Chapter 606: Grudge

On the grass.

Under the simulated sunlight of the maze, blood, entrails, and limbs cut into chunks glowed with a cold, cruel shine.

Screams erupted suddenly, followed by thuds of falling bodies and pleas for mercy.

Rod flicked the blood off the Offering Body Sword and walked leisurely over to the war chariot that had been cut in half.

Flicking away a bloody liver hanging from the chariot frame, he sat down heavily.

He coughed twice.

Although the 【Giant Dragon Heart】 pumped with immense power, it had ultimately been pierced through.

To say it had no effect would be a lie.

"D-do you know whose territory this is?"

Beside him, a gray dwarf who hadn't quite died yet issued a dying threat.

Rod ignored him.

He took a piece of candy from his spell satchel—a candy Little Little Bangde had stored there—and tossed it into his mouth.

Little Little Bangde had possessed a spell satchel before.

But this creature stuffed all sorts of things into it: tree branches shaped like long swords, living giant frogs and insects, and a pile of shiny cards found who-knows-where.

Living creatures would die shortly after entering the spell satchel; naturally, the little one's stash began to rot and stink soon after.

That wasn't a big deal; she figured it out herself once she couldn't stand the smell.

But Miss Xiao Ke couldn't stand her sneaking candy at night, saying she wasn't protecting her teeth.

Once a half-deer person with a motherly personality found out about such things, there was no turning back; she immediately lost the privilege of carrying a spell satchel.

Naturally.

The "treasures" the little thing had accumulated could only be entrusted to Rod for safekeeping.

Although Rod often stole her snacks, just like he was doing now.

"Pfft—"

"Aaaah!!!"

Another scream rang out.

Rod looked up.

Amidst flying blood, Rosalia was enveloped in purple-blue moonlight, her hair flying, her eyes cold and furious.

Her hands, wrapped in moonlight, formed semi-transparent fist blades; every strike sprayed moon blades, her momentum formidable.

Miss Tooth Fairy was still wearing the conscription corps armor.

Although it covered her graceful figure, it added a dashing flair and was certainly pleasing to the eye.

"The Butcher?"

Pierce Mage Vincent.

This man had held a key frontline position during the Little Fairy Massacre fifty years ago, ranking among the top five on the slaughter list generated that year.

After the bounty hunt was halted, this man hid away beautifully, dodging the initial wave of denunciations.

It was normal that there was little news about him.

As Rosalia killed the last jackalope.

The killing intent and aura on her body finally began to subside.

The brilliant moonlight dispersed, and she clenched her fists tightly.

Looking at Rod with a face full of pleading, she said: "Please, Mr. Rod, I know I cannot afford the reward for killing a Ninth-Rank, but—"

"No need to say that. I had to kill that person anyway. But as you saw, I only succeeded in killing him once by exploiting the backdoor rules of that Colosseum treasure."

"Captain Eve severed the hand of that Campbell family member before the collapse; perhaps she grasped that Colosseum treasure, but I currently cannot contact her."

The dying gray dwarf at his feet wore a look of agony.

He wriggled and rolled over, shouting in fear:

"Y-you are doomed! Doomed! Even a glance from the guests we hosted would be enough to kill you ten times over!"

Rosalia's face remained cold.

"The Campbell family is involved in crimes of human trafficking and illegal human experimentation across the continent. Even more disgusting, they engage in power-for-sex transactions with high officials and nobles of various nations; it is for this reason many believe the family is merely a legend."

She paused, looking toward the bustling manor in the distance.

"And that place... I suppose it is such a den of iniquity."

"K-knowing that is good! If you spare me... I can still beg my lords on your behalf!"

The gray dwarf said miserably.

Rod smiled: "No need to worry; I am also a decent person and know what to do."

Saying this,

he used 【Flesh Proliferation】 to grow an extra index finger on his palm.

He sliced it off with a single sword strike.

The bloody index finger hit the ground and instantly burst into pink-purple flames with a *boom*.

Emotions of extreme malice, hatred, and disgust instantly spread along the finger.

The grass was eroded and withered; the gray-brown earth crackled and roared, churning into pink.

The gray dwarf's gray-white eyes widened, revealing a look of disbelief.

"M-maze? Another maze?! You are using another maze to erode this place? Are you mad?! The Maze Consciousness will swallow everyone!!"

"Indeed. If all your noble guests are dead and gone, leaving no corpses behind, then no one will know they existed."

Facing the other's terrified gaze, Rod laughed cacklingly, "Rest easy; when it comes to being decent, I am a professional. I will help them."

Clang!

Lily's short magical blade clashed with a steel sword.

Sparks flew.

The halfling was not strong, but she sneered with contempt, cool and smirking.

The high-intensity cutting force of the magical air blade surged forth; the white line made the deputy commander of the conscript regiment dare not block it directly.

Deputy Commander Harper grimaced, twisting aside—blood streamed down his forehead, staining his left vision red.

The headband inscribed with the Yige Sect's doctrines was severed by the air blade; his long brown hair scattered messily.

She dropped her shoulder, twisted her elbow, aiming to maintain close-quarters combat.

But a spell—some unknown 【Shi Zhan Cheng Gong】 【Daze Spell】—shot into her body, and intense paralysis instantly spread through her entire frame.

Though her eighth-rank high-level physique allowed her to resist it, she still froze for an instant.

And it was precisely this instant.

Another air blade, far exceeding seventh-rank power, streaked with crimson airflow, pierced straight through her spiritual aura membrane and stabbed through her abdomen.

"Ugh!"

Damn it!

Why does a halfling at only seventh-rank peak possess such combat power?!

As she retreated, her peripheral vision flicked to her side, seeking aid.

But she saw that the Wind Hunter's leader, Aifu, was relentlessly slashing at the eighth-rank enforcer from the Campbell family, while the conscript soldiers and gray dwarf slaves were being slaughtered wildly by the woman wielding shadow magic.

"Shit!"

"Retreat? Come on, have a little eighth-rank dignity! I haven't even had enough yet!"

The halfling Lily sneered with fierce battle intent.

The staff in her left hand flared with magical light—she had already unleashed 【Lianhuan Lightning】 and 【Bing Feng Fa】 simultaneously.

But there was something slightly different.

The two spells fused together: the lightning chain carried a compressed 【Bing Feng Fa】 sphere, no larger than a fist, and every point of contact exploded with powerful frost.

"What the hell is this?!"

Harper was stunned.

She couldn't dodge—she gritted her teeth and swung her sword to block.

The fused 【Bing Feng Fa】 sphere was terrifyingly powerful—it shattered her fine steel sword in one blow, and the spreading frost coated her arms, even overwhelming her eighth-rank spiritual resistance.

"Weakling!"

In her peripheral vision, Lily saw that Aifu and Tally had not yet fully subdued their foes—she immediately realized she was the first to eliminate an enemy.

She burst into joy, laughing loudly as she swung her short blade, ready to claim the crown of this battle.

Harper screamed in terror, staring helplessly at the incoming air blade.

At that moment.

She recalled the information she had seen in the Yige Sect, and regardless of consequences, shouted loudly: "I know where your brother Ali is!"

The short blade halted abruptly, stopping less than two centimeters from her neck.

Lily's smile vanished instantly; she stared at her with cold, quiet eyes.

Harper's back was soaked in cold sweat; she rushed on: "Your brother Ali was a vanguard officer who invaded Shi Ying Town a year ago to investigate the Wind Wall Forest. Afterwards, he was killed by the forest warden Rod! We are not your enemies! That Rod is! He is your true enemy!"

Tally, not far away, heard this.

Her heart lurched.

Ali? The halfling?

Ah—I remember now. No wonder I felt Lily's face looked familiar.

No way. Is this really that cliché?

Lily's eyes trembled slightly: "Really?"

"Absolutely true! We can ally with you—let's kill that Rod together!! Avenge you!"

"Hehehehe—"

The halfling girl couldn't help but sneer.

Her laughter grew louder, more bitter.

Amidst it, she muttered: "No wonder… no wonder…"

"Avenge? Have you forgotten what joining the Yige Sect requires? Do you think washing your hands clean now makes everything disappear? That trash Ali cut off my parents' heads to seek revenge on Rod? Hah! Ridiculous!"

Harper's eyes widened.

A sharp air blade sliced across her neck.

(End of Chapter)