I! Cleaner!

So this is how it is...

After hearing Leon's explanation, the Scorpio Chief nodded in sudden realization.

One not only needs to pay a lot of blood to weaken oneself, but also provide an abnormal object of the same level or stronger than the Snow Maiden to forcefully complete the exchange. Given this, the ability of that snake skin scroll is only decent, its tactical value far outweighing its practical value.

Hmm... I didn't notice earlier, but now on closer examination, the demon skin scroll exchanged with the Snow Maiden emits a frantic, mysterious, and dangerous aura, clearly marking it as a very powerful abnormal object.

Judging by the material and aura's strength, it's very likely that the soul of a great demon is sealed within, and the Leon Value of this demon during its lifetime could be over 50 points, making it a bit of a loss to exchange for the Snow Maiden with this thing.

"You sure have a lot of good stuff, even enough spare to use for exchanging strong abnormal objects; I doubt there's a more 'extravagant' level-three Cleaner than you."

With heartfelt admiration, the Scorpio Chief looked at the [Demon Register] in the Snow Maiden's hands and asked with interest:

"What are the abilities of this abnormal object? When infused with enough power, can it release the great demon's soul inside to help you attack enemies?"

"No..."

Upon hearing the Scorpio Chief's inquiry, Leon's face immediately turned a tad awkward.

You really are something... why do you always bring up the least convenient topics?

"It's okay, if it's inconvenient to explain, you don't have to."

Noticing Leon's slightly troubled expression, the Scorpio Chief grinned and generously laughed:

"For Cleaners, intelligence on abnormal objects is a matter of life and death, and with such a high Leon Value, it might be your ace in the hole. I was indeed a bit impetuous to ask, it's normal for you not to want to reveal it."

"..."

"Well, it's not that there's anything I can't say..."

Recalling the batch of "powerful abnormal objects" crafted under the earnest teachings of the third generation Chief, Leon awkwardly scratched the back of his head, then subconsciously turned aside, his gaze evasive as he replied:

"This thing... um... once you write your name on it, the great demon's soul sealed within will awaken and personally translate your name into demon script."

"..."

Translate names... what an odd effect.

Speechlessly smacking his lips, the Scorpio Chief couldn't resist asking:

"And then? Aside from that, what other abilities does this [Demon Register] have?"

"None..."

"..."

"None?!"

"Hmm... that's the only ability it has."

"..."

So, despite holding the soul of a great demon inside, it's only used for translating names? What kind of stupid abnormal object is this? No wonder it's used for exchanges... Wait! Used for exchanges?

Realizing what this object is meant for, the Scorpio Chief couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.

The [Wound-Transfer Puppet] he most frequently uses, although of high rank, only has a Leon Value of about thirty-something. So... if he were to confront this kid, he could directly exchange his most useful abnormal object with this ultimate piece of trash?

Damn! That's just too underhanded!

Imagining himself suddenly losing the [Wound-Transfer Puppet] in battle, forcibly swapped for an ultimate trash piece with no use other than translating names, he could only stand bewildered, clutching that object while being slammed in the face with the [Wound-Transfer Puppet]. The Scorpio Chief's scalp tingled slightly, rapidly elevating his estimate of Leon's combat prowess by a large margin.

As long as the intelligence is prepared in advance, with just the effect of this underhanded object, the chances of his branch's level two and three Cleaners winning in a skirmish with this kid reduce to zero; even a level one Cleaner might end up getting overturned!

"Well, this thing is rather... um... quite fitting..."

Grasping the concept of abandoning martial decorum across countless divides between worlds in an instant, the Scorpio Chief's mouth twitched slightly, then proactively shifted the topic:

"By the way, I've vaguely sensed your presence, currently I'm soaked in the sea. If she searches another layer lower, she should be able to... oh no!!!"

Mid-sentence, the Scorpio Chief seemed to detect something, his dog-face rising in astonishment.

Leon followed its gaze upward, discovering the Nightmare River suddenly swelling, weighing down his chief's scarlet realm until it descended.

Countless Nightmares continuously emerged from the Nightmare River, madly assaulting the defense set up by the Red-haired Chief, only to be instantly shattered into pieces, dyeing the entire night sky of the capital a vivid scarlet.

Yet, the frenzied assault of the Nightmares wasn't entirely without meaning; with their relentless rounds of fearless attacks, the sturdy crimson web rapidly deformed and sank.

The Nightmare River, blocked single-handedly by the Red-haired Chief, finally tore open the last defense before it and thoroughly poured unto the capital, along with a figure clad in a gray robe and a crown surging downward with the Nightmare River.

"Don't even think about crossing!"

Accompanied by a familiar shout, the blood-red web that had slain countless Nightmares suddenly reversed, instantly tearing the descending King of Nightmares apart, even shattering the crown on its head into fragments.

But even though the King of Nightmares was split and killed in the blink of an eye, wisps of gray mist continued to scatter from the countless Nightmares flowing in the Nightmare River, repeatedly coalescing into completeness.

And as the blood-red web reversed, millions of Nightmares previously held back outside had already seized the moment the Red-haired Chief found no time, flooding into reality en masse, madly pouncing toward the countless sleeping souls within the capital!

...

It's already unstoppable...

Watching the battle in the sky, Leon couldn't help but take a deep breath, then clenched his fist tightly.

After the Nightmare River seeped into reality, the Chief could no longer catch the King of Nightmares, and if she stopped intercepting, most likely millions of Nightmares would plunge down, causing harm seemingly worse than the King of Nightmares itself.

In such a situation, the Chief's impending choice was already easy to guess.

Sure enough, upon confirming it was impossible to obstruct the King of Nightmares any longer, the Red-haired Chief directly released her suppression of the Nightmare River, letting the gray mist giant slip bit by bit into reality, beginning to exert full force in exterminating the remaining Nightmares, while the red hairs on her shoulders started vibrating, issuing a signal to move.

According to the Chief's intention, next should be having the Scorpio Chief take over, find a way to block for a while, prevent the King of Nightmares from fully reaching reality, wait until she reduces the Nightmare count to a safe range, then come back for a rightful two-against-one duel.

Initially, there was nothing wrong with such a plan, but the Aquarius Director's [Extermination Thorn] broke the [Dream Eating Anomalous Carapace] prepared by the Scorpio Chief, following which six Nightmare Envoys collectively came down and directly trapped the Scorpio Chief himself.

Although he "bribed" the Snow Maiden to directly extract the Scorpio Chief, finding the Scorpio Chief amidst the six constantly rotating Nightmare worlds appears to require a short period, and during this time, the capital and even the whole Kingdom are defenseless, given the King of Nightmares' power, it's probably... wait?!

Watching the gray mist giant steadily advancing toward reality despite the obstruction of countless red hairs and completing an eye-level stare, Leon's spine chilled slightly, an odd notion sprouting unbidden in his mind.

Its primary target... wouldn't be me?

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