Chapter 474

Three Hundred Sixty-Five: Sharpening the Sword

South Tivyán, Bishop Square.

On New Year’s Eve, people were celebrating joyfully under the guidance of the stage host. The fireworks that had been prepared for a long time exploded in the sky at the moment the new year arrived, with splendid sparks continuously blooming against the night sky. The entire Tivyán was welcoming the arrival of the new year.

The moment of the new year was also the moment of slaughter. At the edge of the roof on one of the tall buildings in Bishop Square, Nephnis leaned over a corpse, slightly licking and tasting the bl**d on her hand from her prey. At this moment, she could feel the tremor deep within her soul, sensing the power of her soul radiating through her body. Under the influence of the Wilderness Soul Whiskers, she had mastered the hunting techniques of beasts in the wilderness.

Without much hesitation, Nephnis launched another surprise attack amidst the shock of those around her. She pounced on another masked observer on all fours. The apprentice assassin hastily rolled away, narrowly dodging an attack, then gripped his dagger to counterattack. However, his thrust was easily sidestepped by Nephnis, who seized the opportunity to bite down on his wrist that had extended during the thrust. With a gush of bl**d, the observer’s wrist was nearly severed by the immense force, causing him to scream in agony.

Intense pain and restrained arm made it almost impossible for the observer to continue fighting. Nephnis took advantage of the situation and clawed at his throat, bringing down yet another target. However, her hunt wasn’t over. Her vertical pupils shifted, immediately locking onto a third observer nearby.

After witnessing the quick demise of two companions, the last observer, terrified by Nephnis’ gaze, hastily turned to run away, knowing he couldn’t face the existence before him. But exposing his back to a hunter was a foolish decision.

Seeing this, Nephnis did not let him escape. After a brief preparation, she pounced at the fleeing figure. As he was about to open the door to descend, she tackled him from behind and swiftly ended his life with her claws.

In a short time, Nephnis, who had recently become a Soul Binder, personally hunted down three apprentices of “Shadow,” employing extremely brutal methods. This was far beyond what the young lady from a wealthy family or the top student in school would do. Such hunting techniques naturally stemmed from the influence of the Soul Whiskers.

The ability of a Soul Binder was simple: to rely on their physical body to manifest the spirit body, recreating the skills of the spirit they were bound to.

Of course, this reliance wasn’t merely about controlling a common physical body. The body of a Soul Binder was special; it underwent changes due to the spirit bound to it, allowing the spirit to exert its strength, even surpassing its former capabilities. After being possessed by the Soul Whiskers, parts of Nephnis’ body began to resemble those of a cat, such as her nails becoming sharper and her movements more agile, which was essential for performing cat-like hunting actions.

Unlike other extraordinary professions, the strength of a Soul Binder fluctuated significantly, largely depending on the strength of the spirit bound to them. The stronger the spirit, the greater the abilities the Soul Binder could manifest. Of course, this was limited by the Soul Binder’s rank.

The Soul Whiskers were special spirits from the New World’s wilderness, much stronger than ordinary ghosts. They were once excellent hunters in life. By possessing Nephnis, her abilities were greatly enhanced.

A Rank “Cup,” the hunting experience and techniques of the Soul Whiskers, and the enhancement of the Soul Binder’s abilities by the strength of the Soul Whiskers… With these bonuses, a Rank “Shadow” apprentice like the Shadow Hider was no match for Nephnis. She quickly eliminated him within a short period. Due to the combat experience provided by the Soul Whiskers, Nephnis was also influenced by its consciousness, acting similarly to a mountain cat.

The locals, seeing this scene, widened their eyes in shock and instinctively aimed their weapons at Nephnis, feeling as dangerous as wild beasts encountered in their homeland.

On the other side, when Sado saw that three observers had failed and Kapak was still alive, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He rushed toward Kapak while Nephnis was killing the third observer, pushing him with all his might to try to send him off the rooftop, preventing anyone else from stopping him.

Facing Sado’s fierce charge, Kapak was well-prepared. Before coming, he had applied the bl**d-Eating Sigil sent by Dorothy through a zombie puppet. Thus, he was not intimidated by Sado in a direct confrontation. He easily countered Sado’s push and effortlessly threw him to the ground, then delivered a punch to Sado’s face, rendering him unconscious.

Seeing their leader Sado easily defeated, the locals became even more uncertain. After dealing with Sado, Kapak stood up straight again and spoke to his fellow tribesmen under the fireworks in the sky.

“Put down your weapons, everyone. I will lead you back. We will fight our people’s battles in the right way.”

With the example set, the Great Shaman’s persuasion, and the defeat of the leader, the locals finally put down their weapons after exchanging glances. Kapak breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

…

“Oh my… It seems things have concluded there…”

On the other side, in the backstage of the stage in Bishop Square, Adele looked out the window towards the distant rooftop. From her position, she could barely make out the locals gathered there. Just now, she had used her remaining Spirituality to help Kapak and the others, aiding the hesitant locals in making their decision.

For those with strong wills, Adele’s abilities had limited impact, but for those wavering and uncertain, her small amount of Spirituality could be very effective. After Kapak’s persuasive words, the locals were already in a state of indecision, but bl**d feuds weren’t easily resolved by mere words. To be safe, Dorothy asked Adele to use her abilities slightly to help Kapak, ensuring his fellow tribesmen made their decisions.

After all, as a dancer on stage, Adele was willing to protect her audience.

“In this way, the threat to the audience has been completely removed. Now, only the two assassins targeting the royal family remain. I hope the detective can have a smooth journey.”

Adele thought to herself, then turned her gaze to another rooftop on the other side of the square, where a more intense battle was currently taking place.

…

A little earlier, with just one minute left in the countdown, on the rooftop of another building in Bishop Square, a guard dressed man took out a brass and white wood rifle from a prepared wooden box and walked to the edge of the rooftop.

Standing at the edge of the roof, Berlit pressed a mechanism on his weapon amidst the cheers of the audience below. Then, a small, narrow opening appeared on the side of the g*n. Berlit reached into his pocket and pulled out several bright gold coins with sun emblems, inserting them one by one into the g*n. After five coins were inserted, he pulled back the bolt, loading the b*llet.

Berlit raised the rifle and aimed at the royal balcony far away. When he focused, a series of clicks sounded from the side of the rifle. Through some unknown mechanism, three circular lenses emerged and overlapped in front of Berlit, supported by thin frames. Through these overlapping lenses, Berlit could clearly see the balcony over hundreds of meters away.

“So… Now we wait for the performance of the natives…”

Looking at the Duke and Princess laughing and joking on the balcony, along with their bodyguards, Berlit murmured with a smile. At this moment, he could hear the host on stage urging the crowd to count down.

Just as Berlit was about to join the crowd in counting down, he saw an unexpected scene. In the lens, Berlit saw a man in a guard captain’s uniform suddenly enter the balcony, apologizing to the princess and duke, then pulling one of the bodyguards inside for a while.