The Last Gentleman
Chapter 523: 521: Standpoint

William slid rapidly through pus-filled tunnels within the mountain’s interior, resembling the structure of intestines, squeezing past the lubricated and high-pressure pus surrounding him.

With a squelch, he was quickly squeezed out from somewhere between the mountains,

the process much like someone popping a pimple on their body, with William, a dark particle, along with the pus, bursting forth.

His gentleman’s clothes immediately cleared away the pus that had smeared on the surface.

William maintained the characteristic of concealing his visage with a hood and a pin-studded face mask, holding a briefcase filled with weapons, waiting for the other to arrive.

Soon, a doe with tumor-like long antlers carried a female knight to the spot.

Red hair grew through slots at the back of the helmet, spilling over her shoulders,

The standard armor of an Honored Tumor Knight adorned her slender figure, with pleated flesh skirts underneath which two delicate legs and feet were outlined, the metal shoes even carved with feather patterns.

Beyond the armor of an Honored Tumor Knight, there was one other notable personal feature—"Feathered Back Tumor."

The woman’s feathered wing back tumor spread into fine filaments that connected and outlined butterfly-like wings.

She was the team member most skilled in reconnaissance and perception, and though her personal combat ability was the weakest in the team, it certainly wasn’t poor, or else she wouldn’t have been chosen as an Honored Tumor Knight.

A long sword and a short sword hung at her waist.

Even though the helmet obscured her eyes, the wings on her back could weave an "eye structure" to provide clearer biological vision, allowing her to glimpse the aura colors on William’s body.

Besides the black representing death and the white denoting vitality, there were many other strange colors,

She even faintly perceived the elusive "Abyss Grey," frightening her and the doe under her so much that they both shuddered and took a step back.

Strangely though, no matter the angle she viewed him from, the young man before her seemed to be only at the Open Source Stage... which puzzled her even more.

She could not understand why a youth who had yet to complete the Path dared to stand in front of her.

However, since the opponent was a member of the Fear Circus and possessed a large number of strange attributes, she planned to crush him with all her strength, then take his body back to Cancer Palace to report the specifics of the circus.

Whoosh!

The wings beat.

The eyes sketched among the wings emitted a strange light, casting an illusion on William... the next second, her swords drawn, were already near him.

The long sword slashed towards his torso, and the short sword thrust towards his head.

However, the eye at the center of William’s brow, which had widened, was unaffected by any Pupil Skill, as if he held absolute dominance in this aspect.

When the blades were about to fall, William’s flesh emitted a starry luster and began to disassemble, such that the sword edges merely cut through the Star Particles and did not inflict real damage on the flesh.

As his body disassembled into Star Particles, William took the opportunity to get close to her ear, forcing a whisper from his Madness Brain:

"Hello, I mean you no harm! Please knock me out of the Water Tumor Mountains so I can evade the Circus and Art the Clown’s surveillance. I have something to explain to you... Also, I reckon I’m a friend of Lady Oreina."

The next second, William turned into Star Particles and appeared five meters away.

This forced whisper went straight into her brain, causing the woman to grow more perplexed. Moreover, the ability he had just displayed corresponded to a troublesome group—"Stargazers."

Furthermore, the Lady Oreina that William mentioned counted as a Special Class Noble of Cancer Palace, with a status and position higher than their ordinary Honored Tumor Knights.

With mixed feelings of belief and doubt,

the woman’s desire to attack did not diminish, she merely shifted her focus to the surface of William’s body, instead of the deadly points.

When the swords once again swung in alternation, there was a stir from within William’s briefcase.

"Desleek’s Dark Hand" and "Bartosz" were simultaneously grasped in the left and right hand.

Upon seeing the black axe structured like an arm and another unknown metal weapon, the woman was taken aback once more.

She was certain that the axe, shaped like a black arm, was definitely a product of the Original Tomb, and it even qualified as Death Plague Knight Equipment.

As for the other short metal weapon, she did not know what it was, but deep within the dark hollow, she could vaguely hear something being processed, feeling that at any moment a dangerous object might shoot out.

Even William’s entire left arm was turned into metallic armament.

"Death Plague Knight? No... Death Plague Knights are always restricted by the Pure White Bonfires and can’t leave for long, much less join a circus."

Despite her doubts, the woman’s actions did not change. Her swords traced a horizontal slash through the air.

Clang! William blocked it perfectly with his Hand Axe, but his body was knocked back.

At the same time, a bullet grazed past the woman’s helmet, bringing a momentary sense of danger.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of the two combatants’ weapons colliding continuously echoed through the mountains,

Every weapon collision bloomed a swath of tumor flowers across the mountains, and at the point of impact, vividly colored flesh-like butterflies were released,

but these tumor creatures could only exist for a very short time before turning into black water and dying.

William was steadily forced back and soon found himself backed up against a cliff edge... Whoosh! He wasn’t careful enough, and his entire right arm was severed by a blade, followed by a solid kick to his abdomen.

His body fell hundreds of meters through the air, finally leaving the coverage range of the Water Tumor Mountains.

Snap!

Catching his severed arm midair, William adjusted his balance and landed steadily,

and when the woman followed suit, William promptly held his severed arm against his chest, offering her a gentleman’s gesture.

"Thank you for playing along with me; otherwise, I might be labeled a traitor... I personally have no animosity towards Cancer Palace, nor do I wish to make enemies with Honored Tumor Knights.

Please leave this place and report what happened here.

Do convey my regards to Lady Oreina and Miss Jin."

The roe deer had already been summoned back beneath the woman, "So, you do remember Jin... Mm, let’s part ways here."

"Safe travels."

Whoosh! The roe deer raced past William, who then slowly made his way up the mountain.

William’s purpose for doing this was simple,

he wanted to maintain a "Neutral" stance in the Old World, just like the Duke.

Although he did not reveal his identity, based on his familiarity with Lady Oreina and Jin, combined with some of his own features, Cancer Palace could deduce his identity.

While completely eliminating the squad would maintain neutrality to a certain extent, William did not dare to gamble; if the information leaked, he would be regarded by Cancer Palace as an absolute enemy.

As for the Circus,

he was in the Open Source Stage, and it was understandable to be defeated by the Honored Tumor Knight.

Besides, the official performance of the Circus had already ended. By the time the Cancer Palace’s main force arrived, the Circus would have already withdrawn, which wouldn’t affect anything.

William looked down to inspect the numerous cuts on his body, whether shallow or deep, all filled with tumor-like structures resembling butterfly larvae, preventing any self-healing effects.

The wound on the severed arm was blooming with flowers, making it impossible to reattach directly.

"Terrifying indeed, a Honored Tumor Knight retaining the ’Back Tumor’ structure and ultimately undergoing Feather Transformation is much stronger than the average Abyss Path Completer.

No wonder it’s the greatest source of plague in the Old World.

But well... once I complete the Abyssal Path, I shouldn’t be in such a terrible state."

William deliberately neglected to heal his wounds, dragging his severed arm back to the Circus.

From hundreds of meters away from the peak, he could already witness the mammoths exploding,

and as William reached the peak, he caught a glimpse of an extremely terrifying scene.

Clown Art sat in front of the tent, lifting his loose, swollen costume.

Under the costume, an endless number of pustules grew densely packed, haphazardly piled upon one another,

each one protruding various human structures, as if all the poor souls that Art had killed and had been malignantly invaded were stuffed inside his body.

This high-density flesh was clearly compressed, compressed down to a human size.

Once unrestrained and fully unleashed, William estimated that Art’s true size would surpass that of the Water Tumor Mountains.

At present,

the Honored Tumor Knight of notable strength, even listed on the Silver List, was immobilized and being ’eaten alive’ by Art, including fangs and fur devoured into his mouth.

William clearly felt that throughout the process, the knight remained alive, merely incapacitated due to an intense phobia of clusters.

When the consumption was complete, the likeness of a fang emerged on Art’s upper abdomen, the overall tone shining silver.

Art’s overall aura heightened as a result, seeming a bit stronger than before.

Burp!

A burp that resonated with the mountain came from Art’s mouth, and after lowering his costume, he showed a content expression.

Casting a sideways glance at the injured William, his face was full of disdain.

"You indeed failed! Ah, but... this time I’m in a good mood, having gained an important tumor part inside my body. So I won’t blame you.

Go back quickly, before the old hag from Cancer Palace comes to kill us. We must notify the boss to move out soon."