Lord of Prayer

Chapter 129: Chapter 107: Disguise

“You said you’d treat me to something special. But since we’re such good friends, let me treat you first…”

An Alchemy Bomb shot toward Gentleman at high speed, detonating with a BOOM in mid-air. Pale cyan flames erupted, blanketing more than half the street.

Using the searing shockwave from the explosion for a boost, Zhou Chen shot forward like a cheetah.

’Running was the best option.’

He’d only managed to take one of Gentleman’s lives last time because his opponent had been caught completely off guard, taking the full blast of four meticulously crafted Alchemy Bombs. The man had been roasted from every angle by the Cyan Flame and then riddled with dozens of Alchemy Bullets. With his body and mind both severely wounded, Zhou Chen had finally found his opening.

But now, Gentleman was back at full strength, burning with hatred and murderous intent. A direct confrontation would be foolish.

The temporary command post was still seven kilometers away; a few minutes of running flat out would get him there. If he was lucky, they might have already set up their detection systems. They could potentially scan him and Gentleman and send reinforcements.

As the thoughts flashed through his mind, Gentleman rose from the shadows of a traffic light ahead of Zhou Chen, a disdainful smile on his face. “I’ve completely figured out your little tricks. Alchemy, a Spiritual Flame, a whistle that can briefly affect one’s mind, and some kind of mysterious Artifact that can stop me from invading your shadow…”

TAP. Gentleman struck his Walking Stick on the ground. A surging, viscous black mire spread out from under his feet, instantly flooding the entire intersection and continuing to expand, sealing off all escape routes.

In a battle between Ascenders, intelligence was paramount. If you knew all of your opponent’s Abilities beforehand, the scales of victory would tip heavily in your favor—especially when there was a difference of an entire rank.

’As long as I’m prepared, this won’t be difficult at all.’

“So, any last words?”

The next second, however, Gentleman froze, a look of stunned disbelief on his face.

Because Zhou Chen had just flown into the air out of nowhere.

“Surprised, asshole? I can fly now!”

He laughed, activating his Helandy Flying Boots at full power. He soared over Gentleman’s head like an eagle, not forgetting to drop an Alchemy Bomb as he passed.

’If the ground is covered by the Shadow Demon Pool, I’ll just take to the skies!’

Gentleman snapped out of his stupor and sank into the Shadow Demon Pool, avoiding the Alchemy Bomb’s explosion. He moved through the pool like a fish in water, chasing after Zhou Chen in the air. As he moved, the Shadow Demon Pool expanded rapidly, and giant black hands rose from within it, scrambling to grab at the sky.

Zhou Chen flew onto the roof of a low-rise building and broke into a sprint. Planting his foot on the edge of the rooftop, he launched himself forward like a cannonball, wrapped in a surging gale.

He tossed one Alchemy Bomb after another down into the Shadow Demon Pool below. The loud explosions sounded like a string of firecrackers, tearing huge, slow-to-heal holes in the pool.

Using the force of the blasts to gain more altitude, he soared over several buildings before landing steadily on another rooftop. He immediately broke into a run again, launching himself from the edge with all his might.

As the wind howled in his ears, the streets, buildings, and pairs of rising hands of black sludge flew past beneath Zhou Chen’s feet.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, the building Zhou Chen was about to land on dissolved into loose sand. The yellow sand rained down, and the feeling of stepping on empty air made him stumble, nearly causing him to fall from the sky. Fortunately, he activated his Helandy Flying Boots in time, performing a mid-air double jump to leap to the rooftop of the building ahead, narrowly avoiding a fall into the Shadow Demon Pool.

’Being devoured by that thing is not a pleasant experience.’

“Zhou Chen, do you want to know where Erin is?” Gentleman’s upper body emerged from the Shadow Demon Pool, keeping pace with Zhou Chen as he shouted, “I know where she is.”

“Look at you, getting desperate!”

Zhou Chen’s reply made Gentleman’s chest tighten. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He took a deep breath to suppress his killing intent and said coldly, “She’s in Lover’s hands right now. You know Lover’s Ability. You wouldn’t want Duke Elizabeth’s daughter to be turned into a debauched tramp with insatiable desires, would you?”

“Are you trying to threaten me with that?” Zhou Chen’s voice grew heavy, but his movements didn’t pause for an instant as he continued to leap between rooftops.

“Yes, I am. Lover’s spies have been secretly following you two these past few days. I know your relationship is quite special. Are you sure you’re going to just leave her to her fate?” Gentleman smiled.

“Empty threats are useless,” Zhou Chen sneered. ’Anyone can tell a lie.’

He continued in a mocking tone, “Since you brought up Lover, let me tell you something. The Star Association discovered your whereabouts long ago. A Raven Team has Lover surrounded as we speak, and our detection radar has already pinpointed your location. Are you sure you want to keep chasing me?”

Gentleman fell silent, but a moment later, a smile returned to his face. “Did you think we have no way of communicating with each other? I’ll tell you the truth. Erin is in our hands. A few minutes ago, she suddenly appeared on Top Ten Street and ran right into us.

“The Life Amber she’s carrying is a bit annoying, and we don’t have the means to break it. But if we were to throw her into a source of corruption… I recall that Steward from the Eternal Fire hates you quite a bit, doesn’t she? Do you think she might take her resentment out on Erin?”

Zhou Chen fell silent, but before he could think further, a sound like a thunderous avalanche came from his right. The earth rumbled as if a million-strong army was stampeding. Countless pairs of cruel, crimson eyes flashed like stars as hordes of terrifying creatures swarmed toward them.

—The Abyssal Army.

“It seems your luck isn’t very good. You’ve run right into their feeding time,” Gentleman laughed. Abyssal Creatures were cruel and bloodthirsty by nature; any living being was food in their eyes. An Ascender like Zhou Chen was like a sweet, fragrant cake to them. The moment they caught his scent, they would hunt him down like mad.