Chapter 460

Chapter 195: The Man Collecting Darkness, Ash

Throughout his journey, Ash had encountered individuals who noticed his actions and sought to thwart him or claim his vast darkness for themselves. If one were to give an example, those individuals could be likened to certain dark giants…

Ash never let himself become a passive target in such situations. Generally, there were two possible outcomes: either he perished, and his foe escaped, or his enemy fell, leading to the end of the conflict.

Though the system had not explicitly mentioned it, Ash would never allow anyone to take away the results of his hard work.

“Youth, you can eat whatever you want, but don’t say things carelessly; they might provoke someone and lead to dire consequences.”

Ash’s fingers touched the edge of the motorcycle storage bag, yet he did not hastily retrieve anything. Instead, a mischievous smile played on his face, obscuring his true intentions. His fingers pressed against the bag, emitting creaking sounds with an overwhelming sense of pressure.

“Even though we have no conflicts, if you come after me, I can’t run away, can I?”

“Gulp…”

Meanwhile, Eddie, feeling like a wary cat bracing itself, backed away, his hair standing on end. His gulping was clearly audible.

How frightening…

The youth felt like a sheep being stalked by a lone wolf from behind, slowly preparing to pounce. His gaze was not threatening, but rather that of a predator ready to strike.

Excessive tension manifested in physical reactions. Eddie’s forehead began to sweat profusely, and his legs trembled as though he would collapse at any moment.

He was right; this guy is seriously dangerous!

Yet, he ultimately chose not to flee, because once a hero is determined, retreat is not an option.

With his left hand, he reached for the keychain hanging from his waist, mimicking Ash’s gesture.

“—”

Separated by a motorcycle, the two engaged in a hand speed contest almost imperceptible to the naked eye. One wielded a camera cannon aimed at the other’s head, while the other readied a sword poised to strike the opponent’s throat.

The excessive speed made their duel seem like a blur, quickly progressing to a stand-off. Background music, seemingly imprinted in their DNA, emerged.

Sword vs. Gun; this standoff appeared even, but…

“You’re too slow.”

Shifting his gaze from the sword pointing at him, Ash adjusted the lens with his right hand, raising an eyebrow with a slight critique in his tone. “Your technique and speed are fine, but your hesitation and trembling delayed you by 0.01 seconds. Rather than losing to me, you lost to your own fear.”

As Ash spoke, Eddie’s expression visibly soured. As stated, the camera cannon now rested atop his sword, clearly putting Ash in a dominant position.

Should they both decide to act, Ash was confident he could take Eddie’s head off with only losing an arm.

“Someone once said guns are stronger than swords.”

The camera snapped, and the lens rotated to a specific point, revealing energy data floating around it along with a clear sound effect.

“[It’s Time for Buster!]”

“But you never know the outcome until the trigger is pulled, right? Isn’t it exciting, a fifty-fifty chance? What will you do? If you’re indecisive, I can help you choose.”

Gripping the slightly sweaty sword handle, Eddie took a deep breath and—

In front of Ash, he angrily slammed the sword onto the ground.

“Damn it!”

Eddie’s enraged outburst startled a flock of cooing pigeons above.

“Listen—” amidst Ash’s bewildered look, Eddie went completely crazy, waving his arms wildly. “Didn’t I say I wanted to talk? Why did we end up in a life-or-death situation?”

“He who strikes first gains the advantage, and I’m defending myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s exactly what I thought—but damn, you’re insane!”

Seeing this, he grabbed Ash’s collar and roared, “I just mentioned something, and you already drew your gun! Drawing my sword was purely defensive!”

“What was all that about? Spit it out before you start spraying,” responded Ash, somewhat disinterestedly, since Eddie had ceased. “I thought you were collecting darkness like me.”

“You didn’t give me a chance to explain, you arrogant jerk!”

Too tiring… This was a frustrating exchange with an egocentric jerk whose logic seemed bizarre.

Eddie took heavy breaths, grumbled in disappointment, then redirected the conversation back to the issue at hand.

“So, are you really the one collecting negativity from different worlds?”

“Indeed, the name is Ash.”

“What if I advised you to stop?”

Picking up the Dragon Strike Sword and returning it to its pendant form, Eddie turned serious, though it mattered little to Ash. “Continuing like this will bring bad things, and you’ll suffer.”

“Absolutely, impossible…” Ash’s expression remained unchanged, but his eyes showed provocation. “My methods require no interference. As for suffering and ill fate? Do you think I care?”

Eddie quietly shook his head, pulling out a strange device unfamiliar to their world.

“Planning to rat me out? I welcome the challenge.”

“After all, with my flying O style, I can throw the script out the window. You cops are justified in acting.”

“No, I’m not planning to,” Eddie said firmly, erasing navigation records. “I’m not that authorized to interfere, and I’ve seen how those girl warriors truly trust you. Lies won’t earn genuine loyalty. My commander told me so.”

“And I genuinely believe you aren’t a bad person—just my personal instinct tells me.”