J was the first to react. When he saw the afterimage shatter and the injuries vanish, his pupils constricted violently. He finally understood what Kraus's transcendent ability was. Simultaneously, he made a split-second judgment: he had to exhaust all the afterimages with a sustained attack of high enough density, or kill him with a single, absolute strike.
The black liquid covering J's body instantly solidified and contracted, erupting from the ground to form a black sphere several meters in diameter that enveloped Kraus within.
The silver plate's effect was shorter than the first time; it lasted only a few seconds before decaying, and the city's suppression bore down once more.
Lu Yuan pulled out a new silver plate, but no matter how much Sanity or perception he poured into it, Bronze City ignored it completely this time.
As soon as the sphere formed in the distance, '9' and Jie transformed into liquid and rushed inside. The sphere's walls posed no obstacle to J's companions.
The liquid flowing over the surface of '9's carapace saw its speed explode once it entered J's domain. Jie flickered into the sphere as well, a cold expression on the half of her face that was scorched.
Dense spikes began to grow from the inner surface of the sphere, extending toward the center. The liquid inside the sphere became incredibly viscous, making every step Kraus took feel agonizingly heavy.
Three lines of attack closed in simultaneously: the encroaching spikes, '9's high-frequency close-quarters hacking, and Jie's mental erosion. The space inside the sphere was cramped, leaving Kraus with nowhere to hide.
But Kraus didn't intend to hide.
The bone sword retracted. The bone-colored material no longer condensed into a blade but instead spread along his arm, covering the back of his hand, his shoulder, and extending all the way to his chest and legs.
The bone ring had transformed into a set of bone armor. The bone-colored plate covered his entire body, and a green light enveloped every inch of the armor's surface.
When '9's chitinous arm hacked down, the moment the blade-edge coated in corrosive liquid touched the green light, the liquid crystallized. Shards of dark green crystal peeled away from the carapace and fell.
The spikes from the sphere's walls were also crystallized upon striking the bone armor, breaking off and falling as emerald-green rods.
Every attack that touched Kraus was instantly sealed by the crystals.
However, the cost was being paid simultaneously. Another afterimage shattered, and his injuries were wound back once more.
Kraus charged toward Jie with all his strength.
The interior of the sphere was viscous, making every step heavy, but he didn't need to be fast; he only needed to block her path of retreat.
The green light on his body surged out from the gaps in the bone armor, slithering like long serpents. Everywhere they passed, the black liquid solidified. In the blink of an eye, these serpents converged.
Kraus forcibly sealed the area of the sphere wall behind Jie. That section of the wall was crystallized, turning into a green crystal wall.
Jie was trapped in reverse: Kraus was in front of her, and a solid crystallized wall was behind her.
Her form flickered as she tried to pass through, but the moment she made contact, crystallization appeared on her body.
“Save me!” Jie cried out, her expression contorted as she realized things had gone south.
What was supposed to be a successful hunt had suddenly turned into a cage.
J was momentarily helpless because the crystallized liquid could not be broken through. On the contrary, any liquid that drew near was continuously crystallized, which only served to strengthen the crystallization's density.
'9' was still rushing over, but it was already too late.
Clad in bone armor, Kraus looked like a walking eerie entity, radiating an incredibly uncanny pressure. He moved through the black sphere as if taking a stroll, green crystals spreading wherever he went.
Jie wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go. Kraus grabbed her head.
Jie roared and used the same method as before to squeeze through his fingers. This time, her injuries were even more severe. Her mask was mostly shattered, and a green shimmer flickered over the wounds where charred flesh and crystals were intermingled.
J sensed Jie's condition and forcibly detonated the liquid. The sphere exploded with a roar, black liquid splashing in all directions as Kraus and Jie were released simultaneously.
A massive amount of black liquid fell from the sky like a torrential rain.
Watching from below, Lu Yuan did not hesitate. He grabbed the Nightwatcher beside him, kicked open a nearby door, and scrambled inside for cover.
Jie flickered back to a distance, her entire body trembling. She truly couldn't understand why Kraus was so hell-bent on targeting her.
The success rate of the ambush had dropped to near zero, but Jie could not swallow her resentment. Her eyes were filled with pure malice.
Kraus stood at the center of the debris. His bone armor was covered in fragments of crystallized black water. His gaze remained calm, but the armor began to crack and retract. The bone-colored material peeled off in chunks until only a short-blade remained in his hand.
Simultaneously, only two afterimages remained behind him. The members of the Grey Covenant knew that Kraus was about to reach the end of his rope.
'9' charged out from the liquid remains, his chitinous arm gathering strength for a downward hack. With no flourishes, only pure power, the blade struck Kraus's right shoulder.
Kraus's body jolted. His left hand grabbed '9's arm while his right hand's bone sword stabbed directly at '9'. This suicidal fighting style forced '9' to lose his cool as well.
The liquid on '9's body surged wildly, forcibly wrapping around the green-glowing bone sword in Kraus's hand.
With his other hand, '9' thrust his chitinous blade forward.
Kraus remained expressionless, neither dodging nor parrying, even as '9's chitin pierced his body.
Kraus's third afterimage shattered. J finally couldn't watch any longer and forcibly used the black liquid to separate '9' and Kraus.
If they weren't separated now, '9' would be traded to death before Kraus even died.
J was also dealing with a massive headache. Why had a foolproof plan turned out like this?
Kraus's injuries were obvious to everyone, and the intel had been relayed by The Man on the Wall. Why was it different on the scene?
For the first time, J's trust in The Man on the Wall began to waver.
But Kraus only had one afterimage left. J was unwilling to give up, as were Jie and '9'.
Jie flickered ten paces away, and a mental erosion wave came crashing in. This time, Kraus finally couldn't hold on. His footsteps faltered, and his eyes grew vacant for an instant.
J seized the opportunity. The liquid gathered instantly to envelop Kraus.
Once it closed, Kraus would be dead or heavily wounded.
But the speed of the liquid's expansion seemed to slow down at that moment. J's liquid, which usually responded perfectly to his will, felt as if it had hit an invisible barrier.
Suddenly, an extremely fast figure rushed in. With incredible speed, the figure grabbed Kraus and bolted without looking back.
In the brief moment J was dazed, only a receding back was left in the distance.
“What the fuck is that?!”
J was stunned, rare profanity escaping his lips.
The pulled-back '9' and Jie were also stunned, but '9' was the first to react.
“Lu Yuan!!!”
In the distance, Lu Yuan didn't care about any of that. He pushed Timekeeper · Acceleration to its limit and fled toward the outer city without looking back.
The moment Kraus's bone armor faded, Lu Yuan knew that if he didn't find a way to intervene, Kraus was as good as dead.
Seeing the black liquid separate Kraus and '9', Lu Yuan knew his chance had come.
The moment Timekeeper was activated, his Sanity receded like a falling tide.
Time solidified around Kraus, buying Lu Yuan a split-second window.
Immediately after, he fled with Kraus in tow. As for the other Nightwatcher, Lu Yuan had already instructed him to stay in the building and not come out under any circumstances.
The Grey Covenant could only operate in the inner city for a few minutes. As long as he didn't come out, they wouldn't go looking for him.
Kraus's aura was extremely weak as he hung over Lu Yuan's shoulder, but it was far from fatal.
Back in the street, J and Jie didn't even have time to give chase.
At the end of the narrow street, a pitch-black aura spread from the depths of the night.
The members of the Grey Covenant hadn't sensed anyone's presence.
But that heavy sense of oppression made the air in the street feel viscous. Even Lu Yuan, who had run quite far, felt his breathing grow a few degrees heavier.
Then, a figure approached from the direction of the outer city at extreme speed. He had a head of white hair, and a pitch-black aura enveloped his entire body. With every step he took, the inscription patterns on the stone slabs beneath his feet trembled.
It was the Guardian.
Behind him were two more figures—Nightwatchers wearing hoods, one male and one female. Their auras were extremely restrained, but their pressure was no weaker than any rank 4 member of the Grey Covenant present.
Lu Yuan recognized them. Reinforcements had arrived.
In the direction of the inner city, '9's face changed completely.
Having been undercover in Bronze City the longest, he recognized the Guardian. Every dark-side faction in Bronze City knew of this white-haired old man who had single-handedly cleared the entire city of ghouls. Facing an opponent of this caliber...
The Grey Covenant had no chance of turning the tables.
Without hesitation.
“Go.”
'9' shot a glance at the Guardian, turned around, retracted his chitinous patterns, and vanished silently into the darkness of another alley.
J's liquid surface rapidly contracted. He crushed something in his hand, and his entire body liquefied, seeping into the cracks between the stone slabs. Within seconds, he had vanished completely.
Jie flickered three times, each in a different direction, before finally disappearing into the shadows of an alleyway.
At the same time, the entirety of Bronze City seemed to be stimulated. The patterns on the inner city walls lit up, and an unspeakable pressure permeated the city.
Ordinary people might have been fine, but every person who had stepped onto a transcendent pathway felt an invisible weight. The eerie power within their bodies even seemed to solidify slightly.
The street fell silent.
The Guardian frowned but ultimately chose not to pursue. The pitch-black aura slowly receded, and his white hair fluttered slightly in the night wind.
He glanced at Kraus, who was being carried by Lu Yuan, but said nothing. His gaze swept over the combat traces on the street, his thoughts unknown.
In the end, he did not speak. He simply turned and left silently, with the two hooded Nightwatchers following behind him as they vanished into the night.
Lu Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Put me down,” Kraus's voice sounded.
Lu Yuan lowered Kraus from his shoulder and then deactivated Timekeeper.
【Sanity: -45... 95/140】
“Can you walk?”
Kraus retracted the bone blade back into his ring and stood up with support. His body swayed. The afterimages had wound back all physical injuries, but the exhaustion was real. His face was currently ash-white, and his breathing was ragged. Of his four afterimages, only one remained.
He was silent for two seconds.
“I'm fine. Take me back to the branch first.”
The Nightwatcher hiding in the building saw the Grey Covenant leave and hurried over at a run.
He quickly stepped forward to help support Kraus. Meanwhile, many other Nightwatchers in the distance had been alerted, so Lu Yuan took the opportunity to commandeer a carriage.
By the time they brought Kraus back to the branch, it was already very late.
Rate on N.U.
