The Gentleman at the End

Boundary Prairie.

The False Moon controlled by Lorrian arrived late,

even though they set off earlier than The Neisseria Ones, who were farther away, yet they arrived at the Skin Factory over an hour late because something happened on the road, leaving Lorrian and the others still unsettled.

On the way from the Monastery to the Skin Factory,

Yi Chen considered the upcoming Performance, where he might face the special Blood Citizen praised by the "White Reaper, Balon," the renowned Emperor Pulaid of the Old World's Silver Circle.

Knowing that the Circus performance was proceeding smoothly, Yi Chen, aboard the False Moon, suddenly suggested a warm-up.

After all, he had just realized the depth of Death in the Endless Prison, yet hadn't truly applied it in combat, and facing an emperor-level opponent directly could lead to defeat.

According to Balon, even he would be wounded by the sword in the emperor's hand.

When Yi Chen proposed this 'combat warm-up' suggestion, Lorrian, whose Chaos had somewhat merged and was growing a slight "Crimson Moon Horn" on his head, was not one to miss such an opportunity,

having always been particularly interested in Yi Chen. He was eager to delve deeper into the uniqueness of Yi Chen, who obtained William early on and shared a twin connection with him.

Moreover, as the Princess of the Great Prison Monk was also present, having caused such a commotion in the Monastery that she almost lost her position as a Great Prison Monk, she also wanted to settle accounts with Yi Chen.

It was a mutual fit.

To simulate the intensity of combat against the emperor, 'Princess' Angelica and Lorrian would join forces to spar with Yi Chen, since the parasite Nash, attached to Yi Chen, counted as one, making it fairer as a 2V2.

In any case, Lorrian's medical team and the young and talented Deputy Director Jessica of the Teeth Hall would be there to back them up.

The sparring continued for quite some time,

eventually forcing the False Moon controlled by Lorrian to temporarily suspend and focus on healing work.

Considering the time issue, Yi Chen had to set off alone to the Skin Factory, which is why he appeared at the Circus before the False Moon slowly arrived later.

In the depths of the False Moon, a temporarily established Silver Moon Clinic.

Lorrian soaked in the deepest pool, dreaming his way to the chaotic world connected by the Insomniac, Galon, using the 'Sprout Horn' on his head to absorb chaotic essence to repair his injuries.

When Lorrian awoke,

all eight 'Brains in a Vat' used for support and stabilization had completely chaotified, with numerous tentacles sprouting from deep within the brain, wildly thrashing against the metallic vat cover.

Soaking in the bathtub, Lorrian looked down at his abdomen. Though the injury was successfully healed, it still bore a huge scar more exaggerated than a cesarean section, as if he had been 'waist cut'.

Even after employing various medical means, and even venturing into the chaotic world for repair, it still pained Lorrian as he lifted his body.

As he emerged from the bathtub, the young nurse at the door hurried in to assist, her face exhibiting a Deep Red Cross structure constantly wriggling out tiny particles at the sight of Lorrian's naked form.

"What about the condition of the Great Prison Monk?"

"Miss Jessica has completed the stitching surgery for the 'Princess'. She is generally fine, but several Thorny Chains inside her are broken and require a good rest back at the Monastery to recover."

"Mr. Yi really knows how to 'go easy', doesn't he? Any deeper cut, or another slash, and both the Great Prison Monk and I could have died… Mr. Yi is truly a genius when it comes to 'killing'.

At the start of the confrontation, I could barely suppress Mr. Yi, but I didn't expect him to hold such a trump card. With Death reaching such depth, my current means are powerless against him.

It's terrifying~ He might indeed be able to kill the so-called 'Emperor'.

By the way, where have we reached?"

"Director, we have arrived at our destination. However, the Circus seems to be hidden deep within space, and there is only a faint aura remaining in the junction mountain range."

"Hmm…"

Lorrian returned to the Clinic to personally operate this False Moon, created with materials supported by the Duke's Chamber of Commerce, locating the subspace coordinates through the Sensing with William, the direct infection case of the Moon Transformation Disease.

Buzz!

Blinding moonlight shot from the 'Moon Pit Eye Socket' of the False Moon, piercing through space to reveal the specific situation inside the Circus.

Seeing the full arena of black afterimages, Lorrian looked utterly uninterested,

"Still conducting the most basic probing, Mr. Yi?"

…

In the arena

The Emperor blocked all attacks without moving his left foot, with Yi Chen's seemingly ankle-sacrificing "Instant" failing to shake off the Emperor's twin pupils.

After a round of confrontation,

The Emperor was already somewhat weary. He initially thought that his opponent, as Balon's acknowledged apprentice, could bring some amusement, but these meaningless attacks had worn out his patience.

He even made a decision,

that once the World Infection was complete, and the Blood-colored Manor was rebuilt in the human world, he would personally venture to the very bottom of the Monastery, meet an old friend and attempt to resolve the old rivalry.

"Huff…" Emperor Pulaid sighed, as thicker blood seeped through his dark red hair, "If this is all you have, it's quite disappointing.

If you are holding back, do so quickly; my patience has run out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Pulaid, who had been defending all along, suddenly overlapped his twin pupils, locking onto the moving Yi Chen,

the sensation of his soul being entirely penetrated, leaving nowhere to hide.

Slash!

Emperor Pulaid's second sword, unleashed in the duel, more powerful and precise under the effect of the twin pupils.

It tore through the constructed paths of the dead like an altogether different blood-colored Forbidden Army, directly targeting Yi Chen's main body.

There was no escape,

Due to the 'targeting' of the twin pupils, even using iron chains to block, the Forbidden Army circumvented and directly inflicted damage to the main body.

Blood splattered diagonally across Yi Chen's body as it spilled,

With the blood's overflow,

In the next second, Yi Chen's soul would be completely cleaved, and his concept as an individual would be entirely erased by this sword.

Just like a blood-colored Forbidden Army apprehending the intruder, administering justice on the spot.

Huff…

A pure sound of inhalation was heard by everyone present, as if someone were breathing right by their ear.

William immediately discerned the meaning of this 'inhalation', "Purple Lung! Has Yi Chen fully converted the True God Organ into his own?"

Yi Chen, who was bleeding on the arena, took a special breath in,

No purple aura emerged,

but by inhaling, he carried himself deeper into Death, akin to taking a deep breath before diving, filling his lungs with enough air to plunge into the depths of the Black Dead Sea.

Swish!

Yi Chen on the arena was severed into two, with the ruptured and blood-spraying body, along with the chain blade, dropping together.

"Did we win!?"

The Blood Citizens were about to stand and cheer, praising the emperor's strength.

However, Marquis Enwei gestured for everyone to remain calm, sensing something was off, at least from the surface; there seemed to be too little blood.

An individual slain by the Deep Red Rope Binding shouldn't spurt this little blood, the soul of the silver circle was enough to spill all over the field,

the severed body of Yi Chen transformed back into a smiling audience member.

Emperor Pulaid also sensed the incongruity upon the strike. Just like when a youth's head was being severed, turning out to be someone else, with Yi Chen still hiding within his metropolis, veiled in the darkest corner.

"Death's depth… this sensation is just like Balon's! Back then I couldn't kill him no matter what, could this youngster also reach such depths of Death?"

As soon as he finished speaking,

Huh… A sound equivalent to the previous inhalation echoed through the venue.

Meanwhile, a sound of the sea tide resonated within the Circus, everyone seemed to see a black sea, while the Emperor, as the opponent, could distinctly feel himself standing on some unknown beach.

The iron chains scattered on the ground unexpectedly coiled towards a specific area,

the surface of the Black Sea, visible to the Emperor, began to bubble,

a youth with flowing black hair slowly emerged from beneath the sea, striding onto the shore,

the iron chain wrapping around his right arm, a black blade full of tendrils and having a skull as its guard, firmly gripped in his hand, no longer used in a throwing manner.

Step by step, he walked onto the shoal, standing once more before him, or rather, floating before him.

Yi Chen's body steadily dripped with seawater, no longer utilizing a conventional physical body, revealing the true face of Death.

The 'posture' changed,

becoming extremely threatening, involuntarily reminding the Emperor of his past confrontation with the White Reaper.