The Deceitful One

The full moon hung low in the night sky as a chilly temperature engulfed the entire city of Damascus. It was already past midnight, hence, most of the places were devoid of any sound.

Except, for the slums, that is.

BANG BANG BANG!

Bryan continued to shoot at Anthony whom he could still see ahead of him. The former continued to give chase through the narrow alleys of the slums.

He was fueled by unprecedented rage as he continued to sprint through the slum. Bryan had already decided on killing Anthony tonight regardless of the price he had to pay.

BANG BANG BANG!

Bryan shot again as he emptied his pistol chamber but just like before all the bullets missed the target.

"Fuck!" He grunted in anger. It was almost as if Anthony had eyes at the back of his head. Whenever a bullet was about to reach him, he would turn into a shadow and nimbly evade it.

"No matter where you run, I'll kill you! You hear me!? I'll fucking kill you!!" Bryan yelled at the top of his lungs, his eyes bloodshot as he took out bullets from his pocket watch and reloaded the pistol.

Bryan recalled the time when he first encountered Anthony in that abandoned factory. The latter had attacked him because he had bought the Hand Cannon at the secret gathering.

Anthony had come after him with two other people but the outcome was: one of them had died while Bryan had escaped.

'Fuck! I should have killed him back then!' Bryan gritted his teeth as he thought in his heart, 'If I had killed him back then, perhaps Jamie would still be…'

He didn't dare finish his thoughts. Bryan didn't know if Jamie was still dead or alive. But deep down he had a nagging feeling that he would never be able to see Jamie again.

Bryan thought back to how he had first met Jamie and how the latter reminded him of his past self. All Jamie wanted to do was get out of the slums and provide a better life for his little siblings.

But now…

Bryan's eyes began to water but he didn't stop giving chase. Tears streamed down his cheeks and seem to come alive as they flew away from his face like tiny crystals that reflected the moonlight.

Intense rage boiled inside him as he raised his arms again and pointed at the fleeting Anthony.

BANG BANG BANG!

Anthony's body turned into shadows again as he dodged the incoming bullets. He efficiently evaded two of them but the last one went right through his shoulder.

"Ughh!!" Anthony grunted in pain as he faltered in his steps and slammed against the wall of the narrow alley. But he quickly regained his balance as he climbed one of the houses and started jumping from one rooftop to the other as he continued to escape.

While running, Anthony's shoulder began to heal at an extremely fast speed. The bullet wound to his ribs had already healed!

Blood Path Transcendents had excellent regenerative abilities. The same could also be said for its Apprentices. After all, they consumed blood on a regular basis. And blood was full of vitality, to begin with.

As Anthony sprinted across rooftops, he had already become level-headed after having satisfied his craving for blood.

But constantly trying to evade bullets has also very taxing for him. His wounds couldn't regenerate forever. There would come a time when his recovery speed would slow down until finally, regeneration would no longer work.

A hint of panic began to creep into his heart. He had already identified the person chasing after him. It was the same person who had made a fool out of him that night at the abandoned factory.

'I'm not a match against him if I fight him alone.' Anthony thought inwardly as he recalled Bryan using Illusion Path spells and instantly decapitating one of the people that night at the factory.

He didn't even realize that his accomplice was dead until the person's head rolled to his feet.

The duo finally exited the slum area but the pursuit still hadn't come to an end. Bryan continued to chase Anthony as both of them ran through the empty streets of Damascus.

'Fuck fuck fuck! What do I do?' Anthony thought anxiously as he continued to run. He didn't dare stop nor slow his speed for a single moment.

All of a sudden he had an idea, 'That's right! I'll lure him to my house in the suburbs. There are a few Apprentices there.'

A menacing light gleamed in his red eyes as he deftly changed directions, 'We'll see who kills who, you fucking bastard.'

A little less than ten minutes later, the duo had already reached the suburbs of Damascus. But Bryan still hadn't stopped giving chase.

He then saw Anthony jump over the boundary wall of a manor. Without hesitation, Bryan followed right after him. He knew that this was most likely a trap and that Anthony had lured him here.

But so what? Bryan had already made up his mind about killing Anthony. Nothing could stop him.

In the distance, he saw a white two-storied villa that had green vines climbing against its walls. He then saw Anthony deftly run through the entrance of the house.

Bryan faltered for a moment as he stopped a few feet away from the entrance of the house. All of a sudden he was reminded of this one time he had met Jamie near the farmer's market.

"Jamie, what is your goal in life?" He had asked.

"My goal?" Jamie pondered for a long time and then answered with bright eyes as he looked at Bryan, "My goal is to become like you, Boss! One day, I will escape the dirty slums and buy a big house.

I will wear fancy clothes just like you! And, and… uhm… yes! I want to make loads of money and buy toys and sweets for my little siblings!"

"Haha!" Bryan laughed heartily. He then ruffled Jamie's hair and smiled warmly, "That is an admirable goal, Jamie."

Bryan gritted his teeth in fury as his bloodshot eyes began to water. He took out another steam-powered pistol from his pocket watch.

After making sure both the pistols were loaded, he entered the house with firm resolve, 'Tonight, either you die or I die.'