Looking at the situation on the battlefield, their side currently had the advantage. Lu Hao spent thirty Slaughter Points to restore his Vital Blood to four hundred, and he didn't begrudge the cost. After all, killing a high-level third-rank warrior brought him more than twenty times that amount.
He was just about to help one of the third-rank warriors, hoping to turn the tide by breaking through at one point.
Suddenly, he heard fighting from inside. The sounds drew closer to the exit. Weren't there two fourth-rank warriors fighting in there? Could that Square-Faced Man only look impressive, when he was actually just a Vital Blood warrior? Surely the Detective Bureau wouldn't screw them over like that.
"Everyone, retreat!"
Square-Faced Man's voice rang out from inside. Lu Hao moved back, only then realizing that Square-Faced Man wasn't fighting one fourth-rank warrior, but two.
Square-Faced Man attacked the two fourth-rank warriors, but they defended together. Although both Evil Cult warriors were Vital Blood warriors, together they made it impossible for Square-Faced Man to deal them any serious damage.
"Call for help outside! Tell them there are two fourth-rank warriors here. I can hold them off, but I can't land any effective attacks!"
Square-Faced Man shouted. Everyone else was battling their Evil Cult opponents, leaving Lu Hao as the only one without an opponent. He took out his phone and quickly told his mother what was happening.
His mother said she'd be there soon and told them to hold on. Lu Hao now regretted not telling Viper about the operation. If Viper were here, he only needed to hold off one fourth-rank warrior, and Square-Faced Man could kill the other before dealing with his own opponent.
Lu Hao watched the situation tensely. Suddenly, a scream came from nearby. He saw that an Evil Cult warrior had beaten one of their martial artists so badly that the man had lost an arm.
This was bad. Lu Hao immediately realized that if this third-rank Evil Cult warrior killed his opponent, he'd be free to join the fight elsewhere. As their numbers snowballed, several third-rank warriors might end up attacking Square-Faced Man. Even he wouldn't be able to hold them off.
Or one of the fourth-rank warriors fighting Square-Faced Man could break away and kill the third-rank warriors before they ganged up on him. Even Lu Hao would struggle to stop that.
Lu Hao instantly thought of two possibilities, but neither was good for him.
He glanced at the Vital Blood Square-Faced Man was unleashing. It was only a little higher than Lu Hao's, probably around 120 or 130 units. Square-Faced Man was likely a low-level fourth-rank warrior who had mastered Vital Blood. He'd have no trouble against one opponent of the same rank, but two had him pinned down.
"Senior, I'll handle one! Kill yours quickly!"
Lu Hao shouted, then unleashed a slash and charged at one of the fourth-rank warriors. The opponent saw him coming and circulated his Vital Blood to defend. Square-Faced Man's eyes lit up. He unleashed his Vital Blood and thrust his spear at the other fourth-rank warrior again and again.
Without the second man helping defend, Square-Faced Man naturally broke through his opponent's guard and inflicted serious injuries.
Meanwhile, Lu Hao traded a blow with his opponent. The man staggered back a step. Judging by the Vital Blood he'd unleashed, Lu Hao estimated that it was around ninety units. Lu Hao was stronger, but not by much.
"Hmph. I didn't expect you to be a genius. I wonder how many resources the Bishop will reward me with if I kill you. Hehehe!"
The Evil Cult warrior attacked. Their Vital Blood output wasn't that different, but the man's Vital Blood reserves far exceeded Lu Hao's. He planned to wear Lu Hao down and then kill him.
Lu Hao appeared to swallow a Blood Vitality Pill, but actually put it into Storage Space. Then he used Slaughter Points to fully restore his Vital Blood. He planned to use the third strike of Blood Battle Mad Blade, which could reach the level of a finishing move. It might kill his opponent in one blow.
Lu Hao didn't hesitate any longer. He swung his blade, unleashing only fifty units of Vital Blood. It was the first strike of Blood Battle Mad Blade. The Evil Cult warrior punched at him, knocking Lu Hao back several steps.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He could feel that one of his ribs had broken.
The collision with the first strike had helped absorb some of the punch's force. Otherwise, that blow might have killed Lu Hao. After all, he had only tempered two ribs.
Lu Hao ignored his broken rib and slashed at his opponent again. The second strike reached the level of a trump card, unleashing nearly a hundred units of Vital Blood. This time, their collision was evenly matched, and Lu Hao even knocked the man back several steps.
Lu Hao didn't hesitate. He pressed his advantage, fully restoring his Vital Blood before unleashing the third strike.
"Die!"
As the blade flashed, Lu Hao roared. The strike consumed all his Vital Blood and unleashed nearly two hundred units of force. His opponent could only manage ninety. There was no way he could block it.
The blade cut through the Evil Cult warrior's fist without losing momentum and continued toward his head.
The strike landed, cleaving the Evil Cult warrior's head in two from top to bottom. He was dead.
[Enemy killed. Slaughter Points +1369]
Lu Hao landed nearby, gasping for breath. There wasn't a trace of Vital Blood left in his body. He took out a Blood Vitality Pill and tossed it into his mouth, actually returning it to Storage Space. Then, after spending one Slaughter Point to recover ten units of Vital Blood, he stopped.
He also swallowed a healing pill. After all, he'd just taken a punch from a fourth-rank warrior and didn't know how many ribs he'd broken.
He'd already unleashed a great deal of Vital Blood during the fight—nearly a thousand units. He could still use Blood Vitality Pills to cover that up, but if he'd just spent all his Vital Blood on a powerful move and then immediately recovered it, even an idiot would realize something was wrong.
However, if he faced a life-or-death crisis, Lu Hao would restore himself without hesitation. He could deal with the trouble later. Staying alive mattered most.
Looking at the battlefield, their side now had a clear advantage. Square-Faced Man was close to defeating his fourth-rank opponent, and someone on Lu Hao's side had finally killed one of the third-rank warriors. The man immediately went to help the one-armed fighter. They no longer had to worry about their side's fighting strength collapsing.
Lu Hao rested nearby and took a look at his status panel.
[Slaughter Point System] [Host: Lu Hao] [Vital Blood: 10/496 units] [Spirit: 21/339 Hz] [Storage Space: 1000 cubic meters] [Slaughter Points: 2161]
Without using Slaughter Points, he had no fighting strength left. If he did use them, he'd have to restore not only his Vital Blood but also his spiritual power before he could fight again. The third strike of Blood Battle Mad Blade had consumed far too much spiritual power.
Still, he'd made a fortune this time. This haul was almost enough to finish tempering all his ribs. After that, he could temper one breastbone and reach the middle level of the third rank.
A minute later, Square-Faced Man finally killed his Evil Cult opponent. After glancing at Lu Hao, he hurried off to kill the remaining third-rank warriors.
This Square-Faced Man was so weak. It took him that long to kill his opponent.
Lu Hao couldn't help grumbling. If he reached the fourth rank, he could probably kill fifth-rank warriors too—not just low-level ones. He might even be able to take down a high-level fifth-rank warrior.
Before you continue