"Forget it, you have your responsibilities, and I have my job."
Liu Zheng shook his head.
"Besides, there are many people waiting for me to go back."
His strength may be insignificant, but it is the lever that moves everything.
Without him, many things cannot be accomplished.
Furthermore, setting aside whether Metropolis and Hell Game would allow Liu Zheng to stay outside, what is he doing here?
No cell phones, no internet, no air conditioning; aside from some misguided tech development, it's basically a medieval lifestyle.
At least in the Metropolis, he could make phone calls, chat with people, buy erotic magazines at newsstands, and watch DVDs.
Although Liu Zheng doesn't have high material demands, he still needs to live a modern life.
"That's a real shame. However, I still hope I can teach you something before you leave."
Beethoven slowly raised his greatsword, gripping the hilt with his right hand and the butt of the sword with his left, his hands crossed.
This time, however, he no longer pointed the sword tip towards the sky, but held it horizontally forward, like the horn of a rhinoceros.
"Hey!"
Beethoven roared again, this time his voice was even more violent, and his hair and beard bristled.
A thunderous sound erupted from both his mouth and his feet simultaneously; with a single large step, the sword was already in front of Liu Zheng.
Such a breakthrough is almost indistinguishable from the mythical story of shrinking the earth to an inch.
Fortunately, Liu Zheng is also a monster from mythology.
He gripped the Cleaver with all four tentacles and slashed horizontally across the blade.
This proved to be a wise move.
Even when possessing a non-human physique, tentacles made of only cartilage are naturally no match for hard joints.
"Click click click."
A faint sound of bones shifting could be heard from within the tentacles.
However, the greatsword was successfully deflected.
This time, however, Beethoven didn't hold back; instead, he immediately transformed his thrust into a sweeping motion.
The broad blade carried immense force, whipping up a piercing gust of wind, and an overwhelming sense of oppression washed over the user.
"It's really troublesome to encounter this kind of physical monster."
As Liu Zheng continued to parry, he thought to himself.
In Metropolis, the enemies he encountered were either physically stronger than him or possessed bizarre and peculiar mechanics.
As for Cow-Horse, and French Plane Tree, they're not even worth mentioning; their sheer physical strength would be enough to kill them.
As for those strange and unusual mechanics, they don't pose much of a threat to him unless you kill them on sight.
For example, various community security guards and Vampire Girl, although they have all sorts of superhuman strength, they don't have any fighting skills. They are all useless in the face of " Flesh Rebirth " and True Damage.
However, he would have a hard time against someone whose physical strength was similar to Beethoven's, but whose fighting skills far surpassed his.
They couldn't just lie down and take the beating, nor could they rely on objects to crush them.
However, this only fueled Liu Zheng's fighting spirit.
He felt as if he had returned to the time when he was playing with his friends in the orphanage.
"I'd like to see who can hold out longer."
Liu Zheng's four swords simultaneously created afterimages as he wielded his Cleaver's knife in a clash with Beethoven's.
Both the Serrated Cleaver and the silver greatsword were heavy weapons, yet in their hands they were no different from children's play sponge sticks.
The contrast between the terrifying force of the weapons and their relaxed attitude made the onlookers feel so uncomfortable that they almost vomited blood.
The hunter captain secretly rejoiced that he hadn't had a violent confrontation with Liu Zheng.
Otherwise, even if they could delay Beethoven's arrival, the mobile squad would likely suffer heavy casualties.
They were equally astonished by Beethoven's talent.
The " Holy Sword " hunters had never actually seen Beethoven unleash his full power.
Whether in regular training or occasional hunting, Beethoven often only needed to use less than one-tenth of his strength to overwhelm them and those wild beasts.
When encountering the monsters in the Tomiel Dungeon, Beethoven would often use his Moonlight Greatsword to utterly destroy them.
This was the first time they had ever seen Beethoven use ordinary weapons and give it his all.
So powerful, so elegant, and so awe-inspiring.
The " Holy Sword " hunters even began to envy Liu Zheng, wondering why they weren't the ones to bear the weight of Beethoven's supreme and beautiful swordsmanship.
Beethoven himself was equally pleased.
His tall frame possessed a flexibility that defied common sense; every movement was swift and efficient.
After unleashing a slash, his body was already poised for the next strike.
Such function is unlike that of an elderly person on the verge of death, but rather like that of a young person who has just come of age.
But Beethoven's swordsmanship was far more sophisticated than that of the young men. Although his swordplay was continuous, not a single move was superfluous; all of them were aimed at Liu Zheng's vitals and weaknesses.
"Ready, young man? I'm about to accelerate."
He suddenly said.
"Come."
Liu Zheng's answer consisted of only one word.
"Haha, okay."
Beethoven laughed loudly, raised his greatsword above his head again, and then spun down to strike.
Rotate, rotate, rotate.
The " Holy Sword " hunter's standard greatsword seemed to transform into a silver windmill, spinning whirringly in the air.
Forehand, backhand, topspin, backspin.
Four beams of light, centered on Beethoven, hurtled towards Liu Zheng.
In just a few seconds, the greatsword spun more than twenty times, the storm stirred up by the blade even blowing up the sand and gravel on the ground, which were then pulverized in the swirling light.
"Clang clang clang clang clang!"
The clanging of metal echoed in succession, like an impromptu percussion piece.
Liu Zheng's tentacles trembled incessantly. Although the sound of cartilage cracking was masked by the impact, the pain was clearly transmitted to his brain.
If it weren't for the rapid recovery through " Flesh Rebirth," his four tentacles would have been destroyed long ago.
However, under such high-speed attacks, the accumulated damage is so severe that even " Flesh Rebirth " can hardly recover.
The old man in front of them was still accelerating, showing no signs of exhaustion whatsoever; he was even Sheng Meng than the old man who had stored up countless stamina.
"Damn it, does this old guy drink the Blood Vial like they're beverages every day?"
Liu Zheng was speechless.
It seems he underestimated the difficulty of this dungeon. The beasts roaming the streets are indeed just food, but the high-end combatants are still quite formidable.
Moreover, Beethoven hadn't yet used the divine weapon he was backed by, which was guaranteed to be of perfect quality, nor had he Beastification like Father John.
If it were a life-or-death battle, it's hard to say whether he could escape unscathed; he would probably have to expend a lot of his items and reserves of physical strength.
Since the assessment was flawed, the original plan must be revised.
He originally planned to sneak directly into the Church Town to see if he could steal the Blood Gem and the Holy Grail.
If they get caught, then it'll just become outright robbery.
Anyway, the Bloodhealing Church is obviously not a good thing, so there's no psychological burden in robbing them.
It seems we should try negotiating first.
But even in negotiations, you have to demonstrate your strength first.
After all, the weapon of criticism can never compare to the criticism of weapons.
Liu Zheng swung his knife again, blocking Beethoven's strike.
But this time, he only used two tentacles.
Although his strength was slightly greater than Beethoven's, it still couldn't offset the disadvantage of having two tentacles against two hands.
The greatsword, with its immense force, crushed Liu Zheng's tentacles, and the Cleaver was forced back and pressed down on his shoulder.
The pain of the fracture returned, but that was exactly the effect he wanted.
Unless it's a direct limb amputation, a small bone fracture is similar to a ruptured capillary.
The remaining two tentacles clenched into fists and slammed into Beethoven's abdomen.
At the same time, Liu Zheng subtly raised his right leg and kicked towards Beethoven's back of the knee.
The killing move in Xingyi Boxing: Yellow Dog Urinates.
In terms of military strategy, he was just a novice.
In terms of boxing skills, he only had a superficial understanding.
"Oh~"
Sensing the sharp wind rushing from below, Beethoven exclaimed in surprise.
He had never seen such a method of attack before, which fully demonstrated human cunning while also possessing the wildness of animals.
"Bang!"
Beethoven also raised his leg to block Liu Zheng's vicious leg attack, but his abdomen was hit solidly by two tentacles.
A dull thud rang out, and Liu Zheng felt as if he had struck not flesh and blood, but a piece of granite.
After exchanging blows, the two each took a step back, returning to a standoff.
"Young man, you've given me so many surprises."
Beethoven glanced at the mark on his abdomen and said...
The thick hunter's coat did little to protect him from the impact; the penetrating force of the punch struck his body directly.
Although his well-trained body was strong enough to withstand such an attack, he did feel a long-lost, excruciating pain.
"You're not bad either; you'd be qualified to be a Deliveryman."
Liu Zheng reciprocated.
"Hahaha."
Beethoven let out a hearty laugh.
"Should we continue?"
He asked.
"No need, I feel we've had enough of a discussion."
Liu Zheng stretched his cracked shoulder and said.
"Would you like to have a couple of drinks? I still have a few bottles of good wine that I brought from the Kalkaluns Academy."
Beethoven suggested.
Where should we go for a drink?
"Of course I'll Church. Don't worry, I guarantee your safety with my honor and my name."
Beethoven said solemnly.
"Furthermore, High Priestess Amelia also wants to see you. Her wine is even better than mine."
Then, he blinked again.
"Alright, let's go then."
Liu Zheng shrugged.
"Very well, my knights, continue to fulfill your duties."
Beethoven said this to the hunters of the " Holy Sword ".
"Yes, Maestro Beethoven."
The hunters answered in unison.
The hunter captain actually wanted to ask if they needed an escort, but after thinking about it, he realized it was a bit presumptuous of him to do so.
Beethoven and this stranger were traveling together, and they couldn't think of anything that could threaten their safety.
Amidst the reverent gazes of the " Holy Sword " hunters, Beethoven and Liu Zheng walked side by side toward the Church Town.
Xia Kai followed behind them consciously, like a knight's squire.
Yadan Cemetery is actually very close to the Church Town, which is probably why Father John chose to settle his home in this area.
With their combined speed, even with Xia Kai as a burden, they reached the entrance to Church Town in just over ten minutes.
A huge central square.
The central square is the lowest point in the entire Church Town. Above it is the central cathedral, to the right are the Church workshops, and to the left is Old Yate.
There was another fork in the road, blocked by a huge iron gate, obscuring the view beyond.
The square was brightly lit, and countless people dressed in Church hunter outfits walked back and forth.
They were burly, with resolute eyes, well-equipped with weapons, and devout in their faith, enough to keep any ill-intentioned person out of Church Town.
However, when they saw Beethoven arrive, they all bowed their heads in respect.
" Beethoven, welcome back. And who are these two?"
The patrol leader came to greet them.
These are extraordinary times; even those brought by Beethoven must have their identities verified.
Of course, this is also because he is not a " Holy Sword " hunter, but a hunter directly under the High Priestess Amelia.
"This is the person that Archbishop Amelia specifically requested to see."
Beethoven said.
"Please wait a moment, I need to send someone to confirm."
The person in charge said apologetically.
"Of course, it's your job."
Beethoven nodded.
The leader returned to the patrol team and said something to one of the hunters.
The latter nodded and then sped off towards the cathedral.
Soon, he returned to the square and whispered something in the ear of the person in charge.
"Master Beethoven, the Archbishop requests that you proceed directly to the Main Sacrificial Hall."
The person in charge walked up to the three people and said...
"Very good. Thanks for your hard work on patrol."
Beethoven said.
"For the eternal flow of Holy Blood."
The person in charge bowed and said.
The three walked through the patrol and headed towards the cathedral.
The path to the cathedral consisted of a series of steps. By the time they reached the cathedral entrance, Beethoven and Liu Zheng were fine, but Xia Kai was already a little out of breath.
"Your attendant needs some serious training."
Beethoven commented.
"Indeed, if given the chance, let him go to the Sewer and eat more shit."
Liu Zheng agreed with his statement.
Xia Kai looked constipated, but dared not argue.
But beyond his silence, he also felt a sense of anticipation.
If eating shit could make you as strong as a powerful figure, then it might not be entirely unacceptable.
"Uh, that's not what I meant. I meant he could train with those apprentice hunters."
Beethoven said helplessly.
Although he didn't know if what Liu Zheng said was true or false, even if it was true, the idea of becoming stronger by eating shit was still hard for him to accept.
"It depends on whether he wants to or not. I'm a very democratic person."
Liu Zheng said.
"I'll do whatever the boss says."
Xia Kai said decisively.
He was actually a little tempted, since it was definitely safer in the Church Town than in the city.
Moreover, the opportunity to train with hunters is a rare one.
If you could survive in Church Town for ten days or half a month, wouldn't your dungeon rating skyrocket?
"Slurp."
Xia Kai couldn't help but swallow.
"We'll see how things go then."
Liu Zheng glanced at him and said.
Although he doesn't intend to be a nanny, he's still willing to help out with anything he can.
Just like his approach in the Metropolis, having more friends means having more options.
If things work out, I can ask Xia Kai for some items as a referral fee.
However, all of this is predicated on the premise that the communication went smoothly.
If the two sides start playing directly, then there's no point in them training together.
"Let's go in, Archbishop Amelia is still waiting for us."
Beethoven pushed open the massive bronze doors and led the two into the deep cathedral.