NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 379: An Inside Job
"Gray Serpent, hold him back!" With Mei joining the fight, the pressure Raven was under finally lessened. Crawling on the floor beneath the bar, she pulled a uniquely shaped sniper rifle from her backpack.
Judgment of Shamash, a Divine Key created from the core of the 3rd Herrscher of the Previous Era, an ultimate weapon capable of easily sniping even Emperor-class Honkai beasts.
Gray Serpent didn't respond, but judging by the intensified gunfire, he clearly knew what she was doing.
With Gray Serpent's cover, Raven quickly loaded special ammunition into the rifle. Then, cradling it, she crawled to a more concealed corner, using the reflection of the bar window to observe the current situation.
The Judgment of Shamash in Raven's hands was an electromagnetically driven sniper rifle. The strong magnetic field constructed within the rifle body could instantly accelerate the special ammunition to speeds exceeding 4,000 meters per second.
In such a concealed sniping position, even a target a kilometer away would have almost no time to react, let alone within the confines of this bar, a mere few dozen meters across.
As long as she aimed correctly, the target would be either dead or crippled. But Raven also knew she only had one chance. If she missed, the opponent would undoubtedly prioritize eliminating her.
"Good." Holding her breath, Raven minimized her presence, patiently waiting for an opportunity. Until a certain moment, as the black umbrella blocked Raven's view, it also provided her with the chance to fire. The opponent didn't immediately notice Raven aiming.
Hum~
Amidst the intense gunfire, the sound of the electromagnetic valve was almost insignificant. No one noticed a special sniper round mixed in with the metal storm.
As one of humanity's strongest weapons, Judgment of Shamash didn't disappoint Raven.
This person who called himself from The Obsidian Concord was indeed powerful. He sensed the bullet the moment it left the barrel, turning the black umbrella to block. However, Judgment of Shamash's power far surpassed conventional weapons. The seemingly impenetrable black umbrella was directly torn apart, and the bullet, as expected, hit the opponent's back.
A look of joy appeared on Raven's face, but the smile froze before it could fully bloom, instantly turning into deep shock.
"How is that possible?"
The bullet had indeed hit the enemy, but this bullet capable of killing Emperor-class Honkai beasts completely failed to exert its imagined power. It didn't even slow down the opponent's attack.
The moment it entered the opponent's body, the bullet disappeared without a trace like a mud cow sinking into the sea, leaving only the intense impact that caused the opponent to stumble.
Among the flying cloth fragments, there seemed to be traces of sawdust.
Watching this scene, Raven's heart completely sank. The only person she knew who could take a Divine Key's attack unscathed was Kevin, World Serpent's Sovereign.
If it truly was someone of Kevin's level, she and Gray Serpent would likely meet their end here today.
"Obsidian Concord."
She had never heard this name before; even World Serpent's database had no records of it. But if it wasn't an organization on par with World Serpent, how could it possess such a powerful member?
Just as Raven was astonished, her vision darkened as the spotlight above her was blocked, casting a large shadow.
Intense fear instantly surged in her heart, the threat of death coiling around her neck like a venomous snake.
Bang!
Like a kicked mineral water bottle on the street, Raven's body crashed into the bar's liquor shelves without any resistance, countless expensive liquors splashing down, soaking her body.
"Cough, cough"
The intense pain caused Raven to lose consciousness. Blood continuously surged up her throat, choking her breath.
I'm going to die.
In her many years as a mercenary, never had a battle made her feel the threat of death so acutely. What terrified her even more was that even her greatest trump card, Judgment of Shamash, hadn't had any effect.
The enemy's strength surpassed her imagination. This was no longer a fight, but a one-sided suicide mission.
Her body slumped against the wall, countless glass shards piercing her skin.
Raven looked despairingly at the fallen Divine Key, and what made her even more despairing was that, as the shadow covered her again, even Judgment of Shamash, which had accompanied her through life and death so many times, fearfully transformed into an ordinary slingshot.
"Sneak attacks aren't a good habit. ARC City, Nagazora City, Coral Island… Your gun was aimed at her three times. Are you ready to embrace your own death?" Ren's voice was low and menacing, exerting unspeakable psychological pressure on everyone.
Closing the black umbrella, he pointed the tip at Raven and thrust it down hard.
Boom!
Just as Raven was in despair, the roar of thunder accompanied by a flash of blade light blocked Ren's attack.
Under the dim lights, Raiden Mei's back, covered by her pale purple hair, was deeply imprinted in Raven's pupils. Her taut nerves finally snapped, her vision blacking out as she fell completely unconscious.
"Whether you're Obsidian Concord or something else, since your objective has been achieved, please leave this place."
Raiden Mei stood before Raven, unyielding.
"That depends on whether Miss Raiden Mei has the ability to show me out."
As Ren spoke, his wrist suddenly flicked. The closed black umbrella shot out like an arrow, pinning Gray Serpent, who had retreated to the door, directly to the wall.
The actors were ready; the audience couldn't leave just yet.
In the next instant, a true Herrscher-level battle erupted.
Raiden Mei was a fully realized Herrscher, her strength not to be underestimated. Each slash carried the might of thunder. Swift as lightning, her offensive like an electric current, her powerful attacks actually matched Ren blow for blow for a time.
Of course, this was under the condition that both of them were holding back.
By now, Raiden Mei had finally realized the purpose of The Obsidian Concord's appearance.
As a Herrscher, she was naturally hostile to an organization like World Serpent, let alone having her own hidden agenda. Unless World Serpent was foolish, they would never easily let her join.
Even with Raven's recommendation, what followed would undoubtedly be layers of scrutiny. Even if she eventually joined, it would be difficult to access core secrets.
If she wanted to continue pursuing her goals, she would have to spend a considerable amount of time clearing her own suspicions, which was unacceptable to Mei.
And the appearance of The Obsidian Concord was simply to build momentum for her.
Not only could it quickly showcase her Herrscher-level combat power and gain attention, it also made Raven and Gray Serpent, two executives, owe her a huge favor. By reason and by sentiment, World Serpent could no longer make things difficult for her.
More importantly, the appearance of The Obsidian Concord implied a powerful external enemy. World Serpent's executives were scarce, and facing the threat of The Obsidian Concord, Kevin alone couldn't support the entire organization. They needed powerful combat strength, making it even less likely they would reject Raiden Mei.
There was one more point: as long as Mei clearly opposed The Obsidian Concord, it naturally ruled out any connection between her and the organization.
It could be said that a single meeting had accomplished three goals with one arrow.
The Obsidian Concord organization was truly unfathomable.
Having figured this out, Mei tacitly cooperated with Ren, putting on a show of an inside job. And the entire process was naturally uploaded by Gray Serpent to the Gray Serpent network, becoming part of Raiden Mei's profile.
In the end, a Herrscher's sustained combat ability still prevailed. Blade light grazed Ren's arm, drawing a spurt of blood, then gaining the upper hand, finally forcing him back.
Inside the ravaged bar, only Mei, still standing, and the barely alive Gray Serpent remained. As for Raven, she had long since fallen unconscious.