127: Matchup against Marcus

Locke's expression remained steady; he wasn't affected by the howl in the slightest.

The moment he set Serena down, he drew his sword and followed the source of the wolf howl.

"Serena, in a moment, follow my lead. If things look bad, you retreat first."

"No." Serena followed behind him with her dual pistols, shaking her head vigorously upon hearing his words.

"I won't abandon you. Even if it means death, I'll die with you."

"Hey, don't talk such gloom."

Locke didn't look back; instead, he scanned every blind spot of the dim prison corridor with full concentration.

He wanted to avoid being ambushed by William and Marcus.

He never assumed his opponents were noble enough to forgo a sneak attack.

Since his first day in this world, caution had been his primary rule of conduct.

"Hmph, I don't care. If you don't leave, I won't leave." Serena followed him with her guard up; that wolf howl from earlier had left her feeling vaguely uneasy.

This was the suppression exerted by a higher-sequence being over a lower-sequence one.

After all, Serena had not yet fully evolved to Sequence 9, so she was inevitably affected.

"That's not what I meant. I mean if it gets too dangerous, just focus on keeping yourself safe. Leave the rest to me."

Locke didn't expect much from Serena.

He only hoped she and Alfred could provide support, keeping William or Marcus occupied so he'd have time to kill the other.

Although he was powerful now, he wasn't certain he could take them both down if the two Sequence 9s joined forces.

Thus, the best approach was the "Tian Ji's Horse Racing" strategy—dividing and conquering them one by one.

Alfred, who had been hiding in the shadows and keeping watch, suddenly spoke to Locke with a grave expression via mental transmission:

"My Lord, I sense two extremely powerful entities rushing toward us."

"They actually dare to take the initiative? It seems you're quite confident in your strength, Marcus."

Locke narrowed his eyes, surveying the corridor's environment, and immediately made a judgment.

"This place isn't good for maneuvering. Let's pull back to that small plaza we just passed."

While the narrow corridor could restrict Marcus's flight,

Serena would be at an absolute disadvantage, unable to maneuver properly.

He would likely end up facing two Sequence 9s alone, doubling the risk—not a good choice.

Having said that,

The two people and the bat retreated at high speed to a small plaza fifty meters behind them,

Or perhaps it could be called a large room.

A statue stood in the center of this plaza.

The statue was neither of Jesus nor the Vampire Progenitor, but of a woman in wizard robes wearing a black veil.

Clearly, it was the Goddess of the Night, worshiped by both the Werewolf Clan and the Vampire Clan.

Locke and Serena stood side-by-side beneath the statue, staring intently at the dark corridor ahead.

"They're here!"

The moment Locke heard the whistling wind, he drew his cruciform sword, while Serena raised her dual pistols, ready to fire.

As Locke spoke, two figures—one black and one white—rushed out of the corridor at high speed.

These were Marcus and William.

The moment Marcus saw Locke, his face was overcome with extreme coldness.

"Heh heh heh, I didn't expect you to actually dare show up. It seems you really didn't take my warning seriously."

"I don't know what you're so confident about."

Locke's expression was calm. He sensed their auras in secret, and after confirming that neither had made a breakthrough, he breathed a small sigh of relief.

Then, with a sneer, he replied:

"Aren't you just two Sequence 9s? Do you really think you and this mindless beast can defeat me together?"

"Whether we can defeat you," Marcus was clearly confident in the current situation. He clenched his claws tightly and slowly raised his eyes, staring fixedly at Locke.

"We'll know once we try!"

"William, let's go."

With those words, the two of them charged at Locke and Serena with incredible speed.

Their speed was so great it was almost equal to Locke's when he wasn't using any skills.

Locke naturally wouldn't sit idle; he also charged out with his sword. However, as he lunged forward, he didn't forget to caution Serena.

"Just try to maneuver around that mindless William. Don't fight him head-on."

With that, he dashed at an equally high speed toward Marcus, who was flying toward him with flapping wings.

"Marcus, I think you've forgotten the taste of my sword from last time."

"Hmph, last time was just a sneak attack." Marcus's lip curled in disdain as he stuck out his tongue to lick his fangs, saying viciously:

"This time, I will drain every drop of blood from your body."

"Then give it a try."

Locke's lips curled into a grin, and he stopped talking.

Simultaneously, his speed suddenly increased by twenty percent, and he charged at Marcus even faster than before.

"Die!"

As he neared Marcus, he channeled a small amount of Extraordinary Factor onto his blade.

Then, he swung violently toward the neck.

Suddenly, a sword rang out,

echoing throughout the entire room.

The blade, glinting with a cold light, slashed out at high speed.

Facing this seemingly unstoppable strike, Marcus actually didn't dodge.

Instead, he raised both claws to meet it directly.

"Kid, you didn't think I'd be stupid enough to fight you head-on if I knew I couldn't win, did you?"

"Hahahaha..."

"Transform!"

Along with a roar, a strange change suddenly occurred in his body.

Black wolf fur began to emerge on his previously smooth skin, identical to that on the Werewolf Progenitor, William.

Locke's eyes narrowed at the sight. "You extracted William's blood and fused it with your own, didn't you?"

"Kid, you're scared, aren't you?"

Marcus looked at Locke with a mocking expression. "It's too late for fear. The moment you chased us here, your death was sealed."

"Who lives and who dies is yet to be decided."

Locke didn't panic at this sudden change.

His sword continued its forward momentum, slashing toward Marcus.

Seeing him still dare to swing his sword, a cold smile appeared on Marcus's face.

"Ignorant brat. Knowing I'm no longer the same as before, you still dare to attack me."

"I don't know whether to call you brave or just... hm?"

Before the word "die" could leave Marcus's mouth, Locke's blade clashed with his black claws.

Upon contact,

his confident expression instantly crumbled, replaced by panic and astonishment.

"No!"