Desperate Straits

"Cough cough!"

Luther covered his mouth, bent over, and coughed uncontrollably. A few seconds later, his forehead began to burn, and Consciousness somewhat dizzy.

It's a "disease"!

If we don't quickly create distance, the condition will worsen rapidly!

Having witnessed the battle at Enmat Harbor, he already knew which abilities Ms. M had "Grazing." Therefore, he had consulted relevant internal documents beforehand. According to the documents, the disease's power originated from the Demoness Pathway. If one could not distance oneself from the source, the illness would escalate from a cold to a stroke or heart attack within minutes, leading to death.

"Swish swish!"

With his exceptional physical abilities, Luther quickly jumped backward and rushed towards the window, preparing to escape temporarily.

"Boom!"

But then crimson flames quickly ignited in front of the window, and Ms. M blocked his way. He had no choice but to dodge again and try to escape from the other side. However, although he was swift, Ms. M always Flaming Jump, preventing him from leaving the house.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for about ten seconds, during which Luther's condition rapidly worsened. His cough became more and more frequent, his forehead burned, and his lungs felt like they were filled with hot sand; each breath was both itchy and painful.

This can't go on!

Cecilia hasn't arrived yet; he has to find a way to change the situation.

Luther only spent a few seconds thinking before gritting his teeth and deciding to go all out.

I remember when he was interviewed by martial Teacher Gawain, he said that if he really couldn't win, he would turn on the gas valve in the house and die together with the enemy. Now he's ready to do just that!

Anyway, I have a strong recovery ability, so even if it explodes, I won't die!

Luther had already checked; the gas valve in this room was old-fashioned, and it would immediately release gas if a bullet hit a specific spot. But the problem was that he only had two bullets left in his Revolver, so he had to aim very accurately.

Feeling his condition worsening, he steeled his resolve.

There's no time to hesitate, let's go!

"Bang!"

Luther pulled the trigger, aiming at Ms. M in the center. Apparently due to her serious illness, the bullet missed Ms. M's body and struck the wall behind her, making a metallic clanging sound.

You hit it!

A surge of joy filled him as he saw the valve in the corner, struck by a bullet, flipped open. He knew that colorless gas was leaking rapidly inside, and because the pipe opening was large, the gas would fill the entire room in a short time.

But before that, we must stall Ms. M!

Luther reached into his robes and took out Azik's White Bone Flute.

The Bone Flute has been used three times already; without Azik's blood, the summoned undead creatures are unreliable. It might be able to help me.

It may also be completely useless, or even harmful to oneself.

But now he has no choice but to gamble!

Despite the intense discomfort in his lungs, Luther took a deep breath and blew the Bone Flute.

The Bone Flute made no sound; instead, a series of difficult sounds came from the opening of a large door.

"Crunch-"

A rusted bronze gate emerged from the void, then opened to both sides, revealing a chaotic and indistinct space. The gate appeared directly between the two people, separating Luther and Ms. M.

Smack!

A severed arm, covered in pale yellow ulcers, slowly emerged from the doorway and slammed onto the floor. The arm crawled forward, followed by...

It was a naked, rotting humanoid Monster with its head split in two, the wound extending from its skull to its abdomen, the edges of which were covered with sharp teeth, resembling a huge, vertically growing mouth.

The Monster's two eyes simultaneously looked at Luther and Ms. M, its pale pupils gleaming with hunger and Greed. The next second, its body split in two and pounced on the two people present.

+!

Luther cursed under his breath. The good news was that the summoned undead creature was very aggressive; the bad news was that it attacked him as well!

"Roar!"

The Monster stood up and was a full two meters tall. What was even more deadly was that it was faster than it appeared. With a gust of rotten, foul-smelling wind, it was already within inches of you, its gleaming white teeth right in front of you.

Luther dodged to the side, but the half- Monster's sharp teeth pierced the floor, leaving a shocking wound.

It quickly got up and chased after Luther, as if it wouldn't stop until it devoured him!

"Cough cough!"

The Clockwork Clown still had a little over a minute left. Luther could have dodged it, but a sudden, strange sensation in his lungs made him cough uncontrollably, slowing his movements slightly.

"Boom!"

This brief pause was fatal; the Monster's sharp teeth pierced through his body, his entire upper body riddled with a row of vertical teeth.

"Ah-"

Intense pain shot through the wound; teeth chattered, Greed devouring the flesh Flesh of the living man.

"Get out of here!"

Despite the pain, Luther shouted at the Monster in Ancient Hermes.

"Awooo!"

The Monster was instantly struck by the Filth language, its body convulsing and wailing. Luther seized the opportunity to draw his silver dagger and viciously plunged it into its eyeball, piercing half of its head—one stab, two stabs!

Only when the Monster stopped moving did he push Monster with his hands and pull his own body out of the nail plate of teeth. The pain he endured during this process goes without saying.

Once he was completely free, he looked up. Ms. M was fighting Monster. Luther noticed a broken paper figure on the ground around her, indicating that she had just used another Substitute.

"Ms. M. Go to hell!"

Luther shouted at Ms. M, trying to influence her mind with Filth language. Ms. M froze, then was immediately pounced on by the Monster. This time, her body didn't turn into a paper doll; instead, it was viciously bitten by the Monster's sharp-toothed wolf!

Beautiful! Has she run out of Substitute?

Luther's spirits lifted, and he became more confident in his plan.

Ms. M's expression changed slightly. She raised her hand and pressed it against the Monster. The Monster immediately cried out in agony, and its body rapidly dissolved, turning into a pool of pale yellow liquid in no time.

"Crunch-"

The bronze gate slowly closed and disappeared.

Luther thought to himself, "It probably bought me a few dozen seconds." He sniffed; there seemed to be a distinct odor in the air, indicating that the gas supply was sufficient.

"Is this your last resort?"

Ms. M's bright red hair looked somewhat disheveled, and she didn't seem as relaxed as she had said. "The thing summoned by this Bone Flute is weaker than what was summoned before."

"Cough cough!"

Luther's lungs had reached an unbearable state. He stood up, dragging his battered body, and rushed towards the window once more.

It looks like yet another attempt to escape!

Following the usual pattern, Ms. M would then use flames to Blink in front of him.

But now, the room is already filled with gas, and if she does this, the gas in the room will explode immediately.

Sure enough, just as he rushed to the window, he saw crimson flames ignite before his eyes, and Ms. M's cold, smiling face shimmered in the fire. But the next moment, that cold smile turned to surprise, because the flames beside her spread rapidly, expanding quickly and slipping out of her control!

In the still of the night, the sound of an explosion echoed throughout the East Borough.