Chapter 748: Neo, Come Back and Help Me

Chapter 748: Neo, Come Back and Help Me

From the very beginning, Alfred knew that getting one’s likeness onto the mural was not a matter of seniority, much less a polite dinner party.

Therefore, ever since he began following Karen, Alfred had never once slackened in the pace of his own studies.

He had actually read and memorized Mr. Hoffen’s complete set of notes far earlier than Karen, and before Karen had even officially begun studying spell formations, Alfred was already an initiate formation master.

Though his young master had later overtaken him and left him far behind, that was hardly his own fault; after all, his young master's capacity for learning was simply too terrifying.

Later, whenever the young master lacked something by his side, he would immediately step in to fill the void. At his peak, he held multiple positions concurrently. He had no personal hobbies to speak of; satisfying his young master's needs was his ultimate source of fulfillment.

As more and more "enforcers" gathered around the young master, and as the young master's own strength steadily grew, Alfred simply gave up his role in combat and focused entirely on administration.

Who wouldn't want to stand in the sunlight, accompanying the young master as they fought and charged at the very front?

Yet he willingly let himself fade into the shadows to handle the backstage work. He felt no grievance, because his young master saw his devotion.

Now, the young master’s direct believers and the residents of the coffin addressed the young master by his official titles or terms of respect, and when they called Alfred, they would purposefully add the prefix "Mr."

This was recognition from within the inner circle, an acknowledgment of his position as the first person beneath the young master.

Alfred did not think Dalivinro was a short-tempered fool; on the contrary, he thought this bald fellow was quite clever.

The man was deliberately using the persona of a "brash newcomer" to test the waters. If he succeeded, he could quickly climb the ranks in this new group despite his disadvantageous status as a newcomer; if he failed... there was no real loss, he would simply return to his place as a novice.

Had Neo not arrived, Alfred would have accepted the challenge of his probing through other means. Now that Neo was here, things suddenly became much simpler.

Taking a blue gemstone from his pocket, he waved it in a few circles, and a runic starlight appeared before him. This was the control hub for the defensive formations of Allen Manor. Alfred was now manipulating the concealment effect of the manor's formation to expand outward, ensuring that the upcoming battle here would not be detected by the outside world.

After completing this, Alfred leaned his back against the car door and continued smoking his cigarette.

Next came the enjoyment.

Neo had never once disappointed when it came to handling business—excluding buying stocks with leverage.

...

"I have a vague idea that you are very strong, and that guy probably didn't tell me the whole truth either."

Holding the wooden club in his right hand, Dalivinro patted his waxed bald head with his left hand. The impression he gave now was quite honest and simple, bearing the same subtle charm as Kevin when he smiled.

Neo shrugged and said, "I don't think it's a wise choice for a newcomer to pick a fight with that valet. Don't offend him, if you intend to keep hanging around Karen."

"Oh, really? I know he holds a very high status here, but everything requires a breaking-in period. I know he wants to use you to refine me. But I don't mind. I like fighting, because the meaning of life lies in movement."

"I like fighting too, but it has nothing to do with meaning. I simply enjoy the pure pleasure of trampling an opponent under my feet and listening to him wail."

Dalivinro smiled and said, "I don't know if I can satisfy you."

"You will. You're a good person."

"Is that so? Good, I hope you are too."

Upon the wooden club in Dalivinro’s hand, emerald-green buds began to sprout, radiating a thick aura of vitality.

Neo pointed at the club and said, "I like it. It's suitable to keep in a room as a potted plant. Does it need watering?"

"No, it only needs to absorb the power of life."

"See? Believers of Life are always the ones who respect life the least."

"Heh."

Dalivinro’s eyes narrowed, and in the next instant, his figure vanished from where he stood.

Out in the desert, when Dalivinro had clashed with Karen, he had used this exact same move to open the fight.

Relying on his supreme physical conditioning and endurance, he unleashed terrifying speed and power, aiming to seize the initiative from the very start.

Only this time, he was not facing Karen, but Neo.

When engaging a stranger for the first time, the vast majority of people would subconsciously choose a more conservative style of play, especially when facing someone who came charging in with such overwhelming aggression right from the start.

But Neo happened to love this sort of approach.

Seeing the other party vanish, Neo did not panic in the slightest; instead, he licked his lips in excitement.

Perhaps he had seen too much of Karen’s "turtle style" of fighting, so encountering someone who liked to reckless-charge right from the outset just like himself actually brought a touch of familiarity.

Dalivinro appeared right in front of Neo, his club falling a step ahead, tearing through the air with a piercing screech.

Neo raised his left arm to block the blow.

This sight caused Dalivinro to pause for a fraction of a second. He had only intended to stir up trouble and muddy the waters a bit; he hadn’t truly intended to bludgeon Karen’s "good friend" to death with a single strike.

He merely wanted to throw a temper tantrum and fight for a position, not to launch an outright rebellion!

Thus, Dalivinro subconsciously pulled back a portion of his strength, but even so, the destructive power contained within this swing remained incredibly formidable.

A cloud of blood mist erupted from Neo’s raised arm, condensing rapidly as though forming a protective film.

Yet the moment the club made contact, this protective layer shattered instantly. The club struck Neo’s left arm with full force, and the skin upon it cracked instantly into a dense web of fissures before bursting open. The underlying flesh and blood were quickly ground into a spray of minced meat, and in the end, not even the bone remained; it fractured heavily before exploding into a shower of flying bone fragments.

It could be said that Neo’s entire left arm was blown away directly. Furthermore, the momentum of the club had not fully dissipated and was still coming down.

However, through this extreme method, catching his opponent off guard at close range, Neo used the layers of the blood mist shield, skin, flesh, and bone to stall the blow, winning himself a spectacularly precious moment.

Neo moved. His body leaned forward, and in a flash, his figure was practically pressed flush against Dalivinro. His right arm swept upward, his right index finger pressing firmly against the center of Dalivinro’s brow.

The tip of his index finger split open a small slit, and a single drop of fresh blood coalesced there.

Dalivinro only felt an overwhelming sense of crisis wash over him. He knew very well what kind of terrifying power this single drop of blood at the fingertip would unleash in the next instant.

It could... pierce straight through the center of his brow.

No matter how powerful his physical traits were or how high his self-healing capabilities ran, having a hole blown straight through his skull was an unimaginable injury!

A person who had died once before would often fear death even more. Dalivinro knew perfectly well that he would not get a second chance at "resurrection."

The first move, the first collision, and life and death had already been decided.

Neo gave a wicked chuckle. With a flick of his finger, the bloody light erupted from that drop of blood was diverted, punching right through the side of Dalivinro's face.

Immediately after, Neo retreated, actively pulling back to create distance.

Dalivinro stood in place, subconsciously reaching out to touch the hole on his face—no, it was two holes, entering through one cheek and exiting through the other. If one were to add a staple to fix it, it would look like a stapler had clamped his cheek.

A piercing chill swept through his entire body; it was the numbing sensation of death brushing past him.

Dalivinro looked up, and this time, the expression with which he regarded Neo was filled with solemnity and respect.

The man before him was too terrifying. He had always considered himself a ferocious tiger, but the opponent was a highly experienced, cunning, and treacherous wolf king.

"I lose."

Dalivinro admitted defeat quite cleanly; the other party had already spared his life.

Neo, however, laughed and said, "What's the rush? This was just the warm-up."

Dalivinro pointed at Neo's arm and asked, "You still want to keep fighting?"

"Why, is that not allowed?"

"This isn't fair to you."

Dalivinro rubbed the wounds on his cheek with his fingertips, and fresh skin began to grow back to cover them.

Neo rolled his shoulders, and from the hollow space of his severed arm, countless threads of blood—some thick, some thin—welled forth in a dense cluster. They wove themselves into the shape of a limb, followed closely by the sudden emergence of pale bone, upon which veins and flesh rapidly adhered.

Just as the wounds on Daliwenluo’s face finished mending, Neo’s entire arm had already restored itself completely.

From afar, Alfred, watching the battle unfold, silently mused to himself:

"Has Neo’s Bloodthirsty Fiend lineage advanced yet again? This regenerative power is even more formidable than before. No, this must be the residual effect of the new method he used to establish the relations among the multiple personalities in his mind after emerging from the cavern.

Other Bloodthirsty Fiends rely on worshiping their ancestors to inherit ancestral power; he does not. He relies on arranging 'ancestral meetings' to forcibly wrest that power away.

Thus, it is not merely his Bloodthirsty Fiend bloodline rank that has risen; his capabilities in other areas have undoubtedly received a concurrent boost as well.

Of course, could it also be that because he has jumped off rooftops so frequently of late, repeatedly smashing himself into mush and surviving, he has achieved a new breakthrough?"

Alfred could not help but light another cigarette, sighing with emotion:

"Only our young master could truly eclipse a brilliance such as Neo's."

Neo raised his newly born arm and shouted, "This should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"I am no match for you," Daliwenluo said. "I recognize your eligibility to be a friend to my Lord."

"Heh, do I look like I give a damn about your recognition?"

"This is a unilateral recognition. It has nothing to do with you."

"As a believer of the Order of the Secret Hair, my unilateral decision to punish you, a bald head, likewise has nothing to do with you."

The moment the words left his mouth, a blinding radiance erupted from Neo, wrapping him in the Armor of Light. A greatsword of pure luminescence materialized in his grasp, and his aura surged to a terrifyingly formidable height.

"Come then, you bald heretic!"

Rising from the earth like a god of war, Neo swung the greatsword of light, bringing it crashing directly down upon Daliwenluo.

Seeing this, Daliwenluo instinctively raised the wooden club in his hand to parry.

"Boom!"

Daliwenluo blocked Neo’s strike, but his lower body was driven completely into the turf.

Neo’s second strike descended. "Boom!" Daliwenluo was buried entirely beneath the ground.

"Bang!"

The earth exploded as Daliwenluo burst forth from the soil, but the very instant he emerged, Neo sent him flying with a horizontal swat of his blade!

"Slap!"

Daliwenluo was batted away through the air. Just as he attempted to stabilize his posture mid-flight, he suddenly realized that Neo had vanished from before

"Then I am truly curious as to what kind of deity they can summon after my death."

"A radiant god with purple hair?"

"Hahahahaha!"

Both men burst into laughter.

Once the laughter subsided, Neo said, "Congratulations, District Director."

"How did your news travel so fast?"

"Information always circulates fastest in the trading markets. Congratulations, your change in position is now significant enough to influence the economic operations of York City's black market."

"Is that so?"

"Indeed, they are terrified that you will crack down on black market smuggling once you take office."

"This actually points me in a direction. I intend to establish a new department after taking office, and there will be many places requiring funding. Help me suppress the black market."

"Are you deliberately tempting me?"

"I believe no one is better suited for this task than you."

"Yes, I must admit I am tempted. Those bastards refused to grant me a loan, so I might as well go and raid their establishments. However, behind the black market of every major district, there are always shadows of the various grand religious factions."

"I have just severed the heads of the youths from those grand religious factions out in the desert, so a matter of this scale is nothing."

"There are also the vested interests of our own church's high-level factions involved."

"I have just spent half an hour in the Whipper-in's office. Go ahead and act without restraint; it does not matter. For the time being, no one dares offend the Whipper-in over such petty profits."

Neo pulled out a cigarette, bit down on it, and looked at Karen with a smile:

"Oh, heavens. The auxiliary lad I once dragged into the Whip of Order squad now speaks with such formidable authority, hahahaha."

Karen reached out and plucked the cigarette from Neo's mouth: "Do not smoke in the bedroom."

"Very well, very well. Your official rank is higher, so I shall defer to you."

"What is the matter with your clothes?" Karen pointed at Neo's severed sleeve. "Is this the leader of a purple-haired civil rights movement, or an counterculture rap artist from a purple-haired bar?"

"I encountered your manservant upon my arrival. He requested that I deliver a beating to the coffin-man you recently brought back. The newcomer is acting a bit conceited."

"They have not undergone a period of integration yet; it is normal."

"I have integrated him quite sufficiently for you."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Karen would not blame Alfred for disciplining the newcomer. While in the carriage, he had already told Daliwenluo that Alfred was the person he trusted most.

When parents educate their children, a wise grandfather does not interject merely to assert his presence.

"Still, you lead quite a leisurely life. The date of Lasma's return is drawing closer by the day, yet it does not deter you from reading books and taking afternoon naps."

"Since humans are destined to die from the moment they are born, why must we still eat and sleep?"

"Fair enough, you have a point."

Karen asked, "Have you played enough?"

"What a thing to say. How could one ever play enough?"

"Have you lost enough profit?"

"I have lost just about enough."

"I require assistance now. Return to guide my endeavors."

"Is it merely to purge the black market? Young Ventura is also suited for such tasks. That lad is truly the sort who would rip a leg off an ant if it dared walk past him."

"Help me train personnel. In a short while, we shall respond to the call and take them to the desert battlefield for practical experience."

Neo's eyes lit up instantly.

Karen continued, "Why is it that you always grow weary of playing so easily, always sinking into a vortex of existential despair from which you cannot extricate yourself? Is there a possibility that the things you played with before were simply not sophisticated enough?"

Neo swallowed hard.

Karen went on, "A single individual slaughtering and causing mischief, no matter how grand the scale, amounts to nothing more than that in the end. It cannot compare to leading an entire legion into battle on the field. Out in the desert, there are rebels awaiting your encirclement, and enemies deemed such by my Order awaiting your unprincipled pursuit."

Neo took a deep breath.

Karen: "An environment like the battlefield offers the absolute highest degree of freedom, the least restraint. Matters such as ethics and morality can be rightfully cast aside. That place is the true paradise of indulgence."

Neo: "Ah, Karen, you truly understand the art of psychological massage."

"How does it feel?"

"Mr. Luther should have chosen you to dye your hair, not me."

"Is there a possibility that Mr. Luther chose me from the very beginning, but he simply failed to overcome his starvation addiction?"

"Ah, alas."

"In a word, are you playing or not?"

Neo pulled out another cigarette, bit down on it, and said, "Allow me to smoke a single cigarette here, and I shall agree to your terms."

Karen plucked the cigarette from Neo's mouth once more and shook his head: "That is impossible."

"Hmph. Then you wait and see. In the future, when I lead the legion abroad, if you expect me to obey your commands, that will also be impossible."

"That matters little. Aside from not smoking in my bedroom, you may do as you please in all other regards."

By the bedroom door, Alfred, who had come to report on the situation, stood waiting. He did not enter to disturb them, but instead produced his small notebook and wrote upon it:

"The Great Existence has bestowed the greatest trust upon me, while simultaneously granting the highest tolerance unto the Light."