Finally Bagged One!

After this wave of attacks ended, silence fell over the area once more. Peige and Fanny began casting "Order Purification" on themselves, while Ophelia and the warrior Panmiel cast "Dark Moon Blessing" on themselves. Though named differently, the spells served a similar purpose: both dispelled negative status effects. Even if one hadn't been corrupted, it was a cautious precaution for peace of mind. Karen hadn't entered the black mist or engaged in close-quarters combat, so he didn't purify himself. Of course, the fundamental reason was that he knew his body, thanks to that wicked dog at home, had no reason to fear this mild level of corruption. Yet when Ophelia walked up to Karen, she conveniently cast a "Dark Moon Blessing" on him anyway. Instantly, Karen sensed the Dark Moon Blade within him stirring restlessly again. Startled, he promptly suppressed it. Fanny returned to the tree to resume surveillance. Peige and Panmiel went a bit farther out, concealing themselves. Ophelia sat down, thrusting her greatsword into the ground once more. Looking at the sword, Karen instinctively licked his lips. For a practitioner of the Dark Moon Blade, this sword was simply a perfect match. Karen had noticed earlier that Ophelia barely exerted any force; once the power of the Dark Moon entered this greatsword, it was magnified immensely. *Sigh.* Back then, that young clan master had given Purr the Dark Moon Blade—why hadn't he included a sword with it? Not even knowing gifts ought to come in pairs, he deserved to be forgotten in the sea. "Do you like this sword, Mr. Karen?" Ophelia asked. "Yes." Polite modesty would have been out of place here. "It's a specialty of the Dark Moon Island forge, crafted from Dark Moon crystal. Once I return, I can send one as a gift to you, Mr. Karen." *The one you send definitely won't be as good as the one in your hand.* "All right, thank you. I'll send you the latest edition of *The Secret Diary of Rogin*." Mentioning this book, Karen suddenly realized that its author was quite similar to Ophelia's ancestor. One never imagined that fifty years after his death, Her Majesty the Queen, with whom he'd had an affair, would still be alive; the other never imagined that after more than a century, the woman he had once loved would also still be alive—even if she had turned into a cat. *Crack!* A flare fired by Fanny lit up the ground ahead, revealing four figures. One of them was Zema; three chains extended from his body, hauling back three severely injured teammates. He was covered in blood himself. Peige immediately rushed forward, laid the three injured teammates on the ground, and cast purification on each of them. Karen asked, "How is it up ahead?" Zema licked his chapped lips and said, "We repelled the ambush." "Where are the captain and the others?" "The captain took the rest to pursue and kill them." "Uh..." Zema chuckled. "The captain said Miss Ophelia wasn't the target of this ambush. It's more likely that our communications with the other Whip of Order squads led the enemy to mistake us for reinforcements, which is why they attacked us. "So, the captain ordered that I and the three wounded remain to protect Miss Ophelia's safety, while the close protection detail rejoins the squad to provide reinforcement." "I don't need protection. I can join you," Ophelia said. Zema shook his head. "No, Miss Ophelia. Nothing can happen to you. We're still counting on collecting our reward from you once the mission is completed." Ophelia countered, "If you truly only cared about the mission, your captain would be here escorting us in an evacuation right now instead of hunting them down!" "No, that won't do. That's not the same thing. A lion may disregard the gaze of wolves, but if the wolves dare bare their fangs, they must be bitten to death! "Rest assured, Miss. Though our three brothers are seriously injured, if danger arises, they can detonate their spirituality at any moment to take the enemy down with them. So you are still very safe." Fanny raised her rifle. "Peige, Karen, fall in. Back up the captain with me." "Understood." "Understood." Ophelia was already furious that she wasn't allowed to join the fight; seeing that even Karen was running off to reinforce them, she felt even angrier. ... Running alongside Fanny and Peige, Karen returned to the spot where they had first been ambushed. The VIP vehicle was still propped up where it had been stuck. Advancing a bit further along the road, corpses could be seen lining both sides. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be members of other Whip of Order squads, but each of them bore a scorched mark between their brows. "They were bewitched," Fanny said. "Stupid fools. Knowing full well they were about to be possessed, they didn't even have the sense to commit suicide. Now we had to waste effort putting them down after they got controlled!" Peige sneered with disdain. "Just a flock of little ducklings. What kind of reaction did you expect from them?" Clearly, after being mind-controlled, these Whip of Order members had attacked Neo's squad, only to be met with a ferocious counterattack from Neo's team, who had slaughtered them all without the slightest hesitation or moral restraint. Every corpse showed signs of a swift, clean death, devoid of any reluctance. Because the enemies present at the time weren't limited to the two crippled Whip of Order squads under control, there had been no leeway to restrain them and search for ways to bring them to their senses; treating them strictly as enemies and killing them all was the simplest approach. Such was the operating style of Neo's squad. In his heart, Karen offered a silent prayer for these fallen colleagues. He felt it was quite unethical to speak of deceased comrades in such a manner. Then, he quietly picked up a sword and a shield from beside two of the corpses. Peige remarked, "What's your rush? Once the battle's over, we'll clean up here. Whatever's handy and usable, we'll keep; what we can't use, we can sell on the black market. We'll loot the point coupons from their wallets too, though we'll leave behind the photos of their wives and kids." "I don't have equipment," Karen explained. "Oh, right." Peige seemed to finally recall Karen pointing that little revolver around earlier. "My oversight." After running a distance farther, a massive centipede came into view ahead. This one was actually silver, far larger than the one that had ambushed Karen's group earlier, and a hideous human face was clearly visible on its head. Many more bodies lay scattered across the ground, both centipedes and humans. The giant centipede had already been suppressed, its colossal bulk trapped within a bounded space by Marlo's formation. Two teammates were blasting its body with spells, but its hard carapace and the black mist exuding from it mitigated magical damage, dragging things into a temporary stalemate. Another squad member leaned against a rock, treating himself with scrolls while a centipede leg remained impaled through his chest. Karen remembered him—his name was Kunxi. The scroll in Kunxi's hand burned away, channeling healing magic into his body. He then silently cast a purification spell on himself. Seeing Fanny and the reinforcements arrive, he pointed toward the west. "The captain took Wende and Gerui ahead in pursuit. Go back him up and don't let the ringleader get away. You aren't needed here—let Marlo and the other two wear down its vitality. I won't die either." As he spoke, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Exhaling a smoke ring, he reached out and patted the sharp leg impaling his chest, cursing: "Fuck, I've never been penetrated this deep in my life." Since Kunxi said not to bother with him, Fanny and Peige truly didn't. Karen could only follow along, running past the trapped giant centipede. He could tell that although the creature still appeared aggressive, beneath the ferocious human face on its head lay exhaustion and despair. Seeing Karen and the reinforcements approach, Marlo continued manipulating and mending the array while shouting with a laugh: "Karen, hurry and call the police! Hahahaha!" "..." Karen. They were genuine madmen, without a doubt. Though every single one was wounded, their faces radiated a playful enjoyment, as if they were having fun in a game. They truly loved this kind of scene, relished these experiences, and derived immense joy from them. They cherished their lives, but not out of mere fear of death—rather, preserving their lives meant they could continue risking them next time. Karen felt he could barely keep running, yet Fanny and Peige moved as swiftly as ever. Several times, Karen was tempted to invoke the Dark Moon Blade or the Sea God's Armor to grant himself a speed boost. He was an anomaly: his physical constitution wasn't exceptional, yet his body held an abundant reservoir of spiritual power. After some thought, he held back, gritted his teeth, and kept up. Ahead, an elderly man in a gray robe was pinned dead against a rock, run through by a black lance. Gerui appeared to be straining to pull the lance free, but upon seeing Fanny and the reinforcements arrive, he simply gave up on the effort, sat down cross-legged, and entered meditation to recover. Though he had successfully slain this opponent, his spiritual energy was overdrawn. With reinforcements on the scene, he opted to take a breather. Finally, Karen spotted the battlefield where fighting was still raging. An old hag was frantically whipping up yellow tempest after tempest around herself. With her body at the epicenter, a vast swath of the surrounding rocky ground had been sheared flat. Yet beside her, a black shadow continually vanished and reappeared, like a seasoned hunter toying with its prey. Blood streamed from the old hag's eyes—they had evidently been pierced. Driven by fear and despair, she had entered a berserk frenzy, using brute force to repel her pursuer and create a barrier of safety. Yet everyone knew her strength would eventually run dry. Fanny shouldered her rifle and began aiming. She said, "Too far. Peige, sling me over." "On it." Threads appeared along Peige's arms—no, not threads, but something akin to black vines. These vines wrapped around Fanny's body, keeping her locked in her aiming stance while Peige began to sprint, carrying Fanny through the air like a kite. Karen drew a deep breath and ran behind Peige, holding the sword and shield. He didn't know what he was running for, nor what tactic he was participating in. Strictly speaking, this was his first joint drill as a reserve member—and the drill was live combat. Still, Karen felt he couldn't just stand in the back and watch. Wende sensed the reinforcements approaching as well. Without needing any communication, he closed the distance to the old hag instantly. Though blinded, she could sense his presence and immediately ramped up her tempests. Several gusts nearly grazed past Wende's body, but he kept drawing her attention. Now, within range! Peige violently whipped the vines, hurling Fanny forward. Midair, a burst of black radiance flared from Fanny's body and converged into the rifle. *Bang!* A bullet discharged. *Crack!* The bullet struck the old hag's head, completely blowing away everything above her neck. Target eliminated. Peige yanked the vines, pulling the flung Fanny back. Karen had intended to catch her, but Peige gave the vines another twist, steering Fanny clear of him. Fanny braced one hand against the ground, sliding a short distance before dissipating her momentum. Wende approached to inspect the old hag's corpse, but right then, a fleshy sarcoma sprouted from her headless body, sporting a mouth and a single eye. The next instant, a yellow tempest erupted once more. A barrier formed before Wende, but it was shattered on impact, blasting him backward. Yet the moment he hit the ground, his figure vanished again, closing in once more. "Aaaagh!" The sarcoma emitted a piercing screech. Then, the hands of the old hag's headless corpse grabbed it, lifted it high, and hurled it violently into the distance. Seeing this spectacle, Karen could only marvel: this was a literal cicada shedding its shell. Yet with another gunshot— *Bang!* The sarcoma burst in midair, reducing to a pool of foul fluid, and the old hag's headless corpse finally toppled to the ground. But it wasn't over. Wende spread his hands wide and yelled: "Order — Cage!" Within the exploded sarcoma, numerous black beetle-like creatures were hidden. Wende shouted, "Peige, kill the bugs!" Peige unleashed vines continuously from her body, hunting down and crushing the beetles one by one. Fanny lowered her rifle and pushed forward. Holding the sword and shield, Karen had no choice but to follow. The entire battle had fractured into segments. What began as being surrounded and ambushed had turned into an all-out, relentless pursuit. To that end, Neo's squad had broken itself up piecemeal, not seeking safety at all, only ensuring not a single enemy escaped. Like a pack of rabid hounds seeing red, all they cared about was tearing every foe before them to pieces. Not far ahead, at the bottom of a slope, Karen finally spotted Neo. Before Neo stood a bare-chested, middle-aged man covered in flowing, obscure, and mystic runes, gripping an axe. The area where the two clashed was thick with dense dust, the result of rocks being pulverized into powder. Fanny immediately raised her rifle, preparing to aim. Down below, Neo was already locked in combat with his foe again. The man's axe hacked toward Neo repeatedly, but Neo shifted his footing swiftly, dodging blow after blow while refusing to let the man open any distance. Meanwhile, though Neo held no weapon, every time his fingertips grazed the man, black sparks erupted on the man's flesh, drawing continuous, furious roars from him throughout the clash. Compared to the man's frenzy, Neo resembled an elegant pianist performing a musical piece—unhurried, simply waiting for the recital to end so he could take his bow. "Too far. Need to get down there." With that, Fanny leaped onto the slope, crouching low and sliding down sideways. Karen hesitated briefly before following, but because the slope was too steep, he had to use the sword in his hand to control his balance and speed. Ahead, Fanny, having slid down first, had already swapped in blue purification bullets. The moment Captain Neo opened an opportune gap, two consecutive shots from Fanny struck the man, causing the runes on his body to distort violently. Seizing the pause whenever the man was hit, Neo closed in rapidly, his hands scraping more black flames across the man's body, steadily eroding his aura. Yet right at that moment, Karen noticed a rock ahead in Fanny's sliding path suddenly "stand up." It wasn't a rock at all, but a youth likewise covered in runes and completely unclothed—no, not a youth; his facial features were mature and bearded. He was a dwarf. Previously, he had lain there like a chameleon, completely undetected. In truth, his younger brother had told him to stay hidden and not come out. But with enemies appearing right in front of him and his brother falling completely into disadvantage, he had disregarded his brother's instructions. Now, he charged at Fanny almost like a madman, his hands dissolving into two sharp blades. Fanny clearly hadn't anticipated this. There was no time to reload; she only managed to flip her rifle around, hooking the sling around the dwarf's neck and planting the stock against his chest in an attempt to force distance. Yet the dwarf's right arm suddenly shrank, while his left arm lengthened proportionately—long enough to negate the rifle's length—and slashed straight down at Fanny! Despair began creeping into Fanny's heart. "Fuck!" The moment Karen saw the dwarf stand up, he tossed aside the sword and shield and charged down from an angle above. Before the blade formed by the dwarf's left arm could strike Fanny, Karen crashed into him, sending both of them tumbling down the slope together. "Aaaagh!" The dwarf roared. Once he stabilized himself, he immediately raised his arm blade and plunged it down toward Karen beneath him! Yet no sound of blade piercing flesh came, for his arm blade was caught completely within a layer of flowing blue armor, unable to penetrate any deeper. From below, Karen reached out both hands and seized the dwarf's neck. The Dark Moon Blades manifested on the backs of his hands, positioned right against the dwarf's neck. Immediately, Karen pressed both hands downward, sinking the two blood-red scimitars directly into his neck. "Aaaagh!" The dwarf's body was remarkably tough, like the hardest stone. But the attack of the Dark Moon Blade was no one-and-done strike; its damage lingered relentlessly. "Urgh, urgh, urgh!" The dwarf's eyes rolled back and his body convulsed as the two scimitars sank into his neck. He flailed frantically, trying to push Karen away, but forgot that Karen's scimitars were braced behind his neck. The harder he pushed against Karen, the deeper the scimitars cut into him, effectively driving his own neck onto the blades. Overwhelmed by excruciating pain, he had lost the ability to think. *Crack!* At last, the blades cut through, and his head slid off. Karen sat up. At this moment, he didn't worry in the slightest about having exposed his trump cards. Only a single thought occupied his mind: *Ran all this way—finally bagged one.*