Chapter 154

The assailant’s sword penetrated Jason’s heart.

But he did not take any further action.

After all, even for the “Abrasion Society,” pursuing “torturing the flesh to achieve spiritual transcendence,” it was impossible to stay alive after the heart shattered.

Unless…

One attained the complete “Divine Grace.”

However,

that was too difficult.

So difficult that, since the old Federation, only one person had accomplished it.

And that person naturally returned to the ‘God’s embrace.

That was also the ultimate pursuit of the “Abrasion Society.”

He was still far from it.

So were the others.

So, he didn’t believe that someone who wasn’t part of the “Abrasion Society” could reach that level.

He released the hilt of the sword.

Before Jason slumped to the ground, the assailant grabbed the collar of Jason’s clothes and then pulled Jason in front of him.

“Let’s see who you really are!”

As he spoke, he tore off Jason’s hockey mask.

When he saw Jason’s face, the assailant was stunned.

“Jason?!”

“Could it be Gerard’s cousin Jason?!”

The assailant was extremely surprised.

Then, he understood.

“No wonder you could use a strengthened version of the ‘Blair Exorcism Technique’!”

“Gerard must have put in a lot of effort to achieve this, right?”

“Including you, he…”

While the assailant was still talking to himself, without any guard up, Jason lifted his hand and struck with his blade.

Thud!

Due to the angle, Jason couldn’t perform a decapitating strike, but the broad-bladed, short-handled machete plunged straight into the other’s neck. At the same time, Jason flipped over, and his wrist followed through in a swift motion.

Thud!

Another sound.

The sharp machete slid out, splitting open a large part of the assailant’s neck.

Jason didn’t stand up straight. Instead, he used the momentum from just turning over to strike again with his blade.

The rotation of his body amplified the force of this strike.

Thud!

This strike split the assailant’s body nearly in half.

Thump!

The assailant fell to the ground.

But he wasn’t dead yet.

Breathing was still present.

“Griffin style?”

The assailant murmured.

Indeed, Jason had used a technique similar to the Griffin style on the last strike, but it wasn’t “Griffin swordsmanship,” rather “Griffin Combat Technique,” which normally involves punching and kicking, but Jason had used his blade instead.

A weapon is an extension of the limbs, so what’s wrong with using a blade?

To treat the non-existent as existing, and the limitless as limited.

Adaptability was Jason’s style.

Clang.

Jason pulled out the long sword, held onto his wound with one hand, and threw it on the ground with the other, then looked at the ‘corpse’ on the ground.

A ghost, in the shape of an evil spirit, floated out from the body.

Unlike the bishop from before, whose lower half was blurry, the legs of this figure could be seen until they became hazy around the knees.

“Did you sense my arrival?”

“No, no!”

“You couldn’t possibly sense my arrival.”

“You must have guessed that I was coming, and that’s why you used that secret technique to feign death.”

“Very good.”

The assailant nodded, seemingly praising Jason.

Then, he paused for a moment before continuing.

“But, having used a reinforced version of the ‘Blair Exorcism Technique’ and just now that secret technique to fake death, you must be too injured to resist, right?”

“I can clearly feel your considerable loss of physical strength.”

“This is a special ability I have in my current state.”

“I’m quite curious about your secret techniques.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I won’t torture you for answers.”

“Because…”

“I’ll dig it out of your brain bit by bit.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his right hand.

Jason was hoisted into the air by an invisible hand ‘gripping’ his neck.

The opponent was exceedingly cautious.

Even though Jason had long since lost his physical strength, the opponent still maintained a controlled distance.

A distance of about two meters, a position that would allow the adversary to better lift Jason’s skull.

With the right hand maintaining the ‘grip,’ the opponent lifted their left hand and, with their finger like a blade, slowly approached.

A stinging pain appeared on Jason’s forehead.

Blood flowed down from the wound.

Quickly, it stained Jason’s eyes and cheeks red.

He struggled hard.

But the strength of the invisible palm was too great, making Jason’s struggles futile.

The opponent’s left hand continued forward, the invisible fingertips now touching Jason’s skull.

At this point, the opponent lowered their guard slightly.

And the next moment—

Bang!

The moment Jason’s skull was lifted, the opponent completely let down their guard.

What could a prey with its skull lifted do?

Especially at a distance of about two meters from oneself!

The game was over!

A victorious smile appeared on the opponent’s ethereal face.

Then, Jason, who should have died,

Lived again.

He removed the hand that had been covering his wound all along.

The opponent, seeing Jason’s unscathed wound, suddenly changed color in shock.

Not ‘playing dead’!

But ‘healing’!

The shadowy face almost twisted at that moment.

They retreated instinctively.

But it was too late.

Jason, having completed the Seal Imprint, pointed at the opponent.

“sI oT Yn!”

“‘i!”

An invisible force field instantly enveloped the opponent.

Unlike the bishop who had vanished into thin air instantly just now, this member of the ‘Erosion Society’ appeared only to fade under the force field of Protection Against Evil.

After being blessed by the Secret Keeper, Protection Against Evil could easily defend against and counter creatures of negative energy below the ‘explosive-level’ strength, but this ‘Erosion Society’ member clearly surpassed that level.

However, Jason, who firmly believed that a quantitative change could lead to a qualitative change, struck with Protection Against Evil two more times.

Jason, whose body had already reached its limits, died instantly twice under the strikes of Protection Against Evil.

The harbor ‘Sanctuary’ overseer of the ‘Erosion Society,’ mere inches away, felt such death.

His eyes widened uncontrollably.

“You, you are…”

He tried to say something else, but in that moment, the force field of Protection Against Evil disintegrated him.

Whoosh!

As if a strong wind had blown through.

The entire chamber immediately became a mess.

Jason didn’t bother to check these things. He rushed to Blatt’s corpse, snatched the ring off, rinsed it with water, and threw it into his mouth before he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

To know, just maintaining the state of being stabbed in the heart with a long sword had consumed a considerable amount of satiety, and the subsequent two overdrawn uses of Protection Against Evil had caused his satiety to bottom out, leaving only one point.

[Swallow a small amount of compound food essence]

[Physical strength and experience greatly recovered]

[Satiety +8]

[Satiety: 9]

…

With satiety replenished, Jason breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he spit out the rotten ring and turned to the attacker’s body.

The next moment, a necklace with a metal chain and a green gem pendant appeared in Jason’s hand.

Of course, he couldn’t have detected the opponent’s arrival.

If the opponent hadn’t been carrying this ‘food’ with them.

It was precisely because he found this ‘food’ that Jason, knowing someone was lying in wait, did not display his ‘undying’ nature during the fight against Blatt.

He was waiting for the opponent to join the game.

What Jason did not expect was that the opponent would make a move at the very last moment.

Complete disregard for the life or death of their own people?

Or was it…

The opponent had some different idea in mind.

Jason didn’t know.

And he didn’t want to think about it.

Right now, there was only one thing he wanted to do—

Eat!