Wicked Means

Chapter 16: Strange Methods

Dina's Divine Soldier Descends not only resolved the burly man in one fell swoop but also made the other two retreat.

As the burly man fell, they had already fled into the distance.

"Chase!"

Dina was not alone; several colleagues from the Patrol Hall had also come.

Most people who joined the Patrol Hall had connections, with families that were either wealthy or noble, and many even cultivated Breathing Techniques.

These individuals might lack experience in life-or-death combat, but their strength should not be underestimated, and they were adept at fighting when the odds were in their favor.

"I didn't expect this."

As they ran, Dina spoke:

"You're already a Knight Squire. Where did you learn that Breathing Technique?"

"None of your business!" Karl snorted coldly.

"You deliberately put a noble in danger. I will report this to the Noble Council and apply to have your position as Patrol Chief revoked."

"If I hadn't intervened just now, you might already be dead," Dina frowned. "Is this how you repay your savior?"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been in danger at all!"

"..."

Dina was speechless.

After a pause, she said:

"Regarding the Mummy Case, Ham had found some clues, but he was killed before he could tell me."

"So..."

"When I asked you to retrieve the item, the public message was that you were getting Ham's investigation results to lure the killer out. I was just testing the waters, and I didn't expect it to actually attract an assassin."

"Hmph!" Karl's voice was muffled. "I almost died!"

No matter how justifiable the other party's reasons were, the fact remained that he had been put in mortal danger. He could not forgive that.

Are you kidding me?

Life is precious, and what could possibly make up for it?

Just because you're pretty?

"You..." Dina's face flushed with anger. "Forget it, let's catch them first."

"Clang!"

Seeing that they couldn't escape their pursuers, the two in front smashed through a wooden door and rushed into a three-story low building.

"You can't escape!"

Dina accelerated her steps, her figure flashing as she leaped onto the second floor. Before she could get a clear view of her surroundings, a ball of flame rushed towards her. Instinctively, she twisted and dodged.

"Bang!"

The flame exploded and scattered on the ground.

The embers that landed on the dirt, wooden walls, and bricks did not extinguish immediately; instead, they seemed to grow stronger.

This fire...

Karl's eyes narrowed, residual memories surfacing in his mind, the scar on his face throbbing faintly.

"Be careful!"

Dina shouted even louder:

"It's a Fire Thief!"

Fire Thieves were a group of heretics who worshipped "flame." Their goal was to start fires and burn everything, and they possessed the ability to create special flames.

"Kill!"

Amidst roars and shouts, the colleagues from the Patrol Hall clashed with the Fire Thieves hiding in the house.

Dina was at the forefront.

The rapier in her hand was sharp and swift. Her rapid thrusts could even produce piercing shrieks. With a slight flick of her wrist, her sword shadows instantly intensified.

The Fire Thief blocking her path was pierced countless times in the blink of an eye.

It wasn't just her swordsmanship.

Her footwork was also excellent. She dodged nimbly in the narrow corridor, her rapier thrusting out from time to time, and the Fire Thieves blocking her path fell one after another.

"Boom!"

The door shattered.

Before a group of valiant patrol officers, the hastily confronting Fire Thief offered little resistance.

Karl wielded a salvaged greatsword. While not as easy to handle as his own broadsword, it was still far better than a short sword.

"Bang!"

Furious Strike.

The greatsword, imbued with immense force, felled one opponent. Karl seized the opportunity and charged into a room.

The room was filled with various bottles and jars. Some contained murky liquids, others submerged animal organs, and complex tubing connected the glass containers.

At first glance.

It looked like a mad scientist's laboratory.

Strange!

Karl paused, then heard a roar from the adjacent room.

"Damn it!"

The voice was shrill and piercing:

"You ruined my experiment!"

"Boom!"

A ball of flame exploded from next door. Two figures grunted as they were pushed back, and then one person rushed out.

The person who rushed out was young, with pale skin, and crucially...

Karl recognized him.

He'd encountered the man on the road a few days prior. The man had gotten into Annie's carriage and Kaili had suspected him of being a Vampire. His name seemed to be Miles.

At this moment, Miles's face was contorted in a savage expression, his features twisted. Rage seemed to have consumed his sanity.

Sword light flashed.

The one swinging the sword was a colleague from the Patrol Hall named Aubrey, who was also a Knight Squire practicing a Breathing Technique.

Aubrey wielded his knight's sword, aiming straight for the young man's neck.

With his strength, he could easily sever an adult's head.

"Swish!"

To Aubrey's astonished expression, the knight's sword arced, perfectly avoiding Miles's body.

It seemed an invisible force distorted his movement.

At the same time.

Miles's cane sprang open, and a rapier was drawn from within, which he swung lightly towards Aubrey.

The rapier was not long; it shouldn't have been able to reach Aubrey.

And yet...

"Sss!"

A gash appeared on Aubrey's abdomen. Blood then gushed out, and half of his body slowly slid from his legs. His eyes were filled with astonishment and unwillingness.

"Die!"

Having killed Aubrey, Miles's fury was still unspent. He strode forward to pursue another person, also swinging his sword in a horizontal sweep.

"Ding..."

The rapier collided with the knight's sword.

This time, Karl saw it clearly: the rapier bore a strange, foot-long glow.

The light seemed tangible, striking the knight's sword and creating a few sparks.

The other colleague, as if struck by a heavy blow, staggered backward. Fortunately, he wasn't cut in half like Aubrey.

"Swish!"

Karl, who had been observing, was not spared. Miles casually swung at him as well.

Karl's breath hitched, his heart constricted. His Breathing Technique sent out a dangerous warning, and he instantly understood why his colleagues' reactions seemed so slow.

There seemed to be an invisible force field around this person. Anyone who got close would be suppressed by it.

"Clang..."

A collision sound rang out.

Karl retreated a step, feeling a slight sense of relief.

Although the opponent's methods were strange and difficult to comprehend, his strength wasn't overwhelming. It wasn't even as strong as a Knight Squire's.

"Swish!"

"Swish, swish!"

Before he could react, Miles's rapier attacked again, his afterimages pressing the two of them down.

Under the influence of the strange force field, their attacks couldn't threaten each other, but his attacks were all deadly.

"Ah!"

The scream beside him made Karl's eye twitch.

His companion had been careless, his legs severed, blood gushing from the wounds.

"Clang!"

A loud noise echoed.

Dina, having finished clearing out the other areas, turned into a black shadow and leaped down. Her rapier once again unleashed afterimages, like a small tornado.

Combat Skill—Sword Dance!

A combat skill performed by a peak Knight Squire, it encompassed almost everything in more than half the room.

Miles was the primary target.

"Pfft!"

"Ch-..."

Karl's vision blurred, and he saw Miles staggering, seemingly injured.

"Now!"

Dina's voice was cold and stern, even laced with panic.

"Kill him!"

"Ohm!"

Miles hastily raised his hand, revealing a ring inlaid with a sapphire-blue gem, as a strange sound exploded in their ears.

Karl's body stiffened.

In an instant, countless chaotic voices flooded his eardrums, and everything in his vision became distorted and bizarre, surreal.

Numerous illusions appeared.

Little winged people, cackling flying insects, inverted and chaotic directions, nearly made him collapse.

Dina beside him let out a muffled groan, her rapier clattering to the ground. Her eyes went vacant and glazed over, instantly losing her ability to resist.

"What's happening?"

"What happened?"

Karl struggled to raise his hand, instinctively activating his Wrist Dart, then his vision went black and he fell to the ground.