My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 126 Torrential Rain, Tokyo, A Bloodbath at the Auction (Part 10)
In the real world, in an inconspicuous corner of an auction house.

The black pupa wrapped itself up like a giant, transparent cocoon, hanging motionless upside down below the ceiling.

His gaze fell upon the suddenly appearing Ghost Bell, and he raised an eyebrow with interest, thinking to himself that his father had indeed come, but he couldn't possibly fight them all by himself. Even though he was a time-based ability user, as a quasi-disaster level being, he still had his limits.

So... I need to take advantage of this time to find a way to help him find a breakthrough.

At this moment, what caught the attention of the group members more than the man in the black cloak and the Z-shaped breathing mask was:

—First of all, there is a huge clock tower.

The four-meter-tall clock tower stood like a black giant blocking the way in front of Blue Arc, its hands moving rapidly until they finally stopped above "12 o'clock".

Amidst the deafening chimes, the whole world seemed to freeze for a second.

Then, a sound wave, seemingly tangible, spread outward from the giant clock tower, twisting Bloodline's Blood Arrow, Anlens's billiard ball, and Ayase Origami's paper butterfly, scattering them in all directions, but without touching Blue Arc's figure.

The instant time resumed its normal flow, Ghost Bell had already rushed from the entrance of the auction house to the front of Blue Arc.

Ghost Bell glanced down at Blue Arc, who was covered in blood and practically half a corpse, then slowly raised his head, his scarlet pupils reflecting the figures of the entire troupe.

He was trembling slightly, his mechanical respirator whirring as he asked, almost word by word, "Who... injured him like this?"

He paused for a moment, then his expression suddenly darkened, and he roared in fury:

"Get out of here!"

The roar pierced through half of the auction hall, landing heavily in the ears of the group like a booming bronze bell.

Lan Duoduo was stunned. She covered her ears and muttered to the three people beside her, "Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here? How come another unlucky guy has appeared? I remember this guy is a super criminal, shouldn't he be cooperating with us to rob the auction?"

"Who knows?" Bloodline shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

"Perhaps... Blue Arc is the illegitimate child of Ghost Bell and Black Chrysalis."

Xia Pingzhou told a lame joke with a blank expression, and the group members all turned to him speechlessly.

“The kitten…is panting,” said Origami Ayase.

"What are you exhaling?" he asked.

“A weird joke,” she said.

At this very moment, on the auction stage in the Mirror World, Qi Yuanli was looking up at the battle between the Red Dragon Wales and the Wolf of Daylight. Hearing the powerful bell ringing from the wooden door behind him, he casually sent a crow through the door and out of the Mirror World.

Immediately afterwards, through the crow's crimson eyes, Qi Yuanli naturally saw the figure of Gui Zhong.

"...The Ghost Bell?"

Qi Yuanli raised his eyebrows slightly and murmured the title.

How could he not know who Gui Zhong is?

A super criminal from China, a notorious time-manipulation ability user, said to be near-catastrophic level, but because of his terrifying ability mechanism, he has already touched the threshold of catastrophic level, which is why the United Nations specially sent Rainbow Wing to arrest him.

In fact, it's not just the United Nations... even the so-called villainous forces are wary of Ghost Bell.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that everyone, regardless of their faction, fears the growth of this monster that controls time. Yet, despite everyone understanding the value of time-based abilities, no one has ever truly succeeded in winning over Ghost Bell.

Because no one knew what Ghost Bell's goal was or what he was fighting for, they had no idea where to start.

At this very moment, Ghost Bell appeared here and stood in front of an outsider who was on the opposite side of him.

This scene... is truly unbelievable.

Qi Yuanli subconsciously suspected that there was some shady relationship between Gui Zhong and Lan Hu, or that Gui Zhong was commissioned by the underworld to ensure the safety of Lan Hu and the others in this operation.

Thinking of this, a strange light flashed in Qi Yuanli's deep pupils. He switched places with the crow and appeared in the auction house in the real world.

Qi Yuanli looked up and stared directly at Gui Zhong, calmly giving instructions to the group members around him.

"Number 12, Origami, Lan Duoduo, Andrew, go to the Mirror World to help White Wolf resist the Red Dragon."

"Huh?" Lan Duoduo pointed to himself, his face showing both suspicion and surprise. "I fought the Red Dragon?"

"Just provide cover, don't get close," Qi Yuanli added. "Prioritize your own safety."

"Oh, okay." Lan Duoduo nodded.

“Understood.” Andrew said with a grin, putting away the sniper rifle he had set up on the ground. “Then I’ll go take care of that stupid dragon. You can handle this clock tower monster over here, Captain.”

"Received," Xia Pingzhou said. He answered readily, but he didn't really know what he was capable of.

In short, just put two cannon pieces on the auction table, symbolically fire two cannons at the red dragon, and make your presence known.

Origami Ayase did not respond, but quietly followed Xia Pingzhou into the mirror world.

After the four members who were named left, the auction house in the real world suddenly felt much more spacious. The heavy breathing sounds coming from behind Ghost Bell's metal mask still echoed throughout the room.

Looking at Ghost Bell, who was trying to stop the bleeding of Blue Arc, Qi Yuanli said in a low voice, "Jack, Bloodline, Anlens, the three of you deal with Ghost Bell. I will help if needed."

As soon as the words were spoken, Ripper and Anrons, whose faces were now only half visible, also stepped out of the mirror.

The two members' grotesque, broken faces were exposed in the light of the crystal chandelier, half bone and half still covered by flesh, like Izanagi's Izanami in the Land of the Dead.

Anlens glanced at Ghost Bell, blinked his remaining eye, and asked curiously, "Wow... Captain, why is a supervillain protecting an Outcast?"

Qi Liyuan remained silent.

The Ripper raised his dark red longsword, his eyes still as cold as the polar night. "You always talk so much nonsense."

Bloodline twitched the corner of his lips, and Ghost Bell's figure was reflected in his crimson eyes.

She said casually, "Although I'd rather see that red dragon, this place is quite interesting, and it's been a long time since I fought with the captain."

After using some methods to temporarily stop the bleeding of Blue Arc, Ghost Bell got up from the ground.

He looked up at the long knife in the Ripper's hand, narrowed his eyes slightly, and compared it to the knife wound on Blue Arc's body. Then, the face under the breathing mask twitched slightly, and his gaze suddenly turned extremely cold, like a beast ready to devour its prey.

"So it was you..." Ghost Bell muttered hoarsely to himself, his eyes fixed on the Ripper.

At that moment, the hour hand on the clock tower was still above "12 o'clock," but the second hand, which had been stationary, began to move, and the ticking sound echoed throughout the auction hall.

The gears clattered, overlapping with the breathing of the mechanical mask.

Black Chrysalis hung upside down from the ceiling, silently cheering for Ghost Bell: "Yes, yes... that's her, that's her, it's the Ripper, kill her, Dad!"

Anrons shrugged, reluctantly picked up the pool cue and held it behind his neck. "I really want a different weapon... I hate the slot machines today."

"Isn't this a superpower you developed yourself?" Ripper mocked.

"Who told me my superpower looked like this?"

"What else could a gambling addict look like?"

Amidst their banter, the two vanished from the spot.

Continuing their strategy against Blue Arc, one of them carried a pool cue and the other carried a dark red longsword, attacking Ghost Bell from both sides.

The Bloodline created a blood-red longbow in his hand, drew the bowstring from the auction stage, and nocked a blood arrow.

At that very moment, the deafening chimes rang out again, like a gust of wind sweeping through the entire auction house, brushing against everyone's face.

Immediately, everyone stopped moving, with Anron and the Ripper frozen in mid-air.

Like a freeze-frame in a movie, the two remain in their attacking stances.

The clock hands on the clock tower still pointed to "12 o'clock" without moving.

When the clock hands of the clock tower point to "12 o'clock," time around them pauses for one second every 10 seconds; and in that fleeting second, only the Ghost Clock and its shadow can move in the entire world.

This is also the strongest hour among the 12 hours, the strongest mode of the Ghost Bell.

Ghost Bell suddenly raised his head; in the silvery world, only the scarlet light in his pupils shone brightly.

He raised his left hand into a fist, bypassing the trajectory of the pool cue, and smashed it at Anlens, who was attacking from the left. His iron fist slammed into Anlens' abdomen without reservation, creating a bloody gash, and his taut fingers were instantly stained red with blood.
Then, with all her might and bloodshot eyes, she twisted her body and pierced the Ripper's abdomen with the metal wrist blade on her right hand. Then she lifted the wrist blade upwards, forcibly opening a wound in her body that was exactly the same as Blue Arc's wound, and even deeper.

The ripper's internal organs and ribs were crushed together by the sharp wrist blade, and violent crimson blood splattered in the mercury-silver world.

Time resumed its flow, and Anron and the Ripper flew backward in opposite directions.

At the same time, the bloodline's slender fingers released the bowstring.

"boom--!"

With a whooshing sound, the blood-red arrow transformed into a sharp crimson beam and shot out, heading straight for Ghost Bell's head.

At that very moment, Ghost Bell had just repelled Anron and the Ripper. Naturally, he had no time to defend himself against the oncoming crimson arrows. If things went as expected, his head would be pierced by the arrows in an instant.

However, his shadow suddenly "stood up" from the ground, stomped forward, raised his black hands, and gripped the blood-red longbow like a wild bull.

The shadow strained with all its might, dragging the arrow with all its might, its feet sinking deep into the floor, carving two five-meter-long black furrows backward.

Finally, the crimson arrow stopped less than half a meter away from the Ghost Bell's pupil.

Then, with a "splat," it disintegrated into a pool of blood that spilled onto the ground, staining the metal surface of Ghost Bell's shoes red.

Recalling the scene from just now, the Bloodline raised her delicate eyebrows. "He paused time again?"

Anrons clutched the bloody hole in his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers. He got up from the ground.

"That's ruthless." He grinned, a rather unpleasant smile spreading across his face.

The Ripper planted her katana in the floor, using it to support herself as she stood up, breathing heavily. Blood gushed down the chasm above her abdomen, scattering fragments of internal organs and bones across the floor.

Her internal organs were almost completely destroyed, and at this rate of bleeding... she won't be long before she dies.

Qi Yuanli's expression remained calm. He glanced at the clock tower behind the Ghost Bell, "The second hand has passed 10 seconds..." Thinking this, he raised his voice slightly and gave the order to the group members:

"Anlens, Jack, Bloodline, keep your distance from him and launch an attack from a distance. Wait for my instructions." As soon as he finished speaking, a large flock of crows rose up from behind Qi Yuanli and surrounded the clock tower.

However, a tangible sound wave spread outward from the massive clock tower. In an instant, the crows were shattered into pieces by the sound wave, their black feathers mixed with flesh and blood falling to the ground with a thud.

The clock tower was stained crimson with blood, and it jingled loudly.

Qi Yuanli silently stepped forward to meet them, and two crows flew from his fingertips.

The ghost bell and the shadow both raised their heads at the same time.

His shadow stood guard beside the clock tower and the blue arc;

The Ghost Bell itself moved step by step toward the Qi principle, each step as heavy as thunder.

The next instant, he stomped the ground and charged forward.

A spiderweb-like crater appeared in the floor, and with a "bang," he was launched forward. Carrying a gust of wind, his metal fist slammed head-on into Qi Yuanli's head. It was like a train crashing into him, sending Qi Yuanli's black hair flying high.

The next second, Qi Yuanli switched places with the crow that flew to the clock tower.

But Ghost Bell's shadow suddenly kicked out a deep pit in the ground, and amidst the swirling wood chips, it transformed into a black beam of light that rose straight up, slashing towards his neck with its wrist blade.

However, Qi Yuanli disappeared once again. He appeared at the position of the last crow, which was beside Blue Arc, and released a crow from his fingertip, which flew upwards toward the glass chandelier.

At the same time, the second hand of the clock tower struck ten, and another deafening chime resounded, sweeping across everyone's face like a whirlwind, almost deafening them.

The world was once again shrouded in mercury, and everything seemed frozen in time, like an oil painting.

When time resumed its flow, Qi Yuanli's pupils contracted slightly. He saw that the Ghost Bell, which had been twenty meters away just moments before, was now right in front of him.

The two locked eyes, and Gui Zhong's scarlet pupils seemed to spit fire.

Fortunately, Qi Yuanli was prepared and switched places with the crow that was flying towards the chandelier. The next moment, Gui Zhong's fist smashed a black crow, and blood and bones sprayed out together, splattering on the surface of the clock tower.

"Is all you... good for running away?"

Ghost Bell raised his head and looked at Qi Yuanli, who was sitting above the crystal chandelier, and said sarcastically, word by word.

At that moment, Bloodline and Anrons launched attacks from his flanks from a distance.

Anrons launched an airball with his cue; the Bloodline forged a massive spear and hurled it at Ghost Bell. The two whooshing sounds overlapped, and the crystal chandelier flickered on and off.

Ghost Bell gave a cold sneer, back to back with his shadow, like two comrades who trusted each other.

He turned his head to face west, shrugged his shoulders, spun his arm to gain momentum, and then suddenly threw a punch. This punch, carrying the sound of a loud bell and invisible sound waves, slammed into the air table tennis ball without restraint;

With a "bang," the air billiard ball shattered instantly, disintegrating into a chaotic gust of wind that whooshed in all directions.

Behind the Ghost Bell, a muscular figure darted eastward, thrusting forward and fearlessly letting the crimson spear pierce his body.

Immediately afterward, the shadow shoved its feet into the floor, pulling the crimson spear with both hands. As its body slid backward, two trenches a meter deep were created. The floor and soil churned up, and sparks flew from the crimson spear in its dark palm.

Soon, the kinetic energy on the gun was completely dissipated, and the shadow's retreating figure stopped.

"That's really exaggerated..." Bloodline thought to himself, a rare hint of surprise flashing across his crimson eyes.

This was the first time tonight that she was truly impressed by the strength of an opponent.

The ability to "stop time," the ability to "create clones," the ability to manipulate "sound waves," coupled with a physical ability like that of a wild beast... this is what Ghost Bell showed them in just twenty seconds.

Moreover... this is very likely just the tip of the iceberg.

"Come on, he really is a monster." Anlens said, putting away his pool cue, a slight smile still on his lips, but cold sweat was dripping down his forehead.

"Can you do it or not?"

The ripper's weak and cold voice came from beside my ear.

"Sister Ripper, you should think about yourself first... That Ghost Bell obviously attacked you the hardest, I don't know how long you can last with this much blood loss."

As Anrons spoke, she glanced sideways at the Ripper, who was clutching the ravine on her abdomen, her face slightly pale.

"I was just a little careless. I didn't expect him to be able to stop time..." Ripper took a deep breath and tried to justify himself, "Plus, I was already exhausted after fighting Blue Arc."

At that moment, Qi Yuanli, standing atop the crystal chandelier, glanced down at the clock tower and then said, "Your clock tower pauses for one second every ten seconds."

He paused, looking down at the figure of Ghost Bell: "So you are not without weaknesses. As long as the bell tower behind you is destroyed... you will become an ordinary strongman."

"You know... so what?" Ghost Bell replied without looking up.

He wasn't a foolish brute; he knew that the brigade leader could switch places with the crow.

This means that as long as there is one crow, Qi Liyuan can disappear from the spot at any time.

With such unparalleled mobility, chasing him would be a waste of time.

Unless he could seize that one second of time-stopped moment to instantly kill Qi Yuanli, he would never be able to touch Qi Yuanli's body.

Therefore, he turned his attention to the three members of the auction house.

At this moment, after hearing the analysis of the principle of lacquer, the group members silently distanced themselves from the ghost bell.

They all knew that the next time stop was imminent. They were terrified that in that one second of time stoppage, they would be killed by this utterly unreasonable monster.

A few seconds later, the bell rang again, and the world was enveloped in a silvery light.

The other members are positioned too far apart, and even if Shadow chases them, it will only scatter their positions—Ghost Bell has to protect both "Clock Tower" and Blue Arc at the same time, so actively chasing them is definitely not a wise choice.

So Ghost Bell decided to take a gamble and continue attacking Qi Yuanli, who was closer. He manipulated his shadow to leap up and shoot towards the crystal chandelier in the dome, slashing his wrist blade at Qi Yuanli's leg.

The next moment, time resumed its normal flow.

As expected, Qi Yuanli transformed into a scattering of crow feathers and appeared five meters directly in front of the Ghost Bell.

"All you can do is hide like a cockroach?" Ghost Bell said sarcastically, slowly lowering his eyes to look at Qi Yuanli in front of him.

Qi Yuanli slowly raised his head, his deep eyes meeting Gui Zhong's gaze.

"Why don't you take a look behind you?" he suddenly said.

Behind you?

Gui Zhong frowned. Only then did he realize that a cold, emotionless killing intent had appeared in the auction house, like a ninja who had trained for a long time and only released his killing intent the moment he made his move.

Then Gui Zhong looked up and was immediately startled.

At that moment, a man dressed in black ninja attire knelt on the ground, holding a katana to Blue Arc's neck.

“You bunch of bastards…” Ghost Bell’s face twitched.

He focused his attention on the three members and the brigade leader the whole time, so he didn't notice that Oda Takikage was actually hiding in the auction house.

Concealing his presence, waiting for the opportune moment, and striking with deadly precision the instant he emerged from the darkness, deciding the outcome with a single move—this is the style of a battle-hardened ninja. Oda Takikage ended the battle in that instant.

“If it were a one-on-one fight, your only weakness might be that clock tower,” Qi Yuanli said, lowering his eyes and toying with the playing cards. “But unfortunately, your performance just now exposed another weakness of yours. That is…”

He paused for a moment: "Blue Arc."

Ghost Bell twisted his neck, staring at Oda Takikage with a gloomy expression, then looked at the long sword held against Blue Arc's neck. He clenched his fists, his anger surging like a rising tide, but he had to hold it back with the dam of reason.

Meanwhile, thirty seconds passed silently from the start of the battle.

The clock hands of the giant clock tower moved at high speed once again, and this time, the hour hand landed at the "6 o'clock" position.

The Ghost Bell did nothing, simply standing silently in place like a statue.

Qi Yuanli looked up at the clock tower and said slowly:
“Before this, I studied your abilities to some extent. The clock hands of the clock tower will drop to a certain hour every 30 seconds, and you will exhibit different abilities at each hour—which also means... at least for the next 30 seconds, you will not be able to use your time-stopping ability.”

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes and looked directly at the ghost bell, continuing in a calm tone:

"Without the ability to pause time, you can't possibly be our opponent; secondly, you can't possibly rescue Ran from Oda Takikage's hands..."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice suddenly rang out in the auction hall, interrupting him quietly from behind: "When you remind others to pay attention to what's behind them, why don't you take a look behind you too, Mr. Guild Leader?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm sure... the result won't disappoint you."

Qi Yuanli was slightly taken aback.

As this eerie voice rang out, a deathly silence briefly enveloped the auction house.

After a long while, Qi Yuanli turned his head expressionlessly and looked in the direction of the sound.

At that moment, a figure completely covered in black ribbons was hanging upside down below the ceiling of the auction stage;

Not only that, the black figure also bound a man with a mechanical box head with his arms and suspended the man's body in mid-air with a restraint strap.

What came into view was the black chrysalis, and the seventh member of the troupe—"Robert".

Under Qi Yuanli's watchful gaze, the black pupa slowly loosened its arms and instead wrapped black restraints around Robert's neck, circling it several times, like a black snake using its tail to strangle an enemy.

Robert struggled and let out a muffled groan.

The auction hall was deathly silent. All the members of the group, including Ghost Bell, stared at the uninvited guest hanging upside down in mid-air.

The black pupa grinned and slowly spoke to Qi Yuanli:
“Oh, you cunning leader, I’ve seen through your tricks. You’d better not let your crows get close to me, or any of your members. Otherwise, I’ll snap the neck of member number 7 in the first place.”

He paused slightly at this point, then lowered his voice and said sarcastically:

"He may seem like the most inconspicuous and weakest member, but in fact, this member number 7 is an indispensable cog in your operation, isn't that right?"

"In other words, if I kill him, it will be an irreparable loss for the White Raven Brigade."

"You should think about it carefully, Commander."

　Please vote with monthly tickets. There should be another update later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)