Chapter 196 — Snake Mask

Chapter 196: Chapter 196 — Snake Mask

Chapter 196 — Snake Mask

Victor looked at Jimmy in complete disgust.

He couldn’t believe the man had been so terrified that he’d actually soiled himself.

Victor shook his head, his grip around Jimmy’s throat tightening slightly.

"You’re going to start talking, and you’re going to start talking right now. Otherwise, I’m going to rip the ears off your head."

"Okay! Okay!"

The words came out immediately.

"Five days ago, this weird man in a snake mask came up to me and asked if I wanted power."

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

"You have to understand something," Jimmy continued hurriedly. "I’m only Rank Three. A few days ago, I was only Rank Two. Do you know how hard it is to live in the Tower when you’re that weak? You wouldn’t understand."

Victor stared at him.

He understood perfectly.

But that didn’t mean you sacrificed innocent people just to gain power.

Whatever small amount of pity Victor might have felt for Jimmy disappeared.

Victor paused.

Five days.

Jimmy had only become a Evil God worshipper five days ago.

That meant the organization wasn’t simply operating secretly within the Tower.

They were recruiting.

Actively.

But why?

Why would an organization that had survived in the shadows for thousands of years suddenly need people like Jimmy?

Victor pushed the question aside.

"How many people have you killed?"

Jimmy went quiet.

"Answer me."

"...Four."

Victor slowly looked toward the hidden freezer.

Then back at Jimmy.

"Four?"

Jimmy nodded.

"Then why are there only two bodies in there?"

No answer.

Jimmy’s eyes shifted away.

Victor caught it immediately.

"Where are the other two?"

Jimmy’s gaze drifted toward the door leading out of the freezer.

Toward the main area of the meat market.

Victor followed his gaze.

Then his expression slowly changed.

"No."

Jimmy lowered his head.

"Yeah."

Victor stared at him.

"I..." Jimmy struggled to get the words out. "I cut them up."

A pause.

"And I sold them to the customers."

Victor threw him.

Jimmy flew across the freezer and crashed into a stack of boxes. Several toppled over as his body hit the floor.

Beside Victor, Lyra’s hand flew to her mouth.

Her face twisted with disgust.

Victor couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

Jimmy had butchered them.

Then sold their bodies as meat to unsuspecting customers.

"I didn’t have a choice!" Jimmy shouted from the floor. "The masked man told me it was either power or death!"

Victor stared at him coldly.

"You should’ve chosen death before doing something like that."

Jimmy fell silent.

Victor reached for his citizen ID.

This had gone far beyond anything he should handle alone.

Two murdered victims were hanging inside the freezer. Two others had been butchered and sold to unsuspecting customers.

And Jimmy had spoken directly to someone from the organization.

Victor needed Elder Benton.

He activated his citizen ID.

Then paused.

"One more thing."

Jimmy remained on the floor.

"The man with the snake mask. Did he tell you anything else?"

Jimmy hesitated.

"He told me I needed to kill at least one person every day and sacrifice them."

Victor listened carefully.

"And if you didn’t?"

Jimmy swallowed.

"He said he’d come back."

His head exploded.

Victor froze.

There was no warning.

No surge of Spiritual Energy.

No sudden change in Jimmy’s expression.

One moment, he was speaking.

The next—

Blood splattered across the freezer walls.

Jimmy’s headless body collapsed onto the floor.

For several seconds, Victor could only stare.

Lyra stood equally still behind him.

Neither of them had expected it.

Then—

Clap.

Victor’s head snapped toward the doorway.

Clap.

Another.

Slow, deliberate applause echoed from somewhere beyond the freezer.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Someone was approaching.

Victor immediately stepped between Lyra and the doorway.

A figure appeared.

The mask was the first thing Victor saw.

A snake.

Its features twisted into an almost malicious expression, with a single horn protruding from the top.

And in the center of its forehead—

The sideways eye.

Victor’s expression hardened.

The masked man stepped into the freezer and glanced down at Jimmy’s headless corpse.

"Wow."

His attention shifted to Victor.

"I’m surprised you found this one so quickly."

He clapped a few more times before finally lowering his hands.

"I have to commend you. For someone so young, you’re quite capable."

Victor said nothing.

The snake-masked man casually stepped farther into the room.

Behind Victor, Lyra lowered her body slightly.

Nala’s feathers bristled.

Both were ready to attack.

Victor kept his eyes on the newcomer.

"I was wondering when somebody was going to show up."

The snake mask tilted slightly.

"Oh? You knew I was going to show up?"

"Not exactly."

Victor shifted his weight.

"But I hoped somebody would."

Flash Step.

Victor vanished.

His fist shot toward the man’s face.

The snake-masked man reacted immediately.

His arm rose.

Their limbs collided.

A burst of Spiritual Energy tore through the freezer, rattling the hooks and chains hanging from the ceiling.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

Strong.

The man’s cultivation was no longer concealed.

Rank Eight of Spirit Gathering.

Just outside the range Victor could comfortably deal with.

If he used everything he possessed, perhaps he could fight him.

But too many of Victor’s strongest abilities were things he absolutely couldn’t reveal.

Escaping would be considerably easier than defeating him.

The snake-masked man pushed Victor’s fist aside.

"Now, now, boy."

Victor stepped back.

A quiet chuckle came from behind the mask.

"Or should I say... Victor?"

Victor went still.

"What’s the hurry to start fighting?" he continued. "I have an offer for you."

"I don’t even want to hear it."

"Hush now, boy. At least listen."

The man spread his arms slightly.

"Why don’t you join the Beast God?"

Victor stared at him.

"Think about it. Don’t you know how quickly you could grow in strength? The sacrifices. The rituals. The power they could give someone with your talent."

"I would never join you."

Victor didn’t hesitate.

"Not even if you could make me the most powerful person in the world tomorrow."

The man stared at him through the snake mask.

For a moment, he said nothing.

"That’s too bad."

Some of the playfulness disappeared from his voice.

"We were asked not to hurt you."

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

"Not to deal with you yet."

Asked?

Someone had specifically told them not to harm him.

Who?

And why?

The snake-masked man took another step.

"But..." he continued, "I don’t think I can keep that promise anymore."

Spiritual Energy began gathering around his body.

"I think it would be better to get rid of you now."

Another step.

"You’re starting to become a thorn in our side."

Victor remained still.

His mind raced.

Someone within the organization had specifically ordered them not to harm him.

That made no sense.

And apparently this man was willing to ignore that order.

Victor’s fingers tightened slightly.

Elder Benton.

Before the snake-masked man had even entered the freezer, Victor had activated the call and slipped his citizen ID into his pocket.

He could only hope Benton had heard enough to understand what was happening.

And that help was already coming.

Victor wasn’t particularly worried about escaping alone.

The problem was Lyra.

Against someone at Rank Eight or Nine Spirit Gathering, Victor couldn’t guarantee he could hold the man back while also keeping her safe.

He needed to get her out first.

Victor looked at the snake-masked man.

"Well, it looks like we don’t have a choice, then."

The man laughed.

"You’re right."

His body vanished.

Spiritual Energy exploded throughout the freezer.

Victor’s expression changed.

Fast.

This man was stronger than anyone Victor had fought so far.

There was no time to hesitate.

If Victor wanted to contend with him while protecting Lyra, he would have to use the Black Phoenix Form.

Even if that meant revealing it.

He glanced toward Lyra.

The pressure filling the room was already weighing on her.

"Run."

Lyra immediately shook her head.

"Victor—"

"Lyra."

His voice hardened.

"Run."

Their eyes met.

For a brief moment, she resisted.

Then she understood.

Lyra grabbed Nala and turned toward the exit.

The snake-masked man noticed.

"Oh, no you don’t."

He changed direction.

Victor’s Spiritual Energy surged.

He was about to activate the Black Phoenix Form—

A figure stepped between them.

Victor stopped.

So did the snake-masked man.

The newcomer wore a mask.

But it wasn’t an animal mask.

It was completely white.

Victor stared at the figure.

Lyra didn’t hesitate.

With Nala beside her, she rushed through the doorway and disappeared from the meat market.

Victor remained where he was.

The snake-masked man stood across from him.

And between them stood the mysterious figure in white.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

A three-way standoff had begun.