Soul Trigger

Chapter 660 The Lecture and the Red Hunter
When Aiquier arrived at the red maple forest, it was exactly 12:30 AM. There stood a dark figure, his black trench coat fluttering in the night wind.

"Good, very punctual."

"Before we officially begin... I have something I want to ask you."

Aiquier stared at the figure, his voice tinged with nervousness.

After all, this is a super strong person who can take on the entire knight squad single-handedly and perform "resurrection" techniques.

"Don't you think you should be more polite when speaking to your teacher and benefactor?"

The night wind howled, and in the blink of an eye, the other person was already within arm's reach.

She stumbled back two steps:

"To you, I'm nothing more than an ant you can crush with a flick of your wrist. And I've already given you my freedom, so do you really care about the tone of my voice when I speak to you?"

Aiquier's answer was somewhat unexpected by Ji Li.

He glanced at the spiritual circuits he had inscribed on his stepsister's arm:

"That makes sense. What do you want to ask?"

"Did you cause the Pulitzer Prize's anomaly?"

"What's abnormal?"

"He can transform into a monstrous, malevolent creature."

"It seems you've learned quite a few new things these past few days, including the fact that the essence of pacifics is called 'evil'."

"Is it really?"

"If I say yes, are you dissatisfied?"

Aquilind clenched his fist:
"No, I'm satisfied, but I also want that kind of power."

Ji Li tilted his head:

"You want to learn 'evil transformation'?"

Evilification, necromancy, evil transformation, or, to use the terminology given to Ji Li by the Ascension Protocol: materialization.

This is an ability that the Split-type is born with, while other types of Awakened can only use it after reaching the Dominator stage, and for a shorter period of time.

Strictly speaking, this is indeed a skill that can be trained, but the soul strength and awakened aura of low-level awakeners are insufficient to cope with the corruption of their minds by evil spirits.

"Why do you want to learn how to become an evil spirit? To become stronger?"

“I have reviewed the spiritual foundation that Angelica Laurent gave me. If I want to become stronger in a short time, I can only rely on demonization. I must protect Pulitzer.”

"What makes you think he needs your protection?"

"He has no idea what's going on. He went to see Anya again tonight. Although he's been assigned an office job, it's hard to say whether he'll even live to see the end of this autumn."

So I need to cover for him, I need to protect him.

Ji Li: "..."

Come to think of it, he seems to have forgotten to tell Aquil and Aunt Duke that he wasn't going back tonight. It seems his good sister Aquil thoughtfully took care of all the family matters for him.
"You can't learn."

Faced with Ji Li's definitive judgment, Aigui crossed his arms:
"Is this how you belittle yourself?"

Ji Li was amused:

"What did you say?"

"You're so strong, yet you can't even do this little thing, and I can't teach you. So this is all you're capable of..."

Before he could finish speaking, Aquile abruptly fell silent, his pupils shrinking sharply.

A crow landed on her shoulder, its dark purple eyes fixed on her. A deep sense of panic ignited within her, engulfing her thoughts like a tidal wave.

Cold, fear, trembling.

By the time Aquile came to his senses, he was already sitting on the ground, his crotch soaked.

And the man who called himself "Odin" stood before her:
"Using reverse psychology on me is not the best approach."

Her eyes widened in shock, and she clenched her teeth, clutching her pants. A wave of shame and anger washed over her, her face turning completely red, but she still managed to get up.

"If you don't want to teach, then don't teach..."

"I didn't say I wouldn't teach, just wait."

Ji Li snapped her fingers, and Aiquier's five senses were instantly isolated by the spiritual circuits on her body—

What did this guy do to me?!

All she can see now is complete darkness, and hear her own voice.

After the initial panic, Aiquier realized that the other party was "blocking" him out, so he could only force himself to calm down, endure the intense discomfort and insecurity, and silently wait for "Odin" to be released.

This is truly like walking into a wolf's den. If this guy wants to do something to me, I'll be completely powerless to stop him...

Ignoring Aiquier, who had been logged off and whose mind was wandering, Ji Li took out the dog-patterned ring given to him by Yu Ya Xun from his dragon ring.

After being touched by the spiritual energy, a green dog's head emerged from inside:
"...Wow, honey, look how much time has passed."

This is the first conversation we've had since you left Black Sun Mansion. Should I be excited, or should I slap you?

"You're a dog head now."

"Then I'll bite you?"

"Although your dog head is quite handsome, I don't have any beastman fetishes in this regard."

"...You really have a broad mind. I never thought you could read 'bite' separately (in Japanese)."

"Enough with the nonsense, let's teach her how to become an evil spirit, is that even possible?"

Doghead turned to look at Aquile, and was suddenly stunned:
"...You're actually interested in this kind of scum?"

"This time it's not a small toy?"

The dog's head flew to Aquile's side, circled her, and sized her up:

"She doesn't qualify as a toy; she should be classified as sortable trash, White Island trash."

"You can categorize it however you like, but can you teach me?"

Yuya's voice was sarcastic:
"Honey, I already told you she's trash, why should I waste my energy on something useless?"

"This is my sister in this capacity, you should call her... um, Auntie?"

"That's called 'little aunt.' If I kill her now, do I no longer need to call her that?"

"I told you not to touch her."

As Hell Fang's gaping mouth slowly closed, Aiquiel felt the surrounding spiritual pressure suddenly intensify, completely unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death.

A series of laughs came from the dog's head that Ji Li had stopped:
"Just kidding. Although this power is carried by a spirit artifact, if you make it too obvious to kill someone, it will still attract the Shattered White Ring."

It looked Aiquier up and down, then chuckled:

“…I sensed some unusual spiritual energy fluctuations, seemingly emanating from you…Well, I can teach her the ability of ‘evilification’ to some extent, but whether she will be rejected by the shattered white ring, I can’t say for sure.”

"Don't hurt her. You can do whatever you want, whether it's spying or using other backdoor methods."

"Hehe, you really know me..."

A small wisp of hellish spiritual energy separated from the dog's head, circled around Aiquier three times, and then quickly transformed into a small dog's head, which suddenly burrowed into her body.

After a silent thud, Aquile collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony from the depths of her soul.

As the excruciating pain gradually subsided, her throat felt hoarse, her whole body was soaked in sweat, and the loss of her five senses had also disappeared. Looking up, she saw a blurry view, and Odin was standing there.

She raised her hand shakily, and what met her eyes was not a human hand, but a fiery red carapace:
"This is……?!"

"Give it a try, although this can't be called teaching, it's more like 'spooning' you in."

But I can still tell you some information about how to use it, how to control its spiritual energy, and how to prolong its existence.

Aquil slowly rose to his feet, a sound of chitin colliding emanating from his body.

She had barely taken a step when she had already covered dozens of meters, nearly plunging headfirst into the stream in the red maple forest. Odin's hand caught her and prevented her from falling in.

In that instant, she saw her full reflection in the stream under the moonlight. It was a body encased in fiery red chitinous armor, resembling the armor of some kind of insect.

Her head is a fiery red chitin helmet with exaggerated elongated angles on the top and chin. Apart from that, the overall design is relatively small, hinting at her feminine features.

Its streamlined beauty suggests speed, while the slightly thicker exoskeleton in its wrists represents power.

Behind it is a large, ant-like abdomen, with a sheath on its back, but no wings.

Aiguiel regained his footing, stretched his body, and a dull thud echoed as the chitinous shells collided. He then suddenly turned around and threw a punch at Ji Li.

He easily caught the fist, and the impact triggered an invisible shockwave that tore through the night wind, causing the surrounding maple trees to rustle in its place.

"...So strong."

“Look at my hands before you say that.”

"It's not like I'm comparing myself to you..."

Aiquier tried to pull back, but Ji Li held her firmly and she couldn't. After twisting her twice to no avail, she finally managed to say:

"sorry."

Ji Li let go.

"That's alright, let's begin the formal lesson now..."

He raised "The Other Shore" like drawing a sword:
"I hope you can learn a lot from this battle."

A sense of foreboding washed over Aquile, and he quickly raised his hands to protect himself, staring intently at the cane:
"Aren't you going to draw your knife?"

Ji Li paused for a moment, then appeared in front of Aiquier. Aiquier's vision receded rapidly, instantly covering half of the mangrove forest before he crashed into the ground, nearly being forced back into human form.

WTF? !
Amidst the rising dust, Ji Li slowly appeared in his field of vision, his cane twirling at his wrist:

"What you need to learn now has nothing to do with knives, but how to stand firm."

The next moment, the tip of the cane rapidly magnified in Aquile's vision—

An hour later, she collapsed on the ground, exhausted like a dead dog. Her demonic transformation was barely holding up, and she struggled to get up:
"Continue..."

This girl is really going all out.

It was basically Aiquier taking the beating one-sidedly. Ji Li had already reduced his spiritual energy output to the minimum, but this guy was still too inexperienced. By this point, he was almost unable to get up.

“Your well of souls has run dry. There’s no point in forcing it. After all, I’ve never seen an awakening of inspiration called ‘perseverance’.”

"Then you'll see him soon..."

The cane suddenly lengthened, knocking Aquile unconscious.

"You'd better not come, I need to answer the phone urgently."

Ji Li rolled off, hoisted Aiquier onto his shoulder, and sped home.

The door to the house was not closed, and there was still light in the living room.

After he put Aquile back in the bedroom, he came out and saw that Aunt Duke was asleep on the sofa with the TV still on, as if she was waiting for him to come back.

Having regained his human form, Ji Li gave Aunt Duke a blanket, then went upstairs to his room, took out a constantly flashing skull ring, and put it on.

The moment it was fully fitted, the skull's eyes flashed red, and its mouth opened:
"Why is it taking so long?"

It's a tombstone from which we haven't been in contact for some time.

"Look at the time, then ask me why it took so long."

"Dead Apostles don't need sleep."

"I like it. What instructions does the Tower of Babel have?"

"It's not really an instruction, although there were a few people who wanted to see you, but I turned them all away."

Why would you block me? Are you afraid I can't beat you?

"I'm afraid you'll kill too quickly."

"Then it seems you understand me."

"That's natural... How's your progress? Have you found the spiritual place yet?"

"We've got two of the three keys, but we're still missing one."

"Sounds like things are going well?"

"But we haven't found the door yet, so having the key is useless."

"...If you can't regain your memories soon, you may need to reconsider your actions."

"how?"

“A month ago, traces of the Stained Knights were discovered within White Island’s territory, which led to the discovery of my presence as well. A group of ‘Red Hunters’ were alerted.”

"Red Hunter," also known as "Crimson Hunter," is a Dead Apostle assassin.

It is an Awakened Special Agent Agency established by the White Island Royal Family specifically to address the unrest caused by the Dead Apostles. It operates a small elite system similar to that of the Tower of Babel, and has only one responsibility:
Kill the dead.

They are not responsible for the aftermath, for comforting the spirits of the dead, or for the costs incurred; their only responsibility is to kill the dead at all costs, and they only obey the royal family and a few grand dukes.

“There’s one to your northeast, codenamed ‘Shepherd Dog.’ The Tower of Babel received the news a little late; he’s been lurking in Saint Root County for two weeks now. Don’t reveal your whereabouts.”

Two weeks ago... judging by the timeline, it doesn't seem to match what happened at the spiritual site.

"What if I kill him?"

"The Tower of Babel will reward you. However, the 'Shepherd Dog' is difficult to kill. He possesses an ability called herding, the specific effects of which are unknown, but it manifests as the ability to control some of the abilities and even the bodies of the Dead Apostles he kills."

He may not pose a threat to you, but I don't want to see your abilities manifested in him someday.

"Perhaps you're overestimating him. Is there any more information?"

"Of course, that's the main reason I came here. Don't worry about the Tower of Babel gathering. Come to the capital of Saint Root County after you recover your strength. I'll be waiting for you there."

Ten minutes later, the red light in the skull's eyes went out, its teeth closed, and Ji Li removed it and threw it back into the dragon ring.

"Red Hunter..."

He pondered for a moment, then called out:
"Film?"

no respond.

Da Lei has been asleep for some time now, and it's unknown how long it will take before he completely absorbs that fragment of time.

……

Two days later, at Clint Gary's mansion.

Because of the fog at sea, Councilman Clint Gary is extremely busy, having gone to the city with the mayor to be questioned.

So Angelica booked the vacant mansion under the guise of official business, using it as her base of operations and also relocating the gravedigger to keep him there.

"...Wouldn't this be considered illegal imprisonment?" Ji Li asked.

Angelica was drinking a blood beverage:
"There is no Dark Side Surveillance Corps headquarters in Red Maple Town, so the patrol knights can only find temporary bases. Don't worry, all the procedures related to these Awakened Ones are written in the Dublin Convention, so don't look at it with the usual legal standards."

For two days, the gravedigger, who was placed in the police station, did not say a word, and the Dead Water Knight did not take any action. He just waited for the two requiems to be transported to Red Maple Town. Everything was unusually calm.

Over the past two days, Angelica has been giving individual lessons to Ji Li and Ai Guier, especially the former.

Considering the possibility that the Dead Water Knight was a suspect, she needed Ji Li's abilities to target him, which was a surprise move.

Jason naturally appeared during this process as well. The sudden appearance of Ji Li and Ai Guier, in a sense, stole his unique status as the "group's favorite," and now he is living a somewhat withdrawn life.

Because the Knights were in hiding to heal their wounds and observe the situation of the Dead Water Knight and the Gravekeeper, he had nothing much to do, so he and the werewolf knight Andrew, who was recovering from his injuries, split up to conduct intelligence gathering.

Under Ji Li's effective guidance, the knight squad has now focused all their attention on the Odin faith and the Odin Holy Land. The two of them are investigating the special nursery rhyme to see if they can find anything.

As for now, both quiver items have been delivered.

They are a suit of armor and a telegraph machine, respectively.

The former is a high-intensity sustenance item for combat, while the latter is a predictive item used for "lie detection".

Everyone had gathered together, including the suspected Deadwater Knight.
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PS: I tried on the new clothes I'm going to wear in October, and my friends in the group seem to like them a lot, so I decided to post them here, but Qidian (the website's official website) took a long time to approve.

(End of this chapter)