"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
Taking a deep breath, Joseph staggered, holding onto the wall for support, and finally pulled himself together thanks to the icy wind and rain that had fallen on him.
The paths in the neighborhood were already flooded and there was no one around. The continuous storm warnings had already caused a tenth of Norzin's ordinary residents to evacuate to safe neighborhoods.
23rd Avenue would probably become an empty street, and that was partly because of covert operations and leadership.
It was all because those stupid hunters had brought the Magic Egg Mirror to Norzin City. Now they had an internal conflict, the Magic Egg Mirror had been lost, and this made the people of Norzin City alarmed.
Perhaps in the near future, an unknown beast from dreams might burst out of the Dream Realm rift, bringing blood and fire.
The throbbing pain in Joseph's head gradually subsided and the whispering in his ears stopped. Joseph looked at his hands and wrinkled his nose.
Aside from the loss of his arm and the many internal injuries he had sustained, there was a more important reason for Joseph's departure from the Shining Knights.
He was the owner of the demon sword, Candela. Due to the madness and death of its first owner, this strange ancient sword had a curse that drove people mad. Only a strong, honest knight with perfect spirit and will could deal with this curse.
In the past, Joseph had been such a powerful knight. But now, plagued by age and physical disabilities, he had lost that right.
Since Candela's next successor had yet to be found, Joseph only had to continue to suffer the blow of this demonic sword.
Late at night, Joseph always saw huge shadows floating around the city and heard Candela's mad mutterings. These visions had recently intensified, and Joseph was greatly tormented.
...
In front of a tall abandoned church stood Ji Zhixue with a cane in her hand. Her black windbreaker shook violently in the wind as she watched the rising flames through the round glass windows of the church.
Excruciating screams and shrieks came from inside as the glass windows shattered one by one. The ether fluctuated chaotically in this bloody scene.
Shimmering shards of glass, mixed with entrails and fresh blood, scattered like vines across the church walls. The corpses were piled up, quickly charred and turned to ash.
Behind Ji Zhixue's back were her most loyal subordinates at the moment. Kaiyi, Marcus, and Ruen.
As the second leader of the White Wolves Hunter Group, Ji Zhixue's number of subordinates was greater than these three originally. However, she had endured this unforgivable betrayal, and aside from the three surrendering, the remaining ones had already turned into corpses.
In its larval state before development, the Magic Egg Mirror possessed the ability to deceive a person, sowing disgusting thoughts of wanting it.
From the moment the first person with foggy judgment appeared, the situation became irreversible. Now Norzin's rain stop had become the battlefield of the hunters.
Kayi and Marcus were already her subordinates as well as her father's followers. Their minds were already bound by her family's white mage mark, which allowed them to maintain clarity of mind against the erosion of the Magic Egg Mirror.
On the other hand, Ruen had only recently surrendered and willingly allowed himself to be sealed. In the White Wolves hunter group, he was a subordinate of the first leader Heris.
The reason for his surrender was simple. He had witnessed the ruthless methods, insane revenge, and piles of corpses that followed Ji Zhixue's Beast Mutation state.
"Miss, we have already found out that the Magic Egg Mirror is in the hands of Heris. He has already turned into a crazed maniac and massacred a group of hunters after grabbing the mirror," Kaiyi said softly.
Kaiyi, nicknamed 'Black Rose', was a tall slender woman with beautiful facial features. Her figure was accentuated by a feminine blouse, tight pants, and high boots. Combined with a series of earlobe accessories and thick black lip gloss, she looked like an ordinary fashionable teenager.
However, the sawed sword in her hand, still glistening with blood, begged to differ. She was a hunter who hunted dream beasts, as well as a cold-blooded killer.
She looked around the chapel anxiously. "Heris has joined forces with the third leader Kaji. I'm afraid we don't have enough forces and this attack may end in failure."
Marcus nodded and interjected, "Heris is strong. He is the closest to the Pandemonium rank among us White Wolves. Kaji is a bit weaker, but almost half of the hunters in the organization were trained by him. Even many people have had thoughts of defecting due to Heris' madness, but many still follow them. Our chances of winning are slim."
Ruen looked at Ji Zhixue with fear before flashing a flattering smile. "Although the leader... no, the Heris faction is strong, our boss isn't bad either! He's just close to Pandemonium's rank, but our boss is the real deal! As long as the beast mutation is used, even Heris and Kaji will fall from her blade! "
Even though Ruen really didn't know what rank Ji Zhixue was at, kissing ass was still necessary. He didn't know how a hunter could maintain intelligence with such a high level of beast mutation, but strength was still strength. He had to admit that he was an opportunist, standing on the side of the strongest. That's just the way the world works.
Of course, it would be even better if he could one day obtain a method to fight dirty blood.
Shuh!
Ji Zhixue flicked her cane, exposing a sharp blade. ''Hunters will never turn back. Let's go in, let's go in. This will be the final battle."
This abandoned church was built by the Church of Maura. The Church of Mora was once the main faith of Azir, but as the Union of Truth grew rapidly and usurped their position, many of their chapels were abandoned.
The battle in the church was coming to an end, and the remains of the hunters were scattered everywhere. Ji Zhixue got rid of the last person in her way and entered the main hall.
Under the eaves of the chapel, illuminated by the light shining through the seven-colored stained glass windows, was the third leader of the White Wolves, Kaji. He was a tall man dressed in the black robe of a priest, with a long sickle strapped to his back. His head was tilted as if in prayer.
Rainwater dripped through the long abandoned ceiling, covering the floor in puddles.
"Where's Heris?" - Marcus asked.
"Gak..." - Kaji's head turned slightly, and he made a hissing sound.
"Something's wrong!" Ji Zhixue's eyes narrowed as she rushed forward and shoved the man in the shoulder.
Kaji's head snapped back, exposing a pain-ravaged face and a huge wound on his neck that was bleeding.
Everyone gasped. That huge sickle had not been strapped to his back, but had traveled down his body, instead nailing him to the floorboards.
"Injection! Hurry up!" Ji Zhixue shouted.
"Yes!" Marcus hurriedly handed him a shot of dirty blood. Ji Zhixue grabbed it, then stabbed it into Kaji's heart and injected the whole thing.
The large amount of foul blood took effect immediately as the wound on Kaji's neck began to wriggle and shrink. At the same time, his eyeballs rotated wildly before finally turning into beastly pupils.
"Uh-huh..."
Kaiji cried out in pain as his teeth and nails grew longer and hair began to grow all over his body.
"Answer me! Where is Heris! Did he leave with the magic egg mirror! Ji Zhixue looked him in the eye and shouted.
Kaji nodded, then tilted his head back, chuckling. "He'll get off..."
Then his eyes lowered and became fixed.
The rough fur that had escaped from his heart returned again, taking the last remnants of his life with it.
"Damn it!" Ji Zhixue slammed his fist on the wall, looking at the chaotic main hall.
"Miss, how about a meeting with Mr. Heywood? Perhaps he won't be reluctant to help since he has the support of his family," Marcus suggested.
"There's no need. Guys, continue your search." Ji Zhixue took a deep breath. "Ruen, come with me."
Ruen was a bit taken aback and asked apprehensively: "Where... where... where?"
"23rd Avenue."