Demon Bible

Chapter 204: Allies

The moment they crossed blades, Krew, who was hiding in the shadows, realized something was wrong.

Zoven's strength far exceeded his expectations.

His Attribute Value hadn't changed, but his skill displayed a world of difference from before.

With a single strike, Zoven deflected the blade of the saber-wielder. Then, without hesitation, he raised his sword and thrust it straight toward his opponent's neck.

At the same time, his footwork shifted slightly, moving to the saber-wielder's flank to block the line of sight of the bowman on the other side.

The bowman quickly discovered that no matter how he tried to lock onto Zoven, firing an arrow would very likely hit his own companion.

In that moment, the bowman's usefulness was reduced to near zero.

On the other hand, the saber-wielder felt an immense amount of pressure.

Zoven's sword techniques had completely surpassed his expectations. Although the strikes were not particularly fast, they were incredibly precise.

Every single attack he attempted was met with a sword thrust to a critical weak point.Whenever a strike landed, he could feel the momentum and force of his own attack completely disrupted.

Immediately following that, Zoven would seize the opportunity to go on the offensive.

Faced with such a relentless assault, the saber-wielder had no choice but to retreat. He relied on his superior Attribute Value to create some distance, trying to find another way to press the attack.

Zoven finally snapped out of his instinctual, passive fighting state and actively began to synchronize with the historical soul inhabiting his body.

These two men were undoubtedly Nemus's subordinates. He wanted revenge. He wanted to fight. He wanted to kill them, slaughter Nemus's minions one by one, and finally destroy Nemus himself!

The swirling emotions within him drove him to take the initiative. He abandoned his previous tactic of defending and countering, launching strike after relentless strike.

Every clash sent a numbing shock through the saber-wielder's hands.

As the exchanges multiplied, the saber-wielder felt his grip slipping. It wouldn't be long before his weapon was knocked away and he was killed.

Yet, in that dire moment, the saber-wielder grinned.

"Kid, you're still a bit too green!"

In the next split second, an arrow pierced right through the saber-wielder's body and embedded itself deeply into Zoven.

Under such circumstances, Zoven had absolutely no time to react.

The Desperado Duo were truly playing with their lives on the line.

Zoven stared at the arrow sticking out of his body, then looked up at his opponent in sheer disbelief.

Although he possessed the techniques of a historical hero, his combat experience and situational awareness hadn't grown with it.

Naturally, it never crossed his mind that someone would completely disregard their comrade's safety, using their very body as cover to attack an enemy.

However, a moment later, he saw black threads spreading around the saber-wielder's wound, rapidly sealing the gaping hole.

The man didn't look heavily injured at all. Instead, he stretched his body, his entire aura shifting and becoming far more aggressive.

Since Opper had fully taken over the old pastor's research, he had naturally discovered the cultivation methods for the Nest Beasts, using them to improve his own parasitic creatures.

Consequently, the Nest Beasts attached to the Desperado Duo had also been upgraded, becoming symbiotic entities that shared their lives.

As Opper advanced to the Iron Rank, the Nest Beasts had been strengthened even further.

Now, they functioned flawlessly as a specialized super state.

[Symbiotic Nest Beast: The body is parasitized by a mutated Nest Beast, resulting in significant modifications. Most vital areas are altered and are no longer fatal weak points. Additionally, it allows for a partial sharing of the Nest Beast's Attribute Value, breaking through the limits of the Black Iron Rank.]

Because of these Nest Beasts, they simply didn't care about minor limb injuries during most of their battles.

Neither of the two men feared death.

As long as there were no tasks assigned by Lord Nemus or Lord Opper, they spent most of their time indulging in pleasure. The greatest benefit of following Nemus was that you never had to worry about being mistreated.

If you loved Sword Art, you would receive the finest instruction in it.

If you loved money, your pockets would never be empty.

Of course, all of this came with a prerequisite: completing the missions assigned to you.

With endless wealth, they could revel and seek pleasure in Tail Fin Town every single day.

They had already experienced more joy and indulgence than most people could hope to achieve in several lifetimes.

Even if they were to die on the spot, they would go out laughing heartily!

This fearless mentality completely eclipsed Zoven's current state of mind.

Ignoring Zoven's shock, the saber-wielder immediately lunged forward again, the blade in his hands turning even more vicious and brutal.

On the other side, the bowman felt zero psychological burden. He drew his bow and aimed once more, his eyes filled with a chilling apathy toward the lives of both his companion and his enemies.

He knew that even if he accidentally killed his partner, the saber-wielder wouldn't blame him.

Similarly, if the saber-wielder had to chop right through him to complete a mission later in the fight, he wouldn't hold a grudge either.

'Though, if we head to the dance hall later, I'll have to let him have the prettiest girl,' the bowman thought to himself. He even cracked a joke aloud, "Hey, just so I don't have to give up the girl, I'm aiming right for your head!"

Hearing this, the saber-wielder wasn't angry at all. Instead, he laughed and cursed back, "Fine, fine! Next time, my blade is going straight for your crotch!"

Zoven completely failed to understand the bizarre dynamic between the two, and this very lack of comprehension became his fatal flaw.

Sure enough, in that split second, an arrow came whistling through the air, zipping right through the saber-wielder's legs and burying itself into Zoven's thigh.

The strike forced Zoven to stagger, and the saber-wielder's follow-up attack arrived in the blink of an eye.

Caught off guard, Zoven could only raise his sword in a frantic parry.

However, the leg wound severely restricted his mobility. Coupled with his already inferior Attribute Value, the situation was rapidly devolving into a deadly predicament.

Meanwhile, the Desperado Duo coordinated flawlessly, unleashing a frenzied assault on Zoven. Their banter was truly just a joke, but beneath it lay absolute, unwavering synergy.

With just two lines of exchange, they fully understood each other's intentions.

"He still hasn't matured enough," Lilian sighed softly.

At that moment, Zoven's heart was overflowing with rage. A chaotic swirl of thoughts prevented him from truly sensing the power of the historical soul, making it impossible for him to achieve complete synchronization.

Otherwise, Zoven wouldn't be this weak.

Any individual capable of leaving a mark on history was never a simple existence.

Their skills and techniques could easily be described as having stunned entire eras and defied the passage of time.

There was always something uniquely extraordinary about them.

Since Zoven couldn't resonate and harmonize with the soul, he naturally couldn't unleash its true, formidable power.

"Which is why, in crucial moments, Lady Lilian still has to intervene..." Lilian hovered near Zoven, extending her delicate hands once more.

But suddenly, Lilian paused. She couldn't help but look off to the side, where a man with golden eyes stood not far away, watching the battle with keen interest.

Within those golden eyes, a unique power was shifting and churning.

The man exuded an unmistakable aura of history; he was undeniably the pivotal figure of the crucial history in this region.

And for him to appear here at this exact moment meant one very likely thing: he was a potential enemy of Nemus.

They were allies.