Vol·17 [Befall]

The bright yellow oil lamps on the clock tower swayed in the wind.

An evil, scarlet aura stirred up gusts of cold wind beside the circular wishing well in the front courtyard.

At this moment, Leonardo summoned an evil spirit avatar, an insect-like spirit resembling blood mist that carried his physical body, floating weightlessly in the mist like a ghost.

"Jiang Xueming!"

"Let me see what you're capable of."

"Mary has gone mad for you, changed her appearance for you, I'll see just how capable you are!"

No sound came from the shadows of the courtyard.

Apart from the roar of the truck engines, Leonardo could hear no other noise.

He could smell the lingering scent of human sweat in the air. The Blessed Holy Blood had made his five senses exceptionally sharp. At this moment, he transformed into a bat and hid within his Soul Might. Even the direct sunlight could be refracted through his insect-like body, diverting the deadly rays elsewhere.

In this form--

Leonardo considers himself [invincible]!

However, his repeated requests for help went unanswered, which made the Rose Sect lose face.

He disliked arguing with cowards. What was the point of it all if the castle's security cameras couldn't capture his heroic battles or hear his dashing executions?

"Coward! Why aren't you saying anything?"

"You'd better answer me!"

"Are you saying you were afraid? When you saw my soul power, when you saw my [Scarlet Mist]! You were so scared that you hid and didn't even dare to fire your gun?"

Beside the wishing well in the front courtyard, there was a hazy red mist of about twenty cubic meters. Within this distance was the range of Leonardo's Soul Power.

It's not polygonal; it only presents an irregular semi-ellipse. It's difficult to see anything clearly in the fog.

Jiang Xueming stood motionless on the green lawn near the golf course on one side of the courtyard, with only a few poplar trees beside him.

She neither hid nor sought cover.

Judging from the results of the Dump Truck Iaijutsu, the gun parts that popped out of the doorman's corpse were HK-MP5s. Submachine gun bullets would have difficulty penetrating the protection of the Flash Butterfly Armor outfit, so there was no need to deliberately seek cover.

She was just standing there; the thermal imager had just stopped working.

The bright red electronic eye instantly turned a cold blue. The temperature difference between its inside and outside didn't change much, so finding the true form of this vampire monster through this eerie red mist was no easy task.

She was waiting for the enemy to open fire first.

At this moment, she deliberately ignored all the pre-battle trash talk.

He lifted the Eye of the Blood Wolf, exposing the fresh, warm flesh to the vampires' watchful eyes.

At a distance of only 120 meters, the enemy's muzzle flash would be the perfect target the moment the bullet hit the body.

Leonardo's voice emanated from the fog, muffled and indistinct, like the buzzing of bees.

"Not planning to run away? Instead, you're standing right in front of me, all prim and proper?"

"I admire your courage, Jiang Xueming. I must say, you are the first warrior to see my soul power and still raise your spear to meet the enemy. I am very confident in my spiritual pressure. You can also hear the different frequencies of insect chirping in the blood mist, right?"

The mist, like a soft, fluffy cotton candy, moved slowly through the vestibule. It appeared to move very slowly, but in reality, it was very fast—its shape was constantly changing, like a school of fish shimmering in the ocean.

It hurtled toward Jiang Xueming, searching for the optimal range for the submachine gun.

Six dark gun barrels stood erect amidst the blood mist.

Flying insect spirits, with lengths in the nanometer range, gathered into bright red, turbid clumps. They flapped their wings, holding highly lethal weapons from the human world in their arms, and hovered around Leonardo like floating cannons.

"I don't know what you're thinking—but you'll pay the price for this arrogance."

"You brat! You'll soon understand the difference between nymphs and adults."

"The difference between trash and scum lacking soul power and a butterfly soaring in the sky is like heaven and hell—vastly different."

"No matter what tricks you use, no matter how skillful you are, they are all useless before my [Scarlet Mist]! My spirit is more refined than yours! My power is greater than yours!"

"Take this! My six-barreled HK MP5 machine gun spread!"

The baby insects in the blood mist worked together to pull the trigger of the fully automatic machine gun.

--Six bright red bullet holes suddenly tightened from the fog, like the extension tubes of a firearm, twisting out terrifyingly precise rifling, allowing the gunpowder's thrust to continuously provide kinetic energy to the bullet.

Leonardo laughed maniacally, "Regret your arrogance! Shed your tears of anguish! Become a piece of French cheese in these 180 bullets!"

The barrage of bullets shattered the layers of broadleaf poplar trunks and branches, which bounced among the green shrubs.

Wood and stones flew everywhere, but more often there were sparks and white marks on the Flash Butterfly Armor's outfit. The outfit, which shimmered in the darkness, trembled like a leaf, yet stood firm amidst the raging bullets, like a mountain.

In Leonardo's eyes, the once burning figure now became even more crimson, like a golden sun, the immense kinetic energy of the bullets leaving bright, star-like spots on the armor.

It had already begun to ooze liquid, clearly indicating that the shot had been effective, and exceptionally so.

Look at this bright red liquid, still warm from Jiang Xueming's body, flowing out continuously.

"--Don't you even have the strength to fight back?"

Leonardo simply found it boring.

"--You're still holding a weapon! Jiang Xueming, facing my soul power and so many firing points, I'm afraid you can't even lock onto my true form! This isn't your fault, it's just that you chose the wrong opponent. If you had been smarter and joined the embrace of darkness earlier, perhaps you could have obtained a position as a steward under me."

"Ha, who told you, you blind scum, to be an enemy of the Rose Sect?"

The crimson clouds slowly drifted toward the Flash Butterfly Armor figure, and toward Jiang Xueming's corpse.

Leonardo sees things clearly and understands them perfectly.

"Look at you, you're wearing this iron suit and now you can't take it off. Your two thighs have been blown off by bullets, but you can only stand frozen in place. What's with this weird and ridiculous outfit?"

"Hahahaha--"

A frenzied howl emanated from the red mist.

"--Hahahahahaha!"

Leonardo's expression was twisted and terrifying, with his right eye wide open, as if trying to see the living flesh beneath the mask.

"You actually came to fight me wearing a skirt? Just because a skirt can protect your frail body?"

"Look at your awkward, unyielding state now. I can even smell the odor of White Lady's products. Perhaps your body has already fused with the bullet, and your body has become heavy due to excessive heavy metals. You truly possess a Steel Heart!"

"Tell me quickly! Over a hundred bullet fragments are lodged in your body, how much weight did that add to you? How do you feel? How do you feel?"

"Why!--"

In an instant, Leonardo became frustrated and anxious.

"--Why aren't you saying anything! Are you speechless? Weren't you so eloquent in the video recording! Trying to avenge your fiancée?"

The crimson clouds spread out, completely covering the Flash Butterfly Armor's attire.

Meanwhile, less than three minutes had passed since the truck crashed into the grand estate of South Sea City.

The piercing alarm finally sounded, and the handyman finally discovered the tragedy in the front courtyard. He then contacted the Prince of Blood, ordering the defense personnel to remain on high alert.

A sharp, piercing command came from the loudspeaker on the clock tower.

"Rose Sect! Get away from that target! You need to retreat to a safer location!"

But Leonardo was already in a killing frenzy—

He could smell the strong scent of blood.

Perhaps, like Jack the Ripper, Jiang Xueming might also have this kind of sacred blood flowing through his veins.

It's free to try, give it a shot! Just give it a try!

He could sense that the body inside the armor was about to die; the tattered outer and inner armor had been reduced to dust by the extended-range bullets. The person inside the armor was now a ready-made meal!

How could he possibly relinquish this greatest achievement?

How could he let this scourge return to the mountains?

If anyone else in South Sea City were to deliver this iron urn to Mary Stuart, that hateful Xiao Bai might just whisper sweet nothings into her bedside, and Leonardo's hard-earned business of many years would be ruined by the foolish mistress's single thought.

Thinking of this--

"Fuck you! You think you can give me orders?"

Leonardo advanced instead of retreating, completely enveloping his prey within the range of the Soul Mist.

He activated his spirit, commanding the insects to gnaw at the living flesh inside the iron armor, carefully avoiding the rifling, and circling around the silver foil inserts, all the while marveling at how overly cautious the wretched little devil was; this iron armor was like a labyrinth.

Leonardo is reaping the rewards of his victory.

He pondered—

--If it weren't for the fact that my [Scarlet Mist] possesses such a precise and detailed form, breaking through this iron tortoise would probably have been extremely painful. These sharp rifling lines could easily tear apart the bat-like flesh of a vampire, and the silver foil inserts within are like exorcism decrees. Perhaps this is how the Red Queen's Godfather died.

Fine!--

--Thank goodness! Jiang Xueming!

You've met your match – I am!

It is powerful! It has no weaknesses!

Me, possessing [Scarlet Mist]!

"The blood tastes very fresh." Leonardo's face instantly turned incredibly rosy, and a crimson light emanated from his bat-like body.

As hundreds of fine, artificial blood vessels, constructed from the body of a spirit insect, pierced his flesh beneath the iron armor, Leonardo felt as if his soul was about to leave his body.

--This is the thrill of washing away shame!

--It is the joy of winning in the life-or-death struggle during the survival of the fittest in the struggle for survival of the fittest.

--This is the wonder of nature.

Defeat, kill, eat, and then become stronger.

He could sense that the life inside the iron urn was gradually disappearing.

A new power was being born within his bat body; this was the divine power of the Blessed Holy Blood, a sign that his spirit and body had become even stronger after his near-death experience.

But

Why do I always have this vague feeling of unease inside?

Leonardo, think about it, why is that?

Did they win too easily?

No! That's not right!

No one can survive unscathed in the Scarlet Mist.

The sheer joy my baby insects exuded as they devoured flesh and blood didn't lie.

But why am I still so uneasy?

Am I afraid? Afraid that Mary Stuart will take her anger out on me?

Just because I killed this insignificant nobody?

Just because of such a trivial matter?

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

At this thought, Leonardo appeared from the red mist—

He came to Jiang Xueming's corpse, wanting to remove that repulsive V-shaped mask and take a good look at his enemy's blood-soaked and emaciated face.

"I'll slash your face! You're a slut, even more despicable than a teddy bear! I won't allow Mary to see your corpse intact! I'll whip your body! Only then can I truly vent my anger!"

A "click" sound.

The helmet, riddled with bullet holes, was lifted.

Leonardo witnessed a scene he couldn't comprehend.

It's probably a mystery he'll never understand in his lifetime.

Beneath layers of bulletproof armor, a young, delicate face was revealed, drained of all color and devoid of any vitality.

This face looks very familiar, very familiar.

It was completely different from what Leonardo had imagined and hoped for.

That face belonged to a doorman, Leonardo's personal doorman.

Those who belong to the noble class and are not yet nobles, but have not undergone the blood-bestowing ceremony.

Leonardo vaguely remembers that the owner of this face was first run over by a truck, his head like a baseball hit with all his might, long gone.

But why--

--Would he be here?

Driven by instinct and curiosity, he looked down the neck of the body.

The doorman still had clearly visible white marks on his throat, and his new skin was almost glued to his clothes. His bones and scales looked like they were fitted together with steel nails and tenons, making him completely unable to move.

The spine at the back of her head was supported by a poplar sapling, which burrowed into the ground along the skirt armor, preventing her from falling even when subjected to fierce gunfire.

The Universal Elixir flowed through the tubes of the armor, constantly prolonging the life of this burning flesh.

Leonardo's face turned deathly pale--

He had never seen such a bloody and cruel scene.

"Heartless!"

"Cold-blooded!"

"Completely inhuman!"

He twisted and went berserk, trying to reclaim his spirit and rescue his beloved noble offspring, but was immediately stopped by the doorman's frantic head-shaking.

The doorman's throat, vocal cords, and mouth were all sewn shut with layers of silk thread.

As the Scarlet Mist insects gnawed through the silk threads, the doorman, on the verge of death, opened his weary eyes wide and let out a dry, hoarse wail.

"The General Affairs Department cannot leave my body; your spiritual power cannot leave!"

Leonardo was stunned. "Why!"

"Perhaps the enemy anticipated this long ago. They figured out a way to kill you." The doorman said tremulously, "There are bombs inside my body, made of homemade explosives with lead-zinc alloy casings and silver-plated outer layers. They're not very powerful, and I can tell the amount of explosives. They're in the hinged compartments of this iron suit—all the fluids in my body have been drained, and I've lost a lot of weight. The detonators for these explosives have been removed. If you pull out the blood vessels in my body and remove the [Scarlet Mist], we'll both die."

Ohhhhh! My God!

Leonardo covered his face with his hands, almost in tears.

"Could it be this guy! Could it be this guy! Could it be this despicable and hateful guy?"

The doorman nodded, looking as if he were ready to die.

"General Affairs, I'm afraid you'll have to drain me dry to widen the gap between the hinges, preventing the mercury fulminate from exploding immediately when the blood vessel is removed. Only then can you escape safely from here."

"Mary! Mary Stuart!" Leonardo's eyes were bloodshot, his huge, bat-like eyes filled with deep-seated hatred. "What kind of living devil have you messed with?!"

That being said, Leonardo never stopped drawing blood.

He had to do this if he wanted to survive.

He experienced the humiliation of being manipulated.

He finally understood why Jiang Xueming had such audacity to drive alone into the large manor in South Sea City —wait a minute.

Is he really a person?

The bone-chilling cold awakened Leonardo.

At this moment, his physical body was fixed in front of the doorman, the decoy target, as vulnerable as an infant.

As he extracts blood, his brain processes information at an accelerated pace.

--Is Jiang Xueming really the same person?

He was willing to abandon such powerful armor, even leaving his main weapon here, just to lock me in front of this green space?

Is he able to aim and fire while driving?

In the video, he repeatedly said, with tears in his eyes—

--I must come alone, all by myself, to seek justice.

No! He didn't come alone seeking revenge!

He never tells the truth!

I'm afraid what the doorman said was also false!

It was Jiang Xueming who aggressively intimidated and bribed the doorman to force him to understand and cling to life! It was a fabricated lie!

If I really suck the blood out of this decoy bomb, that's exactly what that bastard wants, isn't it?!

How could such a complexly designed bulletproof armor possibly contain intricately constructed homemade explosives?

This blatant lie! Trying to fool me Leonardo! It's utterly ridiculous!

Thinking of this.

Leonardo suddenly summoned his spirit.

The doorman's face changed drastically, and his whole body trembled as the blood vessels were being pulled out.

"General Affairs?! General Affairs!"

His body, due to blood and fluid loss, emitted a terrifying "squeaking" sound, like the eerie hiss of air being sucked out of a rubber toy.

At that moment, Leonardo smiled contentedly.

This clumsy trick couldn't fool him at all; he won again.

He always wins.

Fifty-six meters away.

The leeward side of the gargoyle sculpture.

Xue Ming, dressed in thin clothes, poured icy cold water over his head.

In this terrible cold snap, her body has begun to show signs of hypothermia.

Her core temperature had dropped to twenty-two degrees Celsius, and her blood flow had begun to slow down, yet she was still able to avoid the vampire demon's eyes and nose.

Her amazing willpower allowed her to hold on until this second, and she was able to give orders to Xiao Qi, who was further away, via radio.

"Right angle, right timing, right character -- press the blue one first, then the red one."

In order of appearance--

--The explosives hidden in the doorman's stomach sent Leonardo flying into the air, hurtling backwards towards the courtyard gate.

The intense light and loud noise illuminated the entire fortifications of South Sea City.

Twenty-four defense personnel were still inspecting the twisted and deformed cab and cabinet doors of the truck, while swarms of security escorts loomed overhead like dark clouds.

The Godfather, flying backwards, smashed open the solid chrome-molybdenum alloy steel gate, propelling the truck one step further into the mansion reception hall of Chaderton Castle.

Leonardo had lost consciousness. His soul power was like that of a mosquito swatter, shattering and scattering in the impact of a small amount of plastic explosive. Even his strong blood bat body was trapped in Gate of Death.

He slumped in the truck's rhomboid metal frame, staring at the crisscrossing wiring, the dense black erasers, and the fist-sized clumps of plastic, and suddenly understood something.

"Run!--" a vampire defense commander howled in anguish, "Run!"

Their bodies twisted and deformed instantly, strong fleshy membranes bursting out from their dark red dresses, as if they were flapping their wings and flying into the sky.

Although the transformation is very fast, it's much easier than the pre-transformation animation of the magical girl next door.

But compared to the shockwave and shrapnel of a bomb, it was far too slow.

The whole of Chaderton Fort was shaken.

A massive fireball hurtled upwards, destroying the castle's west wall. The shockwave sent countless shards of metal flying, riddling the patrolling Bat Soldiers 150 meters in the air with holes.

The tranquil coastline in the distance was rippled by the powerful explosion.

Jiang Xueming lay prone behind the statue in the front courtyard as an observation post. This position was far too close to the epicenter of the explosion. Her body was cut by the flying sand and stones, and the shockwave of the explosion shredded the entire statue. She rolled down to avoid it, looking disheveled. Her sternum and abdomen felt like they had been hit by invisible fists a dozen times. When she stood up again, the flames from the lion bone that had been destroyed in her hand brought back some warmth to her body.

Xiao Qi rushed back to her employer's side immediately and returned the waiter's warm clothing to Xue Ming.

Xue Ming, in her female form, only coughed violently a few times, spitting out the stagnant blood from the capillaries in her lungs. After a single Universal Elixir, she was completely refreshed.

The blood rain from the sky had just begun to fall.

The white marble of the clock tower has turned a coppery red, a color of iron and blood.

Xiao Qi shrugged. "Shouldn't we say something?"

Xue Ming took Xiao Qi's hand and gently kissed the back of it.

Welcome!

Mary Stuart sat on the rooftop of the Grand View Garden, on the east side of the castle wall.

The black tea in the cup was at just the right temperature.

A scalding hot eyeball fell from the sky.

It has crystallized and been fired into a glass-like substance.

But it's easy to recognize.

--It's Leonardo's eyes.