Chapter 210

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As Abel's mastery of swordsmanship improved, he had fully integrated many techniques and could perform them with ease. Just now, he used the "First Form: Shadow Strike," derived from the Dark Breath, followed by the "Second Form: Darkness Slash."

With these two moves, he dealt with Mr. 'Katana' who had failed to impress multiple times.

"Even with an immortal body, being chopped into pieces leaves you incapable of resisting."

Abel crouched down to examine, then began searching for this guy's heart among the scattered flesh.

"Found it!"

When he extracted the heart, it was still beating vigorously.

If he left it alone, it wouldn't take long for the 'resurrection' to complete.

Such an undead ability was truly nothing to be envious of!

Abel sneered disdainfully.

There was always a sense of anticlimax, feeling as though the enemy had fallen before he even exerted much effort.

But then, looking at the previously 'taken out' Aki and Denji, he suddenly wondered if it wasn't that the enemies were too weak, but rather that he was just too strong!

When Himeno and Power returned, worried and coming to check, they were greeted by this scene.

The giant snake split into quarters from head to tail, corpses strewn about, Denji chopped in half, the 'Katana' in pieces, and the only one standing there, the handsome young man with a fiercely beating heart in his hand.

The contrast made their hearts skip a beat!

"Did you really kill them all?"

Power asked incredulously.

"If I had known they were so weak, I wouldn't have asked you to stay back. That was my mistake."

Abel politely expressed his apologies, certainly not being vainglorious!

"What about what you're holding in your hand?"

"It's likely the heart of the Devil of the Katana. I need this for something, I can't leave it with you. As for the rest, do as you please."

Do as you please?

They had no interest in the corpses, let alone in others' spoils of battle.

Unless they were truly tired of living!

Only at this moment did Himeno realize how powerful and formidable the man who pledged to protect her was!

"With him here, perhaps we could truly defeat the Devil of the Gun."

The serious injuries suffered by Aki served as a wake-up call for her.

Before she could figure out how to speak up, Abel took the lead: "With this, my commission is complete, so I shall take my leave."

"You're leaving?"

Both Himeno and Power were surprised.

"Yes, I'll have one last smoke."

After lighting one for himself, Abel flicked the remaining cigarettes to Himeno.

Holding the pack, Himeno asked with an unsettled heart, "Will you come back?"

"Probably not. Of course, if there's a reward that intrigues me enough, one never knows."

Upon hearing this, hope reignited within Himeno, "Can you tell me what sort of reward you're talking about?"

Clearly, it couldn't be something like money.

With his capabilities, whether he aligned with officials or took a position at a large corporate entity, he could earn a lifetime's worth of wealth.

Therefore, the reward that could entice him had to be something quite special.

On this point, Himeno's guess was nearly spot on.

However, it's uncertain whether she would be able to offer the kind of reward Abel desired.

"It's a very precious thing, understood intuitively rather than expressed in words. I know what you want to commission me for, but that's not for me to decide."

"Live well, and don't let fate's favor go to waste."

Abel said something incomprehensible, then turned and left with long strides.

Himeno hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not insist on keeping him there.

But who had commissioned such a powerful person to protect her?

She had no clue about this, even after Abel had left.

...

As Abel awoke from a deep sleep, the system prompt sounded simultaneously.

[Intermediate Prayer Request completed, customer gave a four-star rating (unexpected surprise)!]

[Review: Due to the premature vanishing of the Devil of Blades, many innocent lives were spared, and the fates of many have changed because of you.]

[Four-star rating awards a 50% increase in base transaction points; selected quest content completed, rewards distributed automatically, please check them yourself.]

[The customer is very satisfied, so you've earned an extra reward—a piece of the Flesh of the Dark Devil X1]

...

"Four stars. I thought I'd get a five-star rating this time."

Abel slightly frowned, wondering where he fell short.

"Was it because I took too long? Never mind, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Let's check out the rewards."

First was the base reward of 4500 transaction points with a four-star bonus—nothing to discuss there.

Now he had a total of 7040 transaction points on hand, ready for a good spree next time he found something desirable.

Then there was the

[Contract of the Devil of Blades]

One-time use item

Description: A contract personally signed by the Devil of Blades for the sake of freedom.

Effect: Upon signing, you achieve maximum affinity with blades. Any blade in your hands will be perfectly understood, unleashing 200% of its power. When attacked with a blade, there is a chance to be immune to the damage.

PS: Enjoy the thrill of critical hits with every slash!

...

[Flesh of the Dark Devil]

One-time use item

Description: A piece of flesh from one of the original demons that never experienced death and is among the most powerful in hell, embodying humanity's primal fear of darkness.

Effect: Upon consumption, choose one of the following effects:

1. Gain the ability to regenerate infinitely in darkness, but your sanity will gradually be eroded by darkness, potentially becoming a part of the Dark Devil.

2. Understand and harness part of the contained dark power, though it's also possible to end up with no comprehension whatsoever.

PS: Darkness is eternal!

...

[Contract of the Devil of Blades]—simple, brutal, and practical!

Abel loved items like this and immediately signed his name on it with a cut from his finger.

The contract turned into light and entered his body.

When he picked up the sword Onimaru again, he noticed a change.

Not only did it respond to him as easily as his own arms, but he could also faintly sense some kind of emotion emanating from the sword.

Yes, the emotion of the blade!

"It seems there is much more to explore with this contract," Abel thought, placing Onimaru down.

Finally, there was the [Flesh of the Dark Devil].

Quite an outrageous item.

Had it not been for the side effects, he would have chosen 'the ability to regenerate infinitely in darkness' without hesitation.

After all, who wouldn't want more ways to save their own life these days!

But with the added side effects, it was somewhat hard to accept.