Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 33 – The Sword Slaying Formation
Qin Wen glanced at the foolish Young Master Liu, then down at the crimson figures on stage, her eyes narrowing.
“This is our chance!”
Clearly, Young Master Liu’s words had broken the stalemate.
This dancer, called “Red Butterfly,” must be the Devil’s minion, using the power of “Envy” to influence the audience’s adoration.
So now, with Young Master Liu’s command, would “Red Butterfly” reveal herself?
Or would someone else expose her?
Young Master Liu’s appearance had tilted the scales.
“This idiot is actually useful…”
Qin Wen thought, her opinion of the foolish young master improving slightly.
Young Master Liu suddenly sneezed, a look of displeasure appearing on his face. His tone became impatient.
“What, this lowly courtesan dares to ignore me?
“Or do you think dancing for these peasants is more important than keeping me company?”
Young Master Liu spoke without restraint, his disdain for commoners evident, leaving Davis speechless.
She had never met such an arrogant and domineering person…
But then again, although Young Master Liu was the heir to the pioneering Liu family, he was still just an heir.
And considering they were in this kind of place… his behavior was almost expected.
The audience, already in a state of frenzy, ignored Young Master Liu’s insults, continuing to chant “Red Butterfly” hysterically.
However, one of Young Master Liu’s bodyguards on the third floor, possessing the ability to silence sound, suppressed all noises except for his master’s voice.
Red Butterfly was cursing Young Master Liu inwardly, while also frantically searching for Sword Saint Qin Wen.
If she could locate her, there might still be a chance.
Although Young Master Liu had silenced the crowd simply to show off, this action inadvertently helped both Luo Yan and Red Butterfly.
With the main source of interference gone, they could focus on sensing each other’s presence.
Qin Wen stared intently at the crimson figures on stage. If any of them made a move, her twelve swords would strike instantly.
Which one is it…?
Qin Wen hesitated, but Red Butterfly didn’t dare move a muscle.
—Although the other crimson figures on stage were actually her flesh puppets.
Indeed, there wasn’t a single living person on stage.
But…
Sending a flesh puppet out to die?
No, after the first kill, Qin Wen would quickly realize this and attack all the puppets, including her main body.
And if she didn’t know Qin Wen’s location beforehand, she wouldn’t be able to counterattack effectively.
Then… even with the power granted by the “Lord,” she would likely die.
Therefore, Red Butterfly was also searching for Qin Wen, hoping to find her before she realized the truth about the dancers on stage.
However, Qin Wen could afford to wait; Red Butterfly couldn’t.
The continued silence on stage angered Young Master Liu.
His expression turned cold, and he waved his hand impatiently.
“Which… which family does this… Red Butterfly belong to? Find some excuse to shut them down! How dare they ignore me! Do they still want to operate in the ‘Gold-Melting Kiln’?!”
Young Master Liu’s voice wasn’t loud, but due to the silence, it was audible throughout the venue.
The anxious madam backstage finally couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed out, her plump body waddling as she climbed onto the stage.
“Red Butterfly…”
The madam wanted to drag Red Butterfly away, forcing her to accompany Young Master Liu.
The “Gold-Melting Kiln” was, after all, a shady establishment. A single word from the Liu family, the second most powerful faction on Flower Street, could decide its fate, let alone the heir himself.
The madam was almost in tears. This was her life’s work; she couldn’t let it be destroyed.
So, after climbing onto the stage, she walked directly towards Red Butterfly—although she didn’t know the other dancers were flesh puppets, she clearly recognized the real Red Butterfly.
Red Butterfly, possessing the power of “Envy,” had infiltrated the area with the weakest oversight in Yan City.
And with this madam’s help, she had become the most sought-after courtesan on Flower Street.
She wasn’t here just to bask in the adoration; she was also using this opportunity to spread her “Gu Seeds,” creating and controlling numerous flesh puppets.
Given time, once activated, even if they couldn’t overthrow Yan City, they could cause significant damage, even worse than the “Ghost Town” incident.
But now, the madam who had guided her, who had brought her all this, was about to lead her to her doom.
“My dear Red Butterfly…” The madam waddled towards Red Butterfly, reaching out with her plump hands as Red Butterfly’s eyes widened in horror. “Go and keep Young Master Liu company…”
“You fool!”
Red Butterfly felt a surge of killing intent, but it was too late.
“Finally… found you.”
At that moment, both Qin Wen and Luo Yan identified Red Butterfly among the crimson figures.
Luo Yan slightly opened her eyes, the power of “Fear” descending upon Red Butterfly.
Cherry-blossom pink eyes, with sinister black vertical pupils, opened in Red Butterfly’s mind, forcing her demonic aura to leak out.
Luo Yan hadn’t used this ability casually before because, for ordinary people, it was practically a death sentence.
If she made a mistake, innocent people would be harmed.
But now, Luo Yan finally made her move, confirming Red Butterfly’s identity as the Devil’s minion they had been hunting!
Twelve swords of varying designs instantly appeared around Red Butterfly, their invisible sword energy pushing everyone else back, including the madam, who stumbled several meters away.
Red Butterfly, realizing she had been exposed, immediately tried to control her flesh puppets, but she couldn’t move, paralyzed by the “Eye of Fear, Envy, and Defilement” in her mind.
“Have you heard of the Sword Saint’s sword?”
Qin Wen suddenly asked softly.
“…I think I’ve read about it,” Luo Yan replied after a moment of thought.
“Now, you can witness it firsthand.”
Qin Wen closed her eyes, her surging spiritual energy causing the air to stagnate.
Twelve swords formed a circular formation, Red Butterfly trapped in the center.
“Forbidden Technique, Sword Slaying Formation—Annihilation!”
Her soft words unleashed a terrifying power.
The air in Spring Breeze Pavilion instantly heated up, but this time, the heat wasn’t from the excited audience, but from—
Sword light.
Beams of sword light, too fast for the naked eye to follow, filled the formation.
In less than a second, hundreds, thousands of sword strikes flashed within the formation, a dense web of light piercing the trapped Red Butterfly.
The intense sword energy even heated the surrounding air, creating an unbearable heat.
Blood trickled from Qin Wen’s orifices. Using a Forbidden Technique was incredibly taxing, but she had no choice.
This was the only way to ensure the Devil’s minion’s complete annihilation.
If she gave him a chance to breathe… the activation of the Gu Seeds would result in a catastrophic disaster.
Meanwhile, Luo Yan had already taken out the sniper rifle from her back, expertly assembling it and aiming at the “Sword Slaying Formation.”
The moment the Sword Saint’s power dissipated, she unleashed all the spiritual energy bullets in the magazine, targeting the crimson figure amidst the fading sword light.
—Luo Yan hadn’t used a “Philosopher’s Stone” because she couldn’t control the range of “Manjusaka.”
There were too many people around; she couldn’t risk harming innocent bystanders.
All of this happened in a flash. From the moment the madam exposed Red Butterfly by reaching for her, to the descent of the sword formation and the barrage of spiritual energy bullets, only a few seconds had passed.
Young Master Liu, who had just turned around theatrically, waiting for the madam to bring Red Butterfly to him, was suddenly tackled to the ground by his bodyguards.
“Assassin!”
The bodyguards shouted, stuffing the still-confused Young Master Liu into a bag.
It was a portable emergency bag made of high-strength protective material. Although it looked like a burlap sack, it could withstand a “Ruin” level ability user’s attack for half an hour.
The madam’s legs turned to jelly. Knocked to the ground by the sword energy, she couldn’t even stand up.
The frenzied audience members suddenly snapped back to reality, the scene erupting into the chaos typical of a disaster event.
Screams and cries filled the air as everyone scrambled to escape Spring Breeze Pavilion.
“Miss Davis, please help evacuate the crowd,” Luo Yan said, turning to the stunned Davis. She had replaced her blindfold.
“And ask your partner to come here, and call for backup—although I don’t know why you’re considered a ‘Ruin’ level ability user, you’re clearly too weak.”
Although she had been told this before, Davis didn’t retort this time, simply nodding repeatedly.
“Yes, yes, yes, no problem…”
She hurriedly began guiding the crowd out, also contacting Cheng Hongyuan, who was waiting outside, and requesting backup from headquarters.
“Is it not over yet?”
Qin Wen frowned slightly, her aura weakened.
Having just used a Forbidden Technique, her combat strength was significantly reduced.
But she was still capable of fighting, unlike Grifres, who had collapsed completely.
This was due to her “Seven Apertures Sword Heart,” her “Magnetism Control” ability.
This ability allowed her to control swords telekinetically and use a weaker version of the “Sword Slaying Formation,” with reduced power and side effects.
“My intuition tells me it’s not,” Luo Yan replied gravely, touching the “Philosopher’s Stone” in her pocket, hesitating whether to load it into the sniper rifle.
The crimson figure on stage had been torn to shreds, the ground covered in gore and fragments of red cloth. Even with the vitality of “Gu Seeds,” it was impossible to survive such injuries.
However… when dealing with a Primordial Demon, she couldn’t be too careful.
Just then, several men in black jumped down from the third floor, landing before Luo Yan and Qin Wen.
—Young Master Liu’s bodyguards.
Young Master Liu was still stuffed in a bag, being guarded by one of the men, in case of another attack.
“Who are you, daring to openly murder people in Yan City?!”
The leader of the men in black said coldly, a ball of electricity forming in his hand. He was clearly a “Ruin” level ability user.
The other bodyguards were also on high alert, their auras indicating they were at least high-level “Calamity” level.
Such a group, even in Yan City, was considered a formidable force.
After Luo Yan and Qin Wen caused such a commotion, their previous life hack was no longer effective.
Minimizing one’s presence wasn’t the same as invisibility.
However, all the bodyguards’ attention was focused on the 1.9-meter-tall Qin Wen; no one noticed the petite Luo Yan.
“I… am here to hunt a Devil’s minion,” Qin Wen said, slightly breathless.
“A Devil’s minion?” The leader frowned, and the other bodyguards couldn’t help but glance back at the stage. “Are you saying ‘Red Butterfly’ is a Devil’s minion?”
“Yes.”
Qin Wen nodded.
“Are you ability users from the Disaster Response Department?” The bodyguard’s expression turned serious. “Show me your identification.”
“…No,” Qin Wen replied.
Although they were working for the Disaster Response Department, they didn’t have any identification.
From being assigned the mission to entering Flower Street, confronting and killing “Red Butterfly,” everything had happened too quickly.
They hadn’t even completed the standard procedures for external assistance, let alone received official identification.
Yan City’s bureaucracy was efficient, but also somewhat cumbersome.
“I’m sorry, but in that case, I have to detain you,” the leader said gravely. “You can’t leave until we receive an explanation from the Disaster Response Department…”
“Wait!” Luo Yan suddenly spoke, raising her sniper rifle. “Gentlemen—”
“What are you doing?!”
Realizing they were being aimed at, the bodyguards instantly activated their abilities, ready for battle.
But then they heard Luo Yan’s next words.
“Hurry—”
“And get out of the way!”
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