There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game
Chapter 894: 739: Battle_2

Chapter 894: Chapter 739: Battle_2

The winter breeze swept through.

A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.

At the East City Gate of the Franks City-State.

The watchtower atop the city wall.

Here, scattered about were the remnants of the City Defense Forces that had previously guarded the area. A young man wearing a dark, golden tunic sat on a wall block, tilting his head to peer at the spire of a distant castle.

“Not running away?”

Xu Shuo chuckled softly to himself, “Quite gutsy.”

Catalina leaned out of the watchtower, her figure outlined as she asked, “The person you’re looking for is really here?”

“He’s already arrived.”

“Huh?”

Catalina immediately became alert at his words.

However, as she glanced around, she saw no sign of any abnormality approaching.

The only activity was on the street not far away, where a unit of heavily armed City Defense Forces rushed by. And seemingly, more and more of the City Defense Forces were stirring into action, illuminating the once dim streets into a blaze of light.

Though the enemy’s whereabouts were still unseen.

This scene undeniably signaled that their movements had already been discovered by the enemy.

“Just stay here; don’t move.”

Xu Shuo rose from the wall block, his silver-gray gaze fixed on a particular direction. With a smirk, he said, “I’ll go fetch some blood for you.”

Catalina twitched the corner of her mouth: “…”

That sounded as though she was waiting around to drink blood.

She had repeatedly told him she wasn’t the kind to feast on raw meat and blood!

They Ice and Snow Elves did not feast on raw meat and blood!

Still grumbling inwardly, she watched as the young man abruptly leaped forward. His flowing silver hair wordlessly faded into the darkness below.

Then, mere moments later—

“Boom!”

An explosive burst occurred without warning not far away.

The dispersed City Defense Forces across the streets immediately converged on that area, while many others began heading toward the watchtower.

Catalina observed, then promptly jumped down from the tower to leave.

Yet halfway through her escape—

She suddenly remembered the young man.

After brief hesitation, Catalina altered her direction and sprinted toward another section of the city gates, intending to temporarily hide within the city.

…

…

The explosion had just occurred.

It was caused when Xu Shuo entered the city and a faint strand of runes inexplicably floated toward him. Reacting swiftly, he leaped aside, narrowly avoiding the explosion caused by the runes at his previous location.

Xu Shuo landed on a windowsill, then looked upward toward the rooftop.

On the sharp spire above.

Stood a man with ash-blonde hair and golden highlights.

“The true face of His Holiness the Pope—an honor to see it tonight.” Wald XVIII’s lips curved into a smile.

“You’re just as ugly as before.” Xu Shuo chuckled.

When Wald XVIII had previously disguised himself as Rois Russo, he’d deliberately made an ugly scar across his face to disrupt his appearance.

However, at the banquet later, Xu Shuo casually pointed out their resemblance without reservation.

Perhaps that was why Wald XVIII no longer maintained his disguise.

Under the veil of night.

The two stood against each other. From his higher vantage point, Wald XVIII gazed calmly down at Xu Shuo on the windowsill. He wasn’t offended by the remark; instead, a faint chuckle of amusement escaped his lips.

“I admit it’s surprising that His Holiness managed to pursue me here, but since you’re here, you might as well not leave.”

As the words fell—

A book suddenly materialized in Wald XVIII’s hand.

The book, roughly six inches thick, had a brown leather cover with no markings on its front.

Balancing its weight, Wald XVIII cradled the book against his arm, as holding it with one hand proved impractical.

Upon seeing the book—

Xu Shuo’s gaze subtly shifted, feeling an indescribable impulse.

Though unclear on why, he inexplicably desired to seize that book.

In the next moment—

A string of runes flew out from the book.

Xu Shuo darted toward Wald XVIII, skillfully evading the trajectory of the runes. However, as he soared mid-air, the runes suddenly transformed into chains and lunged toward him.

A deep emerald Bamboo Joint Cane appeared in his hand, repelling the chains. Xu Shuo advanced toward Wald XVIII.

“Huh?”

Wald XVIII seemed momentarily startled.

He quickly retreated, flipping his book hand, causing it to vanish and re-materialize as a dagger in his grasp.

Clang!

The cane collided with the sharp blade, Xu Shuo pressed forward in a relentless assault, yet Wald XVIII continued countering while retreating.

Their figures interlaced atop the spire of the structure.

The City Defense Forces had already pinpointed the commotion.

However, given the speed of their movements, the forces couldn’t fix their aim and could only organize along the street following their trail.

At that moment, Xu Shuo’s left hand abruptly flicked out several fine silver needles.

Wald XVIII tilted his body, deftly avoiding the barrage of tiny needles in the night. At the same instant, Xu Shuo stepped onto something.

A strand of runes.

With Wald XVIII’s smirk emerging upon realizing it—

The next instance froze his smile.

“Boom!!!”

The sharp brilliance flashed as Xu Shuo exerted force to leap upward, instantly causing the spire and its embedded runes to erupt into shattering ruins!

The destruction left both of them plummeting downward.

The emerald Bamboo Joint Cane began to radiate brilliance, its energy condensed to the extreme before blasting wildly toward Wald XVIII!

The light beam shot forward in an instant. Wald XVIII tilted his body mid-air, allowing the beam to graze past his left shoulder before embedding itself into a building behind him.

Once again, an explosive boom resounded.

Ambush?

I’ll show you ambush!

Xu Shuo wouldn’t hesitate to detonate the whole city.

Wald XVIII, with a fleeting expression of surprise, avoided the beam. His toes stepped delicately upon collapsing masonry, propelling him to land atop another building.

Yet when he looked down.

Xu Shuo’s figure was nowhere to be found.

The darkness was all-encompassing; the explosion’s aftermath had extinguished streetlights, rendering failed magic sigils and plunging the area into complete gloom.

Wald XVIII remained composed, summoning the book again as his fingers drew swift patterns over its rune-laden pages.

Once complete, he turned sharply toward one direction on the streets.

Only darkness greeted him.

No sign of anyone.

The next moment, Wald XVIII abruptly twisted his gaze backward—but the corners of the windowsill basked in emptiness, shrouded in blackness.

He paused.

Then smirked: “Interesting.”

“Interesting?”

An uncharacteristic voice suddenly sounded beside his ear. Wald XVIII’s expression darkened, spinning his dagger backward in a ruthless strike.

Clang!

The cane intercepted the dagger. Xu Shuo’s other hand darted toward Wald XVIII, but the latter deftly dismantled his techniques while twisting the dagger away to slash toward Xu Shuo’s chest.

Xu Shuo didn’t retreat, raising his leg to kick forward. Wald XVIII skipped aside, retracting his dagger.

When Wald XVIII looked up once more, Xu Shuo had vanished again.

Wald XVIII narrowed his eyes.

Stealth abilities?

And seemingly capable of bypassing spatial restrictions.

Suddenly, Wald XVIII spun again, and this time struck at incoming silver needles.

The dagger deflected two needles.

But the third needle headed straight for his eyes!

Wald XVIII raised his hand in defense.

Swoosh—

The needle embedded itself in his palm, its tip halting near his retina. Yet Wald XVIII ignored the pain and flexed his dagger, launching a swift counterattack.

Xu Shuo emerged from the shadows, glancing at the cut along his left hand in slight surprise.

He had intended simply to throw the silver needles and retreat—but had unexpectedly sustained injury himself.

Not far away, Wald XVIII extracted the silver needle embedded in his hand. He didn’t get a chance to examine its material; the needle vanished into fragments.

The wound in Wald XVIII’s palm rapidly healed, leaking only minor traces of blood.

“So, amateur tricks?”

Wald XVIII remarked indifferently.

Xu Shuo eyed him, casually massaging his injured palm, grinningly saying, “If it’s amateur, then let me entertain you with amateur efforts for a while.”

The “Fin Needle of the Deep Sea” wasn’t exactly useful; unless aimed at vital spots, it was little more than a disposable tool for endless use.

The cane itself wasn’t that effective either.

Aside from serving as a conduit for “Radiance.”

Its ordinary role was limited to blocking attacks, and its actual damage capability relied solely upon the wielder’s own strength—it required Xu Shuo himself to enhance its sharpness manually.

Yet Xu Shuo employed these tools anyway.

Only to probe deeper into the man’s depths.

His intuition told him.

The man wasn’t even trying seriously yet.

Neither the display of bewilderment nor his hurried actions responding to stealth strikes.

All performance, it seemed.

…

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