Taming the Protagonist

Volume 3

Chapter 28 : A Prepared Stage

At the moment Bone Knife and Fire Red Eagle prepared to flee, an extremely furious roar came from high up in the stands.

Amid the booming, a dark brown-skinned woman brimming with a wild aura leaped up from the stands, then crashed down from the sky like a meteor striking the ground.

Bone Knife and Fire Red Eagle, fleeing in different directions, felt their souls almost leave their bodies.

Even without turning their heads, they knew who it was, because in order to throw Strife Fortress into chaos, they had done detailed research on the main [Whistling Legion] forces stationed here.

Indote Vaka, Bayebop’s woman and deputy, the [Whistling Legion]’s number two, a veteran powerful fourth-tier extraordinary, and the greatest obstacle to their operation this time.

In this situation, she definitely would be present. But if there had not been an unprofessional adventurer who directly threw the proof of completing the commission into their arms, then Bone Knife and Fire Red Eagle, mixed among the many adventurers, would not have much risk of being discovered.

It was just a pity there was no “if.”

A violent wind pressure howled down from above.

Just the airwave kicked up by that physical power alone made the two of them feel the threat of death.

The shadow of termination descended from the sky.

Indote, clad in leather armor, had a ferocious expression, like a lioness hunting prey.

The hand that swooped down was like a beast’s claw as it clamped onto Fire Red Eagle’s skull. In that instant, the world in Bone Knife’s eyes seemed to slow down.

In the slowly flowing time, he first saw Fire Red Eagle’s entire cervical spine bend in an exaggerated arc of nearly ninety degrees.

Then, the savage, ferocious force continued to transmit, bending and shattering his entire spine, and the fragile body that could not withstand this violence burst into a spray of blood mist.

Next, because his spine had shattered, Fire Red Eagle’s body twisted like noodles, folding and writhing in waves, and then there was only a sound—

“Pa!”

It wasn’t a boom, but the sound of a body being crushed against the ground, directly smashed into an explosion of flesh by tremendous force.

A crater appeared in front of Indote, and in the crater was a large puddle of mixed flesh, blood, and bone fragments.

Outside the crater, only Fire Red Eagle’s remaining lower half kept twitching nonstop.

In that time that seemed to freeze, Bone Knife caught a fleeting glimpse of Fire Red Eagle’s eyes—eyes telling him to run.

Perhaps in that moment, he had still been thinking of making some counterattack to hold Indote back, but he only managed to raise that thought before his upper body was crushed in one hand, leaving behind a mangled corpse.

When Bone Knife came back to his senses, Indote had already stepped over Fire Red Eagle’s corpse, leaving one bloody footprint after another, slowly walking toward him.

With every step, that brutal killing intent weighed down another measure on Bone Knife’s shoulders.

The man did not fear, and he knew his ending, but he still slowly took a stance.

White bone blades proliferated from his joints, and with a ferocious expression he prepared a desperate fight to the death.

He couldn’t escape, and he hadn’t intended to.

Indote clearly intended to keep him alive, to torture out his origin and purpose…… and that gave Bone Knife room to maneuver.

He would use this opportunity to shift Indote and the [Whistling Legion]’s gaze elsewhere.

This was the worst-case preparation, and Bone Knife had long been mentally prepared.

But at the moment he roared and charged at Indote, swinging the white bone blades on his body, the indifferent face of that black-haired young man couldn’t help flashing through his mind.

Why did he do this?

Why…… did Indote not go kill him, but instead, first came to kill us?

The brown-skinned woman only needed a single punch to smash Bone Knife into a half-dead state.

Expressionless, she dragged Bone Knife and walked toward that black-haired young man who stood on the open ground with no intention of leaving at all.

“Lock him up. What to do, I don’t need to say.”

Indote, as if tossing away a dead pig, casually threw Bone Knife to the [Whistling Legion] adventurers who rushed over, then faced head-on that madman who dared, at this time, in this situation, in front of countless adventurers, even under live projection, directly kill one of the [Whistling Legion]’s main stationed members.

And that madman was also looking at her.

The Pitch Black Blade in his hand lightly tapped the ground.

That cold weapon, as if entwined with some terrifying curse, gave off a hellish black light under the sun.

“Come try?”

The adventurer slightly raised his chin. “Or……”

He turned his head to look at the projected figure at the very top of the stands: “You planned to find reinforcements on the spot?”

Everyone present could not possibly not know who that projected figure was.

The Grand Duke who ruled a quarter of the West Kingdom, the Empire’s finest merchant, a born profit-chaser, a pure hedonist…… Namo Lapis Lazuli.

This adventurer actually dared to openly provoke a Grand Duke!

“He was…… he was, he was Faust!”

An incredulous cry suddenly rang out from the crowd.

“Faust? The real one?”

“Recently there really had been a Faust active…… but didn’t they say he was a fake who liked taking commoners’ commissions and had no real skills?”

“Bullshit! This guy was so strong he wasn’t even human! I saw him glare and kill a third-tier extraordinary with one look!”

“But why would Faust have nothing better to do than work for commoners in Strife Fortress?”

“Besides Faust, who else dared to provoke a Grand Duke?”

The increasingly loud clamor from the crowd entered the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke’s ears, and this man’s expression showed a slight change.

“Faust……”

He murmured softly, and in his mind surfaced the meaningful intelligence from that Hydra lord.

【He had defeated the devil, and would return like the blazing sun】

Blazing sun…… return?

The Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke tugged at the corner of his mouth, wearing an expression as if he were holding back laughter.

Faust—this name’s prestige left in the West Kingdom was something people who did not live in the West Kingdom could not understand.

Because he was the first pure adventurer with no background who could contend with the Dragon Tongue Grand Duke, and yet easily retreat unscathed.

Adventurers revered free will, but in the end, the four most powerful Grand Dukes still hung above their heads.

The courage and strength to fight a Grand Duke—every adventurer yearned for it.

That was also the main reason Faust could become a legend.

What’s more…… In pure combat strength, the Dragon Tongue Grand Duke was unquestionably West Kingdom’s number one.

Looking across the entire Empire, he was an absolute powerhouse, guaranteed top five and vying for top three.

A monster, a legend, who three years ago could fight such a powerhouse, who dared to clash with such a powerhouse, who had been designated by Hydra as “would return like the blazing sun”—how could he possibly be some guy squatting in Strife Fortress doing work for commoners, using such a laughable method to grab attention?

The real Faust…… should, upon returning, do exactly as Hydra said—charge straight into Wild Dragon Valley, and like the blazing sun, burn the Dragon Tongue Grand Duke and his damn large crawling reptiles to ashes with a single conflagration!

The Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke knew of this Faust.

As early as when Mibaita learned of the existence of this special Faust, the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke had already known the news.

Because having obtained intelligence from Anselm, he cared more than anyone about Faust’s appearance, and at the same time…… he also knew better than anyone what the frequently appearing “Fausts” in West Kingdom were actually about.

——Because they were decoys he himself had secretly released.

This Faust was not instructed by him, yet it also could not be real…… then whom did he represent?

Or was he merely a fanatical worshipper of Faust?

And……

Watching Faust confront Indote, the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke’s mouth slowly curled upward.

It seemed Mibaita’s death could not be separated from this Mr. Faust.

What, did he want to use a fake Mibaita to control Strife Fortress?

Control Strife Fortress…… hahahaha.

How could the real Faust ever think of controlling such a city—an odd mishmash managed by adventurers?

And moreover, using such an obscure, roundabout method?

Did the real Faust need a fake Mibaita to secretly control Strife Fortress?

If he were the real thing, the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke could, without hesitation, hand over this territory-city…… as long as both sides reached a bit of cooperation.

Power that could trade blows with the Dragon Tongue Grand Duke was absolute and supreme authority.

Faust did not need any so-called schemes to manipulate these things.

“He was…… someone we could trade with.”

Lapis Lazuli suddenly murmured like this.

He was the Empire’s finest merchant, and his best merchandise was extraordinary.

Namo Lapis Lazuli believed he understood what extraordinary really were better than the vast majority of people in this world.

These people had no so-called faith or stance at all.

If they did, then either the price you offered wasn’t high enough, or your power wasn’t enough to convince them.

And of those two things, the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke lacked neither.

No matter which force had sent this Faust to muddy the West Kingdom’s waters, as long as he could be drawn in……

“Mibaita.”

The Grand Duke’s projected figure on the seat suddenly let out a light chuckle: “Just now, you heard what I said, right?”

Mibaita’s body trembled. He lowered his head deeply, voice quivering: “I…… I heard clearly, Grand Duke.”

“Good.” The Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke propped his cheek with one hand, thoughtful. “Just right, on your elder brother’s side, he’s had some thoughts he shouldn’t have. This Mr. Faust was quite suitable, mm……”

Indote, standing opposite Faust, seemed…… somewhat hesitant?

The viciousness and brutality on her face was not fake, because the one who died was a person stationed in Strife Fortress, mainly responsible for probing and controlling intelligence extraordinary—among the targets the Revolutionary Army’s commission aimed at, it could only be this sort of person.

But no matter how brutal she appeared, as Strife Fortress’s current highest combat power, Indote still did not take even a single step toward Faust, looking a bit…… ridiculous.

“Nothing to say?”

Faust, somewhat impatient, frowned slightly. “If not, then get lost.”

Those arrogant words again made the crowd cry out.

Those who lived in Strife Fortress naturally knew Indote’s vicious methods.

People who dared speak to her like this seemed to have no other ending besides being smashed into meat paste on the spot.

The man held the blade at his waist, not even looking at Indote, and turned to leave.

The lioness’s chest heaved as her blood energy surged.

A dark red washed over her brown skin.

She stared hard at Faust’s back, and a decisive ruthlessness flashed through her eyes.

In an instant, her figure became daylight thunder.

Her frenzied charge tore a fractured trench into the ground, and in a blink she pounced like a hunting tiger toward Faust’s back.

A beast-like warrior, with an aura and bearing that inspired fear.

But if one spoke of an aura like a “beast”……

The adventurer Lord Faust had personally trained a monster even more beast than beasts. When it came to taming wild animals, he had a very rich experience.

He did not look back, but the Pitch Black Blade at his waist, in an instant, changed from a compact sword into a chain sword.

Like serpent bones, the swordbone’s two ends shot out countless blades.

Indote, lunging at Faust, plunged into the pitch-black cloud formed by the sweeping blades.

Then, in another instant, the blades, without a drop of blood on them, returned to cling to both sides of the swordbone, as if nothing had happened.

And Indote, who had attacked Faust with thunderous force, her agile figure full of power, seemed as though she had collided with a soft, invisible wall, slowly stalling.

As her movements grew slower and slower, her steps began to stagger and sway, yet Indote still wore that brutal, resolute expression, as if she had not noticed her body’s changes at all.

Until, under everyone’s terrified gaze, her legs went weak and she knelt to the ground.

The woman blankly raised her trembling hands, and in her eyes suddenly reflected a glaring blood mark.

Then two, three, ten…… hundreds and thousands!

Pfft—!

Indote’s skin, together with her leather armor, shattered.

Within the dense, crisscrossing wounds, the blood that was surging at high speed due to her fiercely circulating power sprayed out from countless injuries like a water pump!

Under a thousand cuts, this brutal woman who had just tortured and slaughtered the Revolutionary Army was directly carved into a human blood fountain, and with a thud, toppled to the ground.

And the instigator of all this had already left, vanished without a trace.

***

“You swaggered in and chopped a [Whistling Legion] person to death, chopped that woman into something like she’d been skinned, and even provoked the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke…… It won’t be long before all of the West Kingdom knows you are Faust.”

Mingfuluo crossed her arms, frowning. “Then next, what did you plan to do?”

“Everyone knew I was Faust didn’t mean everyone believed I was Faust, Aluo.”

Anselm lightly tapped the hilt, speaking meaningfully: “There were always many smart people in this world, weren’t there?”

“Smart people……”

Mingfuluo, who knew Anselm all too well, rolled her eyes slightly.

“You meant the kind of ‘smart people’ whose every thought and action were all under your control?”

Hearing the deeply resentful tone, the young Hydra couldn’t help laughing. “It looked like our Miss Mingfuluo felt that personally.”

Mingfuluo responded with her bare snowy foot, kicking Anselm in the side of the face.

“So……” She withdrew her leg, paused, “this time, which self-righteous smart person thought of the thing you made him think of?”

“It should be obvious.”

“The Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke? What did you want him to think of?”

Anselm smiled. “What did you think Faust was like?”

“……How would I know?” Mingfuluo frowned slightly.

“You didn’t take me along when you went adventuring back then.”

“Then did you think they knew what Faust was like?”

“……”

Hearing this, without needing Anselm to remind her, Mingfuluo came to a realization and said, “Anyway, no matter how they saw it, what Faust was like in the end…… wasn’t it still decided by you, hmph, so that was it.”

Anselm smiled with narrowed eyes, tilting his head to look at Mingfuluo, and extended his palm to her: “Smart people’s greatest enemy was—”

“Self-righteous.”.

The big palm and the small palm lightly slapped together, and the two of them said the exact same word in perfect tacit understanding.

After understanding Anselm’s purpose for this trip, Mingfuluo naturally had even deeper confusion.

“But you wanted to shape, in the Lapis Lazuli Grand Duke’s eyes, a Faust he himself believed in…… what meaning did that have?”

“About that, there were many meanings, but the most important meaning at present wasn’t something I would implement.”

“……Hm? What did you mean?”

This time, Anselm did not answer Mingfuluo’s question. He only cast his gaze into the distance, toward the direction of the lower district.

Marina, I had already built the stage for you.

Carrying thoughts no one else knew, the transforming snake lowered its eyes slightly and whispered in its heart:

Don’t disappoint me again.