Charlot Meburg was unaware that the two detectives from the Fierce Horse Detective Agency were spying on him. At this moment, he was especially grateful that he had pleted the Agility Rune for the Swiftstep Teique yesterday.

  “Unfortunately, I haven’t broken through the fifth tier yet. If I had also mastered the Spider Spirit Rune for the Spider Teique, this monster wouldn’t stand a ce against me.”

  To Charlot, Warden Magru Trell had already ceased to be human—this former superior had invoked Cursed Armament, and there was urning to his inal form.

  Charlot refrained from using the Blood Rose. In his view, it wouldn’t shift the tide of battle and would instead expose one of his trump cards. Better to hold it back for now.

  Holding an Alchemical e in his right hand and a Vampiric Axe in his left, Charlot occasionally threw a on as well. While he hadn’t gaihe upper hand in the fight, his dazzling and varied attacks made the se appear far from dull.

  From a distance, Reggie Asu observed the battle ily. As a swordsmanship master himself, he had once admired Wells’ swordsmanship, ranking him among the top three swordsmen iective agency. Yet Charlot’s free-flowing movements, bined with the versatility of the Vampiric Axe and the exquisite transformations of the Alchemical e, clearly surpassed Wells’ abilities.

  This divihough killed by Charlot with just a gnce, had been regarded as a rising star within the Fierce Horse Detective Agency, earning the respeany senior detectives.

  Not only was he a diviner, but he also possessed a sedary profession: he was a sed-tier knight. His most prized ability redig the trajectory of bullets, but in truth, he could also predict the flow of swordsmanship. His excellen one area merely overshadowed his retive weaknesses in others.

  Wells, within the agency, had eveed some fourth-tier veteraives in swordsmanship.

  Reggie Asu murmured to his panion, “Charlot possesses at least two Extraordinary Abilities: Bloodfme Aura and the Swiftstep Teique. Even without them, his swordsmanship alone allows him to challenge a many fifth- or sixth-tier knights.”

  Karenda Modi took a deep breath and replied, “We’re lucky we came here and withis fight. If we had goo the dueling ground instead, her of us would have been his match.”

  “Especially since he has several Extraordinary ons.”

  “It’s infuriating! Are gover officials this rich? We’ve worked hard for years to save up for a siraordinary on, and its quality isn’t even guaranteed.”

  Reggie Asu, watg the fight ily, added with some fusion, “Why does the other side of the battle look like the Warden Magru Trell? Isn’t he the one who hired ency?”

  Reminded by his partner, Karenda Modi alshe figure. “It is Warden Magru Trell. I heard he fell from power and lost most of his fortuo bckmail. Why is he here again?”

  “Perhaps Charlot’s Extraordinary ons were inally part of Magru Trell’s fortune.”

  her detective articurly well-informed, so their wild specution remained far from the truth.

  Charlot wielded the Alchemical e tinuously, parrying Magru Trell’s giant axe, his body surging with Bloody Glory, which coursed like boiling blood. He moved deftly among the surrounding Blood Vortices, his fighting spirit growing ever stronger.

  Charlot thought this was just a normal state of battle—until one moment, when his block faltered, and he failed to redirect the foragru Trell’s giant axe. A tremendous force smmed into him, sending ripples of pain through his chest.

  Sensing danger, Charlot tried to retreat desperately, but at that moment, the Blood Vortex near his heart suddenly spewed forth a strand of Bloody Glory, eg the other three Blood Vortices.

  An indescribable sensation arose within him. The Vampiric Axe, fueled by the Bloodfme Aura, whined with an eerie hum, its speed increasing by thirty pert. In a sirike, it shattered Warden Magru Trell’s protective bat energy.

  Magru Trell’s Life Essence gushed forth untrolbly. With a roar, he erupted with bat energy, flinging the Vampiric Axe away. He swung his giant axe fiercely at Charlot, but his movements had slowed slightly, the attack grazing Charlot’s cheek and smashing into a thick high wall, redug it to rubble.

  Charlot narrowly escaped death, his heart pounding wildly. The sensation from earlier was ched deeply into his mind. The Bloodfme Aura Rune quivered, sending another surge of Bloody Glory to the other three Blood Vortices, recreating that same sensation.

  The trol of the Vampiric Axe became nearly twice as agile as before, and its power increased by forty to fifty pert—stronger even than the previous blow.

  “So this is the true usage of Bloody Glory.”

  Adjusting his method of trolling Bloody Glory, Charlot again shattered Warden Magru Trell’s mysterious protective power with the Vampiric Axe. As the warden reached to grab it, Charlot recalled the on with a flick, preventing it from falling into enemy hands.

  trolling ons from a distance wasn’t without its fws—if an enemy mao grab hold of the on, it could easily be taken away. To prevent this, Charlot targeted the neck, back, and other vulnerable areas with his strikes.

  Enraged, Magru Trell swung his giant axe like a windmill, denying Charlot any openings.

  Having wo decisive blows, Charlot calmed down. He suppressed his desire to attad began to pte. If Bloodfme Aura could be amplified through the Blood Vortices, could the other three Blood Runes work the same way?

  Taking a deep breath, Charlot eled Bloody Glory from his left leg into the other three Blood Vortices. His body immediately felt three parts lighter.

  He leapt into the air, surpassing his usual height by a meter or two, his speed increasing by ahirty pert.

  Magru Trell pursued furiously, but each swing of his axe struly afterimages.

  Overjoyed, Charlot thought, “So this is how Bloody Glory is meant to be used! Why didn’t I find this tri the Protagoras Breathing Teique?”

  Charlot didn’t know that most Bloody Glory apprentices only began practig the Bloodfeast Meditation after unlog six or seven Blood Vortices. By that stage, they naturally discovered how to el Bloody Glory aultiple vortices. Charlot’s unventional approach—mastering one Blood Rune per vortex—meant he had missed this beginner’s trick.

  With his newfound mastery of Bloody Glory, Charlot’s bat strength soared. Seizing an opening, he darted toward Magru Trell. The Blood Rose emerged from his palm, striking at an unnatural angle and pierg his former superior’s head.

  Even with the Cursed Armament, a fatal wound to such a vital area, bined with the Blood Rose’s vampiriature, caused Magru Trell’s face to colpse visibly. Moments ter, his head exploded into a mist of blood.

  Charlot retrieved his Magical Rapier as Magru Trell’s headless body colpsed. The backsh of the curse caused his body to disie inch by inch before crumbling into ash. Charlot sighed softly.

  “He didn’t have to die, nor did he o fall to this point. But he chose to align himself with one side and meddle in the flicts of the great nobles…”