Demon Hunter and His Cabin
Chapter 653 - Chapter 653 Chapter 559 Empty City_2

Chapter 653: Chapter 559 Empty City_2 Chapter 653: Chapter 559 Empty City_2 As for monsters, they would be called the Superior Leader.

After arriving here, Roger discovered that the overwhelming majority of Fourth Tiers he encountered were at the same stage.

As for Yatagarasu Kensumi, Roger had heard him mentioned once by chance, and it seemed he had reached the pinnacle of the mid-stage of the Fourth Tier, just one step away from advancing to the high stage.

Regarding the Yatagarasu Meiryu that Michihiro Morita had spoken of, that so-called Quasi Sword Master, his strength must be terrifying indeed.

Given Roger’s own physical condition, combined with the Pale Blood, he should be at the initial stage of the Fourth Tier, but with his numerous trump cards, and most importantly, the amplification of the Sword Seal under the Spiritual Power augmentation, Roger guessed his actual combat power could reach beyond the mid-stage.

If his Spiritual Power could advance further, then his combat capacity would definitely rocket upwards!

Of course, Roger was now concealing the power of the Pale Blood, and he covered up the fluctuations of his vital energy; based on the Spiritual Power Fluctuations he displayed on the surface, at most others would consider him an ordinary Third Tier at its peak.

Having yielded the floor voluntarily, Yuuki Nao’s attitude towards him had clearly improved quite a bit, and she even let slip a faint smile after actively providing him with a briefing.

“My master, do you like this kind of woman?”

The voice of Uma suddenly arose within his mind.

“She seems to be even more beautiful than Tamara, and most importantly, she has this aura of icy detachment; you men… tsk tsk.”

“When do you plan to take action?”

Uma urged.

“Are your current powers enough to truly influence her?”

Roger questioned in his mind.

Uma fell silent, but quickly regained her spirit, “We can do it as we did last time, the way we dealt with Tamara.”

Roger unhesitatingly rejected Uma’s suggestion; the circumstances were different, and hasty action at this time could lead to unforeseen troubles.

Besides, there was no apparent conflict between them, and there was no need for Roger to take action.

Approaching the center of the high tower, where energy was accumulating to its limit, the entire vista was filled with dazzling light, and in the next moment, Roger felt his consciousness being stretched upwards.

He couldn’t feel the existence of his eyes, yet paradoxically he could see some vague shapes.

Beneath his feet, within his field of vision, Roger saw myriad points of light, each representing a city, all connected to form a vast interlocking network.

At the edges and in the seams of this network, there was a black smoke spreading, but elsewhere, what Roger could see was utter darkness.

Suddenly, a great pulling force came, and before his consciousness left this strange state, Roger felt as if he had caught a glimpse of something.

In this chaotic world, in a higher place, there seemed to be a pair of indifferent eyes, watching.

Just like a butcher eyeing chickens in a cage.

Whoosh!

Normality returned abruptly; the same high tower remained, with walls plastered in Talismans, but there was a clear change in the patterns on the floor.

Roger felt a sense of dry heat.

The badge on his body emitted a glow, and as they both took a step forward, it felt like passing through a membrane. Immediately after, the humid and slightly fishy air invaded their nostrils.

Roger saw towering trees over a hundred meters tall, and the houses built upon them.

About 30 meters ahead from where they appeared stood a middle-aged man with a portly belly, who, upon seeing their arrival and especially the badges they wore, approached with an ingratiating smile.

“Welcome, envoys from the Sword Pavilion…”

Roger surveyed his surroundings with disinterest as he pretended to enjoy the warm welcome he received over the next few days.

As for the specifics of what Yuuki Nao discussed with them, Roger didn’t care much, as he even used his position to obtain the inheritance of the Low-Tier swordsmanship of this school.

[Toad Swallowing]

A swordsmanship technique created with the ferocity of capturing water, it carries a considerable toxic damage in its sword strikes when reaching the Third Tier, complemented by a Guardian Spirit.

The combat strength is notable, but its specific application seems to be mixed with influences from the Shrine traditions, making it less pure.

Five days later, with a farewell, they left Zelin City. Then, Yuuki Nao led Roger without pause to the three nearby cities.

The city was of a smaller scale, and the power of its swordsmanship heritage wasn’t strong. Once he got here, Roger became even more unrestrained, absorbing and evolving, and from it, he gleaned an essence that belonged solely to him.

There was no specific direction, but the progress of the five Sword Seals was slowly climbing. Roger, engrossed to the point of neglecting sleep and food, had even abandoned everything around him. Had Yuuki Nao not reminded him, he would have long forgotten where he was.

“The place we’re going to next is a bit special.”

“The Ishii Family’s Western Desert City, what makes them special is mainly the geographical location of the Western Desert City, which isn’t too far from the area controlled by the Ran’ei Shrine.”

“Since a united front is necessary, there are no direct conflicts between the Shrine and the Sword Pavilion, but occasional minor frictions do exist.”

Yuuki Nao still dutifully informed Roger, though the latter wasn’t focused on her words at all.

“The Guardian Spirit of the Ishii Family is the Sand Centipede, a gigantic centipede. The power of this Guardian Spirit is very strong, and in this mission, it’s considered the strongest among the families.”

“Mhm mhm.” Roger nodded absentmindedly, but then he suddenly snapped back to attention, registering what Yuuki Nao had just said.

“Sand Centipede, a centipede?”

Roger recalled the strange man who had attacked them in the cave not long ago. In this world, Guardian Spirits were even more important than bloodlines. Didn’t this mean that guy was a member of the Ishii Family?

Thinking thus, Roger briefly described his previous encounter.

“I know this person, he was expelled from the Ishii Family many years ago,” Yuuki Nao said with a sigh.

“His name is Ishii Taro, and his father is the head of the Ishii Family, Ishii Mitsugu.”

“Unfortunately, although Ishii Taro comes from a good lineage, his mother’s body was accidentally contaminated with Everworld power while pregnant.”

“This power also acted on Ishii Taro, causing deformations in his body. Thus, from the day he was born, he was looked down upon.”

A fleeting moment of pity flashed in Yuuki Nao’s eyes.

“Eventually, there were rumors that he wasn’t the son of Ishii Mitsugu, but the child of his mother and another man.”

“But all this would only lead to him being looked down on, not enough to expel him from the Ishii Family. No one knows exactly what happened, but rumor has it, it was because of a woman.”

“Truth and falsehood, only the people involved know the truth. But I didn’t expect him to join the Ran’ei Shrine.”

“Just a coincidence?”

Yuuki Nao frowned slightly.

“Be cautious.” She advised.

“If we encounter danger, try to hide behind me. I’ll protect you as much as I can.”

“Okay.”

It seemed Yatagarasu Kensumi hadn’t told her everything that happened in the cave originally, and it was probably for this reason that she felt disgruntled about Yatagarasu Kensumi appointing Roger in charge of this operation.

The light dissipated, and the figures of the two appeared in an unfamiliar high tower. Crossing the barrier, the view before their eyes suddenly changed.

Endless sands and hot, dry air rolled through the atmosphere.

Roger frowned slightly. There was no welcoming crowd, and more importantly, the whole city was eerily silent.

The streets were deserted, not a single person in sight.

“Where did all the people here go?”

Yuuki Nao and Roger entered a shop by the street, its doors wide open, the building filled with sand.

Tables and chairs were overturned on the ground, and in a corner of the room, Roger saw a figure lying prone on the ground, seemingly a man shivering.

But there was too much sand piled on his body, not to mention facial features, even the gender was deduced by Roger through the body’s shape.

“What happened here?”

Roger stepped forward, getting closer, the angle of his observation changed, and only then did he notice that the man on the ground wasn’t shaking at all. What rippled wasn’t his body but the clothes he wore.

And what was beneath the clothes.

“Pop!”

At that moment, a quiet sound came, followed by the man’s hanging head suddenly breaking open with a hole. The next second, like setting off a chain reaction, his entire body collapsed like a sand dune.

Simultaneously, countless red centipedes surged from the man’s body and then writhed together, like a tangle of sticky flesh, lunging at Roger.