73: I'll tell you right now why!

Although Victor was quite weak, he still managed to react, which prevented Locke Galahad's sword from striking his neck directly. Instead, the target shifted, and the blade cleaved straight down through his left shoulder.

Immediately after, a large chunk of red flesh, accompanied by a spray of blood, hit the ground with a wet splat.

Even after hitting the ground, the piece of flesh continued to twitch due to residual nerve signals.

Its surface was smooth, the cut clean, and Locke Galahad's sword had even sliced off a portion of the white shoulder blade along with the flesh.

This blow instantly left Victor's entire left arm connected to his body by only a sliver of skin and muscle.

"What a pity!"

Seeing that his sword had failed to sever Victor's neck, Locke Galahad sighed with some regret and shook his head. When the tentacles were about to touch him, he used his blade to deflect the incoming appendages, then immediately pulled back, distancing himself from the area where the tentacles were most concentrated.

Meanwhile, Victor had paid the price of half a shoulder to escape and hide behind the meat mountain. Clutching his shoulder, he couldn't help but let out a shrill scream: "Ahhh! F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! Kid, how dare you hurt me? You deserve to die!"

Seeing Victor injured, the red tentacles seemed to lose their composure. Having also lost his commands, they stopped attacking and retreated. However, as they withdrew, the tentacles seemed to act with a mind of their own; they actually coiled around the severed shoulder on the ground and lifted it up in front of Victor.

It would have been better if the tentacles hadn't brought the shoulder back. When they placed it in front of Victor, his already disgruntled mood instantly exploded, and his rage toward Locke Galahad instantly spread to the meat mountain aggregate: "You piece of trash! You couldn't even stop one person and caused me to get hurt. What use are you?"

Clearly, he was attributing the injury caused by his own incompetence to these mute, red tentacles.

As soon as these words were spoken, the tentacles, which had previously been dancing happily, seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, like a playful child losing its spirit, they instantly wilted.

In that instant, and not knowing if it was just an illusion, Locke Galahad actually felt as if he perceived a sense of dejection from the monster. "Could this thing actually have consciousness?"

He stood with his sword, not rushing forward again, because with the tentacles guarding Victor, it wouldn't be wise to charge straight in. That move could only be used once; it wouldn't work a second time. Having been struck by his sword, Victor had clearly learned his lesson and intended only to hold his ground, no longer attacking rashly.

If Victor used all eight tentacles to defend, Locke Galahad certainly wouldn't attack, as even if he could break through, he would likely get injured himself. This was something Locke Galahad was unwilling to accept, especially since he didn't know if the tentacles carried any toxins. Furthermore, he still had to deal with Marcus later, so he couldn't afford to get hurt easily.

Thus, a strange balance was struck between Locke Galahad, the red meat mountain, and Victor. Victor, out of fear, dared not let the tentacles attack, while Locke Galahad was in no rush because time was on his side. After all, although Victor was a Vampire, with such a large wound and no way to ingest blood, it would be very difficult for him to recover.

The wound was still bleeding continuously; if this dragged on, Victor would surely be the one to die. Once Victor was dead, he could better focus on dealing with the tentacle monster, slowly find its weakness, and then put it to rest. This was the most efficient and safest strategy.

To be cautious, Locke Galahad naturally chose to wait and see. As a hunter, the most important thing was to maintain patience.

But it was clear that Victor also realized the situation was unfavorable for him. His sinister eyes darted around as he looked at Locke Galahad, who stood calmly at the doorway with his sword, and anxiously thought about how to break the impasse.

"Ugh... dragging this out isn't a solution. What kind of thing is this kid? How is he so strong, and how is he so experienced in his actions? He's been guarding the door tightly, giving me no chance to escape through it..."

Thinking of this, he looked down at the complex inscriptions carved under the meat mountain, feeling very conflicted.

"If I take it and leave here now, everything I've worked so hard on for so many years will go to waste."

This meat mountain was cultivated using a twisted, heretical method combined with the flesh and blood of his own kin. Victor had begun investing resources into cultivating it centuries ago, and his main purpose was naturally not to use it against enemies, but to allow himself to break through his limits, become a Sequence Nine, and become a legendary Extraordinary Creature.

The opportunity to become a legend was right before his eyes, so naturally, he was unwilling to give it up easily. With a conflicted expression, and even a hint of pleading in his eyes, he looked at Locke Galahad: "Kid, let's make a deal. As long as you let me go, I swear that from now on, I will never bother you or Serena again. I am even willing to pass my Elder position to you. As long as you leave now, I can even act as if everything today never happened, and I will not hold a grudge about you wounding me either..."

Of course, all of this was an act. Given the kind of person he was, if temporarily swallowing his pride could fool a youngster like Locke Galahad, he would naturally be very willing to lower himself and beg for mercy.

Locke Galahad rested his hands on the hilt of his sword. Hearing Victor say this, he raised an eyebrow with a strange expression: "At this point, I'm afraid you're joking by saying these things. Let me tell you... today, there is absolutely no possibility of you continuing to live."

"Must you be so ruthless?"

"Ruthless?"

Locke Galahad lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with deep disgust: "When you murdered Serena's parents back then, why didn't you feel that what you were doing was ruthless?"

"Hmph, I killed them for the greater good, for the sake of this world."

Victor said with a cold face, righteous and indignant, showing no remorse: "If I had let them leak the location of the fortress where William was, once Marcus and William joined forces, it would inevitably have caused chaos."

"Ridiculous, truly ridiculous."

Locke Galahad felt that this guy Victor was truly shameless, hundreds of times more disgusting than Kraven. Anyone who heard such high-sounding claims, designed to absolve himself of all responsibility, would be unable to remain calm.

"Since you want to act for the greater good, then I now ask you to die for the greater good!"

"How is killing me for the greater good?"

"Only by killing you can I have the ability to kill Marcus and William. Isn't that the greater good?"

Locke Galahad chose to directly use Victor's own rhetoric and behavioral logic to refute him.

"Since Serena's parents could be killed by you for the greater good, then surely you can also become a ghost under my sword for the greater good. Don't worry, I am more capable than you; once you die by my sword, I will definitely send Marcus and William to keep you company later."

His words were reasoned and logical, which immediately put Victor in an awkward position, leaving him cold-faced and unsure of how to respond.

Victor pondered for a moment, then sneered and said: "Ridiculous, truly ridiculous. Empty words are proof of nothing. You say you can kill Marcus and William, so you can? If you go kill them both now and then come back to find me, I will certainly stick my neck out to be slaughtered. The question is, can you do it?"

"Why?" Locke Galahad sneered, raising his sword to point directly at Victor again, "I'll tell you why right now!"