Joker

The next day.

Dawn.

After a night of noise and chaos, Glittering Sand Town finally calmed down.

It was a complete mess.

The attack resulted in the loss of seven or eight knights and more than a dozen soldiers, as well as a considerable number of casualties among the townspeople. And the two perpetrators who caused all of this managed to escape.

It is said that Samuel was furious and, disregarding the reports from Master Richard and the disdain of the First Prince, personally led a search party. However, after searching for half the night, they found no trace of the two men; it was as if they had vanished into thin air.

Even Knight Glenn has disappeared.

This is a truly humiliating disgrace.

In the end, the shrewd viscount decided to suppress the news, not posting any arrest warrants, but instead declaring that the two assassins had been brought to justice, so as not to cause unrest in the town.

Anyway, they fled in a sorry state and certainly won't dare to come back.

If Lost can capture the princess, they can go to the capital to exchange for the Crown Prince's reward and favor, without having to worry about retaliation from Goth's side.

It's stable.

With this mindset, he made arrangements with both caution and carelessness.

Patrols were deployed to ensure that no further chaos ensued after the unrest.

Hire a pharmacist to treat those wailing, wounded commoners from last night, lest too many die from their injuries and things become too ugly.

Then, they issued a hiring invitation, asking well-known mercenary teams from nearby major cities to garrison the territory for a period of time to make up for the weakness in the territory caused by the deaths of several knights.

However, these arrangements are only to guard against local thugs, troublemakers, and robbers.

The Viscount probably never dreamed that the Cathayan would return.

And they came back so quickly.

Early this morning, at the Glittering Sand Port, the Knights of Finuos were on duty.

The port's throughput and logistics, as well as its supply trade, are one of the important sources of income for Glittering Sand Territory. Therefore, the Viscount naturally had to send people to guard it. Finuos looked at the noisy shouts at the dock, where several tugboats and sailors on the shore were working together to drag the wreckage of a warship out of the dock and clear its location.

Some greedy sailors, eyeing the sunken supplies, tried to salvage them, only to find the seabed swirling with extremely turbulent currents, even drowning several sailors who were strong swimmers.

For a moment, no one dared to go down.

Many corpses were floating on the water and were retrieved one by one by the salvage boat.

These are all the dead from this ship.

The viscount had already made arrangements for their immediate cremation after the salvage was completed. Ostensibly, this was to prevent the spread of plague, but in reality, it was to prevent anyone from investigating the cause of their deaths.

Because what happened last night has already been determined.

It was a vicious attack by unknown forces.

Elven arrows were found at the scene.

Finuos Fenos was fully aware of this; he knew what had happened last night, as he had also participated in the hunt for the Goth People. He felt nothing about it, because he had accepted the Viscount's investiture, served him, and of course had to fight for him—it was nothing.

He was relieved afterward because he had never met Cathayan or Goth People, and his colleagues who bumped into him were all killed.

Including Glen, that arrogant and haughty guy.

Knight Glenn is missing, but everyone knows he's likely dead.

"I can't believe that guy died too..." he thought to himself.

He disliked Glen, but acknowledged the man's strength. He never imagined that powerful knights who had awakened their Dou Qi would perish under the swords of the Goth People —truly worthy of being called the Goth's Star Knight.

As for that Cathayan... what was his name again?

He forgot that the names of the Cathayan were difficult to remember; he only knew that Knight Lost had given that person an evaluation, and then everyone was used to calling that Cathayan...

Joker.

The name was catchy—he recalled the scene yesterday where the Joker was talking eloquently on the dock, forcing Glen to bow his head and apologize. He felt that the man was quite eloquent, and looking at him now, he did indeed seem like Joker who made a living by telling jokes and making important people laugh.

But where is he now?

Suddenly, he noticed something and turned his head.

A man wearing a cloak and a hood walked towards him from the other side of the road.

The goal was clear: to walk towards him.

Finuos Fenos sighed. The sixth one, he thought. Today he had already sent away five idlers who wanted to approach the port, some claiming to be merchants, others captains, all concerned with their own business—but the Viscount had ordered that no idlers were allowed near the docks until the Penguin was dealt with, no one was permitted.

He said calmly, "Stop. No passage allowed."

The cloaked figure seemed not to hear, and continued forward, even quickening his pace.

Finuos Fenos frowned, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him. He gripped the longsword at his waist and snapped, "Stop! Lower your hood!"

The man went from walking briskly to sprinting as he rushed towards him.

Finuos's eyes flashed with a fierce light as he reached for his sword, but the cloaked figure suddenly raised his hand and threw something with a fierce gust of wind, which flew towards him with a whooshing sound!

It's an axe!

With a heavy thud, Finuos's right arm was cleaved by the axe. The blade pierced his flesh, and excruciating pain shot through him. He saw a breeze blowing against the man's hood, revealing black hair and an Eastern face!

He called out, "Little..."

The opponent charged forward like a lion, his iron elbow sweeping upwards and striking his chin!

The sound of bones shattering rang out, and blood, flesh, and fragments sprayed out. Finuos clearly saw the aura of Dou Qi rising from the Cathayan's body—how could a Cathayan cultivate Dou Qi? He hadn't used it last night either!

He had no time to think, raising his intact left arm to try and block the attack, but Kang De grabbed the axe that was cutting into the man's right arm and twisted it upwards!

The pain was excruciating, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. Finuos let out a muffled scream, but his opponent had already drawn his Tomahawk and was hacking at his chest, shoulders, and head!

In a matter of moments, Finuos was hacked into a bloody mess, his body covered in horrific wounds!

"Stop!"

Just then, a loud shout of alarm and anger came from behind. Without saying a word, Kang De went around to the already swaying Finuos behind him, grabbed his neck, and shielded him in front of him. Several people rushed over after hearing the noise. There were guards with swords and knives, and the leader was a young mage dressed in robes and holding a staff.

Flame flickered on the mage's staff as he roared, "Release Finuos Fenos!"

Kang De gave him a sinister smile, shielded Knight Finuos in front of him, and slowly retreated. He sheathed his axe, pulled a dagger from Finuos's body, and held it to the man's throat.

The meaning is self-evident.

"You're that Joker?"

The mage said, "Taking hostages is useless to you. There are no ships here that can sail out to sea, yet you dare to come back... Surrender immediately and let the Viscount punish your sins!"

Kang De stepped back until he reached the wall, then gave the other person a gentle smile.

He raised the dagger high.

Then it pierced the top of Finuos's head.

A sharp dagger pierced through the solid skull.

Then, twist it.

The mage saw the bloodied knight's eyes suddenly roll back, and his whole body convulsing uncontrollably. He had never seen such a cruel scene before, and his face turned pale, feeling his stomach churning.

Kang De kicked Finuos away, then leaped up, unleashing his Dou Qi, and scaled the building.

These people were shocked by the gruesome way Finuos died. They only rushed to his side to see if he could be saved. What they had just witnessed made them instinctively hesitant to give chase.

This injury is definitely beyond saving.

A pale-faced guard turned over Finuos's body to check again, but he saw a strange thing beneath him. "... What is this?"

Then, an explosion, followed by a violent flash.

Their vision was instantly taken away. The mage instinctively raised his magic shield. He heard a whooshing sound coming from the sky and immediately understood something.

--That guy didn't run away!

Kang De descended from the sky, stepping directly on a guard, crushing his body, and then swung his axe, splitting the head of another guard open.

Then he grabbed the last man by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

"Go to hell!"

The incantation rang out, and a cone-shaped jet of Burning Fire roared towards them. Kang De raised the Firekeeper's Round Shield to block the oncoming torrent of Flame, then stretched out his hand.

Burning Fire, a relatively low-level spell from the School of Blazing Flames.

Element, Extraction.

The extremely hot flames were broken down into pure Flame Element. He removed the round shield, braced his right hand against the continuously erupting flames, and approached the mage.

The opponent finally regained his vision from the ravages of the flashbang and saw that his spell had gone out of control. The fist, wreathed in Dou Qi, shattered the fragile magical shield and struck him in the stomach.

The mage was knocked to the ground.

"You are the spellcaster," Kang De said. "I didn't see you last night. Where did you come from?"

Looking into his calm eyes, the monk felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. He trembled and stammered, "I... I am a disciple of Master Richard! We followed him here..."

"You know this knight, so, Mage Richard... is with the Viscount?"

The Cathayan continued to ask.

The monk nodded repeatedly.

Kang De nodded and said, "I see, I see."

The monk couldn't help but say, "I... I am a disciple of Master Richard, you... you can't..."

Kang De crouched down and asked gently, "Have you ever heard of Ghost Rider?"

"Huh?" the monk stammered, "N-no... I've never heard of it..."

Kang De pressed his right hand against his head. "Oh."

Flame, Enchantment.

Target, mind.

The intense Flame Element poured into the opponent's head, and the mage suddenly let out a scream. His skin turned red visibly, then countless blisters appeared, his eyeballs bulged and swelled, and finally, countless Flame poured out from his seven orifices, completely setting his head ablaze.

"It really works that way."

Kang De pulled out his notebook and started jotting down notes as he walked. "Mage Richard, a new enemy. He didn't make a move last night and is currently in Glimmering Sand Castle... Ah, the plan needs to be revised."

He came to the wall.

The guard he had thrown here cowered in fear.

Kang De glanced at him. "Call."

The guard trembled, unable to understand what he meant.

"Sigh... these alien natives can't understand human language."

Kang De pulled a test tube from his tactical vest, uncorked it, and poured it into the other man's face.

Concentrated sulfuric acid.

The screams continued, and the victim rolled wildly on the ground, yelling.

"Good call, keep calling a little longer."

Kang De turned and left, slipping away before anyone noticed.

Soon, the sailors and guards discovered the situation.

The corpse of a knight, the corpse of a mage, and several guards.

Their deaths were all incredibly gruesome.

A nearby patrol rushed over, led by a knight and consisting of twenty elite town guards. Looking at the chaotic scene on the ground, their faces darkened. "Did no one see the murderer?"

"Yes... yes..."

The sailor being questioned replied, "I only saw a person wearing a cloak..."

The knight glanced around, then looked to the side. The building was a warehouse, and the surrounding dock area was in disarray. It had been quite some time; the murderer had long since escaped. How could he possibly catch him?

I must inform the Viscount!

He made up his mind, when suddenly he heard a low rumbling sound.

The knight tilted his head in confusion and asked the soldier beside him, "Did you hear something?"

The soldiers looked at each other.

It seems there really is.

One of the soldiers closest to the storeroom stared blankly at the wall beside him, then hesitated and said, "Sir, that sound... it seems to be coming from this storeroom..."

The knight asked the port manager, "What's in this warehouse?"

The other party replied, "We didn't load much. The port is closed these past few days, so there's not much cargo, just..."

Just then, the knight's expression suddenly changed, because he heard the rumbling sound suddenly become more intense, like a roaring beast approaching Mercedes!

A deafening roar!

To everyone's horror, the warehouse wall was violently smashed open, and a white, steel monster burst out, its entire body covered in sharp spears!

Kang De floored the accelerator and sped off in the SUV. He had welded sharp steel bars and plates onto the front of the car, windows, and other parts, all enchanted with Sharpness. He even used Extraction enchantment to cut away a large portion of the warehouse walls, leaving only thin walls.

He didn't leave after he killed the man!

Instead, they returned to Earth and retrieved the car they had built.

This SUV, like a fully armed war behemoth, charged into the patrol team in an instant. Sharp long knives were welded to both sides of the car doors, and spears were everywhere in front of the car. The car sped and drifted in the open space next to the warehouse. In just one drift, more than a dozen soldiers were cut in half at the waist, and the remaining soldiers were impaled on the spears in front of the car, along with the knight!

Kang De kept his foot on the gas.

The car roared forward, speeding along the main road of the dock towards the town. Ahead of the car, spears pierced several bloody corpses, and a struggling knight—the knight was wearing armor, and with soldiers blocking his way, he was only pierced but not dead. He struggled desperately, his feet pounding the ground, trying to stop this raging steel behemoth with his own strength.

He saw the people inside the car.

Although he didn't recognize the strange machine, he recognized the people inside the car!

The Glittering Sand Knight hissed, "You... Ugly..."

Kang De gave him a bright smile.

The knight swung his arms, pounding hard on the hood. Kang De shook his head, pulled out another shotgun with his right hand, smashed the windshield, and fired a shot.

Rubber pellets flew and struck the knight on the head, silencing him. Kang De drove on and soon arrived at Glittering Sand Town, reaching the very center of the town.

The pedestrians stared in disbelief at all of this.

Looking at the strange steel behemoth, the corpse impaled on iron spears, the struggling knight, and the black-haired, Cathayan stepping down from the chariot.

Kang De walked to the front of the car.

The knight swung his fist, trying to hit him, Kang De shook his head, casually snapped off an iron spear, kicked him onto the engine, and plunged the spear into his throat.

Left hand.

Another iron spear.

Right hand.

Two more, please.

Legs.

The knight let out a bloodcurdling roar, then cursed, "You Cathay Joker from Ra..."

Kang De reached into his mouth, pulled out his tongue, and cut it off.

"So noisy."

He opened the back door and took out two cans of gasoline.

One bucket was poured on the car, and another bucket was poured on the knight, covering him from head to toe.

The knight continued his tirade, but no one could understand what he was saying. Kang De patted his cheek and said softly, "I came to this other world wanting to do some cultural export. We have a lot of advanced culture here. I've always wanted to do this, so let's start now... You call me the Joker, and I like that name."

"Then let's begin our cultural export efforts now."

He laughed and said, "Today, I will redefine the Joker for you."

Kang De turned and shouted to the townspeople who were retreating in fear, "Fellow villagers! My name is Kang De! I am from Cathayan! I have returned to do three things! Kill! Kill! And kill again!"

He dragged the motorcycle off the roof of the car, then lit a lighter and said, "So, what about you? Those who want to run can run, and those who don't can stay and wait to die!"

Then, flames rose, fireworks roared, and the screams of the Glittering Sand Knight were heart-wrenching as he struggled desperately in the firelight. Kang De started his motorcycle and blew a kiss to the stunned townspeople. "Bye-bye! Those who haven't eaten, you can have some when it's cooked!"

He twisted the throttle, the motorcycle roared, and sped away.

The news spread quickly.

Not long after, Samuel, his face grim, galloped out of the manor with several knights.

Unbeknownst to him, Kang De had witnessed everything through a telescope from a secluded spot in a tree.

Old man, I was just saying hello.

Don't worry, my plan is all set up perfectly.

And now...

He turned his gaze to the tranquil and elegant Glittering Sand Manor.

First, bleed your puppies a little.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: First update after release!

PS2: Sorry for the lateness, because there were quite a few words. This is my fourth update today, and I've probably written at least 16,000 to 17,000 words. My head hurts, I need to rest. I was woken up by the renovations again this morning.

PS3: I know you're all anxious, but don't worry, I'll give you a preview of the update. Tomorrow's update will likely see Glimmering Sand Castle engulfed in flames, with most people dying. The day after tomorrow, the Knight Lost will die howling in despair. Basically, the day after that, I'll show you all the smiles you had when Kiritsugu dug out the baby hyena from the ruins—I know Kang De is acting like a madman right now, but believe me.

PS4: Vote for me! I almost forgot to mention.