It's raining.

This caused Carlil to put on the hood of his cloak, and although he didn't really mind the burning pain of acid rain, his eyes did. And if his eyes would mind, then he would have to mind.

As his fingers ran over the surface of the cloak, he felt a texture that was very different from what he had before.

This made him realize that the cloak he had retrieved was nearing the end of his life.

With that in mind, Carlil stood up and glanced back in the direction of the old town. In his sight, it was business as usual. Moreover, he did not hear any loud noises, or shrill shouts.

This means that the ghost has either successfully completed its work, or it is still in the process of working.

Either way, whether he's exposed or not, Carlil wants him not to get hurt.

He was impressed by the ghost's ability to heal itself, along with his strength, agility, and speed of growth.

However, Carlil still believes that there is no such good thing in the world.

You can't have such power and not pay any price.

Tremendous strength can lead to bloated body shape and muscle stacking, and the pursuit of agility requires the removal of fat and muscle. The superior explosiveness will make you crave more energy every day, if you want to fly......

Look at the birds, a species that does not exist on the Nostramo and have evolved their skeletons into hollow shapes in order to occupy the sky.

And the ghosts ......

He had the most terrifying speed of self-healing Carlil had ever seen. In fact, it can hardly be called self-healing anymore, more like flesh and blood spontaneously gluing to each other after being injured and trying to be perfect again.

They instinctively refuse to shatter.

So, what price does this power cost a creature as clearly born from a laboratory?

Carlil didn't have an answer, but he knew that no matter what, the ghost couldn't die before him.

He narrowed his eyes, thinking that he was interrupted by a slight roar of engines coming from the other end of the bell tower, but Carlil grabbed it anyway.

He turned his head to look at the bright road. A huge black sedan is coming straight from afar, and there's nothing 'streamlined' about its shape. The car had a rugged appearance, and all the glass was pitch black.

Bulletproof car......

It's really familiar.

Carlil stood on tiptoe lightly, and after three light jumps in place, he leaped away from the bell tower. Then they began to run wild on the rooftops of the dark old town.

His eyes were always looking in the direction of the road, the blinding incandescent light was a little hazy in the gradually increasing rain, and the sentry posts in the distance had become small dots, only the car was still clear.

The acid rain made the air damp and foul-smelling, and he completely ignored them.

Raindrops hit his cloak and hood, causing a continuous stream of percussion that hindered his hearing. Small, and accelerating, like his heartbeat.

Then he bent his knees and jumped, the power he shouldn't have exploded in his body at this moment. Blue light bloomed in the eyes, muscles bulged, and the masonry under his feet shattered, escaping into powder and dust in the acid rain.

On his own, Karil Lohals, he briefly came to the sky.

I might be the high jump and long jump champion in Nostramo, if the star of the eternal night ever hosts a sports day......

In the darkness, Carlil smiled slowly.

He doesn't like a sense of humor and hates telling jokes. But he would laugh, though only out of politeness.

-----------------

"How long ago was the last time we were in Quintus?"

Jondo Skolewalker asked, in an inquiring tone, but his eyes were not fixed on the two sitting across from him.

In fact, he was sitting in his luxurious leather chair, enjoying the red wine he had taken out of the car's wine cellar.

At all times and in all places, most of the nostramo nobility put enjoyment first.

"We haven't been to Quintus."

Lena Skolewalker replied coldly. "If your head isn't broken, Jondo, you shouldn't have asked that stupid question."

"Ha ......"

Hearing this, Zhan Duo chuckled, "Your definition of stupidity is still so shallow, my sister. Your words sound to me more like a self-righteous fool muttering to himself...... Who do you think I mean by us? ”

Lena Skolewalk's eyes narrowed, and the horrible scar on her face, which stretched across her cheeks, began to squirm as if it had come to life.

"Sooner or later...... I'll peel you off for your insults, Jondo. She said gloomily.

"Whatever you want—but, I think we all know, of my father's three remaining children, you are the least likely to get the black stripe."

Lena's face quickly turned blue after these words.

To this, Zhando laughed insolently.

He craned his slender neck and drank the wine from his glass. The liquid redder than blood slid across his lips and into his mouth, and he sighed contentedly as the taste exploded on his taste buds.

Then, he set his sights on Irene Sklewerker.

His eldest sister.

"Dear sister...... Do you have an answer to my question? ”

Irena withdrew her gaze from the dark window, and there was a full five meters between her and Jando, a glimpse of the car's size. However, the distance did not soften her gaze.

In fact, the smile on Zhan Duo's face had slowly disappeared from the look in her eyes at the moment, and his right hand was placed on the side of the seat little by little.

"If I were you, I wouldn't choose to shoot in the car, Jondo."

Irena said expressionlessly.

"Father lent Iron Pride to us for a reason, first, because it was a symbol of the glory of the Skolewalker family to some extent. Second, it is capable of protecting against a wide range of weapons...... Even bullets from the inside. ”

"Well, I still have a knife to use." Jan Duo said quietly.

"You can give it a try." Irene Skolewalker replied calmly. "But I'm not going to guarantee that your knife-wielding hand will still be intact."

Zhan Duo narrowed his eyes, a second passed, two seconds passed, he suddenly smiled relaxedly, took his right hand again, and then apologized.

"I send you my apologies, dear sister. In the meantime, I sincerely hope that you will answer your stupid brother's little question......"

"Twenty years ago."

Irena turned her head to look at the night scene outside the dark glass, and replied quietly. "Twenty years ago, we came."

"Twenty years ago......" Jandor nodded thoughtfully. It was a very famous purge, wasn't it? ”

"Yes."

"That's a lot of fun."

Jando smiled again. "Seventy percent of Quintus' population disappeared in the Great Purge, and I remember how I felt when I read it in my family library...... I hate that I wasn't there. ”

"Do you think you'll survive?"

Lena Skolewalker scoffed, full of disdain, and she would not miss any chance that might hit Jando Skolewalker.

"Six families were permanently removed from the purge, and one of them was Lohals. You don't really think you can outperform any Lohals in the art of using blades, do you? ”

"No, Lena. I never thought so, actually, if I could have been there...... Even if it is death, I am willing. ”

This time, Jando didn't taunt her again, but shook his head rather calmly.

He looked up at the sunroof on the roof of the car. Lena stared at him, completely unsure of what the hell this always arrogant damned blood relative was up to.

Then, she saw that Jando's expression was becoming more and more melancholy.

Suddenly, Lena felt a chill, and this was not the first time she had felt incomprehensible about Jandor's behavior.

"You really should belong to Trembling Tooth, or Silverwing Carrion...... Jondo, you don't deserve to be with us at all. Lena said in disgust.

"Perhaps."

Jando Skolewalker looked at her and nodded noncommittally. "I've allowed your stupidity, Lena."

"You-" Lena jerked up from her seat and lunged at Jandor. At this moment, Irena turned her head.

Within her line of sight, a triumphant smile slowly bloomed on the corner of Jandor's mouth, and Lena's anger was evident on her face.

But, for some reason, in this tense and many times...... For the first time, Irena Skolewalker felt a panic that came out of nowhere.

The next second, she got an answer she didn't want.

"Boom ——!"

With a loud bang, the Iron Pride of the Skolewalker family was forced to stop in place by some force, and at this moment, the first outpost of the Glory Overseer was still a full eight thousand meters.

Its heavy wheels were still turning, rubbing black marks against the pavement that workers had spent their lives repairing. But it is no longer possible to move even a meter further.

As Irene Skolewalker can attest, she can attest. On the wrist of her left hand, something was humming in a low, rapid voice at the moment.

That's a warning of engine damage.

In the carriage, people turned on their backs. Jondo and Lena fell together, but the two did not rush to fight, but looked at their eldest sister who was fastening her seat belt and sitting on the leather seat.

Irene ignored them. Gently and quickly, she unbuckled her seatbelt and pressed on the armrest on the right side of the seat, opening the heavy metal door that connected the passenger compartment to the front compartment.

Behind the door, there were forty private soldiers armed with weapons and wearing pitch-black armor.

Irena stood up and glanced at the leader of them.

With a light bow, the privates untied their waist straps, and the doors on both sides of the front carriage opened spontaneously, and they immediately went down.

Later, the heavy doors closed again, as did the link between the passenger compartment and the front compartment.

The whole process was quiet, swift and solemn.

Seeing this scene, Zhan Duo couldn't help but whistle, squinted his eyes and said, "Father didn't tell me that Iron Pride is so big...... Can it sit so many people? ”

"There are some things that you have to be qualified to know, for example, it doesn't even require a driver."

Irena looked at her brother, her eyes already cold. "Stop talking nonsense, get ready, Jendor. And you, Lena. ”

She said as she lifted the sleeve of her left hand. On that pale wrist, with a small silver bracelet. With a few clicks on it, the four seats in the passenger compartment spontaneously folded, revealing their weapons.

Jando whistled again, this time with a look of surprise on his face.

"So many automatic guns? Or are they all high-end goods from Prem? ”

Lena snorted, pushed him away and stood up, came to the chair, and said coldly as she picked out her weapon: "Shut up, Jandor, and then start-"

"- Spot the target, fire!"

Lena's words were interrupted by a sudden shout from outside the car, followed by a dense roar of gunfire.

Thirty automatic guns from the craftsmen of the Prem Nest burst out at this moment with a sound that was almost unbearable for human eardrums. Whether it was Jando or Lena, they all frowned, but Irena remained indifferent.

However, only she knows how fast her heart is beating at the moment.

...... What's going on here? Why do I feel so flustered?

"Ceasefire, ceasefire!" The commander of the privates shouted. "Prepare the fire team to be on alert, and the rest of the people will change ammunition! Find him! ”

"Him?"

Jando raised an eyebrow and made a joke. "Our attackers are only one person? I thought it was a rocket that hit Iron Pride. ”

"Shut your mouth, Jendor." Irena whispered. "Pick up the gun."

"Why, eldest sister?"

"Pick up the gun...... Then be quiet. ”

Irena said as she looked up at the ceiling of the passenger compartment.

Although Zhan Duo asked for an explanation, his body took the first step to pick up an automatic gun.

He and Lena stood side by side, both of them looking at the ceiling of the carriage with Irena. They didn't know why Irena did it, but they wanted to know the answer.

Then, they knew.

Above the sunroof on the roof of the car, a pitch-black figure was staring coldly at the three people below.

Jondo raised his gun suddenly—and in the next second, the figure disappeared in an instant.

Inside the passenger compartment, no one spoke, only silence began to spread. Acid rain fell on the skylight, striking quickly at the window that could withstand the high-powered firearms at close range. They were shattered, but they followed one after the other, without complaint or regret.

Irena raised her hand, cold sweat running across her forehead.

She pressed the bracelet in her left hand, then raised it to her lips and whispered, "Watch around and on the roof, Helmut...... Was there only one attacker? ”

"Venerable Irena Skolewalk, we see only one shadow."

"Keep on guard...... I'll contact the Glory Overseers and get them to come to their aid. Irene said, figging a scarlet button on the unfolded armrest of her chair.

The Skolewalker family has never lacked emergency measures.

"Yes, Venerable Irene Skolewalk!"

Outside the car, Helmut's voice sounded again. He shouted in the midst of the terrible rain and the rising wind: "You all hear it! Stay alert, stay alert—"

"-Bang!"

The carriage slammed.

"Fire! Fire! ”

"He's captured Commander Helmut!"

Jando's cheeks twitched, and he muttered a curse in a cold sweat in the midst of this series of strange chaos that had arrived.

"The Skolywalker family will crush you, assailants! It doesn't matter who is standing behind you! ”

Commander Helmut's voice rang out from Irena's bracelet, with a palpable hatred and anger. The attacker did not say a word, and allowed Helmut to continue to threaten and curse, and he maintained a strange silence.

Irena took a deep breath, intending to maneuver around and test the attacker with Helmut's life to come up with a possible message. However, her plan failed completely before it even began.

Accompanied by Helmut's sudden screams, a slight sound of flesh tearing began to sound in the passenger compartment, continuously.

Above the midnight Beltway, a miserable howl hovered over the heads of everyone from the Skolewalker family.

"Damn it......" Jando's cheek twitched again. What's going on, my eldest sister? ”

Irene didn't answer, and the next minute was a one of hardship and torture for all of them.

Time passed slowly, but no one spoke again. Jando and Lena could hear the tiny breathing of the privates outside the carriage and the sound of raindrops falling overhead, but Irena remained silent, staring at her bracelet silently.

And then—

There was a singing voice, from the other end of the bracelet.

Low, long, with a palpable gloom. The tune is soft, but it is like a knife blade rubbing against the delicate skin of the neck.

"Your Excellency......" Irena said slowly. No matter how much money the other families contributed, Skolay Walker could pay you tenfold. ”

The singing continues.

"In Nostramo, we are the richest. Our relationship spans all five nests, Your Excellency...... It's too late for you to stop now. ”

The singing stopped.

However, the voice on the other end of the bracelet communication channel was speechless, just a low laugh. The rain rustled and the wind blew, and he smiled, and his voice faded from afar......

After a brief pause, a stiff Lena asked, "...... Is he gone? ”

"Bang!"

A heavy knock rang out, cracking the solid window glass behind Lena, causing her to shudder and fall to the ground. Jando didn't take the opportunity to laugh at her, but looked over there with a pale face.

Just now, he saw a dark ghost flash by.

Then, outside the passenger compartment, the shouts of the private soldiers broke out again.

"He's next to the car! Fire! ”

"Damn it, what about people?!"

"Keep firing, keep firing! The reserve fire team continues to be on alert! ”

"Found you, mongrel! Try...... What?! No, no! ”

"He's there! He killed A-7! He, he, he cut him open——! ”

"No, he's with me!"

Chaos crept in, exploding without warning. The madness ensued, and gunfire roared, even in the reserve fire team. Everyone frantically pulls the trigger, however, this does not hide a fact.

The gunfire is getting weaker, but the screams are getting louder.

The wind and rain whistled, and the dead silence began to crawl inside the carriage.

Jando's hands began to tremble as he stared at the nearly shattered window, and in the soft yellow light of the passenger compartment, he could clearly see the murky rain spreading through the cracked glass.

...... However, there was also blood, which spread from above the window.

Jando slowly looked up and saw a corpse. It appeared above the skylight without warning, and no one noticed when it appeared.

Its hands and feet were gone, and its bullet-resistant helmet was removed. Its face was pressed against the skylight, its dark and godless eyes fixed on Jandor.

He looked at it.

Three seconds later, Jando fell to the ground with trembling legs.

"Eldest sister......" he called in a trembling voice.

"I see it."

Irena replied slowly, her face paler than at any time since she was born. Then, she raised her left hand: "Commander Helmut confirms the dead, the soldiers of Skolewok, report to me the casualties." ”

Wheezing—a heavy gasp came from across the bracelet: "Soldier A-1 continues to be commander...... Venerable Irena Skolewalk, we have suffered heavy casualties, and there are only nine of us left. ”

"How is this possible?!" Lena, who had been sitting on the ground for a moment, roared. "How could forty soldiers of the Skolewalker family—"

"—shut your mouth, Lena."

Turning her head with a gloomy face, Irene turned around and finally pulled an automatic gun from the small arms garage under her seat.

She expertly checked and removed the magazine, inspected the inside of the magazine, and immediately loaded it. She lifted it in a standard position, then slowly backed away until she reached the heavy door that connected the passenger car to the front car, where she stopped.

"Listen to everything I say next, soldiers of House Skolewalk. There are only nine of you left, and you have heavy casualties, yes. ”

"However, the Skolewalker family will not forget your sacrifice. The families of all the victims will be well cared for, and your children will be eligible to become private soldiers, so ...... You know what to do. ”

"Yes!"

Soldier A-1, who had taken over the commanding position, roared: "You have all heard the words of Venerable Irena Skolewok! We will die for Skole Walker! ”

"yes, I heard that, too."

A deep voice sounded in the rain, it pierced through the rain, through the carriage, with an infinite coldness, as if crossing the line between life and death.

"Then, I will give you the death you desire, Commander A-1."

"He's in front! On-"

"Nope! Commander! ”

"Don't, please——!"

A last terrible scream pierced the night, and it hadn't even been more than six minutes since the attack. In the carriage, the three people had different expressions, but their faces were all the same pale.

"Your Excellency......" Irena spoke again with difficulty, trying to make a final attempt. However, the assailant did not let her go.

"Bang!"

A loud bang rang out again, and the right side of the carriage was struck by a massive force that almost made it impossible for them to stand.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Five consecutive sounds, coming from the right side of the passenger compartment. One after another, one after another. The sturdy surface of this vehicle, which had been with the Skolewalker family for more than two hundred and twenty years, began to bulge inward.

And then...... Above the bulging metal, a blade stabbed softly and slowly. The sound of metal grinding slowly sounded, and the blade spun as easily as if cutting butter, but in a matter of seconds, a large circle appeared.

Jando's breath began to tremble, as Irena said, he didn't know many secrets of Iron Pride, but he knew one thing.

The shell of Iron Pride is made of a small amount of pure gold.

"Sting."

With a shrill sound, the metal car was slowly 'pushed' away from the metal circle, and the heavy metal fell on the expensive carpet with a dull reverberation.

The incandescent light outside the highway burst in, and with it the stench of acid rain and the smell of blood that was so thick that it almost drowned a person alive.

And then—they saw—a cloaked figure standing among the corpses, staring over the place.

Beneath the hood, a faint blue light is blooming.

"Smack."

"Ahh Lena screamed nervously.

She didn't know that the voice was coming from the former commander of Helmut on the skylight overhead. His mutilated body had slipped from the skylight from the rainstorm, and Lena would have noticed it ten minutes ago.

Now, however, she's not Lena Skolewoker, she's just a captive who has been swallowed by fear.

And at this moment, she was far more than alone in the car who was captured by fear.

Otherwise, why didn't anyone shoot?

"Shh......h You should be quiet when others are about to say something. ”

A soft, long boo pierced the rain, the wind howled, and a soft voice rang out.

"Well, run, then...... The sons of the Skolewalker family. ”

"Get out of that precious car and run under the dirty acid rain. I want your noble lungs to breathe the foul air of the lower nest, and I want your pale skin to be burned by acid rain......."

"I want you to feel the pain."

"I'll kill you, but not now. Torments are always fun, the sons of the Skolewalker family. ”

He chuckled lowly, the incandescent lights misty in the rain and mist.

"The support you've called for is almost there. For the next twelve hours, you can run, you can hide, you can try to resist. However, there is one thing I want you to remember. ”

The dark shadow took a slow step forward, and this single step made Lena's screams more intense, and made Jando raise his head in shock, and Irena ...... She could barely stay on her feet.

Then, he slowly raised his right hand, and a tattoo loomed beneath the silver blade that clung to his wrist.

"The vengeful spirit...... I'm coming for you. ”

The words fell, and he vanished.

Inside the carriage, silence began to creep. The smell of blood was mixed with the stench and the chill of the wind blowing in. Jando took a big breath, which he needed to salvage his emotions.

He turned his head sideways and glanced at Lena, who was still in fear, instinctively trying to ease his fear by laughing at her and radiate the joy of the rest of his life.

However, at this moment, a cold exhalation came from his ears.

"Run." An icy voice commanded.

Five seconds later, three screams rang out from inside the carriage, and three figures rushed out, rushing wildly in the filthy acid rain they had single-handedly forged.

Behind them, a low burst of laughter echoed through the night.