Chapter 16: The Operation
Several kilometers away from the Alchemy Laboratory in the 1st District of the Empress City.
As the butler of Scorpion Lady, Berzil was responsible for this siege and was one of the main forces within it. Berzil had shed his previous obsequious flattery, revealing a chilling ruthlessness. If one were to speak of patience and forbearance, throughout the entire Dukain Family, Berzil was among the very best.
A dozen or so members of the Dukain Family, varying in form with pitch-black eyes, stood or lounged nearby. Among these Abyss Descendants, two closely resembled humanoids, while the rest leaned more towards dark beasts or their original forms of birth. There was a rule: the more contact an Abyss Descendant had with intelligent races, the more their form approached that of a human.
"Berzil, is there really a Law Destroyer inside that Alchemy Laboratory?"
A black serpent, coiled upright like a giant python, spoke. Its body was as thick as a water barrel, its scales covered in crimson barbs. Combined with its pitch-black metallic scales, it exuded a sense of terror.
"It's been many years since I last heard that title—Law Destroyer."
A sphere of insects, formed by countless black threadworms entwined together, spoke. The sphere writhed, and something seemed to exist at its core, greedily peering outward.
"Mr. Serpent, please freeze the space in this area for a moment."
Berzil spoke. The Abyss Descendant addressed as Mr. Serpent remained noncommittal. It was not originally a member of the Dukain Family but an "Undying Abyss Spawn." However, after the Dukain's deadly battle with the Law Destroyers, a vacancy finally appeared on the "Ancestral Clan Emblem." After branding its "Causal Life Source" onto it, it formally became a Dukain.
However, as a new member who joined only a few hundred years ago, its seniority was far inferior to other family members. Naturally, it had to bear more of the burdensome tasks, and besides, it was already a powerful being in the Dark Space System.
Mr. Serpent stretched its massive body slightly, then bit down on the empty space. Icy blue frost poison spread through the space, causing the surrounding area to crackle and freeze.
After completing the freeze, Mr. Serpent released its bite, nodded to Berzil, and said, "I used a century's worth of accumulated bitter frost. This time, I want an extra ten percent share."
"Agreed."
Berzil's crisp reply brought a hint of amusement to Mr. Serpent's vertical snake pupils. But at that moment, it suddenly felt a sensation of its scales standing on end, as if something violent, massive, and immensely powerful was hurtling towards it from the space ahead. The frozen space shattered with a crackling sound, and then this massive, fully powered object "rolled over" it.
With a squelch, the excrement that Mr. Serpent only expelled once every few years shot out from its rear. Its massive serpentine mouth gaped open as various strange organs were squeezed out. Mr. Serpent's current appearance was like an earthworm placed on a railway track, crushed under the wheels of a steel train. However, its body was too tough to be flattened into pulp, and it wasn't dead yet.
Berzil was instantly bathed in a shower of internal organs. Compared to him, the Dukain Family members behind Mr. Serpent were far worse off.
Clearly, under the crushing force of the "Law-Destroying Teleportation Array," Mr. Serpent's proud spatial freezing was utterly useless. Or rather, the "Law-Destroying Teleportation Array" and conventional teleportation arrays were fundamentally different things.
Blocking spatial teleportation is like prohibiting pedestrians from passing. The means of prohibition could be a fence, a lasso, a more advanced wooden door, or an especially advanced iron door, guaranteed to stop all pedestrians. But this thing—it stops people, not trains. If you drive a train straight into it, it's a highly dishonorable move.
The key point is, who would have thought that traversing through chaotic spatial tides was like walking on a road paved with massive boulders, where even a slight misstep could cause injury? Under such road conditions, when a steel train comes hurtling at full speed, who wouldn't be dumbfounded?
Just then, a putrid red aura spread out. Within the spreading poisonous mist, Scorpion Lady walked forward with dignity, followed by an insect-man over three meters tall, composed of milky-white worms.
Scorpion Lady didn't speak, merely looking at Berzil. This caused Berzil, who had been so confident moments before, to become increasingly uneasy. Cold sweat soaked his undershirt. He opened his mouth to explain something but ultimately only said, "Empress, I have no excuses. It's my fault."
"You have already done well. Our objective has been achieved, hasn't it?"
Scorpion Lady looked at Berzil gently, which only intensified the gnawing guilt in his heart for betraying the Empress's trust.
"Empress, are we just going to let this Law Destroyer escape? If the Council Leader investigates..."
As Berzil spoke, he suddenly noticed a pitch-black mark floating in Scorpion Lady's hand. Seeing this, he was slightly surprised and asked, "That Law Destroyer didn't remove the Dark Mark, and he dares to flee? Truly... seeking death."
"He did remove it. At least, he thought he did."
As Scorpion Lady spoke, her seemingly delicate hand grasped the "Dark Mark" with an air of authority. The mark transformed into a heart, which was crushed with a pop. Blood trickled down between the fingers of Scorpion Lady's fair, slender hand. The hand was beautiful, and combined with the cruel bloodstains, it created a brutal aesthetic.
Had Su Xiao's heart been crushed? Of course not. What Scorpion Lady had branded with the "Dark Mark" back then was an avatar he had created using [Self-Power]. It should be that the avatar had died now. But would the real situation be that simple?
At this moment, in the 20th District of the Empress City, inside a luxurious manor, in the hall on the first floor of the villa, on a semi-circular sofa, Su Xiao, Kaisa, Xilin, the Pain Archbishop, and even the Black Leech were all present. Furthermore, the Exploration Team Leader Afia, who was far away in Sanctuary City, and the Dark Archbishop Charles had also arrived via teleportation array. As for the issue of Sanctuary City's defense being left empty...
Sanctuary City had never relied on a few Supreme Powerhouses on the surface for its defense; otherwise, it would have been razed to the ground by the Dukain Family long ago.
The operation against Scorpion Lady this time was orchestrated by Su Xiao and Kaisa. The others didn't get a share, but they were all very curious about how exactly the Law Destroyer and the Deceiver had dealt with Scorpion Lady.
Su Xiao leaned back on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed. In front of him stood a figure wrapped in numerous Contract Parchments, looking like a specially made mummy with a mysterious style. This was the avatar created by [Self-Power].
Just then, the Self-Avatar suddenly collapsed. Its chest was somewhat sunken, and a black liquid substance seeped out, soaking through the Contract Parchments. Seeing this, both Su Xiao and Kaisa knew that this round was won.
This had been planned all along. What Su Xiao had to do was not complicated at all from start to finish.