At Least Three Things You Have to Say

The woman was so angry that she coughed up a mouthful of blood.

She collapsed to her knees, powerless, and the girl in her arms tumbled out of her arms in a disheveled state.

Although she didn't react at all... she was lucky enough that the attack didn't hurt the girl in her arms.

For humans, a blow piercing the heart would be enough to instantly take their lives. But for the Child of the Moon, it was merely a severe injury.

However, with her heart fixed in place, she couldn't transform into a bat and escape. She could only stand there, watching her life slowly slip away, which became a form of torment.

"Help me..."

She cried out involuntarily.

But the moment her eyes met the girl's, she immediately realized how foolish she had said.

"... Quick... run..."

She immediately changed her tune.

The young man merely glanced at her indifferently, completely ignoring her.

"Don't do it like that, Miss Viennes," he was lecturing to thin air, "The spearhead is too thick, it's easy to get blocked, and it's easier to miss the mark."

"You should make your shadow thinner, like a needle. Then pierce into the body and explode."

"Is that so?"

Accompanied by a hoarse, low voice, countless thin shadows pierced through the woman's body from all directions.

Then, they suddenly swelled up inside the body—like sharp blades piercing out from within.

She tried to scream, but couldn't. A sharp blade was also protruding from her throat, silencing all sound.

She remained kneeling with her head held high, countless shadow blades sprouting from her entire body. She looked like some kind of work of art, or perhaps a bonsai.

"No, it should be a little thicker, like a sharp needle. If it's too thin, it'll become fragile."

The young man was still giving instructions.

Shadow Fiend humbly accepted the guidance. "I understand."

The next moment, a new shadow needle pierced the woman's body again, followed by a sharp blade. "Is that so?"

"Ah, that's about right."

The woman's blood continued to flow, pooling beneath her and forming a shallow puddle.

Even so, she did not die easily; her body simply turned pale at a visible rate. It was not the bluish-white of someone with anemia, but a colorless, withered white, like that of a stone statue.

Until all her blood was drained, she was completely transformed into a gray sculpture with a face etched with pain and despair.

The young man tapped the sculpture gently, as if knocking on a door. It immediately collapsed, turning into dust.

Only then did the young man turn back to the girl with interest. "Aren't you going to run away?"

"There's no way to escape. This is a Shadow Fiend, and I'm only at the Second Level right now. Trying to escape would be too insulting to a Shadow Fiend."

The girl shrugged and gave a sweet smile, "Hello, Miss Alai. I am the ban—can we cooperate?"

This is not just a greeting.

She was trying to use a special way to win—to identify all the remaining players in the endgame.

And this young man with the Shadow Demon must be Miss "Alai," who Path of Transcendence.

However, after these words were spoken, the settlement was not completed.

This made the ban feel uneasy.

In other words, are there other people still alive...?

"You can convince me in three sentences."

The young man chuckled and answered in a low voice.

"You are very talented, but I can confirm that you are not in the "Rosy Cross" Society. However, I can introduce you to them..."

"—Two more sentences."

The young man interrupted the ban.

The ban was not interrupted in the slightest, nor was there any hesitation. Instead, the topic was switched very naturally. "I don't see anyone else here. Maybe the only ones left who are still alive or haven't escaped are the two of us."

"So what?" the young man asked in return.

"If you kill me, you might fail instead."

The ban replied earnestly, "Because..."

Just then, a mocking smile flashed across the young man's face.

The ban's heart skipped a beat, realizing he had said the wrong thing.

Is it Mr. Grey? Miss Alai is so convinced that Mr. Gray is still alive?

But...

Why? She was certain that Alai hadn't seen anyone else. And in the lounge, Jin Guan hadn't seen anyone resembling Gray either...

So that's how it is. Path of Adaptation? It has already quietly become part of one's identity.

So she may have already met Miss Alai.

—No, it's possible that the Earthbound Spirit was released by her!

The ban was racing through his mind, and he realized something.

Shadow Fiend is not invincible to the Child of the Moon —in fact, one could say the Child of the Moon isn't particularly afraid of Shadow Fiend.

Because the Shadow Fiend lacks the destructive power of light and fire, which the Child of the Moon fears most. The corrosive effects of shadow damage are ineffective against the Child of the Moon; they can only be slowly killed through physical means like bleeding. Meanwhile, the Child of the Moon's high-speed mobility could easily kill the Shadow Fiend's host...

So that's why they summoned the Earthbound Spirit to prevent the Child of the Moon from gathering together! A young Demon Scholar had already contracted with a Shadow Demon at the Second Level, and Path of Adaptation Transcendent who could control Earthbound Spirit and was skilled in using various illusions... What a terrifyingly talented assassin duo! A chill ran down Ling Jin's spine. But then, a surge of joy followed.

She realized that this was no longer just a matter of Promotion Ritual.

If we can recruit this kind of talent, then even if this attempt fails, it will still be worthwhile.

After all, she didn't want to advance to the Sixth Level on her main path; that would be too dangerous. The negative effects of soul damage usually only affect the advancement from the fourth to the fifth level, and the second path reaching the Fourth Level was already sufficient...

From this perspective, she could actually accept death.

The idea of a ban flashed through his mind, but in reality, it was only a fleeting moment.

She immediately cried out, "Wait a minute, don't kill me, I have something important to say!"

"The Leipzig White Dove Opera House! Tell the manager, 'I'd like to see the male singer who performed here last month,' and he'll say, 'Sorry, we don't have his contact information.' Then you say, 'He knows me; we were friends at the club.' He'll then give you my contact information—"

"Are you done talking?"

The young man countered with a question.

The girl gave a harmless and friendly smile, "You can go back and ask around. I'm the Earl Leipzig. I have a pretty good reputation in various circles. I'm very wealthy and happy to donate to others... Of course, if you're willing to sell me a promotion spot, I can also give you a very generous reward, just don't kill me..."

Before she could finish speaking, she was pierced by the shadow.

First, a blade pierced her heart—then countless Shadow Blade pierced her through, turning her into a sea urchin.

The ban immediately cost lives.

But when she lost consciousness, she actually felt relieved.

I've finally said everything I needed to say...

As she watched the girl die before her eyes, Lily pondered for a while.

—Anyway, let's report to the young master after we get out.

"Do you want to continue hunting?"

Lily asked the younger version of Miss Shadow Demon, "These are chaotic times."

"Of course."

"Shadow Demon said bitterly."

Lily's shadow swelled and twisted violently, with jagged edges, tentacles, and blades rising and falling within it.

The Shadow Fiend let out a deep, lion-like roar, "I will kill all these monsters—"

"—And, most importantly."

"It's about killing that monster who stole my name 'Beard'!"

At that moment, in the Underground Ritual Room used to communicate with the outside world.

Bayard and Iver were there.

Bayard sat in the only seat in the Ritual Array, while Iver sat on her lap. It looked as if Bayard was holding Doll.

Throughout the room, white, snow-like ashes were scattered all around.

Supervisor Cornelius stood awkwardly in the doorway, facing off against the smiling Bayard.

"Miss Bayard, what do you mean by this?"

"It means..."

Bayard chuckled softly, "I'm curious, do you all really enjoy coming over one by one to check the situation?"

Alice silently appeared behind Supervisor Cornelius.