Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
What's a battle between madmen like?
It's all about recklessness!
Charge headfirst for hundreds of rounds.
Both combatants were fighting in an overloaded state brought on by extreme hormonal surges, their speed and strength surpassing what most ordinary third-tier fighters could only dream of.
It must be said, Gerald was the type who would take a skill to its absolute limit.
As a "Forensic Expert," his understanding of human anatomy was as familiar as the back of his hand.
He knew not just the functions of limbs, muscles, meridians, nerves, and more…
He could even use these functions in combat.
Beyond techniques that caused "limb chaos" and "hormonal disarray," he could precisely slice key points in the meridians with blades formed from his nails, blocking the flow of vital energy in the body.
This effect was somewhat similar to the concept of "acupoint sealing" from Su'en's previous life.
Alchemists performing nearly all their spells required the flow of dark spiritual energy within their bodies. With one strike from Gerald, a spell would normally be interrupted immediately, and in severe cases, it could even cause backlash.
This technical style of fighting often allowed one to exert tenfold the power with just a fraction of the effort.
Fortunately for Su'en, his "Vajra" was at the third tier, containing remnants of fourth and fifth-tier elemental laws of gold, making him nearly impervious to blades and spears.
Otherwise, any other third-tier professional, even if they knew the Vajra technique, would be easily pierced by Gerald's surgical blade, breaking their technique in an instant.
This leader of the Umbrella Organization was one of the strongest professionals Su'en had encountered, aside from those from the Mirror Organization. At least, he was several times more troublesome than the previously deceased "Wind Thunder Sword King," Nero Redgrave.
But as strong as the enemy was, Su'en was no less formidable.
With "Vajra" at the ready, he was already in an invincible position.
Within the "Puppet Theater," the dense web of threads was like his own body hair, allowing him to clearly sense Gerald's position inside. Any slight misstep from the opponent could trap him.
At this moment, Su'en was surrounded by hundreds of puppet limbs with sharp blades.
These high-level runes and enchanted daggers stabbed chaotically around Su'en's body like a torrential downpour.
Although Gerald's methods of killing were fierce and unique, his professional role was still that of an assassin. Strong in attack and burst, but weak in defense, and he had to fight at close range.
Even with agile movements, the range of the daggers meant he was bound to be pierced to some extent.
***
The shadow of the green wind whirled around the dark golden figure, and the noise of their battle rose wave after wave.
Just then, a "DONG" sounded like the tolling of a bell.
Su'en was struck by Gerald's aerial slash, a vicious leg kick smashing into his shoulder.
He sank his energy down, a tremendous force traveling from his shoulder into his leg, turning the hard ground beneath his feet into dust. The force didn't stop until his feet were buried a foot deep into the ground.
Su'en's combat skills had reached "Master" level, and his ability to dissipate force had become instinctual.
It was very difficult to beat him in terms of technique.
And in the instant he was struck, Su'en pulled on the threads in the void, sending dozens of blades plunging down. Gerald dodged dozens of strikes but was still hit by a few.
He retreated rapidly, pulling back dozens of meters.
Both fighters simultaneously ceased their attacks.
Gerald glanced at the wound on his right arm and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The high secretion of hormones could accelerate wound healing, but the recovery rate couldn't keep up with fresh injuries.
Red-eyed Su'en felt this intense battle was exhilarating. With a bloodied grin, he wasn't in a hurry to make a move. His abnormal state caused him to let out a crow-like, strange laugh, "Mr. Gerald, your red-faced clown state can't kill me…"
"Indeed."
Gerald shrugged nonchalantly, rolling up the sleeves that had come undone during the fight.
His nails were sharp like blades, rolled up meticulously.
Having fought to this point, he had figured out what Su'en was planning.
He turned and asked, "Are you planning to use psychic power to break through the brain domain?"
Red-eyed Su'en twisted his stiff neck from the kick, the cracking sound audible, and responded, "Yes."
He had learned of this ancient method from "Lady Sereya" in the fifth layer of the prison.
Some "exceptionally gifted" ancient sorcerers, before learning the secrets of psychic power, could try to use the release of violent psychic energy to shock the brain domain's development.
This would give them one more chance to "advance psychically" than others.
Otherwise, once psychic power was restrained later on, the precious gift would be wasted.
Su'en belonged to the rare "exceptionally gifted" category, with strong initial psychic power but not yet insane.
Hearing this, Gerald revealed an expected calmness and asked with composure, "Can you use the spatial rules to kill me?"
He had already figured out his opponent's strength. That black scythe was not a fatal threat to him.
If the opponent was confident, then there was only one possibility.
Su'en didn't hide it, "Yes."
"Oh."
Upon hearing this, Gerald's emotions remained unchanged.
From the moment he was drawn into the cursed space, he had guessed that he would die today.
At the end of his life, the leader of the Umbrella Organization was neither afraid nor sad, and suddenly asked calmly, "How much longer can you hold on?"
To others, this question might seem baffling.
But the two of them understood each other's intentions as soon as they spoke.
Su'en said, "At most four minutes."
The overdrive of hormone secretion was not without cost.
In the midst of the intensity, muscle fibers were tearing, and the burden on the organs and bones was tremendous. Ordinary people using this method of combat would have died long ago.
Su'en relied on the super cell activity from the "X Serum" modification to avoid dropping dead on the spot.
He didn't think a normal human body could withstand such an exaggerated overload.
Su'en himself was like this, and so must Gerald be.
Even if he couldn't win, the outcome had been determined from the beginning.
It also meant that within four minutes, one of them must die.
"Hmm… then as you wish."
Gerald seemed to have made a decision, adding, "You're the second person to see my 'Black Clown.' I hope you won't be killed by me. Otherwise, it would be a pity."
The two red-eyed patients started chatting as if they were not mortal enemies but old friends engaging in pleasant conversation.
They also realized that it wasn't that they couldn't communicate in their frenzied state.
Rather, it was that others couldn't communicate with them.
Hearing this, Su'en's face twisted into a maniacal smile, his eyes brimming with the desire to fight.
He licked his lips, "Tsk tsk, what an honor…"
***
Gerald didn't say much more, nor did he bother to straighten his shirt. Instead, he tore it apart with one swift motion.
The sound of silk ripping filled the air.
The middle-aged man revealed his strong upper body, wrapped in bandages.
The bandages burst apart instantly, but what was shocking was the centipede-like suture marks on his back. The pattern of the sutures was a hexagram!
The flesh sewn together was a different color from the rest of his body.
Dark and oozing a faint black mist, it looked like a piece of dead flesh stitched onto living tissue!
Su'en, with his all-seeing eye, recognized the origin of that flesh and muttered, "So it's using the flesh of a different creature to bear the burden of this overdrive combat… I see…"
This was not an augmentation device, but simply another piece of flesh sewn onto his own body.
However, looking at the inflamed and swollen wound, it seemed the human body was rejecting the black flesh.
Yet, Gerald forcibly stitched it to his body using alchemical arrays.
What a mad act…
"Just a little experiment. Be careful."
Gerald responded lightly, clapped his hands, and uttered, "Flesh Alchemy: Release!"
As the alchemist's seal was undone, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The hexagram suture mark flashed, and the "dead flesh" on his back came to life, writhing. The black pigment spread rapidly across his body. His muscles seemed to awaken, pulsating under the skin like countless wriggling snakes.
Even the cold flame of Gerald's 【Void Servant】 changed from deep blue to bright purple. The temperature remained the same, but the sight sent shivers down one's spine.
And his clown mask turned pitch black in an instant. The crescent-shaped smile was chilling to the bone.
The strongest "Black Clown" state… had emerged!
With this state activated, Gerald seemed to be under a heavy burden,
With a "gurgle," He bent over and spat out a mouthful of turbid blood.
His chest heaved violently.
The muscles' overdrive generated a lot of heat, evaporating the body's moisture and creating a visible mist from his mouth and nose, his breathing sounding like that of a wild beast.
"Huff…"
"Huff…"
"…"
Gerald hunched over, looking up at Su'en.
In that moment, the Black Clown's eyes lost all reason, becoming a monster driven solely by the urge to kill!
And in that instant of eye contact, the Black Clown raised a hooked claw, and under the prison's dim lights, the cold blade claw drew five streaks of afterimages in the void. It was as if one could hear the sharp sound of claws tearing through the air, a "Clang" in an instant.
What was even more surprising was that with this claw, he threw out the purple flames he had been condensing in his hand!
Su'en's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively twisted his body to dodge.
The purple flame didn't touch him, but it exploded into a burst of purple fire just a foot away.
Even though he was also enveloped in cold flame, the blast made his soul shudder, and he felt slightly dazed.
When he looked again, the Black Clown's figure had already dissipated on the spot.
Even though Su'en's eyes caught the incoming figure, his body couldn't react in time.
It was too fast, The guy was now twice as fast as before!
A shadow swept by, and Su'en could only watch as another claw with a sharp gleam appeared in the air.
All he heard was the grating sound of metal scraping.
He was clawed in the chest, and before he could react, he was clawed again in the lower back…
After one claw came another, Gerald's figure had become completely ghostlike.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
In that instant of reaction, Su'en was struck four times!
And unlike the previous skin-breaking "scraping" attacks, this time, each claw left a gash an inch deep in his pure skin, with bright red blood visible in some areas.
Just as Su'en was about to wrap himself completely in threads, those claws appeared out of nowhere, slamming heavily into his chest.
With a thunderous sound like a heavy object hitting the ground, That seemingly light slap exploded with the force of a thunderbolt.
A visible ripple burst from his chest, and the shockwave sent Su'en flying out of the 【Puppet Theater】.
He flew a hundred meters, crashing through a solid wall and falling into a prison cell.
Su'en couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood!
***
In his "Black Clown" state, Gerald's combat power had increased several times over.
Just this encounter had already left Su'en injured.
But red-eyed Su'en wasn't shocked; instead, he grinned fiercely, overjoyed in his heart: "Hahaha… so strong! So strong! So strong!"
The stronger the enemy, the more excited his spirit became, and the stronger the development of his brain domain.
His current feeling was extremely peculiar. Once, his consciousness was like an isolated island in a vast sea, surrounded by fog.
He was trapped on the island, unable to escape.
Now, unbound and drifting with the waves, he saw a whole new world.
In this moment, as the opponent fought desperately, Su'en also fought with all his might without hesitation!
The emotional stimulation led to a rapid and crazy secretion, reaching a potentially fatal level.
Without going all out, how could he know where his potential limit was?
Fully unleashing his body's potential would give him near fourth-tier strength for a brief time in this world.
Gerald was using the same method, using the "alien creature flesh" to bear the current pressure.
But it was just an increase in physical strength; in terms of laws, he was still at the third tier.
But Su'en was different; he truly understood parts of the fourth and even fifth-tier laws!
Moreover, Gerald was fighting under pressure,
While Su'en was releasing pressure,
The more he released, The stronger he became!
"If it's twice as strong, then let's go for twice more!"
Su'en shot up from the rubble, his face ferocious.
He clenched his fist, and his muscles visibly swelled. His body, too, became steaming hot due to the overdrive of energy.
Hormone secretion and potential reached their limits, and his muscles began to tear on a large scale…
In this state, his body was on the verge of collapse.
But…
Death?
No, that was never a reason for him to back down.
At this moment, the feeling of controlling power delighted Su'en. He greedily breathed in the air, feeling as if the world had slowed down, and his body finally caught up with his reactions.
And just then, the Black Clown charged at him with a speed that was a blur, but Su'en faced him head-on without fear!
A claw to the chest, A punch to the shoulder, Both struck each other almost simultaneously.
Both figures flew backward, tumbling onto the floor.
Su'en's chest had a gaping wound, and he heard the "Slit" of tissue being pierced.
But at the same time, a clear sound of bone breaking was heard.
His punch had turned Gerald's right shoulder into a mess of splattered flesh, and his entire arm was torn off and flew away!
Both suffered severe injuries.
However, the next moment, the armless Gerald stood up.
Su'en wanted to react, but found his body had reached its limit and suddenly "crashed."
No, to be precise, he still wanted to fight, but he was stopped by an external force.
His consciousness cleared for an instant,
He knew,
It was "Lady Sereya" who had been observing the fight that intervened.
"Still didn't win, huh…"
Su'en gasped for air and slowly closed his eyes.
But in a daze, he seemed to instinctively peel away something.
「You have obtained 7 memory fragments of 'Severus Gerald'」
「You have acquired a piece of information: 'The Duke suspects that Miss Teresa has been invaded by an evil entity, we should pay more attention… A secret team has arrived from outside the tower, probably from the Rega Earth family. Although they bypassed the Umbrella, I still discovered their traces, they must be here for the young lady's situation…'」
「You have acquired an obsession: 'The flesh of an alchemist is ultimately too weak, and the mechanical body is too clumsy, why can't there be a perfect life form? Can alchemy create a perfect life form…'」
「You have gained a vast amount of 'biological anatomy knowledge'」
「You have comprehended the secret technique of flesh alchemy 【Hormonal Rampage】」
「You have mastered some necromantic spells」
「You have acquired some skill fragments of 【Void Servant】」
「You have gained a vast amount of 'knowledge on stitching alien creature limbs', increasing your recognition of biological corpses by +99」
「Combat experience +155」
「Psychic power +4.8」
"So it was her who intervened…"
As his consciousness faded, Su'en had one last thought.
His entire world of consciousness suddenly plunged into darkness.