Lord of Prayer - Chapter 76 - 68: Who Is the Real Killing Maniac

Chapter 76: Chapter 68: Who Is the Real Killing Maniac

’A Second Stage again?’

Zhou Chen frowned. He could already guess the category of Wang Ziqian’s Extraordinary Ability.

In theory, this kind of burst-type Ability only provides a short period of intense power. Afterward, the user would be exhausted and left completely vulnerable.

However, during the burst, an Ascender’s combat prowess would skyrocket. Their Power, speed, explosiveness, durability, and Recovery Ability—every physical attribute would be massively enhanced. A moment of carelessness could lead to disaster.

’So, I can’t give him a chance to unleash it.’

Countless tiny metal fragments materialized in Zhou Chen’s hand. With a touch of Alchemy, they quickly fused into a small metal sphere. The instant it formed, he ignited it and threw it.

In the next instant, an intense, searing light erupted, flooding the entire room like a tidal wave. The light poured out of the windows, making the entire floor stand out dazzlingly against the dark night.

The pain of the harsh light searing his retinas forced a piercing scream from Wang Ziqian’s lips. Before the white light could fade, Zhou Chen closed his eyes. Guided by his Perception Power, he swung the chainsaw down. Its sharp teeth were like Tusks, opening a gaping maw and letting out a hungry roar.

CLANG!!!

Steel collided, sending sparks flying.

At the critical moment, Wang Ziqian instinctively raised his Saw Blade to parry. Another gash appeared on the ferocious-looking weapon—it was merely a special super-alloy Weapon, not a Forbidden Object, and couldn’t withstand the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw’s bite.

The searing white light faded. After the burn, Wang Ziqian’s eyes turned an even deeper scarlet, looking as if they might drip blood, like a red-eyed Hellish Evil Ghost.

Without warning, he swung the Saw Blade down at Zhou Chen’s head.

Empowered by his blood-burning frenzy, his Power surged, and his speed became extreme. The heavy Saw Blade whistled through the air as it came crashing down.

Zhou Chen dodged without a second thought, swinging his chainsaw at Wang Ziqian’s wrist.

But his frenzy didn’t mean he was completely mindless. With what little sanity remained, Wang Ziqian twisted his wrist, swinging the Saw Blade in an arc to block the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw’s attack. At the same time, he began a counterattack, chopping relentlessly like a madman.

He displayed a level of combat prowess far beyond the norm, swinging his Saw Blade in a tempest that cut off all of Zhou Chen’s escape routes.

The clang of steel on steel was incessant, with sparks flying erratically.

It was the grating of iron on iron, the merciless retort of clashing Weapons.

The web of Zhou Chen’s thumb split open, blood trickling down his hand. Several times, the Strange Power behind the blows nearly knocked the Weapon from his grasp. But his eyes remained calm as he coolly weathered the frenzied assault, patiently waiting for the effects to kick in.

Whether it was Liberation Dust or Cyan Flame, they both needed time to take effect.

Before long, Wang Ziqian’s swings began to slow. He panted heavily, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He was enduring the excruciating pain of the Soul-Burning Flame, as well as the negative effects of the Liberation Dust: poison, paralysis, Weakness, and hallucinations.

Even in his frenzied state, he couldn’t hold on any longer. The cocktail of debilitating effects brewing inside him finally detonated all at once.

Wang Ziqian’s vision wavered. Suddenly, three Zhou Chens stood before him. Then more began to appear, overlapping one another until they filled every corner of the living room.

“Die! All of you, die!”

Wang Ziqian staggered, swinging his Saw Blade with a savage grin. He vented his rage and mania by smashing the hateful figures before him into pulps of flesh.

Meanwhile, the real Zhou Chen stood quietly behind him, watching him slash at empty air.

’He’s hallucinating this quickly… Well, it’s partly because his sanity was already diminished from his berserk state, and partly because the Cyan Flame is burning away his Spiritual Power, weakening his mind even further… This Liberation Dust really is good stuff, though…’

Zhou Chen took a breath, saw his opening, and lunged forward with a slash!

VMMMM!!!

The Bloodthirsty Chainsaw whirred madly, sinking effortlessly into Wang Ziqian’s shoulder and tearing through his flesh like a hot knife through wax.

“Aaargh…” Amidst a bloodcurdling scream, Wang Ziqian’s face twisted in agony as one of his arms dropped to the floor with a wet thud. Blood sprayed from the wound.

The bone-deep agony caused him to erupt with unprecedented Power. His other hand tightened around the Saw Blade, unleashing a vicious, horizontal sweep.

Zhou Chen abruptly raised his left hand. An Alchemy Matrix materialized on his bracer, instantly unfolding in tiers to form an Alloy Shield. With a CLANG, it blocked the horizontal strike. The immense force of the blow made him shatter the porcelain floor tiles underfoot, sending fragments blasting in all directions.

He immediately counterattacked.

Shield Strike!

The edge of the Alloy Shield smashed viciously into Wang Ziqian’s face. With the sharp crack of bone, the Black-haired Ghoul was grievously wounded, falling flat on his back.

Zhou Chen planted a foot on his chest. An irresistible killing intent surged within him, a desire to dismember the man, to finely chop him into mincemeat.

He took several deep breaths, using his powerful Willpower to quell the turmoil in his heart. He glanced at the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw, which was greedily drinking its fill of blood. A pale flame suddenly ignited on his hand. He touched it to the chainsaw, which immediately and obediently stopped whirring, not daring to misbehave.

—The Cyan Flame could be used to apply an Enchantment to the chainsaw, or it could be used to burn it. It all depended on how Zhou Chen used it; the two functions didn’t conflict.

Once he blocked the chainsaw’s influence, the killing intent in Zhou Chen’s heart slowly subsided. On the ground, Wang Ziqian had fallen unconscious.

Even with such grievous injuries and continued bleeding, he wouldn’t be dying anytime soon. The clean-up crew would be arriving shortly to take him into custody.

Zhou Chen walked over to Wang Ziqian’s duffel bag and began to rummage through it, looking for any spoils. All he found were two Blood Bottles, a few hand grenades, some clothes, and an old, yellowed photograph.

It showed a young Wang Ziqian with his parents. The family of three looked happy and content, their smiles radiant.

’So he really did come back for revenge. But that’s no excuse for slaughtering the innocent…’

Zhou Chen shook his head and sighed. He put the photo back, then uncorked a Blood Bottle and drank it down.

「A few minutes later.」

The support team arrived. Gazing at the gruesome scene of splattered blood inside the room, and at Zhou Chen, who was covered in viscous gore, not a single one of them dared to breathe too loudly.

’Who’s the real Killing Maniac here?’

’Should we report this to our superiors? Get this kid some mandatory psychological counseling?’

·

·

“Ha! See? I told you there’s nothing wrong with my psychological state. Those guys were making a mountain out of a molehill.”

「The next day.」

Zhou Chen walked into the office with his brand-new psychological evaluation report and handed it to Jiang Che.

“It is indeed stable. C-220 hasn’t had any effect on you. And even if it did, you could resist it with your own Willpower.”

Jiang Che finished reading the report. All the data was normal, yet she couldn’t help but sigh.

“So this just proves it. You’re a psycho Killing Maniac by nature.”