Arcane: 4 of Spades - Beast Walker

Ji Xun had caused such a huge commotion that the middle-aged man in seat 11 of the last carriage could no longer pretend to be asleep.

What was more, after the gunshot, several Spell Card Masters had rushed toward him.

Anyone would instinctively assume: These guys were coming for me.

That shot just now was clearly the enemy's signal to make their move!

Strike first!

The middle-aged man was extremely decisive. Seeing the enemies closing in, he suddenly sprang up and lightning-fast seized the assassin who had approached the seat first. In that instant, his originally withered arm suddenly swelled with knotted muscles, bursting through his clothes. With terrifying strength, he crushed the assassin's bones in one grip.

"Ah!"

Crack, crack. Bones splintered as assassin Xiao Wu screamed miserably, cold sweat instantly covering his forehead.

He could not understand why the attacker's speed and strength were so terrifying.

Rose, who had arrived a moment later to support him, saw her teammate severely injured in a single exchange. Her facial expression changed sharply, and she was equally astonished. That guy had such a powerful companion?

She did not bother with the gunman who had already lost the target. Saving her teammate came first!

Since an accomplice had appeared, she also believed that what the group was looking for had to be on this stronger man.

She drew a card and aimed it at the middle-aged man who had suddenly erupted, silently shouting, "Dream Release!"

A white six-pointed star lit up on the back of the card. The card dissolved into specks of white light, and a mental shockwave swept toward the middle-aged man.

Dream Release Cards were a common method used by Mental Type Spell Card Masters. It was an area attack that could make targets drowsy.

Even if it could not control an enemy, it could still slow their thoughts.

There was nowhere to evade in the carriage, and this attack struck the middle-aged man squarely!

Yet before Rose could make another move, utter horror appeared in her bright eyes.

She had never imagined that her action would not only fail to save anyone, but would instead release an even more terrifying demon!

In the darkness, she saw the middle-aged man struck by the mental spell suddenly open eyes glowing beast-red. An indescribably terrifying presence swept through the entire carriage.

She did not know that the middle-aged man had originally still retained enough reason to barely suppress the spell power on the verge of losing control.

At this moment, because his mind had been hypnotized, his spell power completely lost control!

The instant his spell power went out of control, the middle-aged man's bones crackled and split. The muscles all over his body knotted and expanded, and his body visibly ballooned. At the same time, black fur rapidly grew over his exposed skin, fangs protruded from his mouth, and his face swiftly became beastlike.

In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged man transformed from a human into an Adamantine Black Ape nearly three meters tall!

Dark Element swirled around his body like blazing flames, and his aura suddenly rose severalfold.

The black ape had completely lost control and possessed no reason whatsoever. It crushed assassin Xiao Wu's arm, and the scent of blood only further provoked its savagery.

Its other hand grabbed Xiao Wu's thigh. With a roar, it tore outward with both hands. With a wet rip, blood sprayed everywhere as it literally ripped the assassin in half!

Just then, the hunters in the carriage, who had been caught off guard by the Concussion Grenade, recovered and activated various emergency lights, illuminating the entire carriage.

In an instant, hundreds of pairs of eyes witnessed the terrifying black ape committing murder.

Fortunately, someone had drawn the monster's aggro. The hunters hurried toward carriage 15 to take shelter.

Before the black ape, Rose was splashed full in the face by scalding blood, her lovely face drained of color in fright.

She had never imagined things would turn out this way. Her teammate had died after just one exchange?

But they were all professional mercenaries who lived on the edge of a blade. She reacted instantly, rubbing one hand together as five cards appeared in her grip. "Arcane: Nightmare Devour."

There was no point concealing any techniques now.

She knew perfectly well that if she did not control this monster, she would certainly die too!

In an instant, a needle-like mental assault stabbed toward the Adamantine Black Ape through the vast carriage.

The black ape seemed to have been struck in the mind by a heavy hammer. It clutched its head and let out a thunderous roar.

The motion flung around severed limbs and corpses, splashing blood throughout the carriage.

If it had been an ordinary person, this mental spell would have either killed them or severely wounded them.

But this was already a mutated monster that had lost control!

That attack did not kill the black ape.

At this moment, its eyes held only terrifying, needle-sharp brutality!

Thump, thump, thump.

The black ape violently hammered down with both arms. The surrounding tables and chairs exploded with a crash into countless wooden splinters, scattering through the air and rattling against every part of the carriage like a torrential downpour.

Mental Type professionals were inherently frail in body. Rose wanted to flee, but it was already too late.

She was about to die on the spot!

Then, suddenly, thud, thud, thud. A string of heavy footsteps pounded across the floor. A tall figure in Serpent Scale Heavy Armor charged into the battle, wielding a sword in each hand. He slashed one sword at the black ape.

The force of that strike was immense. The sound of tearing air flashed past in an instant, and visible ripples spread across the blade.

But the result fell short of expectations.

With a crisp clang, as though he had struck hard granite, the longsword only cut a shallow bloody wound across the black ape's waist.

The heavy-armored warrior was startled as well.

Before he could consider why the target was so powerful, the black ape's heavy fist came crashing down. He could only hastily raise his sword to block.

Another muffled boom rang out, and he flew backward like a cannonball.

The black ape's strength stunned everyone nearby.

The heavy-armored warrior slammed into the wall. Without even time to catch his breath, he charged forward again.

Both man and ape possessed immense strength. The iron frames of the carriage seats were like paper before them, shattering at the slightest impact.

Several Blackwater Mercenaries who had arrived one after another also swarmed in.

In the blink of an eye, the members of the Blackwater Mercenary Group were locked in a fierce battle with the black ape, and the commotion grew increasingly outrageous.

From the moment it began, the battle in the last carriage was like an ignited barrel of explosives, immediately escalating to its most intense level.

The hunters were initially deeply shocked by the unexpected scene.

But since the trouble was not aimed at them, once they recovered, they began watching from far away.

"Ace of Spades - Black Knight Professional Sequence, plus that iron-scaled serpent armor... So that's Blackwater Mercenary Group squad captain 'Iron Fist' Rock."

"Tsk, tsk. I was wondering who had so little regard for the rules that they dared make a move on a train. Turns out it was Blackwater's people. Do those mercenaries really think that just because they have the Upper City's noble lords backing them, they can do whatever they want in Sinless City?"

"Exactly. When we boarded earlier, I heard Blackwater's people wanted the train to stop running, claiming they had orders from The Great Figure. Hah, ptooey! To hell with The Great Figure!"

"..."

The hunters had never thought much of mercenaries who only recognized money. Since this group had recently been getting close to the Upper City nobles, the hunters despised them even more.

Watching those mercenaries get beaten up, not only did no one intend to help, they watched coldly and continued pointing and commenting.

In an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, Ji Xun, who had blended into the crowd amid the chaos, put away the Ancient Relics Clown Mask card and quietly joined the spectators.

It seemed his plan of diverting trouble had worked.

When the carriage had plunged into darkness earlier, he had used Shadow Dive to merge into the shadows and instantly evade all sensory locks.

His original plan had been to jump off the train amid the chaos, but looking at the situation now, it seemed unnecessary.

This test had confirmed that the man really was the vicious criminal wanted at Cross Camp.

And his combat power was ferocious beyond expectations.

He had killed that assassin in just two exchanges?

Tsk, tsk. That had been a formal Spell Card Master who had already advanced.

With that level of strength, it seemed Blackwater Mercenary Group's people would not get any advantage.

No.

They might even suffer total annihilation!

Since he did not have to jump off the train, naturally, he would not.

Ji Xun watched the Heavy Armor Knight fighting fiercely in carriage 16, seeing the combat power of a formal Spell Card Master for the first time.

So strong. Was this really power a human could possess?

He marveled repeatedly, estimating that 'Iron Fist' Rock's Strength Value was probably over 10.

But the black ape was clearly even stronger, with at least twice Rock's strength!

As he heard more from the people around him, Ji Xun became curious as well: Why was this black ape so powerful?

In the blink of an eye, the exposed black ape hammered several more Blackwater Mercenaries to death.

Almost every punch inflicted severe injuries.

The Heavy Armor Knight could only barely hold on thanks to his full suit of heavy armor, but he too was repeatedly smashed flying and brutally beaten.

The battle had not lasted long before defeat was certain.

The Blackwater Mercenary Group was unpopular among hunters, and no one had helped them from beginning to end.

In other words, once these people died, there would be no more threat on the train.

Thinking this, Ji Xun patiently continued watching the show.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that this Adamantine Black Ape had been transformed from a human. He was also amazed that this creature could be so absurdly powerful.

The hunters clearly knew more.

As they watched the fierce battle, they began discussing it critically.

"What's the background of that beastified black ape? It looks like the 4 of Spades - Beast Walker sequence? But this guy is clearly also a First Rank Spell Card Master. How could his combat power be so terrifying that he has 'Iron Fist' Rock completely unable to fight back?"

"A physical mutation from losing control naturally breaks through the limits of the human body. It makes sense that he'd be somewhat stronger."

"This is more than just somewhat stronger, all right?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be 'Lone Wolf' Baron, the one wanted by the camp for murder and robbery. I didn't believe before that a low-rank Spell Card Master could wipe out a small camp alone. But seeing this now... Hiss. He really is brutal."

"Spell power out of control. It should not be anyone else. But how could he be this outrageously strong? Could it be because of that Ancient Relics?"

"Oh? So Blackwater Mercenary Group was interested in that Ancient Relics too? They've run into a hard target this time, hahaha."

"..."

The crowd's conversation abruptly shifted.

In the hunters' eyes, the Blackwater Mercenary Group had probably clashed with this man over that relic.

Mercenaries already had a poor reputation. On top of that, they had broken the rules by fighting on the train for personal gain, so no one wanted to help them even more.

Even the several Hunter's Guild experts who had rushed over did not intend to intervene.

They were clearly waiting for the two sides to reach a result before stepping in to control the situation.

Fighting on a train broke the rules regardless of the reason, and the consequences were severe.

If they got killed, they deserved it!

Fortunately, the carriage had thick armor, or the battle inside might have torn the train apart.

The black ape was indeed savage. Ordinary mercenaries were almost one punch apiece before it.

The battle soon neared its end.

To prevent the battle from affecting other carriages, the train staff raised an armored barrier in carriage 14.

Ji Xun did not see the latter half of the battle.

After a huge bang sounded from inside the carriage, there was no more movement.

But he did see the outcome.

Once the armored barrier was removed, the train staff entered to clear the scene.

Before long, the barely alive 'Iron Fist' Rock was carried out on a stretcher and taken to the medical room. They probably needed a living witness to account for the incident.

Carriages 15 and 16 were already a complete mess, with corpses all over the floor.

With no one helping them, the Blackwater Mercenary Group had only a dozen or so people to begin with. After the black ape's violent pounding, only this one remained alive.

Ji Xun squeezed through the crowd, carefully examining the corpses on the ground.

The assassin had been torn in half. The Mental Type brown-haired woman's head had been crushed by a single punch from the black ape. Even the person from before who seemed to possess a heightened sense of smell had been beaten so hard by the black ape that his chest had caved in...

They were all trackers Ji Xun had seen before.

Seeing this, Ji Xun finally let out a complete sigh of relief.

From the current situation, nearly all of the Blackwater Mercenary Group's people on the train were dead.

Even if 'Iron Fist' Rock survived, it would not matter much.

The sensory-type trackers Ji Xun had been worried about were all dead, and the crisis was suddenly resolved.

Having seen that, he could finally watch the excitement at ease.

Where the iron door at the rear of the carriage had originally been was now a torn hole. The black ape was nowhere to be seen.

The train administrators were using iron plates to patch the hole.

"Boss, what do we do with these bodies?"

"Throw them off the train. Keep a few for those Blackwater Mercenary Group people to claim themselves. Remember to treat them with Alchemical Potion. Be careful they don't turn into corpse mutants."

"Yes."

Several train workers collected the corpses of the Spell Card Masters, while the remaining mercenary corpses were thrown down.

These few corpses would serve as "evidence," so they were left in the carriage.

Before long, the carriage was mostly cleaned up. The passengers from carriages 15 and 16, who had previously crowded into other carriages, returned as well.

Though the seats were gone, the hunters did not mind. They sat on the floor, those who played cards continuing to play cards, and those chatting continuing to chat. The place remained lively.

But a pair of eyes fell upon the iron box holding corpses in the corner of the carriage.

Corpses.

They were good things.

Ji Xun watched the uncontrolled spell power leaking from the box, his eyes shifting as he surveyed the surroundings before walking over.

With the crowd providing cover, and the light in this corner having been damaged and left unrepaired, he pretended to rest in the darkness and used Feast Devour.

As soon as he did, Extraordinary Trait continuously flooded into his body.

"You used Feast Devour. Constitution +0.003"

"You used Feast Devour. Strength +0.005"

"You used Feast Devour. Toughness +0.0009"

"You used Feast Devour. Water Element Affinity +0.04"

"..."

Even though these Spell Card Master corpses had been treated, the spell power leaking from them was far less than when they had first died.

But compared to the Card Master Apprentices he had encountered in the Alternate Dimension before, they were still vastly stronger.

The journey still had several hours to go, so Ji Xun sat beside the box, quietly devouring.

While Ji Xun devoured the Extraordinary Trait left behind by the corpse, the Hunter's Guild escorts in Carriage No. 1 gathered together to discuss the earlier incident.

"There was clearly residual cataclysmic aura in Carriage No. 16. It seems Lone Wolf Baron really brought out that relic he found at the Silver Moon Altar."

"Without containment, that Ancient Relic's cataclysm rating could be very high."

"Unfortunately, the Adamantine Demon Ape was too alert after transforming. The moment we got close, he jumped off the train and fled."

"I didn't expect the Blackwater Mercenary Group to find Baron first. Strange... could they be after that relic too?"

"Perhaps it wasn't the Blackwater Mercenaries' idea."

"You mean the Cao Family, the Governor's family?"

"Yes. Earlier, people from the Blackwater Mercenary Group came to see me and wanted to suspend the train's departure. They were evasive and wouldn't say why. I didn't understand it at the time. News just came from the camp that someone cleared Dimension 407 with an S-rating. Perhaps that is related as well."

"407? I heard that space produced quite a few rare materials and cards, but it was extremely difficult. Someone actually cleared it?"

"Yes. We still don't know the specifics. Demon Cross hasn't sent any more detailed intelligence either. But the Blackwater people really were searching all over the camp for something. Now it seems Baron might be connected to Dimension 407 as well."

"Whoever it was, fighting on the train broke the rules. Notify the guild headquarters."

"..."