Moriarty shook the rat’s head. He had a slight headache. As he had the body of a platinum-tier magical beast, a fall from a great height had little effect on him.
The stares of the experts from all directions gave him a headache. He believed that everything he did was quite covert, even when he was eating the tree bark. He did not use any magic to make a noise. He had no idea how Watson had found him.
When he first arrived at Blackmoon Castle, he had intended to kidnap Watson’s family and force Watson to beg him for mercy, but he discovered that Mayor Lubin had brought a cart of good things, and he just happened to be hungry.
So…
His strength returned after consuming all of the wealth that Lubin had brought. His attention was drawn to the diamond-tier Crystal World Tree Staff that Watson had fused. The uninformed would think that those glowing trees could have been ornaments forged by Watson. However, he was a platinum-tier elite, so he could tell that those trees were quite extraordinary.
They were, at the very least, platinum-tier items, and they could even be diamond-tier.
He had no idea why the insignificant Blackmoon Castle would have such a valuable treasure. He assumed it was a gift from Sylvan or Antonio, but he did not dwell on it too much. That kind of item was an excellent tonic for him. He could restore his strength to its peak if he were to eat one. If he ate a few more, he might be able to allow the body of the Heaven-devouring Rat King to advance to the diamond tier.
“Where did that rat come from? It does not feel like a typical magical beast. The aura on its body is extremely powerful.”
“Protect the border count and Master Antonio.”
When the people around him noticed Moriarty, they were all on high alert. Andre was the first to act. He dashed in front of Sylvan and Antonio as he carefully removed a pair of golden gloves from his clothes and put them on.
“Brothers, take a step back.”
Watson motioned with his hand for his three brothers to keep their distance. He smiled and walked toward Moriarty. He waved his hand and said, “Lord Rat, or Lord Moriarty, we have not seen each other in about two days. I didn’t think you’d still be alive.”
“Moriarty? You mean the rat in front of us is Moriarty?” Antonio and Sylvan examined the rat on the ground. They exchanged puzzled looks. They recognized the rat as the Heaven-devouring Rat King that had escaped a few days before. They had no idea why Watson would call it Moriarty.
Had they not seen Watson kill Moriarty in front of them?
They had no idea Moriarty had snuck into Blackmoon Castle, and Watson had caught him. The rat was embarrassed.
“Let’s not talk nonsense, Watson! I have a question. How did you know it’s me?”
Moriarty stood up and spoke in human language after Watson discovered him.
“Because the entire Blackmoon Town is under my command. Is that a valid reason?”
With the system’s assistance, the information would appear in his eyes no matter what Watson saw.
As a result, he was aware the moment Moriarty entered Blackmoon Town. He also knew Moriarty had followed Gerant’s car. He had pretended not to know because he wanted to see what Moriarty would do. He could not help himself when he saw Moriarty gnawing on the diamond-tier magic staff that he fused.
He did not feel sorry for Moriarty; he found it amusing.
The diamond-tier magical staff could only be destroyed by attacks of the same level. Moriarty was only a platinum-tier Heaven-devouring Rat King. Even if he gnawed on it his entire life, he would never be able to bite a piece off of the magical staff.
It was apparent that Moriarty had used some unknown spell to transfer his consciousness to the body of the Heaven-devouring Rat King. Finally, he had to return and gnaw on the tree bark. It was too stupid to use as a form of retaliation.
Watson cursed inwardly. Suddenly, he realized that Moriarty’s body as a Heaven-devouring Rat King had become illusory. His heart thumped—that was not good. He quickly turned around.
Moriarty appeared from a black hole behind him. His body rapidly expanded, and he grew several dozens of meters tall. He reached out with his massive front claws and grabbed Zeke and the other two brothers.
Moriarty’s question was obviously a ruse to distract him so that he could seize his brothers while he answered the rat.
Moriarty had Zeke and the other two in his grip. Their bones cracked with a slight force, and their faces contorted in pain.
Giggle, Giggle, Giggle…
The rat Moriarty had transformed into an open mouth with fangs sharper than sawteeth. It burst out in laughter as saliva dripped from its teeth and onto the ground, corroding it into holes.
“That despicable magical beast dares to injure someone in front of the border count. Put them down and die!”
Andre breathed a sigh of relief and took a step forward when he realized that Moriarty had not attacked Sylvan. His gloves collided with a bang.
Then, his body was covered in a layer of yellow earth-elemental combat aura. The ground within a radius of a hundred meters collapsed. Countless broken stones rose against gravity and piled on his body, transforming him into a dozens-of-meter-tall mountain. He collided with Moriarty. “Gold-tier battle technique, Mountain Crash!”
That attack was as destructive as a massive giant rock golem falling from the sky. However, in the face of that assault, Moriarty’s Heaven-devouring Rat King only stretched its thin and long nail.
Zap!
Sparks flew in all directions; the piercing sound caused everyone’s eardrums to vibrate. Moriarty did not move an inch. On the other hand, Andre was covered in a layer of rock that resembled a small mountain. It had been ripped apart, revealing a body drenched in fresh blood. His bones were shattered, and his arm was bent backward at an odd angle. It looked like a broken bag that had been sliced through the ground for more than ten meters, leaving a long trail of fresh blood.
The whole place was deafeningly quiet.
Everyone held their breath. They had just witnessed Andre’s transformation into a mountain. Then he was launched into the air. Everything had happened in less than a second.
“How is that possible? The mayor had been defeated in a single strike?” The residents of Fairy Town muttered to themselves.
They were well aware of their mayor’s bravery. Andre had followed Sylvan to fight at the border. He had crushed the rebel’s walls with that fighting technique; it had forced the other party to surrender. In addition, Andre possessed a gold-tier weapon, and he was a gold-tier expert. However, the layers of stacked strength were relatively weak in the face of that rat.
“A mere gold-tier dares to wreak havoc on me?”
Moriarty’s expression was contemptuous. The rat’s mouth was wide open as if a black hole had appeared in it. It had drawn the flying Andre back to his mouth—he had him in his mouth. Another person had also been sucked into his mouth—Lubin, who had fainted on the ground. Lubin could not even resist.
Half of the two mayors’ bodies were in his mouth; only their legs were visible as they dangled outside his jaw. He only needed a soft bit to dismember them completely.
“Moriarty, you traitor! Coward! You were the reason for the Dragonspine Snow Mountain’s destruction. And you still dare to return? You still dare to hurt people in front of me? On behalf of my master, on behalf of everyone at the border, I will kill you today!”
All of that happened far too quickly. It was too late for Sylvan to intervene. He could only open his right hand with a cold expression. A white-hot flame appeared in his palm, and he was prepared to cast his best platinum-tier spell—Vermillion Nova.
“Moriarty, let those innocent people go! Then leave the border and never return. I am willing to let you go for the sake of the old man. If you don’t leave now, you will not make it out of here alive.”
Antonio sighed and raised the Crystal World Tree Staff that Watson had fused for him two days before that.
A diamond-tier aura spread around the staff; the earth and the sky trembled. Invisible ripples spread along the ground as cracks appeared. It was unclear when the snowflakes in the sky had stopped falling, but they swept up into the sky with a burst of energy.
“My foolish junior brother, Sylvan, if you fight with me now, your lovely subordinates whom you have painstakingly nurtured at the border will perish. Do you not care? And, my dear master, do you think I would be completely unprepared when I decided to come here?”
Both Sylvan and Antonio held their breath as Moriarty questioned them; a look of hesitation flashed across their faces.
Moriarty had used that opportunity to swallow Andre and Lubin in a matter of seconds. He raised his right claw that held Zeke and the other two and raised them over his head before he turned to face Watson. His eyes were filled with venom.
“Finally, Watson. If it were not for you, the final stage of my plan wouldn’t have failed, and I wouldn’t have lost the Pen of Truth. I wouldn’t have lost my original body either! It is your turn to repay me. Give me a moment to think about how I should torture you.”
Moriarty chuckled. “Perhaps I will crush the bones of your brothers and sisters one by one in front of you. And then, I’ll pull their tendons out. What do you think?”
Then, he laughed; the magical beast’s expression became increasingly fierce.
Watson’s expression remained unchanged in the face of the rat’s threat. He only looked at his three brothers, who seemed in pain, and his expression became cold.
“Moriarty, you will pay for your actions today. Do not hurt my brothers if you are a real man. Come at me if you want something.”
