Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 110
"Great Deacon, our plan was ruined by this kid," Hui Yi said.
"Xu Zhaoting? Hmph." The man with half a mask looked at Xu Zhaoting, who was covered in dirt. The other half of his face that seemed fine let out a cold, cruel smile.
Xu Zhaoting was weak and had no strength remaining. However, he was able to recognize just who this strange person was.
After looking carefully, Xu Zhaoting spat with incredible anger, "It's you!"
Bo City was only so big. Those who were around same age while being known as extraordinary naturally knew of one another. Yu Ang knew Xu Zhaoting, and Xu Zhaoting definitely recognized Yu Ang.
However, Xu Zhaoting had never imagined that the person Mu Zhuoyun had considered his successor was actually someone from the Black Vatican. It seemed like this person was definitely one of the ringleaders behind the disaster of Bo City!
"So it was an old acquaintance. I'll have to give you some special treatments," Yu Ang said with a smile.
"You half-faced monster, you must not know how to die!" Xu Zhaoting cursed him.
Yu Ang's smile immediately came to a stop. His entire being began to sink into a gloomy state.
After his face was ruined, the one thing Yu Ang hated was to hear someone mentioning it. The places that he went to nowadays were not even allowed to have a mirror!
"I've told you before, I will give you a special treatment. Not a single person who goes against the Black Vatican will have a good life," Yu Ang said coldly.
"Great Deacon… Hui Wu, Hui Si, Hui San, and Hui Er seems to have died," Hui Yi whispered as his face suddenly turned pale.
"Was it the people from the Magic Court?" Yu Ang's face immediately changed.
"It was the objective that came soon after. He even saved the girl that came along with this kid," Hui Yi said.
When Xu Zhaoting heard this, he couldn't help but sigh in relief.
As long as Zhang Lulu was fine. He was really worried about her ending up in the hands of these insane people.
The whip in Yu Ang's hand immediately lashed toward Xu Zhaoting's face. It was clear that Yu Ang was extremely angry about losing four underlings in an instant.
"You are happy about the girl who survived, aren't you?" Yu Ang walked over in front of Xu Zhaoting. The whip in his hand lashed out mercilessly once again as he said ferociously, "I'll let the two of you regret being alive in this world!"
After saying that, Yu Ang directly dragged the bloody Xu Zhaoting inside the old house.
When Hui Yi saw Yu Ang once again drag a living person into the house, his whole body couldn't help but shudder.
In the Black Vatican, some people who had offended others or broken the rules would endure a pain worse than dying, especially when they ended up in the hands of this great Deacon whose heart was increasingly twisted...
Chapter 225 - The Dark Beast with a Cursed Aura
"Oi, breakfast! Sister Mu really is a nice person, she even bought you one. Hurry up and show your gratitude!" Early in the morning, Ai Tutu watched Mo Fan, who was in a daze from sleep, walk out of his room, and immediately mentioned the delicious breakfast to him.
Mo Fan wasn't polite at all as he took it and ate it.
"You really do not have manners at all," Ai Tutu said unhappily.
"How is your investigation on the Shadow Beast going?" Mo Fan asked without thinking.
"I won't tell you. Don't you dare think about stealing our work. Let's put it this way, the Shadow Beast won't be able to escape from our hands!" Ai Tutu slapped her heavy c.h.e.s.t as she said this.
"Actually…" Mu Nujiao thought about it for a while as she said sincerely, "Actually, I think the examination this time is not as simple as finding the Shadow Beast."
"What do you mean?" Mo Fan asked.
Currently, Mo Fan was not in the mood to find the Shadow Beast. The Black Vatican was already trying to lay its hands on him, and furthermore, had even involved Xu Zhaoting!
Xu Zhaoting was taken away, no one knew whether he was alive or not. This was something Mo Fan was far more worried about right now.
"Dean Xiao said that once you took the Shadow Beast back to the Iron Beast Cage, then you will have finished your mission. This also means that even if you were to catch the Shadow Beast, it does not mean you've completed your mission," Mu Nujiao said.
"Sister Mu, you're saying that the school doesn't care about who finds the Shadow Beast, nor do they care about who catches it, either? What they care about is who finally delivers the Shadow Beast back to the Iron Beast Cage in the school… So, if someone were to catch the Shadow Beast, then it'd be like American football; they'd have to tackle every person they see!" Ai Tutu exclaimed.
"Mhm. That is why before we catch the Shadow Beast, we need to consider that important factor," Mu Nujiao said.
"At the end of the day, the Dark Beast could just be an incentive. The students will still have to fight one another!" Ai Tutu suddenly yelled out.
Mu Nujiao's analysis gave Mo Fan a sudden insight.
So, all he needed to really do was to steal it? What was the point of wasting so much effort just to find the whereabouts of that Shadow Beast, anyway?
------
After finishing his breakfast, Mo Fan headed for the hospital where Zhang Lulu was mending.
Zhang Lulu's recovery was pretty good. The Healing Magician's magic was capable of completely healing wounds that weren't extremely deep.
However, Zhang Lulu's mental state was relatively bad. She didn't want to eat anything, her eyes were extremely red. It was clear that she was worried about Xu Zhaoting.
Mo Fan took her from the hospital back to her residence. He began to ask her why she was at that place.
"We were originally looking for students of other Elements to form a squad to find the Shadow Beast. After Xu Zhaoting encountered someone in the bathroom, his face suddenly changed color. After which, we just followed that person, who seemed to be a student. After following him, we found a bunch of black things beside him. At that time, I wanted him to leave with me. However, he didn't listen to me, and began to pursue them further," Zhang Lulu said.
"A student?" Mo Fan creased his brow.
Could it be that the followers of Black Vatican had already penetrated into the Pearl Institute? Or did they already have a chess piece in Pearl Institute from the very beginning, so they could float along when they initiated a mission?
Mo Fan believed that the latter was a higher possibility. Pearl Institute's administration was very strict. There is no way they would let the people from Black Vatican casually infiltrate.
"Oh, they said they were going to make a move on you. However, they were also afraid of the school and the Magic Court. Thus, they could only use a method that didn't easily expose their identity," Zhang Lulu said.
"A method that didn't easily expose their identity…" Mo Fan began to think with his head lowered.
"I don't know the concrete details," Zhang Lulu said.
"Go rest up. I'll think of some way to find the location where they took Xu Zhaoting," Mo Fan said.
"We could notify the Magic Courts…" Zhang Lulu said.
Only the Magic Courts could truly hurt the Black Vatican as an organization. A normal person's strength was unable to fight against the Black Vatican, which controlled the Dark Beasts.
"We cannot for now. Once the Magic Court makes a move, and the members of the Black Vatican catch a whiff of it, then they might possibly give up their plan… Once they've chosen to retreat, then we can forget about ever finding Xu Zhaoting," Mo Fan said.
Zhang Lulu did not say anything else. Right now, she really did not know what to do.
------
When Mo Fan left, Zhang Lulu fell asleep.
She was half asleep and half awake. When she was clear-headed, her head was filled with the scenes of those ugly, savage Dark Beasts. When she was asleep, those same creatures would appear in her dreams.
From Zhang Lulu's perspective, there was nothing more scary or disgusting than the Dark Beasts. The stench that their bodies gave off felt as though it was still lingering around.
Zhang Lulu opened her eyes, her gaze completely empty.
The room was completely dark, and the curtain was half-opened. The lamp outside of her room was shining on her rug, it was completely quiet…
An odor?
Zhang Lulu woke up so fast it was almost painful. Her body felt as though someone had poured cold water over her.
Heavens, why did her room have this kind of smell?!
In the beginning, it was just Zhang Lulu's own hallucination. However, after she took a sniff, she was able to tell that it really was that smell in this place.
Clank!
Suddenly, the sound of something being hit came from the corridor.
Zhang Lulu was so scared that her soul almost left her body. She immediately jumped down from her bed as she charged out of her room in her b.a.r.e feet. She ran toward the roof of the building.
The odor was increasingly heavy, and it came with the sound of footsteps below. Zhang Lulu followed the little crack between the staircases as she headed upstairs, when she saw a group of strange shadows moving.
It's those creatures!
Zhang Lulu didn't dare to hesitate as she raced toward the roof of the building.
She was clear that if she stayed inside her room, she'd definitely die. If she made it to the roof, she could use the roof of the other buildings to escape.
After charging to the roof, there was not a single person to be seen in the dead of the night. There were only these rooftops that had all kinds of things on them.
Just as she made it to the water reservoir on the roof, the wooden door to the rooftop was smashed open.
In a moment, three or four Dark Beasts charged upstairs. They licked their sharp teeth as a greedy green light blossomed in their eyes. They emitted a stench that made people feel extremely disgusted.
"Gugugugu!"
Just when Zhang Lulu was about to jump to the roof of another building, she suddenly realized that there was a Dark Beast whose body was engulfed in a cursed aura standing there.
This Dark Beast looked incredibly ugly. It was because its face seemed to have a skin that had yet to rot adhered to it, you could even see the fresh blood there.
Zhang Lulu almost fainted, she was now unable to run anywhere.
"Guguguguggugu!!" The small group of Dark Beasts that pursued her to the roof did not immediately take action. They were vigilantly watching the Dark Beast enveloped in a cursed aura.
The cursed Dark Beast slowly passed by Zhang Lulu. Its red eyes carried hostility, anger, and its mouth let out a hoarse and dreadful shout.
The cursed Dark Beast's objective was not Zhang Lulu, it was the small group of Dark Beasts!
Zhang Lulu was dumbfounded.
When she saw the cursed Dark Beast began to charge the small group of Dark Beasts, she found it hard to believe.
They aren't together?...
Chapter 226 - Personally Kill Her
The Dark Beast with the cursed aura charged toward one of the rather smaller ones. Its speed was clearly much faster than the average Dark Beast. Before the smaller Dark Beast could even react, the cursed one had already grabbed onto its four limbs.
Not only was it faster, but in terms of strength, the cursed Dark Beast was also much stronger. The new Dark Beast was filled with power as it ripped the smaller Dark Beast in two!
The mixed flesh was being torn apart, and the sound of bones breaking was audible. The little Dark Beast was torn apart by the cursed one. Black blood splattered all over the ground.
"Gugugu!"
The other few Dark Beasts were scared to death, cowering as if they wanted to run away. The cursed Dark Beast's gaze turned around as its sharp black claws suddenly criss-crossed …
A black claw shredded the wall as it flew along one of the Dark Beasts that was fleeing a bit too slowly.
Once the black claws reached the Dark Beast, its movement came to an abrupt stop. A very clear X mark emerged on its body, and it was divided into several pieces along the lines.
The cursed Dark Beast seemed extremely savage. Even though it saw the four other Dark Beasts running away, it did not plan on letting them off the hook.
It was massacring them. The pain it displayed in its eyes only seemed to be relieved by the killing.
Bang!!
Cold moonlight illuminated the roof. A sturdy Dark Beast was thrown into the water reservoir right next to Zhang Lulu. It splashed limply as it hit, causing the water to slowly flow out. In the moonlight, this was even more shocking to see.
After killing them all, the Cursed Dark Beast raised its head as it roared. This sound could be heard very vividly in these streets. It scared some of the drunkards that were still wandering around in the evening, and they fell to the ground.
At the side of the water reservoir, Zhang Lulu had already gone completely lifeless.
These bloody scenes had happened right in front of her. The bloody remains were everywhere, she imagined that this would be her doom very soon...
She was unable to move. She was even unable to bring out the Star Path that she was so skilled at, and drawing a Star Atlas was even more out of question.
The cursed Dark Beast in front of her, covered in the blood of its kin, was extremely strong. It was so strong that Zhang Lulu couldn't do anything to fight against it.
After it roared, the Cursed Dark Beast turned around. Its face was covered in black blood, and could only be described with one word: pain!
Pain occupied the face of the Dark Beast, like it had lost all of its other emotions. Furthermore, the only thing you could see in its eyes was resentment and savagery.
Zhang Lulu didn't dare to look into the eyes of this monster, but her legs didn't listen to her as they began to go soft.
The cursed Dark Beast was not planning on killing her in the same way as it had killed its kin. It walked towards her with slow steps, but at same time, it seemed to be struggling with something as the steps it took also retracted.
Zhang Lulu's head was completely empty. She also did not know why this cursed Dark Beast wasn't moving any faster. With its strength, it could easily kill her...
"What, you don't wanna make a move?" someone spoke up. On this originally empty roof emerged a man who seemed extremely suspicious.
Zhang Lulu immediately turned her head and realized that a man wearing half a mask was standing to the side of the roof in the moonlight.
When did he appear?
Or could it be that he was always there? Before he made a noise, she did not notice him there at all!
"You really surprised me. Refining a Cursed Dark Beast is a very difficult thing. It doesn't just require a physique that is already extremely strong, it also requires the soul to be filled with hatred and resentment. Who would've thought that someone like you, from a good University, would acc.u.mulate so much resentment! You are really suitable for joining our Black Vatican, to be our killing slave... If you want to run, then forget about it. The Soul Enslavery of our Black Vatican is something that even the Parthenon Temple cannot resolve!" the man with half a mask called out in ridicule.
"Gugugugu!!!" the Cursed Dark Beast let out sounds as it struggled furiously. Unfortunately, its soul was locked by incorporeal shackles. These shackles were made by the half-masked man, and no matter how much more hatred it had, it was unable to do any attack that person.
Zhang Lulu stood there, but she was unable to understand what they were saying.
"Originally, your transformation was something that made me very excited. I could perhaps give you lenient treatment, but you decided to run away and kill so many of your kin. Thus, as a punishment…" the half-masked person displayed a horrifying smile as his eyes looked at Zhang Lulu like she was livestock. He slowly commanded, "Go rip her apart. Kids likes to split things apart as a game, and you are no different from a just born child to me. This girl will be your playtoy, you can rip her apart any way you want."
Zhang Lulu's face turned pale. After the half-masked man said these words, Zhang Lulu shuddered all over.
"Gugugugu!!!!" The Cursed Dark Beast was extremely angry as it roared toward the half-masked man.
"You even dare to raise your voice to me, are you tired of living?!" The half-masked man took out a black whip from inside his windbreaker. This whip was as thick as an arm. When it whipped toward the Cursed Dark Beast, the Cursed Dark Beast was actually unable to avoid it.
Krak!
After the whip landed on the Cursed Dark Beast, a bloody mark appeared on its back.
"Go, kill her!" the half-masked man yelled.
With its eyes turned red, the Cursed Dark Beast began to walk toward Zhang Lulu.
The cursed aura and the overpowering stench immediately swept over Zhang Lulu. She was so scared that she fell onto the floor, her face filled with tears of fear.
"I told him before, I will make you wish you were dead!" the half masked man said sinisterly.
The cursed Dark Beast was getting closer and closer to Zhang Lulu, its claws seemed to be lifting up.
However, its arm was also trembling. The rotting, pained face began to distort.
Finally, its claw struck toward its own shoulder. A deep wound immediately sank into its flesh. It seemed to want to sever its arms as a sound came from the very depths of its throat.
"You are unable to resist my orders! Kill her and your pain will be relieved! The more sins the soul of a Dark Beast carries, the stronger it will become, and the more it will be able to resist the torment of the Soul Enslavery! Quickly, kill her!" the man with half a mask roared out his orders, even as he smiled.
Killing this girl was something very easy for Yu Ang. However, he wanted to watch Xu Zhaoting, who he had turned into a Cursed Dark Beast, kill her!
Chapter 227 - The Cursed Xu Zhaoting
Golden Origin Apartments...
Mo Fan was standing by the balcony with a phone in his hand.
