Despite being shot with demon-hunting bullets, Lanevus suddenly leaped up and came back to life. He looked at Silas, his eyes revealing a mad glee.
"Very good, you're quite impressive. I misjudged you earlier."
He laughed maniacally, clutching his stomach as he spoke. "But look, I've come back from the dead. The deity is on my side. Hahaha..."
"Nighthawks! Lanevus, you're surrounded!"
Silas shouted loudly, quickly retreating to widen the distance between himself and Lanevus.
Of course, he had no backup; this shout was entirely to bluff Lanevus.
However, Lanevus was a con man himself. He didn't believe Silas's words at all.
Hearing Silas shout like that, the smile on his face only grew brighter. He drew a dagger from his waist and charged at Silas.
One step, two steps!
His speed was incredibly fast.
In almost the blink of an eye, the distance between them had closed to less than a meter.
Just then, he suddenly saw Silas raise a bell.
"Ding-a-ling..."
Silas channeled his spirituality into the bell.
A crisp sound rang out, seeming to echo inside one's mind, influencing Lanevus's thoughts.
Soon, the mad and cunning smile on Lanevus's face disappeared. He stood dazed in place, his arm holding the dagger dropping naturally, his eyes unfocused and lost.
Seizing this opportunity, Silas once again pulled away from Lanevus.
He had originally wanted to take this chance to reload his revolver, but unexpectedly, Lanevus broke free from the control very quickly.
His eyes became vicious again as he lunged at Silas. He was going to slaughter this bastard who had ruined his plans and made him suffer!
"Ding-a-ling..."
Seeing this, Silas didn't hesitate. He immediately raised the bell again, infusing it with spirituality and shaking it.
And so, the two fell into a bizarre stalemate.
Silas would ring the bell, and Lanevus would be controlled. Silas would take the chance to create distance, Lanevus would quickly break free and attack again, and Silas would ring the bell once more...
Their actions were almost like children playing games, but Silas knew how dangerous the situation was.
He was only a Sequence 9 Secrets Suppliant. The spirituality in his body wasn't enough to sustain this mystical item for much longer.
The spirituality in his body was rapidly draining.
Unable to maintain the mystical item's operation, the time he could control Lanevus grew shorter and shorter.
The latter clearly noticed this, his face beginning to show mockery. "Are you just waiting to die?"
"I'm waiting for you to give birth."
Silas shot back.
Lanevus's smile froze. He looked down at his abdomen, seeming to recall what had happened earlier.
Killing intent quickly filled his eyes. He stopped talking and simply launched fierce attacks, forcing Silas to use the mystical item more frequently.
The distance between them gradually closed.
I still have two demon-hunting bullets, but they don't seem to have any effect on him...
Silas gritted his teeth, secretly thinking about how to deal with Lanevus.
Damn it, if worst comes to worst, I'll just fight him to the death!
Just as Silas was preparing to raise his gun and fight desperately with Lanevus, he suddenly saw Lanevus's body jerk violently.
Numerous tumors sprouted on his face, and his expression became twisted with pain.
Could it be that he's starting to lose control again?
Silas thought to himself, not relaxing his guard in the slightest.
And at this moment, the commotion finally disturbed the people sleeping in the asylum.
Many room lights came on. Patients pressed against windows, looking down. Several people dressed like doctors and nurses also appeared at the ward entrance.
Lanevus pressed his face. The writhing tumors subsided somewhat.
He swept his gaze over the gradually livelier scene and shot Silas a hateful glare.
Then, without any hesitation, he turned and ran toward the altar.
Seeing Lanevus flee, Silas immediately raised his gun and gave chase, but maintained some distance from him.
Lanevus was just too cunning; he feared this was a deliberate trap to lure him in.
Lanevus paid no attention to Silas at all. He stumbled as he ran, rushing to the altar and suddenly crouching down.
When he stood up again, a bag had appeared in his right hand. Silas recalled that this was the item he'd been carrying when he first entered Hood Eugen's room.
He really is going to escape!
Silas raised his gun and aimed, firing at Lanevus's head from about ten meters away.
"Bang!"
With that shot, Lanevus stumbled and fell. When he stood up, his steps became unsteady, but he still fled without stopping.
"Bang!"
The second shot rang out.
The bottom of Lanevus's bag was punctured, and with his running motion, bundles of banknotes came pouring out onto the ground with a whoosh.
Holy crap, that was way too lucky...
Silas marveled at his random marksmanship, but his attention was quickly drawn to the large pile of banknotes on the ground.
With so many bills, how many pounds must that be...
Lanevus's body suddenly froze. He looked back at the banknotes scattered on the ground, then lifted his head to look at Silas, his eyes full of venom.
Don't look at me like that; I didn't expect to be that accurate either...
Silas thought to himself, but his face showed Lanevus a confident smile, as if those two shots had been deliberately aimed.
Just when Silas thought Lanevus would grab a handful of bills to take with him or fight him to the death, he simply threw away the tattered bag.
Then, without looking back, he accelerated and rushed out of the asylum's main gate, running into the darkness beyond the streetlights and disappearing from sight.
He was so cunning, so vicious, so mad, but most important of all was his own life.
Silas didn't dare relax.
With his demon-hunting bullets spent, he took out spare ordinary bullets from his holster and loaded them into his revolver, then jogged over to the pile of banknotes.
My God, so much money.
Looking at the stacks of exquisitely printed banknotes spread out before him in such a wild display, Silas felt momentarily dizzy.
Lanevus, that bastard, just how many people had he swindled!
With his two gunshots, the asylum was thoroughly awakened. Patients began shouting and making a racket. The anxious voices of doctors and nurses rang out.
Several guards clustered around a doctor, approaching Silas warily.
"Mr. Londor, I've already sent someone to call the police. Please put down the gun and don't make any more mistakes!"
The doctor was none other than Dr. Wilder, Silas's previous attending physician.
Looking at Silas, covered in blood (splattered from Hood Eugen), he surprisingly maintained his composure and even offered words of persuasion.
"You must have done this terrible thing because you were frightened..."
He seemed to think Silas had had an episode and fired his gun, killing people in confusion. Well, judging purely from the scene, it really did look like that.
"You called the police? That's perfect; it saves me the trouble of reporting it myself."
However, contrary to his expectations, when Silas heard him say this, his face actually showed a relaxed smile.
Perfect, the police would also transfer the matter to the Nighthawks, so now he wouldn't have to bother.
It was just a pity that Lanevus had escaped.
Seeing him like this, Wilder was utterly bewildered, unable to tell for a moment whether he was being serious or not.
"Don't look at me like that, Dr. Wilder. I'm not sick."
Silas smiled and patted the brain matter and bloodstains on his body.
"Stop standing there dumbfounded. I'm still waiting for you to give me a certificate of mental soundness."