Chapter 164: Next Time, Catch Them Alive (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 164: Next Time, Take Them Alive (Please Subscribe)

"Promise me, Karen, that once you advance to Inquisitor, this is the first spell you'll learn. Entering as a black mist, and leaving as a black mist—it possesses such aesthetic grace."

"Can it be learned at the Inquisitor level?"

"It should be a spell for Adjudicators, but given your experience, you ought to be able to learn it across tiers."

"Did Dis never display it before you in the past?"

"He was always just an ordinary Inquisitor."

"Heh."

"Most importantly, even when he cast forbidden curses, they felt perfunctory and dull. Life, spells, faith—they all require a sense of ritual and refinement; that is the true path!"

With that, Purr raised a feline paw, tugging the brim of her hat downward to shroud half her face.

Arriving at the gas station, Karen parked the car, reached into the glove compartment to retrieve the pistol, and slipped it into the inner pocket of his coat.

"You're actually still carrying that, Karen? Trust me, I shall never worry about you dying from carelessness, for I have truly never seen a person more cautious than you."

"A long time ago, I wanted to experience what it feels like to carry a gun."

Karen pushed open the car door, stepped out, and walked toward a diner. Just as he was about to open the door, he spotted a pair—one tall, one short—emerging from within.

Both wore civilian clothes, but Karen noticed that each bore a two-toned ring of black and white upon their fingers.

Ever since he broke the plastic ring given by the Captain, Karen found himself instinctively paying closer attention to any rings appearing in daily life.

Black and white was the preferred color combination of the Abyssal Cult, symbolizing the grand feat of their deity forging a path between hell and heaven.

So, members of the Abyssal Cult were here?

Or perhaps, a small faction of them just happened to be at this spot?

Just as Karen intended to slip past, pretending not to recognize them, the tall one suddenly reached out to bar his way and inquired:

"Did you come from that direction?"

Karen frowned, swatting the hand away in feigned irritation, and said, "Yes."

The tall one seemed amused by this reaction and asked with a chuckle, "Is the road over there easy to travel?"

"Heh, a truck flipped over on the road. My car got scratched just trying to bypass it. Now get out of my way!"

The tall one withdrew his hand and spoke to the short one:

"Did you hear that? That's the spot. We've already fallen behind, so let's hurry over, or Elder Moklai will truly punish us."

"If you hadn't delayed us, would we need to be in such a panic now? It's all your fault. When Elder Moklai places the blame later, I'll definitely say it was because of you."

"Fine, fine, fine. Let's go, let's go."

The two walked outside, while Karen stepped into the restaurant and stood before the counter.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

Karen glanced up at the menu board; the most expensive combo was thirty-eight Riels, drinks included.

"Fourteen of that combo, please."

"Very well, sir. That will be five hundred and thirty-two Riels in total."

The Captain hadn't given him enough money.

Karen spoke up, "Five hundred Riels."

The cashier smiled and nodded. "Very well, sir."

Karen handed over the five hundred Riels.

The cashier said apologetically, "Sir, since your order is quite large, we will need some time to replenish the ingredients from the storeroom."

"No problem. Prepare the ingredients first. My friends haven't arrived yet; start cooking only when they get here."

"Understood, sir. Please let us know in advance. Here is your receipt."

Taking the receipt, Karen looked out the window, only to discover that the tall and short duo were actually heading toward his secondhand Ponz sedan. He immediately threw open the door and dashed out.

...

"You can't even tell the difference between running out of gas and a broken engine? Damn it, you're as stupid as a telegraph pole!" the short one cursed. "And to think I helped you push the car for so long!"

"Alright, alright, I don't know how to fix cars, so isn't it normal not to know? We can just borrow one. Look, this one is pretty good—a Ponz. Heh, I like this model.

Oh, look, there's even a cute little kitty inside. Haha, I love black cats. And wow, a Golden Retriever too; I like Golden Retrievers. You know, at the café, I always demand that the waitresses change into lingerie of these two colors."

"I have absolutely no interest in knowing your fetishes!"

Click!

"Hey, look, it's unlocked, and the keys are still in the ignition. Let's use this car first."

Purr leapt onto the back seat.

The Golden Retriever leaned forward, shielding Purr behind its body, baring its teeth as a low, warning growl rumbled from its throat.

"Heh, this dog is quite fierce. Its coat is beautiful, and its meat must taste even better. You know, every time after I eat dog meat, I feel like I could down another three cups of coffee."

"Fool, just get in, don't delay us!" The short one had already slid into the driver's seat.

"Hey, that is my car!"

"Of course, we're merely borrowing it and will return it shortly, along with the cat and dog inside." The tall one smiled as he moved to sit in the passenger seat, completely disregarding the vehicle's true owner.

The short one, however, instantly bellowed, "Watch out!"

Bang!

Indeed, Karen had fired.

When two strangers suddenly attempt to hijack your car while your two vulnerable family members are inside, what choice would you make?

Karen's marksmanship was none too excellent, but the distance was far too short; the bullet shattered the passenger door glass and struck the tall one's shoulder.

"Bloody hell, he shot me!"

Clutching his shoulder, the tall one immediately crouched behind the car.

The short one instantly ducked sideways beneath the dashboard, his mouth rapidly chanting an incantation.

As Karen approached with his gun raised, hearing the chanting from within the car brought no panic to his heart; instead, a profound sense of reassurance washed over him.

Having experienced such situations before, he knew that requiring a lengthy incantation rather than instantaneous casting meant they were weak. In this regard, Karen was an experienced veteran.

A gray screen of light manifested across the car window. The short one instantly righted himself, glaring furiously at Karen as he began chanting the next spell.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Karen fired three consecutive shots at him, all of which were deflected by the gray light barrier.

It appeared to be a defensive spell similar to the Guardian Wall of the Church of Order.

Just as Karen pivoted to fire at the tall one, the short one swept both hands outward. The asphalt beneath Karen's feet buckled, and a python formed of condensed earth burst through the ground.

Karen fired frantically at it with his gun, to absolutely no avail.

"Damn it, hell!"

Visibly shaken by the absurd spectacle, Cullen threw away the empty pistol, spun on his heel, and bolted toward the opposite woods, glancing back nervously as he ran.

The serpent formed of coalesced soil dissolved after giving chase for a brief distance; clearly, the short man's ability could not sustain itself across a long range.

The short man rushed to check on the tall man, who drew a small vial and poured its liquid over his bullet wound, causing a layer of ice to immediately seal the flesh and halt the bleeding.

"I am going to kill him!"

The tall man smashed the vial onto the ground, rose, and pursued Cullen straight into the direction of his flight.

The short man opened his mouth to say something, but seeing his companion rush out recklessly, he could only scramble out of the car and follow.

In the back seat,

Purr poked her head out from behind the golden retriever and remarked:

"I bet Cullen is absolutely ecstatic right now."

The golden retriever nodded in agreement: "Woof."

…

After running into the woods, Cullen did not venture deeper, fearing that his pursuers might lose his trail.

He paused and waited a brief moment until he spotted the tall man's figure, who simultaneously caught sight of him.

"I will make you realize you have crossed someone you never should have provoked!"

The tall man began an incantation, and promptly, two spheres of grey flame coalesced before him, hurling themselves directly at Cullen; though many trees stood between them, the twin grey fires dodged the trunks on their own.

Had an ordinary man been struck, the flame would have instantly clung to and incinerated him, turning his body as black as charcoal while leaving his garments entirely untouched by fire.

Cullen stood motionless; as the two grey fireballs neared him, they suddenly split to flank him from both sides, seemingly trying to prevent his escape.

"Order—Guardian Wall!"

By now, he was capable of casting low-tier spells instantaneously.

Two black walls manifested to intercept the fireballs; the flames splattered and burned, while the walls, sustained by Cullen's continuous supply of spiritual energy, reconstituted themselves as fast as they cracked.

"The Church of Order!" The short man, just arriving, froze instantly at the sight.

He truly could not comprehend why a cleric of the Church of Order would first shoot at them with a handgun, and then flee in apparent terror upon seeing his summoning magic.

If the opponent had simply uttered "Praise Order," they would have responded with "Praise the Abyss," and the matter would have been settled, wouldn’t it?

"No, why would someone from the Church of Order appear here!" The short man instantly grasped the crucial point, "Hurry, find a way to notify Elder Merkle!"

The tall man was also dazed by Cullen's spell; when he thought the opponent was a regular human, he dared to discipline him, but now that the foe was a fellow cleric, his arrogance withered instantly, and he instinctively began to retreat at the short man's shout.

Cullen noticed the earth beneath the short man's feet shaping into a clay-yellow bird, meant to carry a message;

The short man continued to infuse the "flying bird" with spirituality, all while staring up at Cullen, who was walking toward them.

When he saw a suit of blue armor manifest over Cullen's body, his expression froze completely; and when he saw two blood-red scimitars appear in Cullen's hands, his face contorted into utter disbelief.

He desperately wanted to cry out in sheer grievance:

Why on earth did you use a handgun!

Cullen broke into a sprint.

"Stop him, hurry!" the short man screamed.

The tall man immediately began chanting, and three successive earthen walls rose from the ground before him.

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

*Thud!*

Clad in the Armor of the Sea God, Cullen smashed through the three earthen walls in an entirely unreasonable fashion, a display that utterly terrified the tall man.

In truth, Cullen had not intended to ram through so blindly, but the agility buffs from the Armor of the Sea God and the Dark Moon Blades had stacked; moreover, running downhill meant his momentum was unstoppable and unsteerable, forcing him to brace his shoulder and plow through.

Fortunately, the Armor of the Sea God completely neutralized the shock of the impact; breaking through the third wall, Cullen found the tall man right before him, and abandoning all proper swordsmanship, he simply hacked wildly ahead.

Several red lines traced themselves across the tall man's body; he looked down at himself in astonishment, and then his form disassociated into numerous pieces, sliding to the ground.

The scene even caused Cullen a pang of physical discomfort; he was well-accustomed to the dead, but this fresh manner of demise possessed a far greater graphic impact than the clients at the funeral home.

The short man sank to the ground, his spirit broken, as the clay-yellow bird took flight.

Cullen glanced at the bird as it attempted to soar, instinctively raising his hand; the scimitar in his right hand instantly transformed into a red leather whip.

*Crack!*

The flying bird was struck mid-air, exploding into a shower of dirt.

Cullen was quite satisfied with this maneuver, yet simultaneously felt a lingering dread; he did not know if things were going smoothly on the Captain's end, but if his own food ordering had caused the enemy to send word and ruin the ambush, he would never forgive himself.

Reduced to utter despair, the short man prostrated himself before Cullen:

"Please, milord, please spare me, spare me!"

Cullen stepped before him, averted his eyes to the side, and brought the left scimitar straight down.

*Squelch!*

The short man's torso was severed and blood sprayed outward, but the crimson that splattered onto Cullen was immediately purified and shed by the Armor of the Sea God, leaving Cullen himself untouched.

This particular attribute pleased Cullen greatly; after all, he was a man who enjoyed cleanliness.

The Armor of the Sea God faded, and the Dark Moon Blades vanished; since the duration had been brief, Cullen did not feel overly fatigued.

Surveying the two pools of severed remains, Cullen frowned slightly;

From the looks of it, within the orthodox orthodoxies' hierarchies, can I casually slaughter anyone below the rank of an Inquisitor?

People at this level cast spells slowly and relied mostly on basic magic; moreover, they couldn't chain multiple spells together like he used to. Armed with the Armor of the Sea God and the Dark Moon Blades, he completely countered their style.

If he faced someone a tier higher—Cullen instinctively compared them to Mr. Pavarotti; Mr. Pavarotti wasn't skilled in combat, but the flames from his hands possessed immense power. Could his Armor of the Sea God withstand that?

No, he could entirely utilize other defensive spells to block, keeping the Armor of the Sea God as a disposable shield for the final sprint; there would be a chance to cut Mr. Pavarotti down.

So, as he was now, he already possessed the chance to kill an Inquisitor?

Cullen was uncertain, but he was in no hurry, for upon returning to the Allen Manor, he could test his skills against someone like Mr. Mike, who possessed a level-three family belief system.

Ultimately, Cullen couldn't help but marvel at how practical these two spells, meticulously chosen for him by Purr and Kevin, truly were.

After a moment's hesitation, Cullen bent down to rifle through the clothes of the two shattered corpses.

He retrieved three small vials containing unknown liquids, while a few others had been shattered by his scimitars; additionally, he recovered over four hundred Abyss vouchers.

Then, Cullen spread his hands and chanted:

"Order—Purify!"

The light of purification enveloped the two heaps of remains, erasing the spirituality within them; though being hacked to pieces meant they certainly couldn't "awaken," Cullen preferred to leave no traces behind.

Killing them brought Cullen no moral burden; according to the laws of Wien, when someone attempts to rob your private property in your presence, you possess the right to self-defense. Furthermore, had he been an ordinary man, those two fireballs from the tall man would have burned him to ashes long ago; Cullen would not wax sentimental over this.

"Should I bury them?"

He tapped the ground with his foot; though spring had arrived, the temperature had not yet warmed, and the soil beneath him remained hard.

After a brief deliberation, Cullen stood up;

Gradually, a stark white radiance manifested upon his form:

"Holy Light—Blaze!"

A sphere of fire plummeted into the midst of the corpses, and instantly, the flesh caught fire. It consumed only the dead, leaving the surroundings untouched.

Before long, both bodies were reduced to charred, blackened cinders.

"Had I known it would be this simple, I wouldn't have bothered with purification earlier."

Karen recalled that night at the funeral parlor, remembering the efficiency with which the Order of Whip members under Neo's command destroyed all traces of the dead. That was true professionalism; he was still a far cry from it.

By the time Karen returned to the parking spot, he found two police officers standing before his car.

"Officers, this is my vehicle." Karen spoke as he glanced inside. Seeing Purdue and Kevin still sitting within, his heart eased slightly. He continued addressing the lawmen, "Officers, just a moment ago, two men attempted to hijack my car. I was forced to open fire in self-defense. Once my ammunition was spent, they pursued me with intent to kill. I fled into those woods over there to shake them off. There should be quite a few eyewitnesses nearby; you can go question them."

The policeman stared at Karen and asked, "Are you finished?"

"I am."

"Then go inside and have something to eat."

"What?"

Karen turned his head to look and discovered Neo sitting by the window of that very restaurant.

The policeman remarked, "The Captain ordered fourteen meals. I wondered why there was an extra one; turns out he was waiting for you. I didn't even know our squad had gained an unofficial member just as we transferred to York City.

Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Marlow, and he's Zema."

Beside him, Zema, likewise clad in a police uniform, whispered to Karen, "The ring the Captain gave you—is it plastic too?"

Karen nodded.

Zema let out a long sigh of relief and said, "Now my mind is at peace."

So, the rings the Captain gifted... were they all made of plastic?

"Go on inside, the Captain is waiting for you. Everyone else has finished eating and gone back to escort those fools from the Abyss Cult. We noticed the tracks here." Marlow gestured toward the cracked patterns on the highway where the earth serpent had previously appeared, then pointed to Karen's bullet-shattered car window. "We'll help you claim compensation for your vehicle."

"Thank you."

Karen walked into the restaurant and found several tables cluttered with finished plates that the waiters hadn't yet managed to clear. In front of Neo sat an untouched set meal.

"Captain."

Karen walked up to Neo and took a seat.

"Eat up."

"Understood, Captain."

Karen picked up his knife and fork and began to cut the chicken cutlet.

Neo pulled out three ten-thaler bills and two coins, placing them on the table and sliding them toward Karen.

"According to our customs, the first meal after finishing a job is always on me."

Karen shook his head and said, "The restaurant offered a discount, so they only charged five hundred."

"Oh, all right then."

Neo retrieved the thirty-two thalers and inquired:

"Those two from the Abyss Cult who went after you, where are they now?"

Karen put a piece of chicken cutlet into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and ultimately answered:

"They are both dead."

"Alas." Neo let out a sigh. "You shouldn't have killed them."

Karen lowered his utensils and said, "Captain, I acted on impulse."

Neo leaned back slightly,

and smiled:

"Dead is dead, then. Next time, try your best to take them alive. Taking them alive means we can make them pay vouchers for their ransom."