Silent Crown

Chapter 96: The Mantis Preys on the Cicada

In a market downtown, amidst the smell of rotting leaves and sewers, the youth trudged through the mud, looking at the messiness around him. "Senior, are you sure it's here?"

"Don't worry, don't worry. I remember it's right around here!" Charles nodded with extreme confidence. "Just walk forward and take a turn!"

"You said that ten minutes ago when we were still on a main road, and now we're in this weird place!" Ye Qingxuan's face was full of regret.

"This is Avalon!" Charles patted his shoulder strongly. "It's always full of surprises! Ah, these carrots look cheap. How about we buy some for stew?"

"Can we do what we need to first? How cheap can carrots be…oh, those seriously are cheap. And these pumpkins look nice too! Boss, give me one kilogram. And how much are the cabbages?" Ye Qingxuan was immediately distracted by the vegetables and started bargaining with expertise. After a lot of skillful talking, the seller added in two eggplants. In the end, he bought a bunch of stuff at half the normal price, and Ye Qingxuan was in high spirits. Satisfied, he picked up the giant pile.

"My luck's pretty good today. Senior, you've been drinking so much, a stew can help you…f*ck, where'd you go?!" He finally realized that his senior had disappeared!

"Boss, did you see where the guy who came with me went?"

The fat woman behind the vegetable stand rolled her eyes lazily. "I think a girl wearing red waved at him when you were buying and he left…"

"…" Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. He just wanted to scream, "Charles, you *ss, did you come to help me or to find girls?!"

Quickly, that was not what he was worried about when he started walking again. The alleys of downtown were dirty and confusing. He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and finally realized that he was lost.

In the silence, he heard faint sounds from afar. Someone was walking over.

—

—

"Lord, we're here!" Outside the alley, a scruffy bum gave an affectionate smile. He rubbed his hands excitedly, watching the person before him. The man clad in a black robe stood at the entrance of the gate, looking into the distance.

Under the blazing sun, his face and body were hidden by the thick hat and robe. He emanated coldness like a ghost, sending fear into people's hearts. "Are you certain?" a scratchy voice asked from under the hat's brim.

"You're giving me money, I'd never lie," the bum said quietly. "I saw him go in with my own eyes. A white-haired Eastern kid. I can't be wrong!" Reverence filled his eyes, "And anyway, you're important. Everyone in downtown knows that if we want to live, we can't piss off Mr. Professor."

"Good." The man referred to as Professor nodded. His voice was like bones scraping together. "Otherwise, you won't have any days left to spend the money." A pale and thin hand reached out from under the dark robe. It was pale as if it had never seen the sun, pale as death.

Seeing the hand, the bum's eyes lit up with enthusiasm again. His gaze fell on the wad of green money orders held between two fingers, and he could not look away. Looking at the money, the bum could not help but laugh dumbly. The pile of money orders from the Church, each one worth one-thousand pounds…

Tying the papers with a string, the Professor tossed it and it rolled on the ground. "You can scram now." The Professor waved a hand and walked toward the alley without looking back.

"Thank you, Lord. Thank you!" The bum dived at the money like a starving dog seeing food. Picking up the money, he impatiently counted it and laughed ecstatically. "I'm rich!" His dirty fingers gripped the money tightly. With burning eyes, he put the beautiful little darlings into his pocket.

He froze when he looked up. A pair of feet was before him. He looked up in shock and was met by a cane adorned with silver and gems. It was held by a clean and elegant hand. A large ruby ring shone from the forefinger, a family emblem engraved into the gem. As if the wearer was preparing to attend a banquet, the precious stones on the sleeve cuffs of the detailed suit shone with a subtle but luxurious light.

"Mr. Professor, what's with the hurry? Why don't we have a chat?" The man with the cane had an elegant voice, gentle and anchored like a warning from a friend. He wore a top hat and, and leaning on his cane, he looked like a gentleman. There was a polite smile on his handsome face, fake and arrogant like all Sicilians.

But that was not enough for the bum to cry out in shock. Behind the man was a group of thugs wielding knives and metal staffs. The burly men had appeared suddenly and soundlessly in the small alley. Their dark eyes were filled with haughty ferocity, smiling mockingly at him as if looking at a clown. There was only one group of thugs in all of Avalon who dressed so brightly, and they were all Sicilians!

"Black-black-black Hand Gang…" The bum finally processed the situation and screamed as if he had seen a ghost. The young man loosened his grip, and the bum collapsed on the ground. He scrambled up, stammering, "I—I—I…"

The young man did not care about him and waved his hand, telling the bum to get out of his sight.

The bum hurriedly crawled forward, and when he was far enough, he scrambled up and fled. He did not even dare to pick up the money on the ground.

Now, there was only the surrounded Professor and the young man leading a group of thugs.

"It seems that I'm surrounded." The Professor did not act as if he were surrounded, and just gazed at his unfriendly "friends."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Professor. I am the second son of the Luco family. You can call me Lorenzo, Palermo Eagle Lorenzo." The young man put a hand to his chest like a gentleman. But when he looked at the Professor, his eyes were taunting. "The legendary Viper just jumped into a trap without even realizing? This is surprising."

"Lorenzo? Schwartz's son?" The Professor studied the man as if he had expected this. "You're faster than I had thought. I thought the first to arrive would have been the Indians."

"Actually, they were indeed the first." Lorenzo shrugged and looked back. Behind him, blood flowed under the feet of the Sicilian thugs. The blood had come from another alley, and flowed into an open sewer.

Some burly men were still tidying up the site. They threw two mutated corpses into the sewer and watched as they disappeared into the darkness. It was clear that the Indians had been taken care of by the Sicilians.

They did not even have the time to realize they had been ambushed before they had been completely destroyed by an attack.

At the back was a fat corpse with his eyes still open in shock. Shahrukh, one of the Indian leaders, had been slashed like a crazy painter's canvas. He had died without a sound.

—

"Seems like I've underestimated you." The Professor looked back from the sewer. "It seems like you had prepared beforehand. Did you think like the Indians, waiting here and capturing your supposed partners? You also want that kid?"

"Are you trying to make time?" Lorenzo saw through the Professor's thoughts and laughed, cocking his head. "There's no use. We've already cleared out everything within a few hundred meters of here. Now, Professor, you better understand this clearly. We are enemies, but seeing that you once helped us with our business, we can let you leave here unharmed. What do you think of my offer?"

"Oh? I must thank you for your pity," the Professor said lightly, "but I'm afraid I won't be able to leave."

"You're worried that I'm not trustworthy?" Lorenzo furrowed his brows, his eyes cold. "I am the second son of the Luco family. Keeping my word is something that my father has taught me. We Sicilians never break promises. Because of Ghosthand, I'm willing to let you go if you promise to never interfere with this again."

"Idiot." The Professor sighed. "You thought I was talking to you?"

Lorenzo blanched. He opened his mouth to say something, but his expression changed. Suddenly, he felt the ground shake. In the stillness, the tiles beneath him trembled as if hammers were pounding the ground. Heavy footsteps came from both sides of the alley. The footsteps were sharp like metal scraping against stone. Lorenzo looked up in all directions in shock. It was like a nightmare. Metal shone from both ends of the alley. It was the color of heavy plate armor!

"F*ck," Lorenzo could not help but swear when he processed what it was.

—

Defenseless, he waited as the group of armored men rounded the corner. It was as if the hungry wolves meant for battle had taken a wrong turn and ended up the alley. The fully armored men walked in synchronization, like an army parade! The axes and swords in their hands shattered the tiles, creating fierce and piercing sounds.

But this was not a battlefield! This was Avalon! Why would heavy armored soldiers be here?!

In an instant, the 'army' blocked both exits in the alley. Raising their weapons, their ferocity was overwhelming.

"Look who we captured? Two big fish! The sissy Sicilian rich boy, and the sneaky Professor!" The short and stocky man at the front laughed. He held a heavy flame-shaped sword, and a horned helmet covered his face. His voice was scratchy yet icy.

"'Basset Werner?" Lorenzo finally realized who the 'army' was. They were not in the army, or more accurately, they were no longer in the army. They were Asgardians! Born with the genes of pirates, these thugs, who could not do anything other than kill, spread around the world after their country's disarmament. They made a living with their swords and were infamous for being heartless, never leaving behind any survivors. A portion of them had come to Avalon under the leadership of their former commander, Werner, and had become a cancerous part of downtown.

"Yes, that's me." Werner laughed, "The Professor was right. None of you will be able to leave today."

Lorenzo's mind went blank. He knew that these people were crazy, but he had never thought that they were this crazy. He could not believe they had hidden so many weapons! The amount of equipment they had was enough to attack the headquarters of the Scotland Yard! What did they think Avalon was?

"Are you crazy?" Lorenzo asked, his voice barely in control, and his features twisting. "The Scotland Yard will not let you get away with this!"

"Haha, that's okay. We've spent some money so now the guards will pretend they didn't see anything." Werner caressed his heavy blade which he also used to eat with. "Don't forget, Asgardians never go anywhere without their utensils. It's time to eat now. Is there anything you sissy Sicilians want to say?"

Lorenzo laughed harshly. "You think that you can take us down with some steel cans?"

"My boys will tell you the answer." Werner laughed like a maniac, the veins in his eyes prominent and red. The war dog living in his body had been awaken. Thirsty for corpses and blood, he raised his sword.

"In your dreams!" His face dark with anger, Lorenzo unsheathed his cane sword. Behind him, the Sicilian thugs were ready to fight to the end.

But just as the atmosphere was growing tense, a hoarse and jeering voice sounded. It came from the Professor in the center of the commotion. He was about to be turned to pulp by people on both sides of him, but there was no fear in his voice. Instead, there was mockery as he said, "Fellows, I wouldn't be so impatient if I were you. The friend on the rooftop hasn't spoken yet." With that, the alley fell silent.

"Rooftop?" Both Werner and Lorenzo looked up on the high walls on either side of them. There came a hair-raising sound—the sound of bows tightening!

Everyone tensed. Even Werner, covered with layers of armor, felt a drop of cold sweat fall from his nose. "F*ck!" he could not help but mutter.

They could imagine the scene on rooftop with dozens of bows being pulled back slowly. As they watched, thin figures appeared on the rooftop one by one. They aimed their arrows at the "guests." There were sixteen well-maintained army bows, radiating with the piercing smell of curing oil. Bows and arrows that powerful and that close could pierce through even the hardest of armor. Sixteen was not much, but it was enough to turn them all into porcupines!

"Ah, we've been discovered?" A short figure on the rooftop hid behind a large shield and peered out cautiously. He smiled at the Professor. "Mr. Professor, I didn't expect you to be as sensitive as a dog."

"The Pyramid Scheme?" Werner and Lorenzo finally realized who these newcomers were. They had never expected that the elites' dogs would want a piece of this deal too!

The one who had just made his grand entrance was the leader of Avalon's biggest smuggling group, and the obedient dog of the elites, Pyramid King: Sam Luo.

"Despicable! Completely despicable!" Lorenzo practically shook in anger. "Sam Luo, do you even have shame?"

"Ah, Young Lord, what are you talking about?" The man known as Sam Luo raised his bow in protest as if he had just been insulted. "All of you are good men who can fight, but the Pyramid Scheme is just a group of poor people who can only live on the elites' scraps!

"It would be sure death if we fought you face to face, alright? We had no choice but to move to a higher place." He paused. Shaking the thing in his hands, his smile became brighter. "As for this, it's only for self-defense. Please don't mind it. Pretend that I don't exist and please continue, continue…"

Everyone in the alley remained silent, trying to look for a way to escape. The Viper Professor, Palermo Eagle, Basset, Pyramid King…all of the big names in downtown had grouped here under such an awkward and strange atmosphere. Each group was ready to fight to the death.

—

"Mr. Luo, there's something I must remind you of." Faced with the Pyramid King's taunts, the Professor only shrugged. "Do you really think we'll fight each other like fools and let you reap the rewards?"

"Ah, how could you think of me like that? I'm a pacifist. I hate fighting!" The Pyramid King looked around. "Aren't we all here for the same reason? Would you like to listen to my suggestion?"

Exchanging glasses, Lorenzo and Werner both spat out one word, "Speak!"

"Look, we're all here for that Eastern mutt, so there's room for discussion. You want the thing on his body, but we're different. Arthur's hidden treasure is too whimsical. We only want something we can touch."

"What do you mean?" Loreno asked coldly.

"It's simple. We want his life." The Pyramid King smirked, "The Rossi family lost an important inheritor because of him. They paid a large sum of money for us to get rid of him." He paused and looked at the Professor. "But we all have too many people and there's not enough to go around. What if we get rid of the weakest and then discuss who the Eastern mutt belongs to?"

The weakest? As soon as he spoke, everyone's focus turned to the Professor in the center. They knew that the Pyramid King was trying to turn them against each other, but they could not help considering his suggestion. Indeed, the Professor was sneaky and held many fearful secrets even though he did not have any real power. It truly would be a good chance to get rid of that scourge. And he was just one person. Why should he be able to take the reward from them? Avalon was too small and it would be good to get rid of someone in the way.

Lorenzo swallowed his saliva, and Werner grasped his sword, both seemed to have planned something.

"What's wrong? Everyone's looking at me suddenly." The Professor sighed, "It seems that I'm the weakest one?"

"Are you not?" the Pyramid King smiled eerily and raised his hand. When he lowered it, the sixteen bows would turn them all into porcupines!

"I think that everyone should think carefully before going on a mission. What if…I perform a magic trick for everyone to enjoy?" The Professor laughed lightly. He raised his hands and clapped softly. The crisp sound resounded through the alley.

As everyone watched in confusion, the air behind him wavered. Suddenly, a beast appeared out of nowhere! Yes, a beast! There was suddenly a huge figure behind the frail Professor.

Like the descendant of a giant, the menacing shadow was more than three meters tall! It could probably turn the Pyramid King into pulp with one hand! If they had not seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe that that thing was human! Yes, he was a human…

Wearing a dramatic and clownish donkey mask, the strange creature stooped behind the Professor. He held a folded bone saw like a butcher who had just gotten off work at the market. Everyone present felt raw terror in their hearts.

The giant was naked except for a dirty apron. Caked on the rough apron was dried blood. The layers upon layers of blood had dyed the dirty yellow apron deep red! The bulging muscles on his arms pulsed with his heartbeat. One could faintly see the blood vessels under his scarred skin.

The sound of everyone gulping was all that could be heard in the silence. Someone opened his mouth and murmured the name with horror, "The Bloody-Bloody Butcher!"

The Undead, Strange Creature, Butcher, Child of the Demon, Horse-face, Bloody Nightmare…Of course, the most well-known name was the Bloody Butcher.

He was infamous for his impossible height, fearful appearance, and successful record. He had no competitors and left no survivors. Rumors of the strange creature had spread through London's streets like a nightmare. No one would have guessed that the Professor had hired the creature and hid it inside himself…

Lorenzo stumbled back, his eyes full of fear. His father had told him what would happen if the creature began his killing spree.

Werner was more direct, and quickly stepped back. All the armored thugs raised their weapons, ready and waiting, but compared to rumors about the Bloody Butcher, the seventy armored soldiers did not seem to be of any competition.

"F*ck." It was the Pyramid King's turn to curse.

—

Now, under everyone's fearful eyes, the aggressive creature had not yet begun his massacre. He, or it, just raised his head and breathed in the bloody air. As his heart pounded like a drum, his skin turned red. An ugly smile cracked open on the clownish donkey mask. Under its feet, countless bugs crawled out from the tiles and fled in all directions. They seemed to have sensed the horrifying creature's presence and began to run for their lives.

He did not speak, only lifting up the bone saw, and stood up from the ground. It was instantly level with the Pyramid King, and it stared at the short man hiding behind the big shield. Bloodshot eyes peered through the mask as if looking down at an animal waiting to be butchered. It was a human but it seemed like a demon. It was a creature bred with the city's darkness and blood—the demon summoned from the city's ugliest side.

The only sound in the stillness was gulps of fear.

"What do you think of my magic trick?" The Professor laughed hoarsely, sliding a flute out of his sleeve. The instrument looked so delicate at his fingertips. "I think that we can discuss now. About that Eastern kid…" He waved his hand and the silent butcher returned to his side.

"A musician?" Lorenzo muttered to himself, his features twisting. "What level?"

"At least the Musician level," a musician hidden in the group answered. "Just the Bloody Butcher himself would be hard to handle. I'm not confident."

"As powerful as the Butcher is, he's just a man."

"No, when things get to this level, we call them beasts." The musician sighed. "The Professor has always been so shady. No one could've guessed that he's a musician. Lorenzo, we fallen into the Professor's trap."

Lorenzo understood. If they attempted to fight both the Professor and the Butcher, they might not lose. But even if they won, they would suffer great losses. One had endless tricks, while the other was a beast that was practically invincible. There was no point in fighting a battle that they would lose either way. And there was still the Pyramid King and Basset.

No matter what, everyone understood something as soon as the beast had appeared. The Professor had the upper hand.

—

On the rooftop, the Pyramid King watched the beast, the corner of his lips quivering. "Professor, what do you really want?"

"It's simple." The Professor gazed at all of them, "There are two solutions. The first one is that all of you leave and the kid is mine, or maybe you'll like the second solution…fight to the end."

In the suffocating tension, everyone glanced at each other, their eyes full of caution and greed.

The first to back out was Lorenzo. The leader of the Sicilians raised his hand and announced darkly, "I don't care what you all plan to do. The Lucos will step out. Basset, tell your men to move."

The Sicilian thugs slowly retreated. They gripped their weapons, cautious of the Asgardians behind them.

Seeing the treasure slipping from his fingers, Basset's expression was unreadable. Tightening and loosening his hold on his sword, he finally grit out, "Move out. We will retreat as well…"

"An intelligent choice." The Professor clapped his hands and finally looked at Sam Luo on the roof. "Mr. Pyramid King, it seems that you'll be brave and fight me?" It was a joke. The Pyramid Scheme was the most cowardice in Avalon's downtown.

Seeing his great plan fail, the Pyramid King's eyes rolled. As if in physical pain, he lightly put down his hand, "We will retreat as well…"

The three groups watched the Professor and the beast closely, then stepped back carefully. The tense atmosphere slowly relaxed. Seeing that there was no need to fight, everyone let out a sigh of relief. But then a confused voice sounded throughout the alley.

"Excuse me, anyone here?" A lost boy lugging a pile of stuff walked into the alley under everyone's eyes. "I'm sorry, I got lost. Senior, are you…holy sh*t!"

"What the f*ck?!" he thought. Ye Qingxuan almost jumped when he saw the sight before him. His mind went blank as he gaped at the battle axes, steel bars, heavy armor, bows, and that inhumane creature. As he stared at them, they also stared back at him.

They gaped at the white-haired youth with one kilogram of carrots in his left hand, a bag of tomatoes in his right, and a giant lantern in his arms. He looked like he just come back from grocery shopping.

As everyone stared at each other, the youth finally reacted. He stepped back saying, "I'm sorry. I'm in the wrong place. Please continue. Don't mind me!" Amidst the sounds of everyone's jaws hitting the ground, he slowly retreated, turned, and stepped away.

Panicking, the Pyramid King called out, "Halt!"

"Okay…" But despite his words, his body did not listen. As if shocked by electricity, Ye Qingxuan sprinted away.

"Sh*t, he runs fast!" someone in the crowd murmured, which opened the dam and everything went out of control. The ones who had been retreating were now restless.

"Catch him!" Someone yelled, "Whoever catches him gets him!"

The still atmosphere had shattered, and the crowd went wild. Lorenzo, Werner, and the Pyramid King all forgot what they had said about retreating and charged forward wildly.

The Professor was frozen in his spot. He had not expected for the situation to change so dramatically within seconds. As he watched the mass of people rush into another alley, he glared at his flute, anger flashed through his eyes. "Butcher, catch him!"

The three meter giant roared and jumped up, then landed in the crowd. Swinging his bone saw, two people were instantly thrown into the wall, blood spewed from them. As he swung his saw, many people were instantaneously sliced into halves. Blood spurted out and people screamed.

—

At the other end of the alley, Ye Qingxuan ran as if his life depended on it. Looking back, he saw the mass of menacing men, angry thugs, and one beastly creature. He wanted to cry. "Why are you chasing me?!"

The Pyramid King screamed, "I want…no, hand over the treasure and I'll let you live!"

Beneath him, Lorenzo yelled, "Friend, don't run. We can protect you…"

"Psh, yeah right!" Basset was clad in heavy armor, but he was the fastest, chasing without slowing down. "Kid, don't listen to them! Give it to me! You'll be the Asgardians' eternal friend!"

"What treasure? What friend?" Ye Qingxuan thought. He had no clue what they were talking about! Resisting the urge to cry, he sped up. As he ran, he suddenly had an idea and tossed something behind him. "Here's your treasure. Take it!"

A black object flew from his hands, cut an arc in the air, and fell into Basset's arms. Forgetting about his sword, the Basset clutched it instinctively. He did not even get the chance to take a look before he was flattened by the crowd behind him.

Someone yelled, "The treasure's here!"

"Catch him!"

"Basset got the treasure!"

As more and more people piled on, Basset subconsciously tightened his grasp. There was a squelch, and red liquid oozed out from between his fingers.

The rush of people froze. Some of the drops fell into people's' mouths, and some people swallowed reflexively. "Tastes sour and sweet…we can eat the treasure? Mom, I'm going to Avalon too!"

Lorenzo who had rushed over was pissed. He kicked Basset, yelling, "Idiot, that's a tomato!"

—

"Don't you want treasures? Here you go!" Up front, Ye Qingxuan was happily giving out treasures. He continuously tossed things behind him, "Here's a tomato! Here's a potato!"

"Here's a lychee!" He decided to throw whatever he could get his hands on. He even picked up a frog from the ground and threw it. "Here's a frog! Here's a squid, and an angry banana!"

The angry banana angrily stuck Lorenzo's face. There were lychee bits on the other side of his face too. This gentleman now looked like a homeless beggar.

Just as the angry Lorenzo began to roar, something was thrown at him again, and splattered his face with blood. He froze in shock. With trembling hands, he took a bloody tampon off his face and finally screamed, "Kill him! Kill him!"

The Pyramid King finally realized that they could not keep going like this. His men immediately got into position on a rooftop. They aimed at the youth and fired!

Amidst the whistling, an arrow brushed past the youth's arm and dug into the wall next to him. The arrow twanged like a honeybee's wings.

Ye Qingxuan looked at the wound on his arm and froze. "Crap, you guys are for real?"

"Who was f*cking playing around?!" On the rooftop, the Pyramid King yelled, "Get ready and kill this b*stard!"

Consecutive twangs of bows sounded, sending chills down Ye Qingxuan's spine. "I was just buying groceries! What did I do?" Taking a deep breath, he began chanting quietly. Everyone's angry roars covered his frustration as he chanted the syllables. Under the hoarse melody, the youth's body blurred, turning whimsical. Rune·Haze!

"Sh*t, forgot that this kid is a student musician!" the Pyramid King growled. "Shoot! Fire! Kill him!"

Next, Ye Qingxuan added "Flow" to himself without hesitation. His pallor turned red immediately. Running while performing this task was practically death. Speeding up, he made multiple near-misses. His body grew blurrier, and after a turn, he disappeared.

The mass turned into a mess. The people at the back did not stop running, pushing the people in front to keep chasing. Many accidentally hurt others in the mess, and there was no room for explanations for injured thugs. They could only start fighting each other. Numerous corpses fell to the ground in the axing and stampede. Blood flew amidst roars and screams. No one noticed that the blurry shadow next to the wall that quietly started to move.

"Hush, hush, no one can see you…" Ye Qingxuan murmured as he cradled his head and carefully crawled forward. Under the stress caused from both Flow and Haze, and performing precise manipulation, his face was almost green.

After fleeing past another corner, sure that no one had discovered him, Ye Qingxuan collapsed onto the ground. Flow and Haze stopped immediately, and sweat poured out like a faucet. A damp print appeared on the ground beneath him quickly. He looked at the pumpkin he had forgotten to throw, and tossed it angrily at the wall.

"What just happened?!" It was a bright and clear day. He had just gone to buy marbles and groceries, but instead he had been chased by people with axes and bows! And treasure? What treasure?!

Ye Qingxuan felt around his body. The only thing valuable on him was his leather wallet! And he had bought it for twenty-some dollars. What were they after? What?! After thinking for a long time, Ye Qingxuan had a headache, and the only conclusion he could come to was that those guys were crazy.

"I'm so unlucky." He sighed and got up. Giving up on the marbles, he just wanted to get back to the academy quickly. Why did he run into such weird things whenever he left the school?

But as he stood up, he felt wind above his head. Goosebumps rose up all over his body. He rolled on the ground without thinking, and heard a clang behind him! The stone ground cracked under the flame-shaped sword.

"You re-really did run away!" Covered in blood, Werner panted for breath. His eyes widened under his horned helmet, gazing at Ye Qingxuan with wild joy. "I'm so lucky…hand over the treasure!"

"What treasure?!" With a flying scissor kick, Ye Qingxuan kicked the pumpkin at Werner. But the man raised his sword and slashed the pumpkin in midair. The pumpkin exploded, pieces of pumpkin and juice flew everywhere. Ye Qingxuan's neck grew cold.

The flame-shaped sword was a heavy duty weapon that required handles on the blade. Its power did not come from the blade, but from its own weight. Only Werner, famous in Asgard for his inhuman strength, could wield the sword so effortlessly. It moved in his hands like a windmill. Each slash left behind deep cuts in the ground.

Ye Qingxuan stumbled back but Werner was right at his heels. Werner was a dwarf but he moved so quickly that his legs were a blur. This type of sword required one to be steady and stable with a strong core. His feet moved like wheels. The short figure rushed forward, and he swung the sword down!

Ye Qingxuan jumped back at the last moment. He felt the blade slice past his forehead, cutting two strands of hair.

Hoisting up the sword, Werner had a sinister and weary smile. "Since you won't open your mouth like a crab, I'll just have to search your corpse!"

"What crab? It should be a clam, okay?" Ye Qingxuan retorted in panic. "I have no respect for you thugs. You aren't cultured at all!"

Werner froze. His face reddened before darkening in anger. "You're asking for death!" With that, he swung the sword down.

"Hey, let's discuss this! Don't get angry, alright?" Ye Qingxuan really wanted to cry. "How about I teach you some grammar and you let me go?"

"In your dreams!" Werner scoffed. "All of downtown wants your life. If you want us to all let you go, you'll need to teach a big grammar class."

"What do you even want?!" Ye Qingxuan asked, suddenly angry. "I'm just one person. There's not even enough of me for you all to stab! What do you get from killing me? I'll let whoever answers correctly to kill me, how about that?"

"Stop playing dumb. The treasure to enter Avalon's Shadow is on your body!"

"Do I look like I have a treasure on me?"

"I don't care! I'll see after you're dead! Try hiding again, huh?" Werner smiled menacingly as he brought the sword down. Gritting his teeth, Ye Qingxuan felt repressed anger and aggravation rekindle inside of him.

"Does your brain work? Can you not understand the human language? Can you not understand?! All you think about is killing, killing, killing. Won't your mom be disappointed in you?" In his anger, the effect of Flow was pushed to the max. He did not dodge or retreat. Instead, he walked over, stepped on the lowered blade and sprang into Werner's arms. Ye Qingxuan punched the only part unprotected by the helmet—the nose!

Crack! The fist slammed into the horned helmet, and Werner cried out in pain. The sword fell from his hands as he tried to hold onto his nose. But Ye Qingxuan did not let him go so easily. Stepping on the tortoise shield, he flattened the man on the ground. He repeatedly punched the nose until he heard the sound of bone cracking, and his hand came away bloody.

Furious, Werner ignored his wound and grabbed a dagger from his waist, stabbing Ye Qingxuan's arm. Ye Qingxuan retreated as soon as he heard the sound of a blade unsheathing, but he had still been slashed in the arm. Nothing had gone smoothly ever since he had come to Avalon!

Ye Qingxuan quickly began chanting a basic rune in anger—instantaneous rune! Following Abraham's deciphering method, he skipped more than half of the syllables. A solid coldness enveloped his hand, following his palm. This was the rune that Edmund had used to fight him last time—Frost! If he pressed down on Werner's face, the aether would explode and turn half of his brain into icicles. But Ye Qingxuan hesitated at the last second. His hand moved and he pressed down on Werner's hand.

Werner whimpered as his arm suddenly went numb, and he could no longer feel his palm.

"Don't move!" Ye Qingxuan aimed his clenched fist at the palm. "Otherwise I'll punch downwards and your right hand will shatter. If you don't move now, you can go find a Chorale musician at the church, it might be cured…"

"Haha…can't believe I lost to a kid who's too scared to kill." Lying on the ground, Werner laughed at himself, his weary smile showing through the blood on his face "What's the use of letting me go? You think I'll let you go just because you didn't kill me? Don't be naïve…everyone in downtown wants you!"

"I'm innocent!" Ye Qingxuan roared.

Werner scoffed. "And innocent people can't die?"

Ye Qingxuan froze.

"I've heard these words so many times before. The people who don't want to pay, the people who broke rules, the people who were sold by others, they all say a bunch of pretty words before death, but it can't save them. Where do you think we are? This is Avalon!" Werner licked the blood on his face and laughed. "You won't be able to escape as long as you have the treasure."

"You lunatics." Ye Qingxuan punched his face one last time and stood up. The murderous cries were getting closer, and he did not want to waste anymore time on this psycho.

But behind him, Werner with a frozen hand laughed coldly. He grabbed a small dagger from his boot with his left hand and aimed the green blade at the youth's back. The Indians were not the only people who knew how to use poison.

But then a commotion rushed past. Stunned, Werner felt the world grow dark, and the wall beside him suddenly collapsed. Before he could even scream, he was buried in the rubble.

The loud crash made Ye Qingxuan jump in fright. When he turned around, all he could see was red, and the bloody beast. The street behind the collapsed wall was covered with corpses. They were scattered all over, and all of them were mutilated. Standing above the fallen bricks was a wild figure covered in blood—the Bloody Butcher!

He had followed the youth's scent here, massacring everyone in his path. Now, his blood-soaked apron had new liquid from the sewer. The bone saw in his right hand was filled with dents. Ye Qingxuan did not want to know what he had been hacking in order to have dented the bone saw. In his left hand was a severed head. It seemed to have been carelessly yanked off of someone. There was still vertebrae connected to the head.

—

In the stillness, he tossed the head away and roared! Following it was faint singing like the cries of an angry spirit. The bulging muscles on his red arms pulsed according to his heartbeat and faint runes glowed. The runes lit up, attracting a tidal wave of aether. They entered his body turning him into a true beast!

His heartbeat turned into drum beats, and the sound of blood pulsing turned into chanting. The screams in the air became the rhythm, and his breathing turned into a wild chorale as the aether grouped inside him, "God, please give me mercy. I kneel in the river of souls, attempting to wash away the dirtiness!

"God, please give me salvation. I am waist-deep in curses. Can you hear my pleas?

"God, please give me your blessing. I am neck-deep in blood. I beg for relief."

Blood surged, and transformed into a menacing face. He cheered like a child along with the singing, "Lalala! Lalala! Lalala! The god in the song, take me back to heaven!"

—

"What…what is this creature?!" Ye Qingxuan muttered. He stumbled back in disbelief, the hair on the back of his neck rising in fear. The beast had turned his own body into alchemy equipment, an entire music score was tattooed on his skin! Only an inhumanly strong body could withstand the consumption of a music score. Hariti's implants were nothing in comparison to this.

Now, aether flowed through his vessels, turning into a power wilder than blood, hotter than fire, turning him into something not human. He was not a demon. His wild murderous intent made him something more terrifying than a demon—he was a killing machine!

Amidst the crazed and painful singing, the Butcher raised his head. Two bloodshot eyes stared at the youth from behind the mask. The bone saw was raised. "The hunt is here. Are you praying?" he seemed to ask.