"So, does the priority still lie in arresting rather than killing?"
Tension was about to erupt as Alister calmly cast a sidelong glance at Himizuki, his deep black eyes captivating.
Himizuki paused for a moment and then shifted her gaze to the old man whose aura was erupting in front of them. She slightly parted her vermilion lips and spoke with seriousness.
"Except for the vampire old man, the others still adhere to that principle, or rather, the lives of others should not be taken."
"Is that so..." Alister raised his hand, his gaze fixed on the inscrutable sealing talisman before him.
He couldn't understand it. The characters were ancient Z characters, but no matter how he looked at them... Alister felt a strange cognitive barrier that affected his judgment.
Then, Himizuki raised her classical firearm, composed herself, and as if hinting at Alister, she spoke again:
"In this world, conflicts between players are inevitable, but ordinary people are always innocent. That's why the Seventeen Bureau has zero tolerance for those who harm the masses."
She was essentially announcing the vampire old man's guilt as an official.
"Do you understand?" Her crimson eyes flashed with a hint of authority, as if she were a queen high above.
Even Luo Zhong, as a player hunter, had never harmed ordinary people. It was the bottom line for players in the Sequence Game and an important criterion for judgment by the Seventeen Bureau.
Alister, upon hearing her words, withdrew his gaze from the sealing talisman and directly faced the restless vampire followers. Surrounded by shadows, he spoke emotionlessly:
"Don't tell me what to do."
Meanwhile, in front of the warehouse where the pressure was building up.
"The curse... has been lifted... Hehehe..." The old man, in the pinnacle of his power, reveled in the joy of his restored strength, forgetting about death.
"Gurgle... Blood..."
The seven "children" extended their claws, their sharp nails tearing through the tablecloth, black veins spreading across their pale skin, gradually turning them into vampires.
The thirty-nine silent lambs also staggered like zombies, forming a crowd and pouncing fiercely towards the intruders, their movements growing faster and more forceful.
"Remember the wager?" Before taking action, Alister mentioned it.
"Of course, I'm looking forward to it." Himizuki clearly hadn't forgotten.
In the next moment, Himizuki raised her gun, her breath constricted, and as if playfully indicating to Alister, she added:
"Not only the way you were at E-rank, but also the way you acted as a pet dog afterwards..."
Boom! Himizuki, who had reduced her power to E-rank, smiled enchantingly, evaded the vital points of the Tai Chi master, and shot precisely at the same time—
"I trust you won't back down."
—Alister merged into the shadows, passing by the housewife, gracefully and calmly applying a sealing talisman to her forehead, radiating with a spiritual aura.
"One..." As the housewife lost her ability to move, Alister began scoring.
The entire process existed in an instant, easily securing the first point of the wager.
"Tsk, let's see how long you can show off..."
Feeling the pressure, Himizuki muttered disdainfully, then raised her gun and started to advance, slightly slower than Alister, reaching the fallen Tai Chi master's side.
Memories flooded her mind. When she was at E-rank, she was just a cute sniper, with very limited basic values, unable to do much.
Then, just as Himizuki was about to apply a sealing talisman to the Tai Chi master's forehead and regain a point...
"Two, three, four, five, six, seven..."
"Supreme Senses" locked onto the target, and the "Lord of Shadows" continuously used Shadow Blink. Alister swiftly moved like lightning, successfully sealing all the residents who approached.
Along the way, the actions of the residents froze in mid-air, and before they could react, they were sealed with talismans, falling to the ground motionless, representing Alister's continuous scoring.
Himizuki: "..."
Watching Alister handle all seven approaching residents, effortlessly swallowing them into the shadows and bringing them to safety, Himizuki found herself unable to speak.
If she remembered correctly... recalling her common knowledge as a player of the Sequence Game.
E-rank esper abilities... even before the growth of Serad with the same type of power... shouldn't they be unable to consume their psychic energy so recklessly?
"Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve..." Alister continued with ease, using his blades and shadow to engage in close combat. He could already declare victory in the wager.
As he dealt with the residents, Alister also had the ability to consider their safety, using the shadows to swallow them and transport them to a secure location.
Himizuki couldn't help but wonder...
Is he a martial artist or an esper? According to common knowledge, esper players should be the weakest at the early stages of the Sequence Game, right?
Annoyed, Himizuki murmured to herself, questioning why Alister, with his rampant killing spree, was still considered within the range of E-rank strength according to the system.
Himizuki felt her knowledge being overturned.
Normally, an esper with shadow abilities like him, a low psychic energy user at E-rank, wouldn't be able to sustain such prolonged activity. How could he be so enduring?
Indeed, if he were A-rank with "Shadow Dominator," Alister wouldn't be able to show off for long.
However, what Himizuki didn't know was...
Alister possessed the S-rank ability "Lord of Shadows," which significantly reduced the consumption of psychic energy, far surpassing the majority of E-rank players, including Himizuki.
Damn it, I don't want to be a pet dog tonight! Woof?!
"Detected: Game event detected, special rules applied."
"Rule Two: The person with fewer points will play as a pet dog for one minute."
System, are you also trying to make me a pet dog?!
...