The Devil’s Cage

Trumbo’s contempt grew even stronger when he saw Kieran and Mr. Big running away from him. He was not surprised though.

From his point of view, it was the right choice for them.

”Rock, my friend, it’s just the two of us now! Time to settle the old debts!”

Trumbo raised both his hands as he spoke.

All the fire in a 10-meter radius gathered and fermented above his hands like a summoned pet.

In the blink of an eye, a two-meter wide fireball was created above Trumbo’s head. Its burning temperature cooled down a little, but the turning, spinning fireball was flickering as if something scary was brewing inside it, waiting to break out of its shell.

”Rock, my old friend! I’ve been preparing this feast for you for a long time! It might crush you to bits, but try not to disappoint me!”

Trumbo’s face twisted in an evil way as he spoke. The kind, gentle aura that had surrounded him earlier had disappeared completely. His true face was a vicious, evil one that suited him very well.

Suddenly, a slightly rough voice came from the shadows. Shadow Stinger Rock was used to being silent and did not intend to reply with words, but actions.

The shadow energy that surrounded Rock started to move and gather like black silk, unfolding in the wind around his dagger’s handle. The dagger was a medium for channeling the shadow energy and using it as an attacking method to inflict damage on Trumbo.

”Ah, that familiar stinging sensation! The Grimoire Dagger! You know, Rock, you are relying too much on that weapon. Of course, it is very powerful, but you should not forget about yourself. Behold my power, the purgatory that I created! Soon you will be a part of my prized collection!”

Trumbo exhaled lightly at the stinging sensation of the dagger before he laughed out loud. He didn’t even seem concerned about the pain.

He had been preparing a long time for this. Why would he care about a little pain?

The huge fireball above him had turned dark, as if the fire had gone off as he spoke. However, a terrifying screech and a sharp whistling sound alerted everyone to the true fear and danger coming.

”Behold, Rock! This is the end of you! You will forever sink into my eternal purgatory, and I will ascend to the heavens like an immortal! I have been wai...”

Before he could finish, Trumbo’s face changed. It wasn’t because of anything the Rock had done. It was because Kieran had come back. To be more precise, Kieran had returned with a rocket launcher on his shoulder.

Kieran’s actions had exceeded Trumbo’s expectations. According to his original plan, any weapons that might potentially pose a threat to him, whether from Mr. Big or Sphendix’s side, should have all been destroyed during the earlier explosion.

But how? What had gone wrong?

Puzzled, Trumbo tried to stall Kieran before he could fire.

”Unexpected One…”

Kieran pulled the trigger straightaway, not giving a damn about what Trumbo had to say.

The rocket was launched toward Trumbo, a bright flaming tail trailing it.

”YOU DARE!” Trumbo shouted in an extremely loud voice.

Kieran replied by giving him the middle finger with his right hand. Once again, he disappeared among the ruins in the area.

The rocket flying towards Trumbo was still there, even though Kieran had disappeared.

Trumbo knew that his Force Field Barrier would not be able to withstand the rocket’s explosion. He had no choice but to use some other countermeasures that he had not thought he would need to.

A fist-sized fireball appeared in mid-air without a warning and flew towards the rocket.

Boom!

The rocket was detonated by the fireball. Thanks to his Force Field Barrier, Trumbo was not harmed, although his lustrous hair and skin were slightly affected by the sudden ambush.

”Fool! I’ll deal with you later! I’ll show you what real fear is!”

Trumbo felt his heart ache at the minor loss of life energy. It had taken many years of planning to fill his life energy, yet that little incident had cost him 1/10 of it.

He could not tolerate such defiance from Kieran. He hated him even more now and couldn’t wait to tear him apart limb by limb.

However, when Kieran emerged again from the ruins, Trumbo’s face turned a solid green from shock.

Kieran was carrying a second rocket launcher on his shoulder, another one on his back, and one more in his hands.

Trumbo couldn’t figure out how Kieran had gotten his hands on so many rocket launchers. Could Mr. Big have a hidden armory that he did not know of?

Trumbo’s speculations could not alter the facts before him though.

Kieran quickly pulled the triggers one after the other, and three rockets were fired off towards Trumbo.

As the rockets were blasted towards him, he was still tangling with Rock. Trumbo had no other option but to use his earlier technique again.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The continuous explosions consumed even more of Trumbo’s life energy. However, his sudden old age aside, it was Trumbo’s rage that had reached its tipping point.

Trumbo clenched his teeth, swearing that he would tear Kieran apart with his bare hands.

However, hi’s rage was suddenly replaced by panic. The Grimoire Dagger, which was still lodged in his chest, was on the brink of exploding and unleashing its destructive power much sooner than he’d expected.

”How is this possible?” Trumbo shouted in confusion.

”The biggest difference between men and animals is that men can use tools and make full use of each one in their hands!” a rough voice told Trumbo.

Shadow Stinger Rock had broken his silence.

As he finished speaking, the dagger in Trumbo’s chest emitted a gloomy, deep purple light.

The Powerful Force Field Barrier around Trumbo was broken along with his body.

Kieran watched the scene from afar before quickly pulling out the silver revolver and firing at Trumbo, spending all of his rounds on him.

Meanwhile, Kieran dashed towards Trumbo like an arrow let loose from a bow.

He had sacrificed the weapons he’d considered his biggest reward for the even bigger reward he expected to get out of Trumbo.

However, Kieran’s biggest reward would escape his grasp if Trumbo died by someone else’s hand.

Kieran would rather die than let that chance slip away.

[Shooting: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 200 Damage to Target HP, (100 Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)(Grand Master) X2)…]

[Shooting: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 200 Damage to Target HP, (100 Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)(Grand Master) X2)…]

[Shooting: Lethal Attack, Inflicts 200 Damage to Target HP, (100 Firearm Weapon (Light Firearm)(Grand Master) X2)…]

...

As Kieran kept firing at Trumbo, battle notifications kept spamming his vision.

He finally let out a relieved breath when the last shot signaled Trumbo’s death.

Kieran looked at Trumbo’s body out of instinct. He wanted to inspect his rewards, and he was not disappointed. Among a whole bunch of green, there was something gold sparkling.

Kieran wanted to approach, but the extinguished fireball was oozing out a dark shadow, creating an army of formless wandering souls as it broke.

The [Knitted Tasliman] emitted a burning sensation, causing Kieran to activate his [Tracking].

All he saw was a seemingly endless sea of formless souls.

The formless souls stood between him and his rewards. They were the last obstacle that he had to overcome.

”Get the f*ck out of my way!” Kieran shouted loudly as he dashed out.

An indomitable aura gathered around Kieran. Even though he was alone, it felt like he had an army at his disposal.

The Shadow Stinger felt the sudden change in Kieran and could not help but look at him askance. He was surprised by Kieran’s aura and the hidden power he seemed to possess.

The Shadow Stinger did not understand Kieran’s rage at the irrelevant things standing between him and his treasure. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kieran would crush the formless souls’ bones and spread their ashes after he was done with them.

Kieran rushed in like a strong wind with lightning punches and flaming kicks. He was like a tiger against a bunch of lambs. Nothing could stop him.

TL Note

Crushing Bones, Spreading Ashes: When someone’s bones are crushed and their ashes are spread after their death, it’s a sign of extreme hate towards them.