Book 3: Chapter 34: Scheming

“Crack!” A thunderbolt echoed from the cloud above the square, and a brilliant flash of lightning as thick as a bucket struck down. The dazzling light made everyone’s vision turn into static.

“Woo…” Gadurot let out a painful cry. By the time everyone’s sight returned, they saw the miserable state of the two-headed dog.

One of Gadurot’s heads on the right had disappeared, as if vaporized by the lightning in an instant, leaving only a charred, carbonized cross-section on the neck.

“What a pity!” Lou Ying spread his pale hands. That ancient bronze mirror had turned into a handful of golden dust, trickling through his fingers.

This Yellow Dragon Mirror was a high-rank consumable spell item, a reward their Leader had obtained from the ancient world of Maoshan. Because they were acting separately in the Phantom Demon World this time, it was given to them as a trump card.

In fact, the power of the Yellow Dragon Mirror was far greater than this. Originally, the two yellow dragons in the mirror would also leap out, turning into two light dragons to attack the enemy alongside the lightning. However, the World Law of the Phantom Demon World greatly suppressed the Yellow Dragon Mirror, resulting in only the thunder and lightning weather attack being activated.

“Ying, well done!” Akechi Samanosuke’s eyes flashed sharply. He shook his hands, put away his samurai sword, and took out two strangely shaped Horse-Cutting Sabers from the Dimensional Space of the Oni Gauntlet. Then he lunged toward Gadurot.

“Roar!” Gadurot struggled to lift its body, opening its mouth to bite at Akechi Samanosuke. But with only one head now, its attack range was much smaller. The Japanese warrior just bent his knees and stepped, leaping onto its iron helmet and heading straight for the wound left by the lightning strike.

“Thud!” Before Akechi Samanosuke’s two Horse-Cutting Sabers even touched Gadurot, a cross-shaped, bloody wound automatically appeared on the carbonized area.

At the same time, an invisible, distorted air shadow swept across the blades of the two Horse-Cutting Sabers. Wind Blades—that was the name of the two sabers. These special weapons were imbued with Wind Element spells, doubling their damage range compared to the actual blades.

“Let’s go!” The Magician and the axe-spear woman from the Phantom Demon camp exchanged a glance, decisively abandoning Matthew and Yoshida Junko, and fled toward another direction of the dock square.

Gadurot was heavily injured, with vulnerabilities exposed at both ends. If they stayed any longer, they would be buried with it. While the two-headed dog hadn’t been completely slain by Akechi Samanosuke, leaving the battle now was the right choice.

“Whew!” Matthew and Yoshida Junko gasped for breath, sweating heavily. They bent over, and on their unseen faces, a trace of resentment appeared. They had just realized that Lou Ying and Pan Hu had used them as bait, as they hadn’t received any support from Akechi Samanosuke during their actions.

The Yellow Dragon Mirror’s spell required over ten seconds to activate. If they hadn’t attracted the attention of the Magician and the axe-spear woman, the enemy could have commanded Gadurot to use a single breath attack to disrupt Lou Ying’s spell, even causing him to suffer a backlash.

The Magician and the axe-spear woman hadn’t expected that the four in front of them weren’t actually a united group, so they never imagined Lou Ying and Pan Hu would use their companions as bait.

Although Matthew and Yoshida Junko only acted as bait for over ten seconds, if the Magician and the axe-spear woman hadn’t been wary of the absent Akechi Samanosuke, given the difference in strength, they could have easily killed one of Matthew or Yoshida Junko.

“Pfft!” Lou Ying, who was sitting cross-legged and regulating his breath, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the shirt on his chest red.

“How are you?” Pan Hu in front of him tensed up and asked with concern.

“The backlash is worse than I expected. The spell core I built on the Magic Web has collapsed. I’m afraid I won’t be able to fix it until I return to the Space!” Lou Ying frowned, showing a bitter expression. “No wonder the Leader repeatedly warned me not to use the Yellow Dragon Mirror. The Phantom Demon World’s suppression of Maoshan spells is just too severe!”

“Roar…” Just as the two were whispering, the battle in the center of the area reached its final outcome. After letting out one last mournful cry, Gadurot collapsed to the ground and slowly turned to ashes.

Akechi Samanosuke had carved a large hole in Gadurot’s carbonized neck, using the Wind Blades from the sabers to churn its insides into a mess of fragments. The Phantom Demon Boss of the Undersea Temple was finally purified by the Oni Warrior.

“Ying, Hu, you two did well. Leave the rest to me!” Watching Gadurot’s ashes slowly dissipate, a faint smile appeared on Akechi Samanosuke’s handsome face. He waved at Lou Ying and Pan Hu, then darted toward the exit of the dock square.

Perhaps because Lou Ying had inflicted the most damage on Gadurot, Akechi Samanosuke felt it inappropriate to absorb the Remnant Souls left behind by Gadurot. He allowed a Phantom Demon Pearl the size of a fist to remain on the empty ground.

Actually, besides this Phantom Demon Pearl, which was as crimson and crystal clear as a ruby, a few other items were also floating above the spot where Gadurot had been. Of course, only Reincarnators and Apostles could see these things.

“We only want one!” Licking his lips, Matthew gazed at the items floating in the air, a flicker of greed in his eyes.

At least two of these items gleamed with a dark gold light, while the others looked dull and inconspicuous. However, experienced Reincarnators knew that items dropped by a Boss were never bad. The dull appearance likely meant they were unidentified equipment or material items.

“Which one do you want?” Pan Hu narrowed his eyes slightly, masking the sharpness within.

“Haha, Lord Pan Hu can decide. We’re fine with any one!” Matthew gave a dry laugh, his eyes shifting around as they lingered on Lou Ying’s face.

This big black guy is really asking for death! Qin Lun sighed inwardly, quietly taking a step back. The show was over, and he had no desire to play the fisherman. Only fools with taunting faces would try to snatch food from a tiger’s mouth.

However, Qin Lun didn’t manage to leave smoothly. After retreating two steps, he raised an eyebrow as if he had seen something utterly unbelievable. Witnessing this sudden change, his eyes gleamed with curiosity, and his previously bored expression turned eerie, as if he was extremely interested in what was about to happen.

“Blackie, stop dawdling with them. Grab the stuff and let’s go. The Leader is urging us!” Lou Ying said with a dark expression, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Matthew’s gaze made him uncomfortable—it was clearly a threat directed at Pan Hu.

Pan Hu’s face tightened, and he grinned sinisterly, saying calmly, “I’m just messing with them! Don’t you think it’s funny? Two brats who haven’t even unlocked their first-tier professions dare to negotiate and share loot with us!”

Halfway through, Pan Hu suddenly remembered something and roared behind him, “Pretty boy, if you call me Blackie again, I’ll throw you down!”

“Without us as bait, you wouldn’t have completed that spell!” Junko’s face showed a flash of anger as she spoke indignantly.

“Here’s 5,000 Credit Points each. Take it or leave it!” Pan Hu sneered, striding boldly toward the center of the area. As the MT, from their positions, he was confident he could protect Lou Ying. If it came to a fight, he wasn’t afraid.

“Is there no room for negotiation?” A hint of ferocity appeared in Matthew’s eyes.

“Negotiate? Negotiate my ass! I used up a Yellow Dragon Mirror and messed myself up like this. And you two trash still want to share the loot with us?”

A vein bulged on Lou Ying’s forehead, his handsome face contorted. His poor internal condition made him irritable, and the thought of not being able to participate in the Leader’s plan anymore made him lose his temper.

“Haha, then don’t blame us… Jote, now!” Matthew shouted, and he and Yoshida Junko split up, lunging toward the items in the center of the empty ground.

“Jote…” As Matthew shouted, Pan Hu was startled, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. However, he didn’t stop but instead quickened his pace toward the center, while slightly turning his head to glance behind him with the corner of his eye.

At that moment, a corpse lying on the ground behind Lou Ying suddenly sprang up, charging at him.

Lou Ying already felt the gust of wind from behind and his face turned pale. He barely managed to raise his arms to block in front of his chest.

“Bang!” Two figures collided in the center of the area and immediately separated. Matthew was sent flying backward as if struck by a giant hammer, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

“Matthew!” Yoshida Junko desperately blocked the big black man’s momentum, and the two tumbled together on the ground.

“Cough, cough, did you get it?” Matthew coughed as he sat up, anxiously asking.

“Mhm, I got it!” Junko smiled gently, extending her hand from behind her back, a sliver of dark gold light escaping through her fingers.

“Pretty boy, are you okay?” Pan Hu stood proudly in the center of the area, seemingly unconcerned about the Dark Gold Equipment taken by Yoshida Junko. He first swept up all the remaining items before turning around, his expression serious as he looked behind him.

“Cough, cough!” Lou Ying’s face was ashen, coughing violently, one arm hanging limply at his side. He glared hatefully at the figure beside him.

“Hehe, I’ve been playing dead for a long time—it wasn’t easy!” The figure wiped the blood from his face proudly; it was Jote, the last of Matthew’s trio, whom everyone had thought died together with the two small Phantom Demons.

Jote kept his large-caliber pistol pressed firmly against the back of Lou Ying’s neck, not daring to loosen his grip. He said slyly, “Boss Lou Ying, you’d better tell Boss Pan Hu not to try anything. This gun is loaded with dum-dum bullets. In your current state, you definitely can’t take a shot!”

Hearing this, Lou Ying’s face darkened even more, but he was smart enough not to provoke his opponent further at this moment, remaining silent.

“We’re beaten. State your terms.” Seeing that Lou Ying was temporarily safe, Pan Hu’s expression softened a bit as he spoke calmly.

“Haha, Boss Pan Hu, you flatter me! We already got one piece of Dark Gold Equipment, so we shouldn’t ask for more. But the Space emphasizes equivalent exchange. Trading Boss Lou Ying’s life for Gadurot’s Phantom Demon Pearl shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

Matthew’s eyes flickered as he gave a hollow, insincere laugh.

“Just Gadurot’s Phantom Demon Pearl?” Pan Hu’s thick, dark eyebrows rose in surprise.