Chapter 320 Startling the Gray Contract Society
J was the first to react. When he saw the injury disappear after the afterimage shattered, his pupils contracted sharply. He finally understood what Klaus's extraordinary abilities were. At the same time, he immediately made a judgment: he had to use a high-density, continuous attack to exhaust all the afterimages, or kill him in one blow.
J's entire body was instantly covered in black liquid, which solidified and contracted, bursting up from the ground to form a black sphere several meters in diameter, enveloping Klaus.
The effect of the silver sheet was shorter than the first time, lasting only a few seconds before fading, and the suppression returned.
Lu Yuan took out a new silver piece, but this time, no matter how much reason or perception he injected, Bronze City completely ignored it.
As soon as the sphere took shape in the distance, '9' and '戒' transformed into liquid and rushed into it simultaneously. The sphere's walls posed no obstacle to J's companions.
The liquid flowing on the surface of '9's shell increased dramatically after being incorporated into the area formed by J, and "Ring" also flashed into the sphere, its half-burned face carrying a cold aura.
Dense, sharp spikes began to grow on the inside of the sphere, extending towards the center. The liquid inside the sphere became extremely viscous, making every step Klaus took incredibly heavy.
Three attack lines pressed forward simultaneously, spikes closing in, '9' delivering high-frequency close-range slashes, and "Rest" eroding the spirit. With the ball's interior space narrow, Klaus had nowhere to hide for a moment.
But Klaus wasn't going to hide anymore.
The bone sword retracted, and the bone-colored material no longer coalesced into a blade. Instead, it spread along the arm, covering the back of the hand, the shoulder, and extending all the way to the chest and even the legs.
The bone ring transformed into a set of bone armor, a withered bone-colored armor covering the entire body, with green light enveloping every inch of the bone armor's surface.
As '9's carapace arm slashed down, the blade, coated in corrosive liquid, crystallized the moment it touched the green light, turning into dark green fragments that peeled off the carapace.
The spikes on the sphere's wall pierced the surface of the bone armor and crystallized, turning into short, emerald-green rods that broke off.
All attacks that come into contact with Klaus are immediately sealed by the crystal.
But the cost was also being borne at the same time; another afterimage shattered, and the injuries were reversed.
Klaus charged toward the "ring" with all his might.
The ball was viscous, making every step heavy, but he didn't need to be fast; he just needed to block his escape route.
The green light on his body surged out from the gaps in the bone armor, slithering like long snakes. Wherever it passed, all the black liquid was solidified, and in the blink of an eye, these snakes gathered together.
Klaus forcibly sealed off the area behind the "ring" of the sphere, and that section of the sphere was forcibly crystallized, turning into a green crystal wall.
The "ring" is trapped in the opposite direction, with Klaus in front and the crystallized solid sphere behind.
Her figure flickered as she tried to pass through, but crystallized the instant she touched it.
"Help me!" Jie's face contorted with rage, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.
What was originally a well-intentioned hunt suddenly turned into a prison?
But J was at a loss for a moment, because the crystallized liquid could not be broken at all, and the liquid that was close by was still being crystallized, which would intensify the crystallization.
The number '9' was still rushing towards them, but it was too late.
Clad in bone armor, Klaus moved like a walking monster, exuding an eerie pressure. He strolled leisurely through the black sphere, leaving green crystals spreading wherever he went.
Jie tried to run, but there was no way to avoid it; Klaus grabbed Jie by the head.
"Jie" roared and squeezed it out from between his fingers in the same way. This time he was more seriously injured. Most of the mask was broken. The green light flickered on the wound. The charred flesh and crystals were mixed together.
J sensed the injury to "Ring" and forcibly detonated the liquid. The sphere exploded, and the black liquid splashed in all directions. Klaus and "Ring" were released at the same time.
Large amounts of black liquid fell from the sky like a torrential rain.
Lu Yuan, who was hiding below, saw this and, without hesitation, kicked open the door with the Night Watchmen and rushed inside in a disheveled state.
"Jie" retreated to a distance, trembling all over. She really didn't understand why Klaus insisted on hitting her.
At this moment, the success rate of the ambush was almost zero, but Jie couldn't swallow her anger, and her eyes were filled with resentment.
Klaus stood at the center of the shattering, his bone armor covered in crystallized black water fragments. His gaze remained calm, but the bone armor began to crumble and shrink, the withered bone-colored material peeling off piece by piece, until only a short blade remained in his hand.
At the same time, only two afterimages remained behind him. The members of the Gray Pact knew that Klaus was about to run out of energy.
'9' burst out of the liquid debris, its armored arm gathering power for a downward slash, pure force without any fancy moves, striking Klaus's right shoulder.
Klaus's body trembled, and he grabbed '9's' arm with his left hand while thrusting his bone sword directly at '9' with his right hand. This reckless fighting style forced '9' to lose his temper as well.
'9's body was churning with liquid, which forcibly enveloped the bone sword in Klaus's hand that was flashing green.
With his other hand, he grabbed the carapace and stabbed at it.
Klaus remained unfazed, neither dodging nor avoiding, as the '9' shell pierced his body.
The afterimage behind Klaus shattered for the third time. J finally couldn't stand it anymore and forcefully used the black liquid to separate '9' from Klaus.
If they weren't separated, even if Klaus hadn't died, '9' would have already been killed.
J is also having a headache now. Why did the plan, which was originally foolproof, turn out like this?
Klaus's injuries were obvious to everyone, and it was the person on the wall who conveyed this information. Why is it wrong to go to the scene?
This caused J's trust in the person on the wall to waver for the first time.
But at this moment, Klaus's injury has reverted to its previous state, leaving only one path. J is unwilling to accept this, and neither are Ring and 9.
The "Ring" flashed ten steps away, and a wave of mental erosion struck. Klaus finally couldn't withstand it this time. His steps faltered, and his eyes glazed over for a moment.
J seized the opportunity, and the liquid instantly gathered, intending to envelop Klaus.
If they manage to close the gap, Klaus will be severely injured, if not killed.
But the speed at which the liquid spread seemed to be slowed down at this moment; J's liquid, which was originally as easy to control as an arm, seemed to have bumped into something.
A figure rushed over from afar, grabbed Klaus at lightning speed, and then slipped away without looking back.
In the blink of an eye, only a silhouette remained in the distance.
"What the hell is this?!"
J was stunned, and unusually, he cursed out loud.
The pulled-back '9' and the ring were also stunned, with '9' being the first to react.
"Lu Yuan!!!"
Lu Yuan, however, paid no attention to any of this. He turned the time synchronization acceleration to the maximum and headed towards the outer city without looking back.
The moment Klaus's bone armor was removed, Lu Yuan knew that if he didn't come up with a solution, Klaus was likely in grave danger.
The moment the black liquid separated Klaus and '9', Lu Yuan knew that his chance had come.
The moment the time synchronization was activated, reason receded like a receding tide.
Time seemed to freeze around Klaus, giving Lu Yuan a fleeting moment of opportunity.
He then turned and fled with Klaus without looking back. As for the other watchman, Lu Yuan had already instructed him to stay inside and not come out.
The Gray Contract will only be able to make its move in the inner city in a few minutes at most. As long as he doesn't come out, the Gray Contract won't come looking for him.
The aura of Klaus, whom Lu Yuan was carrying on his shoulder, was extremely weak, but far from fatal.
J and Jie, who were far away, didn't have time to chase after them.
At the end of the narrow street, a dark aura spread from the depths of the night.
The members of the Gray Pact Society did not detect anyone's presence.
But the heavy sense of oppression made the air on the street thick and sticky, and even Lu Yuan, who had run a long way, felt his breathing become heavier.
Then, a figure approached at an extremely fast speed from the direction of the outer city. He had a full head of white hair, and a dark aura enveloped his entire body. With each step he took, the inscription patterns on the stone slabs beneath his feet trembled.
They are protectors.
Behind him were two figures, a man and a woman, both wearing hoods and serving as Night Watchmen. Their auras were extremely restrained, but their oppressive presence was no less than that of any of the fourth-tier members of the Gray Pact present.
Lu Yuan recognized them; reinforcements had arrived.
The expression on "9's" face in the inner city direction changed completely.
He had been lurking in Bronze City the longest and knew the Guardians. All the dark forces in Bronze City knew this white-haired old man who had single-handedly wiped out the entire city of ghouls. Facing an opponent of such strength...
There is absolutely no chance for the Gray Contract Society to turn the tide.
No hesitation.
"Walk."
'9' glanced at the guardian, then turned and the patterns on its carapace disappeared silently into the darkness of another alley.
J's liquid surface rapidly contracted, and at the same time, he crushed something while his entire body liquefied and seeped into the cracks of the stone slab, disappearing completely within seconds.
The symbol "戒" flashed three times, each time in a different direction, before finally disappearing into the shadows at the alley entrance.
At the same time, the entire Bronze City seemed to be stimulated, and the patterns on the inner city walls lit up, with an unspoken pressure permeating the city.
Ordinary people might be fine, but everyone who steps onto the extraordinary path feels an invisible pressure, and the strange power within their bodies even solidifies somewhat.
The streets quieted down.
The guardian frowned but ultimately decided not to give chase. The dark aura slowly subsided, and his white hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze.
He glanced at Klaus, who was being carried by Lu Yuan, but said nothing. His gaze swept over the traces of the battle on the street, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
He didn't say anything in the end, but silently turned and left, with the two hooded Night's Watchmen following behind, disappearing into the night one after the other.
Lu Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Put me down," Klaus's voice rang out.
Lu Yuan put Klaus down from his shoulder before turning off the time service.
[Sanity: -45....95/140]
"Can you leave?"
Klaus retracted the bone blade into his ring, struggled to his feet, his body swayed, and the afterimages reflected all the physical injuries, but the consumption was real. At this moment, his face was ashen, his breathing was rapid, and only one of the four afterimages remained.
He was silent for two seconds.
"No problem, take me back to the branch office first."
The night watchman, who was hiding in the room, saw the Grey Pact members leave and hurried over.
At the same time, he quickly stepped forward to help take over Klaus's duties, and many Night Watchmen in the distance were alerted, so Lu Yuan casually requisitioned a carriage.
It was quite late when they returned to the branch with Klaus.