"Why?"
"Compared to fending for himself later, this is a form of liberation."
The two exchanged words. Behind Bai En, Walden seemed to have guessed something from their conversation, the half-closed door, and the blood on the dagger. He suddenly rushed out and roared at Nois, his voice choked with tears: "Why? Why on earth are you doing this?"
"Have you forgotten your original intention?"
"You're a member of the Magic Knights… You're the person I've always strived to become…"
"Walden!" Nois suddenly spoke, his gaze forward was so resolute, like a drawn knife and sword, "This world is not as beautiful as you imagine."
The little boy quietly looked at the person in front of him. For some reason, he felt he was exceptionally unfamiliar, no longer the person he once was.
Suddenly, Bai En struck Walden's neck with a hand chop, and instantly, Walden collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"I don't have time to discuss the beauty and ugliness of the world with you, and I still have to clean up the mess you made." Bai En drew the Zan Yan from his glowing white grimoire, lightly propping the long blade: "Tell me, are you coming with me willingly, or do I knock you out and take you back to the Magic Knights?"
"How arrogant."
Nois sneered: "Do you think you've already won?"
"And why do you think I came back alone?"
As he spoke, Nois took off his upper garment. His body, not strong, even slender, was covered in dense, old, healed scars.
Bai En frowned at the sight.
So many scars? What exactly has this guy been doing?
Wait… combining the two times he met him, the clearly visible, several-fold increase in Mana, and that Eye of the Midnight Sun's S-M female scientist Sally, this guy… let her experiment on his body?
He really isn't afraid of death.
However, looking at it now, Sally's method of increasing Mana through external intervention has indeed succeeded, hasn't it? There's already an experimental case right in front of him.
So, Nois… what is he going to do now?
Under Bai En's gaze, Nois pulled a small syringe from his pocket and plunged it straight into his chest. The viscous blue liquid inside the syringe was instantly injected into his body.
A flash of blade light passed.
After Nois injected the strange substance, Bai En launched an attack. The slash from Zan Yan swept past Nois's body, directly striking the house, leaving a long crack.
Strangely, the slash that passed through Nois's body did not draw a single drop of blood, as if it had simply passed through him!
Bai En carefully observed Nois. At this moment, parts of his body's muscles had swelled and bulged, like large tumors. His facial expression became grotesque and exaggerated, and his bulging, crimson eyes were exactly like those of the Iron-eating Rats he had encountered in the mine earlier.
Thick and disgusting drool began to incessantly drip from the corners of his mouth.
Several more slashes were unleashed!
Just like before, the slashes passed directly through Nois's body, causing him no harm.
"This is?"
As Bai En murmured, the large tumors on Nois's swaying body burst and exploded one by one. What scattered outwards was not blood and flesh, but sparks!
Burning flames replaced the tumors on his body, like a half-body armor of raging fire. His originally swaying body and crimson gaze were brought under control over time, and a fiery red grimoire floated beside Nois.
He suddenly smashed a fist into the ground!
Surging flames ignited a blazing line on the ground, rushing fiercely towards Bai En and Walden. Bai En pulled Walden, using Mana Zone to achieve temporary levitation.
'Has this guy lost consciousness? He even wants to kill Walden.'
'No, this guy has it under control. He originally intended to kill Walden too. He has no humanity left!'
As he pondered, Nois also floated up to Bai En's side. He swung his left hand; of course, it could no longer be called a hand, but a large mass of gathered flames, like a huge clump of overgrown grass.
"Water Breathing, First Form, Surface Slash."
Bai En swung Zan Yan, unleashing a long, narrow water current slash. The water current slash collided with the sea of fire. In an instant, Bai En was sent flying. The scorching flames and power startled him.
Observing closely, Nois, who couldn't use Mana Zone, was surprisingly floating steadily in the air. This guy's Mana was terrifyingly vast now, and… it was still continuously rising!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
From a distant rooftop, Sally, Valtos, and Ladis were observing the battle between Bai En and Nois.
Compared to Sally, who wore the standard Eye of the Midnight Sun robe, Valtos and Ladis's attire looked much more comical. Their simply treated wounds were bound with bandages, making them look like mummies with only their eyes exposed.
"Damn it! Damn it! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"I must kill that guy!" Ladis cursed viciously at Bai En, who had injured him so severely, repeatedly thinking that he absolutely had to kill him the next time they met.
"He's right there now, go ahead!"
Perhaps annoyed by the constant complaining, Valtos kindly reminded him that Bai En was right in front.
"You…"
"I'm just kindly reminding you, if you miss this chance, who knows when the next one will be." After being injured, Valtos's mouth seemed to be laced with poison.
"Hmph…"
Sally, sitting on the rooftop, dangled her fair legs, her face beaming with extreme excitement. She muttered: "It's starting, it's starting!"
"Is he in control? Really, is it true? Nois, he's in control!"
"Wait!" Sally's expression suddenly froze: "Has the research failed again? Although the Mana is continuously increasing, the life force is constantly declining… hair turning white, skin wrinkling…"
"Hey, you crazy woman, are you still not satisfied?"
Ladis grumbled, listening to Sally's rambling: "Exchanging life for such strong Mana, isn't that enough? That guy from the Magic Knights is being beaten back repeatedly, without even the slightest ability to retaliate, even though he fought us so easily before!"
"What a relief!"
Valtos reminded the two of their purpose there, "Stay focused. Don't let your own issues affect that Adult's actions. Nois doesn't have a magic tool in his body. If he fails, we must ensure he… dies here!"
"What a pity!" Sally pouted: "He's my only successful experiment subject so far."
"There will be many more experiment subjects in the future. If one doesn't work, we'll move on to the next. For that Adult's plan, everything is worth it, everything can be sacrificed!"
…
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