"Who goes there?"
Mystic Flute, who was setting up a formation on the ground, suddenly looked up and saw a shadow behind her. It wasn't because of her exceptional eyesight, but because she had set up a Detection Formation on the surrounding walls in advance.
In an instant, dozens of torches approached and illuminated Connor's figure.
"Oh. Where am I?"
Connor's innocent gaze was mixed with a hint of panic. "My stomach suddenly feels uncomfortable, so I came to find the bathroom. Is this the bathroom?"
The bandits holding torches looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Who didn't know that Nexus Citadel was full of dangers and fears? Why would someone come here to find a restroom in Nexus Overlord's territory?
This person's thought process was too simple-minded.
"Get out! This is not where you came from."
Among them, a muscle-bound man in a white tank top waved his torch and revealed his arm with scars from the vicious sword technique "Salon Tornado," which Nicholas Gates had stabbed into him. Once struck by this sword technique, the wound would open up in a circular shape and spread outward layer by layer, never healing again, forming a deep red sleeve-shaped mark. This was also the origin of the "Crimson Standard" name for Crimson Standard Gang.
Anyone with this red mark on their body signifies they are core members of Crimson Standard Gang. The caravans patrolling hills will flee at their sight when seeing this red mark as it strikes fear into those who see it.
Bandits with this complete red mark on their skin can be exchanged for more than ten thousand rewards in Wangdu City.
Therefore, Crimson Standard Gang members proudly show off their red marks as it is fame earned by everyone together for old members while new members see it as honor bestowed upon them by leader Nicholas Gates.
White Tank Top said: "Do you see this red sleeve badge? Now do you know who we are?"
"I see."
Connor nodded reluctantly and then looked up at White Tank Top with innocent eyes.
"White Tank Top, with your red sleeve badge, you must be the restroom attendant here, right?"
White Tank Top's spear thudded on the ground, and the metallic sound echoed in the abyss of wailing.
His eyes widened like copper bells as anger erupted from him.
But before he could speak, Connor interrupted him face to face.
"Oh! How can you bathroom attendants be so rude? Isn't it just a fee to enter?" Connor pulled out five copper coins from his pocket. "Take them, take them. Can I go in now?"
White Tank Top was shaking with fury, while his torch trembled in his hand. "Don't play dumb with me! Which eye did you see that this is a bathroom?"
Connor pointed to Mystic Flute who was drawing a formation nearby and then pointed to Nicholas Gates beside her who was setting up another formation for him. "Aren't those two people crouching in the corner using the toilet?"
"You son of a b*tch looking for death!"
White Tank Top threw his torch on the ground with flames lighting up Connor's face.
Nicholas Gates remembered the enemy portrait shown by Aaron Gates through Shuanglong Logistics and immediately recognized Connor: "That's right! This is the person we were ordered to get rid of! Attack!"
Dozens of core members of Crimson Standard Gang rushed forward waving their weapons ready to attack.
Connor calmly asked: "Lyra? Are you still watching from somewhere?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lyra Nightfang who had followed them into the dungeon sprinted towards them from an underground passage. She used Hurricane Raid to knock down five or six bandits closest to her before turning around and using Thunderbolt Volley causing those farther away bandits fall into paralysis state. Finally she used Wind Thunder Envelopment attacking towards the wall where Mystic Flute and Nicholas Gates were.
Nicholas Gates was shocked and retreated. "So, you are the Level Nine Supreme known as the Prophet! When Cole Garrison's caravan came out of Thorn Forest unscathed, I thought of many possibilities, but I never expected that your professional potential would be a Monster Trainer. You must have captured the Wolf King to force other monsters to yield to you."
He pointed at Connor. "But don't underestimate us either!"
Blood vessels covered Nicholas Gates' eyes, releasing combat power suppressed for many years.
This combat power was not the fifth order Iris Blue or the sixth order Hyacinth Blue but seventh order Violet. This purple color was extremely rich, clearly indicating that he was about to break through into eighth order.
Connor stood with his hands behind his back as his shadow cast on the wall by torchlight. He smiled and said: "Oh? Only a Seventh Order Elite? There is still some distance from Eighth Order, let alone challenging Ninth Order across levels."
Nicholas Gates also smiled bitterly. You never know how much effort a bastard child has put in secretly just to get his father's attention.
"Mystic Flute! I offer my fifty years of life as sacrifice and begin 'Forced Advancement'!"
Mystic Flute behind him obeyed and took out a wooden box that was already prepared from her pocket. When the box opened, Nicholas Gates' face withered, like a flower losing its moisture, clearly looking like a dead man. After a short while, he began to recover his vitality as his combat power rose level by level within him.
Breaking through the purple limit, he fused the previous seven orders of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
Breaking through the bottleneck of darkness produced an antique bronze metallic luster.
Forced advancement was a taboo technique even among black magicians.
Its principle was to offer one's life to the demon lord and obtain temporary power bonuses from the demon lord.
But very few people knew how it worked.
Nicholas Gates had originally kept it as his last resort but now fighting against this Level Nine Supreme alone forced him to use it. He struggled up from the wall corner and said: "I know that Monster Trainers rely mainly on their monsters for strength and have little strength themselves. Can your eighth order monster fight against mine at eighth order? Do you have the ability to fight across levels?"
Clap Clap Clap.
"Wonderful. Wonderful." Connor started clapping. "How should I say it? It seems like you've reached your limits and are facing an end in heroic fashion. This is great since you love challenging across levels so much. Why don't I give you a chance then?"
Nicholas Gates resolutely said: "Good! I'm ready!"
Connor stretched lazily: "Come out Serence."
An ordinary-looking old man walked silently from the shadows.
Then golden magic enveloped the entire abyss of wailing sounds.
Just standing upright under such strong pressure was an extremely difficult task.
Blood flowed from Nicholas Gates' mouth as every word he spoke seemed to take all his energy: "This...this...this...damn it...what level is this powerful person!"
"That's none of your concern. You just need to tell me who ordered you to come here."
"It's fate! It was that damn fate that ordered me here!"
Nicholas Gates remembered his same father but different destiny as the twins of the Gates family and couldn't help feeling sorrowful.
"You're still acting in a play?" Connor stood up and clapped.
Serence quickly conjured up a throne and helped Connor sit down before flicking his finger, sending a small bug crawling into Nicholas Gates' skull through his ear canal.
"My king, calm down. Recently, I have cultivated a 'Soul-searching Demon Insect'. After it is planted, it can automatically excavate the deepest memories of the other party's heart and even extract their soul for another use."