Book 9: Chapter 26: Alucard

A slender figure quietly appeared behind the blood mist. Qin Lun looked down at the scissors he had named “Forbidden” and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Ever since he obtained the ability “Blood of Dissection,” Qin Lun had no idea how to use it properly. Even letting Joey try didn’t help. Although he had a stack of high-level application techniques related to Nen Ability, they were of no use to them.

In this matter, Qin Lun felt the limitations of his Law Body for the first time. True, as long as it was a Skill Scroll recognized by the Shattered Starry Sky, the Law Body could instantly grant an Apostle a new combat skill.

Of course, an Apostle could also turn book theories into martial skills recognized by the Shattered Starry Sky through long-term training, just like Qin Lun’s previous gun skills such as “Weakness Crosshair” and “Ballistic Refraction.”

However, the Law Body also had its limits. For example: even if an Apostle truly understood a martial skill in their mind, as long as the Law Body hadn’t fused with this combat law, they actually couldn’t use it. Physical skills were a bit better; they could be data-simulated like Qin Lun did, but magic-type skills were impossible.

Therefore, normal people could still possess the Buddhist kind of “sudden enlightenment” ability, but Apostles absolutely could not.

Qin Lun’s “Blood of Dissection,” obtained from the Hunter World, was like this. The essence of “Blood of Dissection” was actually transformed from a Serial Killer’s aura, only possessing some characteristics of Nen Ability.

But when he tried to use “Blood of Dissection” to simulate various Nen Ability martial skills, he found he could only use some basic Nen Abilities, and even those were simulated martial skills not recognized by the Shattered Starry Sky.

Qin Lun knew this might be related to his constitution data and his Energy Points.

Nen Ability was essentially a martial skill system generated through the explosion of life force. Whether it was the Jungle Hunter or the Demon Hunter, constitution was a weak point. He wasn’t a Magician specializing in magic either, so his Energy Points weren’t very high. It would be strange if he could use high-level Nen Abilities.

After many failed attempts, both Qin Lun and Joey had to admit defeat.

Powerful Nen Abilities like Kurapika’s, generated through personal will using “Vows and Limitations,” were absolutely impossible for an Apostle to possess without the relevant Skill Scroll. This was a fundamental flaw of the Law Body.

Perhaps Qin Lun could temporarily use it by employing a treasure from the Hunter World like the “Scarlet Eye.” However, the cost-performance ratio was really too low, and besides, combat power obtained through external items was very difficult to rely on long-term.

After realizing this, Qin Lun had been thinking about how to use “Blood of Dissection.”

“Blood of Dissection” had powerful deciphering abilities, which had been demonstrated in both the Hunter World and the Toril World. Whether it was Kortopi’s materialized building or a high-level Lich’s magic shield, they were as fragile as a thin film in front of “Blood of Dissection.”

However, using “Blood of Dissection,” which had the potential to develop into a complete martial skill system, merely as a scalpel seemed like a huge waste. How to integrate “Blood of Dissection” into his own skill system became Qin Lun’s new project during his leisure time in the Shattered Starry Sky.

This project didn’t actually bother him for long. Qin Lun soon thought of another Life-Taking Relic that also existed outside his skill system – the Dagger of Sin.

Like “Blood of Dissection,” the Dagger of Sin had irreplaceable uses at certain times. Its effect of devouring dark forces and Souls was simply the bane of all dark creatures.

However, unless the dark creature was in a weakened state, it was hard to say how effective the Dagger of Sin could be. It also didn’t harmonize well with Qin Lun’s current Demon Hunter profession, so it wasn’t commonly used equipment.

Because of the professional characteristics of the Demon Hunter, Qin Lun had to practice swordsmanship, a talent he wasn’t particularly good at, which made the Dagger of Sin’s position even more awkward.

After thinking of the Dagger of Sin, he realized this Life-Taking Relic was actually a great match for “Blood of Dissection.” Both were not commonly used skill equipment, and both had special, decisive effects. The attempt to combine these two also greatly surprised Qin Lun.

The deciphering of “Blood of Dissection” and the devouring of the Dagger of Sin fused together perfectly. And due to his twisted taste, the combined scissor-like item actually gained an additional perverted “Forbidden” ability.

The so-called Forbidden ability was that these scissors could sever the origin of certain things. For example, if an Apostle’s equipment was accidentally dropped, beyond a certain distance, it would automatically return to the Apostle’s Storage Space, equivalent to being soul-bound.

The Forbidden ability of these scissors could directly cut the connection between the equipment and its owner. Although after being cut, the laws within the equipment would also dissipate, it could still deal a significant blow to the enemy, especially against Apostles and Reincarnators.

Not only that, the scissors’ ability to sever the origin of things could also target summoned beasts and certain low-constraint law contracts. If the summoned beast was a non-physical summon, after losing its origin connection with the master, it would immediately disappear.

Furthermore, if the target of the scissors’ cut was a spirit or a creature in a weakened state, then the scissors would also activate the Dagger of Sin’s devouring ability, consuming the part of the Soul that was cut off.

This level of perversion was starting to catch up to the Joker’s mask. Because of this ability, these black and red scissors, which could be formed at any time by combining the Dagger of Sin with “Blood of Dissection,” were named by Qin Lun as the “Forbidden Scissors.”

Of course, each time the Forbidden Scissors activated their Forbidden ability, besides requiring Energy Points, they would also consume the Remnant Souls quality of the Dagger of Sin. If not replenished during combat, the quality of these scissors would gradually decrease, eventually leading to irreparable damage, so Qin Lun needed to use them carefully.

The area of blood mist that the Forbidden Scissors just cut accounted for about 20%. It wasn’t that Qin Lun didn’t want to cut more, but he had a feeling that this extent was already the limit for the Forbidden Scissors.

Stealing a glance at the combat data in the Death Notice, Qin Lun was slightly startled. That one scissor cut actually consumed over a hundred Remnant Souls, almost causing it to drop from Thousand-Kill Slayer quality to Hundred-Kill Slayer quality.

Additionally, the newly devoured Remnant Souls were only about eighty or ninety, slowly replenishing the loss of the Life-Taking Relic. It was a losing trade.

However, Qin Lun suddenly felt a chill in his heart. The Forbidden Scissors could only absorb a portion of the severed Remnant Souls. If counting those dissipated Souls, that 20% portion of blood mist actually contained nearly two hundred human Souls.

“A monster with over a thousand lives!” A point of crimson suddenly appeared deep in Qin Lun’s pupils. His usually gentle face looked somewhat ferocious. He stuck out his tongue and licked the Forbidden Scissors, feeling a slowly rising, uncontrollable excitement.

The Forbidden Scissors sever the origin based on its connection to the main body, not the quantity. If Alucard possessed one hundred Souls, then twenty were just cut off. If he possessed ten thousand Souls, then two thousand would be cut.

Of course, with the Dagger of Sin’s Thousand-Kill Slayer quality, if it had really cut two thousand Souls just now, it would probably have broken immediately. It would be unusable in this world and would have to wait until returning to the Shattered Starry Sky for repairs.

However, since Qin Lun had figured out the ratio, he wouldn’t use the Forbidden Scissors’ maximum attack anymore. Reducing the attack intensity could also greatly lower the Dagger of Sin’s consumption. For example, if he only severed a portion of Souls numbering fifty or below, he might even gain some Remnant Souls quality.

Sensing the fatal crisis, the blood mist filling the air changed again. The blood molecules accelerated their fusion, and in just an instant, turned into countless bat-shaped blood films. They scattered and gathered, reforming into Alucard.

“You just said your name was Gerthard…!” Alucard calmly glanced at his left shoulder. There was a deep, bone-visible wound there, gushing out blood profusely, making his bright red coat even more strikingly vivid.

Qin Lun’s attack not only instantly severed nearly two hundred human Souls confined within Alucard’s body, but he was also the second person in hundreds of years to harm the Vampire’s main body. The blood flowing from Alucard’s shoulder was also composed of human Souls restrained by the Vampire.

“Gerthard Heinrich! Your memory is quite good. Didn’t Miss Integra tell you about me?” Qin Lun shrugged, feeling both amused and exasperated.

He had painstakingly stirred up wars around the world, proclaiming his return. And this Vampire really hadn’t paid attention to his information. He really didn’t know if this counted as a failure.

“Every era has its wars. I’ve grown accustomed to not asking my opponents’ names, because they will all eventually fade from my memory!” Alucard ignored Qin Lun’s sarcasm, looked up at the night sky, and spoke with an indifferent expression.

“From my time, the only thing eternal has been this Star Void. Sadly, with technological development, those bright stars have begun to disappear one by one! Gerthard, can you understand how I feel?”

Hearing Alucard’s somewhat weary words, the expression on Qin Lun’s face gradually changed, becoming stiff and cold, just like his barren, desert-like inner world.

“I don’t care about changes in the world. Very few things can capture my attention now. Only thrilling battles and adventures, or a very few people and events, can awaken my interest and make me feel that I am still a living being!”

“Hahaha, what a pathetic existence!” Alucard covered his face, threw his head back, and laughed wildly. The next moment, he vanished from his spot.

“Likewise!” Qin Lun grinned. A Pentagram Crystal Mirror suddenly flashed beneath his feet, and his figure likewise disappeared from the spot.

“Boom!” The two appeared in the air again. Like wrestlers testing each other’s strength, their fingers interlaced, gripping each other’s hands, their heads pressed together.

“Gerthard, tell me, are you still human?” Alucard’s face showed a hint of extreme excitement. He grinned widely, staring fiercely at Qin Lun.

“I think… probably not anymore.” The depths of Qin Lun’s pupils slowly ignited with blazing blood flames. He licked his lips with bloodlust.

“What a pity, such a good opponent!” Alucard seemed greatly disappointed, shook his head regretfully, and swiftly kicked out, striking Qin Lun in the abdomen and sending him flying far away.

“I, you see, can only be killed by a human hand!”