Death Notice Book 6: Chapter 45: Gunslinger OR Martial Artist

The Heart of the Strong was not an Apostle Skill, but a product of highly concentrated Mental Will. As Novice Apostles deepened their understanding of their own combat professions and remained steadfast on their chosen paths, they would eventually condense the Heart of the Strong for that profession.

The Heart of the Strong did not possess any professional abilities. If one had to define it, it would be the sublimation of a Professional Apostle’s will. If this spiritual will manifested in Sapient Races, it would be intangible and indescribable.

However, because Apostles had Law Bodies, the originally intangible Heart of the Strong took on a concrete form. It could enable an Apostle’s professional abilities to achieve a qualitative leap.

This change took many forms. Some resulted in the tier-upgrading of Apostle Skills; some allowed for the mastery and integration of different skills; it could even help Apostles comprehend advanced abilities of certain professional skills.

For example: Menlo’s “Circle of Iaido” belonged to the integration of several martial arts, while Yin Shi’s “Aura of Sanctuary” was an advanced ability of a certain knight’s aura.

Systematic professional abilities were the huge gap between Novice Professional Apostles and ordinary Apostles, while the Heart of the Strong represented the fundamental difference between Second-Order Apostles and Novice Apostles.

The ranks among Apostles were clearly defined and represented essential distinctions. So-called cross-tier combat power could only occur if this fundamental gap was eliminated. Excluding factors outside of combat, a Novice Apostle without the Heart of the Strong could absolutely not pretend to be weak and defeat a Second-Order powerhouse head-on.

Although Menlo and Yin Shi had not yet completed their Second-Order Class Change quests, aside from the enhancement rewards from Shattered Starry Sky, these two female Apostles had essentially become Second-Order powerhouses.

Menlo and Yin Shi’s own professional abilities were very complete, and they had advanced far along their Novice professional paths. In this Metropolis Domination War, they had experienced multiple high-intensity battles, and their opponents were all outstanding among Novice Apostles. Achieving a breakthrough at this moment was a natural progression and not at all strange.

Joey’s Heart of Slaughter was not the Heart of the Strong of a Jungle Hunter, but rather the force field aura of a Serial Killer. This Heart of Slaughter was also a type of Heart of the Strong. If it had to be categorized, it could only be said to be the Heart of the Strong of a Serial Killer.

Even before the “Dissector” entered Shattered Starry Sky, he already possessed this killing aura.

Back in the Earth Federation, this force field aura unique to serial killers would instinctively make ordinary people feel fear. When the Serial Killer entered Shattered Starry Sky, he naturally condensed the Heart of Slaughter.

Qin Lun went through four Quest Worlds and used Death Notice and self-hypnosis to create a very special auxiliary ability called the Combat Model. His enhancement direction had always focused on long-range attacks. In terms of combat ability, it could be said that he was vastly different from the original Qin Lun.

However, at critical moments of decisive battles, he still had to rely on Joey’s close-combat ability. The Pentagram Crystal Mirror, originally used only for movement and evasion, the Swift Wind Step, and the Clock Eye, used to collect enemy combat information, all became auxiliary attack methods in Joey’s hands.

Qin Lun’s carefully matched Legendary firearms and Combat Gunmanship were of no use to Joey; he only used a Dagger of Sin, which for now was still a Hundred-Kill Slayer. Qin Lun once assessed that once close combat began, Joey using the Dagger of Sin combined with the simulation ability of Clock Eye would deal several times more damage than his own Gun Fu.

Actually, this was the Heart of Slaughter at work. Except for the Combat Model that Joey could not use, the Serial Killer with the Heart of Slaughter allowed every close-combat skill to perform beyond its normal level.

From this perspective, if Qin Lun had chosen to change class to a Magic Warrior back then and integrated more close-combat attack skills, his frontal combat strength would have been even greater. Of course, the long-range attack and guerrilla capabilities of a Magic Warrior would be inferior to those of a Jungle Hunter, making it less comprehensive.

“She may have gained an extra Aura of Sanctuary, but she lost her mount and the upper body plate armor Protection. Moreover, that last strike broke at least two of her ribs. She’s no longer a threat.” Menlo glanced at the Female Knight and then focused her attention back on Qin Lun.

“But this Gunslinger… how did he condense such a thick Heart of Slaughter? And his mental state seems very unstable, completely different from before, as if he’s become another person…”

“Perhaps there’s still a chance to win!” A cold glint flashed in Menlo’s eyes. She pushed off with her toes and charged fiercely toward Qin Lun. “No matter what, the long-range attacker must be dealt with first.”

“Heh, not a bad choice!” Seeing Menlo charge at him first, Joey stuck out his tongue to lick his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile. He was about to step forward to meet the challenge but felt his legs go weak, nearly causing him to kneel.

Joey’s face turned pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. Forcibly seizing control of the body from Qin Lun earlier had cost him greatly, and he hadn’t recovered yet.

The two personalities of the Serial Killer: Qin Lun was cold and ruthless, good at scheming, while Joey was paranoid and insane, with a strong will. If the two personalities disagreed and fought for control of the body, it was like fighting oneself, and in the end, both would be injured.

Whenever such situations arose, it was usually Qin Lun who compromised, and this time was no exception. However, Qin Lun had hesitated a bit earlier and compromised a little too late, inevitably leaving both body and mind exhausted.

“Hmph!” A sharp light gleamed in Joey’s eyes. He put away the Burial of Light and Darkness, flipped his right hand to tightly grip the Dagger of Sin, and without hesitation tore open the last Light Body Technique scroll with his left hand. At the same time, a huge Pentagram Crystal Mirror materialized behind him.

“Bang!” The Pentagram Crystal Mirror, as tall as a person, made a crisp shattering sound. The large mirror surface turned into crystal shards, coalescing into a violent stream of elements that struck Joey’s back heavily.

Joey crouched and then leaped, shooting forward like a rocket, heading straight for Menlo.

“Oh? Perfect timing!” Menlo was not alarmed but pleased. Although she didn’t know why the shooter in front of her had given up hiding in the shadows to take potshots, she was full of confidence in herself. No matter what tricks the shooter had, as long as it was close combat, she would not back down.

“Hiss!” Menlo took a deep breath, puffing out her chest, and slowly exhaled a substantial-looking white mist that gathered in front of her, lingering for a long time. The Kung Fu Girl positioned her left palm forward, her right fist drawn back at her side, stepped forward with her right foot landing solidly, and assumed a bow stance.

As soon as Menlo took this stance, Joey felt a warning in his heart. The Serial Killer grinned, three clock hands suddenly appearing in his eyes. Time-Space Threads formed by condensed Perception danced in the air like tentacles, and another Pentagram Crystal Mirror appeared under his feet.

“Bang!” Joey’s speed increased again. His body left an afterimage in the air as he shot like an iron arrow toward the well-prepared Menlo. On the other side, the Female Knight was greatly startled, staring unblinkingly at the two, inwardly lamenting her predicament.

She had already witnessed Menlo’s combat ability. Even if the shooter had some hidden card, she felt his current actions were suicidal. If the shooter was taken out by Menlo in one encounter, she would not survive either.

Her Knight’s Heart had broken through a bit too late. She had lost her mount and was severely injured. Without the shooter to keep Menlo occupied, there was absolutely no way she could fight Menlo. But there was no way she could intervene in this round now, so she could only watch and wait.

Menlo stared intently at Joey shooting toward her, her pupils narrowing to slits. The distance of over twenty meters between them closed in an instant. As soon as the black gleam of the Dagger of Sin entered the range of the “Circle of Iaido,” it caused slight disturbances.

“Ha!” Menlo’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. She stepped forward with her left foot, took another step, and thrust out her right fist from her waist—a simple bow stance punch. As a Martial Artist, many attack skills were not flashy. Sometimes, the simpler the move, the more powerful it was.

Before Menlo’s arm was fully extended in this bow stance punch, ripples of shockwaves spread around her fist, and visible ripples burst in the air.

“It’s over!” The Female Knight watching from the sidelines sighed inwardly. The Kung Fu Girl’s simple bow stance punch seemed even more powerful than the axe kick that had slain the war mount earlier. If the fragile shooter was hit squarely by this fist, he might be killed with one punch.

Menlo also felt a little proud. This punch was the most powerful bow stance punch she had executed since comprehending the Martial Artist’s Heart. Though not a perfect martial technique, combined with the domain effect of “Circle of Iaido,” she believed a shooter absolutely could not dodge it.

However, at that moment, she saw the shooter in front of her grin, his face showing an exceptionally ferocious smile. Her fist, only a foot away from her opponent’s face, slightly stalled as if hitting water, giving rise to two layers of completely opposite circular ripples.

One layer of ripples spread toward Menlo, the other toward Joey. These were not shockwaves from the force of the punch tearing through space, but more like Menlo had invaded… another “Circle of Iaido” domain force field.

“Impossible!” Menlo’s pupils contracted, and she let out an incredulous scream.

Circle of Iaido vs. Circle of Iaido!

The three clock hands in Joey’s pupils spun rapidly. The corners of his eyes split open without him realizing it, and a line of blood drops slid from his eye sockets.

He reached out his left palm and lightly tapped the back of Menlo’s punching hand, then used the momentum of her punch to leap high, tucking into a somersault. His right leg came down like a battle-axe, swiftly chopping toward Menlo’s head. The posture was almost identical to the martial technique Menlo had used earlier to kill the knight’s mount.

With her punch missing, Menlo involuntarily stumbled. Fortunately, as a Martial Artist, her physical reflexes were akin to a beast’s. Following the forward momentum, she instinctively twisted at the waist, facing upward. As she fell to the ground, she lifted her right leg, performing a split kick to block Joey’s axe kick technique.

However, with her mind unsettled, the force behind her split kick was insufficient. She was slammed to the ground by Joey’s powerful axe kick. Where their feet met, it was like the center of an explosion. “Boom!” A burst of air erupted, and shockwaves swept across the entire area.

“Pfft!” Menlo felt a sweet taste in her throat and couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. She rolled on the ground, creating distance between them.

“He’s a Martial Artist too?!” The Female Knight watching from the side widened her eyes, her expression one of utter disbelief.