Chapter 5: The Red Jester
A long blade swung down, and the withered corpse controlled the elite infected to meet the attack.
Su Xiao held his knife with one hand, his right arm now aching from the repeated use of Ring Break.
As he slashed down, the elite infected, which looked almost like a monster, raised its claw to block. Its sharp bone claws gleamed with metallic luster, and the elite infected no longer resembled a human in its current form.
The long blade struck the bone claw, sending bone shards flying.
Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. This thing's strength attribute was not inferior to his own—no, it was actually higher.
"Roar!"
The elite infected bellowed, its bloody maw opening wide, jagged fangs like sharp daggers.
The gaping mouth lunged at Su Xiao, while the withered corpse behind the elite infected pressed both hands on the back of its head, eyes tightly shut, controlling its movements.
Su Xiao extended his palm forward, and an energy shield with 120 points of strength materialized.
With a bang, the elite infected's head slammed into the energy shield. In that instant, Su Xiao dismissed the shield.
Cyan Steel Shadow energy surged along the blade. Su Xiao stepped forward and slashed at the withered corpse's neck.
He didn't attack the elite infected; it was clearly controlled by the withered corpse. Once the corpse was dead, dealing with this thing would be easy.
Pfft.
The blade cut through the withered corpse's neck, and its head flew off.
The head soared through the air, showing no fear or surprise. Its eyes held only anger and disdain, with a faint hint of a scheme succeeding.
After beheading the withered corpse with one strike, Su Xiao paused only briefly before delivering a second slash.
This cut aimed at the withered corpse's chest, because the headless corpse wasn't dead yet.
Su Xiao was used to such situations. Violators had bizarre abilities, and he had encountered far harder-to-kill ones.
A face emerged on the withered corpse's chest, filled with pain and disbelief.
"What the hell is this thing?"
Cyan Steel Shadow energy invaded the withered corpse's body through the wound, the intense pain nearly causing it to lose consciousness.
Pfft.
The withered corpse's torso was severed. As it split, a brownish-yellow meatball burst out from inside, directly drilling into the elite infected's body.
The elite infected froze for a moment, its eyes changing expression.
"I'll kill you. This is my last chance to change bodies. I've searched several derivative worlds, and you've pushed me to this point."
The elite infected—no, the withered corpse—stood upright. Feeling this strong body, it shook its head; this form was too unstable.
Just then, a purple light appeared beside the withered corpse. A tiny purple orb floated in the air, gradually expanding.
"It's here."
The withered corpse glared viciously at Su Xiao, as if already seeing its enemy's death.
"So that's it. Surviving through parasitism, huh."
Su Xiao's left index finger twitched. The Realm Severing Thread wrapped around the withered corpse's leg, and with a sharp pull, a shallow wound appeared on its calf.
The withered corpse paid no attention to such a minor injury. Just as it swung a claw at Su Xiao, Cyan Steel Shadow energy spread along the thread, entering its body through the wound.
"Ahh!!"
A piercing scream echoed far and wide. The withered corpse crashed to its knees with a thud. Cyan Steel Shadow energy was its nemesis; its true body was too weak.
Su Xiao stepped forward and thrust his blade through the withered corpse's neck.
Cyan Steel Shadow enveloped the blade's aura, generating shadow spikes. Over a dozen pale blue energy spikes burst from the withered corpse's body, like a blooming thorn flower.
"This, this..."
The withered corpse's mouth gaped wide, its pupils trembling.
Su Xiao placed one foot on the withered corpse's shoulder and slowly pulled out the Dragon-Slaying Flash.
The long blade swung down, severing the withered corpse's oversized head.
A brownish-yellow meatball emerged from the elite infected's body, a face forming on its surface.
"This can't be. The boss is about to arrive, why..."
Su Xiao stomped on the meatball, crushing it flat, juice splattering everywhere.
[Tip: The Hunter has successfully eliminated Violator No. 10207. Hunt mission completed (2/5).]
[Warning: A Violator is approaching!]
Su Xiao didn't need Reincarnation Paradise's prompt to know a Violator was near. The purple orb beside the withered corpse's body rapidly expanded, gradually forming a spatial rift.
A man in a purple suit, wearing a gentle smile, stepped out of the rift.
He surveyed the surroundings until his eyes fell on the crushed meatball.
"Oh? The withered corpse is already dead. Lost another subordinate, though he was quite stupid."
If not for the contractor's head he held in his hand, the man appeared perfectly polite.
"So, you killed the withered corpse."
The man looked at Su Xiao. Without a word, Su Xiao slashed out a blade aura.
The aura passed through the suited man's body. Su Xiao wasn't surprised, as he hadn't sensed the man's presence.
"No need to be so murderous. I'm just a projection sent here. By the way, you can call me the Red Jester."
The Red Jester tossed the head in his hand. His true body was over a hundred kilometers away, standing over a headless corpse.
Su Xiao studied the Red Jester. Confirming it was indeed a projection, he sheathed the Dragon-Slashing Flash, preparing to leave the block first.
"Wait, Hunter sir."
The Red Jester's smile turned neurotic. Su Xiao paused, glancing sideways at him.
"That title fits, doesn't it? Hunting down unreasonable contractors like us. I wonder what Reincarnation Paradise calls you—maybe also a Hunter?"
Su Xiao narrowed his eyes. This Violator might know something.
"So cold. Don't worry, I won't reveal your identity. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. I've tried hundreds of times and failed."
The Red Jester seemed to recall something amusing. He pulled out a small knife, pressed his thumb against the tip, and pushed down hard.
"Hunter sir, how about we play a Game?"
The Red Jester cleared his throat.
"From now on, I'll hunt you down with my subordinates. If you manage to kill me instead, I'll tell you a secret about Violators. But..."
He paused, as if barely containing his excitement, and the knife pierced through his thumb with a pfft.
"If you lose, before you die, you'll tell me some secrets about Hunters. How about that? That makes the game fair."
Su Xiao couldn't immediately grasp the Red Jester's goal, but being hunted by him was fine. Even if the Red Jester didn't come for him, he would find a way to go after him.
"See you in Yorknew City."
"Haha, you speak! I thought you were mute. Sorry, that was rude."
The Red Jester seemed barely able to contain his excitement, and his emotions were highly unstable.
"See you in Yorknew City. It's been a long time since I've had such fun."
The Red Jester's projection gradually faded, and the spatial rift vanished.
Su Xiao sighed inwardly. If the Red Jester's true body had dared to enter that spatial rift, he could have easily killed him. He could forcibly close the rift while the Red Jester was inside, trapping him in an unknown space—a ability gained from the [Lankai Windbreaker] in the Naruto World.
Imprint Effect (Pale Gold): Basic Space Imprisonment: Seals spatial fluctuations within a 50-meter radius. Space-type skills below the fifth rank are disabled within this area. Effect lasts 30 minutes. Cooldown: 2 natural days.
...
Unfortunately, the Red Jester seemed to sense something and didn't enter the rift himself.
"Gentleman's Alliance. It seems the truly troublesome one hasn't shown up yet."
Su Xiao turned and disappeared into a small alley.