The square in front of the hotel turned into a battlefield of total chaos.
However, the small area where Yue Shi and the Executioner stood remained a vacuum zone.
Everyone was instinctively staying away from them.
The Executioner’s expression was solemn.
Headquarters didn't have enough intelligence on Yue Shi. They hadn't expected him to be able to release such a vast horde of monsters, turning their encirclement into a war of attrition.
Yue Shi remained where he was, a mocking smile on his face.
“Hmph!” The Executioner didn't wait any longer; he knew he had to take down the ringleader as quickly as possible.
With a cold snort, the air around him grew sharp, and a massive number of buzzing, phantom blades materialized out of thin air.
【Death by a Thousand Cuts: Thousand Soul Pain】: Summons 3,600 phantom blades to simultaneously slice the target’s soul and flesh into a thousand pieces.
Countless black ravens screeched as they flew out from the shadow beneath Yue Shi’s feet.
“Tricks of a child,” the Executioner growled.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The phantom blades poured down like a torrential rain, clashing violently with the flock of ravens.
The ravens dissipated into wisps of black smoke one after another, merging back into the shadows.
The blades pierced through the flock, their momentum unabated, and all of them landed on Yue Shi.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of dense, crisp metallic sounds rang out.
Ripples shimmered around Yue Shi, easily blocking the wave of attacks.
Not only did he have his own defensive capabilities, but he also had another powerful defensive ability stored within a Record Bead.
“Heh, let’s see how long you can hide in that turtle shell!”
A fierce light flashed in the Executioner’s eyes. He clenched his right hand, and a small, pitch-black knife condensed in his palm.
【Branding: Defense Break】: Summons a branding knife. This knife can ignore defenses. When the target is stabbed, a branding mark is applied to their face, after which all your attacks will ignore that target’s defenses.
The Executioner believed this knife would be enough to tear through Yue Shi’s shell.
Once he lost his defense, this wanted criminal would be nothing more than meat on a chopping block!
He lunged forward, branding knife in hand, charging straight for Yue Shi.
The golden light in the third eye on Yue Shi’s forehead swirled. He stood his ground without dodging, the space in front of him fluctuating slightly.
The Executioner charged at extreme speed, aiming to stab Yue Shi in the face.
Space was distorted.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
At a point twenty centimeters in front of Yue Shi, the Executioner was clearly sprinting forward, yet the distance between him and Yue Shi remained constant, unable to be shortened by even a fraction!
Yue Shi’s finger twitched.
【Plague Doctor】, disease transfer.
The Executioner’s body stiffened, and his face suddenly turned incredibly pale.
Yue Shi smiled broadly, seizing the opportunity to follow up with another strike.
【Death Sentence】
“Die!”
The Executioner was battle-hardened. Though startled, he didn't panic. Enduring the intense physical discomfort, he pushed off the ground and retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and Yue Shi.
At the same time, he gave a low growl and used an ability on himself: 【Sale】.
A wave of repulsive force erupted with him as the center, forcibly dispelling the instant death curse and the diseased states he was suffering from.
However, it was clear that 【Sale】 was not a professional purification ability; the process looked agonizing.
The Executioner didn't fear pain; he even seemed to enjoy it. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his condition recovered quickly.
His expression was more solemn than ever. Someone rated as an S-rank wanted criminal by headquarters was indeed troublesome.
Yue Shi’s methods were too underhanded. Especially just now, when the Executioner had suddenly felt completely unwell—weak and nauseated, as if he had been struck by a hundred illnesses at once.
He had no idea how he had been hit.
Was it those ravens?
At this thought, the cold light in the Executioner’s eyes flashed again as he changed his strategy and attacked once more.
【Collective Guilt: Shared Sentence】!
【Castration: Deprivation of Authority】!
This time, his target wasn't Yue Shi, but the newly reformed shadow ravens!
The third eye on Yue Shi’s forehead flickered. This time, he didn't act overconfident by standing still. Instead, he immediately recalled all the ravens and retreated rapidly to put distance between him and the Executioner.
【Collective Guilt: Shared Sentence】: Can damage the original body through strongly associated derivatives such as clones, substitutes, summons, or puppets.
【Castration: Deprivation of Authority】: Permanently excises the core, most representative essential function of a target’s supernatural power.
Yue Shi had anticipated that the Executioner would use the ravens to strike his main body, which would lead to his Shadow Soldiers ability being sanctioned and him losing control over the ravens.
Thus, he recalled them and retreated a second early.
The Executioner’s attacks all hit empty air.
His gaze immediately locked onto the third eye on Yue Shi’s forehead.
Meanwhile, the chaos in the other areas was intensifying.
“Holy crap, why did this conch shell end up on my back?!”
After one investigator killed an enemy, the shell the enemy had been carrying transferred to him. He couldn't take it off, and it was severely hindering his movements.
“These worms won't die no matter how many we kill! Fire doesn't work either! As long as a single worm lives, they grow back instantly! We can't keep this up!” an investigator screamed in despair.
“Don't hit that guy! If you hit him, you'll get hurt too!” another investigator shouted, clutching his chest in warning.
The overall strength of the headquarters team was greater than the small fry Yue Shi had released, but they couldn't achieve a crushing, rapid victory.
Some had to stay focused on protecting the small animals in their hands, while also constantly guarding against ambushes from the plush bear and that loose cannon, the Ripper.
The longer this dragged on, the more their energy would be depleted.
Before long, their advantage would vanish, and their line would collapse.
The Executioner scanned the increasingly unfavorable battlefield and knew he couldn't waste any more time.
He suddenly raised his hand.
【Iron Maiden】, activated.
Boom!
A heavy Iron Maiden cage, its interior lined with sharp spikes, appeared out of nowhere and dropped over Yue Shi, trapping him inside.
In the next instant, the Executioner held the pitch-black branding knife and moved like lightning. He appeared in front of the Iron Maiden, aiming the tip of his blade through the peephole on the front, thrusting it violently toward Yue Shi’s forehead.
Clang.
A crisp sound of metal hitting metal rang out.
The Executioner felt like his blade had struck nothing; the inside of the Iron Maiden was completely empty.
Squelch.
The sound of a blade slicing through flesh came from behind him.
The Executioner’s pupils shrank as he spun around violently.
Yue Shi was already standing behind him at some unknown point. He held a very ordinary-looking scalpel and had only left a tiny wound on the Executioner’s back, as if he were mocking him.
He was mocking him!
Feeling the slight sting on his back, the Executioner quickly pulled away, unable to stop his inner rage from boiling over.
He had intended to end this quickly, but not only had he failed to capture the target, he had been played like a fool and even wounded.
He couldn't let this continue!
Although the Executioner had never met Yue Shi before, according to the files, the man was extremely arrogant and vengeful.
Professional psychological analysts at headquarters had once analyzed Yue Shi’s personality, concluding he was likely the type whose “hands were faster than his brain.” When faced with trouble, he would kill everyone first and worry about the consequences later.
If tonight’s operation failed, the Executioner had no doubt that Yue Shi wouldn't show any restraint just because he was a Bureau captain. He would certainly torture him to death!
Rate on N.U.
