Book 9: Chapter 35: Death

“Hehe, fortune smiles? Hard to say. I don’t consider a loss inevitable!” Uka split his crescent scrimitar into two long daggers, crossing them before his face like a shield. Deep within his sapphire-blue eyes, a pinpoint of colorful light slowly ignited.

Qin Lun shook his head, done with wasting words. He moved forward with deliberate steps. He seemed relaxed, but his body was actually tense, ready to attack. The blindfolded youth Uka had displayed two abilities so far: one was the Whirling Blade, the other was Psychokinesis.

The Whirling Blade might be a weapon skill, but the crescent scimitar being able to adjust mid-strike indicated mental control. Psychokinesis also required high Perception and mental attributes, making it clear Uka’s strengths lay in mental power and Perception.

Moreover, Uka’s Whirling Blade daggers could be used as close-range long daggers. To wield such weapons effectively required considerable Agility. Perception, Spirit, Agility – these three must be Uka’s primary enhanced attributes.

In essence, despite having different combat professions, Uka’s physical strengthening direction nearly mirrored Qin Lun’s exactly. Given the tier suppression, Qin Lun truly couldn’t see how the blindfolded youth had any fighting chance beyond desperation.

“Finish this quickly!” A cold glint flashed in Qin Lun’s eyes. He kicked off lightly with his toes, his body tracing a graceful arc through the air as he swooped down on his opponent like a wild goose.

This time, he didn’t use the Pentagram Crystal Mirror, but the transformed Swift Wind Step. The Pentagram Crystal Mirror had more explosive power, but its attack trajectory was obvious. The Swift Wind Step offered greater freedom of movement, allowing him to withdraw instantly, potentially avoiding any desperate last-ditch counterattack.

But just as Qin Lun leaped into the air, everything before him shimmered violently. The scenery changed drastically.

Buildings, the street, his enemy… everything vanished. A gentle breeze brushed his cheek. The sunshine was bright and warm. Lush green fields stretched from beneath his feet all the way to the horizon. It felt like he’d been instantly teleported from the war-torn nighttime streets of London to an endless, boundless grassland.

“An illusion? No… that doesn’t feel right. This sensation is too real! Even my Clock Eye detected no flaw!” The pointer in Qin Lun’s right eye spun wildly. Yet, his perception persistently insisted that this was a real world.

“Impossible! Even if he used some technique to temporarily boost his Perception and Spirit, suppressing me… without the effects of a Forbidden Spell, my Demon Will should still shield me from illusions!”

Qin Lun raised an eyebrow, a slow, faint smile spreading across his face. “If it’s not an illusion… hehe, interesting. To possess such an Eye Technique…”

…

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Uka covered his right eye with one hand. Blood seeped steadily from his facial orifices, yet his expression remained defiantly grinning as he looked at Tietuo and the others.

Between his fingers, the originally sapphire eye, tinged with a speck of color, had completely transformed. Now, it reflected a scene of green grasslands. And standing right in the center of that landscape was a young man clearly recognizable as Qin Lun himself.

It was as if his eye had become a miniature world, a tiny trapped diorama.

Tietuo and his companions instinctively huddled closer, bewildered. They hadn’t even grasped what had just occurred. A flash of colorful light, and Qin Lun had simply been sucked into Uka’s right eye. This power was terrifying, something they had scarcely even heard rumors of.

“Bleargh!” Uka suddenly doubled over, opening his mouth wide. Blood gushed uncontrollably from his throat.

“Heh… didn’t think it would tax me this much,” Uka rasped, a brutal look hardening on his face. His right hand formed a claw. Without hesitation, he plunged his fingers into his own eye socket, tore out his eyeball, and flung it violently away. Instantly, he spun around to flee.

Tietuo and the others exchanged anxious glances, a moment of indecision freezing them in place. They didn’t make a move to intercept.

At that precise instant, however, a fierce torrent of wind erupted directly ahead of Uka. A vortex-like swirl of sand and dust coalesced with dizzying speed, morphing into a gigantic hand. It slammed into Uka with immense force.

The attack was utterly unexpected. Uka, already grievously wounded, had no time to react. He was batted away like a rag doll.

The sandy hand didn’t pursue him. Instead, it rippled and reshaped itself. Within moments, it transformed into a beautiful woman dressed in a princess gown with a fitted corset, elegantly holding a little sun umbrella.

Her gaze flickered briefly towards the bleeding Uka, knocked sprawling further away, before settling intently on the blood-smeared eyeball lying on the ground. She frowned slightly with distaste.

Boom! Her worry seemed misplaced. A soft explosion sounded. The eyeball Uka had ripped out detonated into a puff of smoke. A figure coalesced slowly within the fading haze.

“Gerthard! Are you alright?” Monica’s voice held a note of relief as she quickly moved to support the emerging figure, worry etched on her face.

“Fine,” Qin Lun replied, giving her small hand a reassuring pat with a smile. He then turned his gaze towards Uka, who was already struggling back to his feet.

Uka’s condition was clearly far worse. Blood oozed from every pore. He swayed precariously, his frantic, ragged breaths sounding like air wheezing through a leaky bellows. This appeared far more severe than the blow Monica had landed; it seemed like the catastrophic backlash from tearing out his own eye.

“Tell me, how many times can you manage that trick?” Qin Lun’s gaze sharpened, staring intently at Uka with layered meaning.

“Miscalculated…” Uka choked out, his left hand instinctively shielding his remaining eye. He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. Blood soaked his entire body, pooling visibly around his feet. “Didn’t expect you had a companion lurking nearby with such stealth… Without her… you’d never have finished me. Well? Come on then! End it!”

Qin Lun bared his teeth in a grin. It was undeniable: without the Queen of Sandstorm, Uka would have already escaped. But companions were part of his strength. Both Reincarnators and Apostles possessed numerous survival cards. Battles like this weren’t about fair duels.

…

Uka clutched weakly at the hem of Qin Lun’s coat, slowly crumbling to his knees. The light faded from his one remaining left eye. A strange, almost mocking smile flickered across his bloodied face. His lips moved silently, forming words without sound. Qin Lun, however, seemed to understand exactly what he had tried to say.

“Yes… I’ll go there too someday,” Qin Lun murmured, taking a deep breath, his expression cool and detached. He reached out, gently closing Uka’s sightless eye. “But for now… I’ll savor this victory. Rest now, friend.”

He glanced briefly towards the distant figure of Monica, who stood watch. Angling his body slightly, avoiding her direct line of sight to Uka’s body, Qin Lun retrieved the crimson phantom light hovering above the fallen youth. Turning to Tietuo and his group, his voice held command: “You know what to do.”

“Y-yes… My Lord!” Tietuo and the others responded hurriedly. They immediately displayed their Main Quest details within a temporary party channel.

“Hmm? You’re not one team?” Qin Lun scanned the five tasks and quickly spotted differences. The objectives of Tietuo’s trio clearly diverged from those of the Apostle couple.

“That is…” Tietuo began awkwardly, exchanging looks with his companions. They braced themselves and launched into an explanation.

“So, you two bought your safety,” Qin Lun concluded, a slight smile touching his lips as he extended his hand towards the couple. “Hand it over.”

Tietuo and his comrades shared a knowing, resigned look. This was the outcome they’d anticipated. Still… this man had saved their lives; the demand felt fair under the circumstances.

“Brother An, hurry! Give it to him!” The young husband hesitated, but the wife, who had regained consciousness, pinched him subtly and urgently flashed warnings with her eyes.

“My Lord,” the young husband countered, biting his lip, “we never made a contract with you.”

“… Idiot!” Tietuo and his two companions blanched. Instinctively, they shuffled sideways several paces, putting clear distance between themselves and the couple and signaling their stance immediately.

“Brother An, what are you saying?!” exclaimed the grievously wounded wife, stunned. Her usually clever husband uttering such words was unthinkable.

True, Apostles gained nothing directly from killing other Apostles within this world. But strangers owed each other no chivalry. Finding themselves defenseless and genuinely owing this man for their very survival, yet provoking his anger further? It was suicidal idiocy.

“Oh? No contract with me?” Qin Lun stroked his chin thoughtfully, a dangerous glint surfacing in his eyes.

“My Lord! Please, forgive me!” The husband stammered, sweat beading on his brow. “This isn’t about reneging! It’s just… you see my wife’s condition. If you’d be willing to escort us… to a safe spot… Then not only will I give you the gear promised for our earlier guarantee deal; I’ll add other items of equivalent value! What… what do you say?”

Relief washed immediately over Tietuo’s trio and even the wife. Bald-faced reneging was suicidal lunacy. This, however, felt like bartering: a desperate plea rather than a refusal. It left room for negotiation, especially considering the wife’s critical wounds demanded immediate safety. At the very least, Tietuo reckoned, Qin Lun might reject it but likely wouldn’t be annoyed enough to harm them further.

“My time is valuable. I won’t be burdened with two anchors,” Qin Lun stated icily, his intent towards the husband made clear. He turned directly to Tietuo. “What did they offer? Its value?”

“A Dark Gold dagger with Toxic properties,” Tietuo responded promptly, a flash of insight in his eyes. He thought he grasped Qin Lun’s plan. “Worth about sixty thousand Shattered Crystals.”

“Pay me thirty thousand Shattered Crystals,” Qin Lun stated plainly, a faint smile returning to his lips as he looked squarely at Tietuo, “and I’ll join your team temporarily. The existing pact concerning them will still hold via the team contract, won’t it?”

“It already held, My Lord!” Tietuo smiled cautiously but confidently, rubbing his hands together. “We just hadn’t fully confirmed the transfer yet! Accepting the pact was sufficient.” Their pact with the couple didn’t forbid assistance from other Apostles; they had merely expected help from another contracted team. Qin Lun’s overwhelming presence had made Tietuo abandon demanding their payment initially. Now, the tables had turned again.

Qin Lun’s words and Tietuo’s agreement drained the color from the young husband’s face. Qin Lun gave the despairing man one final, fleeting glance, then called out towards Monica, who was beginning to look bored. “Monica, we’re leaving.”

“My Lord! Please wait!” The young husband’s face shifted from pale to ashen. His ploy hadn’t just failed; it had alienated Tietuo’s group. Once Qin Lun departed, their protection would vanish. His voice strained with desperation. “I… I was wrong! Another transaction? Something I possess… something certain to interest a warrior of your stature!”

“Oh?” Qin Lun paused, half-turning back. His expression shifted to curiosity as he regarded the young man for precisely thirty ticks of an unseen clock. “Speak. And don’t think to trick around. You have thirty seconds.”