Within seven paces, a gun is both swift and true.
As a Player, Zorn knew this from experience.
Early on, he had been a faithful Believer of the Gunfire Sect.
Players in Holy Relic: Eternal Poem often complained.
"Three years of Ascetic Practice and five years of training, only to be taken down by a single bullet."
Early on, a Transcendent's combat prowess was far less reliable than a revolver loaded with bullets.
Fighting Masters weren't particularly skilled with firearms.
But Zorn had extensive Experience as a Gunsmith. Though not Legendary, he was at the Holy Crown level.
He was very proficient in the use of a revolver.
At the same time, the Ring of the Two Serpents's powerful dynamic vision allowed him to lock onto his target with perfect clarity in the shadows and darkness. This, combined with a Fighting Master's precise control over his arms, ensured that every one of his shots accurately struck the Level Two Thief who had let his guard down.
If Zorn remembered correctly, the Thief he had just gunned down was named Tredon.
And the Soul Feeder beside him was named Wilbur.
These two were responsible for over a dozen bloody cases of kidnapping and murder.
As Transcendants, they had both already reached Level 2.
Soul Feeder Wilbur in particular, borrowing the power of an Evil Spirit, moved with stealth, carrying out his robberies and kidnappings without a sound.
To this day, the authorities still hadn't figured out their identities.
"This is a trap!"
After the storm of gunfire, a brief moment of darkness and silence fell.
Soul Feeder Wilbur reacted instantly.
His expression cold, he immediately charged at the cunning young nobleman.
He didn't know how the young noble had avoided his "Soul-Calming Incense."
But he had to capture this young noble.
Once this kidnapping was complete, he'd have earned enough ransom money to live comfortably for the rest of his life.
As the Soul Feeder rapidly approached, Zorn decisively turned his gun on him.
However, Soul Feeder Wilbur just gave a chilling smile.
The Soul Feeder Sequence wasn't afraid of thermal weapons like revolvers, steam-powered machine guns, or bombs.
BANG! BANG!
With two quick shots, the bullets passed through the Soul Feeder's body, creating strange green ripples.
At the same time, Soul Feeder Wilbur revealed the true nature of his Sequence.
His translucent body seemed to float more than walk, despite being on the ground.
Beneath his translucent flesh, white bones were visible, every inch of them bound by chains of thorns.
A terrifying, twisted, wailing Evil Spirit—this was the core of a Soul Feeder.
The Evil Spirit nurtured by a Soul Feeder would imprison and devour the Transcendent of that Sequence.
In turn, the Soul Feeder would bind the Evil Spirit and draw upon its power.
The two were locked in mutual imprisonment, each serving as the other's cage!
Borrowing the power of the Evil Spirit made the Soul Feeder one of the most difficult Sequences to deal with in the early stages.
As Soul Feeder Wilbur unleashed his power...
WHOOSH...
A chilling, gloomy wind instantly swept through the entire room, and the air temperature plummeted by more than ten degrees.
The sneering Soul Feeder Wilbur lunged, swiping his claws at Zorn.
An ordinary person would never have survived such a blow.
But Zorn was completely unafraid.
His right hand shot out like a blade, aiming to pierce straight through Soul Feeder Wilbur's chest.
Before mastering "Gang Qi," a Fighting Master was completely unable to contend with a Soul Feeder.
But Zorn possessed a Forbidden Sealed Object: the Ring of the Two Serpents.
As Zorn's palm plunged into Soul Feeder Wilbur's chest, the ring on his middle finger suddenly opened like a serpent's maw, its tongue flicking out to reveal sharp fangs.
It then bit down hard on the Soul Feeder's spiritual spine.
He had allowed his middle finger to become part of the Ring of the Two Serpents through a special nurturing process, all to better unleash its power.
This was one of the slick moves popular among Players.
And Zorn had perfectly utilized this little trick, which proved its worth at this critical moment.
The Ring of the Two Serpents didn't just drain life and flesh; it also drained souls.
It could even use its own Forbidden Power to corrupt a Soul Sequence.
Caught off guard by Zorn's strike, the Soul Feeder's body trembled slightly.
It weakened his assault to a degree.
But his attack still landed.
Claws carrying soul-based damage struck his head, tearing through.
Zorn felt his soul being seared by fire. He shuddered in pain, his physical body twitching uncontrollably.
Fortunately, an SS-Level Star Trace Fighter possessed a will of steel.
The advantages of a top-tier Sequence were on full display. Despite the intense pain from an attack by a Level Two soul-based creature, the Level One Fighting Master was not fundamentally harmed.
Enduring the pain, Zorn quickly rolled back and took cover in a corner. His vision was fractured as if torn, making it difficult to form a complete picture.
*PANT, PANT...*
He gasped for breath, his teeth chattering.
'This damn Evil Spirit... just as tough as I expected.'
With his back to the corner, Zorn appeared to be trapped in a hopeless situation.
But even then, he slipped a hand into his pocket. Enduring the pain radiating from his soul, he watched the approaching Soul Feeder through his gradually clearing vision.
"Wilbur, it seems you don't know... the weakness of that Evil Spirit you're raising."
"Or rather... your Evil Spirit's true self doesn't seem to know either."
Zorn's words made Soul Feeder Wilbur pause.
'How does he know my name?'
'He had a gun ready, seriously wounded my partner, isn't affected by the Soul-Calming Incense, and even knows my name.'
'This hunt today is just too strange and mysterious.'
'But... I've already cornered him. I will be the final victor.'
Just as Wilbur was about to step forward to capture and finish him off, his Evil Spirit Body suddenly stiffened.
Then, FWOOSH... FWOOSH...
Eerie, candle-sized flames began to erupt all over his body.
The Evil Spirit Body is a superficial Spirit Body, with the spine serving as the core for its Energy flow.
When contaminated by an external power, it will use Soul Fire to burn away the foreign, corrupting power.
This was a self-preservation mechanism for the Sequence, but the problem was that this defense mechanism also restricted their movement.
When Zorn attacked with the Forbidden Sealed Object, the Ring of the Two Serpents, his opponent hadn't defended against it.
Zorn had guessed that both Soul Feeder Wilbur and his Evil Spirit were severely lacking in this area of Extraordinary Knowledge.
"This..."
While Soul Feeder Wilbur was stunned, a rustling sound drew closer.
Three enormous, hyena-like gray rats suddenly shot out from a dark corner.
Then, Wilbur's silhouette was perfectly reflected in the pupils of the Rat Catcher hiding in the wardrobe. A cold, merciless hand suddenly clenched.
This kind of restraining Spiritual Hand was extremely effective against the Evil Spirit·Soul Sequence.
CRACK... CRACK... CRACK...
In a clash of Spiritual Energy against Spiritual Energy, the Evil Spirit Body was continuously compressed.
For a moment, a look of struggle and fear appeared on Soul Feeder Wilbur's face.
Meanwhile, Zorn slowly clenched his fist.
Faint starlight swirled around his palm like a gauntlet.
As he suddenly clenched his fist...
VMMMM!
...the starlight formed a swirling vortex.
BOOM!
A heavy punch infused with Star Trace Gang Qi smashed into the immobilized Soul Feeder Wilbur's "evil spirit" spine.
As if he had been deflated, Soul Feeder Wilbur was suddenly crushed by the Rat Catcher's "Binding Spirit Hand."
CRACK... CRACK...
His "Evil Spirit Body" shattered, Soul Feeder Wilbur dropped like a dead dog, slamming heavily onto the floor.
As his body convulsed, a white frost rapidly spread across his hair, cheeks, and coat.
The chilling Evil Spirit was now turning on him.
Just then, the Rat Catcher, Bevis, pushed open the half-closed wardrobe door and stepped out.
He glanced at the two vicious Transcendent fugitives, then at the calm and composed young nobleman, Zorn Corick.
'He knew these two would come.'
'He knew their methods and set a trap to cripple them.'
'He... what kind of mysterious and powerful organization is backing him?'
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Bevis's heart trembled.
The deeper he delved into the Extraordinary World, the more he was filled with reverence for it.
There were many hidden and great beings that were simply beyond his comprehension.
"Bevis, thank you for your help today," Zorn said, lighting the gas lamp in the guest room.
"No need to thank me, Zorn. You've already paid for my services."
"Also..."
Bevis's gaze fell upon the two men.
"How should we deal with these two? Should we call the police?"
"No need," Zorn shook his head.
"The remains of these Transcendants, along with their Sequence Spirit Cores, need to be handled professionally."
"Handing them over to ordinary people will only cause contamination and trouble."
"I'll take care of it."
Zorn's pupils constricted as he examined the two perfect, Level Two sacrifices. A hint of fanaticism and bloodlust surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
'After all... they are perfect sacrifices!'
'And living sacrifices, my favorite kind.'