TL/N: Hey guys my Exams are next week I'm going to take a break so I can study but don't worry I'm still going to upload chapter 84 and 85 tomorrow but that all until the 7 of sept.
"Damn it!"
Mr. A's heart sank instantly. If it weren't for the fool Lanevus refusing to leave and even fighting him, he wouldn't still be here, delayed by all this.
"I'm coming..."
Smack!
Mr. A took a deep breath, about to speak when a crisp shattering sound echoed through the basement, interrupting him. The purple magic circle binding Mr. A and Ashes shattered instantly, dispersing into stardust and disappearing completely. The situation seemed to have reversed.
Mr. A didn't dare waste this fleeting chance and glanced at Lanevus beside him. Lanevus expression changed slightly, but he had no time to struggle. His left hand suddenly exploded, transforming into a shower of flesh that splattered everywhere, only to be drawn toward Mr. A as if by an invisible force and absorbed by him.
Although it wasn't much, the nourishment from this small amount of external flesh allowed Mr. A to finally shed his grotesque fleshball form and revert to his original appearance—a beautiful, almost feminine-looking man.
"I admit," Mr. A slowly straightened up, sneering, "you've indeed given me trouble, but you missed your only chance!"
Ha ha ha... cough cough cough...
Mr. A suddenly laughed. Now that he had returned to his true form, he seemed to have regained his former might. But as he laughed, he started coughing violently, doubling over to the ground.
Cough!
He coughed up blood-colored fragments, which, once on the ground, wriggled as if alive—enough to send one's sanity plummeting. But Mr. A, as if nothing had happened, crawled forward, pressing his mouth to the ground and licking back up the blood-colored fragments he had just coughed out.
"Crazy bastard!" Lanevus cursed inwardly. That's why he hated these madmen from the Aurora Order!
Raising his head to look at Ashes across the room, Lanevus silently lowered his head, letting the shadows once again cover his face. However, in the angle where no one could see, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Though Mr. A had crippled one of his hands, thanks to Mr. A's "kindness," he felt no pain, but rather a strange satisfaction.
For he knew the situation was extremely unfavorable. Mr. A was undoubtedly a formidable foe beyond his ability, and the mysterious man in front of him, who had forced Mr. A to flee, was even more powerful and unfathomable.
He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to flee with Mr. A, only to remain imprisoned by him. That's why, when Mr. A tried to drag him away, he deliberately stalled, waiting for these two to clash and weaken each other, hoping to seize a chance to escape.
Thinking this, Lanevus subtly lowered his remaining right hand to his abdomen.
"Don't move!" Mr. A, seemingly reading his thoughts, coldly warned.
Lanevus smirked, gripping the hem of his shirt tightly but not moving further.
"Not running anymore?" Ashes sighed softly, oddly disappointed. He had let Mr. A escape on purpose, hoping to see what trump card he had, or if he could lead him to the Painted World. But from the looks of it, he had overestimated him. The strongest force in this house was Mr. A himself.
It was his own overthinking.
"You've surprised me, and your mystical item has indeed caused me trouble," Mr. A slowly stood up, moving with the deliberate pace of an old man making small talk with a friend. "But in the face of absolute power, all is in vain!"
Mr. A's eyes suddenly gleamed with malice. He abruptly grabbed his left shoulder with his right hand, violently tearing off the entire arm, bones, and all, and flinging it at Ashes.
Boom!
The arm exploded mid-air, showering blood in all directions toward Ashes. But in the next moment, a dragon-headed shield appeared before Ashes, blocking the blood rain entirely.
Simultaneously, a translucent, ancient book appeared before Mr. A, its pages turning quickly with a soft chant:
"I came, I saw, I recorded."
A Shepherd could control up to seven souls, but could only use one at a time. He hadn't wasted time showcasing each one like an exhibit, nor had he hesitated to sacrifice his own arm to buy time, all to unleash his strongest attack!
This was the ability of a Sequence 6 "Scribe" from the "Apprentice" pathway. As long as something had been recorded, he could use it once.
"I admit you're tough, but this ends now!"
"This is the ability the Dark Saint showed me countless times until I finally recorded it! Your death won't be in vain!"
Mr. A's voice turned ethereal as his body was enveloped in darkness from the book. He quickly transformed into a small giant, over two meters tall, clad in black, chilling armor, with only two dark red lights gleaming in his eye sockets.
This Dark Knight raised a heavy, deep sword and stepped forward with a powerful slash. Mr. A's lips curled into a cold smile.
Soulflesh Blade.
This was the core Beyonder ability of a Sequence 4 "Black Knight" demigod. It could corrode flesh, annihilate souls, break barriers, and nullify any defenses of beings with corrupt thoughts! Even a demigod caught off guard would suffer severe damage!
Especially in this small basement, where the opponent had no room to dodge and could only take it head-on!
But could he withstand it? That was a full-force strike from a demigod. There's no way he could…
Mr. A's pupils suddenly shrank. In his vision, the man who had been hiding behind the dragon-headed shield transformed in an instant into a tall figure clad in the same dark, chilling armor. The figure also wielded a heavy, deep sword, meeting Mr. A's strike head-on!
It all happened in a flash, in the blink of an eye!
Clang!
The two deep swords collided instantly.
Crack!
With a crisp crack, a piece of one sword's blade chipped off. But what chipped away wasn't a fragment, but rather a dissipating light. Until finally, the entire blade disappeared, and with it, the armor that had covered the figure.
All that was left was a pale-faced Mr. A, stumbling backward until he hit the wall, where he paused.
"You're a Sequence 4 'Black Knight'!"
Mr. A's eyes revealed a mix of terror and confusion as he gritted his teeth. "You betrayed our Lord!"
As he spoke, the blood at the stump of his left shoulder began writhing wildly, slowly growing a new, raw, skinless arm.
"'Black Knight'?" Ashes, in his Black Knight form, stared at Mr. A in silence. The ability Mr. A had used should be the "Black Knight's" power he had mentioned. But this "Black Knight" was fundamentally different from the one he knew.
For instance, the most obvious difference was—his armor wasn't as good-looking.
"Who's the saint behind you? Where is he?" Ashes advanced step by step towards Mr. A, asking as if it were routine. But as he spoke, he raised his sword, ready to finish Mr. A if he showed any defiance.
"Will saying it save my life?" Mr. A suddenly smiled ingratiatingly.
"Hmm?"
Ashes seemed taken aback, caught off guard by his reaction.
"Go!"
Mr. A suddenly shouted, violently tearing off his newly grown arm and hurling it at Ashes. Simultaneously, his figure disappeared.
After Mr. A vanished, what was behind the wall was revealed. A small painting, half-covered by a black cloth, was now exposed.
Seizing the moment Ashes was distracted by the painting, Mr. A, who had used his Traveler's flash ability, appeared silently behind Ashes and charged at him.
Bang!
Mr. A's body exploded into a mass of flesh, but his hands still clung tightly to Ashes. With his last desperate move, the force propelled Ashes into the painting.
The moment he touched the painting, it emitted a white light that enveloped Ashes. In the blink of an eye, both Ashes and the exploded Mr. A had disappeared.
In the basement, only Lanevus remained, still in shock, processing the events that had just unfolded.
(End of Chapter)