Chapter 328: Hunting Nobles 2

However, to preserve their public image, none would ever expose their mutations to the public. This was also why Independent Investigators tended to stay far away from cities, doing their best to avoid being seen.

By the same token, exposing one’s own mutation was a clear sign that a fight was about to begin.

Investigator Wei Ya’s face was a mask of fury. He first extended a single finger in front of himself.

After a moment’s consideration, he simply extended three fingers instead.

The bizarre vertical eye on his chest immediately projected three massive black shadows, one for each finger. They rapidly elongated and intertwined.

Like three giant pythons, they slithered rapidly toward the hilltop.

In the blink of an eye, they had already burrowed into the small patch of bizarre forest summoned by the Little Lamb Girl.

These bizarre trees seemed to reject the three encroaching shadows, twisting their trunks to block their path.

But there were too few of them to form a proper barrier. In an instant, they were uprooted one by one, sent toppling over as dirt and wood chips flew through the air.

‘This is the strength of a normal Independent Investigator?’

Atop the hill, Han Su felt his heart sink as he registered Investigator Wei Ya’s attack.

Even though he was long prepared to face an Independent Investigator, he was still taken aback by Wei Ya’s power.

This Independent Investigator’s power level might have been slightly weaker than that of Qinggang’s Four Heavenly Kings, but his control over his Mysterious Power was clearly superior.

His power seemed to be in the same category as Miss Crow’s; both used some form of bizarre energy to command their own shadows. But Miss Crow could only summon those strange eyes, whereas Mr. Wei Ya had already begun to Steal them, grafting them onto his own body.

He himself had become a powerful and controllable anomaly.

SWISH! SWISH!

The black shadows were frenzied and domineering, forcefully tearing through the dark forest like three twisted blades aimed directly at the Little Lamb Girl.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Count Albarrez silently grip the slender foil in his hand.

He didn’t rush to attack, seemingly waiting to lock onto his target before striking a single, decisive blow.

On the surrounding hills, men from two different factions were slowly closing in, forming an airtight encirclement.

Amidst this tightening encirclement, Han Su let out a soft breath and slowly put away the Pocket Watch he was holding.

As his shadow rapidly extended from beneath his feet, he took the Little Lamb Girl’s hand.

He began to chant in a low voice: “[I will descend into the Abyssal!]”

Zero Sequence Encrypted Spell, Number 01. The moment he spoke, the surrounding shadows seemed to spring to life. They rushed toward him, engulfing both him and the Little Lamb Girl. For a moment, it was as if the entire world had forgotten they existed.

‘Now that I’ve stolen the Emperor’s Textual Power, the might of my Zero Sequence is on a completely different level.’

Han Su could now even vanish in plain sight. However, while Number 01 could erase his presence from perception, he was, in reality, still in the same spot.

Investigator Wei Ya’s black shadows surged forward. While uprooting the twisted trees, they also swept up Han Su and the Little Lamb Girl, pulling them rapidly backward.

Holding the suitcase up to his chest, Han Su let the black torrent push him backward.

‘When I used the Pocket Watch just now, I’d already come up with a strategy.’

‘Confronting Investigator Wei Ya’s power head-on is obviously extremely dangerous. But the suitcase can act as a shield, blocking some of the Spiritual Shock. Plus, since I’ve stolen the Emperor’s Text, my Divine Material is solid, and my resistance to corruption is much stronger.’

‘I can even use this opportunity to have the Emperor’s Book absorb some Mysterious Power and learn a little more.’

‘It’ll all be useful. We’ll see if it can help Miss Crow later on.’

The Little Lamb Girl, whose hand he held, started slightly. Her innocent, silent eyes turned to give Han Su a deep look. She had somehow understood his intent. With a low murmur, the twisted trees around her immediately began to change.

They merged with the shadowy tendrils, joining Han Su and her as they were swept like a great tide toward the far side of the hill.

“Damn it!”

The tide was rolling directly toward Count Albarrez’s position.

He was still holding his foil, ready to snatch his target at a moment’s notice, when he was caught off guard by the sight of a dark, crushing mass rolling toward him.

He immediately misunderstood, thinking that Investigator Wei Ya had gone mad and decided to attack him directly.

But with a grit of his teeth, bizarre patterns instantly appeared on his arm. They writhed like flames, quickly burning his sleeve to ash.

At the same time, the slender foil in his hand flashed with a silver brilliance. His posture was elegant, his fingers even held in a delicate flourish as he thrust at the countless twisted trees and black shadows.

“SHRRIIIP…”

The toppling trees were sliced in half by his single strike, dissolving into clouds of ash. The shadows surging from Wei Ya were likewise split in two by his sword. But caught off guard, he was clearly under pressure, and he staggered back a few steps.

‘An opportunity!’

In that instant, Han Su locked his eyes on the Count. He used Number 09, “[Ladder of the Abyssal],” and abruptly closed the distance between them.

‘I’ll steal his blood!’

‘Since that last Vampire wasn’t high-grade enough, one at the level of a Count should be, right?’

‘It’s normally so difficult to get close to these secretive Ancient Nobles, let alone hunt them.’

‘But now, fishing in these troubled waters, my chances of success are high!’