Soul Trigger

Chapter 678 Exposed
Andrew, who had been shouting earlier, was completely dumbfounded:
"Torture Armor...?"

"They were just hiding inside from the beginning." The woman with the blood-red hair yawned.

She had a pair of blood-red animal ears on her head, her left ear was missing a tooth, and she wore a silver animal ring.

"I've been waiting for so long..."

The entire room fell silent, and beads of cold sweat trickled down Angelica's forehead.

The immortal...this is the immortal.

Her peripheral vision swept over Aquil, who was clinging to Pulitzer, looking like a madman, his muscles tense:
"Lady Shepherd...why?"

"If you need a reason, it would probably be 'self-interest'."

The "sheepdog" looked at the enormous azure phantom and tossed the three World Tree imprints in its hand:
"Odin's Lair, a treasure left behind by a mysterious pioneer. If you knew how rare and terrifying it is, you would make the same choice as me."

Angelica's temple throbbed with a vein:

“You can just tell us directly, and we will cooperate…”

"Look, how naive, how ridiculous. You have absolutely no idea what this means." The sheepdog sighed, lowering its eyes, its blood-red wolf tail swaying gently behind it.

That means there's nothing to discuss...

Angelica's back was already soaked with cold sweat; she didn't even have time to feel grief for Pulitzer.

No one wants to be an enemy of an immortal, especially an immortal who hunts and kills undead, or even an immortal who can enslave the bodies of undead.

The Red Hunter "Shepherd" is best known for enslaving the dead who she kills.

The only option is to stall until the teacher arrives; perhaps then there's still a glimmer of hope...

“Those Dead Apostles are yours, the sea fog is your doing, the gravedigger is also working for you, behind all of this is neither the puppeteer nor the Dead Apostles, it's you…”

"Don't get me wrong, the sea fog has little to do with me..."

She spread her palms: "Mainly, dear Bordeaux."

Bordeaux, who was standing quietly at the other end, suddenly bowed his head and was about to speak.

With a loud bang, he was sent flying backward, his golden light shattered, and his soul armor disintegrated instantly.

The force of the impact sent him tumbling through the wheat field, scattering grass clippings as he finally collapsed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Lady Shepherd, I..."

"Shhh."

The sheepdog appeared before him in an instant, while a Dead Apostle slowly retracted its giant claws behind her.
"Don't speak, just be grateful."

"I'm grateful I didn't crush your soul right away."

Bordeaux gritted his teeth and, after a moment of struggle, chose to remain silent:
An immortal being could crush a peak ruler like him with a single finger.

Angelica coldly watched the scene unfold before her:
"He's your man too."

"It can only be considered a small collaboration, or rather, charity? After all, you wouldn't cooperate with a pawn, would you? I should thank you for helping me find the spiritual land and the three keys."

"Are you using us instead of taking action yourself to avoid being discovered by the containment facility?"

"No, it's so that no one can find out."

The sheepdog walks with its hands behind its back, seemingly stepping on air.
"With the Broken White Ring watching White Island, along with the Dark Side Oversight Group and your Royal Incubation Center, if I were to take action myself, it would attract a lot of attention. I can only rely on you."

"You certainly haven't disappointed me, Bloodsilver Knight. You've proven your ability as a fine patrol knight, including your current strategy of stalling for time. That's what everyone would do when faced with my plan."

Angelica forced a smile:
"Then why aren't you making a move? If my teacher arrives, your plan might be exposed."

The sheepdog appeared in front of her instantly and grabbed her cheek:

"Don't provoke me."

With a casual wave of her hand, Angelica tumbled out like a puppet with its strings cut, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking and the earth exploding, instantly creating a huge chasm, dust scattering everywhere—

"team leader!"

"do not come!"

Angelica, struggling to her feet, stopped her two subordinates, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and her extensive fractures rapidly healed under the influence of the spiritual blood.
"You've misunderstood. I'm just telling you the pros and cons. Maybe if you feel better, we can survive?"

The sheepdog chuckled:
"You will all die."

"I'm telling you all this for two reasons: first, to comply with my oath rules, and second, because... you're mistaken about your own interests."

What do you mean?
None of the three members of the Knights squad understood, but Angelica suddenly realized something.

It's unclear when it started, but the Dead Apostles began to swarm towards Aquile, surrounding her as she wept bitterly.

Immersed in grief, Aiquier held Ji Li's "corpse," glancing up at the surrounding Dead Apostles. Her grip tightened, and her gaze fixed on the sheepdog in the sky, the hatred in her eyes almost twisting into a spiritual energy, burning fiercely.
"I'll make you regret this..."

She clung tightly to Ji Li's shoulders, tears streaming down her face:
"I swear, you will regret what you did today!!!"

The sheepdog tilted its head slightly:
"Then before you swear, why don't you take a good look at who you're holding?"

"Nonsense! If you're going to fight, then do it cleanly, or you'll regret it..."

The sheepdog appeared instantly in front of Aquile, close to her face:

"What if I told you that this person is not your brother Pulitzer at all?"

"Go away!"

The blood-red javelin missed its target amidst the sheepdog's loud laughter, sending a cloud of grass flying into the air.

Behind the falling dust, the sheepdog's silhouette reappeared, suspended in mid-air.
"'Sir, you deadbeat.' How long are you going to keep up this act?"

A gentle breeze blows, and the spirit of the sheepdog floats across the entire wheat field, creating a silent tranquility.

Sika and Andrew looked bewildered; they didn't know what the name meant.

A deathbed accusation against the knight...?
Seeing no one respond, the sheepdog added:
"I mean, how long are you going to keep playing dead?"

Angelica suddenly turned her head and stared intently at the "dead" Pulitzer.

Possession? Soul entering another body?
Or……

The sheepdog had lost patience. A Dead Apostle's husk roared forward, drew his spine to form a giant sword, and slashed down at Pulitzer's corpse.

Aiquier roared and was about to leap up, but the powerful greatsword moved with lightning speed, slashing down in an instant, and a deafening clang of metal clashing against metal erupted—

Bang!
Aquile's pupils suddenly contracted.

Before her bright red gauntlet could even touch the blade of the greatsword, it stopped, for one hand had already gripped the sword tightly.

Countless cracks were spreading from beneath each finger, rapidly covering the entire greatsword, before it exploded with a deafening roar—

She saw Pulitzer open his eyes, from which a surge of dark purple spiritual energy erupted:

"Is it your ability to see into other people's true personalities?"

Aiquier stared blankly at Ji Li:

Pulitzer...?

The large hole in his chest was rapidly healing, filling in, and becoming completely intact.

Ji Li reached out and patted Aiquier on the shoulder, then looked at the sheepdog opposite him.

But Aquile froze completely in place.

Pulitzer's face lit up with a fleeting smile, a hint of teasing, a touch of mockery, and a dash of tenderness.

But it wasn't a smile Pulitzer usually wore; she'd never seen that kind of smile on his face before. It was like a sigh of relief, as if he'd finally shed his disguise—that was the emotion that surfaced between his brows.

This complex emotion, tinged with mockery and playfulness, was sensed by Aquile, and the figure of "Odin" began to overlap with Pulitzer before him:

"This is impossible……"

She grabbed Ji Li's hand, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes:

"You... took over his body?"

Ji Li glanced at the girl, gently took her hand, and moved it away:

"Now is not the time to talk about that."

The two members of the Knights squad were completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.

The "Dead Raven" mentioned by the sheepdog is actually a "raven"?
So, who is getting up now, Pulitzer or Raven?
Angelica, who was the first to react, also stared blankly.

Possessing a body? That kind of technique is extremely rare among human spirits; this is not body control at all...

"Is Pulitzer the Raven?"

The two subordinates immediately looked at her:
"Captain... are you serious?"

Angelica's eyes flickered, a sudden realization dawning in her bloodshot gaze:
“Everything makes sense now… Why Pulitzer’s blood had such an effect? ​​Why Pulitzer was able to let me drink his blood without showing any weakness? And why… Pulitzer was so reckless today, and why did the raven appear so coincidentally…”

"Because he is a raven."

Aiquier trembled all over, her hands gripping Ji Li's hands tightly:
“No… tell me, it was you who took over Pulitzer’s body, it was you who saved him, right? It was you…”

The sheepdog, which had been watching the drama unfold, seemed unable to bear it any longer and sighed:
"Wrong, little girl..."

She spread her five fingers:

“He was never your brother from the beginning.”

The indifferent words struck Aquile's brain like a heavy hammer, instantly blurring her vision and filling her eyes with tears.

"Impossible... Pulitzer, tell me who you are... tell me your name!"

"I'll tell you."

The sheepdog laughed heartily, and a bluish-green light emanated from behind the eyepatch covering its left eye.

"Personality entity, Sir Deathscythe... Dead Apostle of Babel! I've had the stench of you for ages!!!"

A surge of spiritual energy erupted, and the surrounding Dead Apostle skeletons rushed towards Ji Li.

His body exploded with a dark purple spiritual energy that shot into the sky, unleashing a storm of crows that swept endlessly across the land, and the battle began.

Through the gaps in the flock of crows, Aquile stared blankly at the figure wielding a scythe amidst the onslaught of the Dead Apostle's bodies.

She was surrounded by danger, but her eyes were empty, and she felt cold all over.

Until a similarly cold body pounced on her and took her away—

It's Angelica:
"Are you out of your mind?! Run!!!"

She carried Aquile, and Sika carried the equally dumbfounded Jason; the group fled rapidly out of the chaos.
"Jansen, can you open one more dimensional exit?"

Jason shook his head blankly:

"I...I don't know, the mark..."

A surge of spiritual energy jolted the triggers in everyone's souls, and the intense spiritual pressure forced them all to the ground—

Ji Li no longer concealed his strength. The Death Knight unleashed his full power, turning the entire sunset sky into a storm of crows. With each swing of his scythe, crow feathers burst forth as he engaged in fierce combat with the Death Knights below.

Amidst the surging dark purple spiritual energy, his extremely fast speed was only revealed during the pauses between each collision.

Amidst the roars of the Dead Apostles and the deafening clang of metal, a spiritual shockwave erupted, blasting the wheat scattered across the ground into the air and causing the space itself to change color.

“He’s a monster…” Sika stared blankly at the scene before her.

Angelica gave a wry smile:
"The Dead Apostles of the Tower of Babel..."

For the first time, she clearly perceived just how terrifying the Dead Apostles were.

It's right beside you, posing as your family, a teammate you just recruited, or even your bed partner.

If I survive today, can I brag to my teacher that she was also a woman who slept with a dead disciple?

Amidst the bitterness in her heart, she turned to look at Aquile and suddenly trembled.

The red-haired girl's eyes were vacant at this moment, and she had no desire to speak at all. She just stared blankly at the sky, like a walking corpse.

At the edge of the battlefield, Bordeaux, also shrouded in terrifying spiritual pressure, struggled to raise his head, a smirk spreading across his face, looking like a madman:
"Pulitzer is a raven... Damn it... Damn it, are they all using me... are they all playing me..."

We were so close, so very close to unlocking Odin's treasure.

It turns out Pulitzer was the Raven... and the Shepherd Dog had been hiding inside that damned armor all along... she'd been inside it ever since it arrived!

Are you watching my performance like I'm a clown?!
Overwhelmed with shame and anger, Bordeaux struggled to raise his hand under the immense pressure of the spiritual energy and grabbed his own wrist:
"Command Seals—!!!"

A burst of white light erupted, and a white portal flickered faintly in the dimension, as a giant hand was about to reach out and envelop the sheepdog and the raven.

The next moment, the spiritual energy stirred, and the ghost nun's figure appeared in mid-air. A tuft of black hair suddenly pierced into Bordeaux's brow, flowing in endlessly before disappearing in an instant.

He felt his body stiffen instantly, and he began to lose control—

Damn it, it's that bound one!
He stared intently at Clementine, who had appeared before him, struggling to use his spiritual energy to break free from her control.

But already severely injured by the sheepdog's attack, he felt his soul well was extremely depleted. The spiritual energy he desperately extracted was simply not enough to drive away the black hair wandering through his body. He could only watch helplessly as thousands of strands of hair came tangled and tried to tear him apart:
“Don’t even think about it!!!”

Even if he is seriously injured, he is still a severely injured peak ruler.

Realizing something in an instant, Clementine stopped being arrogant and turned to crush his left hand with all her might.

In the end, blood splattered everywhere, the hand was completely torn apart, and the hand flashing with Command Seals flew into the sky, where it was devoured by countless ravens.

Behind that rift in dimension, the giant hand belonging to the shattered white ring was also completely annihilated.

But the shattered Command Seals emitted a burst of white light, suddenly striking Clementine—

There are deathrattles too?!
Having landed a successful blow, she quickly disappeared underground. The "Death Whisper" light that had lost its ability to locate the enemy suddenly turned and shot towards Ji Li, who was still fighting.

Seeing this, Clementine hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth and suddenly leaping from the ground, hurtling towards the white light:
"Damn Odin! This is all for you!! For you!!! Remember to release me as soon as possible!!!"

Amidst the ghost nun's piercing screams, a surge of white light erupted, exploding like a nuclear bomb.

Ji Li tore apart the body of a Dead Apostle, peering through the ripped flesh at the exploding white light:

"Consider this a debt I owe you..."

Then, my heart suddenly pounded.

The sky full of ravens and the remains of several Dead Apostles on the ground were swept up in the light. When the blinding white light completely disappeared, Angelica lowered her hands, which had been covering her and Aquile's eyes, and saw that the flock of ravens had vanished completely.

"...The one who was bound shielded him from the Spirit Pivot Soul Chaser?!"

The sheepdog's maniacal laughter echoed through the sky. She tugged at the spiritual threads in her hands, her body began to display bestial features, and her voice started to distort.
"Very well!! Now I can finally act freely! Sir, struggle is futile. Obediently become one of my armies and witness with me the secrets of the pioneers!!!"

The next moment, Ji Li's body was suddenly torn apart, and a sophisticated mechanical hand burst out from the crack in his forehead:
"What a coincidence, so am I."

The sheepdog's smile froze instantly—

This spiritual pressure...?!

(End of this chapter)