Painkiller: The Terror Killer

Foreword:

Even a bullet fired from its sheath couldn't match her speed.

Terrifying screams followed wherever it went.

--Judas the Judas

[Part 1: The Magic Contract]

A new day has begun.

The sun, like an orange-yellow egg, crawled out of the bottomless abyss of the Pompeii Sea, and the sky and earth began to turn blue and white.

After the storm subsided, a pleasant hibiscus scent lingered in the air of Huacheng Bay. It mingled with the aromas of food emanating from the morning market stalls, drifting into the guest rooms of the Tequila Sunrise Hotel—and into Meteor's nose.

He had a very, very long nightmare--

In my dream, that bloodthirsty hound returned.

He had to flee forward through a narrow, bottomless passage, escaping the jaws of the terrifying wolfhound.

The dream was so real that Meteor could even smell the stench from the wolf's mouth, feel the slight vibrations as its sharp claws scratched the ground, experience the fatigue of running for his life, and hear the mournful cries of his bones squeezing through the walls of a narrow alley.

For a fleeting moment, he turned around and glanced back.

The golden beastly eyes that shone from the shadows grew clearer, and the wolfhound's features distorted and shifted with the thin mist in the environment, for a fleeting moment even transforming into the face of 3301—

No! This can't be real!

Meteor felt a chill run down her spine, cold sweat pouring down her face. Would this demon also transform into the image of her beloved to lure its prey?

He couldn't worry about that; the brain's energy consumption during sleep simply couldn't support complex thinking activities—as an aside, the brain's energy consumption wasn't that high even when he was awake.

Until he ran to the end of the alley, he bumped into a huge mirror.

As the image in the mirror became clearer, he saw a snow-white wolfhound with a look of panic on its face, just like his own disheveled state, huddled in front of the mirror with its tail between its legs, trembling.

The next second, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

--The impact to my body caused me to fall from the bed to the floor, and I woke up completely.

A strong stench emanated from his mouth and nose, Bu Liuxing felt a bitter taste on his tongue, and his whole body felt weak and sore.

Memories flooded back, and I recalled the fierce battle I fought with the devil Fret last night, only to suffer a humiliating defeat in the end.

Did I lose?

Meteor muttered to himself, propping up his weak and powerless body, and leaned against the bedside to observe the room's surroundings.

He didn't die, just as Fret said—only living commodities have value; the dead General of Tears is nothing but a pile of rotten flesh.

Judging from the room's decor, this is still the Tequila Sunrise Hotel, only the room has changed—it looks more like a lounge in a private library.

He had just fallen from a narrow, low makeshift bunk in the break room. The fall left him dizzy and disoriented, making him somewhat incredulous—was this fragile body truly the same as his rugged and resilient one?

What's wrong with me? Why?

Meteor hugged his knees, struggling to pull his numb lower limbs to his front. With great difficulty, he finally managed to fully activate his blood circulation, and his slow heartbeat gradually returned to a normal frequency.

He looked at his hands; one palm was swollen and red, a wound left by Fret's Freeze Trick that hadn't fully healed yet.

At that moment, a familiar yet hateful voice rang out.

"The way you sleep is like a work of art." The devil sat motionless in front of the book registration desk.

Meteor was startled and looked up, clinging to the bed frame to see what was happening.

The red-skinned, black-haired demon leaned against the table, facing the sunlight directly.

Fret wore gold-rimmed glasses and a white top hat, and changed into a one-shoulder robe that revealed his bright red chest, giving him a strangely alluring look.

He gently lifted a thick book catalog, his other hand brazenly leaning against the windowsill. A thrush flew in from the flowerbed on the first floor; the lovely creature of nature, unafraid of this devil, simply perched on his fingertip.

"Watching your wounds gradually heal, your breathing becoming calmer, and your vital signs growing stronger is a pleasure," Fret described it this way. "Like a rusty old object being gradually restored, becoming shiny and new, you regain your vitality once again— General of Tears, perhaps this is the beauty of life."

"I suddenly had an unrealistic idea."

Meteor didn't intend to make a move here. Even though his brain hadn't fully recovered, he could still remember how he was injured.

The source of the disaster was a contract, specifically the signature on the hotel booking agreement.

Anyone who attacks Fret Caesar will be punished thirteenfold—and that's just one of the terms.

If he couldn't break the contract, he wouldn't be able to harm Fret in the slightest.

Bu Liuxing asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"We have another bet to make today," Fret Caesar decided, deciding to be frank and stop with the riddles. "It was Lady Goelia who set this up—you are now my slave."

"We can throw a match; that's how it was originally planned."

"You lose to me, and then I resell you to Gloria; it's a happy ending for everyone."

Meteor interrupted, "You're afraid to bet with me? So you're going to tamper with the housing contract?"

"Of course!" Fret said shamelessly, "What businessman wants to take on risky investments? Everyone wants to make a profit—stealing and cheating are legitimate business practices, especially since you signed the contract yourself. General of Tears, you have to admit defeat."

Meteor didn't answer; he wanted to leave quickly and headed towards the library door.

Fret did not stop them, but watched all of this quietly with a smile.

When Meteor's hand touched the doorknob, he felt a tingling, itchy sensation all over his body. The feeling of being electrocuted suddenly struck him, making him feel weak and powerless. He was jolted back a few steps by the electric shock.

"Without the master's order, a slave may not leave." Fret produced a thick contract, his bright red fingernails moving to the specific clauses.

Undeterred, the meteor grabbed a ladder from the library and began smashing it against its head, attempting to end its life prematurely.

However, the movement of swinging the ladder was distorted halfway through, and the ladder was put back.

"You must not destroy your master's property, including the life of a slave, as that is also part of the property." Fret said with a grin, "Useless, useless, useless, useless! General of Tears, you are already imprisoned and have become my plaything."

The meteor remained silent, its face showing shock.

After doing this set of radio calisthenics, his mind started to race, and he even had a slight sense of enlightenment.

If Fret Caesar could control the slaves' behavior, why did he fight them to the death in the suite last night?

Once Fret finishes reading the terms, Bu Liuxing will have no choice but to surrender.

The answer is likely to be absurd and bizarre—this contract is like a ritualistic spell, a unique power possessed only by the devil. As long as the devil cannot recall its specific terms or remember its rules and regulations, it will be difficult to control the slaves.

Fret could certainly rattle off simple and easy-to-remember rules like "thirteenfold retribution" anytime, anywhere.

However, other detailed rules and regulations had to be enforced by the slaves through contracts—this Madness Index was off the charts, probably couldn't even remember what was written on the magic contract.

[Part ②: A Bird Startled by the Bow]

Although Meteor had only a superficial understanding of spellcasting, he was very interested in the demons themselves, an astral being.

This creature is closely related to the Original Seed and is similar to the Flash Butterfly [Deva· Pher Grey Butterfly]. Natural life tends to gravitate towards the devil, which is a phenomenon of being close to the source of life, and also makes Homo sapiens susceptible to the devil's seduction.

They are beautiful and strong, possess extraordinary sexual appeal, abundant energy, and exceptional artistic talent. Apart from their fondness for human flesh trading, they have almost no flaws, are not bound by the moral concepts of the human world, and are more like a divine incarnation living in the material world.

"You want me to obediently follow your arrangements?" Meteor seemed to have no choice but to wait and see.

Fret winked at her. "That's right, don't hurt yourself. I'll be heartbroken; selling yourself at a loss isn't a good thing."

Meteor: "What if I disagree?"

"The master doesn't care about the slave's feelings. You are my property. If you have a strong urge to self-destruct, it can only become a bargaining chip for me," Fret pointed out. "For example, when I'm negotiating with Gloria, if the price she asks for is too outrageous, I will also try to threaten her."

This devil just openly revealed his negotiation strategy.

"For example, sending you back to the embrace of Ming De would make things difficult for everyone, and Judas wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully either."

"For example, I'd give you freedom, let you go to the port and cause a Heaven and Earth Turning."

"Of course! That was just a harsh remark I made for Gloria, don't take it seriously. I won't do business at a loss."

Meteor sighed, thinking to himself, "That Fret is really a scoundrel. Even with his colleagues in the Judas camp, he has to deal with all this conflict of interest. The employees of the Guiyi Sect are always scheming against each other. Their lives must be too tiring."

Just then, the manager, Man Yin, rushed in without even knocking or greeting him.

Fret yelled, "Honey! Don't you have any manners at all? Don't you understand basic politeness?"

"I'm so sorry! My dear boss! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Man Yin's face still bore the mark of Flavia's Soul Fist, and his cheeks were swollen with pustules. "Some strange things happened last night, and your scout spell, Gargoyle, wrote this report—I felt something was amiss, so I rushed here to see you as soon as I regained consciousness!"

Fret made no attempt to avoid suspicion, opening the letter in front of Meteor.

--The Tequila Sunrise Hotel is his magic workshop, just like John Berger's Terror Artist back then.

These demonic lairs have sophisticated early warning systems and a complete set of spiritual medium tools for the demons themselves, with gargoyle detection being a crucial part of these systems.

They are often based on one or six gargoyles as catalysts, and invite knowledgeable demons from the Netherworld to serve as part-time supervisors, recording all the psionic reactions that occur near the demon's lair. The gargoyles that detect spells can record the psionic tides generated by nearby spells - which is also a very advanced psionic monitoring system.

"Let me see."

Fret pushed up his glasses and looked closely.

"Mtf is so close to my magic pool?"

"The Spirit Ritual, a communication technique with the dead (a ritual magic used by Jason Megan to reconstruct the flesh and blood of the Nightwalker)."

"Nocturne Requiem (a soothing incense burner magic trick used to comfort the suffering of the deceased, requiring no chanting)."

"Preparation of the Initiation Ritual Materials (Preparing to summon Shali Knight; awakening the catalyst and inspiring spiritual light before the ritual)."

"Possessed by a heroic spirit? Someone's causing trouble near my magic pool!? (High-level Possession Magic)"

"Magic Power armor, Magic Power weapons, and dark magic? (Shali Knight's rare robes, enchanted using a catalyst, borrowing the psionic energy of heroic spirits.)"

"Beast communication? Can enemies summon monstrous beasts? (While possessing Jason Megan's body, Ms. Shali silently read this magic spell, mistakenly believing that this lapis lazuli was the wolf mother's child.)"

"Spiritual Frenzy (a prerequisite spell for Shali to activate alchemical substrates for creating chimeras), Astral Creature Summoning (a natural summoning spell for the Chimera)."

"Pyroxene Spell? Brilliant Spark?"

When Fret read about Ms. Shali's amazing skills, he scoffed.

"Who did I think it was? Turns out it's just an old woman with a damaged spirit and terrible talent."

Both being Blue Stone People from the Academy of Magic, Fret possessed an inherent arrogance and pride. Even with the Black Night Queen still alive, her strongest spells could not completely kill her Soul Artifact Dad.

"Origin Magic: Summoning Technique of the War King (Spells involving the elemental essence of the Original Seed are called Origin Magic)"

Before he could finish speaking, the great devil couldn't sit still any longer.

The demons among the gargoyles recognized Glory's spiritual pressure and had also heard of the terrifying legends of Pandemani. When the spiritual pressure of the Original Seed appeared on the monitoring report along with that of the War King, Fret stammered as he read those words and hurriedly ran out to check on the situation at the Demon Pool.

If the War King really comes to East Horse Port, he must escape back to the Netherworld immediately. With the power of this Yama Queen, no Soul Weapon can withstand her destructive force.

Fret couldn't imagine how close he had come to death last night.

Even bullets fired from their sheaths couldn't match her speed. Terrifying screams followed wherever she went.

The fact that Fret still exists, still lives, and can see the sun over Huacheng Bay is a miracle in itself.

Once the devil left, Meteor was free to move around—he tried touching the doorknob again, and this time, as expected, he didn't trigger the demonic pact and could freely enter and leave the devil's dwelling!

At this moment, Fret Caesar was completely absorbed in the demon pool and had no time to General of Tears's indenture. When the demon stopped the ritual spell brought about by this special talent, the slave was also given a brief respite.

Bu Liuxing didn't rush to run away because his manager, Man Yin, was still waiting at the door.

"General of Tears, please wait a moment." Man Yin maintained his composure. "The boss will be back soon. Your bet with Lady Goelia will proceed as scheduled. If you are hungry or thirsty, I will bring you food and drinks."

For a moment, A Xing didn't know what to say. He couldn't sense any aura of Blood-giving Monster from this manager.

"You're a human being, why are you working for the devil?"

Upon Man Yin suddenly smiled with relief.

"--Because Fret Caesar approves of me, he supports me."

Meteor was utterly confused. "Support you? Support what?"

"I grew up in a remote suburb north of East Horse Port. I was an orphan taken in by the Ceres Monastery from a young age," Man Yin recounted his story. "Because it borders the southeastern interior, years of war displaced me, and the monastery fell into disrepair. Faced with life-or-death situations, even as an immigrant, I had no special privileges. The abbot led me to escape from the war zone and into a refugee camp."

"During years of famine, when there was no food or water, every so often the people in the refugee camp would choose someone to kill and eat."

"When I was chosen by lottery to be a two-legged sheep, the religious leader volunteered to sacrifice himself, and the benefactor who raised me became food in people's stomachs."

"I hate these people, I hate this world. The goddess of fertility will not answer my prayers, will not bless her chosen people—and I have no power to take revenge. So Fret Caesar came to me and signed this contract with me. He helped me kill and avenge, and I became his bed partner, his collection, and his hotel manager."

"I've heard the legends of the Nine Realms, about a god who helps those with courage and hope to change their fate." Manager Man Yin's tone shifted from hopeful anticipation to resentful malice. "But to me, what a selfish and biased evil god! Making the strong even stronger!"

"On the contrary, it is devils like Fret Caesar who are willing to lend a helping hand to us poor wretches dominated by hatred and desire."

Even if I am a treacherous and vicious coward, in the depths of despair, the devil is still willing to lend me a hand.