13 Mink Street

Before landing on the ground after shredding the heart, the golden retriever wrapped his tail around the sword hilt. Upon landing, his tail dragged the Aelius Sword towards Enos’s neck.

Pch! The head was chopped off.

After doing all this, Kevin’s tail started wagging, as though it was cramping slightly.

Karon reached up and wiped the blood from his mouth, then smiled. This dog of his had really worked hard.

Picking up the sword and standing, Karon coughed several more times. He was injured.

While his injuries could not be considered serious, they were also not light. Fortunately, for the time being, they did not affect his ability to fight the next battle.

However, Karon was also somewhat puzzled. Given his own fight, why had the captain and the others still not arrived to reinforce him?

Just as Karon was preparing to head to other battlefields, Kevin caught up to him, holding a bracelet in his mouth.

Oh. Karon had forgotten to loot the body. He reached out, and Kevin dropped the bracelet into his palm. When it came to handling the details, Karon’s dog was indeed more attentive than he was.

The situation on the nearby battlefield was more varied and chaotic, but there was nothing tragic about it. Pu’er and Alfred were cooperating, putting constant pressure on Dart.

Naturally, the recent explosion had caused alarm here as well, and when Dart saw Karon approach while holding Enos’s bracelet, his determination utterly collapsed. He did not hesitate or waver at all, but simply turned and fled.

Alfred intended to pursue the man and cooperate with Karon to eliminate Dart, but upon seeing that Karon had no intention of chasing, Alfred stopped as well. “Young Master, are you injured?”

“I’m fine. I’m not seriously injured. I just want to slow down for a bit. These Sea God Church people, especially the leaders, are really hard to put down.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Go find Mr. Rudd. Pu’er, go with him. Summon Aseros to where we landed. Prepare for evacuation.”

Pu’er asked in confusion, “Weren’t three flares fired?”

“But the captain and the others haven’t come over here yet. I suspect that things at the docks might be more complicated. Making preparations for a retreat first is never the wrong decision. That’s something else my captain always taught me.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Pu’er sat on the shoulder of her puppet. The puppet then turned and tossed “Mr. Kevin,” whom it had been holding, in front of Kevin. “Stupid dog, let’s go.”

“Woof!” Kevin barked, first slipping into the leash, then biting the other end out of his puppet’s hand. He walked over to Karon, where he crouched down and wagged his tail.

Seeing this, Karon said, “Take Kevin’s puppet with you. I’ll take Kevin to smash some eggs.”

“That sounds like a very fun game. I want to go too, meow.” Despite saying that, Pu’er still obediently picked up Kevin’s puppet and followed Alfred to search for Rudd.

Karon held a sword in his left hand and a leash in his right. Kevin walked ahead, full of confidence.

They arrived at the office building he had left earlier. By now, the place was empty. Everyone who had been in the building should have been transferred away. Karon went to the basement. The six eggs in the basement were still there and had not been moved. “I think there should be even more eggs on their ship.”

“Woof!” Kevin nodded.

“Even if this is related to that one’s return, having such a large number of Sea God fundamentalists suddenly appear is quite strange. How could there not be any news regarding them before this? Where were they hiding?”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“I don’t understand you, but I can guess what you’re saying. You mean the fundamentalists were scattered throughout the small and medium-sized churches that broke off from the Sea God Church? And then, recently, they gathered together?”

Kevin nodded.

“That’s the only explanation left.”

This dog had suppressed and killed the Sea God. He had destroyed the Sea God Church. Although the shadow of the God of Order had certainly stood behind this, the God of Order had not fully entered the field. This also meant that the Church of Order would not resolutely strike these remnants the way it did the remnants of the Wall God Church.

In addition, the orthodox Sea God Church had already broken at the end of the previous epoch. Throughout the current epoch, the small and medium-sized church fragments that had been born of the Sea God Church had never amounted to anything substantial, and would not attract much attention at all. By relying on this method, the Sea God Church had managed to remain scattered, yet had also managed to preserve and continue.

Their treatment was much better than that of the Light vermin.

“I’m a little curious now about what else the captain and the others might have found on that ship. This group is not simple.”

Karon walked to an egg and stabbed the Aelius Sword directly into it. The eggshell shattered, and a head emerged from it. Its eyeballs seemed to hang there, stretched out for a long distance. There was no mouth or ears to be seen at all. The body was all sticky, and was clearly not fully developed.

Even so, it seemed to possess an instinctive sense of danger. No, it actually did possess one, because before entering the eggshell, this creature had been a living adult, a believer of the Sea God Church.

With a sweep of his greatsword, the creature’s head was severed. The moment it struck the ground, it burst apart with a wet splat. It sounded like a heap of rotting sludge hitting the floor; utterly revolting.

As Karon raised the greatsword to stab another egg, he said to Kevin, “While I know you destroyed the Sea God Church for her sake, I still think now that it’s a good thing that you did that. If the Sea God Church were still an orthodox church now, wouldn’t its holy land be filled with rows and rows of these eggs, with many low-ranking Divine Servants of the Sea God Church carrying buckets to brush blood on them every day?

“Not only that, the blood would be offered by ordinary believers, who would even see what they were doing was something glorious and sacred.

“Also, in regards to the Church of Reincarnation, I’ve always been curious; Out of all those souls inside the Reincarnation Gate, how many were captured and placed within, and how many are believers who voluntarily offered their own souls to go to the afterlife? The latter must be the overwhelming majority.”

Listening to Karon’s words, Kevin turned his head to look at the young man. In the dog’s eyes, there was actually a hint of confusion and reminiscence.

After Karon stabbed the third egg, he lowered his head and looked at Kevin. “What is it?”

Kevin immediately shook its head.

Crack... crack... Cracks opened on the two remaining white eggs. The creatures inside them had already sensed the immense danger and were preparing to escape.

Karon struck twice in quick succession, instantly crushing both eggshells and the creatures within them.

“This kind of egg-smashing activity is quite good for relieving stress.”

Only the final and largest black egg remained.

“Does a black egg mean a second evolution?” Karon asked.

Kevin nodded.

“So that’s how it is.” Karon raised his sword. Suddenly, sound could be heard from within the black eggshell. A black shadow stretched out, extending both hands to grab Karon’s head.

A flash of Light appeared in his right eye, releasing pure radiance that struck the shadow. It let out a miserable cry and shrank back within the eggshell.

Pa! Karon smashed the eggshell, but the black filth curled up beneath it.

“Light—Incinerate.” Flames rose, and the black shadow started to scream. It pounced at Karon again, only to be bisected at the waist by his sword.

After watching it burn to ash, Karon made a point of using the tip of his sword to stir the ashes a few times. “I’m developing obsessive-compulsive habits. Bernard’s to be blamed for this.”

After dealing with the eggs in the basement, Karon led Kevin upstairs. They checked every room on each floor. In many rooms, there were solitary eggs. Karon guessed that before entering the eggs, the occupants had been close to others who shared the room, possibly being lovers, spouses, or friends. That was why they were separate from the other eggshells and cared for by whoever broke out first. That was because there was a blood bucket and a brush beside each egg.

Karon did not spare a single one. He smashed all of the eggs.

After finishing his inspection of the third floor, Karon re-entered the communication room that he had escaped through the window. Kevin understood without needing any instruction, and stepped forward to adjust the ritual array stone. Soon, the communication array established contact.

“Rudd? Rudd? Is that you, Rudd?” Master Anderson’s voice came through.

“Master Anderson, it’s me, Karon.”

“Young Master? You’ve already landed on the island and have rescued Rudd?”

“I need you to follow my instructions right now. Use your connections to inform the Church of Order in the name of Nio’s squad that a large number of Sea God Church fundamentalists have landed on Kerona Island and have attacked a Whip of Order squad. Be quick.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The communication ended there. Karon looked down at Kevin. “Sniff again. Are there any more eggs here?”

Kevin shook his head.

“Then let’s go to the docks.”

***

At the docks, three ships were burning. One was burning more fiercely than the others, while the other two had simply caught fire due to their close proximity.

Bang!

Bang!

On the mast, Fannie raised her Arts rifle to shoot at black-robed figures both on the shore and in the water.

Gray wielded a spear and blocked all of the black-robed figures’ attempts to climb aboard the ship and put out the fire.

Wynn moved about like a gentle wind, constantly roaming the deck, coordinating with Gray to attack the black-robed figures in the water.

The enemies’ numbers far exceeded what the squad had expected. The eggshells that Karon had discovered truly were nothing more than the first batch.

On shore, the captain was fighting two black-robed figures on his own. Their faces were wrapped in red bandages, and they were both as powerful as Enos, whom Karon had just killed.

Being unable to use the power of Light, Nio could only maneuver around his opponents with the power of Order. Fortunately, he also possessed the Bloodfiends’ bloodline, which he could make public. Thus, while somewhat at a disadvantage, there was no major problem with him enduring for some time.

Memphis’s performance shocked everyone except the captain. He held a floating magic cube in the air with one hand, and clouds of mist swirled within a ten-meter radius of him. He was surrounded by the greatest number of black-robed figures, and there were even two red-bandaged figures among them, yet none could break through the defenses of his array. Instead, every so often, he would drag one of the subordinates into the ritual array in order to grind them apart.

With Memphis serving as the anchor and the captain harassing the enemy and pulling at them from the side, the two stabilized the dockside defensive line. As for the other enemies who swam over from farther away, they were left for Fannie and the others to deal with.

Still, the overall situation at the docks was a bitter battle.

Karon entered everyone’s sight while walking a dog on a leash. When he saw the battle, his first reaction was confusion, because the captain had fired three signal flares, indicating an all-out assault.

Rolling his neck, Karon raised the Aelius Sword.

“Karon, come here!” The captain shouted.

“I’m coming over Captain!” Karon raised his sword and charged into Memphis’s battle.

This was not because Karon was deliberately leaving the captain to fend for himself, but rather, Karon knew that unless it was absolutely necessary, the captain would never use the power of Light. Since that was the case, it was better to leave him to continue holding the enemy off while Karon first helped Memphis to gain the upper hand.

After all, Karon’s maternal uncle was a genuine Expositor. His biggest problem at this moment was probably that he was not particularly skilled at combat.

The Aelius Sword sliced into the battle. After Karon slashed his way inside, Memphis opened the ritual array to receive him.

Karon did not bother with any pleasantries and simply said, “I’ll be the attacker; Support me and follow my tempo!”

“Yes. Understood!” Memphis did not hesitate or doubt Karon’s request. In fact, he felt this method was only natural.

Karon’s eyes flushed red as he pushed the power of the Darkmoon Blade to the limit. However, he did make sure to use a layer of Order fire to dye the blade and conceal what power he was using. He charged straight for his chosen target.

Memphis followed Karon’s rhythm. Whenever Karon attacked a target, the array would help him by blocking threats from other directions.

Very soon, one black-robed figure after another was felled by Karon’s sword. He flourished the sword and withdrew it. He stopped to rest and catch his breath. Memphis swiftly used the ritual array to fully protect Karon.

“Let’s continue!”

“Alright!”

After another round of slaughter, Karon once again withdrew his sword to catch his breath. Fighting like this felt truly comfortable. It was like receiving a hot towel and ice water immediately after finishing a round of golf.

Of course, such treatment could only be encountered, not sought. Under normal circumstances, Karon would never find an Expositor who would fully dedicate themself to assisting him.

However, even after paying a tremendous price in casualties, the black-robed figures still showed no sign of retreat.

When he caught his breath again, Karon asked, “What did you find on the ship?”

“Many eggs. White ones, black ones, and blue ones!”

There are blue eggs too? Higher-level evolutions?

Karon now understood the abnormal reaction of the black-robed figures. They were desperate to retake that ship and save the eggs aboard it, because those eggs held not only their companions and leaders, but possibly even Elder-level existences.

So this is why the captain fired three flares?

It had to be because the captain knew that if these fellows were not destroyed before they fully developed in their shells and then broke out, with just a bit more time, things would become extremely difficult.

The captain had always liked pulling weeds out by the roots. Previously, he had even been dissatisfied when Karon had failed to kill Peld from the Church of Reincarnation.

At this moment, Paige ran out of the burning ship’s hold and shouted, “The Arts bombs are set!”

The captain immediately gave orders to Fannie through his blue shell. “Withdraw now. Head to the landing point!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Fannie immediately relayed the order to the others, and then slid down the mast and leapt into the water. Wynn, Gray, and Paige did the same. After jumping into the water, they moved elsewhere before coming ashore.

The captain estimated the timing and disengaged while taking some injuries. “Receive me!”

Memphis opened a gap in his array, and the captain passed through it. He was panting, though his wounds rapidly recovered.

At this moment, the two red-bandaged, black-robed figures who had been fighting the captain charged straight for the burning ship, but before they could reach the shore...

Boom! A deafening explosion rang out. The blast came from the ship’s hold. Dense black smoke and massive flames surged upward, and the hull began tilting and then sinking quickly.

“How many eggs were aboard that you had to use Arts bombs?” Karon asked.

“More than you can even imagine. The ship’s hold was packed with them,” the captain replied. “We’re retreating too! Break through!”

When Karon and the others showed their intent to break out, not only did their enemies fail to stop them, they even moved aside and jumped into the water, one after another, preparing to carry out a final rescue attempt.

This scene left Karon rather stunned. The ship had already been blown up, and all of the eggs should have shattered from the blast. Shouldn’t they have gone mad and sought revenge?

In the end, Karon and the others were able to easily leave the docks.

When they stopped to rest, Karon asked, “Mr. Rudd’s wife and daughter should have been on that ship.”

“They were already saved. Gendi and several of his surviving squad members were also imprisoned on that ship. I had them head to our landing point first. The mother and daughter are very familiar with this island and know the place, so they led the way.

“Gendi and the few surviving members of his squad were all severely injured and unable to fight, so I let them withdraw first.”

“Gendi didn’t die?”

“These people probably regretted attacking as soon as they learned of his affiliation, so they kept him alive for the time being, and didn’t dare kill him. Still, more than half of his squad’s been wiped out, and he was also captured. If it weren’t for this group of Sea God Church fundamentalists suddenly appearing en masse, he would probably be judged for dereliction of duty for this incident. However, he should now be able to gain some credit as an auxiliary squad that helped us and will share some of merit.”

“Then what about the majority of the credit?”

“Heh, what majority of the credit? This was always an escort mission we were responsible for. I accepted this mission. We fought off the Sea God Church’s attack and successfully counterattacked. Against the evil Sea God Church, we Hunting Hounds defended the glory of Order with tenacious will and unyielding spirit!

“Right, Memphis?”

“Mhmm. Yes.” Memphis nodded.

“By the way, Captain, did you have Paige bring those Arts bombs along?”

“Mhmm. I was originally planning to use them to wipe our asses and destroy any bodies and evidence. I didn’t think we’d use them here. The only thing I’m worried about now is how many of the ten crows Memphis and I sent out will successfully reach York City.”

“I used the communication array to connect to Allen Manor and order them to summon reinforcements for us.”

“That makes sense. This trade route is supposed to be jointly overseen by our church, Darkmoon Island, and Allen Manor. Since that’s the case, reinforcements should arrive soon enough. Alright, there’s no need to worry.

“Actually, there’s one more thing I find strange. I keep feeling that the degree of concern they showed for their ship can’t only be because the hold was densely packed with eggs. However, once reinforcements arrive and capture everyone, we should be able to get some clear answers by interrogating them.”

Karon nodded. Out of habit, he reached out to touch a certain bald head, but touched empty air instead. “Where’s my dog?”

The captain immediately said, “Where’s your dog?”

***

A golden retriever swam out of the water and climbed ashore. It frantically shook its wet fur.

It opened its mouth.

Plop! A purple egg dropped onto the beach.

Thump... thump... thump...

The sound came from within the purple egg, as though a heart was beating.

“Send me... back... and I shall... grant you... wisdom... grant you... everything you desire...”

As soon as Kevin heard this, an extremely excited expression appeared on his face. He then raised a hind leg over the egg and precisely loosed a stream of urine. Pitter... pitter... pitter...

“You... you... beast!”

Kevin looked thoroughly pleased with himself.

The dog then raised his head to gaze into the distance. He quickly determined his directions and prepared to leave with the egg. However, when he lowered his head to pick the egg back up...

He froze.