Chapter 593: The Escaped Prisoner

The first strike must be intense.

Luo De squinted slightly.

They are pushing us to our limits, probing for our lowest threshold.

Then perhaps I can turn the pressure back on them.

But sorry, I'm a spiritual warrior—I don't have time for all these tricks. Just kill them outright.

Night.

An unnatural shadow fell upon the entrance of the lit town hall.

An invisible pale blue magical barrier enveloped the entire building.

Soldiers in armor bearing finely carved emblems guarded the entrance.

The streets of Shi Ying Town at midnight had no dwarf lamps lit.

In the hazy night, only the faint glow radiating from this one building gave the guards outside a sliver of visibility.

Someone yawned.

"Stay alert, don't fall asleep."

"What's to fear? We've been collecting taxes all the way down—who'd dare move?"

He dismissed it.

He shifted his stance, gripping his steel spear with no trace of laziness.

He finally understood.

The Igoh Sect's tax inspectors won't leave the town hall until they've fully reviewed everything—they eat, drink, and relieve themselves inside.

To prevent leaks and bribes.

But staying up all night like this in Shi Ying Town is rare.

You could say it's the only case.

Hah.

I heard the Igoh Sect got burned by Shi Ying Town years ago—looks like it's true!

The soldier glanced at his companion and chuckled:

"You seem nervous?"

"Of course! Haven't you heard of the forest warden Luo De? He's killed dragons!"

"Can a dragon compare to the power of Athelon we represent? Relax—tomorrow after shift change, I'll take you somewhere good."

"Where?"

"I found a pretty girl at a fabric shop—she even painted her face black. Hah! What sharp eyes I have!"

His companion seemed to relax slightly, his eyes glinting with excitement and lust.

"Perfect! Shi Ying Town has so few brothels, and the ones they have are all trash—no comparison to a pure girl!"

Thud—

But his companion gave no reply.

Instead, a strange sound of flesh and armor hitting the ground echoed.

He thought his lazy colleague had just sat down.

"Hey, hey, hey—stand properly during duty!"

As he spoke, he turned his head.

Then froze.

A bald man had appeared beside him—when had he come?

He wore prison garb, his face cruel.

The soldier's companion lay on the ground, head severed from body, blood gushing from his neck and splattering behind the bald man.

"Is this the town hall? Are the officials who arrested me still here?"

The bald man's face twisted with hatred as he stated his purpose.

"What? Wait—"

Before the soldier could react, a punch slammed into his chest.

His chest caved in; his body flew backward and crashed into the wall—life or death unknown.

A patch of shadow surfaced on the ground.

From it, Tally—transformed into another female "prisoner"—peeked her head out, extending her shadow to check the soldier.

"Not dead."

"Of course not. Are you questioning my control over my own power?"

Luo De secretly exhaled in relief, then scoffed coldly.

We need witnesses—the guards at the door are perfect.

Damn it.

That weakening effect from 【Fabio's Soul-Gazing Gaze】 is messing with my fine control of power.

Boosting mental resistance should let me ignore this negative state.

Earlier, he consulted Kali Site about this and ran a small experiment.

The elf lady set up a ritual to enhance his mental resistance and observed the effect.

Though his mental resistance was already extremely high, the boost was nearly negligible.

But he could still sense the subtle difference.

"How could I ever doubt~~ Master is the strongest~~"

As a succubus constantly attuned to her master, Tally had noticed the brief stiffness on Luo De's face after he threw the punch.

She smiled sweetly, offering flattery.

She leapt out of the shadow.

Her one-piece prison uniform, bound with restraints, had been tailored to cling tightly to her curves; her small, dirty boots accentuated her silhouette.

The neckline was stretched taut by her chest, revealing snowy mounds of flesh.

Dark grime spread from her face down her neck, then across her collarbone to the exposed, soft, fleshy rabbit-like curves beneath.

She'd tied her hair into twin pigtails, giving her a rebellious gothic flair.

"We came to kill. What are you doing?"

Under Luo De's disguise, aided by the dog-people Sharen's transformation technique, he had become a bald fugitive.

His tone was harsh as he spoke.

"Today I deliberately didn't eat—I'm waiting to feast on the corpses and blood after we kill them!"

Tally beamed, striking a cute, ass-up pose.

She clenched her tiny fist, thrusting it toward her lips, in and out, her tongue occasionally pushing her cheek from inside.

The teasing was overwhelming.

Not long after.

Blood, white brain matter, and rigid corpses littered the entire town hall.

All the tax inspectors had their skulls shattered.

In the office of the elderly gentleman Humbert.

The corpse of the Igoh Sect tax inspector, clad in a white robe, slumped over his desk.

Luo De's shoes stuck and dragged through blood, leaving a hollow footprint on the floor.

He lifted a seal bearing Humbert's personal emblem.

Beside it lay ink—fresh red ink stamped on a contract accusing him of treason with infernal demons and the sacrifice of Coral Bay's former residents, glowing with a cold, eerie light.

"Boring."

Luo De sneered.

Humbert, a key administrator of Shi Ying Town, had no rank or power—he was just an ordinary human.

Compared to the witch Dimia, backed by the Argyle family, and Luo De's own astonishing strength, Humbert was, in the conscription team's eyes, a perfect appetizer.

Humbert had been involved with his stepdaughter—his morals were terrible.

Luo De didn't like her either, the stepdaughter Tobeca.

But the old turtle knew how to play the long game—he'd helped Shi Ying Town and Coral Bay significantly. To falsely accuse him would require Luo De's approval first.

"Burn it, Master?"

"No need. We're posing as vengeful prisoners—tampering with documents doesn't fit our role."

"Aren't we breaking ties with them? Why care about this?"

Tally tilted her head, her twin pigtails swaying in the air, confused.

"What break ties? We're legitimate businessmen."

Luo De shook his head. "You've seen the bards arriving at Dusk Hills these past days—news spreads fast across the continent. We can't openly turn hostile."

Besides, forging documents of treason costs them little. We burn one, but there'll be a second, third, fourth—I have a plan."

Before he finished speaking,

Luo De's 【Spider Sense】 flared red!

He turned—and saw, outside the ornate window behind the desk, a figure with flowing black hair hovering in midair.

A sword taller than a man was drawn, its brilliant white blade radiating a blinding, razor-sharp glow into the lightless night.

Chi ——

A piercing shriek pierced through the office wall from outside, striking the ears directly.

Luo De shoved Tally aside and sneered with bared teeth.

His muscular arms were swiftly drenched in the cold, domineering liquid metal of Shi Laimu Black.

He spun sharply and slammed out a punch!

(End of Chapter)