Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Seventeen, Strike the Warder a Blow

Pulled by the rope, Lu Yi shot rapidly upward at a slant. But before he was hoisted to the highest point, he removed the loop-rope launcher midway, swiftly cut the line, and with the force of his momentum crashed through a window into the room beyond, snagging the rope on the frame.

Lu Yi turned back and looked down from above at the Warden, who had just yanked his long blade from the ground. Tilting his head, he curled his lip. “Is that all you’ve got? The last Warden gave me far more surprises than you.”

“I’m a Husky: Damn, that was a hair’s breadth from disaster. I forgot to type.”

“Black Phosphorus: Seriously, streamer, you almost got skewered like candied hawthorn. Maybe stop taunting him.”

“One Fish: No, no, keep it up, streamer. This is thrilling. Keep pushing your luck.”

“One Fish sent streamer Lu Yi 100 pairs of skate shoes. Put them on and you’ll be the wildest brat alive. Charge!”

“Sweetie Yiyi: Mm, mm, so tense, so exciting. Go, streamer—and be careful.”

“Sweetie Yiyi sent streamer Lu Yi 20 Violet Vine Galaxy tickets.”

Hearing the flood of comments and gift notifications in his earpiece, Lu Yi’s smile only brightened. He was not mocking the Warden merely because the man’s favor toward him had dropped below zero and there was nothing to gain from him now. No—he had a reason to keep observing the Warden’s abilities. He was already plotting something astonishing.

“You shameless little brat, do not be so arrogant!” the Warden roared, gripping his long blade as he charged toward the house where Lu Yi stood.

Lu Yi seized the rope and swung out at once, his mouth no less merciless. “What move is this? A wild boar’s charge? You can’t even turn a corner.”

“Argh!” the Warden bellowed, but he could not stop his own forward momentum. In the next instant he slammed into the house. With the speed behind him and the force of that blade, the wooden wall shattered at once, and he plunged some distance inside.

After swinging far enough, Lu Yi let go. When he hit the ground, he tucked into a forward roll and came smoothly to a stop.

Behind him, the house gave a long groan of bending timber. Then it collapsed with a crash, burying the Warden beneath it.

Lu Yi hunched his neck and pulled an exaggerated face, then turned back with a shake of his head. “Tsk, tsk. Really can’t turn, can you?”

By then, the number of viewers in his stream was climbing rapidly.

“Black Phosphorus: Hahaha, streamer, you’re awful.”

“Black Phosphorus sent streamer Lu Yi a heart.”

“Argh!” A furious roar suddenly burst from beneath the collapsed house, the shockwave kicking up dust from the ground.

“I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!” the Warden howled without cease. Then a blade-light shot straight into the sky before slowly retracting to a hundred meters. It came slashing down, cleaving an entire row of houses in two, and after that strike, the blade-light shrank by half again.

Then it swept horizontally once more, and every house within its reach collapsed in succession.

Lu Yi did not flee blindly. He evaded the two arcs of blade-light with effortless ease, and after that final sweep, the glow vanished completely into the wreckage.

At the sight, Lu Yi gave a cold snort. “Angry? And what good does that do? What can you even do to me?”

That was what he said, but the moment he finished speaking, he fled without hesitation. Anyone with half a brain could tell the Warden was on the verge of going berserk. Besides, the terrain here had already been nearly destroyed by him—why stay? To fight that iron lump at close quarters?

“Boy, you’re dead!” With a furious bellow, the Warden leapt straight out of the ruins. The planks covering him were blasted into the air and came clattering down all around. Once he landed atop the rubble, he quickly found Lu Yi again.

“Stand still for me!” the Warden roared and gave chase. He stepped onto a plank, but it could not bear his weight and snapped at once. He missed his footing and toppled right off the rubble pile.

“Tch. You want me to stop, so I should stop? Who do you think you are?” Lu Yi had barely finished speaking when he heard a commotion behind him. Turning back, he caught the sight of the Warden tumbling down the ruins in complete disarray.

He burst out laughing. Turning his head back toward the Warden, he called, “Hey, iron lump—does anger help?”

“Argh!” The Warden dropped his blade and hammered both fists into the ground. With each blow, the aura around him grew stronger by another degree.

Lu Yi saw it all perfectly clearly. Though inwardly alarmed by the Warden’s rising presence, the corner of his mouth lifted instead. Smile or no smile, however, the battlefield still needed to be shifted. He said nothing more and turned to run.

Eyes bloodshot, the Warden hauled himself up. “Bastard, your life is mine!” Long blade in hand, he charged after Lu Yi.

“Watch your step, iron lump! Easy now—set your feet down gently. If you really can’t manage it, maybe stop trying to deliver yourself to me!” Lu Yi shouted without looking back.

The Warden took another step. The plank beneath his foot snapped again, and his leg jammed into a gap. “Damn it! Damn all of it!” he roared, whirling his long blade and shredding every plank before him with blade force.

Then he used a dash skill and shot forward in a burst, striving to catch up to Lu Yi’s retreating figure.

“Luo Liufeng of Black Sand City: Impressive, truly impressive. Last time, after an hour, the streamer drove the Warden into a temporary berserk state. This time his skills have clearly improved—he managed to make the Warden lose his mind in less than ten minutes.”

“Handsome Boy, You’re Naughty: Hehe, streamer, you’re too bad, taunting the Warden like that. Aren’t you afraid he’ll chase you for half an hour?”

“I’m a Husky: Your reckless style is making me very happy, streamer. Keep going.”

“Camel Bearer: Heh, this streamer’s style is refreshing. Bold—keep being bold. I like it.”

“Luo Liufeng sent streamer Lu Yi a Skeletal Demon Steed.”

“Handsome Boy, You’re Naughty sent streamer Lu Yi two evening gowns.”

Amid the ceaseless comments and gift notifications, Lu Yi had already been chased for a full li. The distance between them was slowly shrinking, thanks to the Warden’s utterly unrestrained use of skills.

Lu Yi could feel it very clearly: after every short interval, the Warden would unleash another skill. The frequency was far faster than before. Evidently, the instant a cooldown ended, he used it.

Then the ground trembled again, and some object the Warden had smashed flying struck Lu Yi in the back.

“Sweetie Yiyi: Streamer, the Warden’s getting closer and closer.”

“Sweetie Yueyue: Streamer, hurry and use your equipment and talisman papers.”

“Camel Bearer: Wait, I completely forgot the streamer hasn’t even used talisman papers yet.”

“I’m a Husky: I forgot too.”

Hearing those comments, Lu Yi immediately said, “Thanks for the concern. My speed right now is enough. The annoying part is this iron lump keeps jumping up and smashing things into the air. I’m looking for a chance to give him a good whack.”

“One Fish: Streamer, you really are bold. But even you called him an iron lump—what good would hitting him with a stick do?”

“Camel Bearer: Give the Warden a whack? Streamer, stop boasting. I can tell you’re running because you can’t beat him. But if you really can land one loud, solid strike on him, I’ll send a gift immediately.”

“I’m a Husky: Streamer, amazing. At a time like this, instead of thinking how to shake him off, you’re thinking about giving him a whack. You’re the only one I’m backing this round.”

As the crowd chatted, Lu Yi quickly returned to the place where he had begun. He swiftly flung several blades toward both sides. At once, two rows of wooden stakes slid down from above and hurtled toward the Warden.

“That’s all the trickery you have? Pathetic and disgraceful!” the Warden roared from behind. With a swing of his long blade, he sent out two arcs of blade force and shattered the stakes at once.

Very soon, comments came through the earpiece telling Lu Yi that the plan had failed.

“Boy, if you’ve run out of tricks, then stop struggling. I’ll grant you a clean death,” the Warden shouted from behind. Even as he spoke, he gripped his blade and dashed forward another stretch.

Lu Yi was just about to enter the attack range of his blade force. The red glow in the Warden’s eyes shone ever brighter, and his long blade was already wreathed in blade energy, ready to strike.

Yet Lu Yi’s smile grew more radiant still. He slapped the pendant hanging at his neck and drew upon the black magic within his body. At once his speed surged by several degrees, and the distance between them slowly widened again. Then he calmly took something out and pressed it.

The Warden froze for an instant. Clearly, he had not expected Lu Yi to have been toying with him all this time instead of running at full speed. But he knew that if he did nothing now, Lu Yi would truly escape. “Trying to run? In your dreams!”

With a furious shout, the Warden leapt high. But the moment Lu Yi pressed the button, something wrapped around the base of a streetlamp flashed several times. Then the entire metal pole snapped neatly at that point and toppled toward the center of the road. And by Lu Yi’s careful calculations, the Warden’s upward trajectory lay exactly within the range of its fall.

The metal streetlamp crashed down on the Warden at once, striking his head so hard it jerked sharply to one side. The little height he had just gained was instantly smashed away, and he was driven back to the ground, pinned beneath the pole.

“Camel Bearer: Damn! He really got hit! Incredible effect! I’m convinced.”

“Black Phosphorus: Streamer, you’ve changed. You’ve become scheming and precise—and I love it.”

“Minister of Ink: No wonder the streamer kept stringing the Warden along. Once he accelerated, the only movement skill left to the Warden was a leaping dash.”

“Camel Bearer sent streamer Lu Yi a Skeletal Demon Steed.”

Lu Yi sprinted a bit farther, then stopped in the middle of a crossroads. Turning back to the fallen Warden, he let a trace of mockery show on his face. “That little bit of skill, and you talked so big. I thought you’d see through at least a few of my traps, but this is all you amount to. Well? My little tricks are more than enough to deal with you, aren’t they?”

“Bastard! Impossible! Impossible! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” The Warden lay prone, both hands clawing frantically at the ground.