Brutal (Second Update)

Inside the warehouse of Grant Clothing Store, Tyr was lean yet powerfully built, his eyes blazing crimson and filled with bloodlust. If Jason had not held him down with all his might, he would have already charged out.

"Jason, how much longer do we have to wait? I'm about to lose control!" Tyr desperately suppressed the roar that was almost bursting from his throat.

"We still have to wait..."

Jason had not even finished his soothing words when the ethereal voice of the 'Wraith' Steve drifted through the surrounding air. "Go do what you want to do! Sharron and the others have already arrived. Indulge yourself and numb them one last time, so they won't retreat at the last moment."

Hearing this, the 'Werewolf' Tyr could no longer control his desire. With a roar, he grew black fur all over his body and sharp fangs in a matter of seconds!

He smashed through the warehouse door with one punch, then reached the residential quarters on the other side of the clothing store in just a few leaps.

Mr. Grant had not yet fallen asleep in the bedroom. He immediately sensed the intense malice. He sprang to his feet, scooped up his sleeping wife, and rolled away from where the bed had been.

Almost the instant they left the bed, a black shadow with hideous fangs burst through the window and pounced on the spot where Mrs. Grant had just been lying.

Mr. Grant rolled to the doorway with his wife in his arms and smashed through it with the robust physique of a 'Corpse Collector.' Just as he was about to continue fleeing, the corner of his eye caught the black shadow vanishing from its original location. In the blink of an eye, it had appeared behind him.

Mr. Grant's pupils contracted sharply. With no time to think, he exerted his strength and crushed the wooden ring he had been wearing on his finger. It was a mystical item that Mr. Brain had given him!

As the ring shattered, a strange Spirit World creature shaped like a shield suddenly descended between Mr. Grant and the black-furred monster in his Spirit Vision, blocking the vicious pounce.

Although the strange Spirit World creature blocked the fatal blow, it could not completely cancel out the enormous kinetic force. A small portion was transmitted through the air to Mr. Grant, sending him flying backward! Even the redwood doors connecting the front and rear of the store failed to stop him. Only after he overturned the counters and more than a dozen clothing racks in the front hall did Mr. Grant finally come to a halt.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood. Such an injury was only a light one for a 'Corpse Collector,' but he dared not delay. He immediately got to his feet and rushed toward the corridor in the rear hall because his wife had still been left behind when he was sent flying!

The next moment, Mr. Grant saw a sight that made his eyes bulge with rage: his wife's slender body was being clutched in the black monster's claws!

Just then, Jane, having heard the tremendous commotion, hurried downstairs in a panic. When she saw the situation on the first floor, she immediately screamed and collapsed onto the floor in fright.

By then, the monster had already used its other claw to tear Mrs. Grant's clothes apart, ripping one of her arms off in the process...

Mrs. Grant had only just awakened and had yet to understand what was happening when she let out a miserable scream. She fainted from the immense pain.

In the warehouse on the other side, just as the Werewolf pounced into the bedroom, Jason suddenly stretched out his hands uncontrollably. His pale face was filled with sinister gloom, and two identical figures faintly materialized in his eyes:

A black court dress, pale-golden hair, exquisite features, and bloodless skin!

Smack!

His arms bent backward, and then he clutched his own neck. His enormous strength made his bones creak as if they could barely withstand the pressure.

This was Miss Sharron, the 'Wraith,' possessing him and launching an attack!

Just as Jason was about to twist his own head off, the warehouse and the courtyard of the clothing store suddenly lit up. Crimson moonlight instantly filled the area.

The strength with which Jason was choking himself rapidly weakened, and he regained control of his body. A figure wearing a small soft cap appeared behind him.

At the same time, the figure of Steve, the 'Vengeful Spirit,' emerged atop the warehouse. In his right hand, he held a shrunken "Full Moon"—a crimson "Full Moon"!

It was a dark-red ornament that constantly radiated a tranquil glow. It was shaped like a Full Moon, with crimson gems set all around it. In the center were a symbol representing the moon and numerous mysterious markings.

Sharron instinctively narrowed her eyes and took two steps back. The illusory, ethereal feeling rapidly faded.

Her legs could no longer support her weight, and she softly collapsed onto the ground.

"The 'Scarlet Lunar Corona'? How did it end up in your hands?" For the first time, surprise flashed through Miss Sharron's beautiful eyes. She then looked at Jason, who seemed not to have recovered yet, and said calmly, "You used it to rapidly recover from your injuries... So this is a trap targeting me."

"That's right. I deliberately exposed myself and let the Mandated Punishers severely injure us. I did it to pretend to be weak and lure you into attacking!" Jason climbed to his feet with a cruel smile and stepped forward, intending to seize and incarcerate Miss Sharron.

But his movements were interrupted by a golden Holy Flame that appeared out of nowhere. Before he could react, Maric, who had been lying in ambush nearby, swiftly rushed in front of Sharron, hoisted her onto his back, and fled. Since they had fallen into the enemy's trap, it was clearly impossible to accomplish anything now. If they did not run, they might truly be unable to escape.

However, his condition was not much better than Sharron's. The malice and desire surging beneath the Full Moon gnawed at his reason, causing the speed he was so proud of as a 'Zombie' to drop considerably. Even so, he gritted his teeth and controlled the Zombies under his Manipulation to hold Jason back temporarily.

Yet before he had taken more than a few steps, he felt something invisible seize his ankle tightly. His calf, arms, chest, and the clothes on his back were all pulled firmly as well! They were vague, transparent figures. Some were incomplete, some were covered in blood, some had charred-black skin, and some were pale and cold.

"Heh heh, I thought you had some hidden trump card, Maric. It turns out you only brought a charm from the Solar High Priest's domain!" Steve stood atop the warehouse as if victory were already in his grasp, chuckling as he gradually restrained Maric with death-related spells.

Maric's expression gradually twisted. He activated another charm, and a clear, pure, warm light descended from the heavens onto the transparent figures around his feet, Purifying them in the blink of an eye.

Unfortunately, the delay had given Jason enough time to break free of Maric's Zombies and catch up again!

In the corridor between the front and rear sections of the store, the 'Werewolf' heard Jane's scream and Mrs. Grant's cries of agony. His twisted mind was filled with satisfying pleasure. He laughed loudly, then suddenly exerted his strength, tearing the nearly naked Mrs. Grant in half!

He lowered his head and licked the blood staining his claw, his face displaying perverse enjoyment.

"Mom! No!" Seeing the horrifying scene, Jane forgot that her legs had gone weak with fright. Weeping bitterly, she crawled toward the Werewolf with both hands and feet, instinctively trying to snatch her mother away.

The 'Werewolf' Tyr once again revealed a cruel smile. Facing the girl who was delivering herself to him, he "kindly" went to meet her.

But at that moment, an angry Ancient Hermes incantation rang beside his ear—"Blue Star"!

This was Mr. Grant's doing. After witnessing his wife's death and seeing that his daughter was about to suffer the same fate, he suppressed his grief and directly activated the Brass Charm, "Words of Confusion," that he had purchased at the Beyonder gathering.

The Werewolf's body suddenly stopped after being struck by the charm. All reason had vanished from his eyes, replaced by absolute madness. The so-called "Words of Confusion" overloaded the rational thought processes of the brain. There had not been much reason left in the Werewolf to begin with, so the result of overloading it again was obvious.

However, the charm had bought Mr. Grant a little time. He picked up Jane and swiftly fled beyond the Werewolf's attack range. As he ran out of the store, he took a copper whistle from his pocket.

Knowing that he could not outrun the black monster, he looked at the copper whistle with a complicated expression. The scene of Mr. Brain handing it to him seemed to flash before his eyes:

As Mr. Brain removed the copper whistle from a ritual altar, he said, "Charlie, this whistle is actually a simplified ritual... a ritual of Sacrifice to the God of Death. Once you blow it, your spirit will return to the Underworld, back to the side of the deity. This is your final resort. If you are discovered by official Beyonders, blow it. Oh, and after you blow it, Demigod-level power will manifest. Although it has no offensive power, it will let me know where you encountered trouble... Of course, if you fall into the hands of another secret organization, you can blow it as well. The Demigod aura will attract official Beyonders to avenge you."

After taking a deep breath, Mr. Grant's gaze became resolute. He would use his own life to fight for a sliver of hope for his daughter! Hopefully, there really were official Beyonders nearby!

The black monster's even more savage roar reached his ears. He no longer hesitated, put the copper whistle between his lips, and blew with all his strength!

Immediately afterward, a vast power descended from the Spirit World. Dense black qi spread across the sky above the clothing store, flowing slowly like smog. It even obscured the crimson Full Moon created by the "Scarlet Lunar Corona"!

Mr. Grant lowered his head and looked at his daughter, whose face was streaked with tears. Feeling his life gradually fading away, he said with deep regret, "It was all my fault. I should have taken the malice seriously when I sensed it last night... Sigh! Jane, afterward, you should go find Bra—"

Before he could finish, his voice had already fallen silent.

Jane stared wide-eyed at the scene, at a loss. Tears streamed down her cheeks once more.

In the store's warehouse, the instant the dense black fog covered the Full Moon created by the "Scarlet Lunar Corona," Miss Sharron and Maric immediately recovered their strength.

Sharron's figure turned incorporeal at once, and the brilliance returned to her azure eyes. She opened her mouth and let out a Shriek!

Jason, who was only a step away, felt as if someone had struck him heavily on the head with a hammer. His vision blurred, his breathing filled with the smell of blood, and everything before his eyes turned scarlet. For a brief moment, his ears rang loudly, and he could no longer hear anything else.

Steve was still suffering the backlash from the destruction of the "Scarlet Lunar Corona" and had not yet recovered.

But neither Sharron nor Maric dared to continue fighting. Not only would the black fog likely dissipate soon, but the commotion caused by a Demigod here would certainly alarm the nearby Saint Wind Cathedral. If they did not leave now, they would be unable to escape.

However, Miss Sharron did not focus solely on saving herself. With the abilities of a 'Wraith,' she clearly knew who had given her a chance at survival. Thus, relying on her strange ability to leap between mirror-like objects, she arrived before a shard of broken glass in front of Jane.

Before Tyr the Werewolf could launch a frenzied attack, she grabbed Jane, whose face was covered in tears, along with Mr. Grant's corpse, and tossed them to the approaching Maric.

Maric caught them with perfect understanding. Using the high speed of a 'Zombie,' he followed the escape route arranged beforehand and swiftly vanished into the night.

Behind them came the unwilling roars of the three members of the Indulgence Faction. However, the three of them did not dare remain for long, nor did they dare pursue Sharron. Doing so would only allow the authorities to wipe them all out. After all, the ones coming to investigate shortly would most likely be Demigod powerhouses!

In the Hillston District, Abner was sleeping when his Spirituality was suddenly stirred, waking him. He puzzledly threw on his clothes and walked out of the bedroom, only to find his teacher standing by the window, staring gravely toward the distant direction of the Cherwood Borough.

"Teacher, what happened?"

"There was... an explosion of Demigod-level power!"

Please continue to support me with recommendations and collections.

Also, thanks to

Reader20210209204951397239962

White Sock Origami

Nine-Headed Golden Crow

Architect233100

Book Friend20180223170437588

for the tips.

(...End of Chapter...)