Mid-descent, Eois pushed his hand forward. With a boom, the entire window and the surrounding stone wall were shattered. A powerful force slammed into the Captain.
The Captain was already injured, and the sudden attack pushed him back.
With a smack, Killer Bee’s hand grabbed the Captain’s calf. Her head, now burned to a skull, lifted, and her eyes fixed on the Captain.
“Ah!!”
The Captain let out an inhuman scream. The skin all over his body split open, and his muscles and blood vessels writhed and surged.
Squelch~
An arm emerged from the Captain’s mouth. Torture worse than death made tears and snot stream down the Captain’s face.
Crack, crack. Bones snapped as Killer Bee crawled out of the Captain’s grotesquely stretched mouth. She braced her hands against his forehead and chin, dragging her lower body out of his mouth, transparent fluid coating her entire form.
Now, Killer Bee looked somewhat gaunt. Her appearance had regressed from her twenties to about ten years old. Already petite, she now stood only about 1.2 meters tall.
With a thud, the Captain collapsed, his pupils trembling.
“Kill... kill me.”
The Captain could barely speak. Killer Bee’s small foot stepped on his face. The skin on his body rapidly grayed and withered, his life force flowing through her pale little foot into her body, giving her pallid complexion some color.
“Stay here and wait to die. There’s a contract—how can I kill you? Farewell~”
Killer Bee smoothed her wet hair with both hands, tied it into a simple ponytail, and leaped out of the stone building’s rear window.
As soon as she landed, Killer Bee saw Eois kneeling on one knee. She jumped onto Eois’s shoulder.
“Run, Eois. I’m a bit weak, and my body has shrunk again.”
Killer Bee draped a long coat over herself.
“As you command.”
Eois replied woodenly. She wasn’t a contractor of Watchful Paradise; she only had a ‘simulated mark’ from Watchful Paradise. This mark was fake, useful only for disguising her identity, with no other function. Essentially, Eois was Killer Bee’s summon.
Killer Bee sat on Eois’s shoulder, and soon, the pair disappeared among the buildings, venturing deep into Doom Town without a ‘key’ or ‘stone tablet.’
The four-person team of White Bull, Killer Bee, Captain, and Eois—the most inconspicuous one, Killer Bee, was the most terrifying. Her original plan was to first reap benefits in Doom Town with White Bull and the Captain, then deal with them once the gains were sufficient.
Killer Bee’s plan was good, but she was unlucky. The splashing flame from the BNTT-815 explosive landed directly on her head. This was White Bull’s last-ditch move, so its lethality was naturally formidable.
On the main street at Doom Town’s front gate, the Immortal stood amidst the flames. Flames surged all over his body, yet they didn’t harm him at all. Instead, they became a means to kill enemies in a short time. The Ancient God power within him was immune to fire, as well as light and darkness.
Su Xiao stood on the high wall above the front gate. Baha swooped down from above.
“Boss, I only found one near-death. The other two are missing—probably internal conflict.”
“Mm.”
Su Xiao wasn’t disappointed. Seventh-rank contractors weren’t easy to kill; taking out two was already good.
Su Xiao leaped down from the high wall, looking at the flames ahead. He didn’t act immediately. These flames were troublesome—once they stuck to him, they would not only burn continuously but also ignite his blood.
Click, click~
The Immortal walked out of the flames. His gray hair and strip-like clothing fluttered. Flames burned on his body, giving the impression that he had once bathed in glory, fighting for honor and belief, until the Ancient God power eroded him into this state.
The Immortal raised his right arm, holding his blade, while his left hand was behind his back. This seemed like some kind of battle salute.
Su Xiao slowly drew the Dragon-Slaying Flash, slightly lowering his body. His hand holding the blade hung naturally, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
With a bang, Su Xiao and the Immortal vanished simultaneously. Before the gravel they kicked up could fall, their long blades clashed together.
Clang!
A shockwave spread from the center point of Su Xiao and the Immortal. The surrounding flames scattered. Large cracks extended from behind Su Xiao’s feet as they slowly sank into the ground, the stone slabs beneath creaking.
There was a significant difference in strength. Su Xiao released his grip on the blade. Without the Dragon-Slaying Flash to parry, a guardless long blade slashed toward his neck.
The Dragon-Slaying Flash flipped. Su Xiao hooked its hilt with his index finger, sending it flying behind the Immortal. His body pierced through space, reappearing behind the Immortal.
With a smack, Su Xiao reversed his grip on the Dragon-Slaying Flash and stabbed toward the Immortal’s back.
Clang!
Sparks flew. The Dragon-Slaying Flash struck another blade. The Immortal assumed an odd posture, holding his blade horizontally behind his back. A glimmer of life seemed to appear in his murky eyes.
‘Blood Blade: Rage Slash.’
Zheng!
A massive blood blade slashed down from behind Su Xiao—this was the Immortal’s blade technique.
‘Blade Dao Sword: Time.’
A shockwave spread. The massive blood blade, about to cut into the back of Su Xiao’s neck, slowed down. This blade, composed of energy, willpower, and aura, was extremely sharp.
Su Xiao lowered his body. The blood blade passed over his head. As it did, a rust-covered long blade thrust from the front.
At this moment, Su Xiao was holding the blade in a reverse grip and in a low stance, making it impossible to use a counterattack slash. His pupils gradually contracted as he side-cut his blade.
Sizzle~
The rusted long blade scraped past the Dragon-Slowing Flash, piercing through Su Xiao’s shoulder.
Crack, crack, crack~
A crystal layer spread across Su Xiao’s shoulder, slowing the Immortal’s blade withdrawal. The Dragon-Slaying Flash flipped in Su Xiao’s hand, changing from a reverse grip to a forward grip.
‘Blade Dao Sword: Extreme.’
A blue light slashed through. Slightly dried blood splattered. An arm spun through the air a few times before landing with a thud.
The effect of ‘Blade Dao Sword: Time’ dissipated. The Immortal withdrew his blade and leaped back repeatedly. After stopping, he flicked the blood off his blade. The strip-like clothing on his arm fluttered, covered in sparks.
The Immortal’s left arm was severed, but his eyes were no longer as murky as before.