Chapter 13: The Martyr

The two walked through the winding alleys for quite some time before finally reaching the edge of the town’s central square.

The vast square remained silent, the only sound was the soft, persistent rain. In the distance, a burned and unrecognizable female corpse hung from the “Seven Tridents” statue, the area around it littered with thermite rifles, stun rifles, two handguns, and a chainsaw sword.

Ms. Liliana and Reinhold each had their strengths: the former excelled in ranged combat with firearms, while the latter was a formidable force in close quarters. A female cleric who had mastered supernatural powers could wield firearms with much greater effect than ordinary people, thanks to certain church runes that enhanced ranged combat abilities.

The two carefully concealed themselves in the shadows, their position not too far from the “Seven Tridents” statue and the scattered weapons. If they dashed out recklessly, they could quickly reach the firearms. However, the lurking enemies would not give them such an opportunity; most wielded ranged throwing weapons, and once exposed, they would face concentrated fire.

Reinhold, seeing the charred, desiccated female corpse hanging from the statue, could not help but breathe heavily, his eyes reddening even though he had prepared himself mentally. He gripped his chainsaw axe tightly, his knuckles white and his body trembling—not out of fear, but because the fire of hatred had filled his heart.

Yet he did not allow his rage to cloud his judgment. He forced himself to remain calm, observing the square and its surroundings, matching each shadowy alley to the previously discussed distribution of heretics.

Li Nan Ke said, “Sir, charging straight through to seize the firearms would be extremely reckless. Even with your strength, you’d likely be wounded or even lose your life in the attempt.”

“I have a better plan, but I’ll need you to bring out whatever secret weapons you’ve been saving…”

Reinhold listened as the apprentice detailed the battle plan, and when he finished, Reinhold sized him up as if seeing him anew.

Li Nan Ke smiled gently. “Sir, you needn’t look at me like that. I’ve said before: Lady Liliana was not only your beloved, she was also my teacher.”

“I will always remember her kindness. Of course, I hope you can kill that high-ranking Deep One and avenge her.”

“I will never forget the sight of that monster dousing her from head to toe in kerosene and burning her alive.”

The apprentice spoke through gritted teeth, hatred etched so deeply in his eyes that it could not be concealed.

Reinhold drew a deep breath, the bloodlust he had kept suppressed in his chest gradually awakening. He reached under his coat, retrieving two black objects from his lower back and pressed them into Li Nan Ke’s hands. “Since you’re willing to make such a sacrifice, I have no reason to hold back!”

They were two wooden-handled grenades, similar in appearance to the M24 stick grenade.

[Martyr’s Fragmentation Grenade]
[Type: Item/Consumable]
[Quality: Inferior+]
[Rating: 20/100]

[Details: The grenade’s upper portion is a metal casing, the lower is a wooden handle. The casing contains numerous metal fragments, giving it considerable lethality. At the base are small hooks, allowing the grenade to be fixed to walls or floors, and when paired with tripwires or similar devices, it can function as a triggered landmine.]
[Note: Art is explosion! Boom!]

Li Nan Ke stowed the Martyr’s Fragmentation Grenades, waved his hand, and stepped out of the alley alone.

He did not head directly for the square, but instead crept cautiously along the street’s edge, vaulting into a sturdy two-story house. He quickly barricaded the windows with cabinets and bed boards, leaving only the doorway open.

When all preparations were complete, he threw open the front door, wrapped his blood-soaked bandage tightly around the hand gripping his serrated blade, and shouted into the silent, rain-soaked square:

“Come out, you bastard-spawned freaks!!”

The curse echoed across the square, reverberating through the layers of black buildings.

In the shadowy alleys encircling the square, pairs of bloodthirsty, beast-like eyes lit up one by one. A horde of monsters surged out of every alley like a tidal wave, howling as they charged toward the house.

Before most could reach him, harpoons, spears, and pitchforks shredded through the rain, all hurtling toward the house!

Seeing the torrent of monsters and their thrown weapons, Li Nan Ke wasted no time, slammed the wooden door shut, and retreated into the house.

Reinhold watched as the house was surrounded by monsters, the wooden door shredded like paper by their weapons. The heretic monsters crowded in, one after another.

With the monsters’ attention focused entirely on Li Nan Ke, now was Reinhold’s best chance to seize the firearms!

He strode out of the alley. Even with a shattered leg, the battle-cleric moved faster than most men could run at full speed!

Wind howled in his ears, water splashed underfoot, the distance between him and the guns narrowed rapidly!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside the two-story house, the roars of heretic monsters and gunfire echoed incessantly!

Li Nan Ke hacked down a lunging monster, blood spraying as he kicked its body, sending it crashing into several snarling beasts. Raising his revolver, three quick shots felled the next three monsters forcing their way through the doorframe, blocking those behind from attacking.

Even as he fought desperately, using the barricades to delay them, more monsters poured into the house!

He dodged sideways, a curved blade flashed past his body, then he raised his hand to block two incoming weapons, the impact numbing his arm and stinging his palm.

There was no time to counter—he immediately retreated several steps, evading more attacks.

“Damn it, this kind of suicide mission should be Reinhold’s job!”

He only complained out loud; in truth, the danger Reinhold faced was even greater!

His plan was to split up: he would draw the monsters’ attention, using the advantageous narrow space to buy time and prevent the massed throwing weapons from being effective, thus shielding Reinhold as he seized the guns.

If the high-ranking Deep One was lured away, the battle-cleric could grab the powerful weapons and return to massacre the monsters.

Of course, the chances of that were slim.

On the other hand, if the Deep One was not distracted, it would have to abandon its stealth and ambush tactics, exposing itself to block Reinhold head-on.

Head-on combat was Reinhold’s forte—attacking the enemy’s weakness with his own strength. If even that failed, they had no options left but to wait for death.

Whatever the outcome, following the plan favored them both.

As the monsters flooded into the house, even Li Nan Ke’s skill could not allow him to face so many at once. He turned and ran, crossing the living room and leaping onto the staircase to the second floor.

The snarling monsters crowded in pursuit; as he reached the bend in the stairs, he pressed against the wall and quickly reloaded his revolver.

The first monsters set foot on the stairs, triggering a taut wire stretched across the steps. The Martyr’s Fragmentation Grenade fixed nearby had its pull cord yanked free...

A burst of fiery explosion erupted, countless metal fragments scattering!

Boom!

Walls and floors shook violently, dust raining from above, choking smoke billowed up the stairway. The grenade’s blast, confined in the small space, was devastating—not only killing and injuring a mass of monsters, but splintering the wooden stairs as well.

The explosion bought Li Nan Ke a brief moment to breathe—though only a moment.

The deaths of so many monsters provided a flood of source energy. Seizing the opportunity, he infused it into “Breath of the Lake,” the trident rune flickering, gaining new strength.

[Trait: “Breath of the Lake”]
[Level: 1 (63%) → 3 (82%)]

Li Nan Ke pulled up his half-face black mask to cover his nose and mouth, shielding himself from the thick smoke. Peering out, he saw fresh monsters surging in, climbing over their fallen comrades, howling as they scrambled up the stairs.

Even though the lower half of the stairs was blasted away, they would soon clamber up over the bodies.

Li Nan Ke raised his bloodied serrated blade, standing above them like a whack-a-mole game, cutting down any monster that dared to show its head.

Scarlet blood and pale brain matter spattered and sprayed...