Chapter 12: The Banquet of Slaughter

The iron gate of the church was forcibly dragged open, producing a spine-chilling creak. A multitude of native monsters whipped around in unison, their gazes fixed upon two figures who emerged from the church and stepped into the misty rain.

A dull, oppressive roar echoed through the streets as the roaming monsters surged like a tidal wave, crazed and relentless.

“Swish, swish, swish!”

Several harpoons, spears, and pitchforks pierced the curtain of rain, shooting toward them with deadly force.

Reinhold, despite having lost a leg and needing a cane to stand, moved with astonishing agility—swifter, even, than Li Nanke, whose limbs were whole. With a deft sidestep, he evaded the thrown weapons, his muscular arm swinging the chainsaw-axe to cleave through sheets of rain, intercepting a harpoon meant for Li Nanke and sending it clattering to the ground.

The burly man cast a cold glance at Li Nanke, tightening his grip on the axe’s handle. The saw teeth whirred to life, spinning at high speed with a harsh, grating sound.

Facing the oncoming wave of monsters, Reinhold bellowed and strode forward, intent on hewing through the raging tide with nothing but his axe and his own might.

The expression of the native monster at the forefront was now clear—snarling and horrific.

The thick axe blade sliced through the rain, its whirring teeth tearing into shoulder and chest. Flesh and bone proved no match for the brutal blade; it parted them as easily as heated steel cuts through butter. Blood sprayed, organs spilled onto the ground—the monster was cleaved diagonally in two.

As the first native monster fell, the surging horde pressed close behind, threatening to engulf the two completely.

Yet the formidable martial monk stood firm, an iron wall, an immovable reef—forcing even the furious waves to split and flow around him.

The violent sounds of the chainsaw-axe ripping through flesh and bone rang out incessantly, mingling with the monsters’ howls, the man’s heavy breathing, and the thunder of the revolver, heralding the start of a slaughterous feast.

Blood mingled with rainwater, painting the street crimson and transforming the town’s thoroughfare into a path of gore.

Reinhold pressed forward with great strides, Li Nanke close beside him, surrounded by a mass of native monsters, yet their steps remained unwavering.

Li Nanke swept his saw blade across, intercepting a scythe aimed at Reinhold, and raised his left hand—

“Bang!”

The muzzle flashed, and the bullet’s force pierced the monster’s skull. Its head jerked back, the body collapsing limply to the ground, lifeless.

At the moment of the monster’s death, a faint, intangible power surged into his body, imbuing the symbol called ‘Self.’

Li Nanke paused in surprise, but the urgency of battle left no time for reflection.

Meanwhile, Reinhold felled another monster with his chainsaw-axe, then swiftly stabbed his metal cane. A monster, blade raised to strike at Li Nanke, was pierced through the heart by the cane’s sharp tip.

“There!” Reinhold looked in the direction Li Nanke indicated—a narrow alley not far off.

The martial monk hacked with furious strength, splashing blood anew.

Ordinarily, such intense fighting would leave Li Nanke gasping, with pain in his lungs and bouts of coughing. Now, though his chest still felt slightly constricted, he was far better than the breathless consumptive he had been during strenuous exertion.

With each monster that fell, the energy stored within ‘Self’ grew.

The two battled fiercely for some time, finally tearing open a gap in the encircling tide.

Li Nanke dashed out without hesitation, sprinting through the rain.

The figure leaning on a cane moved even faster, quickly overtaking him and squeezing into the alley.

The alley’s entrance was just ahead; as Li Nanke was about to dive in, his hairs stood on end. He instinctively rolled to the side.

Fragments of stone flew as a harpoon embedded itself in the brick pavement.

His high synchronization rate and keen danger sense had saved him yet again.

Li Nanke scrambled upright, twisted at the waist, swung his arm, his sharp gaze sweeping the area. The muzzle of his revolver traced an arc.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

In the pursuing horde, three monsters wielding long weapons, poised to throw, froze in place, bloody holes appearing between their brows.

Having dealt with the threat of thrown weapons, Li Nanke plunged into the alley.

“Excellent marksmanship!” the man with the chainsaw-axe stepped forward, blocking the alley entrance, his broad shoulders nearly filling the passage.

Li Nanke exhaled with relief, knowing the remaining monsters posed no further threat. With Reinhold holding this crucial position, no enemy would break through; Li Nanke needed only to guard the martial monk’s back against foes lurking in the alley’s shadows.

He quickly opened the revolver’s cylinder, dumped the spent shells, pressed in the crescent-shaped speed loader, and snapped the cylinder shut—all in under two seconds.

Taking several deep breaths, he calmed his agitated chest.

With the blessing of ‘Breath of the Lake,’ Li Nanke’s endurance in movement and combat had greatly improved, and he was steadily leaving behind the humiliations of his five-second stamina.

Indeed, the extraordinary ability’s qualities suited him so well that Li Nanke was eager to enhance ‘Breath of the Lake.’

According to William’s memories, a student must undergo trials to become a martial monk, then receive the church’s runes and learn a secret technique called ‘Spiritual Meditation.’

Only through relentless practice and meditation could one gradually strengthen the rune’s power—a patient, incremental process with no shortcuts.

Li Nanke recalled the strange energy gained from slaying the monsters; in the brief lull, he focused his mind inward.

Where ‘Self’ had once resembled a parched pool, it now held a shallow reservoir thanks to the absorbed energy. Invisible threads linked ‘Self’ to ‘Beast Nature’ and onward to ‘Breath of the Lake,’ like channels connecting three pools.

Upon perceiving this energy, the term ‘source energy’ surfaced in his mind.

This energy, called ‘source energy,’ seemed to flow along those invisible threads to ‘Beast Nature’ and then to the trait ‘Breath of the Lake.’

He raised an eyebrow and attempted to inject source energy into ‘Breath of the Lake.’

Instantly, the trait glowed, his breathing became smoother, and a pleasant sensation filled his lungs.

Once he had transferred all accumulated source energy from ‘Self’ into ‘Breath of the Lake,’ the trident rune’s light faded.

[Trait: ‘Breath of the Lake’]

[Subordinate: Beast Nature]

[Rank: 0]

[Level: 0 → 1 (63%)]

‘Breath of the Lake’ had advanced from level 0 to level 1, with sixty-three percent progress toward the next level.

“It’s just… this easy to improve?”

With the extra power system of ‘Self’ and the four temperaments, it seemed that simply fighting and killing granted source energy, swiftly enhancing rune traits.

For apprentices like William—or even martial monks—this was utterly contrary to their understanding of the supernatural, a bewildering path to power.

Li Nanke flicked the blood from his saw blade, standing vigilant behind Reinhold, his gaze thoughtful.

Outside the alley, the monsters were held at bay by the martial monk, and after leaving several corpses, they did not continue their mad assault. Instead, at the snarling of several monsters, they retreated.

Li Nanke recognized those creatures—they were the ones who had previously hunted him, possessing slightly higher intelligence.

Not all the town’s native monsters were consumed by a desire to kill; some retained a glimmer of intellect.

It seemed that the so-called ‘High Sea’s Favored’ were likewise endowed, perhaps even more cunning than those before; otherwise, they would not have concealed themselves among ordinary monsters, feigned weakness, and then suddenly ambushed Lady Liliana.

“Is this the blessing of an evil god…” Li Nanke pondered inwardly.

With the monsters gone, Reinhold hefted his chainsaw-axe, its blade still dripping blood and clinging to bits of flesh and fur.

The man’s coat had split at the chest and shoulder, exposing two long, bleeding wounds—scars earned in the front line of the monster tide.

Though the martial monk was powerful, he was now missing a leg and his movements were hampered. At his peak, he might have carved a path through the entire street with axe alone.

As he bandaged his wounds, Reinhold spoke to Li Nanke:

“Your marksmanship is impressive, clearly the result of hard work. As for your physical and weapon skills… though proficient, they’re obviously off-track—not the orthodox combat techniques taught at the monastery.”

“At your stage, the rune’s supernatural power can only assist in battle; absorbing a rune is not enough to become a true martial monk. You have much to learn.”

“If we escape from here, I will continue Lady Liliana’s instruction for you and submit your advancement application to the church. Then you can learn ‘Spiritual Meditation’ and further strengthen your supernatural abilities.”

Though Reinhold found fault, he was clearly impressed by the apprentice monk’s talent.

Without Li Nanke’s cooperation, Reinhold could not have broken out so easily.

To remain unflinching under the monster tide, to carve a bloody path alongside Reinhold, and even cooperate seamlessly—after only a few battles in the town, Li Nanke was already as seasoned as a veteran… nothing like those deadweight apprentices.