Lord of Prayer - Chapter 257 - 185: Scoring Twice
Chapter 257: Chapter 185: Scoring Twice
Their eyes met, and they fell into a brief silence.
With a wary expression, Pansi was the first to attack. His pupils dilated, his eyes taking on a crimson hue as he unleashed an invisible mental assault meant to sever his opponent’s thoughts.
Dark bat wings materialized behind him. With a powerful flap and a push from his feet, he shot forward like an arrow. His right hand morphed into a putrid claw, lashing out at Zhou Chen’s neck with lightning speed.
Pansi knew that anyone who dared to invade their stronghold would be no pushover, so he immediately opened with a Control Skill followed by a killing blow, seeking to instantly eliminate or cripple his enemy.
Zhou Chen suddenly twisted aside, displaying incredible flexibility. He leaned back, allowing the putrid claw to graze past him. Then, holding his breath to muster his strength, he torqued his waist, tensed his muscles, and channeled waves of Power from his entire body. The force surged through his swinging arm and into his fist—a left hook!
BAM!
The immense power landed squarely on Pansi’s face. His nasal bone shattered, flesh rippled, and teeth flew loose. His handsome face instantly twisted and warped. He was sent flying backward just as fast as he had charged in.
A shower of blood rained down from the air. Pansi flew backward and crashed heavily to the ground. He bounced once, then twice, before tumbling dozens of meters at high speed, only stopping when he slammed violently into a wall.
Zhou Chen shook his hand. His fist was a bloody mess. Beneath the torn skin, the stark white of his faintly fractured knuckles was visible.
The force was reciprocal.
Pansi’s face was hard—harder than the armor of a Curse-Bound Soldier. The resulting recoil had shattered Zhou Chen’s own fist.
It had been a hasty counterattack, and Zhou Chen hadn’t had time to forge any Silverware. The punch, though it looked brutal and gory enough to have splattered Pansi’s head like a watermelon, was not a fatal wound for a member of the Blood Race.
Pansi’s shattered head was already healing at an incredible speed. He was born with a superior physique and a recovery rate that put the rest of his race to shame. After officially becoming a Saint Child, he had undergone an ancient clan ritual, elevating this Ability to a whole new level.
In just an instant, the shattered head was already mostly healed. Zhou Chen forged a Silver Sword from thin air and lunged at Pansi, stabbing downward. Pansi’s body abruptly dissolved into a swarm of countless red-eyed bats that scattered and fled. The sword strike only managed to kill a few of them.
In the distance, the swarm of bats flapped their wings and converged, coalescing back into the form of Pansi. His face was pale as paper, his head now fully healed.
’His reaction speed is fast, and his physical Power is immense—much stronger than mine. He must be a Strength Type Ascender…’ Pansi stared at the masked enemy, calmly judging and analyzing the situation. ’If he’s just a Strength Type brute, this will be easy. I have many ways to kill him.’
’The situation is tense, so I’ll use the most direct method…’ A thought flashed through Pansi’s mind. He reached into his own shadow cast upon the wall and pulled out a doll—one that Zhou Chen recognized immediately. It wore a rigid smile and radiated an ominous aura.
—Abyssal Cursed Object: Alice, the Doll of Home Play and Murder.
Pansi gripped the doll, unable to stop himself from recalling the bizarre incident the last time he used it. He had clearly designated a target, but for some unknown reason, Alice, the Killing Doll, had changed her fatal target and turned on him, forcing him to play her version of ’Underworld home play.’
He had fled back to his stronghold in a panic, and it had taken a Count’s intervention to resolve the death Curse from Alice, the Killing Doll. Afterward, the doll was sealed for some time until it returned to its inactive state. The Count had examined it thoroughly, finally concluding that the Cursed Object was fine. Perhaps it had a problem in the past, but it was perfectly normal now, with no anomalies.
Only with the Count’s firm assurance did Pansi dare to carry the Killing Doll on his person and use it again.
After all, as the humans say: once bitten, twice shy.
He had been so horrifically screwed over by Alice, the Killing Doll, that the experience had left him with deep-seated trauma. He was terrified it would happen again.
’But there shouldn’t be any problems this time,’ he thought. ’Just a few hours ago, a Blood Count inspected it and guaranteed the Cursed Object was working normally. Besides, this guy seems to be a Strength Type Ascender. He doesn’t have many flashy Skills, so his resistance to an intangible Curse is likely nonexistent. Once Alice, the Killing Doll, locks onto him, death is a certainty.’
’Even if he has an Artifact to resist Curses, it might not be enough to stop Alice, the Killing Doll. After all, even I, a Blood Race Saint Child, couldn’t resist her Curse. I was only saved because a Count intervened, and even then, I lost a part of my Soul.’
’Die, you crude brute…’ Pansi sneered inwardly. Dragging the doll with one hand, he pointed the other at the steel-masked Zhou Chen:
“Alice, he said he wants to play house with you.”
’I wish for the target of this Cursed Artifact to be changed to the Blood Race Saint Child, Pansi!’
The instant Pansi finished speaking, Zhou Chen made that wish in his heart. Having witnessed the terrifying power of this Underworld ’home play,’ he wanted absolutely no part of it.
“Let’s play house. You be the daddy, I’ll be the mommy. I’ll eat your heart, your liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys… all to make us a family.”
“Hubby, hubby~ Alice wants to eat your heart~ Won’t you let me have it?~~~”
As if granted life, Alice stood up from Pansi’s hand. She sang the Underworld nursery rhyme in a childish voice, then turned to face Pansi, her voice syrupy sweet. “Hubby, hubby~ Alice wants to eat your heart~ Won’t you let me have it?~~~”
“!!!”
Pansi was thunderstruck!
