Chapter 16: Chapter 13: Constantine
The flames dissipated, and the Demon Hunters fell one by one, leaving only Bill.
His clothes were almost completely burned away. His body was blackened with burns, not a single hair left on him. Only the teal scales on his arms and legs remained intact, interlocking tightly. Even after the fire, they were as smooth and bright as some kind of silk.
Like the scale armor of some creature.
Clearly, this was some kind of Authority he possessed as a Bronze Demon Hunter.
It was similar to the Promise that Baron received after becoming a Contract Knight.
Bill looked behind him, his expression a mixture of shock and suspicion. Even the Lion Knight from the Templar Order’s street patrol had not been spared by the flames, not even having had time to use his one and only Promise, ’Lion’s Roar’.
He looked at Baron, who seemed to have been reborn from the fire. His wounds were healing in the flames, and a golden light flared in his dark pupils.
The Golden Eye, something only a Golden Tier Law Enforcer should possess.
But it was obvious that if Baron were a Gold, they would have all been instantly incinerated in those flames.
But if he wasn’t Golden Tier, then that meant only one thing...
The Scale Armor on Bill’s arms opened and closed, forming a Moon Bone Blade on each side. He stared at Baron, and after a long moment, managed to force out a complete sentence:
"You formed a contract with a... Dragon. How did you do it?"
Baron didn’t answer. Bill sneered. "But what a pity. It looks like you’ve only just completed your Spiritual Sense and sealed the contract. Even though you’re now a Black Iron Tier Contract Knight, you’ve only just ascended. Your aura is unstable and your Spiritual Power is depleted."
"Do you know why your flames can’t hurt me?"
His Bone Blades scraped against each other as he roared, his face a mask of ferocity. "Because I’m a Black Iron Tier Beast Faction Demon Hunter! My arms and legs are completely covered in the scales of a Dragon Crocodile! Not even the fire of a Flying Dragon can melt these scales, let alone a legendary Fire Dragon!"
Bill suddenly kicked the ground, sending the Lion Knight’s longsword flying toward the silent man.
The sword landed at Baron’s feet with a clear ring.
In the corner, Julis and the children, wrapped in a bedsheet, once again had looks of worry and despair.
Bill sneered, his bronze pupils glinting with cruelty. "Come on, Knight! Pick up your sword, and let me experience the legendary might of a Dragon Knight!"
His twin Bone Blades grated against each other, emitting a series of ear-piercing screeches as he took a ready stance.
He had said all that to provoke Baron, to get him to close the distance and fight him hand-to-hand.
The strange Dragon Flame wasn’t as ineffective against his scales as it seemed. On the contrary, the skin beneath them had already been seared by the fire, sending a scorching, stinging pain through him.
As long as Baron picked up that sword, then given the gap in their Tiers and the difference in their combat experience...
Bill was completely confident he could decapitate Baron in an instant!
Baron looked at the sword, then at the now-bald Bill. He touched the cross-shaped scar on his cheek, then drew a shotgun he had hidden at his waist. Following his intuition, he infused the pellets with Dragon Flame and pulled the trigger.
The moment the pellets left the barrel, the shotgun’s casing exploded from the instantaneous high temperature.
Bill reacted quickly, twisting his body away. But the spread was too dense, and many of the meteor-like pellets still pierced his Scale Armor.
He coughed up blood and fell to the ground, muttering in disbelief, "Who... who in the world are you?"
Seeing the man’s shadow loom large in his vision, he cried out in terror:
"You can’t kill me! I’m the second son of the Frank Family! My father is a Silver Demon Hunter! If you kill me, the Frank Clan won’t spare you or your family!"
Seeing Baron remain unmoved, Bill shouted again:
"Don’t you have a brother and a sister on the Outer Side? Aren’t you afraid for them... Don’t kill me!"
Bill truly thought Baron was about to kill him.
Because the man knelt down, sword in hand, his expression calm and his Golden Eye blazing. He began carving Crosses into both of Bill’s cheeks with the blade.
Blood dripped.
Fear made Bill’s eyes tremble, and he kept muttering, "No... don’t..."
But the man didn’t stop. He was muttering a string of numbers, as if counting down.
"Thirty-four, thirty-three, thirty-two, thirty-one..."
With each number he spoke, he carved another bloody Cross into Bill’s face. When there was no more room, he moved the blade to the Demon Hunter’s body and, in one smooth motion, broke one of his fingers.
He didn’t stop until he had spoken the last number and carved the last Cross, turning Bill into a man covered in bloody crosses.
"Do you know why I’m doing this?" the Dragon Knight said.
Bill’s voice was hoarse with pain. "Because of my executions...?"
To his surprise, the Dragon Knight shook his head. "You answered incorrectly. So you have to pay the price."
"The price..." The Demon Hunter grew terrified. "No, don’t... I’ll give you anything... Just don’t kill me!"
"Why..."
The Dragon Knight leaned in close to the Demon Hunter and whispered, "Because you cut in line."
"No!"
He swung the sword. Bill screamed. On the other side of the room, Julis and the children shut their eyes in terror.
RRRIP. The sound of something being torn.
Not feeling the expected pain, Bill opened his eyes. He saw the man holding his wallet.
Then he watched as the man did the same to the others, using his longsword to slice the wallets off the other Demon Hunters, including the Lion Knight.
"Just... who are you?" Bill said.
In front of everyone, Baron stored the collected money in his ring. He then planted his foot on Bill’s head.
"An escaped prisoner. And, of course, the bastard who kicked you off the subway."
Bill’s expression was a mix of ferocity and terror. As the heel ground against him, he coughed up a mouthful of blood but still managed to say in a trembling voice:
"Baron Constantin... I’ll remember you..."
Baron said flatly, "You can say that to the nun behind you."
Bill struggled to turn his head. He saw the newcomer had long legs and a slender waist, clad in a long nun’s habit. A long, thin tachi hung at her waist.
The Nun drew her tachi. "Holy Mechanism Inquisition, Battle Sister Lian has arrived. God will pass Judgement on your sins. Over."
She held the blade over her shoulder, horizontally to her right, a stance known in kendo as "Kasumi." ’Something I only know from reading manga in my past life,’ Baron thought.
Clutching his wounds, Bill laughed loudly. "A Battle Nun from the Inquisition is here! You can’t escape now!"
Baron casually picked up one of the Demon Hunters’ swords and stabbed it through Bill’s right chest, pinning him to the ground. Looking down at Bill, who was twitching in pain, he said flatly:
"You’re in my hands right now, buddy. Don’t you know you should watch what you say and when?"
’If I didn’t have to worry about the power behind Bill, my own chances of exoneration, the Battle Nun here, and Julis’s family... I’d have already paid him back for the pain, twice over.’ He had to hold back for fear of collateral damage.
’Even killing him?’
’Yes, even killing him!’
He steeled himself, yanked the sword from Bill’s body, and thrust it viciously toward his heart!
CLANG! The Battle Nun had appeared in front of Baron at some point, her tachi blocking his sword, her eyes sharp and fierce!
Knowing the Nun’s skill in close combat, Baron quickly retreated. As the Nun raised her blade, he grabbed Julis, who was still wrapped in the bedsheet, pulled her into his arms, and pressed his sword to her chin.
Tears streamed down Julis’s face from the pain. He looked at Lian.
"Will God choose to save a life? Or take one?"
Unlike her sharp sword style, the face under the nun’s coif was one of classic Japanese grace. She had dark eyebrows, a pale complexion, and lips as fine as if carved.
From the strands of hair escaping to her shoulders, it was easy to see that not only was she a Nun, but a Japanese woman with long, straight black hair.
’A Japanese Nun with a tachi? This setup really feels like something out of a manga,’ Baron thought.
Lian was indeed stunned by Baron’s question. Seeing this, Bill sensed trouble. Ignoring his own injuries, he hurriedly said:
"Don’t worry about saving or killing! He’s a criminal wanted by the Prole Court! Aren’t Battle Nuns born for nothing but fighting? Just kill him!"
Baron saw Lian’s hesitation. He knew that nothing ventured meant nothing gained. He whispered a quiet "sorry" and drew a bloody line on Julis’s smooth arm with his sword.
Julis played her part and let out a piercing wail.
Baron said coldly, "Nuns love God, and God loves all people. Death or life—I think a nun like you should have already made her choice."
"Kill him! Don’t worry about the girl! The Frank Family will take care of her family afterward!" Bill said.
"Let me go! Or I’ll kill her!" Baron shouted.
"Sister! Let our sister go!" the children cried.
Lian’s expression finally flickered. She was silent for a moment, then sheathed her tachi and backed out of the room.
She had made her choice.
"Damn it! Aren’t the rumors that these Battle Nuns know nothing but killing and praying?!" Bill swore.
Baron let out a breath, but he didn’t lower his guard. Having witnessed the Battle Nun’s combat prowess, he was extremely cautious. Instead of taking the main entrance where Lian was, he leaped down from the window, still holding Julis.
The moment he passed the window, he saw Lady Cavendish in the adjacent bedroom, watching him silently. He gave her a strained smile.
...
「In a certain alley」
Once Baron confirmed they weren’t being followed, he set Julis down. He took wad after wad of banknotes from his ring and stuffed them into her arms:
"Hide this money. Then have your father take your family and move somewhere else. The sooner, the better!"
"What about you, Mr. Constantine?" Julis asked frantically.
’What about me? I’ll just have to wing it.’
Baron said, "I have my own ways. The Battle Nun is merciful. If she asks, just tell her the truth about where I went. Don’t hide anything... She’ll know you’re innocent."
He glanced around, his Golden Eye flaring for a moment before dimming. "I’m their target. I can hear a lion’s roar. They must be following the scent... they’ll be here soon..."
"Oh, right..."
Baron suddenly seemed to remember something. He fumbled around in his clothes and pressed a Gold Coin Chocolate into Julis’s hand.
Julis was stunned.
"This is for you. I forgot earlier... You’re still just a kid. Fourteen on the Outer Side is middle school age... Fucking United Kingdom, Outer Side or Inner Side, past or present, always treats minors like animals... Anyway, that’s enough from me. Don’t mind my rambling. Just take care of yourself and your family. See you around, if fate allows."
With that, he lifted a manhole cover and disappeared into the sewer.
A moment later, he lifted the cover again. "By the way, don’t use that flower-selling trick too often. You’ll get beaten up!"
The manhole cover clanged shut.
Julis stared at the Gold Coin Chocolate in her palm for a long time. She said nothing, only repeating a phrase over and over in her heart.
’See you around... Mr. Constantine.’
