<h4>Chapter 2208: Chapter 2208: Showdown</h4>


    Sutton knelt on one knee, maintaining a position ready to spring up at any moment.


    He held the blood sword in one hand, with the faint illusion of a rat appearing on the sword.


    The mes started to burn, not externally, but within the sword, turning the longsword a glowing red.


    At the same time, his eyes glowed brightly.


    "Warrior, the blood sword in your hand, bestowed by Trent Marsh, represents responsibility and honor," Griffen Marsh said, with a hint of anger in his voice. "We are both members of the organization protecting our third brother. When you see me, you should address me as ’senior.’ Yet, not only do you not address me as ’senior,’ but you dare to strike at me."


    "Heheheheh..." Sutton let out a chilling, eerieugh.


    Like an animal.


    He was not human; how could he call a human ’senior’?


    "Griffen Marsh..."


    Sutton kept repeating the name.


    It hadn’t fully merged with his body yet, unable to fully unleash its power.


    "Griffen Marsh, I remember your name," Sutton’s form erupted, and he swept the snow sword horizontally!


    Whoosh!


    A ze of fire burst forth!


    Forcing Griffen Marsh back more than ten meters!


    More than ten meters is more than enough for a rat.


    In almost the blink of an eye, Sutton disappeared.


    Outside, those protecting Trent Marsh were caught off guard, two of them were beheaded, and three others injured.


    A golden needle was embedded in Trent Marsh’s chest!


    By the time the guards realized it, Sutton had already vanished.


    Themotion here naturally drew the attention of the martial artists at the inn.


    But before anyone could react, Griffen Marsh had already left with his men.


    They were the most mysterious guard team of Trent Marsh, with very high abilities and intelligence.


    Otherwise, they would not have been tasked with rescuing Trent Marsh.


    They came and went in a hurry, and no one suspected anything.


    But the moment Sutton escaped, Julius Reed nced in that direction and quickly followed.


    He wasn’t sure what the others were up to, but Sutton’s appearance here was definitely suspicious.


    In the snowy field.


    Sutton burrowed into the snow, sending waves of snow flying.


    His speed was astonishing, advancing nearly twenty meters per second!


    Digging was a strength of rats, but even rats have their natural enemies.


    Snakes.


    Julius Reed kept shing through the deserted snowyndscape, catching up to the snow-burrowing Sutton in just a few minutes.


    He stomped hard with his foot!


    Bang!


    Snow waves shot up more than three meters high!


    A shadow darted out from the snow, with sword light shooting out in all directions!


    "Sutton, sneaky as you are, you no longer resemble a human!" Julius Reed said softly, pushing his palms forward!


    A strong vibration emanated from his palms, shattering the sword Qi.


    Crunch.


    Sutton fell into the snow, his eyes alreadypletely transformed into those of a rat, unable to speak humannguage anymore.


    His face was ferocious, and the hand holding the sword trembled constantly.


    "You are no longer you, Sutton, you have died." Julius Reed confirmed his suspicion.


    That feeling was just like what he had encountered with Merrill Caldwell and Old Eight.


    They looked human but were no longer rted to humans.


    "I... have I died?" Suddenly, Sutton’s eyes began to return to normal. He squatted painfully on the ground, his eyes vacant: "I... am dead... Then who am I now... Who am I... Where am I... No!"


    With severe pain, Sutton sped his hands together and fell onto the snow.


    Yet a few secondster.


    He slowly got back on his feet, his pupils again bing those of a dead person.


    Then slowly bing like the eyes of a rat.


    Thest hint of human gaze faded away.


    "Squeak..."


    Sutton could no longer speak human words.


    Only the squeaking of a rat.


    He was no longer human but a puppet controlled by the Red Rat.


    As part of the Undead Tribe, such a puppet was something the Red Rat was very satisfied with.


    It could be used for a long time without worrying about decay or dposition.


    If nothing unexpected happened, it could blend into human society and do whatever it wanted.


    "Sutton, for your whole life, you will be my enemy." Julius Reed shook his head with resignation: "From following the Emperor and opposing me to turning to Trent Marsh. Was it worth it? In the end, it all came to nothing."


    The Emperor understood this truth, and even his nemesis, Shadow Kims, had already joined Julius Reed’s camp.


    Were any of these lives not better off?


    No more living in fear, what they lost were merely the so-called elusive grand ambitions.


    "At the end of the day, it’s just being unable to let go," Julius Reed ced his hand on his waist and slowly drew the Break Sky Knife.


    The Break Sky Knife, a divine artifact capable of annihting the Undead Tribe.


    When Sutton saw this de, he couldn’t help but let out a squeaking sound.


    As if sensing danger.


    "Considering that you’ve served the Emperor for thousands of years and we are both immortals, I will see you off onest time." Julius Reed didn’t know why Sutton had be like this, but he knew it must be rted to the temple.


    What exactly was inside Sutton’s body, however, remained uncertain.


    Julius Reed slowly raised the knife, and in an instant, all of heaven and earth stood still!


    Snowkes hung in the air, as if frozen.


    The wind stopped.


    Click!


    With a snapping sound, Sutton’s body began to move slowly.


    It seemed as though it had broken free from control.


    "Extinguish." Julius Reed pressed down with the knife.


    Boom!


    A muffled sound!


    The Break Sky Knife unexpectedly transformed into thousands of horses and soldiers, roaring as they charged at Sutton!


    These afterimages, these illusions, were like an army!


    Like the wailing undead army of the Grim Reaper, letting out shrill cries, rushing out from the sword, eager to tear the prey before them to shreds.


    Sutton’s pupils contracted sharply, his hands gripping the sword as he assumed a firm stance!


    Crack!


    The blood sword shattered!


    Sutton was propelled thirty meters back by the force!


    His clothes werepletely ruined, leaving him in a wretched state.


    His chest was covered in countless wounds.


    Julius Reed remained standing in ce, urging the Break Sky Knife.


    Those ghostly afterimages resumed their charge after a brief pause.


    "Squeak!"


    Sutton let out another sharp scream, his body beginning to swell violently!


    Then, it started to shrink, until finally, it turned into a rat!


    All his bones shattered, reconsolidated, while his skin, after rapidly withering, shrank dramatically, bing a rat the size of a cat.


    The rat was entirely crimson, resembling a ball of burning mes!


    No!


    It was indeed mes!


    The Red Rat couldn’t form a physical body, and in such a critical moment, had to resort to this method to quickly enhance its power.


    If it didn’t do this, it might be illusory and be dispersed.


    The moment the rat appeared, Julius Reed finally understood.


    "No wonder it’s so powerful; it’s a Phantom Beast." Upon realizing this, he had a bad premonition.


    A single Phantom Beast was so dominant, and he had three on him!


    Doesn’t that mean...?


    Upon this realization, Julius Reed felt a chill running down his spine.


    He was in great danger.


    The mes on the rat grewrger, eventually bing an indistinguishable mass of firelight.


    "Competing in fire? I’m more fired up than you." Julius Reed coughed lightly, and the Dragon King Ring on his finger began to gleam.