âDing!â The Dagger of Sin clashed with the wolfâs claw, and Qin Lun was sent staggering back as if struck hard. The dark, glossy hilt slammed viciously into his chest. The next second, his whole body went numb, and he went flying through the air.
Though utterly unable to control his body, Qin Lunâs mind remained startlingly clear. He felt lucky he hadnât recklessly entered the Combat Model just now. Otherwise, the brief moment of sluggishness upon snapping out of his self-hypnosis would surely have dealt him a serious blow.
Qin Lun tumbled uncontrollably across the ground. His formal suit was soaked through with mud, but the numbness gripping his body eased slightly.
So a head-on clash was impossible! A sinking feeling filled Qin Lunâs heart. He hadnât yielded control of his body to Joey. The doctor had a feeling that Laura now harbored all the resentment sheâd ever held deep inside her heart, and that it was all directed straight at him.
Even if he switched to Joey right now, the Serial Killerâs psychological pressure wouldnât be able to frighten a werewolf in such a berserk rage. Worse, Joeyâs obsessive personality might actually get him killed. Qin Lun understood this, and Joey naturally did too. Facing this life-or-death crisis, the Dissector remained oddly quiet, making no move to take over.
Only a little over ten meters left! Qin Lunâs gaze flickered towards the Main Keepâs doors behind him. From the start, heâd never intended to fight Laura to the death; heâd only wanted to use her force to escape. By now, after such a long period of adjustment, at least a few of the Demon Hunters upstairs should have suppressed their injuries enough to probably come downstairs.
Just getting into the Main Keepâs hall would basically guarantee his safety. Laura not following him would be fine. If she did follow him inside, sheâd be courting death. The numerous obstacles indoors would prevent the werewolf from using her speed to full extent. Laura wasnât exactly skilled in combat techniques. Once she encountered any Demon Hunter, she was certainly doomed.
Qin Lun hadnât been present for the battle in the Banquet Hall, but he could guess most of the situation just by thinking about it. More than twenty Werewolves and Vampires against eight Demon Hunters? Apart from Nova, who seemed determined to die, the others were only seriously wounded; not a single one was killed. Yet fewer than half the Werewolves and Vampires who leaped out the windows escaped. That showed just how different their combat power levels really were.
Those Demon Hunters might be gravely wounded now, but they had steely fighting spirit. For their beliefs, they feared neither life nor death. Being outnumbered three to one in the Banquet Hall, letting a few wolves and vampires escape was simply unavoidable. Now, if they caught sight of these escapees again? Theyâd probably be willing to give their lives to ensure every last one was eradicated.
Even though the Shattered Starry Sky saw Stephen and Laura as the progenitors of the Werewolves and Vampires, that was solely due to their seemingly limitless hidden potential, not their current combat ability.
Right now, they were still just two young noble heirs whoâd only survived a little over thirty years. Even with brute strength, they were no match for those Demon Hunters. If they both chased Qin Lun into the Main Keepâs first floor hall, only to be blocked at the doors by those fierce townsfolk⊠well, it seemed the impending dark era might end before it even began.
âWellington, you wonât escape!â Seeing the young doctor stagger towards the Main Keep, Lauraâs crimson eyes blazed with renewed fury.
Laura knew that although the Albert Familyâs calamity was triggered by the doctor, he wasnât the root cause. From the Demon Huntersâ perspective, Qin Lunâs actions were entirely justified.
Yet, for some reason she couldnât fathom, just the sight of Qin Lun made her heart boil with turmoil.
The initial goodwill felt upon meeting the young man, the joy he brought by curing Little Miller⊠all of it had now, following the deaths of Baron Albert and Little Miller, twisted entirely into hatred. Even the accumulated anguish from becoming an Undying One was piled entirely onto the doctor.
Qin Lunâs words had pierced Lauraâs heart like a sting, shattering all the illusions and sweet dreams sheâd harbored as easily as pricking a soap bubble. How could all this not make her loathe him deeply? Just as Qin Lun himself had mocked â heâd said far too much. It was like dropping a massive taunt, pulling the full hatred of the boss solely onto himself.
âProtect Doctor Stan!â Totti roared to the nearby Militia soldiers, a flicker of anxiety crossing his eyes. He, too, had realized Stephenâs and Lauraâs target was Qin Lun.
While he didnât grasp all the details yet, Totti believed Qin Lun remained the only hope for solving the Epidemic Disease. He absolutely couldnât let the doctor die before his eyes.
Not that Tottiâs reminder was needed. Odia commoners and Militia soldiers whoâd heard about Qin Lunâs deeds saw the doctor as the sole lifesaver for their sick family members. At Tottiâs shout, townspeople and Militia soldiers immediately stepped forward, placing their bodies between the Doctor and the werewolf, using their flesh as shields to buy him precious seconds.
âSo eager to protect him with your lives? Then so be it!â Laura shrieked, the deep-seated savagery within the werewolf finally erupting in full force. She became a living whirlwind, lunging at the dozen-plus townspeople blocking her path.
Screams erupted instantly. Severed limbs and splatters of gore sprayed outwards from the furious whirlwind. By the time the Werewolf broke through the blockade, she was drenched in blood. Her already mud-smeared silver-white fur now gleamed crimson, making her appear even more monstrously fierce.
Qin Lun, already well ahead, didnât look back. With the townspeople sacrificing themselves as a delay, Laura couldnât catch him.
Gazing at the Main Keep entrance mere steps away, a trace of relief finally appeared on Qin Lunâs calm face. At that very moment, an inexplicable sense of deadly alarm flashed through the doctorâs mind. His expression changed instantly; his body instinctively dove sideways.
As he rolled, Qin Lun caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of a dark shadow streaking overhead. The fierce wind it kicked up stung his face.
Stephen the Vampire progenitor! A cold dread settled in Qin Lunâs heart as he truly sensed the menace of death enveloping him for the first time.
Stephen arced gracefully through the air, looking down disdainfully at the young doctor floundering in the rain below. Unlike Laura, after becoming a Vampire, he felt absolutely limitless, unbound by anyone or anything.
Ambitions and desires long suppressed by his family began to explode within him. His mindset mirrored those ancient Undying One shamans from millennia ago â viewing himself as superior to humans, a veritable god. In truth, given a thousand years or so to master this Blood Clan body, he might actually deserve that title.
âI still need Laura. Might as well do her a favor!â A flash of ferocity shone in Stephenâs eyes as he beat his wings, swooping down at Qin Lun once more.
âClang!â The overwhelming jarring force transmitted through the Dagger of Sin turned Qin Lunâs face sheet-white. He spat out a mouthful of blood. Instead of propelling him towards the hall doorway, it sent him crashing backwards.
âWellington!â A frantic cry rang out from the crowd, but in the chaos of the storm, it was barely noticeable.
Taking the full brunt of Stephenâs dive, Qin Lun felt his entire body go numb. He couldnât even move a single finger. The corner of his eye caught sight of Laura lunging from behind. Stephen, meanwhile, seeming completely unaffected by the impact, defied physics by flipping 180 degrees mid-air and diving again.
Trapped, Qin Lun was now caught perfectly between the two progenitors, one at each end. The way things looked, this body was about to be torn apart.
âROAR!â Though a flicker of complexity passed through Lauraâs eyes, her razor-sharp wolf paw struck without hesitation straight for Qin Lunâs back, aimed right at the doctorâs heart.
High above, Stephen grinned with savage triumph, wings snapping open to hover just above Qin Lunâs prone form. His sharp claws reached for the doctorâs throat, a cruel gleam of amusement in his eyes as if savoring the panic of an opponent about to die.
So this is death? Joey, weâre going to die! Qin Lunâs pale face remained utterly calm. His mind felt strangely blank. In this final moment, he couldnât recall a single person or a single thing.
Hm, what a prospect! Qin Lunâs left pupil suddenly flooded with blood-red while his right eye remained pure black, creating a stark contrast of black and red. A faint flush rose on his calm face, alongside a surge of climax-like excitement and euphoria flooding his heart.
Spurred by this intense thrill, a sudden wave of heat surged through Qin Lunâs paralyzed body. Though barely strong enough to regain control, his left handâwhich suffered the least impactânow seemed fully functional.
He should at least leave behind a little souvenir for his enemies, shouldnât he? Qin Lun narrowed his mismatched black and red eyes, his lips curling into an impishly strange half-smile. With a twist of his wrist, a small vial landed in his palm. His thumb and middle finger held it steady as his index finger flicked the cork away in one fluid movement. The vialâs contents splashed straight at Stephenâs face.
From point-blank range, Stephen had no chance to avoid it. Like Bonnie when the Witchâs venom scarred his face, the Vampire progenitor couldnât dodge this sudden attack. But unlike Bonnie who fought, this progenitor, lacking real battle experience, fared far worse. He didnât even make an instinctive flinch, catching the entire vialâs contents head-on.
âHiss!â White steam billowed from Stephenâs face as his handsome features melted away grotesquely, like hot wax.
âAAAAAARRGGGH!â The progenitor unleashed an agonizing shriek, clutching his ruined face as he thrashed wildly through the air like a crash-bound chopper.
The Sacred Spirit Potionâhealing holy water to Demon Hunters, the deadliest poison imaginable to a Vampire, an Undying One. Though potentially not fatal, getting it splashed directly into his sensitive features subjected Stephen to excruciating pain.
Just as Qin Lun had hoped, this âsouvenirâ would likely make the Albert Family heir truly immortalâat least in infamy.
He didnât get to savor Stephenâs writhing state long, though. Qin Lun shut his eyes lightly. He could already feel the sharp, ice-cold gust of wind slicing towards his back; Lauraâs wolf claws were impossible to evade now.
âWellington!â But then, Qin Lunâs ear caught a desperate voice calling his name. Out of nowhere, a figure charged from the side, colliding heavily with Lauraâs flank, sending the towering silver werewolf stumbling sideways.
A spray of crimson bloomed along Qin Lunâs back as the werewolfâs claw raked down, leaving a deep, bone-showing furrowâjust barely missing a potentially fatal impalement near the heart.
Thudding heavily onto the mud, Qin Lun stared intently at the figure⊠with a look of utter disbelief.