Neo had known from the very beginning that Karen was studying him.
At first, it seemed perfectly natural—just as natural as drinking iced water had gradually become a trend in Karen's squad.
But Karen learned far too quickly.
That external squad member he had personally recruited had taken only a sliver of time to establish an elite squad of his own.
Neo had heard Karen say with his own mouth that the defining trait of his family faith system was... learning.
Having someone learn from you so quickly actually placed immense pressure on a person. It felt as if someone were constantly peeling back your clothes to peer inside, when you barely had any clothes left on your body in the first place.
An instinctive sense of shame would arise, followed immediately by anxiety.
The most direct manifestation of this anxiety lay in the imbalance of leverage during their "secret exchanges."
Neo had originally thought himself a wealthy man, only to be forced to face Karen's condescending inquiry: *Do you have anything else?*
Yet Neo had never refused Karen's studying of him. Though he felt all sorts of psychological and physiological repulsion, he had never considered severing ties or shutting him out.
Perhaps... humans were simply prone to loneliness.
Take right now, for instance. Neo quite wished Karen were standing nearby watching, ready to offer a commentary on his string of moves. A critique from Karen would surely be gratifying, letting him savor the doubled pleasure that "sharing" brought.
Pity he wasn't here.
The Fire of Light extinguished, and Mrs. Sidra's charred body toppled backward.
Even so, Neo didn't think he had won yet.
Although the Fire of Light held an advantage against virtually anything bearing negative-attribute auras, she was still an evil spirit after all—one that had gorged herself frantically of late. A bare minimum of respect was required.
With a soft thud, her charred form hit the ground and instantly skidded backward, rising again. The blackened crust on the surface began peeling away, and large missing patches of skin were now being filled in with yellow plant tissue.
It looked like a toy tin soldier whose paint had severely flaked away.
Neo gripped his head with both hands to steady it, then twisted his torso around to set his posture straight again.
Immediately after came a succession of cracking clicks as his head was locked securely back into place.
The two puncture wounds through his chest were rapidly healing. His heart remained shifted to the side; there was no rush to pull it back, as it could be readjusted anytime depending on practical needs.
Both of them were busy sorting out their own bodies at that moment.
Neo finished first. His complexion looked rather pale, a hint of exhaustion showing in his eyes, but it was purely an act.
In reality, the "Mad Pope" bloodline awakened last time had granted Neo an all-around elevation, and the abilities of his bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline had been developed even further.
This was also thanks to Karen stabbing him in the chest sword after sword. After his mangled flesh received treatment, his body had gained new insights during its recovery. The buzzing of that bloodthirsty aberrant demon ancestor in his mind had grown louder and louder lately—partly provoked by the Mad Pope bloodline, and partly because Neo's own foundation had become sturdier.
Still, Neo constantly disdained that ancestor for being nowhere near Philias's level—the gap was vast, to say the least. Unlike contemporary novels and movies that romanticized "vampires" as noble and elegant, only Neo knew just how primitive and uncultured their ancestors truly were.
Sometimes, things were simply the joint work of fortune and fate.
Neo had originally been merely an Order believer. The Mad Pope bloodline and the bloodthirsty aberrant demon bloodline had both been "bestowed" upon him by others. Yet as things progressed, his original "Order power" had vanished completely, supplanted by these foreign powers as the dominant force.
Of course, Neo had paid an immense price along the way. He had been walking a tightrope all along; had the slightest thing gone wrong, he might have been gone long ago.
Leaving Karen aside, Neo felt that he could barely pass as a bit of a genius himself.
One of Mrs. Sidra's eyes glowed with yellow light, resembling an amber cat's-eye stone, while the other retained its original color.
"Should I thank you? Your relentless attacks weakened Mother's power, allowing me to take control of most of her body now."
Neo nodded and said, "I don't mind if you kneel down to thank me."
"I can kneel to you, as long as you take me in. Mother has worked so hard to nurture me. To let Mother have an easier life, I am willing to throw my lot in with you.
You only need to give me two promises:
First, feed me.
Second, after a period of time, release me back to the Gangsen Peninsula.
During this time, I will become your partner, comrade-in-arms, brother or sister."
Neo chuckled. "How strange. Did my seniority just take a sudden plunge?"
"Oh, certainly. I am willing to address you as Lord Father."
"Uh-huh."
"I can also call you Grandfather. Titles are minor things; whatever pleases you."
"Sorry, but I don't have the slightest interest in you." Neo interlaced his fingers and gave them a light tug, producing a crisp series of cracks. "I can hardly imagine what kind of look my friend would give me if I told him I'd recently tamed an evil spirit."
"He would envy you. He'd envy you very much."
"Yes, he would. Just like someone living in a luxury villa in York City trying to fool a little boy sleeping in the sewers: *How wonderful! Your life is always so full of the warmth of earthly everyday life.*"
"No room for discussion?"
"None whatsoever."
"So decisive?"
"You made one of my subordinates unable to ever wake up. Do you know how furious I am? Because I'll have to pay his nursing fees for the rest of his life! My heart is bleeding."
Mrs. Sidra slowly bent her waist. Her right arm gradually elongated and hardened, coalescing into a spear, while her left arm contracted, forming a shield.
A spear and a shield—this was the totemic image worshipped by the Rula tribe of the Gangsen Peninsula.
In the early days of fighting the Wien colonial legions, warriors of the Rula tribe were essentially equipped like this. It was just that later on, the Wien colonizers had "given" too much, so modern Rula warriors carried rifles and hauled artillery, even possessing their own navy—though it amounted to merely a dozen or so captured little gunboats.
Armor of Light surfaced upon Neo's body, and his right hand gripped a Sword of Light.
Before clashing, Mrs. Sidra seemed to want to make one last attempt. She spoke: "In truth, Mother is very pitiable, and so am I. She was loyal to Order, yet Order used her kin for slaughter experiments. As for me, I merely wanted to protect my people. Neither of us was in the wrong."
"Yes, I can understand that."
"Then, as a Light remnant, just what stance are you taking to pursue us so relentlessly?"
"My stance has never been fixed. If I wanted to shift into a more comfortable posture while sleeping, I could easily fabricate a plausible stance just for that."
"I understand." Mrs. Sidra crouched, lowering her center of gravity. "Let's begin."
"Alright."
*Hum!* *Hum!*
Both figures vanished from where they stood, colliding together the very next instant.
The one fighting now was the Rula evil spirit. The powers Mrs. Sidra couldn't adapt to posed no problem for her.
With the experience of the previous clash, Mrs. Sidra was careful this time not to give Neo any opportunity to sustain pressure on her.
Defending was merely a token effort on occasion; her main focus was offense.
Neo was the same. His combat style was completely different from Karen's. That kid Karen preferred caution and stability, choosing to strike only after wearing the opponent down to a certain degree.
Neo was just the opposite—he loved the feeling of absolute control.
Thus, it was a brutal clash as both sides fought relentlessly within the underground pipe network.
The greatsword frequently slashed open Mrs. Sidra's flesh, and the spear pierced Neo's armor again and again.
Wherever the two fought, dense webs of cracks spread across the pipe walls. A collapse might happen in a few days or after a single rainy day, at which point the municipal department would surely be lambasted by multiple York City newspapers for "shoddy" construction.
Whenever a wound appeared on Mrs. Sidra, a thick, resin-like fluid would immediately secrete to plug it.
It was the same for Neo, whose wounds healed rapidly.
One injected Light power that eradicated all things into the other's body, while the other left behind corrosive, virulent venom.
Meanwhile, during the exchanges, neither hesitated to launch a spell attack at opportune moments.
This was a magnificent battle. Not only were both combatants fighting with fierce abandon, but any spectator present would also have found it thoroughly thrilling to watch.
Regardless, Neo laughed as he fought. He had always looked down on Karen's way of fighting—plain, dry, and boring, yet the kid always loved calling it "simple and unpretentious."
It was truly quite a feat: clearly so young and holding so many trump cards, yet possessed of a temperament cautious to an absurd extreme.
Alas,
pity once again,
he isn't here.
Otherwise, he could have properly taught that boy what a man's hot-blooded combat was truly supposed to look like.
Neo gradually gained the upper hand, precisely because he could afford to let his mind wander like this.
Mrs. Sidra was gradually running out of steam. Being severely wounded in such a manner during the first round had indeed allowed the Rula evil spirit to take control of this body, but the evil spirit herself had not fully recovered either. Now it was two cripples against Neo, who had just ripped off his bandages.
Far from impairing Neo, the blood on those bandages was like adding an extra layer of bloodlust on top of a nearly full-health state.
Furthermore, compared to the venom... the "toxicity" of Light power was actually far greater.
The accumulation of prior trauma was finally showing its toll.
Neo so badly wanted to shout once more to that fellow who wasn't here: *See? This is the benefit of being decisive! If it were you, you'd definitely waste time using Order power first before reluctantly resorting to Light!*
In any case, Karen's absence didn't stop the squadron captain from indulging in his own mental drama.
*Bang!*
Mrs. Sidra's spear shattered. Blocking a strike from Neo with her shield, she stumbled backward repeatedly and ultimately collapsed to the ground.
Yellow plant growth sprouted around her in an attempt to protect her, but two slashes of the greatsword of Light incinerated it all to ash.
Mrs. Sidra sat on the ground, gasping for breath.
Neo continued forward, sword in hand.
"Mother, we can't beat him. His fighting style completely counters us.
Now, it's your turn to make a choice. Will both of us mother and daughter die here, letting him take our remains to claim credit? Or... will Mother make an active sacrifice for your beloved daughter?
If I were you, Mother, I would definitely choose the latter—because ending like this is nothing short of a joke at your own expense."
The next moment, Mrs. Sidra shuddered. She had made her choice.
As Neo took another step forward, cracks opened all around him.
This was a sealing spell—a sealing spell of the Order system performed at the cost of one's own life.
Neo stopped in his tracks, looking at the woman sitting on the ground ahead.
Had it been an ordinary offensive attack, Neo would have just weathered it with little trouble. But she was intending to throw away her life to inflict a dying "curse" on him.
If the sealing power invaded his body, it wouldn't kill him, but he would suffer immensely and endure acute agony for a very long time.
The Armor of Light on Neo's body and the greatsword of Light in his hand dissipated, replaced by an aura of Order rippling around him. Dealing with this sealing spell was actually very simple, as it was exceedingly lenient toward power belonging to Order.
Before Mrs. Sidra, her soul manifested, already dispersing.
The sealing spell she condensed was gently enveloping Neo, who now emanated Order.
Her husband had sealed the evil spirit by sacrificing his own life.
And she, too, was meeting her end in the exact same manner.
Except that before her husband sacrificed himself, his heart must have been filled with devout piety toward Order. In her own heart, however, there was only bewilderment—even though the one she was sealing was a Light remnant.
"Thank you, Mother! I will avenge you!!!"
The Rula evil spirit squeezed herself out of Mrs. Sidra's body bit by bit, inching toward freedom.
Once completely free, her next objective would be to fight at all costs for a sliver of a chance: to escape York City, escape Wien, hide in some remote corner, and carefully nurse herself back to health over time.
Although she knew full well that Mrs. Sidra had chosen to release her and undo the final shackles because the woman believed she couldn't possibly escape anyway.
Mrs. Sidra knew the spirit still had ways to fight desperately. In stalling this pursuer, she wanted the evil spirit to set off fireworks in York City at the cost of her life.
Yet she still wanted to live!
Time seemed to slip into slow motion.
The Rula evil spirit was still undergoing the final separation from Mrs. Sidra;
Mrs. Sidra's soul was dissipating to fuel the sealing power;
Waves of sealing power struck Neo, only to be easily neutralized by the aura of Order overflowing from his body; the sealing effect felt more like a gentle breeze brushing past.
Yet this did indeed restrict Neo from using his Light power. Unlike Karen, he couldn't switch between powers without loss. Utilizing only Order power, Neo's strength was severely suppressed.
A ripple of Mrs. Sidra's soul transmitted:
"I am curious. If you were me, what choice would you make?"
"I refuse to answer such foolish hypothetical questions, because I could never be you. Nor do I have any interest in having a final farewell chat with you right now. Since you want to die, just go ahead and die quietly in misery."
"Fine. If I hadn't harmed your subordinate, would your choice tonight have been different?"
"Maybe. Perhaps. Who knows? If that fellow were here, he'd probably give a definitive answer, because you killed a lot of Order priests these past few days."
"Yet the Church of Order's actions slaughtered many of my kin."
"That poses no problem for him, because he's very good at double standards."
For some reason, Mrs. Sidra accelerated the disintegration of her soul at that moment.
The Rula evil spirit, still severing the very last connection, sensed this change and frantically screamed:
"Mother, what are you doing? I still need a little time, just a little bit of time! Don't do this!"
An expression that was half-crying, half-laughing appeared on Mrs. Sidra's face as she said:
"In truth, I really dislike you. My husband died because of you. I hate you!
I also hate the Church of Order, and I hate myself even more!"
*Bang!*
Mrs. Sidra's soul shattered. Because it was an intentional end, all the spiritual power within her body evaporated along with it.
The seals surrounding Neo dispersed.
Decisive to the extreme, the Rula evil spirit severed the remaining bit of her "tail." Paying that price, she passed straight through the wall, flying out of the pipe to the surface above.
"Hahaha! I'm free! I'm finally free!!!"
At this moment, she finally breathed genuine fresh air. Now, she would run with all her might for her life.
Inside the pipes,
A dense aura of Light rippled across Neo's body. Crossing his hands, he said in a deep voice:
"Tower of Light!"
The Rula evil spirit looked up in shock. A colossal tower radiating dense Light aura materialized right above her head.
*Boom!*
The Tower of Light suppressed the Rula evil spirit straight back underground.
In an instant, thick Light aura spilled out, standing out with dazzling prominence across the area—like a bright lamp suddenly lit in a nest of moths. Countless gazes locked onto this spot, and rapid movements were initiated across the city.
Suppressed directly before Neo, the Rula evil spirit shrieked almost hysterically:
"How could you do this?! Doing this exposes your identity too! You'll die! You'll die as well! You'll be buried with me! Buried with me!!!"
Neo paid her no mind. Continuing to suppress her with the Tower of Light, he watched as her body grew increasingly transparent under the smelting power of Light.
The Rula evil spirit asked in bewilderment, "Is it worth it... is it worth it...? I believe you now... that you're a devout Order believer... You could actually go this far... for Order... sacrificing yourself... without hesitation..."
Neo smiled.
He raised a finger and pointed at Mrs. Sidra's corpse sitting there. From their earlier battle, that corpse had long since been saturated with massive residual Light power injected by Neo.
"Mrs. Sidra was a Light remnant. She fused with an evil spirit in an attempt to wreak havoc in York City, and I, loyal to Order, successfully foiled this conspiracy."
Chapter 431