Lord of Prayer - Chapter 75 - 67: Joyful Sawman

Chapter 75: Chapter 67: Joyful Sawman

Wanhe District.

Building No. 9, Unit 4, Room 403.

The room contained only the most basic furniture, covered in dust from years of neglect. The entire home looked empty, cold, and desolate.

Wang Ziqian sat on the sofa, his face grim. He uncorked a Blood Bottle and poured the red solution onto his injured left cheek. A searing pain made the skin on his face twitch involuntarily.

There was also a gash on his arm so deep the bone was visible, a gruesome sight of mangled flesh and blood.

“That person wasn’t just passing by. They were waiting in ambush for me… Shit, how did they find me so fast? Did those bastards on the black market sell me out?”

Wang Ziqian cursed under his breath and poured the remaining half of the Blood Bottle onto his arm. Under the effects of the Alchemy Potion, the mangled wound slowly knitted itself back together, leaving only a scab after a short while.

Tossing the empty bottle aside, his eyes turned grim. ’Since they’ve already found me, I can’t waste any more time. I have to get my revenge, the one I’ve craved for years, as soon as possible. Delays will only lead to more trouble…’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Suddenly, in the dead silence, a dull knocking sound came from the door. It was like a hammer blow to his heart, and Wang Ziqian’s expression changed drastically.

He reached for the travel bag beside him and gripped a cold, hard hilt.

The next moment, the roar of a chainsaw erupted from outside. Accompanied by a sharp, cutting sound, the door was pierced through. Wood chips flew as a massive hole appeared.

A handsome, smiling face poked through the gap in the door, wearing a grin that made one’s heart pound in terror, and looked at the murderer in the room.

“Here’s Johnny~~~”

Zhou Chen revealed a delighted smile.

’Found you.’

He placed one hand on the door and shoved hard. BANG! With a powerful push, the ruined door collapsed inward.

Zhou Chen walked into the room, holding the humming chainsaw. He looked at Wang Ziqian, who was poised as if facing a great enemy, and asked with a smile, “I hear every member of the Chainsaw Murder Enthusiast Association has their own codename. What’s yours?”

Wang Ziqian’s face was grim. He said nothing, slowly drawing a menacing Saw Blade from his bag. The stench of blood wafted from it, noticeable even from a distance.

Then, his eyes fell on the chainsaw in Zhou Chen’s hands. His pupils contracted, and he could no longer maintain his composure.

“The C-220? How did you get your hands on it?”

’That’s the vice president’s Weapon!’

“Ah… actually, I’m a member of the association too. A new recruit highly favored by the vice president, in fact. He gave me the C-220. Why don’t you put down your Weapon first, and we can have a nice little chat?” Zhou Chen lied without batting an eye.

“Hmph.” Wang Ziqian’s expression was cold. ’Do I look like someone who would believe that kind of bullshit? The vice president has been missing for a long time. Now his Weapon shows up in Jinzhu, confiscated by an Ascender from the Star Association. He’s probably long dead in some unknown place.’

His eyes were wary. As a member of the murder association, he knew full well how terrifying the C-220 was. Even in the hands of a rookie Ascender, it was a deadly weapon, and this guy didn’t look like a rookie.

Most importantly, the Star Association had found him. This place might already be surrounded, or reinforcements could be on their way.

In any case, there was no point in hiding anymore. Only a fight to the death could offer a chance at survival—and a chance for revenge.

“Black-haired Ghouls,” he said suddenly. “My codename is ’Black-haired Ghouls’.”

“How generic.”

Zhou Chen clicked his tongue. “Look at what other people are called: ’Human Skin Face,’ ’Shovel Murderer,’ ’Spoon-Killing Maniac,’ ’Food God Hannibal,’ ’Jack the Ripper’… How come your nickname is so bland?

Well then, let me introduce myself too. You can call me…”

Amidst the roar of the chainsaw, he announced proudly:

“—The Joyful Sawman.”

“…”

It was as if three question marks appeared above Wang Ziqian’s head. His face was a mask of utter confusion.

’That’s your fucking codename?!’

And in that moment of astonishment, his vision blurred as the high-speed rotating chainsaw swung down at his face.

Wang Ziqian raised his Saw Blade to block. In that instant, with a deafening screech of metal on metal, a firework-like shower of sparks flew everywhere.

Immediately after, his vision went dark. A pouch of something had been slapped onto his face. A choking dust, burning with pale white flames, exploded in front of him. Caught off guard, he inhaled a large amount, and his mouth and nose were instantly filled with a cloyingly sweet fragrance.

More of the dust was ignited by the pale flames, releasing a colorless, odorless hallucinogenic gas that gradually filled the entire room.

’Of all the many skills, this is the Way of Ash-Throwing!’

Liberation Dust had various effects—poison, paralysis, sleep, hallucination—and it was effective against Ascenders, making it an essential hidden weapon for murder and arson. However, Zhou Chen hadn’t had a chance to use it until now. Since he’d found a suitable test subject, he naturally wanted to see if the money he’d spent was worth it.

Wang Ziqian’s face was covered in the burning dust, but he didn’t retreat or even flinch and blink. Instead, he stared intently at Zhou Chen, wary of his every move.

He was beginning to feel the effects of the dust. His body was slowly growing stiff and numb, his mind groggy. He felt an urge to sleep. He decisively bit the tip of his tongue to jolt his senses, even biting off a large chunk of flesh. His mouth filled with the taste of blood.

At a time like this, any reaction that hindered his ability to fight would be a death sentence. He had no other choice.

“Looks like the association trained you well.”

Zhou Chen increased the Power in his hands and his Essence output. The shower of sparks suddenly intensified, and a gash several centimeters deep could be seen on the menacing Saw Blade.

Suddenly, Wang Ziqian’s arm trembled, violently knocking aside the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw. His Saw Blade swept horizontally, carrying a strong stench of blood in its whistling wind, aiming for Zhou Chen’s neck.

But in a flash, it traced a sharp, new arc in mid-air, changing from a horizontal sweep to a downward chop aimed at Zhou Chen’s thigh.

Zhou Chen reacted quickly, taking two steps back. The chainsaw in his hands moved with equal agility, carving an arc of its own to clash with the Saw Blade once more.

A shrill noise erupted. The sharp teeth of the saw, carrying immense power, left another deep cut on the Saw Blade, sending out a fleeting spray of sparks.

They clashed and separated in an instant.

Knocking the Saw Blade aside, the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw whirred and swung upward from below, moving so fast that it made the air shriek.

In that instant, Wang Ziqian had no time to dodge and could only curl his body up as much as possible.

The cold, sharp metal sliced through, effortlessly shredding his clothes and bulletproof vest, tearing open his skin. A torrent of warm blood gushed out, dousing Zhou Chen.

Wang Ziqian staggered back. A shocking gash stretched diagonally from his abdomen to his shoulder, a mess of mangled flesh that brought a searing pain. Within the wound, a pale white flame flickered and vanished.

He was horrified. ’Just a little more and I would have been disemboweled.’

Meanwhile, the chainsaw in Zhou Chen’s hands seemed to cheer with delight. As if having tasted blood, its engine worked even harder, roaring like a starving beast.

It wanted more.

More blood.

“Coming right up.”

Zhou Chen replied with a smile, preparing to finish Wang Ziqian off in one fell swoop.

At that moment, however, wisps of red mist began to rise from his opponent’s body. A violent power, like a volcanic eruption, descended upon his physical form in an instant.

Wang Ziqian’s eyes turned blood-red, filled with brutality and bloodlust. A beast-like growl rumbled in his throat as saliva dripped from his mouth. He had fallen into a complete frenzy.

This was his Extraordinary Ability—Blood-Burning Berserk.

In exchange for burning his blood and his sanity, he gained immense Power!