A few minutes later.

Bayi, with widened eyes, approached the fallen knight, who was twitching (꒪Д꒪). Swallowing hard, he muttered a prayer, quickly stepped over the body, and caught up with Big Brother's pace.

Boom—

At the end of the corridor, on the high wall of the ancient castle, Lynne kicked open the huge, decayed door.

A fierce wind howled in from outside.

They were on an open-air terrace atop the high wall of the castle, with the tower standing across the terrace.

Rolling black fog enveloped the area, and leaping down from here would send them plummeting directly to Hades Street, half-paralyzed!

"Doctor, you're really making this host very angry."

From within the black fog, a resonant, imposing laugh echoed.

Pat-pat—

Bayi, his face paling, watched.

The male host of the castle, dressed in a tailcoat, leaning on a cane, and wearing a top hat, emerged from the fog of the high terrace.

He wore a delightful and polite smile, his demeanor filled with the aristocratic grace of the medieval era.

It was the master of the castle, Count Carmel.

"You've ruined my eldest son and killed my wife, and now you want to harm my daughter?"

Count Carmel's smile was strained, giving off an eerie vibe.

Lynne, adjusting his monocle, responded with a mysterious smile, "Ah! You might be mistaken, I am a doctor hired by your daughter for a hefty fee from the Vision World. Until the contract is canceled, my mission here is to provide the highest quality treatment and services for your daughter."

Count Carmel chuckled unnaturally, his bones creaking unnaturally.

"Yes... yes... she needs treatment..." He stretched his bony hand, tapping his polite hat, emitting a series of strange, hoarse sounds from beneath. "She has always... brought misfortune... Must be caged... must be cured... must be cured... If not cured... must avoid bringing disaster to everyone!"

Crack-crack-crack—

Under their gaze, his tailcoat split with multiple cracks, his muscles bulging and expanding. Sharp bone spurs slowly grew from his shoulders and back.

In almost an instant, he swelled and distorted into a massive figure, several meters tall.

His huge shadow cast down, causing Bayi to retreat with a pale face, falling backward to the ground.

Whoosh—

Count Carmel suddenly raised his head, his face splitting in the middle – one half retaining a charming, elegant smile, the other half cruel and ferocious.

...

"Humph, you people." The left side of the face smiled elegantly.

"Will be chopped to pieces!" The right side of the face growled fiercely.

[Ding! You have triggered a special mission: The Masked Carmel!]

[Mission Introduction: The target possesses strong regenerative and defensive abilities. You need to defeat him before he chops you to pieces.]

[Mission Reward: 1000 base experience, 500 skeleton coins, special item: Witch's Handkerchief x1]

[Mission Failure: You will become one of the wandering spirits of this castle.]

Almost instantly, as the mission was triggered, Count Carmel, transformed into a monstrous creature, roared and, wielding a butcher's knife, charged towards them like a heavy tank.

Lynne smiled slightly, adjusted his glasses, and swiftly pulled out a revolver from his coat, clicking the safety off.

"Ah! Truly a gentle and kind father! And now that I have a mission, you really must die."

Bang, bang, bang—

Lynne, smiling, fired several shots in quick succession.

The demon-hunting bullets accurately hit the monster's eyeballs, and with a splatter of fluid, both eyes exploded.

Crackling electricity spread all over his body.

"Die!"

The monster snarled, its speed only partially reduced, but these shots were not fatal.

Roar—

With a roar, the massive creature leaped into the air, its crimson sword slashing down at Lynne.

Lynne adjusted his glasses again, smiling, "Let's take our time."

He leaped backward swiftly, grabbing Bayi by the back of the neck, and agilely dodged the incoming slash amidst the swirling black fog.

Boom!

A loud roar echoed.

The stone tiles on the ground shattered under the impact of the blade.

Lynne leaped lightly, landing on the battlements of the ancient castle. He looked up, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Bayi, find a safe place to hide. Once I subdue this relative, I'll bring you down."

Before Bayi could comprehend what a safe place meant, he suddenly felt a lightness in his body. Then he saw Lynne, gripping the nape of his neck, tipping backward into the black mist beyond the castle wall. In an instant, they both plummeted into the roiling darkness beneath the wall.

Whoosh—

The fierce wind howled in their ears.

Bayi (ΩДΩ) exclaimed, "Big brother!! You didn't mean jumping off, did you? It's dozens of meters high!!"

But just as their figures were about to plunge into the darkness, a breaking sound echoed. A long tentacle suddenly pierced the night, instantly wrapping around the high flagpole on the other side of the castle.

"Wow Ahhhh!"

Accompanied by Bayi's shocked and terrified scream, their bodies, like slingshots, soared straight into the air towards the other side.

One foot stepped on the flagpole. Bayi, like a little chick, was hoisted by Lynne to the very top of the flagpole.

"Behave, I'm leaving first."

Lynne made a teasing gesture towards him, then his body swiftly descended into the rolling black mist.

Clinging to the flagpole in terror, Bayi shouted, "Big brother!! This isn't a safe place! It's not! I have acrophobia!"

But it was of no use. The long tentacles adhered to the castle wall, and Lynne, leaping in the black mist, landed gracefully on the platform. He looked up, smiled slightly, and the tentacles rustled out.

"Useless... taken care of?"

Carmel grinned menacingly, turning around. His bulging eyes had fully healed under that terrifying regenerative ability.

Lynne adjusted his glasses, smiling, "Ah! Yes! Now it's your turn."

"Blatant arrogance!"

The monstrous creature roared, lunging forward, a massive cleaver swiftly slashing towards Lynne.

Lynne stood his ground, unsheathing the chainsaw from behind, meeting the cleaver head-on.

Boom—

A loud bang.

The stone bricks beneath Lynne's feet instantly shattered, sinking several centimeters. The whirring chainsaw and the sharp cleaver grated against each other, exploding into a cacophony of piercing noise and intense sparks.

And with this strike, Kameel's eyes flashed with surprise. Because he discovered the seemingly frail youth's constitution was unexpectedly robust. In a situation with such a vast difference in size, his full-force cleaver failed to crush this guy outright.

This guy was undeniably a freak.

Crackling sparks erupted as Lynne, holding the chainsaw, grinned through gritted teeth, "Ah! You're really strong, almost caused some internal bleeding there. But it seems we can still have a decent fight!"

Boom—

Both combatants quickly retreated, creating distance between them. However, in a flash, they lunged forward again, the buzzing chainsaw slicing through the air, clashing repeatedly with the incoming giant blade.

For a moment, the terrace was ablaze with sparks, the noise so loud it echoed throughout Divorce Street. Lynne and the monstrous Count Carmel were locked in fierce combat.

...

Meanwhile, outside the castle, on the streets, two tall and mysterious figures stood in the distance, observing the castle for quite some time. One was a burly figure covered in stitches, while the other was a three-meter-tall lady dressed in elegant attire, her skin pale and her demeanor regal.

"It looks like your apprentice isn't dead yet," Puppet Mistress commented with a smile, glancing at Bloodsaw.

Bloodsaw, holding his chainsaw, rotated his shoulder blades and said, "Do you really think my apprentice spent these years just watching me cut people? The kid's been psychologically trained to be extraordinary. He just needs the right opportunity."

Puppet Mistress looked at him and asked, "So, you knew there was something wrong with this castle all along?"

Bloodsaw revealed a cruel smile, "Of course. I specifically chose this pit for him. After all, if he wants to be a member of the Night Doctors, he needs to have some ability to handle emergencies, right?"

...

Back on the terrace.

Boom—

The sound of their collision thundered.

The ferocious chainsaw and the blade sparked intensely as they met mid-air. Lynne's chainsaw, under the immense force, was flung high into the air.

A sinister smile spread across the monstrous figure's face. "Kid! I've had my fun, now it's time for you to die!"

After dozens of exchanges, the monster had roughly gauged Lynne's strength. Although Lynne was physically powerful, he still fell short in comparison. In this regard, the monster held absolute dominance.

With a ferocious roar, the monstrous Count Carmel swung his giant blade at Lynne, intending to bisect him, just as Lynne's chainsaw was knocked into the air.

Lynne, however, grinned slyly and announced, "I've indeed had enough fun, but you should know, I'm not just a chainsaw expert."

At the very instant the giant blade came slashing down, Lynne's left hand shot out, grabbing the blade mid-swing. The force of the blow tore apart the ground beside him, yet his left hand remained unscathed.

"How is this possible!" the monster gasped in shock.

He felt as though his sword was trapped in a steel vice, impossible to move even slightly. In an instant, to his utter amazement, the blade in his hand was crushed by Lynne's left hand, sending sharp fragments flying everywhere.

Amidst the reflective shards, the monster saw Lynne's left hand, serpent-like, coiling around Lynne and revealing a sinister set of teeth in its palm.

Lynne, adjusting his glasses, calmly commanded, "Hidari, let's finish him off! But try not to look too cool when no one's around, alright?"

Despite his words, Hidari readied for battle. At that moment, the monster noticed a change in Lynne's eyes. Gone was any trace of humor, replaced by focus and seriousness. His entire demeanor became sharp and predatory like a wild cheetah unleashed.

A chill ran down the monster's spine.

"Stop with your tricks!" he roared, launching another attack with his massive form.

"I'm not playing any tricks," Lynne replied, as his chainsaw, ensnared by a tentacle, was pulled back into his grasp. His body, supported by multiple tentacles, stood poised mid-air like a spider, as the wind howled around him.

Under the night sky, the Nightfiend Blade, ensnared by his second tendril, cast an eerie chill light.

In the darkness below, Lynne gazed indifferently at the monster, declaring, "Prepare yourself as best as you can, for what you're about to face is the full extent of my powers and augmentations."

[Ding! Integrating "Dragon's Breath Arm," current wear: 75%]

[Ding! Integrating "Cursed Pupil," current wear: 25%]

Instantaneously, under the astonished gaze of the beast, an arm, twined with the head of a black dragon, unfurled from Lynne's shoulder, issuing a furious roar of the dragon. He fiercely countered the monstrous force unleashed.

Crrack, crrack, crrack—

Blood streamed from Lynne's left eye, coursing down his fingers in a scarlet flood. When he withdrew his hand, only a sickly smile and sinister teeth remained on his face. His left eye, dark as an abyss, seemed to spread an endless curse.

This man... Is this his true form?

The creature trembled, sensing a drastically different aura from before.

"I'm going to kill you," Lynne grinned, his words barely leaving his lips when the massive Dragon's Breath Arm unleashed a torrent of fiery blaze upon the entire platform.

The monster, taken aback, let out a roar, crossing its arms in a futile attempt to shield against the magma-like flames. The heat was unbearable; it felt its skin searing and melting in mere moments.

In agony, it screamed and fled the inferno. But before it could even catch its breath, a sharp and black blade plunged into its neck, spewing forth crimson blood.

"Ah!!!"

The creature's howl pierced the sky.

Tendrils undulated wildly before his eyes as Lynne's face, twisted in maniacal laughter, loomed close.

"This I learned from the Miss Blood Clad," Lynne whispered, locking eyes with the creature's frightened gaze. "In every battle, embrace madness, aim to annihilate your adversary mercilessly."

Ssshhh, ssshhh, ssshhh—

The buzz saw in his grip, without warning, tore into the beast's belly, flinging a dense spray of blood and flesh in all directions.

[Ding! Carmel's terror level towards you +10]

[Ding! Carmel's terror level towards you +10]

"I will end you!" the creature roared, enduring excruciating pain, throwing a ferocious punch towards Lynne.

But before the fist could land, Lynne's monstrous left hand, born of the black dragon's head on his shoulder, snapped it up in a vicious bite. The dragon's mouth, spewing molten lava, instantly smelted the creature's arm.

"Ah!!!" it howled in anguish.

As it tried to move its other colossal arm, Lynne's left hand, now unfurling a vast maw, clamped down on that limb too.

Trapped.

With nowhere to retreat, the beast found itself ensnared by more tendrils that coiled around its neck and legs, studded with sharp barbs that tightened relentlessly.

"Do you think you're the only monster here?" Lynne taunted. "Don't forget, this is the Dark World. Every being you encounter here is a monster—and they are far more terrifying than you!"