In the roar of clashing steel, fractures spread from the silver axe and the Sickle Sword.

Shattered axe blades burst forth, and the Eye of Horus atop the Sickle Sword shattered with them.

In that instant, Old Xiao roared.

Without a word, they both discarded their broken weapons, swung their fists again, and collided fiercely. Amidst the Chimera's roar, Huai Shi swiftly evaded an incoming punch, then jammed his raised fingers into his opponent's throat, stuffing the roar back down.

Immediately afterward, with a contraction of his wrist, his raised fingers suddenly clenched into a fist and thrust forward again, smashing into the Sphinx's forehead amidst a booming noise.

This was the last straw.

This time, the fragile skull could no longer withstand the punch. It shattered with a dull sound, its last head nearly gone.

But then, Huai Shi suddenly jolted. He involuntarily bent at the waist, watching the Chimera's long tail smash into his abdomen like an iron hammer, fractures spreading as if to snap even steel in two.

He staggered backward, caught his breath for a moment, then lunged forward again with Old Xiao, as if by some unspoken agreement.

The battle resumed.

This time, it wasn't a clash of blades or a struggle in the sky and sea, but a face-to-face brawl.

Stripped of all irrelevant factors, they returned to the beasts' domain.

Bone clashed with bone, blood washed over blood!

Each collision, stomp, and punch brought forth roaring sounds. The mournful ship kept rocking, fissures spreading, and smoke rising amidst the raging flames.

Ashes fell upon the shattered armor of the Authority Angel, and the light in Huai Shi's eyes flickered and dimmed.

In the midst of the violent struggle, that endless power seemed to have been squandered, unable to resist the venom of the Dark Basicity. Beneath the armor, the sensation of flesh and blood gradually returned.

He felt tearing pain, dizziness, and fatigue.

But his opponent was no better off. The Chimera's two troublesome tails had already been completely torn off by Huai Shi, its last Sphinx head beaten senseless.

Punch, punch, and punch again!

From within the roars, the Authority Angel, like a tireless machine, withstood the Chimera's tempest and returned violence with an Iron Fist!

With muffled sounds, the exoskeleton over the Chimera's chest completely shattered, exposing the wounds beneath.

Old Xiao staggered and took a step back. But Huai Shi advanced again, summoning one more punch and smashing it down!

BOOM!

"Come on!" Huai Shi bellowed, advancing relentlessly. He shook the blood from the back of his hand and clenched it again, the sound of steel on steel ferocious. "Didn't you prepare a lot? Bring it out, Old Xiao! Let me see how you can possibly win!"

"Ha, hahaha... Hahahaha!" The Chimera seemed amused by Huai Shi's words, clutching his stomach and laughing uncontrollably, even as Huai Shi hauled him up for another punch, then another, smashing him into the ruins of the bridge.

"You really—"

BOOM!

He suddenly reached out, caught Huai Shi's descending iron fist, and slowly tightened his five fingers, his smile ferocious. "—know nothing at all!"

A thunderous noise erupted.

With a swing of his beastly arm, Old Xiao hurled Huai Shi, smashing him through the floor and into the cabin below. But then, the Chimera lifted its foot and brought it down hard towards Huai Shi's face!

Huai Shi rolled, dodged, and staggered to his feet, breathing heavily.

He felt a wave of dizziness, darkness spreading before his eyes. But what disturbed him most was Ai Qing's silence and the sharp pain that burst forth in his skull—the Penalty for Oath Breaking.

Even though the chains on his shell were smashed, the creeds and disciplines within the Source Substance still existed. Now, as he weakened, they emerged once again, tormenting his Soul.

It was like cold steel hammering down time and again, shaking his consciousness, causing waves of blackness before his eyes.

"Guess what, Huai Shi!" Old Xiao roared, throwing a punch that sent him flying. "Guess why Yaga went mad!"

Huai Shi retreated, his feet dragging two deep marks on the shattered deck.

"Guess!" he roared again. "When Koshchey felt his end approaching, why would he go crazy enough to want to kill an entire ship's worth of people?"

BOOM!

Huai Shi was smashed into the wall.

"Guess one more time—why is it that the more people die on this ship, the faster it goes!"

He sneered, lifted his foot, and lashed out violently. The terrifying force broke Huai Shi through several layers of decking, lodging him into the wall.

"Lastly, take a guess—" He slowly bent over, picked up Huai Shi's broken axe, and staggered forward with a malicious and ferocious smile. "Considering it was supposed to be just one night's voyage, why can't we see the so-called New World yet?"

Looking down at the face behind Huai Shi's shattered Mask Armor, Old Xiao shook his head in disappointment.

He slowly raised the axe and chopped down!

The axe blade stopped abruptly before Huai Shi's eyes.

The end of the handle was tightly grasped by a hand that suddenly shot up, preventing any further movement.

"Are you using my axe to chop me?" Huai Shi slowly raised his head, staring at that ferocious face. "Who gave you the confidence?"

The sound of scraping steel burst forth. The axe blade retreated, upward, moving inch by inch between the five fingers of Huai Shi's raised hand.

From the haziness and pain, Huai Shi roared. He suddenly lifted his hand, gripped tight, and smashed it into Old Xiao's face—then another punch, and another!

Until that broken face was smashed into a bloody blur by his own hands.

Finally, he gripped his fist with effort and swung out!

With a booming noise, the Chimera was flung out, breaking through the cabin wall and landing on the riddled deck, in the flames.

Huai Shi gasped for air, clambering up from the ground, dragging the axe, step by step, climbing out.

Finally, he saw his enemy lying on the ground, seemingly without any strength left.

He leaned against the broken railing, struggling to open his eyes, watching Huai Shi approach step by step. For some reason, he couldn't help but laugh hoarsely.

"Remembered a good joke?" Huai Shi asked indifferently. "Why not share it so we can all hear?"

"Isn't the joke right in front of me?" Old Xiao gasped, a mocking smile spreading across his face. "How ironic, Huai Shi. It was determined from the very beginning... you, of all people, cannot win. Hahaha."

He said, "You can kill me, but you cannot escape that Curse."

In his dizziness, Huai Shi's head throbbed with pain. He stumbled, gritting his teeth in anger as he stepped forward and asked hoarsely, "Some unfathomable joke? Are these your last words?"

"Is that so?" Old Xiao raised his head, spat out a mouthful of black blood, and sneered. "Do I need to make it any clearer, Huai Shi? Or why don't you ask Ai Qing?"

Ai Qing didn't speak.

Her eyes were lowered.

"See?" Old Xiao scoffed. "Only you are kept in the dark. No, wait, there's one more."

His gaze, full of malice, settled on the pale Teenage Girl behind Huai Shi.

"Give up, Huai Shi." Old Xiao shook his head, his tone mocking. "No matter how much you struggle, you cannot change the final outcome... Was my question not simple enough, or are you unwilling to derive the answer from your own thoughts?"

"It was destined from the beginning—" He burst into loud laughter. "On this ship, only one person can reach the New World!"

This was the truth behind Ai Qing's silence. The Gods had laid down their covenant amidst their struggles, making compromises after various intense or secret trials.

The Gods could have cruelly punished these traitors, and the White Crown King was not generous—what he wanted were not just cowardly curs with their tails between their legs or despairing losers.

He actually welcomed the obstacles and Curses of the Gods. Only through such cruel and ruthless means could the escapees completely extinguish their unrealistic fantasies and face the cold reality and brutal battles.

From the beginning, this ship was never a haven for the escapees. It was a cauldron to smelt the gold of miracles from dregs and waste.

From a hundred failures, select one success. From this countless discarded dust, pick out the truly strong—those truly capable of helping him achieve his grand ambition.

This was the Owner of the White Crown's Curse and blessing.

Among all the sinners on this ship, only one would receive the White Crown King's special pardon.

Only one.

When the Mayflower set sail, the ultimate outcome was already fixed. Nothing could be escaped, and everything that happened thereafter was simply a step toward the predetermined conclusion.

All to welcome the final victor.

In that moment of realization, Huai Shi felt a pain like molten lava erupting in his skull, and he could barely stand. Violent waves echoed within his Source Substance.

It was as if an iron pen had descended, etching an irresistible command into his Soul, line by line.

He trembled, roaring in agony.

"Have you finally understood, Huai Shi?"

"So, finally, let's guess..." he laughed strangely, murmuring softly. "Whose Philosopher's Stone is this piece of our history recorded in?"

In that instant, Huai Shi roared, and the Axe Blade fell, utterly shattering the cur's head!

The shattered head rolled on the ground, still wearing its last mocking grin.

"Everything of Paracelsus will be buried here." The broken head lifted its eyes from the pool of blood, its lips moving silently, gazing at Huai Shi and Lily with pity. "She died by your hand."

"Abraham Van Helsing, do not forget, this is your mission."

He closed his eyes.

He fell apart under Huai Shi's Axe Blade.

In the hand of the gradually cooling body, fingers slowly unfolded to reveal a Wanderer's Coin covered with scratches.

On the Coin, the Archangel's Sacred Statues gazed indifferently at Huai Shi's face, their smile mocking.

Huai Shi collapsed, no longer able to grip his axe.

Countless voices echoed around him, some roaring like thunder, others whispering softly. A multitude of voices layered over his consciousness, issuing an irrefutable command:

Kill Paracelsus!

Kill... Lily!

This was the mission Van Essen must complete. This was the outcome recorded in the Philosopher's Stone. This was... what you yourself had once done!

In that instant, from the tearing pain in his Soul, Huai Shi had a revelation.

He couldn't help but laugh, mocking himself.

When he exhausted all his strength to pick up the fallen gun and slowly got to his feet, his eyes looked strangely unfamiliar, as if he were waking from a long dream.

Lily stared at him blankly for a long, long time. It seemed she finally understood something, yet her pale face still carried a sad confusion.

"So... you came to kill me, Huai Shi?"

"Yes." Huai Shi nodded, enduring the throbbing pain in his skull, his expression growing ferocious.

Slowly, he raised the gun, aiming it at the Teenage Girl's face.

He shattered her last hope, causing her tears to flow uncontrollably.

"Why!" she cried, choking on her sobs. "I just... I just wanted to live."

Huai Shi didn't answer. He just watched her cry in silence for a long time, then sighed softly. "Yes, why is it so difficult just to want a happy life?"

He said, "Perhaps... that's just how the world is."

From the beginning, it has been shrouded in the shadow of Hell... Freedom is just a fleeting illusion, and pathetic lives are nothing but currency at the fingertips of the Gods.

In such a world, where is there any happiness to pursue?

Huai Shi lowered his eyes, feeling something inside his shell crumbling apart.

"I'm sorry I deceived you," he murmured softly. This was his final farewell and apology.

If the outcome of this game was predetermined from the beginning, then let it end now.

And so, the warmth of bygone days vanished.

Huai Shi pulled the trigger.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.