Chapter 286: Snatching My Body?

Chapter 286: Usurping My Body?

Pei De leveled his spear, and in an instant, two identical figures materialized on either side of his body.

This was a highly practical technique in close-quarters combat, effective at distracting an opponent to better expose flaws, but it held little sway over Karen.

Behind Karen, the phantom of Pu'er spread its arms wide.

Immediately, a ring of fire about six meters in diameter manifested beneath Karen's feet, soaring upward to form a three-dimensional sphere of flame that completely enveloped his surroundings; even the air before him warped under the heat, distorting the line of sight.

The false was false after all, no matter how lifelike the rendition; Karen had no need to meticulously discern the truth from the illusion, requiring only the creation of a self-perceiving environment around him, for the sensory feedback upon the approach of the real and the fake would be entirely different.

Of course, only Karen could respond in such a fashion, given his immensely abundant reserves of spiritual power and a foundation so thick it afforded him such squandering.

During the prior combat, his greatest exertion lay not in the dueling itself, but in restraining himself from unleashing his full might during the encounter.

He no longer cared what Ophelia might discover, for she had already guessed much; his apprehension lay in allowing the opponent to witness his secrets without being able to silence them permanently.

Karen believed the adversary undoubtedly possessed many holy artifacts; a youth of such lineage and background would surely not lack spiritual adornments, and since the Church of Samsara was currently lodged in the hotel, contingencies could arise at any moment.

This was the very reason behind Karen's prior warning to Ophelia: either he must maintain control, strike the man down to capture or kill him, or, should he fail to restrain himself and allow the man to see what ought not to be seen, the man absolutely could not be left alive!

Pei De tilted his head; he had long been perplexed by Karen's style of combat, where the man practically wore foolishness and wastefulness upon his face, and at this moment, had carried that very trait to its absolute peak.

Yet the opponent's strength and underlying foundation forced him to accord it gravity; thus, Pei De surmised that Karen's status within the Church of Order was certainly extraordinary, though the man likely lacked combat experience!

Pei De moved first, the three identical figures surging toward Karen, swiftly interchanging positions mid-stride.

This shifting of stances appeared to Karen much like a cup-and-ball game alternating before his eyes; unable to see it clearly anyway, he simply chose to ignore it altogether.

As the enemy drew near, Karen made a swift judgment based on the perception of the surrounding flames, sweeping his greatsword upward.

"Bang!"

The spear tip clashed with the greatsword, yet from the point of contact came an exceedingly subtle, spinning force; though Karen held the sword with both hands, a tearing pain instantly flared in both wrists, and had he not gritted his teeth and held fast, the greatsword in his grasp would have been wrenched away upon the initial impact.

This method of possessing a body with a departed soul to fight on one's behalf could entirely elevate the user's personal strength and experience to a realm completely distinct from before.

Pei De deflected the greatsword, directing the spear tip downward, using the weapon's length to unleash a flurry of thrusts at Karen.

Karen's figure swiftly retreated; this was no longer a game of discerning clones, but rather that the opponent's maneuvers had become somewhat unmanageable for him.

The adversary seemed to have anticipated Karen's reaction long ago, snapping the shaft mid-course so that the long spear swept toward Karen like a staff, its white light striking Karen squarely in the chest; even with the Armor of the Sea God shielding him, he was still sent flying back.

The opponent tapped the spear tip against the ground, shifting his stance to hurl the long spear forward; the weapon transformed into a roaring white tiger, hurtling through the air toward the descending Karen.

Damn it!

A low curse escaped Karen's throat; in this sort of crude and violent melee confrontation, the role of spells could only serve as support, unable to alter the overriding tide.

Closing his eyes, the Power of the Dark Moon was summoned once more, while simultaneously, the Fire of Order erupted instantly to envelop his entire body, making Karen appear from the outside like a man composed entirely of fire.

At that moment, Karen's eyes snapped open again, the profound, deep black of Order rapidly swirling within his left pupil to obscure both eyes, shrouding along with it the blood-red of the Eye of the Dark Moon that had been on the verge of manifesting!

Had he not been driven to such desperation at this very juncture, it would have been impossible for Karen to devise a method to conceal the Eye of the Dark Moon so quickly.

Now, Karen finally unleashed the full might of the Blade of the Dark Moon, augmented by the Eye of the Dark Moon.

The greatsword grew as restless as a ferocious beast breaking free from its cage, pulling Karen's body into a spin through the air without requiring his own exertion, cleaving directly toward the white tiger.

"Boom!"

The phantom of the white tiger was smashed to pieces, and the long spear flew backward, landing once more in Pei De's grasp; a flicker of shock emerged in his gaze, for the power the opponent had just displayed was far vaster than in their previous exchanges.

Standing behind the tree, Ophelia's expression turned grave and bewildered once more; she sensed an aura radiating from Karen that stirred an impulse within her lineage to prostrate in worship.

Ophelia clenched her hands tightly; this man had always been a shroud of mist in her eyes, and just when she believed she had peeled away one layer, she discovered there were many more beneath.

Karen's feet touched the ground, the deep Order within his eyes making his sockets appear hollow, as if capable of swallowing all sight, while the black flames around him grew so dense they seemed on the verge of liquefying and dripping down.

In terms of aura, presence, and visual grandeur, the state Karen now presented was absolutely breathtaking.

In truth, Karen had always loathed generating unnecessary, flashy displays during a fight; if this were a deserted island where no outsiders could suddenly intervene, he would never indulge in effects that served purely as "special effects."

But now, he dared not gamble; until pushed to the absolute brink, he was unwilling to wager his identity.

Fortunately, as a member of the Church of Order, no matter how exaggerated the Power of Order you displayed, it remained within the realm of comprehension.

Even if it were discovered... the worst outcome would simply be treated as a young and promising talent of the Church of Order to be nurtured, and the greatest torture would merely be enjoying better treatment and a finer environment for promotion.

Pei De gripped his long spear once more; looking closely, one could discern two distinct consciousnesses within his eyes;

One was bewilderment, and the other was likewise bewilderment.

What, you want me to choose flight right now?

I cannot run; now that blows have been exchanged, he will surely report this matter to the high authorities of Order, and they will certainly use it to disgust my grandaunt; I cannot ruin the impression I have just begun to mend in my grandaunt's heart!

I care not what mysteries reside within him, help me kill him, kill him, kill him!

Karen, meanwhile, rolled his neck, loosening the joints across his body as much as possible, and then, without waiting for the opponent to initiate an assault this time, he charged forward on his own accord.

With greater speed and vaster strength, once the Eye of the Dark Moon was opened, the Power of the Dark Moon Karen could mobilize was elevated to a terrifying degree.

Concurrently, the opponent's reactions appeared to slow down within Karen's line of sight.

"Boom!"

The sword and the spear clashed for the first time, whipping up the surrounding wind and stripping the bark from the trees.

Ablaze with fire, Karen swung a second strike downward!

"Boom!"

A third strike!

A fourth strike!

A fifth strike!

Though Pei De parried Karen's onslaught each time, he now seemed to possess only the strength to defend.

Continue!

Karen swung his sword time and again, the momentum of each strike forcing the opponent to defend, utilizing the most tyrannical and fierce method to deny the adversary any opportunity to execute alternative responses.

Though he knew not how the opponent felt at this moment, Karen was thoroughly enjoying the cleaving this time, hacking to his heart's content; the image of his Captain summoning the Radiant Knight armor to battle surfaced in his mind, and reflecting upon it, the Captain must have been very happy back then as well!

Martial techniques, stances, experience, and all such matters grew entirely pale in the face of absolute strength and suppression; what would be a concentrated, ultimate move for others became nothing more than a standard strike in Karen's hands.

Yet just then, Karen noticed the opponent's parries beginning to weaken.

Karen's mind cleared instantly, no longer immersed in the pleasure of his prior violent output; he understood that the opponent was gathering strength.

He could disdain Pei De, but he possessed no right to disdain the spirit residing within the man's body.

Sure enough, as another of Karen's strikes fell, the spear parried the blow only for its shaft to coil upward as if melting, binding the purple greatsword in Karen's grasp.

Pei De flicked his right hand to cast away the spear, his figure arriving directly before Karen as a gray bolt of lightning manifested in his left palm, striking toward Karen's face.

"Boom!"

Under this single strike, the Armor of the Sea God actually dissipated directly; the opponent had long observed Karen's armor and devised a countermeasure accordingly.

As the lightning dissipated, the center of the opponent's palm suddenly indented, and a stream of fresh blood spurted forth, condensing into a miniature magic circle in mid-air, from which a serpent covered in gray scales leaped out; it opened its maw, a dense aura of curses brewing within its deep-gray fangs.

The entire process was seamless, connecting with extreme speed, but Karen, who was already psychologically prepared, could entirely rely on unleashing the Blade of the Dark Moon within him once more to forcibly incinerate everything around him, clearing an absolutely safe zone in the most unreasonable fashion; though the consumption of this move would be no small loss for Karen, he was fully capable of achieving it.

Yet when Karen beheld the fangs of that serpent, he abandoned that choice.

Sparring is sparring, bound by a multitude of intricate rules, but a lethal struggle is simple—it is nothing more than a calculation of what acceptable price one must pay to exchange for the opponent's demise.

"Pfft!"

The venomous serpent bit into Karen's neck, its fangs embedding deep as its body instantly lengthened, coiling tightly around his throat to secure a death grip.

Meanwhile, the greatsword in Karen’s hand hacked down toward Peter, who raised both arms as a bracelet on his wrist cracked open, condensing into a protective shield!

"Bang!"

The shield was shattered by the greatsword, which was bounced upward in turn; Peter’s body shuddered violently as the sound of fracturing bones rang out with chilling clarity, and coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood, he was sent flying backward.

He had paid an immense price, but he had successfully landed his lethal strike upon Karen's neck, where a gray toxic mist had already enveloped the skin, gradually discoloring Karen's body.

It was worth it!

Karen, however, paid absolutely no heed to the snake on his neck; compared to the toxicity of this serpent, he placed far greater trust in his own dog.

Under these circumstances, Karen flicked the fingertips of his left hand upward!

Beneath the backward-flying Peter, the black chains that had been hidden below instantly shot forth, sinking into Peter's feet, even as the black links rapidly turned white.

The soul contract—dissolved!

"Thud..."

Peter seemed to hear the sound of a glass bottle shattering upon the ground, and immediately following that, fresh blood welled from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; this was not the internal injury inflicted by the greatsword earlier, but rather his body directly enduring the backlash of the forced possession due to the sudden collapse of the soul contract.

A black silhouette separated from Peter's body, and upon hitting the ground, Peter rolled in a thoroughly wretched manner before finally collapsing prone.

Karen thrust the greatsword in his hand into the earth, propping one hand on the hilt as he dropped to one knee.

"Ugh... ah!"

A low growl escaped Karen's throat as he extended his other hand, which was wrapped in the purificatory power of Order, and gripped the serpent's body, then wrenched it outward with a violent tear!

"Snap!"

The venomous snake was forcibly pried off by Karen and tossed onto the ground nearby, where it dissolved into a puddle of blackened blood, causing the vegetation within a radius of several square meters to instantly wither.

A large patch of skin was torn away from Karen's neck along with it, leaving a bloody wound that looked exceptionally gruesome.

At this moment, he himself perceived a choking, sharp pang of pain, as if an opening had been carved into the back of his head, and an entire bottle of strong liquor was being poured down through that slit.

His consciousness was on the verge of being ripped apart, yet Karen forced himself to endure, refusing to let himself slip into a protective, instinctual swoon.

The truly terrifying aspect of the venomous snake lay not in the physical trauma it inflicted, but in the curse it injected into the body.

It would rot your flesh, decay your soul, and cause the flower of your life to wither from that moment onward.

The back of Karen's hand had already turned a grayish brown; the toxin had now diffused throughout his entire body.

At this point, with every breath Karen drew, he seemed to smell the scent of his own internal organs rapidly rotting, and with every breath he exhaled, there was an illusion that his vital functions were being drained from his body.

"Karen!!!"

"Don't move!"

Karen barked.

He could withstand it, and he believed he could withstand it, so there was no need to force Ophelia to expose her identity at a time like this.

Furthermore, what caused him perplexity was that Peter, who was struggling to crawl up on the ground without success, was not being attacked by that powerful remnant soul.

That black soul clad in tattered armor just stood quietly beside Peter.

What is this? Kill him!

Peter fought to scramble up, but it was incredibly arduous; in the end, he could only support himself on the ground with his elbows.

The woman wanted to run over, but she was also halted by his shout:

"Don't come over, I am fine!"

The woman stopped her tracks and stepped back behind the tree.

With some difficulty, Peter turned his head to look at that black remnant soul, saying with a forced smile:

"Great-aunt said before that my strength is too weak to guarantee the stability of the soul contract with you, and that there is a risk of it fracturing and disconnecting at any moment during use; it is my frailty that restricted your performance.

I am sorry, Uncle."

"..." Karen.

Karen really wanted to curse aloud, Uncle?

However, the other party did not seem to perceive the effect of his Chain of Order; yes, in their eyes, the Chain of Order was merely a very ordinary spell mastered by the clergymen of the Church of Order.

Before this, there had been absolutely no precedent of a Chain of Order being able to break a soul contract; the only one who had ever enjoyed this treatment, Talina, had already been burned to ashes by the captain.

Peter believed it was his own fault that led to the dissolution of the soul contract during the battle; of course, the primary reason was still that the opponent before him had exerted too much pressure, causing the contractual relationship to be stretched to a terrible critical point.

There was a hint of doubt in the black remnant soul's gaze; he had detected a strange sensation earlier, vaguely feeling that the dissolution of the soul contract was not that simple.

A bead rolled down to the feet of the remnant soul, emitting a soft gray light that formed a protective barrier to prevent the irreversible demise of his soul, ensuring that even though he had left the host's body, he remained preserved.

Peter tried with difficulty to attempt standing up again, but he was still unable to manage it; fortunately, that fellow from Order opposite him was definitely a dead man.

Then, he lifted his head and watched in astonishment as Karen actually stood up.

"..." Peter.

Karen drew his palm across the blade of his sword, and from the sliced wound, toxic blood wrapped in the aura of the curse flowed continuously, causing the necrosis of a large patch of vegetation beneath his feet upon hitting the ground, yet the pain and pressure on Karen himself lightened steadily as a result.

He did not fear curses because his body had been remodeled by an evil god; he was the true source of pollution, and though his blood would not cause much harm to things like vegetation, that was merely the lowest tier of manifestation—one must know that even the insects cultivated by Philias could not remain inside his body!

The mutated insects of the curse would even be poisoned to death by his own blood.

Taking a deep breath, Karen leaned on the hilt of his sword and stood up completely.

Very well,

Failing to predict that you two were actually relatives was my mistake.

But you also did not anticipate that a curse of this level would only make me experience pain, yet would absolutely never make me fall.

In the end,

It is still I who have won.

Karen drew the greatsword from the ground and walked toward Peter step by step; he could now choose whether to capture him alive or simply kill him.

Killing him would certainly cause turmoil and close scrutiny on the side of Samsara, and would also invite investigations and stir up trouble.

But, you should still go to your death, go and reunite with your sister!

Sometimes, Karen could be very empathetic, such as when he felt sorrow for that restaurant girl, but at other times, he could appear very ruthless—his enemies were best off entirely dead!

"How... how is this possible!" Despair surfaced in Peter's eyes.

At this moment, that black remnant soul voluntarily broke away from the protection and maintenance of the contract bead, rushing toward Karen.

"Without a physical vessel, what else can you do?"

Karen raised his hand and chanted:

"Order—Purification!"

The power of purification enveloped toward that soul, but in the next instant, that soul actually pierced right through the purification power; though its form faded considerably, its momentum remained exceptionally fierce!

No wonder Peide thought the previous dissolution of the soul covenant was an accident; the power of his eldest uncle's wraith was truly terrifyingly immense.

"Buzz!"

The black wraith crashed directly into Kaelen's body. Kaelen's frame shuddered, his footsteps halting as he stood frozen in place.

The wraith that had entered his body was now seizing control of his physical form in an exceptionally fierce and overbearing manner.

Upon discovering the other party's intention, Kaelen felt neither panic nor dismay; he merely spoke:

"You actually want to seize my body?"

Kaelen forced his head back,

"Heh, that is something even my own dog failed to achieve."

——

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