CHAPTER 200: Dog Eat Dog

An explosion rang out from Elaine's body as her profusely bleeding body suddenly exploded into bloody chunks as a tremendous force was released in all four directions.

Two finger bones and three arrows of blood headed straight for Han Shuo with a ferocious and terrifying force. At this critical moment, the quickly retreating Han Shuo immediately chanted the bone shield spell and a pile of gleaming white bones instantly formed a white bone shield, one metre wide and one and a half metres high, floating in the air in front of Han Shuo.

A crunching sound rang out as the white bone shield couldn't withstand the tremendous impact it had just received. It exploded into numerous bone fragments that flew every which way in a magnificent display of fireworks.

If it had been anyone else, they might not have sensed the danger lurking in Elaine's body and would have been caught unawares by this attack. They would probably have fought back. But Han Shuo was alert and his thoughts moved quickly. A bolt of enlightenment had suddenly struck his heart, and he'd just sensed the latent danger in Elaine's corpse. That was why he hadn't been able to react and retreat in time.

Being in the true demon realm, Han Shuo's brain had undergone a savage training and the speed at which he could concentrate and release his mental power was much faster than ordinary mages. This was why he was able to cast the White Bone Shield spell at such a crucial moment with such astonishing speed.

After retreating more than ten metres and leaving the White Bone Shield in shards, Han Shuo had successfully dodged this obviously premeditated attack.

When he took another look at Elaine, there was nothing left but fresh blood and chunks of flesh. A strong sense of bloodshed suddenly permeated the air.

Han Shuo suddenly felt a suffocating sensation and he knew immediately that this was bad. He'd caught his breath, but without a moment's thought, the magical yuan in his limbs began to circulate.

The trickles of Magical yuan circled his limbs as they wiped away the scent of blood that Han Shuo had just inhaled into his lungs. Han Shuo had been feeling a little dizzy and tired, but now he felt the power surge back into his limbs.

An evil plan, an evil enemy!

He went over what had just happened and was certain that the blood essence he'd placed in Belinda's neck had been manipulated and transferred into Elaine's body.

The enemy had then killed Elaine and used her body as bait, setting two traps to catch him. First, they'd used a spell similar to Corpse Explosion. Elaine's body had been filled with chemicals so that the moment her body exploded, her fresh, chemical-laced blood would become a second round of attack.

Such gruesome methods using a corpse could only be the brainchild of those fervent cultists of the Calamity Church!

Belinda must have been rescued by others, Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to free herself from the blood essence's shackles with her power alone. Han Shuo was about to leave this place as soon as his thoughts travelled here, but two sets of footsteps began to approach his location. One was heavy and the other was soft. Han Shuo could tell by their weight that they were a man and a woman.

A thought struck him as his mind raced furiously. He considered the most appropriate method and timing to deal with them.

However, he needed an opportunity to create the best timing! Han Shuo looked around and noticed that there was no good terrain to take advantage of, nor was there any good timing. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart!

Han Shuo's originally upright body suddenly collapsed to the ground. As his eyelids covered the sharp look in his eyes, his heartbeat and breathing became unusually calm. It was as if he was in a deep coma without any consciousness.

Two people gradually approached. Belinda's face was covered as usual by her black veil. Her bright eyes stared at Han Shuo without blinking.

The other person was quite elderly, as the tips of his hair were a grey-brown colour. Fine lines wrinkled his face like ditches as he wore a thick grey cotton jacket. He held a knobbed staff in his left hand, while his grey-white eyes seemed to have no energy. He walked slowly over, keeping an eye on the surroundings as well, not just paying attention to Han Shuo.

"Wait, Belinda!" The old man called out in a low, raspy voice just as Belinda was about ten metres away from Han Shuo.

Belinda had been staring intently at Han Shuo when she immediately stopped when she heard this call. She turned around in confusion and looked at the old man, "What is it Master Edwin?"

The man called Edwin was from Calamity Church. His grey-white eyes kept circling the area before finally settling on Han Shuo. He rasped out, "There is no blood on his body and no obvious signs of injury. He probably wasn't injured by the exploding corpse. Judging from the distance, he might have passed out from the chemicals, but we have to be more careful."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Belinda not only stopped approaching Han Shuo after these words, but actually started to back away until she was side by side with Edwin.

"Shoot an arrow into him. If he really is in a coma, he won't feel a thing!" Edwin replied.

Han Shuo cursed inwardly. That old fart was really devious and malicious! He could come up with such a cruel plan. This man gave Han Shuo a strong sense of danger, but from the state of his body, Han Shuo was well aware that this person wasn't a swordsman or a knight. He must be a wonderful magician despite his decrepit body, otherwise he would not be afraid to approach Han Shuo!

Belinda laughed softly and agreed when she heard Edwin's instructions . She took out a bow and arrow and, trembling, drew an arrow on the string.

Belinda was clearly not a marksman. Her two arms trembled as her notched arrow also trembled in Han Shuo's direction.

Because they were so close, Han Shuo could feel Belinda holding the bow and arrow even with his eyes closed. Her trembling hands made soft noises as her arms brushed past her thick clothing. This made Han Shuo panic a little as he weighed up whether or not to take the risk.

If he suddenly exploded into action, he wasn't sure if he would be able to kill both of them, given their distance from him and the fact that they were both on guard. Han Shuo also didn't know what methods this Edwin might have, so it was very unwise to take the risk of attacking.

Han Shuo hardened his heart the moment Belinda struck her arrow and decided to take the hit no matter what. Han Shuo understood from their conversation that they didn't want to kill him. That was what made him decide.

"Do it!" Edwin's voice was deep as he pushed Belinda.

"All right!" Belinda agreed and released the arrow with a "whoosh".

The arrow landed in the snow by his left arm as Han Shuo lay there nervously. It hadn't hit him at all! It looked like Belinda's shooting skills were beyond rubbish, causing her to miss even at such close range. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of time, you'll get the hang of it after a few more arrows." There was no emotion in Edwin's voice as he spoke slowly.

His eyes lit up as he spoke and he focused on Han Shuo's body, hoping to glean some clues from it.

"All right, I'll try a few more times!" Belinda replied and shot another three arrows. All three missed again.

Belinda was obviously a little irritated as she huffed slightly and took another arrow. This time she didn't aim at all and shot directly at Han Shuo.

However, the one arrow that she hadn't aimed at all turned out to be miraculously accurate. It flew straight to Han Shuo's calf and sank in with a small pfft. Bright red blood slowly oozed out of his trouser leg.

This kind of pain had long since become nothing to Han Shuo. His heart rate and breathing remained the same, as did the dull expression on his face, as if he'd truly fallen into the depths of a drug-induced coma.

"It should be fine!" Edwin nodded and said quietly after watching for a while.

Belinda and Edwin then relaxed their guard against Han Shuo and approached his position. Han Shuo concentrated and prepared himself to kill at any moment. He would make a move to kill Edwin as soon as the old man approached. As frightening as Belinda was, she was only a threat in group fights thanks to the destructive power of her golem. Han Shuo did not fear her at all when they fought in a place like this.

Just as Han Shuo was making his preparations, more sounds came from the distance. They quickly approached this area, surprised Han Shuo as he lay on the ground feigning death. He wondered who was coming now.

"Chief, that person is here!" A loud shout suddenly rang out as a dozen of them moved swiftly through the frosty winter wind.

"To think he left the Valley of Sunshine on his own, he doesn't want to live anymore!" Florida's voice suddenly rang in Han Shuo's ears, completely contrary to his expectations.

"Chief Florida of the Red Sickle Mercenary Band!" Belinda suddenly shouted in shock.

"No matter who you two are, hand over the child immediately!" Florida proclaimed, as usual, when he arrived.

Calm returned to the eyes of the man called Edwin. He glanced at Florida and the others as they approached, first cackling oddly and then rasping out in a voice full of hate. "So you're Florida, it looks like I was right to come to the Valley of Sunshine this time!"

As Edwin spoke, an immense pulse of magic suddenly emanated from his body. The presence of dark magic suddenly permeated the air towards Florida. Three huge black hands materialised in the air and slammed down on them with a ferocious force that could split the sky and the ground.

Every tree and rock in the area exploded into dust in a matter of seconds. Tall trees creaked and then fell under the onslaught of the force.

The enormous dark magic spell 'The Hand of Death' had been unleashed, and three ten-metre wide hands had appeared. As the terrifying force covered the ground, four of the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries couldn't dodge in time and were turned into bloody mincemeat.

"Didn't your grandfather Ferguson teach you how to treat your elders?" Edwin's voice was laced with a cruel smile as he spoke to Florida.

Edwin and Belinda were already at Han Shuo's side and if he wanted to, he could make a sudden move and hurt Edwin. However, judging from this enormous disturbance, Han Shuo understood that Edwin seemed to hate Florida even more. He wanted to kill him after just meeting him, and his strength was much stronger than Emily, who was also a user of dark magic.

On one side was a murderer from the Church of Calamity, and on the other were enemies of the Rainbow Sickle. These two groups were both people he would have to make moves against in the future, and it was to Han Shuo's advantage that they had suddenly started fighting. As opposed to making a move now, he might as well continue to play dead and let the dog eat dog.

"Who are you?" Florida and the rest of the Rainbow Sickle mercenaries had quickly fled to higher ground and looked back at Edwin in shock.

"Heh heh, you may not know me, but your grandfather has known me for many years. Maybe you've heard the name Edwin!" Edwin's voice still sounded rather noncommittal.

"Grand Magus Edwin of the Church of Calamity, it's you old monster!" Florida shouted in shock as he glanced over Han Shuo's body. He waved his hand, "Retreat!"

The members of the Rainbow Sickle mercenary band obeyed Florida's orders completely and retreated quickly, obviously terrified of Edwin.

"You want to run away? It won't be that easy!" Edwin's voice sounded again.

He quickly chanted a deep magic spell. Two huge Reaper blades materialised in his left and right hands. They were even bigger than the previous Hands of Death. The sharp blades flew quickly through the air, slicing through the towering trees like they were slicing through tofu. They broke into different pieces of wood after the blade passed through.

The presence of death radiated towards Florida and the others. Two strong and tall senior swordsmen flanking Florida had no defence whatsoever as they were cut into various pieces of flesh by the blades and scattered on the ground in a bloody mess.

Such a terrifying effect made Florida and the others move even faster.

The appearance of such an unfortunate omen had obviously disrupted Florida's plans. Even Han Shuo was quite surprised as the horrible wailing continued to comment on the victims.

"Tie him up first, I'll take care of these people!" Edwin turned to speak to Belinda as he saw Florida and the others fleeing for their lives towards the Valley of Sunshine. He took out a vial of powder and handed it to Belinda, "Smear this on his throat, he'll answer all your questions when he wakes up!"

"Don't worry, I'll make him pay!" Belinda replied firmly.

Nodding, Edwin turned to leave, planning to follow Florida and the others. Han Shuo suddenly made his move as the Demonslayer Edge howled through the air and shot straight at Edwin's back.

Han Shuo had planned to remain silent for a while, but now that he had witnessed Edwin's strength and realised that he was leaving his attack range, he didn't want to watch any longer. Han Shuo decided to use this opportunity to take him out first.

Edwin was stronger than Han Shuo had assumed, for an instinctive reaction kicked in even as the Demonslayer's Edge slashed at him at such high speed from such a short distance. A magical shield of black metal flared up, protecting the area where the Demonslayer Edge pierced.

Pfft. Blood splattered everywhere.

The Demonslayer's Edge sank a few centimetres after piercing through the thick magic shield, and was then stopped by an enormous force, unable to move forward a single inch.

At the same time, Han Shuo leapt up like a panther from his original position on the ground, flying past Belinda and shooting towards Edwin at lightning speed, purple grenades sparkling from his left hand as his hand formed a blade and drew it mercilessly across Edwin's neck.