Fighting All Day

“It seems our dear John had a trick up his sleeve,” Old Ed said calmly.

In the distance, the zombie that used to be John was still twitching unconsciously. Its shriveled lips opened and closed, letting out a wheezing, broken sound.

“What did he just say, though?” Old Ed hadn't quite caught those fragmented dying words.

Elias picked up the thread, quickly sorting through the snippets he had just captured in his mind.

“From the sound of it...” Elias’s brow furrowed beneath his mask. “Their cooperation wasn't exactly rock-solid.”

Inside the grave pit, zombie John’s vocal cords seemed stretched to their limit. A sliver of human regret actually managed to squeeze onto that rotting face covered by yellow paper.

“I... from... the... very... beginning...” The sounds were as harsh as sandpaper on metal. “Should... never... have... trusted... a... Wayland...!”

Wayland? Wayland Capital? Was he referring to the investigator who had killed Finn?!

Was this guy an undercover agent or a mole? This was a massive revelation!

Thinking about it, it made sense. Ms. Cecil had just mentioned a collaboration to him, and then this happened immediately. This meant that while the Seventh Agency was keeping an eye on Wayland, Wayland had known about the Seventh Agency’s movements all along!

These people were absolute clowns!

“Alright, that’s enough out of you.” A sigh of clear annoyance cut off the zombie’s deathbed confession.

Luke stood a few steps away. He casually lifted his wrist and gave a light wave in the air, the movement looking like he was shooing away a bothersome fly.

The next second, the space around zombie John rippled without warning. A spirit world rift was abruptly torn open, and a completely transparent, terrifyingly oppressive claw lunged out from the depths of the rift.

Thump!

The claw slammed squarely into zombie John’s chest, sending the entire corpse flying.

“Alright, the nuisance is gone.” Luke withdrew his hand. The mockery on his face faded slightly, replaced by a coldness that suggested he was ready to get to work.

“Now, it’s time to settle our accounts.” He rubbed his hands together, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the graveyard, including the remaining Seventh Agency investigators and Elias standing on the edge.

“Shall we?” Luke tilted his head, glancing at the Mist Veil Society transcendents standing around like wooden posts. His tone carried a hint of impatience. “Or are you waiting for me to prompt you?”

“I can’t be expected to do everything myself, can I?”

The Mist Veil Society transcendents looked at each other, their gazes meeting beneath their hoods. Murderous intent exploded instantly.

In unison, they reached for their waists. Muzzles were raised, aiming directly at everyone within the encirclement of the cemetery. They pulled their triggers.

The flash of gunfire instantly illuminated the dark graveyard. A dense hail of bullets poured toward the crowd like rain.

Faced with this sudden rain of death, the few Seventh Agency investigators finally displayed the professional skill they were supposed to have. They scrambled to the ground, returning fire with their own weapons while seeking cover among the rows of tombstones.

The glow of spells and the tracers of bullets intertwined in mid-air, tearing through the night.

As for Elias? He had no intention of going head-to-head with these people. He pushed off hard with his toes, his spirituality surging into his boots like a flood breaking through a dam.

The Wind-Chaser Boots flashed with spiritual light, and Elias shot forward as if he had lost all weight.

Heavy, rapid footsteps echoed behind him. The living corpse Finn followed closely, the green fire in his eye sockets locked onto Elias’s retreating back.

What was even more terrifying was that Finn’s reinforced body had become even more robust. Every step he took left a deep pit in the soil. This pure physical explosive power was actually managing to keep pace with Elias’s speed, which was enhanced by the Wind-Chaser Boots.

He was biting at his heels.

Elias wove back and forth between broken tombstones, rapidly approaching the cemetery entrance. A few Mist Veil Society transcendents were stationed there to block any retreat.

Seeing the afterimage charging toward them like a cannonball, the men were startled. The pupils beneath their hoods constricted; they never expected their opponent's speed to reach such an exaggerated level.

Their muzzles moved frantically, but the rhythm of their shooting couldn't keep up with Elias’s shifting movements. The bullets all landed in the mud behind him, kicking up clumps of dirt.

Before they could even mobilize their spirituality to use a spell to block him, Elias was already upon them, the distance closing to less than a meter.

Taking advantage of the few paces of lead he had over the living corpse Finn, Elias flipped his wrist. The Roaring Cane in his hand became a blur, quickly striking out at the men.

The head of the cane carried a dull sound of rushing wind, accurately smashing into the chest of one Scale One transcendent. With a muffled crack of bone, the man fell to the ground without even a groan.

The encirclement was instantly torn open. Elias didn't hesitate and bolted toward the cemetery exit.

However, the heavy footsteps behind him suddenly vanished.

The living corpse Finn didn't stop for a second. His leg muscles tensed, and while maintaining his extreme sprinting speed, his feet pushed off the ground with immense force, shattering the hard stone path of the cemetery!

Stone fragments flew. His massive body used this terrifying reactionary force to leap into the air, tracing a heavy parabola through the sky.

Boom!

A massive sound rang out, like a meteorite falling from the heavens. He landed right in the middle of Elias’s escape route, only a few steps in front of him.

Soil flew everywhere as the ground shook violently.

“Holy crap!” Elias cried out. He slammed his feet onto the ground, trying to brake. But with the enhancement of the Wind-Chaser Boots, inertia still carried him forward.

He came to a jarring halt right in front of the living corpse Finn, almost face-to-face. He could even smell the mixture of blood and rot coming off the man.

The sharp blade in Finn’s hand carried a shrill whistle of wind, seemingly intent on taking Elias’s head along with it. The edge sliced through the air, heading straight for Elias’s neck.

Because the Moonlight Barrier was currently blocking the ammunition from the others, and the warding charm would take time to pull out, he couldn't dodge.

Elias hurriedly gripped The Roaring Cane with both hands, holding it across his chest in a block.

The dull clang of metal hitting hardwood exploded in the cemetery. Wild physical strength poured down through the cane without reservation. Elias felt his arms go numb as he was sent flying by the force of the blow.

He smashed through several upright tombstones in succession. Stone fragments and dirt rained down on him as he skidded across the debris for a distance before stopping.

However, he quickly rolled his aching shoulders and brushed the stone chips off his body.

Huh? It didn't hurt?!

He had just flown a bit far and his landing posture was ugly. The physical reinforcement brought by his promotion had truly saved his life at this moment. Today, he had gained a direct understanding of the Dragon of Eternity path. They were basically human bulldozers.

However, even with these thoughts, there was no pause in Elias’s actions. At the same moment he rolled to his feet in the ruins, the Moonlight Barrier was redeployed.

Sure enough, the Mist Veil Society transcendents in the distance had recovered and were aiming their guns at him as he expected. Bullets whistled through the air, and sparks constantly lit up the surface of the shield.

But supported by Elias’s now-massive total spirituality, this Moonlight Barrier was as solid as a rock, without even a single crack appearing.

That wasn't all. Elias knelt on one knee, slamming The Roaring Cane into the ground with one hand while his other hand quickly reached for his waist, drawing his revolver once again.

With his movement, the gunfire aimed at him ceased as several Mist Veil Society transcendents were knocked to the ground by a sudden burst of resonance. Meanwhile, Elias flicked the cylinder, accurately rotating a radiance bullet into the firing position.

In fact, as early as when he was planning his trip to this Lily of the Valley Convent cemetery, he had made full preparations, bringing plenty of radiance bullets. This was a goddamn cemetery! Preparing extra radiance bullets to counter undead creatures was a basic requirement.

However, the living corpse Finn didn't give Elias much time to catch his breath. His tall, burly figure arrived immediately, striding through the mess on the ground.

In the process of his charge, he even used his own body to tank several stray bullets from the Mist Veil Society transcendents. Blood blossomed on Finn’s back, but he didn't even flinch, his speed increasing instead of decreasing.

He was an undead creature now; he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of pain.

Elias gripped his weapon tight.

“Buddy, we were comrades who fought a dream demon together, give me a break here!” He sighed, raising his cane again.

He slammed the fist holding the cane into the soil at his feet. Spirituality bored into the ground, and blue-white flames instantly erupted through the surface.

Moonfire. It immediately ignited on the path Finn had to take.

Finn had no awareness of evasion and stepped right into the fire. The holy radiance energy seemed to find a vent, instantly igniting Finn’s entire body.

Flames rose high. He was now like a burning man running through the night, his flesh making a sizzling sound under the Moonfire.

“I’m sorry,” Elias murmured, watching the scene. “You always saw me as a friend, so I’ll personally see you off today.”

He never imagined that Finn—this guy full of a sense of justice who was usually a bit of a sleazebag—would die like this. He had died from a backstab by his own people, only to become a monster driven by others after death.

Yet, Finn did not fall despite the frantic burning of the blue-white Moonfire. Instead, he endured the flames all over his body and continued walking toward Elias with staggering steps. The sharp knife in his hand was still held in a death grip.

“Robust Physique and Battle Intent,” Old Ed’s voice reminded him solemnly in his mind. The old man had seen through the Dragon of Eternity path’s spell enhancements on the opponent at a glance. “You’re really going to have to fight him all day.”

Looking at the approaching burning figure that seemed to never tire, Elias gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words: “Damn it!”