A Scientific Urban Detective.

Chapter 899 The Arrogant Man
"I never expected to see you here..." The voice from behind was deep, but it seemed to resonate across the sea, and could be heard clearly no matter how far away you were.

"I didn't expect to see you under these circumstances either." The Knight Commander looked at him with a complicated expression. "Aren't you going to explain, William Orwell?"

“I have abandoned that name,” said Rear Water after a moment of silence. “I am now the Right Seat of God in the Roman Catholic Church—Rear Water.”

“So that’s how it is, so that’s your explanation…” The Knight Commander drew the demonic sword “Frentine” from the shadows at his feet. “William, you have betrayed us.”

“No, you’ve got it wrong.” The Water Behind shook its head. “I never swore an oath to become a knight. I’m just a mercenary. There’s no such thing as betrayal.”

"Your skill in sophistry is certainly characteristic of a mercenary," the Knight Commander scoffed. "I don't remember when you became such an eloquent person."

The person behind walked across the water towards the shore: "I'm just stating the facts, and..."

He pointed to the shadow at the Knight Commander's feet: "Speaking of magical spells, you've learned this one of mine quite well."

With a splashing sound, a huge steel rod appeared in the hands of the water behind them—over five meters long, its overall shape resembling a knight's lance, but much thicker than a "lance," and could even be more accurately described as a "pillar."

In short, it looked more like a building material than a weapon used by humans.

The water behind also took this huge weapon from the shadow at its feet, but because it was too big, it stirred up a huge wave when it raised the steel rod.

"So, are you prepared?" As if unaware of the immense weight in his hand, the Water from behind easily raised the steel rod with one hand, pointing it directly at the knight commander opposite him. "Since you've drawn your sword, it means war has begun, right?"

"This is... the worst possible development," the Knight Commander muttered to himself. "I should have had a fortune told before leaving the house."

To be fair, the Knights Commander had already anticipated this development to some extent.

But when the situation really developed to this point—forced to break with his former best friend and even resort to arms—he was filled with mixed emotions.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, and I even considered trying to persuade him to change his mind...

But the Knight Commander knew that when he saw William Orwell emerge from the water and stand opposite him, some things were already destined.

The man opposite me has always had his own ideals and beliefs, and possesses the reliable strength and unwavering will to put them into practice.

—This kind of stubborn guy can't be persuaded!
That being the case...

A large amount of red and black substance surged from the surface of the demonic sword "Frentine" as if boiling, quickly enveloping the sword like thick magma.

The knight's longsword, which was originally of a standard shape, was deformed.

Soon, what appeared in the hands of the Knight Commander was also a behemoth over three meters long.

The moment the weapon was completed, the Knight Commander's figure vanished, leaving only shockwaves emanating from where he had stood.

But at the same time, the water behind them disappeared from the surface of the sea, and the waves continued to crash against the shore as usual, as if nothing had happened...

Boom!

A tremendous crash, accompanied by a blast of air, exploded above the sea-land boundary, like a thunderclap from a clear sky. The seawater near the shore was forced back into the ocean, while massive concrete breakwater blocks along the shore scattered like pebbles in the blast…

The roar continued incessantly, sweeping along the coastline and ravaging almost the entire embankment.

Like a typhoon passing through, the suppressed seawater surged back even more fiercely, forming a mini tsunami that relentlessly battered the embankment.

Fortunately, this catastrophic scene only lasted for a short period of time, and came to an abrupt end at a certain point.

Debris from the breakwater scatters everywhere, and the Knight Commander's body smashes through dozens of concrete blocks before finally crashing into the seawall, embedding itself deeply within it...

The demonic sword "Frentine" was also reduced to its original form. The thick, dark red blood plasma was washed away by a massive amount of seawater, leaving the sword pale and clean without a trace of impurity.

The Knight Commander coughed up blood while inwardly thankful that "Frentine" hadn't broken completely; it was a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

As expected, my former best friend is still good at one thing—bullying others by abusing his power!
It's important to understand that the steel rod in William Orwell's hand was merely a steel pillar, not some famous spear or sword, nor a magical artifact. Its only distinguishing feature was its immense mass and its ability to withstand the vast amounts of magical power William Orwell possessed…

Bang!

The steel rod landed on a wave-damping block and easily crushed the cement block with its own weight.

“I am a saint, and your magic is not as great as mine,” said the Water Behind. “Moreover, I now possess the power of angels, and even in terms of quality, I am stronger. Therefore, you are no match for me.”

As she spoke, the water behind her put away her weapon: "This outcome was already destined, there's nothing surprising about it—you should have realized this long ago, right?"

"How...how laughable." The knight commander coughed up blood and said with a bitter smile, "I thought...I could hold out for a few more moves..."

"Sorry, Commander, this isn't a friendly sparring match, it's war," said Rear Water. "Isn't it boring? War isn't interesting at all; it's just the strong defeating the weak, nothing more. That's why I always say, leave professional matters to professionals—and that's my mission..."

“You are too arrogant, William!” the Knight Commander said. “Everyone says that we knights are all arrogant fellows, but in my opinion, you are the real arrogance… You always want to solve everything by yourself—are you planning to save the world?”

“Yes, if it could save the world, I would do it,” the Water Behind actually nodded. “And I am indeed doing that—to maintain peace.”

In order to nip the war in the bud, the Rear Guardian personally took action. He wanted to defeat and crush Lin Wuming and restore face for the Roman Catholic Church.

This is the only way to silence the hardliners and extremists within the orthodox church and deprive them of any pretext for a full-scale war.

At the same time, it can also intimidate Academy City, making them dare not start a war lightly.

“I will not kill Lin Wuming, just as he did not harm the fighting nuns,” said the Water Behind. “It will be a fair duel—a duel to prevent a potential war and maintain peace. No one will be harmed.”

This is the plan and wish of the rear guard. It may seem like a pipe dream, but when there are absolutely strong people on both sides, it is indeed feasible to replace "war" with "duel". Moreover, it can indeed minimize the casualties of innocent civilians.

Arrogance and confidence, recognizing his own uniqueness and strength, accepting this fact, and making full use of this strength to carry out his will—all of these ultimately made the man "Water of the Rear".

(End of this chapter)