The Unfortunate Victoria Housekeeping

Have you ever seen a spear fall from the sky?

If the Butcher of the Dead End could speak, it would probably say no—but it was about to.

As the Butcher rampaged through the streets, Sam Li surged into the air, propelled by the power of Geo. A golden flash, like a soaring dragon, streaked through the sky and closed the distance in an instant.

A spear descended from above, aimed directly at the Butcher's head.

It came so fast that even the mighty Butcher had no time to dodge—only enough to watch, helplessly, as the attack came crashing down.

Boom!

Though it was a single strike, it landed with the force of a fully-loaded shell. The Geo energy exploded on impact, bursting into a brilliant golden light.

...

Meanwhile, on a street a hundred meters away, Lycaon, Rina, Ellen, and Corin—still in the midst of retreat—were rocked by the shockwave of the explosion behind them.

"What was that?"

The blast didn't sound like something the Butcher could've caused. It sounded like an all-out battle had just erupted.

Recalling the Butcher's rage moments ago, Lycaon suddenly realized—it was already in combat.

Without hesitation, he stopped. "Hold on."

The second the words left his mouth, he leapt onto a nearby windowsill, then vaulted up another level, quickly reaching the rooftop. Rina, Ellen, and Corin followed close behind.

All four stood on the roof.

Looking in the Butcher's direction, they were met with a shocking sight—each of their jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Lord Lycaon, look! The Butcher's down! That means we don't have to keep running!"

"What kind of attack could destroy half its body in one hit? Could it be some special explosives from the Security Bureau or the Anti-Hollow Special Ops? Lord Lycaon, with the Butcher in this state, can it still mutate into its second form?"

"Boss, I think... there's someone standing on its back..."

...

They didn't even need to point it out.

As the dust gradually settled, the Butcher's form became visible—and Lycaon immediately took in the wreckage.

The earlier blast had blown away half its massive body.

But what truly shocked them was the human figure standing atop the Butcher's ruined form.

One person—just one—had forced the Butcher to this point. It was hard to believe.

Lycaon squinted, trying to make out the man's face. But with the distance and the lingering smoke, all he could see was a tall, lean figure. Though his build wasn't large, he stood over the Butcher like a mountain, pinning it beneath his feet.

It was astounding.

"Could he be from Section Six? Or maybe the Defense Forces? No… the Defense Forces wouldn't be out here."

Lycaon muttered under his breath. Subconsciously, he assumed Sam Li was some kind of New Eridu government agent.

After all, in New Eridu, only official operatives—or a handful of hidden elites—could possibly wield such strength.

Either way...

The best move now was to evacuate.

Ellen didn't seem too interested in what was going on. She yawned. "Situation's unclear. Should we just head back? I still haven't finished my homework."

Rina looked to Lycaon. "Lord Lycaon, what's the plan?"

He didn't answer right away, still staring at the figure on the Butcher's back. Clearly, he was taking this person seriously.

After two seconds of thought, he made his decision.

"Wait a bit. Let the smoke clear. I want to know who that is—and whether they'll interfere with our mission."

He wanted to gather intel, maybe even identify the individual—something to report back to his superior.

In his judgment, even if the Butcher mutated, the first target would be the man standing on its back, not their group.

As the smoke thinned, the figure gradually became clearer.

It looked like... a long spear.

Just as Lycaon was narrowing his eyes, trying to make out more detail—

Suddenly, something changed.

The Butcher, despite having lost half its body, twitched. Then its remaining arm, leg, and head collapsed inward.

Its entire body erupted with a brilliant Etheric glow.

Then...

With a massive Ether surge, the broken Butcher suddenly mutated. Its body swelled in size. The mangled arm regenerated, and two enormous claws extended from its back.

In just an instant, all the Ether within it activated—its power skyrocketing.

Corin whispered, "Should we go save that guy?"

Lycaon's face turned grim.

"It's entered its second form. That man's most likely done for. There's no point in watching anymore—let's go."

But just as he finished saying that...

...

Lycaon suddenly felt something was off.

He quickly turned back toward the Butcher of the Dead End—and saw, to his alarm, that the Butcher wasn't attacking the man on its back. Instead, it was staring straight at him.

Not good!

No time to think.

Lycaon leapt from the rooftop. "Damn it! Why's it targeting us? Rina, scout the terrain! Ellen, take Corin and fall back!"

He had thought they could sit back and watch the fight while collecting intel on the mystery man.

He never expected the Butcher to ignore its enemy and lock onto them instead.

It didn't make sense.

Very quickly—

As Lycaon and the others began to retreat, the fully-mutated Butcher of the Dead End erupted with a surge of Etheric energy and charged straight toward them.

Or rather... it was fleeing in their direction.

...

Meanwhile—

On Sam Li's side.

This was his first time fighting the Butcher of the Dead End. He thought that last strike had finished it off, but after standing on its back for several seconds, no system prompt ever came.

Then, out of nowhere, the Butcher sprang back to life—stronger than before.

Sam Li was a little surprised.

He didn't expect it to play dead. It had almost fooled him.

With his spear in hand, he watched with interest as the Butcher fled.

"So I'm chasing the Butcher... and the Butcher's chasing the Hollow Raider. This is getting messy."

The next instant, golden light flared beneath his feet—and he gave chase once more.

After that mutation, Sam Li could clearly sense the Butcher's stats had all taken a big leap: faster speed, tougher defense, stronger power.

The only thing that hadn't changed was its desire to escape.

Apparently, it had been beaten into fear. It tore through the streets in panic, leaping and crashing, leaving massive craters in its wake.

From a high vantage point, Sam Li dropped down, thrusting his spear. Geo energy exploded from the tip, blasting open another crater in the pavement.

As the fight continued, his mastery over Geo became sharper. His attacks hit harder, and his understanding of his spear technique deepened.

All of that was what he had gained from this battle.

Suddenly—

A cry came from ahead.

"No, stay away—!"

A frightened maid stood amidst the ruined terrain, clutching a chainsaw, her eyes wide in panic as the Butcher came barreling toward her.

At the last possible moment—

Sam Li gathered Geo energy into both hands, seized a nearby abandoned train car, and—through sheer force—lifted the massive carriage overhead, hurling it straight at the Butcher.

The carriage cut through the air.

Boom!

It crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact, landing squarely between the Butcher and the maid with the chainsaw.

From high above on the bridge, Sam Li looked down.

"You okay?"

The maid, already terrified by the Butcher's charge, was now frozen in shock from the sudden train car crash.

Before she could recover—

She heard Sam Li's voice.

Startled again, she dropped her chainsaw to the ground, looked up at him, and nervously stammered:

"Corin... Corin's not hurt..."

...