A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 139 Sword Bone (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

As Anlexithy charged forward, brandishing his skeleton, Quinn had only one thought in his mind—

You learn from your mistakes, but this other world is truly a place where you learn one mistake after another.
Before the dark clouds of the curse were so thick, there was a chance to simply draw a gun and smash this broken bone, which was stuck in the wall.

These kinds of magical artifacts are usually not very strong. Judging from the degree of decay of the bones, even a child with a little strength could probably break them.

But now that it's in Anlexi's hands and has been imbued with the concept of a "sword" by extraordinary power, things are different.

The bones were still exactly the same, but they became sharp, hard, and unstoppable.

It's definitely not much worse than that belt from before.

Among all combat classes, the Knight's Destiny is one of the strongest at lower ranks. If Anlexire were to wield a genuine knight's sword, the concept of "Knights do not die unarmed" would enhance the sword to near-level 4 sealed artifact status, shattering ordinary shields and armor upon contact. This is also why the Empire chooses Knight's Potion for its soldiers.

Quinn wasn't alarmed. These kinds of cursed items had extremely severe side effects and couldn't last long. Moreover, the restorative effect of starlight on the body of a superhuman was definitely not as strong as that on an ordinary person. Otherwise, the academy wouldn't have needed to seal them up; they could have sold them directly as enhancement agents.

As expected, the moment the cursed bone clashed with the mana sword, the force returned from the wand was much weaker than before. The severed left arm and the fatal wound in his chest inevitably affected Anlexi's condition. Starlight probably only restored his body to a level where he could barely move, far from the calm and collected demeanor he appeared to be.

But
Quinn suddenly took two steps back, and the blade made of mana twisted. The part where it intersected with the bone-turned sword was corroded into an irregular pit like flesh and blood. He could clearly feel the energy storage crystal inside the wand increasing its output.

This indicates that the technique for simulating the katana has been disrupted, and the supply of mana must be increased to maintain stability.

Quinn felt a chill run down his neck. Both thieves and Sekiro possess the ability to warn of danger. In just a short while, the black clouds surging from the bones had become so thick that they almost obscured his vision. If it weren't for the Demon King's Eye, he probably wouldn't have been able to see Anlexis's sword strike clearly.

Even the rain was kept out.

A ghostly aura of deathly ashes and withered wood was spreading and growing wildly. The black clouds began to condense into the outlines of faces. The acrid smell of burning flesh wafted into Quinn's nostrils, and he realized that these were not "clouds" at all, but rather the smoke rising from the burning of corpses.

This is especially evident on the skeleton.

In the Demon King's Eye's vision, the withered bones were wrapped in rings of undead-like energy, so dense it was almost tangible. It was that thing that destroyed Mana's katana form.

Witchcraft is also an application of mana, but it is wilder and more malevolent, with energy often derived from life, soul, or sacrifice, rather than from nature.

It's inevitable that the wand will be affected.

Corpse smoke should be a type of "curse" magic, but Sekiro and the Useless One both increased his resistance to curses. This is an ability that should only be possessed by clergy or secret agents of the church, which allows Quinn to remain unaffected for the time being.

But if one were to be struck by that skeletal sword and allow the curse to invade the body, it wouldn't be so easy.

As the sword wind swept in, Anlexis knew he couldn't hold out for long. Without giving Quinn a chance to catch his breath, he thrust his sword several times in quick succession, displaying a frenzied and reckless attack, determined to drag this black-haired fellow named Ankuya down to hell with him.

Quinn retreated while slashing, his long katana blade flying through the air. The severed hand bone was too short, even though it had been taken from the massive body of Anlexi, it was only slightly longer than a short sword, and he couldn't reach Quinn quickly enough.

Eerie flashes of swords and shadows, swirling smoke from corpses, the high walls of the houses on both sides were cleaved into pieces like tofu blocks. Even with only a slight impact, the sound of earth and dust crumbling was incessant. Smoke and dust filled the sky, mixed with curses, like mottled, dirty ink.

Anlexis was getting more and more wounds. He was already slower than Quinn, and now, with his badly injured body, it was even harder for him to dodge. Although he kept pressing the attack, Quinn could always manage to slip a few slashes in without leaving a trace while he was parrying.

Blood gushed forth, flesh tore open, and was then repaired by an indescribable blue fluorescent slime. In the blink of an eye, the burly man was no longer human, but a hideous monster of mixed red and blue.

This swordsmanship is terrifying.

Anlexice almost ruled out the possibility of a gangland feud. A master swordsman with such skill could not work for a gang. His attacks were wide and powerful yet controlled. Every step he took closer to Quinn resulted in another wound, and there was no flaw in their movements.

Such weapons, which are too flashy and impractical for soldiers or gangsters, are extremely rare, let alone encountering a skilled user.

Anlexico had only heard from his instructors when he joined the army that there was a sword saint in the southern Bavarian Kingdom who wielded a katana. He had once traveled alone to the Empire to compete in martial arts. His skills were honed through life-and-death experiences, and he had achieved a near-perfect unity between sword and man, making him virtually invincible. He fought his way into the capital without ever being defeated and declared that he would challenge the Emperor.

But that man never entered the palace. Legend has it that Frederick's chief of the guard fought him, and the outcome is unknown. But the Bavarian swordsman was able to leave the empire unharmed and became famous throughout the world.

Unfortunately, the Bavarian swordsman suddenly disappeared thirty years ago. Some say he went to the highest heaven of the gods to study, while others say he died in the imperial palace during his second challenge to the emperor. To this day, no one knows where he is or whether he is alive or dead.

If this kid were stronger, and given a sword unaffected by curses, I might not be able to withstand three blows from him.

But that's the end of it.

In the fierce collision, Quinn's wand katana could no longer hold on, and the gem's energy, which could only support five minutes of output, also came to an end. It collapsed under the corrupting spell, the red light dissipated, and it turned back into an ordinary wand.

With no more worries, Anlexis's heart continued to beat powerfully despite the lack of blood supply. He pumped his remaining strength into his legs and strode forward with his meteor sword!

He nearly turned the smoky corpses into a waterfall of smoke, giving Quinn no chance to escape, and aimed straight down at his head.

The ashes and smoke from the collapsed wall formed a curtain. With the help of magic, he could barely see, while Quinn's vision must have been extremely poor. After losing his knife, he probably couldn't even see the movements clearly. Just when Anlexi thought he had succeeded, his sword missed its mark.

"what?"

Quinn darted past the skeleton with a somersault so fast it was almost invisible, like an eel.

Anlexico was incredulous. Rolling once could be attributed to abnormal reflexes, but rolling a second time was truly a feat of skill. Who dodges like that? It was utterly bizarre, yet incredibly fast, and he actually managed to dodge it.
Quinn had his reasons for pushing all the way here, retreating and fighting simultaneously.

After rolling, he was near the alley entrance and reached out to touch the black umbrella that had been placed on the ground earlier.

Anlexithy instinctively became suspicious, thinking it was some kind of extraordinary object, but he had no time to think. After a slight adjustment, he swung his sword down at him like a hyena fighting for its life.

Quinn stopped rolling, withdrew his hand, gripped the umbrella handle in reverse, and calmly used an ordinary umbrella to clash with Anlexi's cursed and domineering strike.

A chilling wind and sharp sword energy rushed towards them.

Battles between extraordinary individuals, especially those of combat classes, often end very quickly. In the midst of a fierce and unreserved exchange of blows, life and death are decided in an instant. The two shattered their weapons, and the aftershocks of their blades nearly collapsed the entire alley. But to outsiders, it seemed like less than a minute had passed before the final sword strike arrived.

Even the smoke from the corpses was dispersed by Anlekeshe's desperate attack. The two faced each other, one attacking and the other blocking. He could almost see that the black umbrella had already rotted before it even touched the withered bones, revealing the rapidly disintegrating metal frame.

This is a fine umbrella; the solid materials used are probably worth several silver coins. But what use is it against the cursed bones?
In the final moments of his life, Anlekesai couldn't help but sneer; it turned out he had acted rashly in a panic.

He had already seen the umbrella decay into ash, and then the withered bones pierced into the body of this damned, inexplicable man, dragging him and himself into the underworld.

But reality did not unfold as he had anticipated.

An unreasonable force surged from his wrist, and Anlexithy lost his balance the instant the umbrella touched the bone. The umbrella shattered, and his hand bone was thrown back. His massive body staggered, and his remaining right hand, weakened by the loss of strength, flung backward, the bone slipping from his grasp. At the same time, the unarmed Quinn charged forward at high speed and punched him squarely in the chest.

There was a dull thud.

The decaying umbrella and the withered bones fell to the ground at the same time, and the wailing of the vengeful spirits of the corpses witnessed it all. Anleke's body paused for a moment as if he were airborne. He had already gone all out to charge forward with his sword, but he was hit by a punch and his entire body was reversed. He flew up slightly and stared in astonishment at the suddenly upside-down world.

Sekiro's strength was not much less than that of a Sequence 8 warrior, and Anreixeira was already heavily injured, yet his heart was shattered by a single punch.

Not finished yet.

Before the starlight's viscous fluid could even ooze out, the knight's terrifying vitality still clung to life.

The thief's speed was on full display at this moment, and Quinn's punches rained down like a storm: straight punches, hooks, and elbows.
As the rain fell again, he straightened up, slightly out of breath. The man before him was beyond dead. Thus, the era of a notorious gangster in Ashwell City came to an end.

The boss walked over with a complicated expression.

A Sequence 8 thief killed a Sequence 8 knight in less than a minute.

It even restricted the strongest abilities.

"That flick of the sword wasn't a technique. How did you do that?" The boss was a discerning person.

The black umbrella on the ground, decayed by the smoke of corpses, proved that it was just an ordinary umbrella.

However, the sword in Anlexi's hand was a genuine cursed weapon, the Bone Slayer.

No matter how skillful you are, you can't do this.

Quinn smiled slightly.

“This is the Western Continent Kung Fu from my hometown. You’re too old to understand it.”

"effort?"

The boss glared at him, annoyed.

From behind, Chaldale added for Quinn: "It's all about form and intent; a thousand moves can be executed in a single breath—"

The voice expressed heartfelt joy for Quinn's victory.

She bypassed the boss, first carefully checking Quinn for injuries, then groping him until Quinn couldn't take it anymore before casually turning away and, before Quinn could scold her, starting to criticize the corpse on the ground—

"May the goddess not protect you! Evil will be punished, Qiangqiang, you've done so many bad things."

The young lady was very well-mannered; the harshest insult she ever uttered was something like "idiot." She had never even called anyone a "moron" before, let alone such a crude word as "rape." After stammering for a long time, she finally just let out a hum.

Quinn said while checking the wand, "It's alright, go ahead and curse. Swearing is better left unsaid; swallowing it only makes your heart dirty."

There's nothing wrong with the wand. I'll just go back to the academy to replenish the mana and let it repair itself for a while.

Hearing this, Xia Dai'er stuck out her tongue at the corpse on the ground and boldly cursed, "You deserve to die! You pervert—"

She suddenly screamed and instantly shrank back, burrowing into Quinn's arms like a startled rabbit.

Quinn didn't intend to hug her; it was most likely intentional, but he seemed genuinely frightened.

He looked down and realized why Xia Dai'er was so terrified. The flesh and blood of the corpse on the ground, along with the smoke of the corpse, were being swallowed up by that piece of withered bone. The corpse was being skinned, pulled out, and its blood and flesh were being sucked out, like a crimson soup. The scene was truly horrifying. In no time, only a bare skeleton and a ball of the [Sword and Shield Hand] extraordinary ability were left.

The boss was amazed.

"I didn't expect that what this gangster had on him wasn't some fake. It's a genuine cursed artifact, not something an ordinary wizard could make. And he even had to attach it to his body to replace his severed arm. It seems he encountered a master in the Northern Continent. Hmm?"

The extraordinary properties that had been extracted were absorbed into the withered bones, just like flesh and blood.

The extraordinary characteristics of combatants differ from those of Abyss transcendents; once extracted, they dissipate quickly, unless they are of a high sequence, in which case they may condense and remain for a longer period. Without a special container or a suitable person to absorb them on the spot, it is difficult to retain these characteristics.

Low-sequence traits are not easy to sell. Although they can fetch an astonishingly high price if you find a suitable seller, selling this stuff is fraught with risks. No country or religion is willing to actively create wild superhumans. Even the Adventurers' Guild has explicitly prohibited the buying and selling of traits. Quinn, who is not short of money now, would usually just let the traits dissipate on their own. Who would have thought that they would be absorbed?

Before long, the bone had absorbed the small ball of glowing sword and shield characteristics.

It was no longer that withered yellow color, but became smooth and silvery, and its size had increased by more than one size. It no longer looked like a bone, but actually resembled a short sword.

Those densely packed incantations are still there, and they even have a more "alive" feel to them, making them even more sinister.

“Holy crap, this is…” Quinn asked hesitantly, “It’s become a containment object?”

The shopkeeper picked it up without a second thought, examined it in his hand, and seemed quite familiar with the cursed artifact.

The incantations on the bone, which seemed about to tremble and burst forth, instantly became lifeless and remained motionless after the boss touched them.

He nodded.

"It's around level three, but the side effects are probably significant. It's still quite unstable. Leave it with me for a week. If it doesn't break down due to its special properties, I'll have it appraised. I don't think this thing is suitable for you, but it could fetch a good price."

Quinn immediately grinned obsequiously, "Oh, what do I need it for? If you like it, just take it home as a decoration~"

“I hate wizarding stuff.” The shopkeeper scratched himself with the bone, the eerie smell masked by his alcohol. “Besides, this stuff is too lousy, I don’t even want it. Oh, I almost forgot, don’t come back with me, the brat’s looking for you.”

Quinn was slightly stunned.

"Ankuya?"

"He said he has a plan and wants you to come to his house after you finish your practice." The boss looked rather disdainful: "So mysterious, and he's always up to no good."

Quinn's expression remained unchanged, but his feelings were truly complicated.

I waited for two months.
Has Ankuya's plan to hunt down heroes finally come to an end?
(End of this chapter)