Chapter 219: One Bears The Fruit of One’s Own Doing
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
As the dust settled down, the silhouettes of both Caroline’s and Betty’s bodies gradually became visible. This time, Betty was in a much more pathetic situation than Caroline as the haemal strands that surrounded her body like vines were all sliced into a hideous mess, showing the intensity of the sword attacks that she had endured. The elegant gown she wore was torn into shreds; her body was hidden beneath the similarly torn underclothes. Her fluttering long hair was replaced by short hairs of varying length, making her scalp look like a birds nest.
Most of the bony thorns on Caroline’s body had been chopped clean off, her whole body was covered with wounds that resulted from both the element turbulence and the lacerations from the sword. But all her wounds were healing quickly, and her body was still standing up straight. Obviously, she still has the ability to continue on with the battle.
“Betty, what are you waiting for?!” Caroline shouted with a quivering voice, “Are you waiting for Guevara to come and kill us?!”
“Caroline!” Betty suddenly shrieked.
Caroline was caught off guard. She then pushed off from the ground firmly with her toes, and her body shot towards Betty like an arrow. Her razor-sharp fingertip extended far ahead, pointing at Betty’s chest which was still a ways away.
On the top of the hill, Edwina released her fingers and an arrow whistled out. Amongst bursts of thunderous roars, the arrow formed a huge wind blade, travelling hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye, heading towards Betty.
Even though Betty was a strong fighter, she was still unable to handle the attacks from both sides. However, her expression showed no sign of panic, instead, she stared at Han Jin with a cold gaze.
When Caroline was merely three meters away, Betty suddenly extended out her hand and clapped in Han Jin’s direction. A sense of danger suddenly emerged in Han Jin’s heart, forcing him to chant an Earthmeld spell in a great flurry.
The next second, Han Jin appeared right at Betty’s position, but his body already began to sink down, just barely avoiding Caroline’s attack.
With a boom, Caroline was blasted with the huge blade of wind, an attack that Edwina had created with all her might, its power much stronger than the ‘Arrow of Dragon’ she had shot at Caroline moments ago. Amongst the whirling hurricane of elements, Caroline was thrown to the ground like a feeble leaf under a strong blast of wind, the ripped skin and flesh on her right hand scattered apart, revealing the white bones underneath.
“Caroline!” Betty shrieked once again.
Caroline was stunned as her pupils immediately turned blood red. No matter how bad their relations.h.i.+p had become, it didn’t change the fact that they have battled side by side many times before, especially in the Abyss, as best buddies. She was not perfectly confident in Betty’s real intent.
She originally believed that by setting the trap, it would be an easy task to kill Raphael, the center of the youngsters. Since Guevara was present, they intended to kill the most important figure and leave Isolated Cliff City immediately, then find another opportunity to kill the others. She never expected that her opponent would be so hard to handle. Although the battle did not last for too long, everyone was fighting with their lives. The fight was extremely intense and dangerous. Even the slightest mistakes could mean death.
The Blood-Thirst Talent could greatly improve her power, control, and ability to recover; but when the skill met its end, she became weak for a period of time. However, Caroline had no other choice!
At that moment, Han Jin leaped out of the ground nearly 10 meters into the air, howling as loud as he could, “Watch out!”
Caroline’s figure left behind a series of afterimages, holding out her fist, ready to deal a heavy blow to Betty’s chest. The next moment, Edwina was switched to Betty’s position. Betty then appeared on the hill, sneering shrillingly at the people in the distance.
It was the first time Edwina experienced the talent of Vampires, so it never came to her mind that Betty’s casting distance could be so far. Her figure appeared, remaining in a position pulling her bow, but Caroline’s fingertips were already approaching her front chest.
Edwina remained calm and steady, using all her might to dodge to the side. Caroline’s fingertips sc.r.a.ped her shoulder, leaving behind 4 long gashes, each so deep that her bones became visible. Edwina then grabbed her bow and aimed it towards Caroline.
The bowstring emitted a bluish glow. When Edwina landed her eye on the bow, her action paused a little – the bow was one of her favourites, she couldn’t bear using it to attack her opponent.
In normal circ.u.mstances, a momentary hesitation could mean nothing – but when it happened during a battle against a powerful opponent, it could become a key determinant. Not to say close-combat was never Edwina’s expertise.
Caroline held out her left hand, catching the bow in a split-second; her right hand, with closed fingers, shot back at the speed of lightning. Blood splattered all over as Caroline’s right hand penetrated through Edwina’s chest like a sharp blade, her fingers piercing out from Edwina’s back.
While Han Jin bellowed in anger, his arm sw.a.n.g with great force, releasing a stroke of green radiance with a tail up to ten meters long, darting directly towards Caroline. The whip that Han Jin held in his other hand was circled around Caroline’s ankles. He now realised that Caroline had almost completely recovered from her severe injuries. In order to deal with enemies with effective healing ability, the most efficient strategy, as the saying goes, injuring all of one’s fingers was never as effective as chopping off one. Unfortunately, his realisation came a little too late.
Caroline dodged the attack quickly – as Han Jin was the only person remaining, there was no reason for her to continue fighting. After Betty returned, the two could work together to finish the fight.
Han Jin waved the whip crazily, the tip of the whip sliced through the air, producing an ear-piercing sonic boom. Caroline was instantly forced back a fair number of steps, giving Han Jin sufficient time to pick up Edwina from the ground and retreat into the forest, chanting spells and casting them on Edwina along the way.
As she mocked him with laughter, Caroline was ready to chase after Han Jin, when she experienced an unbearable pain coming from her ankle. She could not help but let out a blood-curdling cream.
Hayden had not completely become a blood slave. When he was near death, he suddenly regained consciousness. Since Caroline coincidentally stood before him after she was forced back, he quickly sat up from the ground and hugged Caroline’s right leg with all his might. At that moment, his sword pierced into Caroline’s leg, pinning her to the ground.
Hearing Caroline’s scream, Han Jin looked back while continuing to dash forward, and witnessed the gruesome scene behind. The technique that Han Jin had released was an indiscriminate attack, which naturally affected Hayden who was also within the attack range. Both his legs had been chopped off, but the leather armour he was wearing remained rather unharmed, and that was the reason why he still had the energy to launch a sneak attack on Caroline.
When their eyes met, Han Jin’s heart twitched uncontrollably! Inside the putrid gaze lived regret, anxiety, grief, and heart-wrenching pain- although Hayden could no longer speak, his eyes expressed everything.
Caroline kicked up her leg, striking Hayden’s head. Hayden’s neck, which had previously been cut half-way through by Han Jin, could no longer withstand the force of Caroline’s strike, snapping in an instant. His head was sent far away, surrounded by twinkling droplets of blood.
Twisting her body made Caroline’s pain intensify, but as the Queen of Vampires, her determination could never be underestimated. Holding the hilt of the sword, inch by inch, she managed to unheath it completely. Taking a step forward to chase after Han Jin, she found that she had stumbled once again. Although Haydon could not be more dead than he was at the current moment, his arms were still hugging Caroline’s leg tightly.
Caroline was furious. She waved the sword madly and slashed off both of Heydon’s arms at his shoulders.
Han Jin knew that he was just being silly. If n.o.body interfered with his escape, he could definitely rescue Edwina easily. However, now it was hard to accomplish anything and the best option was to leave Edwina behind and use his Earthmeld skill to flee as far as possible. Should he really give up on Edwina who still has a chance at being saved ?!
In reality, Han Jin was a selfish man – he was willing to help others, but never at the cost of his own life. Picking up Edwina before retreating was merely an instinctive act, and after running several steps, he began to regret his own action. But on the other hand, Han Jin was also someone who hated to be left alone, a person who treasured every single one of his companions.
Should he give up, or persist a little longer? Maybe it was possible for both to escape after all! Han Jin was hesitant, either option was supported with sufficient evidence to convince him otherwise.
A silver bat swung across the sky, and just when Betty’s figure started to appear, a ball of blood began speeding towards Han Jin.
Han Jin quickly halted in his steps as he also sensed Caroline approaching. Leaning his body, he was prepared to dart in an oblique direction.
Edwina’s eyes opened slowly. Seeing that Han Jin was faced with a pincer attack, she understood that she had become a burden. She used her remaining strength to twist herself loose, pus.h.i.+ng against Han Jin’s chest with her palms, shouting, “Quick, go!”
Han Jin had directed all his attention to the two enemies flanking his sides, and Edwina’s actions were abrupt, so when he dashed away as he originally planned, Edwina’s body fell to the ground.
At that moment, Caroline had already approached and kicked herself onto Edwina. Under the influence of her Blood-Thirst Talent, Caroline’s force was greatly enhanced, making Edwina’s body launch into the air.
At that moment, Han Jin’s heart sank. Betty then snickered coldly, “Still trying to run?!”
Han Jin had no remaining energy to fight, as he immediately released the Earthmeld spell. However, he soonly noticed that the ground had been covered with a huge web made with numerous strings of blood. Right then, half of his body had already disappeared underneath the ground, but the web forced him out again.
When Caroline twisted her thin waist, her foot striked Han Jin’s chest, and sent him flying meters into the air. After rolling across the ground, Han Jin finally regained his composure.
The attack Han Jin released had levelled all the land within a hundred meters in diameter, but the blood wed on the ground covered an even wider range, and extended deep into the forest.
Han Jin then began standing up slowly. Looking around, the corners of his mouth lifted and formed a faint smile, “Alright! Alright! Since you’re both so pa.s.sionate, I’ll stay here with you.”
As they could already tell how the battle would end, Caroline and Betty were not rushed in their attacks, they merely sandwiched Han Jin from front to back. Betty then sneered, “Kid, you’re still able to smile in such a horrible situation?!”
“It’s none of your business whether I smile or not!” The first sentence that Han Jin said still sounded polite, but the following sentence revealed his true nature. He had finished his leisurely warm-up. In such a desperate situation and struggling between life and death, he was able to truly calm down. Like as his master told him, one can be defeated by one’s opponent, but can never be defeated by oneself. Before he could let out his last breath, he would never coward from battle!
Caroline’s body suddenly moved again, shooting straight towards Han Jin. With her fingers closed, her right hand pierced towards his back.
Han Jin then turned around, completely ignoring Caroline’s attack. He lifted his arm, swinging the green radiance through mid-air, but the long whip remained still like a dead snake.
As Caroline approached, Han Jin suddenly punched forward, his fist directed towards Caroline’s face.
Caroline’s fingers ferociously inserted into Han Jin’s chest, and Han Jin’s fist rammed directly into Caroline’s face.
Comparing the severity of the two injuries, what Han Jin experienced was fatal, although Caroline’s face was almost crushed by Han Jin’s blow, her injury was merely a flesh wound.
Han Jin’s body instantly disintegrated into scattered sand and stone, disappearing with no trace. Just then, he appeared from the opposite side, approaching Caroline like a lightning bolt.
Caroline covered her face as she groaned with pain. Just then, the green radiance shot down from the sky, piercing through Caroline’s body in a blink of an eye. Without wasting a second, Han Jin’s whip circled Caroline’s ankle. He originally intended to snap off Caroline’s ankle bone, but he didn’t expect that Caroline’s flesh and bone were tougher than usual. Merely using the strength of the charm on his whip could not allow him to accomplish as he desired.
In an instant, Han Jin changed his plan. Swinging his whip, he sent Caroline flying into the air, and then he immediately followed. Alternating his fists, one after another, he punched continuously at Caroline’s chest.
After Han Jin sent Caroline back to the ground, he took a deep breath, did a somersault, gathering all his strength, and striked Caroline’s back. The force he sent onto Caroline’s back was so great that her body transformed into an acute angle, and accelerated towards the ground like a thousand pound giant rock. Caroline crashed flat onto the ground, making the ground sink down several inches. With the great impact, half of her body was embedded under the ground.
Betty’s facial expression continued changing, making it hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. Shockingly, she did not move at all, allowing Han Jin to do whatever he wanted to Caroline.
The next moment, Han Jin landed on Caroline, raising his hand to catch the green radiance, and piercing it down with a great force, penetrating deep into Caroline’s head. Caroline’s healing ability was just too hard to deal with, forcing him to find the most crucial place to deal his attacks head on, making the head his first target.
Han Jin was afraid that Caroline was still alive, so he immediately pulled out the green radiance, and stabbed randomly into Caroline’s back. In the blink of an eye, numerous b.l.o.o.d.y holes had formed in Caroline’s back.
Just when Han Jin was in high spirits, he became alerted with danger, forcing him to leap away in a rush.
Caroline’s fingertips sc.r.a.ped against Han Jin’s leg, creating several b.l.o.o.d.y scratches. Moments later, Caroline struggled to stand up, and let out an angry growl, “Betty, what are you doing?!!”
“Sister Caroline, I need to control my barrier. And, this is your own business.” Caroline sn.i.g.g.e.red, “I’m not the one who had my son killed!”
“You…” Caroline had no intention to quarrel with Betty, she swiftly returned her attention to Han Jin. By this time, Caroline’s face had completely deformed. At the very least, her nose was completely gone, and in its place hung a mushy ball; her upper lip was split open, revealing her glowing white teeth and a pair of sharp canine teeth; a b.l.o.o.d.y cavity resided on her forehead, Han Jin’s stab had surprisingly penetrated through her head.
But the condition of her body was in much better condition as there was only one puncture. Of course, her back was unbearable to look at as well, as it had already been filled with holes.
“You’re so ugly.” Han Jin commented with a smile. Although he remained composed, he felt his heart sink, seeing that she could survive such horrible wounds. What could he do to kill such a monster completely? More importantly, how did he still have the energy to complete such a task?
“I won’t let you die so easily!” Caroline p.r.o.nounced word by word. Losing her lip, it was no longer a matter of slurred speech. Although she intended to make Han Jin feel terrified, her voice did nothing but make people laugh.
“Well, I do want to let you die easily, I say… Miss Ugly, could you just help me?” Han Jin’s iconic smile remained, but the truth was that he had used up all his vital energy. Even if Caroline gave him a chance, he could no longer throw out any life-threatening attack.
Caroline squealed, her claw darting into Han Jin’s chest. Han Jin received her attack fearlessly, and the green radiance on his hind poked towards Caroline’s throat. He no longer dared to release his flying sword. Using Spirit Possession could delay the fight a little longer, allowing him to find a suitable chance.
Caroline’s style of battle was rather vicious, but Han Jin’s retaliations were fierce as well. Caroline was not only seeking revenge for her son, but also for herself; Han Jin was already entrapped in such a desperate situation, so he gave no thought for his own safety.
However, the main difference between the two was that Caroline had strong endurance, and Han Jin had almost depleted his vital energy. After a round of battle, it was clear that Han Jin was at a disadvantage. Although he could always make a turnaround by using the Three True Flame, he was still barely holding on.
Finally, Caroline caught the right moment and punched at Han Jin’s right ribcage. Han Jin could clearly sense his ribs snapping. Due to the immense pain, his movements froze. Of course, Caroline would not let go of the opportunity, and she punched Han Jin again and again. Finally, she put Han Jin on her shoulder, her fingertips digging deeply into his muscle, and threw him up into the air.
The next moment, Caroline followed behind. As she arrived above Han Jin, she punched down powerfully, and Han Jin’s body was sent uncontrollably downwards.
Obviously, Caroline was a vampire who would seek revenge for the slightest grievances. This was exactly the skill that Han Jin used to humiliate her. The only difference was the direction that they were facing, Caroline was facing downwards, while Han Jin laid facing up.
Han Jin spurted mouthful after mouthful of blood out of his mouth. His vital energy had been completely depleted, and the attack was just too vigorous, making his Spirit Possession skill show signs of ending. He then endured the attack merely with his own willpower.
Caroline swooped down and landed a punch on Han Jin’s left arm. With a crack, Han Jin’s arm became distorted. Even though he was a tough person, he still could not help but let out a groan.
Caroline stepped on Han Jin’s right wrist with her toes and said coldly, “Do you have anything else that you want to say?” She could not bear to let Han Jin just die. She had endured too much hatred for just too long, and she would not be satisfied until she had released it all.
“I do…” Han Jin chuckled, and with his laughter, more blood gushed out from his mouth.
“What?” Caroline leaned down, looking at Han Jin with disdain.
At this moment, a b.l.o.o.d.y mist abruptly scattered out–Betty’s hand had penetrated Caroline’s body. It was not hard to tell that she had used all her might in doing this, since more than half of her arm had pierced through Caroline’s chest. In her hand, there was a heart that was still beating.
Caroline froze in her place, then started to fall down bit by bit. Betty swung up her right hand, and the pumping heart flew up then dropped right into her left hand. As Betty pulled out her arm, Caroline lost the last bit of support, and tumbled to the ground.
“Sister Caroline, what are you thinking?” Betty smiled endearingly as she smugly played with the beating heart.
Caroline’s body became stiff. Her teeth opened and closed in anxiety, but she did not manage to utter a single word.
“Do you want this?” Betty stooped down, holding the heart, she waved it in front of Caroline’s nose, “Come, beg me! Beg me then I’ll spare you. Hahahaha…” Betty suddenly raised her head and laughed wildly, her laughter became filled with a sense of relief.
Han Jin struggled up with his last bit of strength, staggering back several steps, trying his best to keep his distance from Betty. However, Betty did not even spare a single glance at Han Jin, all her attention was directed towards Caroline.
“No… No…” Caroline finally managed to squeeze out a few words.
“Oh, you don’t want it?” Betty became surprised, “Sister, I never knew that you were so open-minded. That’s good, I’ll help you with it.”
“No…” Caroline’s eyes were filled with terror, but she still could not utter a single word, and in actual fact, nothing would change if she was actually able.
Betty then pinched her fingers, and the beating heart suddenly exploded, blooming a blossom of blood, spraying all over Betty’s face and body. Caroline let out a long cry, her voice was not too loud, but not too soft as well. Her body then began to twitch uncontrollably. When Betty threw away the mess of flesh, Caroline’s wails stopped as well, and her eyes gradually turned dull.
“I should thank you.” Betty smiled at Han Jin, but when she lowered her head in search of something to wipe her hands, she saw her rugged dress, and her smile disappeared immediately. She still could clearly remember the embarra.s.sment she had endured, “But, you still have to die!”
“How did you manage to dodge my attacks?” Han Jin seemed to be muddled from the fight, and did not have the slightest idea about the severity of his current situation. Instead he tried to discuss the theories with Betty, “Mind-reading? Or prediction of the future?”
Betty stared coldly at Han Jin. She did not say anything because it was her greatest secret. Even if Han Jin was destined to die in her hands, there was still no reason for her to reveal the answer.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me,” Han Jin smiled, “But, this is also your greatest weakness.”
“Oh?” Betty scoffed, she could sense the provocative tone in Han Jin’s words. But… why? With a body on the verge of collapsing?
“I mean it.” Han Jin nodded his head earnestly.
He was really telling the truth! Although he could not tell how Betty managed to sense the possible danger, the ability was a double-edged sword. At the very least, Han Jin could clearly sense a life-threatening attack.
Three True Flames? Close combat? Sword? Pure Light Charm? Han Jin solely focused on one type of charm and wholeheartedly prepared to release it. If there was no reaction from Betty after a few seconds, he would focus on a different kind of charm.
Betty smiled at Han Jin. If this happened any other day, she would have killed Han Jin already. However, after finis.h.i.+ng off an old enemy, she felt like she was finally exposed to the suns.h.i.+ne after living in the rain for several decades; her spirits were high so she did not feel bothered about wasting a little more time.
Han Jin had been observing Betty’s changes the whole time. He only saw a slight change in Betty when he was about to release Three True Flames, while the other charms had no use at all. But he could not place all his hopes on Three True Flames, since he also wanted to try out the objects in the s.p.a.ce ring!
Finally, when Han Jin focused on a magic treasure that had yet to be refined, Betty’s expression suddenly changed. She let out a huge blood ball and retreated quickly.
Han Jin was excited; Betty knew better than him about what would happen. And something that was able to frighten Betty so much would definitely be the one that is the most effective! He had just asked for the Black Crystal Thread from Guevara yesterday and originally intended to make it into an Immortal-Binding Rope. Of course, this is just a general name referring to all magic treasures that are used for tying people. But since time was limited, the treasure could not be refined, thus there would be a high possibility that the charm would fail. It would already be considered good if it were to succeed once after having released the charm ten times. But Betty’s expression and reaction gave him great confidence that it would definitely succeed this time!
“Go!” Han Jin thundered. Ignoring the ball of blood flying towards him, he swung out the Black Crystal Thread. In the next moment, he was knocked into the air by the ball of blood.
The Black Crystal Thread was very thin; any normal person would be unable to see it when it was moving at a speed like this, but Betty could see it clearly. She shrieked and fled, but the Black Crystal Thread chased after her stubbornly.
Han Jin roughly sat up and released a Pure Light Charm. It was not meant to attack anyone; it was meant to hide his figure within the light of the charm. He was afraid that Betty could use the same magic as just now. Whether she could swap positions with a dead person was not something that Han Jin was concerned with. And considering the state he was in right now, there was no way for him to be concerned with that as well.
Betty realized that she was unable to get rid of the Black Crystal Thread, so she rushed to the side, hoping to stay away from the Black Crystal Thread and kill Han Jin before the thread reached her. If she did so, the charm would naturally lose its power. Since Betty turned while at high speeds, she was affected by inertia and inevitably slowed down; but the Black Crystal Thread was not affected by inertia at all. After Betty got two steps in, the Black Crystal Thread had already approached her. Under a glistening rainbow light, the Black Crystal Thread bundled up Betty. And with a bang, Betty fell forward uncontrollably. Her body rolled on the ground into the distance.
On the other side, Han Jin could no longer bear it. He laid on the ground and panted heavily, blood continuously seeping out from the corners of his mouth. This was the hardest, most dangerous day he had ever lived through in his life. His whole body was covered with wounds, and he could not even keep track of how many bones in his body had been snapped. Especially now that Spirit Possession had ended, he could feel intense pain that no words could describe. He was already a tough man for not whining at all.
Betty shrieked and struggled to break free, but no matter what she did, nothing changed. Back then, Betty had used the Black Crystal Thread to transform Guevara into an animal that everyone could insult as they pleased, but now, it was happening to her; it must be some sort of retribution. Additionally, even Guevara at his prime could not break free from the restrictions of the Black Crystal Thread, so Betty obviously could not as well.
In the distance, Jocelyn walked towards them while covering up the traces of the carriage and the mess that the fight had created…