The Last Gentleman

Due to Yi Chen's sudden intervention,

Edmund and Anna got a brief moment to catch their breath. Without hesitation, they retrieved three syringes of different colors from the inner layer of their coats and injected them into their arteries:

- Temporary Physical Boost

- Pathogenic Suppression

- Rapid Vitality Restoration

As soon as the injections were complete, they took a deep breath and resumed their combat stances.

Having regained some composure, Edmund noticed something unusual about Yi Chen.

"William... your hand!"

A novice Gentleman—or rather, a Persona 【Human】 Gentleman—shouldn't possess such extreme regenerative abilities unless using secret potions. Yet, in front of him, Yi Chen's severed left hand had completely regenerated. He was even holding a hand axe, severing the silver vascular clusters on Mr. Lee's back.

Edmund quickly identified the key to this "regeneration."

‘Is it that pet on William's shoulder? That thing was supposed to be an owl-like visual-type pet, wasn't it? Why can it morph and even act as a replacement hand?

Could it be some kind of cemetery artifact I'm unaware of...

No time to dwell on it—at least we've turned the tide a bit, there's still a chance.’

At present,

The frightened and pained Mr. Lee was crawling on the hospital room ceiling, even retreating slightly in hesitation, with no immediate intention of attacking.

Juliana, clutching a severe wound on her waist, quickly approached Yi Chen and whispered the analysis report of the target's lower body.

However,

Yi Chen didn't respond, seemingly immersed in the subtle changes in his hand structure.

Even the sensation of his recent axe swing felt peculiar—though it was a single-handed swing, its speed, power, smoothness, and precision far exceeded his previous performance using both hands.

At that moment,

The back of his black-furred hand suddenly opened into a mouth, revealing half an eyeball.

‘Hey! Your teammate is sharing critical information with you.’

‘I heard her... I was just thinking. I’m trying to directly pinpoint the pathogenic core using the information Miss Anna shared. But it’s still not enough.

I’ll need your help again, Little Grape.’

‘Five minutes. Afterward, I want that silver "grape" from him.’

After a brief exchange,

Yi Chen softly replied to Anna:

"The initial screening is complete. I’m close to pinpointing the location of the 'pathogenic core.' However, I’ll need to cut open his body a few more times for final observation and confirmation.

Miss Anna, can you still hold on?"

Before the words settled,

Juliana hurled two daggers toward the corner of the ceiling where Mr. Lee was.

One was dodged as he turned his head; the other grazed his shoulder.

However, the daggers' true purpose wasn't to attack but to obscure his vision and divert his attention.

As the second dagger grazed his shoulder,

Juliana, ignoring the pain in her abdomen, leaped gracefully into the air, reaching the same height as Mr. Lee.

A horizontal slash!

A trail of black cursed energy lingered in the air.

This strike forced Mr. Lee off the ceiling, bringing him back to the ground. His back was slightly slashed, forcing him to spit out several cursed, lifeless rats.

The moment Mr. Lee landed,

From both left and right, a gunblade and axe simultaneously attacked.

Not only that,

Anna, who had just executed her aerial slash, gripped her sword with both hands, delivering a downward strike from midair.

The sudden shift in the battle left Mr. Lee with no time to evade. Although he managed to stagger backward slightly to avoid a fatal head injury,

The falling sword slashed his chest and abdomen, spilling a heap of blackened, cursed, bisected rat corpses from the gaping wound.

Faced with such a massive vertical wound, Yi Chen wasted no time. He widened his eyes, intently observing the dynamics of the rats inside, conducting his final screening.

"You wretches!"

The pain and curse corrosion from his wounds drove Mr. Lee into a frenzy. The moon mark on his neck shone with blinding silver light.

At that moment,

Mr. Lee seemed closer to the moon itself. The movements of the three young combatants slowed in his eyes.

He twisted his body.

With the immense force of his spinning motion, his massive rat tail lashed out violently, striking Juliana square in the abdomen.

Being the lightest of the group,

And having just completed her aerial slash with her left foot still off the ground, Juliana had no way to evade or brace herself.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone snapping echoed—at least four ribs shattered.

Juliana was sent flying by the tail strike, crashing heavily into the hospital room wall, leaving a deep dent.

Spurt!

She coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her abdomen caved in, likely indicating complete kidney destruction and severe trauma to other internal organs.

If not for her immense willpower, she would have passed out immediately.

Meanwhile...

Mr. Lee, evolving amidst the intense battle, Mr. Lee's arm muscles strengthened once more, even sprouting scythe-like bony spikes.

With his arms swinging at an incredibly sharp angle,

Clang!

A deafening sound rang out as both Yi Chen and Edmund were flung backward.

The pistol adorned with the winged emblem fell to the ground, accompanied by drops of blood staining its surface.

Edmund wasn’t so lucky this time.

During his attempt to block, a sharp spike tore through his forearm, severing blood vessels and nerves—leaving his left hand completely numb. The commands from his brain could only make his fingers twitch faintly.

However, Yi Chen brought some good news, as his smoke-filled mind filtered through the chaos and reached a solution.

"I’ve located the pathogenic core... Little Grape, it’s time to act!"

Without any hesitation, even as Mr. Lee continued to evolve during the fight, Yi Chen showed no signs of fear.

Lowering his body,

Eyes locked on target,

He lunged forward with explosive speed, faster than his previous sprints across the clinic rooftop and through the urban sewer system.

Mr. Lee, observing the youth charging at him alone, sneered, "Lost your mind? Perfect—I’ll end this early."

Assuming a predator’s posture,

The living, rat-like tail on his shoulder also bared its fangs, poised to strike with him.

In this stance, there seemed to be no flaws in his attack.

As the distance between the two narrowed, just before Yi Chen stepped into Mr. Lee's attack range, something unexpected happened.

In Yi Chen’s strange left hand, covered in black fur, an eye abruptly opened, locking gazes with Mr. Lee.

An intangible, mysterious mental shock struck directly at Mr. Lee's brain.

In that instant, Mr. Lee’s consciousness wavered. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Flashes of memories surged through his mind—images of himself huddled with rats in dark corners, discarding dignity and humanity in a desperate struggle to survive.

"I must survive!"

His eyes cleared, snapping back to reality in just one second.

This shocked Yi Chen immensely—it was far shorter than the expected three seconds.

Nonetheless, that single second was all Yi Chen needed to close the distance.

He grabbed his axe,

And with all his strength, swung it at the junction between Mr. Lee’s neck and sternum—the location of the pathogenic core.

Just as the blade was about to strike—clang!

Mr. Lee instinctively shrank his neck and tilted his head, catching the axe in his razor-sharp jaws. Although many teeth shattered, he still managed to trap the blade firmly.

At the same time,

The living rat tail on his shoulder lunged forward, sinking its dozens of long teeth into Yi Chen's right side. The teeth embedded deeply into his flesh.

Were it not for the defensive properties of his gentleman's attire, his body might have been torn apart entirely.

Not stopping there,

Mr. Lee’s muscular arms closed in from both sides.

Even with the protective clothing, the bulging muscles and razor-sharp claws threatened to tear Yi Chen’s body apart—images of a spine being ripped open, like a chicken being split in half, loomed ominously.

At the critical moment—whoosh!

Two piercing sounds cut through the air.

On Yi Chen’s right, Edmund, clutching his sword with one hand, shouted,

“Gunblade Parry!”

Clang! Mr. Lee’s right arm was completely deflected.

On his left,

Juliana—despite reaching her physical limit and suffering severe injuries—arrived at incredible speed, appearing like a dark shadow.

Her neck still bore two needles lodged in her skin, which she hadn’t even had time to remove.

With the last remnants of her strength, she swung her sword.

Slash!

Mr. Lee’s reinforced left arm was severed in a single strike, tumbling to the ground nearby.

In that instant, the threats on both sides were neutralized.

Yi Chen, however, kept his focus solely on Mr. Lee. Ignoring everything else around him, his only objective was singular—to kill the target.

The searing pain from the rat tail’s bite acted like an adrenaline rush, fueling Yi Chen’s central nervous system.

"Aaaahhh!!"

Veins bulged on his neck and forehead as his roar echoed through the hospital ward.

The sheer intensity of his emotions—his desire to eliminate his enemy—even influenced Little Grape, causing the black fur on his left hand to writhe, further enhancing his strength.

Crack!

The teeth gripping the axe began to shatter, one after another.

With the breaking of one tooth, more followed, allowing the blade to edge closer to its target.

Finally—snap!

As the axe cut through Mr. Lee’s mouth, its forged blade cracked under the strain.

Even so, it managed to carve a gaping wound deep enough to expose flesh and internal tissue.

Wasting no time,

Yi Chen thrust his left hand into Mr. Lee’s throat,

Pushing past the layers of writhing rats,

Until his hand gripped the trembling pathogenic rat at the core.

At that moment, Mr. Lee’s rage, hostility, and ferocity vanished, replaced by fear and panic.

The rat tail biting Yi Chen immediately loosened its grip, and Mr. Li fell to his knees.

“Please, I just wanted to survive! I can tell you everything about the secrets behind Twilight Clinic, even the details of the ‘Silver Twilight Liquid’!

I also have a stash of silver coins—take them all!”

But his desperate pleas were met only with Yi Chen’s cold smile.

“Now I see why you were the only one to survive from the Twilight Clinic...”

With those words, Yi Chen’s right hand clenched.

As the pathogenic rat burst into a spray of blood, Mr. Lee’s pupils turned crimson, and his body began to convulse violently.