Chapter 29: The Slaying

In the campus, Ou Xiaolu once again spotted the bodyguard who had previously accompanied Harry—the very one who had originally been assigned to Li Ke. When Ou Xiaolu had led Li Ke in search of the graffiti, this bodyguard had followed them, so he must have seen everyone involved with the graffiti.

At the moment, the bodyguard was speaking with several members of the Sacred Blood Council. Among those present, aside from Harry’s brother and the elder who had been there from the beginning, there were two obvious newcomers.

One of them appeared rather young, only in his early twenties, but from his demeanor it was clear that his status surpassed that of Harry’s brother, though still beneath the elder. The other was a woman dressed in a black, form-fitting leather suit, as if prepared for battle.

Harry’s brother was speaking to the two newcomers, and as they listened, their expressions grew increasingly furious, their murderous intent plain to see.

Just then, Ou Xiaolu appeared. Harry’s brother was visibly startled, but still pointed at Ou Xiaolu and said a few words. The woman didn’t give Ou Xiaolu any chance to speak; she shot toward him like a bolt of black lightning.

The instant she leapt forward, Ou Xiaolu sensed a violent energy surging from her—the kind of corrosive force that seemed capable of eating away even the fabric of space itself.

Ou Xiaolu had no intention of testing her abilities with his longsword. Raising his left arm, he unleashed his inner power, which transformed into a raging shark that charged at the woman.

Though her speed was remarkable, her attack was a straightforward rush. Faced with the “Frenzied Shark’s Devouring” technique, she had no chance to dodge and was instantly torn to pieces by the massive jaw conjured from Ou Xiaolu’s inner strength.

Worse still, the shark didn’t merely bite; it devoured her flesh and blood, and even its form became clearer, intricate markings appearing along its back that resembled the woman’s own aura. It was clear that her death had greatly benefited the shark.

Everyone present was stunned. The young man who had arrived with the woman let out a furious roar and lunged at Ou Xiaolu.

As he leapt, his suit split open and his body swelled rapidly, transforming into a towering werewolf nearly three meters tall.

The werewolf was faster and more agile than the woman. It was obvious that the shark’s straightforward attack would not be enough to defeat him.

Ou Xiaolu didn’t plan to use the shark technique again. Instead, he summoned the “Shadow Ninja” persona, and his speed increased dramatically.

The werewolf couldn’t believe anyone could match him in speed. As he closed in on Ou Xiaolu, he lashed out with a claw. But at the very moment his claws struck, something felt wrong. It was as though he’d clawed into wood. Looking more closely, he realized Ou Xiaolu had somehow become a wooden stake.

Shocked, the werewolf instinctively threw the stake aside, only to see that Ou Xiaolu had split into two figures, both darting around him so quickly he couldn’t tell which was real.

Frustrated, the werewolf glanced between the two figures, then roared and reached out with both hands, trying to grab them simultaneously. In his mind, it was impossible for both to be decoys.

Just as he attacked, the elder’s voice sounded behind him, “Watch out above!”

Startled, the werewolf looked up just in time to feel a sharp pain in his head. A longsword plunged from above, skewering his skull and pinning him to the ground.

The werewolf twitched twice before slowly reverting to the form of a young man.

As the two Ou Xiaolus circling the werewolf vanished, the real Ou Xiaolu stood atop the young man’s back, one foot pressing on his head, the other lightly kicking his body. Ou Xiaolu mused, somewhat puzzled, “Aren’t werewolves supposed to have incredible vitality? Why is this one so weak? He died just like that.”

At this, the elder flew into a rage, shouting, “Do you even know what you’ve done?”

Ou Xiaolu pulled the longsword from the young man’s head, ignoring the blood and white matter dripping from it, and walked slowly toward the elder.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. You were the ones who attacked first. I can’t just stand here and let you kill me.”

Seeing Ou Xiaolu approach, the elder’s expression turned grave. Harry’s brother, however, mistook Ou Xiaolu’s words for fear. He jumped in front of the elder, pointed at Ou Xiaolu, and began cursing him.

“Kneel before me right now! As long as you beg properly—”

Before Harry’s brother could finish, Ou Xiaolu flashed before him and with a single stroke, severed his head.

The brutality of the act left the two bodyguards at a loss. Ou Xiaolu turned to the one who had previously followed Li Ke.

“Did you bring these people here?”

“No, it wasn’t me, I swear!” The bodyguard was no extraordinary individual. Having never seen such savagery, he forgot his duty and tried to escape. He barely made it a few steps before his body was shredded to pieces, vanishing into the air, leaving only pools of dark red blood.

Ou Xiaolu locked eyes with the elder. “Are you, like Li Ke, here to find the final piece of graffiti?”

The elder, a man who had braved countless dangers in his life, was rattled but forced himself to answer firmly, “What if I am? Do you have a problem with that?”

“I don’t,” Ou Xiaolu replied with a smile, sheathing his sword.

The elder was perplexed by this sudden change in demeanor. Moments ago, Ou Xiaolu had been murderous; now, he seemed almost agreeable.

Before the elder could make sense of this shift, a hand rested on his shoulder. He hadn’t even time to speak before he felt his strength and flesh being forcibly drained away through that grip.

This time, the elder didn’t even have a chance to resist. In moments, he was nothing but a desiccated corpse dangling from a hand.

Tossing the corpse aside, Senior Brother glanced at Ou Xiaolu. “You’re quick to act.”

“Not bad,” Ou Xiaolu replied unceremoniously. “Did you settle things on your end?”

“All members of the Sacred Blood Council who entered the campus have been eliminated. Those who stayed outside have been warned.”

“Good. But we’ll have to move faster. The blood ritual has already begun.”