Escape

Lanerius withstood the impact of the Demon Hunting Bullet, leaping to his feet as if resurrected. He looked at Luther, his eyes filled with a crazed, mocking glee.

"Very good, you're quite impressive... I clearly underestimated you just now..."

He laughed maniacally, clutching his stomach as he said, "But look, I've returned from the dead. The gods are on my side after all... Hahaha..."

"Night Watcher! Lanerius, you are completely surrounded!"

Luther shouted, quickly retreating to put some distance between himself and Lanerius. He had no reinforcements, of course; he was only shouting to bluff Lanerius.

However, Lanerius was a swindler himself, and he didn't believe a word Luther said. Upon hearing the shout, the smile on his face only grew brighter. He drew a dagger from his waist and charged at Luther.

One step, two steps!

His speed was immense; in the blink of an eye, the distance between them had shrunk to less than a meter.

Just then, he suddenly saw Luther raise a small bell.

"Ding..."

Luther channeled his spirituality into the bell, and a crisp sound rang out. The chime seemed to echo within the mind, clouding Lanerius's thoughts. Soon, the crazed, cunning smile vanished from Lanerius's face. He stood blankly in place, his arm holding the dagger dropping naturally, his eyes unfocused and dazed.

Seizing the opportunity, Luther once again put distance between himself and Lanerius.

He had intended to use this moment to reload his revolver, but he hadn't expected Lanerius to break free from the control so quickly. His eyes turned vicious again as he lunged at Luther, determined to slaughter the bastard who had ruined his plans and caused him such torment!

"Ding..."

Seeing this, Luther didn't hesitate; he immediately raised the bell again, channeled his spirituality, and shook it.

And so, the two fell into a bizarre stalemate. Luther would ring the bell, and Lanerius would be controlled; Luther would take the chance to retreat, Lanerius would quickly shake off the control and launch another attack, and Luther would ring the bell again...

Their movements were like a child's game, yet Luther knew the danger of the situation. He was only a Sequence 9 Black Knight, and the spirituality within him could not sustain this Magical Item for long.

His spirituality was draining rapidly, making it difficult to maintain the item's effect, and the time he could control Lanerius grew shorter and shorter. The latter clearly noticed this, a sneer appearing on his face. "Are you waiting to die?"

"I'm waiting for you to give birth."

Luther retorted.

Lanerius's smile faltered. He looked down at his abdomen, seemingly recalling what had happened earlier, and murderous intent quickly flared in his eyes. He stopped speaking and simply launched a relentless, desperate assault, forcing Luther to use the Magical Item more frequently.

The distance between them gradually closed.

I still have two Demon Hunting Bullets, but this stuff doesn't seem to have any effect on him...

Luther gritted his teeth, secretly pondering how to deal with Lanerius.

Damn it, if all else fails, I'll just fight him to the death!

Just as Luther prepared to raise his gun and risk everything against Lanerius, he suddenly saw Lanerius's body jerk violently. Numerous tumors erupted on his face, and his expression twisted in agony.

Could it be that he's starting to lose control again?

Luther thought to himself, not relaxing his vigilance in the slightest.

It was also at this moment that the commotion finally disturbed the people sleeping in the Asylum. Lights flickered on in many rooms, patients peered out from their windows, and several figures dressed as doctors and nurses appeared at the entrance of the ward.

Lanerius pressed his hands against his face, the wriggling tumors calming down slightly. He scanned the increasingly lively scene and shot a hateful glare at Luther. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the Altar.

Seeing Lanerius flee, Luther immediately gave chase with his gun, but he kept a distance from his opponent. Lanerius was far too cunning, and he feared this might be a trap meant to lure him in.

Lanerius ignored Luther entirely. He stumbled as he ran, rushed to the side of the Altar, and suddenly crouched down. When he stood up again, he had a handbag in his right hand. Luther recalled that it was the same bag the man had been carrying when he first entered the room of Hood Eugen.

He was really going to run away!

Luther raised his gun, aimed, and fired at Lanerius's head from about ten meters away.

"Bang!"

The shot caused Lanerius to trip. When he stood up, his gait became unsteady, but he didn't stop running.

"Bang!"

The second shot rang out, piercing the bottom of Lanerius's bag. As he ran, bundles of banknotes spilled out and scattered across the ground.

Damn... that was way too lucky...

Luther marveled at his own "random" marksmanship, but his attention was quickly drawn to the massive pile of cash on the ground. How many pounds could there be in a pile like that...

Lanerius's body suddenly stiffened. He looked back at the scattered banknotes, then looked up at Luther, his eyes filled with venomous hatred.

Don't look at me, I didn't think I'd be that accurate either...

Luther thought to himself, though he wore a confident smile for Lanerius, as if both shots had been perfectly calculated.

Just when Luther thought Lanerius would grab a handful of cash or fight him to the death, the man simply tossed the ruined bag aside. Without looking back, he accelerated, charged out of the Asylum gate, and vanished into the darkness beyond the streetlights.

He was cunning, vicious, and insane, but above all else, he valued his own life.

Luther didn't dare to slack off. With his Demon Hunting Bullets spent, he took the spare ordinary bullets from his holster, loaded them into the revolver, and jogged over to the pile of money.

My god, so much money.

Looking at the stacks of beautifully printed banknotes scattered in such a wild display before him, Luther felt a bit dizzy. Just how many people had this bastard Lanerius swindled!

With his two gunshots, the Asylum had been thoroughly awakened. The patients began to shout and cause a ruckus, and the anxious voices of doctors and nurses followed.

Several guards surrounded a doctor, approaching Luther with caution.

"Mr. Rondal... I have already called the police. Please put down the gun in your hand and stop making mistakes!"

That doctor was none other than Luther's former attending physician, Wilder. Seeing Luther covered in blood (splattered from Hood Eugen), he remained surprisingly calm and even offered a plea, "You must have done this wrong because you were afraid..."

He seemed to assume that Luther had suffered a mental breakdown and started shooting people at random. Well, judging from the scene alone, it really did look that way.

"Called the police? That's great, it saves me the trouble of doing it myself."

However, contrary to his expectations, Luther wore a look of relaxed amusement upon hearing this. It was perfect; the police would eventually hand the matter over to the Night Watcher, so he wouldn't have to worry about it.

It was just a pity that Lanerius had managed to escape.

Seeing him act this way, Wilder was stunned, unable to tell for a moment if he was being serious.

"Don't look at me with those eyes, Dr. Wilder. I'm not sick."

Luther smiled and patted the brain matter and bloodstains off his clothes, "Don't just stand there; I'm still waiting for you to write me a certificate of mental stability."