Chapter 7: Rest in Peace for the Departed

Chapter 7: Rest in Peace for the Departed

Inside the abandoned church, a female statue stood at the innermost part. This had once been a church of the Fate Church, but unfortunately, the folk customs of the Western Continent's Smoke Capital were too "unsophisticated." The Fate Church's development here had been very unfavorable. Coupled with the appearance of the Black Tide twelve years ago, the Fate Church had given up on missionary work in Smoke Capital.

The so-called Black Tide was the origin of Primordial Soul Energy. A massive amount of Primordial Soul Energy would erupt from a certain point, filling the surrounding dozen or so kilometers.

The concentration of Primordial Soul Energy here was not something ordinary people could withstand. However, as long as one fled quickly, with the emergency aid of the Healing Church, civilian casualties were not severe. The lucky ones could even become stronger and have their lifespans extended.

Even so, when the Black Tide was mentioned, even the refugees of Smoke Capital would change color. What was terrifying was not the Black Tide, but human hearts. The Black Tide would spew out a vast amount of Primordial Soul Energy. Primordial Soul Energy equaled supernatural power, extended lifespan, endless Black Crystals, and status. Who could remain indifferent?

The Black Tide was not frightening; what was frightening were the strong and desperate people who gathered after the Black Tide passed.

In District 30 of Smoke Capital, because the Black Tide had erupted there, the population had plummeted by eighty percent. It was soon abandoned. The branch of the Fate Church that had been preaching there was almost beaten to the point of crying bitterly.

Inside the abandoned church, Tiff was panting heavily. At this moment, she felt her legs go weak, caused by heavy blows to her coccyx and pelvis.

Tiff tore off her upper garment and wrapped it around her waist. As an Eighth Rank Contractor from Death Paradise, she was not afraid of dying here, but being kicked to the point of incontinence was something she could not accept. Tiff could not afford to lose face like this.

"Old Yinbi from Reincarnation Paradise, come out for your mommy. Pretending to be a Seventh Rank Contractor."

The twin stabbing swords in Tiff's hands turned even greener. She was a Contractor with dual specialties in Agility and Intelligence. Poisonous Sharp Sword Tiff had been quite famous in the Seventh Rank. After advancing to the Eighth Rank, she had experienced three worlds within the Eighth Rank and was in the early stage of the Eighth Rank.

Tiff looked around, planning her retreat route. The initial exchange had made her judge that her opponent this time was a Technique Type. In battles between Contractors, Technique Types could almost be called the strongest echelon in single combat. In group battles, Mage Lords and Undead Systems were more dominant, while in attrition warfare, Combat Healers and Domain Tank Systems were the strongest.

Tiff had discovered back in the Fifth Rank that Technique Types were becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. In her initial impression, Technique Types were weaklings who just slashed straight ahead, and improving Technique-type abilities was too expensive.

From the First to Second Rank, Tiff did not care much about these weaklings. Apart from their strong attack abilities, their equipment defense and physical defense were not good. A few large-scale abilities would blast them half to death, then a few finishing shots, and the battle was over.

From the Third to Fourth Rank, Tiff still felt that Technique Types were not impressive. These guys still had strong attack abilities, but because they were generally very poor, their equipment was garbage to the point of being eye-straining. As long as one was careful, the odds of winning were high.

It was not until Tiff encountered a Technique Type Contractor from Apocalypse Paradise in a Fifth Rank world that things changed. The combat power of Contractors from Apocalypse Paradise was slightly weaker compared to other sides, and combined with her disdain for Technique Types, Tiff did not take him seriously.

At that time, Tiff was in a temporary team. Nineteen against one. The battle ended after 5 minutes and 27 seconds. That stabbing sword engraved with the '' mark left Tiff with an unforgettable memory.

Nineteen against one. That was no longer a battle but an elegant massacre. The blade of that stabbing sword was about three fingers wide, lacking the thinness of a normal stabbing sword. It had strong penetrating power and was also good at slashing.

After surviving by luck, Tiff learned from her pain. She collected a Sword Mastery scroll and began to develop Technique-type abilities. Unfortunately, it was too late. She successfully raised her Sword Mastery to Lv.19, and then got stuck. Technique-type abilities could not be developed with resources alone.

The development method for Technique-type abilities was: Master basic technique abilities → First improvement → Battle → Second improvement → Battle → Third improvement, and so on in a cycle. Resources alone were not enough.

Zzzt~

The metal wire suddenly tightened. Just as she was about to rush toward the window for a strategic retreat, Tiff stopped. She crushed a gem in her hand, and emerald energy erupted all over her body, peeling away a layer of the surrounding ground.

Clang!

The long blade clashed with the stabbing sword. Tiff used her right hand to hold off the long blade while thrusting forward with the stabbing sword in her left hand.

'Blade Path Sword: Extreme.'

Crack.

The stabbing sword was severed. Fragments of the broken stabbing sword scattered everywhere. The long blade, with an unstoppable momentum, slashed toward Tiff's chest.

The Holy Spirit-grade close-fitting armor Tiff wore was like paper, instantly cut through. The long blade's momentum did not diminish. It cut through flesh and bone before slicing open Tiff's heart.

Tiff felt a dizzying spin. Her body became very light, and then darkness gradually closed in before her eyes.

[Notification: You have killed Contractor 10**57.]

[You have gained 5 Reincarnation Paradise Merits.]

[You have gained Scarlet Honor ×10.]

[Current Scarlet Honor held exceeds 10. You can now exchange for the lowest-rated Blood-colored Weapon. You have activated the Blood-colored Weapon exchange list.]

...

Su Xiao did not check the exchange list. He pulled his left arm, retracting the Realm Severing Thread, and hurried toward the street from earlier. The Bald Man and Hugh Xiro were still fighting there.

On the main street of District 30, large amounts of blood were scattered across the street, staining the cracked stone slabs red.

The Bald Man was kneeling on one knee, blood dripping from his chin. At this moment, the three blades on the outer side of his right arm were shedding white light particles.

"Huff, huff."

The Bald Man breathed laboriously, the sound like a broken bellows. His left arm was severed at the root, and there was an extremely deep slash on his chest, nearly disemboweling him.

A dozen meters away from the Bald Man, Hugh Xiro was holding his own severed left arm. The arm flipped in his hand, his casual attitude as if it were not part of his body.

"Not continuing? This slash hurts a lot. Also, I haven't even made a move yet, and you're already kneeling? Weren't you just saying you wanted to avenge someone? Did Bai Ye kill your sister? Or your parents? Before going to find him, at least kill me first."

Hugh Xiro tossed his left arm aside. Unlike when he had crushed his own head earlier, his left arm and the wound on his chest were not regenerating or healing.

A sound of breaking wind came. Hugh Xiro's steps paused.

"Bai Ye, don't come close."

Hugh Xiro kicked a pebble, sending it about a hundred meters away. This was within his ability range. In a one-on-one fight, his ability was very difficult to deal with. If a teammate helped, it could potentially interrupt his ability.

Hugh Xiro's ability was simple. Before the battle began, he could silently mark a "Soul Imprint" on an enemy. The maximum target was one, and the enemy had to be a living being.

After successfully marking the "Soul Imprint," as long as the marked person attacked Hugh Xiro, the marked person would suffer the same damage as Hugh Xiro. If other enemies attacked Hugh Xiro, the marked enemy would not be injured.

The range was 100 meters. After successful marking, if the enemy rushed out of Hugh Xiro's ability range, he could immediately forcibly tear off the "Soul Imprint" from the enemy's soul, plunging the enemy into an extremely weakened state.

Unless absolutely necessary, Hugh Xiro would not do this. Every time he tore off the "Soul Imprint," he could see part of the enemy's memories and would be affected by these memories for a period of time.

Once, Hugh Xiro fought a female powerhouse. Forced to tear off the Soul Imprint, two days later, Hugh Xiro was walking down the street in a long dress. To make matters worse, he ran into a friend from the Black Tower organization. This became one of the three greatest black marks in Hugh Xiro's life.

Damage synchronization, combined with Hugh Xiro's nearly immortal body, made him very strong. However, his ability was not without weaknesses. Once an enemy found the weakness, it could be his death. He was not truly immortal.

Su Xiao sat on the roof of a two-story abandoned house. From initial observation, he had guessed Hugh Xiro's general ability. The injuries of the Bald Man and Hugh Xiro were exactly the same, suggesting a damage synchronization ability. The trigger condition was that it had to be an enemy's attack. Self-harm by Hugh Xiro would not work; otherwise, he would have done so already.

On the desolate street, the Bald Man jumped back repeatedly. He took out a white fluid and applied it to his severed arm. Not only did the bleeding stop immediately, but his severed arm also began to regenerate slowly. Eighth Rank Contractors all had considerable resources.

The Bald Man stared at Hugh Xiro. He soon noticed that Hugh Xiro's left arm was also regenerating at the same speed as his own.

The Bald Man's right eye pupil expanded. It was a mechanical eye. He controlled the pupil's focus and began to observe Hugh Xiro's regenerating severed arm at the cellular level.

Just from initial observation, the Bald Man discovered the secret. The other's regeneration was about 0.1 seconds slower than his own body's regeneration. This meant that the other's ability to reflect damage and heal through the soul had a very brief delay. If one attacked the enemy during this delay, the attack would likely not be reflected back.

"So, that's how it is..."

The Bald Man thought of something. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Su Xiao, who was sitting on the roof a hundred meters away. He had already sensed the weakness of Hugh Xiro's ability. However, he could not pay too heavy a price to deal with Hugh Xiro. Another strong enemy was waiting for him—the one who had killed the Twin Stars.

"Oh? Already found it, my weakness."

Hugh Xiro smiled. He had never rushed forward to fight the Bald Man head-on. It was not because his close combat ability was weak, but because he had a better way to kill the enemy.

Bang! The Bald Man disappeared from his spot. The surrounding space shattered like a mirror. It was not that the Bald Man had broken the space of this world; it was a normal phenomenon caused by his use of some spatial ability.

The Bald Man suddenly appeared in front of Hugh Xiro. His arm blade slashed forward, heading straight for Hugh Xiro's neck. With this momentum, the Bald Man was clearly seeking death. While cutting off Hugh Xiro's head, his own soul would also be severed, affecting his body and causing his own head to be cut off.

Ding~

A blade popped out from the Bald Man's shoulder. The blade spun and grazed Hugh Xiro's cheek. A bloodstain appeared on Hugh Xiro's face. A bloodstain immediately appeared on the Bald Man's face as well.

Now!

The arm blade on the Bald Man's arm slashed forward. The sharp blade cut into Hugh Xiro's neck.

"What a... delightful battle."

Hugh Xiro spoke. For some reason, the Bald Man's attack stopped. He only needed to push the arm blade forward a little more to completely sever Hugh Xiro's head, but he was frozen in place.

"Farewell, Baldy."

Hugh Xiro snapped his fingers. A phantom appeared behind the Bald Man. This phantom was connected to the Bald Man's spine, as if it had grown out of him. The Soul Imprint had sprouted and grown. This was Hugh Xiro's most powerful ability.

The black-gray phantom raised its arm. In its hand was a reverse-curved short dagger, with a chain at the end connected to the center of its chest.

Swish! The reverse-curved blade slashed across the Bald Man's neck. The expression on the Bald Man's face twisted. As an Eighth Rank Contractor, he was going to die at the hands of a native from a Seventh Rank world? This was absolutely impossible!

"Ah!!"

The Bald Man roared. His flesh surged, and the bloodstain on his neck faded.

"Stop howling. Your soul is dead. Rest in peace for the departed."

Hugh Xiro dismissed the Soul Shadow. His left arm regenerated quickly. He put both hands in his pockets and walked toward Su Xiao's direction.

Behind him, the Bald Man, with cracks all over his pupils, fell backward. Finally, he hit the ground with a thud. Even in death, he could not believe that he had died at the hands of a native from a Seventh Rank world.