449: Bloodlust boiled

A trace of icy chill flashed through the depths of Fang Yuan's eyes.

A game?

Very well, he liked playing games the most.

Especially when he was the one setting the rules.

"Fang Yuan..."

Frieren tugged at the corner of his clothes and whispered via a voice transmission, her tone full of displeasure.

"Are we really just going to wait here? This is so boring."

Fang Yuan patted the back of her hand soothingly.

"Wait a little longer, the big fish hasn't shown its face yet."

Just then, from an equally abandoned room next door, a low-voiced conversation suddenly drifted over.

It was that yellow-haired youth, Jack, and his few lackeys.

"Jack, what do we do now? There are more and more of those ghost things outside!"

One voice carried a sob.

Jack's voice sounded both ruthless and poisonous.

"What are you afraid of! Didn't that fat guy just buy us some time?"

"If we run into monsters again, we'll just find someone slow and push them out! As long as we survive, that's all that matters!"

Another lackey immediately chimed in.

"Right! I saw her, there's a woman in our group who's as thin as a monkey. She clearly has no strength. We'll use her as bait in a bit!"

"Good idea!"

The group hit it off and let out malicious low chuckles.

Inside the storage room, Frieren's brow furrowed tightly, and a fire of anger ignited in her blue eyes.

"Fang Yuan! They are so wicked!"

Fang Yuan's expression didn't change; he only transmitted his voice through Spiritual Sense.

"Don't be in a hurry, just watch."

He had seen plenty of the ugliness of human nature.

Especially at such a critical moment between life and death.

"Boom!"

The door to the room next door was suddenly smashed open by a massive force.

The screams of Jack and his group drifted over.

Immediately following were chaotic footsteps; they had clearly encountered a 'Guardian' again and were fleeing in panic.

As expected.

Before long, a commotion broke out in the corridor.

Fang Yuan scanned with his Spiritual Sense; a group of staggering Living Dead had blocked the corridor.

Their joints were twisted, and they still wore tourists' clothes, but their skin had turned a greenish-gray, emitting a rotting stench.

Jack's group happened to be cornered at the end of the corridor.

"Jack! There's no way out!"

A companion shouted in despair.

Jack glanced back at the closing Living Dead, then saw a thin, weak girl shivering in fear not far away.

She was exactly the 'bait' they had discussed earlier.

A look of ferocity flashed in his eyes, and he no longer hesitated for a second.

"Now!"

He roared and suddenly rushed over, grabbed the girl's arm, and with all his strength, shoved her violently into the crowd of Living Dead!

"Go to Hell!"

Having done this, he didn't look back and led his companions toward a fork in the road in the opposite direction.

"Ah—!"

The girl who was pushed out had no time to react. Seeing the greenish-gray, pus-dripping hands of the Living Dead about to grab her face, she let out a scream of extreme despair.

At this critical juncture.

A sudden change occurred!

Clang!

A crisp sound of metal hitting the floor rang out.

A medieval two-handed battle axe hanging on the corridor wall for decoration suddenly fell straight down, as if its fixed hook had snapped due to being 'out of repair for years'!

The axe blade was extremely heavy. After falling, it didn't hit the ground directly; instead, under the influence of gravity and using the other end of the hook as a pivot, it traced a perfect arc!

Swish!

The sharp axe blade swept across with precision.

Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!

The first few Living Dead in the front were like mowed wheat, unable to offer any resistance as they were sliced in half at the waist!

Upper and lower bodies separated, black blood and internal organs spilled all over the floor.

This single swing of the axe cleared a path of life right in front of the girl!

The girl was stunned, but then she reacted. Her survival instinct made her burst with unprecedented strength, and she scrambled through the severed limbs of the Living Dead, disappearing at the other end of the corridor.

Inside the dark storage room.

Fang Yuan slowly withdrew the finger he had just curled and flicked lightly toward the wall.

Frieren's eyes lit up, and she quietly gave him a thumbs up.

The hunting game inside the ancient castle continued.

Tourists were constantly being killed by various ghosts and monsters; screams rose and fell, becoming the background music of this ancient castle.

Surprisingly, Jack's small group had actually managed to survive by relying on the despicable means of constantly sacrificing others.

Their behavior became increasingly devoid of any bottom line, from pushing people as bait at the start to later even actively leading other survivors toward monsters to create escape opportunities for themselves.

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan and Frieren, relying on various inconceivable 'coincidences' and 'good luck,' appeared to be in a wretched state every time, yet they always managed to turn danger into safety at the most critical moments.

Either a monster would slip, or a chandelier overhead would 'just happen' to fall and block the path.

Time passed minute by minute.

The number of living people in the castle grew fewer and fewer.

At that moment, the figure of the Black-Robed Man appeared once again at the second-floor railing of the castle hall.

He looked down at the survivors below, who were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. His brow was tightly furrowed, appearing very dissatisfied with the speed at which the sacrifices were dying.

"A bunch of trash, they can't even handle such a small 'appetizer'."

He snorted coldly and decided to step onto the field himself to add a bit of difficulty to this 'game'.

"Sleeping hound, respond to my call. Bring fresh blood and food for your master!"

He began to chant an ancient and sinister incantation, his voice echoing incessantly under the enhancement of the Formation.

"Roar—!"

As his voice fell, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the dungeon!

Boom!

A monster as large as a small car smashed through the iron door of the dungeon and charged out!

It was an entirely black hound, but it had no fur; instead, it burned with raging Hellfire! On its three heads, all six eyes were a lava-like crimson, and the saliva dripping onto the floor made a 'sizzling' corrosive sound.

A Cerberus!

This monster, emitting a thick scent of sulfur, had a very clear target. It ignored the other scattered tourists and charged straight for Jack's group, which had the most people!

"Quick! Block the door!"

Jack screamed in terror and worked with several other survivors to push a heavy stone table over, trying to block the entrance.

Bang!

Their temporary obstacle was as fragile as paper in front of the Hellhound, easily smashed to pieces.

Scorching flames spewed from the Hellhound's mouths, instantly forcing them into a dead end with no way to retreat.

"Ah! Fire! My face!"

A woman's hair was set on fire, and she let out a shrill scream.

Facing this terrifying monster from Hell, Jack's group felt the descent of death for the first time in a very real sense.

That kind of powerlessness and suffocation made them completely break down.

Just as the Hellhound opened its middle bloody maw, preparing to swallow them in one bite.

From the corner of his eye, Jack suddenly glimpsed Fang Yuan and Frieren 'shivering' in a nearby corner while holding their heads.

It was as if he had caught the last straw of hope!

He also completely tore off the last piece of his disguise!

He reached out a finger that was shaking violently from fear and pointed hysterically at Frieren, screaming at the Hellhound.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Go eat them! Go eat them!"

"That woman! Look at that woman! She's cleaner and more beautiful than anyone here!"

"Her Soul must be even more delicious! Go eat her! Eat her!"

He actually wanted to shift the trouble onto others, sacrificing Frieren to the monster in exchange for a chance at his own survival!

Fang Yuan, who had been feigning terror and crouching in the corner with his head in his hands, paused his movements.

He slowly turned his head to the side.

In those eyes that had been perfectly disguised with fear and panic.

All emotions, at this moment, instantly faded away completely.

Leaving only a boundless, ultimate killing intent.