Lord of Prayer

"It’s not that simple." Zhou Chen shook his head. He’d seen what the Ghost was capable of. ’If he’s dead set on causing destruction, he’ll find a way.’ The only way to truly prevent it would be to bring in several more Tier Four Ascenders, but where were they supposed to find so many?

Still, Feng City should be safe for the time being. The Ghost had caused too much of a scene before, so he’d have to lay low for a while. Besides, if he did come back, the Church could provide an early warning through the Sensing at Soul Rest Cemetery.

But Zhou Chen still didn’t want Erin to stay here. ’What if she’s in danger...’

"It’s fine." Erin seemed to read his mind. "Even if I run into danger, I have life-saving Artifacts on me. Besides," she added, "I don’t want to be some flower in a greenhouse or a lucky charm. Instead of being protected like a delicate princess, I want to learn to be strong and independent, to face the Darkness of the world and its inevitable conflicts."

A determined light shone in her eyes. Zhou Chen met her gaze for a moment before nodding. "If this is your decision, then I’ll absolutely support it."

Erin broke into a happy smile. Then, her voice full of anticipation, she asked, "Can you go shopping with me this afternoon?"

"Don’t you have your internship?"

"I can ask for time off."

Zhou Chen considered it. The mission wasn’t urgent, so he nodded in agreement.

·

「Feng City. A certain hotel.」

A group of voices was in conversation.

"Is the target clear to everyone?"

"Crystal clear. We’ve had our eye on this punk for a long time. Been itching to take him out," a sinister voice declared.

"Don’t get cocky. He’s a Tier Three now; it’s not a given who’s going to kill who. Besides, according to the client’s intel, the punk has a ring that can summon a Tier Four Ascender."

"Don’t worry, we have a way to handle the ring. All you have to do is lay down covering fire and it’s done. So what if he’s a Tier Three Ascender? We’ve killed tons of them!"

"But Boss, Feng City is on high alert right now. What if we draw the attention of the Star Association?"

"Then we’re all screwed, obviously! How can you not get something so simple?" the boss said, exasperated. "That’s why we have to be fast, precise, and ruthless. We need to finish the job in under two minutes to have any chance of escape. Not a second more."

"Boss, I’m freaking out. I have a really bad feeling about this. Maybe we should just drop the mission? I know the client’s offer is tempting, but I just feel like this is going to go south..."

"Give up my ass! Do you have any idea what the payout is for this job? It’s enough for all of us to be set for life! High risk, high reward! If we pull this off, we can wash our hands of the whole business and go live the good life!" the boss snarled. "And cut the damn defeatist talk! How many hits and heists have we pulled? When haven’t we been dancing on the edge of a knife? We’ve always managed to pull through, haven’t we? If you’re scared of dying, then get the hell out now. You won’t see a single cent of the money!"

The thought of the massive payout instantly dispelled most of the man’s unease. "I was wrong, Boss. Let’s get on with it. The sooner we get this done, the better."

"Where’s the target now?" the boss asked.

"He’s at the mall with some young girl. Dammit, I remember hearing rumors about this punk getting cozy with some tall woman. How’d he hook up with another pretty girl so fast!" The lookout ground his teeth, seemingly ready to shatter his own molars in frustration.

"He’s with someone? That just makes it easier. Kill the woman first to distract him," the boss said ruthlessly.

·

On a street lined with food stalls, Zhou Chen and Erin were sampling all kinds of snacks. But the local Feng City specialties had them both frowning.

"This is so rich. Does everyone in Feng City have such heavy taste?" Adhering to her no-waste policy, Erin forced herself to finish a piece of rice cake. The cloying sweetness was enough to give her goosebumps. She quickly shoved the box into Zhou Chen’s hands. "Here, you eat it. I can’t take another bite."

Zhou Chen stared at the several half-eaten boxes of snacks in his hands, then fell silent, grimly starting to stuff the food into his own mouth.

Erin twisted open a bottle of water and took a sip. Her eyes scanned the nearby food stalls as she said, almost too casually, "I saw the news."

"I had no choice. I had to kill those Corrupters," Zhou Chen sighed.

"Huh?" Erin paused. "I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the news... about you and Sister Xiye."

"Huh?" Now it was Zhou Chen’s turn to be taken aback.

"Someone saw Sister Xiye pin you against a wall. You didn’t know? It topped the trending charts for days. People even drew fan art." Erin was still studying the street-side stalls, avoiding his gaze.

"..." Zhou Chen was suddenly at a loss for words.

"I also saw the lipstick stain she left on your collar."

"..."

"She said you two are just ’good bros,’ but I’ve done my research. That’s not what good bros do. Besides, it’s impossible for a man and a woman to have a purely platonic ’bro’ relationship."

"..."

"Zhou Chen, I’m not that clueless little girl anymore. And even my old self wasn’t naive enough to be kept in the dark forever." Erin pursed her lips. "The truth is, I know everything... No, I should say ’we’—’we’ all know. We all understand perfectly."

Zhou Chen opened his mouth. "Erin..."

Without giving him a chance to speak, Erin walked over to a nearby stall. "A large takoyaki, please. Make it insanely hot."

There was already a fresh order of takoyaki ready. Erin had the vendor sprinkle a thick layer of bright red chili powder over it, then speared one with a bamboo skewer and held it to Zhou Chen’s lips. "Eat."

Zhou Chen opened his mouth and ate it. A fiery, painful sensation immediately flooded his mouth. "...Is this your revenge?"

"Yes. It’s revenge on a two-timing scumbag."

"Then isn’t this revenge a little... underwhelming?"

Suddenly, Erin flashed a cunning smile that made Zhou Chen freeze. It was an expression he’d never seen on her before.

The Erin he knew was elegant and bright, innocent and pure, kind and cheerful—like a white flower. But the girl before him now wore the sly grin of a successful schemer, leaving Zhou Chen momentarily stunned.

"I had a friend take a photo of us just now," she said, her expression a mask of pure innocence. "It should already be trending online. Sister Xiye won’t be mad when she sees it... right?"

Zhou Chen’s face was a picture of astonishment.

"What in the world have they been teaching you at that internship?!"

"I didn’t learn this at my internship," Erin said. "I learned it from you. You’ve taught me these things at home, too."

’I shouldn’t have taught you any of this...’ Zhou Chen fought the urge to facepalm. ’Sure enough, after living with me and Xiye for so long, even the purest soul would get corrupted. And to make matters worse, I was the one deliberately teaching her.’

Erin leaned in closer, her sapphire eyes boring into his. "But you enjoy it too, don’t you?"

Looking like a thief caught in the act, Zhou Chen averted his gaze. But an instant later, his head snapped around, his expression turning grim and serious as he entered a combat stance in a heartbeat.

An illusory curtain descended from the sky, enveloping the entire food street.

Immediately after, however, everyone except Zhou Chen and Erin bizarrely vanished, only to reappear back in reality. After a moment of stunned silence, they began to scream and flee.

This was Zhou Chen’s doing. He had wished for all the ordinary people to be removed from the Barrier.

He could have just as easily wished for himself and Erin to return to reality, but Erin’s verbal assault had been surprisingly sharp, and he was finding it hard to parry. ’It’s probably for the best to change the subject,’ he thought.

Despite facing a surprise attack, Zhou Chen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. ’In a way, these would-be assassins have just saved me!’

’So,’ he decided, ’I’ll have to give them a quick and painless death later!’

"KYEHEHEHE..." A strange, deep cackle echoed as the thick stench of blood filled the air. A towering man, built like a demonic wall, came charging forward. He wore a plastic apron spattered with gore, a swarm of flies buzzing around him. In his hand, he brandished a massive, notched, and blood-caked Meat Cleaver.

Zhou Chen’s pupils contracted. He recognized this man!

An Advanced member of the American Chainsaw Murder Association—the Bloody Butcher!