Jar
“How… Is this possible?” Slanted Eyes fell to the ground in disbelief.
“Even if you have powerful spells, your neurons are still too weak. Your processing ability cannot keep up at all… Before you even cast a spell I could kill you over ten times!” Xavier rushed in.
“Jill! Jill!” The deadly and vicious Snakebite Fist was now used by Xavier to a terrifying degree, and very soon the remaining kidnappers had their throats torn apart, dying in a gory fashion.
He went up to the roof, but Xavier could only see an aircraft flying off in the distance.
“No…” Xavier fell helplessly to the ground.
“I never thought that I’d be late!” A sigh sounded beside him, and Xavier unconsciously retaliated.
However, the powerful Snakebite Fist was stopped, and the other person spoke out, “I’m not your enemy. I’m here to help.”
“You… Crowley?” Xavier recognised him and suspicion filled his face, “Why are you here?”
“I’ll explain later, right now we need to leave this place. Follow me!” Crowley’s expression was extremely solemn as he dragged Xavier and left the place. Still, Xavier shrugged off the man’s hands once they reached a corner of the school.
“What exactly is happening?”
“I said it before, I’m here to help!” Crowley put on an extremely serious face, “Do you know the identity of those people who abducted your sister earlier?”
“The empire’s Special Forces!” Xavier spat out the name. Learning of this fact, all his hopes of police help had been dashed.
“Nn, they’re lackeys of the Special Forces!” There was a tinge of hatred in Crowley’s voice, “Not only do rampantly kill adult bloodline carriers, they capture our children and brainwash them into becoming their own recruits!”
“Bloodline carriers? Could it be…” Xavier suddenly recalled the contents of his family’s inherited book.
“I implicated all of you this time. You’d best give your parents a call, and let them avoid all risks…” Crowley said apologetically.
“Wait…” Xavier shrugged his hands. He’d learnt too much today, causing him to feel dizzy.
“Who exactly are you? Why did you say ‘you all’?” Wariness crept in Xavier eyes, and every muscle of his bulged like that of a leopard about to leap on its prey.
“I belong to the Bloodline Alliance, an organisation formed to resist the empire. Our activities in Thousand Bears City attracted the attention of the Special Forces…” Crowley said slowly.
“You criminal ringleader!” Before Crowley could finish speaking, Xavier sent out a punch that carried the phantom of a black snake.
*Hiss!* The same giant snake serpent appeared behind Crowley. He punched out the same way, accompanied by the hiss of an ancient snake.
Xavier’s fist was caught in Crowley’s palm, no damage done to either part.
“Snakebite Fist?!” Shock filled Xavier’s face.
“Only a weakling will resent others, and disregard the true target!” Crowley let go of Xavier’s hands, “Your gift in practising the Snakebite Fist has far exceeded my expectations. Even those so-called ‘geniuses’ would not hold a candle to you…”
“Who exactly are you?” Xavier stressed each syllable.
“Me? I’m known as Crowley, but my name is Xanier! Deruze Xanier! Can you see the connection now?” There was warmth in Crowley’s eyes.
“Xanier! The ancestor that left us the Snakebite Fist! How? Doesn’t that mean you’re over five hundred years old?” Xavier’s first instinct was disbelief.
“There are many things you don’t know about the world. Don’t be easily convinced of truth and lies… I don’t hope for you to believe me anyway. What? Don’t you want to save your sister anymore?” Crowley smiled.
“How do we save her? Crow… Xan…” Xavier stammered. If what Crowley said was true, then wasn’t this man his great great great grandfather?
“Crowley would be fine!” Crowley smiled, and then his expression turned solemn. “There is a Special Forces base outside Thousand Bears City. The young bloodline carriers they abducted will be detained in that place, undergoing a rigorous selection process before the best are sent over to the empire. So? Do you have the guts to go with me?”
“Of course!” Xavier clenched his fists and nodded his head with resolution.
……
‘Bloodline Alliance?’ Leylin stood on the side of the street. He’d seen everything, including Xavier’s conversation with Crowley.
‘According to Xanier’s words, this organization is the one that most bloodline carriers are gathered in… These are the descendants of existences who had wielded laws, but they are now reduced to this state… It’s rather sad…’ Leylin shook his head.
“Hey handsome, do you wanna chat?” A melodious voice sounded by the side of the street. Leylin turned around, only to see a young lady whose earrings reflected the sunlight.
It took him a while to think, but then he smiled mysteriously, “Sure!”
Some time later, the two of them were sitting in the partitioned room of a cafe.
This place was rather exquisite in its design and service, and the couple’s room was also good at isolating sound. The waiter served coffee along with snacks shaped like little animals before quietly closing the door.
Leylin waved his hands, and a layer of blood red light enclosed the room. Only then did he turn back to look at the beautiful lady. “Snake Dowager! You actually dare look for me now? Aren’t you afraid of being caught by the Mistress of the Night?”
Leylin already felt that this girl had been possessed when he saw her. The Shadow Weave could have easily discovered this connection of spacetime.
“It’s alright… I’m using the chipped body of the Jar Spectre to contact you…” The young lady smiled, flashing the phantom of a shattered piece of clay and revealing the power of laws within it.
“The Jar Spectre was an existence on the same level as me back in ancient times. It possessed the law of stealth, and its pristine waters could immediately travel to any part of the Shadow World…
“However, it’s now been reduced to this broken piece…” Complex emotions whirled across the Snake Dowager’s face, “It seems like you’ve discovered it as well? The Mistress of the Night is the only being of law remaining alive in this world…”
Leylin spoke solemnly, “So then. Why take the risk to contact me?”
“An exchange of information, and a plan moving forward.” This girl before him was rather beautiful originally. However, the Snake Dowager’s possession had elevated her aura, and her wry smile seemed to hold a hint of coquettishness to it.
“She’s already gotten rid of all beings of law in the Shadow World, and has it under tight surveillance using the Shadow Weave. This psi energy of hers has replaced all sorts of fuel in the world as well… I have no doubt that she could will the civilisation of the entire world destroyed as long as she wants it…”
The Snake Dowager was a native of the Shadow World, after all. Since she wanted to seize control of the place, she’d ideally want it intact. Even then, in a crucial moment she most probably wouldn’t care about the destruction of an entire civilisation. This was a common trait amongst beings of law.
Leylin thought over it for a while. She was his ally right now after all, so he decided to chip in with some information, “Here’s some more. My voodoo doll already met the Mistress of the Night…”
“What?” A nervous expression appeared on the Snake Dowager’s face.
“Relax, she didn’t manage to lure me over. I didn’t suffer any serious injury either.” Leylin’s retort had been immediate, he’d known what she was thinking of.
“My apologies… The Mistress of the Night is someone who excels at convincing people. The Jar Spectre had been lured by her…” the Snake Dowager said apologetically.
“That’s alright,” Leylin nodded his head and continued. “From what I can see, I didn’t meet her true body. It was just an avatar.”
“An avatar! Then where is her true body at?” This information was rather important, and could determine the victory and ownership of a world. Hence the Snake Dowager pressed on.
“I don’t know…” Leylin shook his head and saw the Snake Dowager turning silent. He then asked, “Your Excellency, what plans do you have now?”
“I’ll first rope in the strength of the bloodline carriers… and there are several other things for me to do as well…” The Snake Dowager bit her lips and pointed her finger out, forming a strange rune in the air.
“This is the imprint of the Jar Spectre. You can contact me through it anytime, it can’t be seen by the Weave.”
“Alright!” Leylin reached out his right hand, allowing this rune that looked like a jar with two ear-shaped handles to enter him through his skin.
[Beep! Host obtained ‘Jar Imprint’! Effects: Able to converse with another imprint holder unlimitedly in the Shadow World. The connection applies before all others in the world. Explanation: The ancient Jar Spectre’s original body is a giant jar with two ear handles. Legends have it that the entire water source of the Shadow World comes from it, and its two ears can listen to any information in the Shadow World!]
“I’ll need your help in roping in the bloodline carriers!” The beautiful eyes of the Snake Dowager looked at Leylin.
“I won’t refuse!” Leylin did not decline the request. He’d already set his eyes on the Bloodline Alliance anyway.
The Snake Dowager left after smiling contentedly, only leaving behind a girl who’d fainted on the spot.
“Sigh… I still need to clean up this mess, how troublesome…” Leylin shook his head and snapped his fingers. The young girl sat up immediately and looked at his eyes which contained no annoyance, “After you wake up, you will forget…”