The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 25

As the words fell, the rapier struck like a serpent, swift and deadly, its blade slicing through the air with a sharp whistle. It was hard to imagine such a body could unleash such force, but this time, his target was Eve, and he intended to reclaim his lucky coin.

Hallucinations disturbed Lloyd, momentarily causing him to lag behind Sabre. Eve, however, faced Sabre's approach head-on, raising the revolver in her hand.

Named the Death Knell, the revolver warped the world through Eve's eyes, yet it didn't mean she would sit idly by. She pulled the trigger, but the expected death knell did not toll. Eve hesitated for a moment, then suddenly understood everything. She really wanted to curse Lloyd; this man was truly despicable. From the start, there were only five bullets in the revolver, just like when he had used a ladder at Phoenix Manor. He had exploited people's "common sense."

That was why he was so confident. This bastard had known from the beginning that there were no bullets in the chamber. What a bullshit gambler; all of this was just his deceit.

The sharp rapier arrived in an instant. Its edge brushed gently against Eve's cheek, but Lady Luck showed no favoritism. Sabre's attack missed due to blood loss and hallucinations. Then Lloyd's sharp staff pierced his body, bursting through his chest from behind, like a spear of execution, pinning Sabre to the ground.

"Eve! Snap out of it!" Lloyd seemed reluctant to explain his shoddy trickery, instead shouting loudly.

Eve didn't understand Lloyd's actions at first, but then she heard it—the sounds coming from all directions.

Those were panicked footsteps, echoing on the cobblestones, accompanied by the low murmurs and whispers of the dead.

Looking down at the fallen crowd from the platform, Eve saw them eerily rise to their feet, twisting in ways humans couldn't. Their eyes were eerie, completely white, and they moved like zombies, slowly shuffling forward.

"Is this an illusion?" Eve's newly strengthened heart almost shattered. Under the influence of the hallucinogen, she was gradually losing the ability to distinguish between illusion and reality.

"I don't know, but I know we need to leave," Lloyd said, lighting a cigarette and inhaling deeply. The invigorating herb began to take effect, clearing his vision.

"But... what about him... Lloyd!" Eve wanted to ask how to deal with Sabre. After all, they hadn't gathered many clues so far. But as she shifted her gaze to Sabre, the supposedly deceased body moved again.

That wasn't the vitality of a mortal; it was a bizarre scene straight out of a legend. He grabbed the blade, slowly pulling himself up from the ground. With all his blood drained, only his pale skeleton could be seen through the damaged wounds. There were no cries of pain, only a sobbing laughter.

"Death... is not the end," Lloyd murmured softly, suddenly remembering Sabre's earlier words.

"It's the coin!" Eve apparently noticed something, shouting in alarm.

Sabre's eerie body slowly stood up, holding his lucky coin in his broken hand. Then, his monstrous visage split open, his dark maw swallowing the coin and his palm whole. His jagged teeth tore at blood and bone, emitting a chilling sound.

"Is... is this an illusion?" The girl tightly gripped her sword and gun, on the brink of madness, but it was the only way to keep herself composed.

"That doesn't matter," Lloyd said coldly.

It was a strange stalemate, but suddenly, a thunderous sound reverberated. With this sound, the entire hall trembled. The splendid chandeliers swayed violently, their crystal structures clashing with each other, emitting a crisp sound, followed by endless dust falling.