Chapter Thirty-Three: The Arbiter

Inside the café, a record player was spinning, filling the air with a melodious tune.

[Under the chestnut tree,
I betray you, you betray me.
They lie there, we lie here,
Under the chestnut tree—]

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Xia Xiu and Simon shook hands enthusiastically.

"Once we complete the mission, we’ll bring you your share of the spoils," Evan said to Xia Xiu.

"Well then, I shall await your return," Xia Xiu replied with a smile.

Xia Xiu had just shared the intelligence regarding Harry and Dorn with Simon and his partner. In exchange, they would pay him an information fee. Of course, this fee would, in all likelihood, be extracted directly from his two dear brothers.

"I’ll be off now. You two take your time to digest the information," Xia Xiu said, excusing himself.

"Mmh." Simon and Evan, already seated on the sofa and engrossed in the data provided by Xia Xiu, offered only a brief acknowledgment.

Watching them work, a pleased smile played on Xia Xiu’s lips. He stepped out of the café just as a Shiba Inu trotted past his feet. He crouched down, ignoring the dog’s disgruntled glare as he ruffled its head, then sauntered away, whistling a cheerful tune under the animal’s indignant gaze.

Back inside, just as Simon and Evan finished coordinating their operational plan, the waiter approached.

"Gentlemen, including the gentleman who just left, your total bill is 20 Yang coins."

"That kid didn't pay?!" Simon exclaimed in surprise, while the corner of Evan’s eye twitched involuntarily.

"He said you two would take care of it."

"..."

"…Fine, I understand."

When Simon and Evan emerged from the café after settling the bill, they saw the Shiba Inu lying by the entrance, looking sullen. Both men simultaneously pictured the radiant smile of the blonde youth from moments ago.

"Kids these days," Simon sighed, his voice heavy with weariness.

"Let’s go. It’s time to work," Evan said, ignoring Simon’s sighing as he headed off down the street alone.

"Sigh," Simon shook his head and walked in the opposite direction.

Evan was headed toward Harry’s private estate, while Simon made his way to the underground tavern where Dorn frequently lingered.

***

Brent District 104.
The basement of Harry’s private estate.

Harry was cradling a square glass container with fanatical intensity. Inside, a slab of flesh, etched with runes, writhed incessantly. He walked past rows of petri dishes filled with fluorescent green nutrient solution, each containing various organs—a few animal, but mostly human.

Reaching the end of the row, Harry stood before an oval vessel. He carefully tipped the flesh into the solution and sealed the lid.

"With just one more month, once I finish deciphering the [Way of All Flesh] created by Yaddith, I can complete my ascension during the next Divine Feast, rising from Olin to Zend."

Harry’s eyes were bright with joy. Once he ascended, he would earn greater favor from Yaddith, secure more resources, and his decaying life would witness a second spring.

*THUD.*
*Beep-beep-beep—*

A deafening boom shook the entire basement, and the alarm arrays began to shriek in frantic succession. Harry’s expression turned ghastly.

*Why!? Why did an accident have to happen at a time like this?*

Peering through his surveillance array, Harry saw a burly man in a suit standing in his foyer. In his right hand, the man gripped a rugged weapon—a [Bolter] powered by EVE particles. His BIO-species, placed throughout the estate for defense, were being gunned down one by one. But it was the emblem on the man’s weapon that caught Harry’s attention.

"The Kingdom!?" Harry’s face drained of all color.

Panicked, Harry grabbed the flesh he had just submerged and pulled out an emergency teleportation scroll, tearing it open instantly.

Nothing happened.

"Damn it, a containment field!" Harry roared in fury.

Fortunately, he had excavated an emergency escape tunnel in the basement. If he could reach it and collapse the entrance behind him, he might be able to shake off the Kingdom’s agents. He sprinted toward the tunnel, sensing his BIO-species being eliminated one by one. The tremors above grew more violent, forcing him to pick up his pace.

*Almost there, the tunnel is just ahead, as long as—*

*BOOM!!!*

A massive explosion tore through the area ahead, and the ceiling collapsed, blocking Harry’s path.

A figure two meters tall, encased in grey armor, stood before him. White-hot steam hissed from the vents of the iron helmet, and a pair of blood-red eyes stared at Harry like a beast eyeing its prey.

"Kingdom armament... Inquisitor class..." Harry’s limbs went cold. Seeing the golden wings upon the power armor’s shoulders, his face was consumed by despair.

The third level of the Kingdom’s three tiers and nine grades, the pinnacle of the Seraphim: Principalities—the Powers!

"You certainly know how to hide!"

The voice, distorted and exceptionally raspy, emanated from the power armor.

The intruder was none other than Evan Lowell, a member of the Burial Agency—[White Glove].

Upon entering the estate, Evan had been swarmed by BIO-species. Prioritizing efficiency, he had drawn the Bolter from the [Kingdom Armory], dispatching them one by one as a sign of "respect." He had initially hoped to avoid activating his Kingdom armament, as it required him to activate his [Second Heart] to induce rapid physical expansion—a necessity to meet the power armor’s strain requirements—and it felt like overkill for a minor fry.

But he had used it because his [Laser Phase Positioning] sorcery had scanned the entire estate, revealing the tunnel and Harry’s flight. Letting the target escape into the tunnels would have been a nuisance.

"Damn you, Flesh-Walker!"

Harry had no choice but to fight. A Flesh-Walker wielding a machete lunged at Evan, roaring as it swung the blade with lethal intent.

*Hiss—*

Steam vented from Evan’s iron helm. He reached into the void, causing space to ripple, and withdrew a grey chainsword.

*Vroom—*

"Heretic, you shall perish here!"

The chainsword ruthlessly tore through the Flesh-Walker, splitting its body in two. Blood splattered onto the armor, only to be instantly vaporized by the intense heat radiating from the plating.

*Gulp.*

Harry collapsed to the ground, his throat bobbing as he watched the iron-clad hand reach for him.

*By Yahn, what kind of...*

*CRACK—*