Chapter 767: The Weak Have No Qualification

The Black Death, its true name should be the bubonic plague.

In the fourteenth century, the plague known as the Black Death swept across all of Europe, letting Europeans of that time experience what cruelty meant.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a somewhat terrifying nursery rhyme story.

In the story, a small place called Hamelin was overrun by a rat infestation.

A piper used his flute music to control rats into jumping into the sea, resolving the rat disaster.

But the residents of that place chose to break their promise and did not pay the corresponding reward, so the Pied Piper, at night, took away all the town's children.

It is said only one child was left behind — because a leg injury prevented him from keeping up.

Using flute music to control rats, to control humans.

In conventional understanding, the Pied Piper's abilities are roughly just that.

But the Piper battle spirit Gardner summoned has another extremely terrifying killing move: the "Black Death."

Those "rats" carry an incomparably virulent Black Death virus.

Even Transcendents and battle spirits cannot escape unscathed.

Shutendoji "swallowed" quite a few rats and is now having a severe onset.

And Hirata Mi has already entered her final moments.

She relies entirely on Hirata's World to hang onto her life.

Qin Wushuang, Guan Yu, Qin Qiong, and Zhuge Liang are in somewhat better condition, coughing occasionally while exerting all their strength to resist the Black Death.

This is a battle spirit's ability, not a real virus.

So resistance is effective.

But this way, not only are they temporarily stripped of combat power, they also dare not move rashly.

The Black Death entered their bodies unnoticed and is currently suppressed; once it erupts, Hirata Mi and Shutendoji are the best examples.

"Weren't you acting all arrogant?"

The tables have turned; now it's Gardner's turn to be arrogant, he spoke.

Spring-heeled Jack bounced over to Shutendoji in a single leap, delivering a whip kick.

Shutendoji raised a hand, barely blocking Spring-heeled Jack's attack.

On the slender arm, a wound deep enough to show bone was left.

While being struck and falling, Shutendoji's other hand reached toward Gardner.

The sound of flowing water rang out; clear sake appeared out of thin air, surging toward Gardner.

It looked like it had no lethality, but how would Gardner dare let that sake get close?

Jack the Ripper turned into black mist, wrapping him up and fleeing all over the battlefield.

The sake kept pursuing; waves of wine fragrance permeated the air.

Spring-heeled Jack's legs formed continuous afterimages, frantically attacking the fallen Shutendoji.

Skin and flesh were torn open; one deep, bone-revealing wound after another appeared. Shutendoji soon turned into a tattered rag doll, yet even so, he did not die.

On the contrary, the sake kept pursuing Gardner without the slightest slowdown.

"You idiot, Master of Killing Spirits!"

Gardner's roar rang out.

Spring-heeled Jack kicked at Hirata Mi, but the attack passed through her body.

Her body became illusory, like a phantom.

Untouchable.

"Together!" Gardner said, "Together, finish off Hirata Mi first. Once she's dealt with, I'll let you recover."

"True or false?" Sun Hongyun coughed lightly; unlike the others whose faces occasionally flashed with pain, he looked completely calm and collected.

The coughing was also very slight.

Of course, he still isn't the one in the best condition on the field.

The one in the best condition is Lu Bu · Tang Luo, too lazy to even cough once, not giving the Black Death any face at all.

"That battle spirit behind Hirata Mi, you don't want to face it either, right?" Gardner said.

Don't look at how satisfyingly he cursed just now; in his heart, he is full of dread toward that unknown battle spirit.

Shutendoji's strength is absolutely not weak.

If not for the Piper's Black Death, his two Jacks, even strengthened by Curses and combined, would not be a match for the opponent.

Among the battle spirits present, the only one who can truly contend with Shutendoji is probably that white-haired Lu Bu.

Even Guan Yu and Qin Qiong won't do.

Gardner sees this very clearly.

Then, to make such a powerful battle spirit bow and submit, willing to be a slave — what kind of strength does Hirata Mi's other battle spirit possess?

That small black snake, and Hirata Mi's identity, gave Gardner a guess.

The other battle spirit — could it be Yamata no Orochi?

"Join forces!" Gardner invited the group.

"Scram!" Qin Wushuang answered with a single word.

"You saw... someone disagrees." Sun Hongyun chuckled lightly, "Letting you exit first isn't bad either."

"Two Generals! Eliminate this villain first!"

"Yes, Lord!"

Guan Yu and Qin Qiong looked at the constantly evading Gardner, battle intent surging; in a trance, the sounds of killing and clashing weapons, of armored horses, rang out.

Hoofbeats sounded; two fine horses galloped out of the void.

Arriving beside Guan Yu and Qin Qiong, he did not linger.

The two leapt up and mounted their horses directly.

For battlefield mighty generals, unity of man and horse is the moment their combat power is strongest.

"You've got a death wish!"

Gardner roared, unable to understand no matter what why these people would choose to attack him.

"Heh." Sun Hongyun laughed, "If you've got the ability, kill us then. Right now is already your limit, isn't it?"

"Even if I die, the Black Death will still linger on you, killing you off!" Gardner said.

A tacit admission — the Pied Piper's Black Death cannot kill them for the time being.

At most it is currently control; even Hirata Mi relies on Hirata's world to hang on to her life.

Shutendoji, who looked the most miserable, was batted about, occasionally vomiting blood, yet simply would not die.

The Black Death came so fiercely, wanting to kill them, yet it fell just one move short.

The final step could not be taken; in this fight to the death, the ultimate winner would definitely not be Gardner.

"No, the Black Death can't kill us." Sun Hongyun was very certain, even glancing at Tang Luo.

This one hadn't even coughed once.

"... At the very least, it will become the last straw that breaks the camel's back." Gardner's voice softened, "Let me go, I'll help you remove the Black Death."

He chose to yield.

"No, no." Sun Hongyun shook his head, "The weak have no right to negotiate terms; your only outcome is death."

"Kill!"

The roars of Guan Yu and Qin Qiong rang out.

As they spoke, the two mighty generals had already temporarily suppressed the Black Death, regaining powerful combat strength.

Afterwards the Black Death's eruption would be even more violent than now.

But by that time Gardner would already be dead, and the Pied Piper wouldn't continue to exist for long either — under pursuit, a battle spirit that has lost its spirit master, its strength constantly declining, cannot live long.

Then the Black Death would be water without a source, unable to take their lives.

"Return!"

Gardner summoned back Spring-Heeled Jack, and together with Jack the Ripper they protected him.

The pressure on Shutendoji's side sharply decreased, the wine fragrance growing a few degrees more intense.

Guan Yu and Qin Qiong rode their warhorses weaving constantly through the field, plus Shutendoji's wine.

Thoroughly suppressed the three Gardners; even turning into black mist they could not escape.

"Ah!"

Blade light flashed, a miserable scream rang out, Spring-Heeled Jack lost another leg.

The dragon-shaped qi on the Green Dragon Crescent Blade spread along the wound, blade light erupting from inside Spring-Heeled Jack's body, tearing his torso apart.

Simultaneously, Qin Qiong's long bian pierced through Spring-Heeled Jack's mask, the top hat flew up.

Falling to the ground.

This time there was no blood; Spring-Heeled Jack turned into a clump of mist, directly dissipating.

Signifying the battle spirit's thorough death.

"Aaaah!" Gardner let out a trapped-beast-like howl.

The Pied Piper's flute sound suddenly rang out.

A group of "Black Death patients" all froze for a moment, the Black Death virus roaring, boiling.

The spirit seals on Gardner's arms and hand backs completely vanished.

The remaining few were all bestowed upon the Pied Piper in colorful clothes.

"Heh." Tang Luo chuckled, raising a hand and waving lightly, "Kongming, make your move."

"Huh?" Zhuge Liang started, feeling the Black Death that had just been boiling on him melt rapidly like snow under a scorching sun, not leaving a single trace, "Fengxian, how did you do that?"

"As a commander-in-chief, if one doesn't master a bit of epidemic prevention ability, how can one lead troops to war and win a hundred battles?" Tang Luo said.

"... There, there is reason." Zhuge Liang felt these words were extremely reasonable, just like a strategist needing to charge at the front and grasp the battle situation — natural law and reason, perfectly logical.

Zhuge Liang asked: "Then who do we fight?"

"All of them."

"Catch them all in one net?"

"Right, catch them all in one net."

"Qi Tun Wan Li!" Zhuge Liang shouldered the Zhuge Crossbow and pulled the trigger.

In an instant, an "arrow wall" spanned the sky, enveloping everyone within its range.

The arrow wall descended.

Guan Yu wielded the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with both hands until it was airtight, all crossbow bolts flicked away.

Qin Qiong was not to be outdone either; long and short bian swept and stabbed, specks of cold light — crossbow bolts either smashed in two or struck and sent flying back.

Gardner and Jack the Ripper were not so lucky.

Along with a few muffled grunts.

Black mist slowly dissipated, revealing Gardner's figure; his already heavily injured body was pierced by two crossbow bolts.

One in the right leg, two in the left shoulder.

Right leg and left arm barely connected to the body by a thread, Jack the Ripper fully possessed Gardner.

Black mist rolled near the wounds, ensuring Gardner's "limb integrity".

Qin Wushuang likewise used that large shield to block all crossbow bolts.

At the moment the wine-drinking boy was struck by the crossbow bolt, he turned into a puddle of wine and vanished, merging with the wine that had been chasing Gardner on the other side, revealing a complete but scarred body.

Hirata Mitsu likewise relied on Hirata's world to protect herself.

The most seriously injured was none other than Sun Hongyun.

He could be said to have been completely pinned to the ground by the crossbow bolts, with only a small part of his chest and his head remaining intact.

The rest of his body could almost be said to be shattered beyond existence.

Yet no blood flowed out, and Sun Hongyun's face showed no trace of pain; on the contrary, he turned his head to look at Tang Luo: "Originally I thought you could see my intention to leave you until the end. It seems you don't understand our tacit understanding."

"The weak have no right to speak of tacit understanding." Tang Luo slightly altered Sun Hongyun's words and threw them back at him.

"Ignorant, since you are so alike, I will fulfill you."

As Sun Hongyun spoke, a dim light flashed across the night sky.

A miniature missile descended from the heavens, assaulting Tang Luo!