In the sky, Wei Gaocheng saw Li Yong finish off the guard; his eyes narrowed and he erupted into terrifying speed, shooting from the rooftop straight at Veblen.
His target was Veblen—kill him, and taking Kits away later would be effortless.
Inside the room, Veblen—his pants half-off—suddenly paled, looked up at the ceiling, and punched.
Bang! The ceiling caved inward, cracks webbed across it, then it burst open. A three-metre-tall Birdman, eyes blazing with murder, dove in.
He punched straight at Veblen.
Bang! Caught off-guard, Veblen was driven down; the floor beneath him exploded and his feet sank into the rubble.
"Damn it, how is a Monster here?!" Veblen's face darkened. This was the Bureau of Gods' headquarters, and this beast was frighteningly strong—only a hair from Level Five.
Thud-thud-thud!
Crash! The right wall blew apart, stone and dust spraying everywhere.
A three-metre creature armoured in white bone charged in, wielding a five-metre bone knight's lance.
"Aaaargh!!!" Han Qi roared, thrusting the lance straight at Veblen.
"Who the hell do you think you're bullying?!" Veblen snarled. He wasn't a physique-type, but two sub-Level Five Monsters weren't going to push him around.
"Aah!" Mouth wide toward Han Qi, arms braced against the Birdman's pressure, he unleashed a terrifying sonic blast at Han Qi.
Boom! The soundwave became a translucent ripple that shredded the floor; Han Qi's bone lance cracked, the armour on his body and the wall behind him shattered, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.
Whoosh! A tiny speck of light appeared behind Veblen's head; the next instant Li Yong, eyes icy, materialised at that point.
The claws on his right hand glowed white as he raked them down on Veblen's neck.
Shluck! Blood sprayed; the sonic wave died. Half of Veblen's neck and spine were torn away, his head flopping forward at a ninety-degree angle.
His body toppled, eyes still faintly conscious, disbelief filling them.
He'd been killed inside his own headquarters—by the Monster Association. It was absurd.
Thud! Veblen hit the floor, pants still round his knees. A massive bone foot stomped his head, bursting it, white and red splattering across the broken tiles.
"Pathetically weak—what trash heap is the Bureau of Gods?" Wei Gaocheng sneered at the corpse.
Ever since their three-way death-match with Huo Tian, their power had kept rising. They hadn't broken into Level Five, but they were right on the edge; with their tough bodies and abilities, ordinary Level Fours couldn't compare.
Han Qi's bone armour re-knitted; he wiped the blood from his face, unconcerned. "This loser's way weaker than Huo Tian. Now that's what a bottom-tier Level Five should feel like. That rat Huo Tian's tricks made him seem almost top-tier."
Every time Huo Tian came up, Han Qi cursed—those three had been beaten half to death.
"He's basically a Glass Cannon—fine at range, but once we close in he's done." Li Yong glanced around the room.
On the bed, Eve's face was streaked with blood—caught by Veblen's sonic blast, she was already dead.
Clatter-clatter! Chains rattled as Kits stood in the doorway, staring at the carnage and at Eve's blood-stained corpse.
His body shook, tears in his eyes as he stumbled toward her. "Eve… Eve, don't leave Daddy!"
Wei Gaocheng looked at him, expressionless. "You did this. You're the one who killed your daughter. The one who gave you power told you to grow stronger—what did you do? A ridiculous game of playing hero."
His words cut like knives, but regret twisted Kits's face.
If only he'd devoured everyone, he'd have been strong enough to protect Eve—this tragedy would never have happened.
"Kits, you're out. I'll have another Flesh-and-Blood Being assimilate you." Han Qi stepped up and seized Kits.
Crack!
Without another word he twisted Kits's neck.
"Withdraw!" Han Qi and Li Yong shrank back to normal size.
Wei Gaocheng gripped their shoulders and flew outward; Han Qi carried Kits's corpse.
Swift and decisive—from arrival to Veblen's death and their exit—less than three minutes.
Wei Gaocheng shot skyward, climbing ten thousand metres before stopping.
He glanced at Blood Master a few hundred metres away, nodded, and left.
Blood Master's wings flapped as he streaked toward Liyang Country.
Wei Gaocheng flew the opposite way, covering hundreds of kilometres.
Deep in the mountains he landed; the star seal in his hand flashed. "Drop the body," he told Han Qi.
Han Qi hurled it down. Trees and soft earth below would keep the corpse from shattering on impact.
The corpse plummeted, faster and faster, finally slamming into the crown of a thirty-metre tree.
Crack-crack! Snap!
It smashed through four thigh-thick branches, cratered the ground, and rolled against the trunk—still mostly intact.
Minutes later rustling sounded; a dozen Flesh Hounds burst out and tore into the corpse.
Yu Shuanghua strolled out in a black coat, excitement on his face. "Didn't expect a free chunk of flesh!"
Flesh-and-Blood Beings remaining: 8!
…Meanwhile, outside Beika Country's capital.
A full half-hour passed before anyone reached Veblen's villa.
A black sedan raced up; inside, a golden-haired youth in red seethed. "Idiots—no calls, no texts answered."
He was a Level Four Mental-type Awakened under Veblen; he'd tried to check if Veblen was done, but no one replied.
He had to drive out from the city himself.
The moment he reached the gate his face changed; he leapt out.
Even at the manor entrance he saw shredded corpses strewn across the ground, the earth soaked red.
"What the hell happened?!" Ignoring the bodies, he sprinted to the shattered wall of the villa.
He knew Veblen often used that room—stepping inside, he saw a headless corpse with half its neck torn away.
One glance at the build and he knew: it was Veblen.
His face went white; he spun and ran, unsure if the killer was still near.
As he ran he yanked out his phone—no signal. "Damn—no wonder no one responded." He jumped into the car, yanked the wheel, and tore back down the hill.