Chapter Forty-Four: Chaos, Utter Chaos!

One minute earlier.

After fully adapting to Elbe’s fierce assault rhythm, Mod gradually found himself with spare energy. At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel at how savage this madwoman was, and felt fortunate that his physical condition could keep up. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

With the pressure of defense greatly reduced, Mod finally had enough focus to observe the current situation. He noticed Ratwolf and Kazet locked in a brutal clash. He thought, if Ratwolf hadn’t blocked Kazet… The thought sent a chill down his spine, and Mod silently praised Ratwolf as a true brother.

But soon, he saw that Ratwolf could barely last three seconds; after a few exchanges, it looked as though he was about to be smashed into a pancake by Kazet. Instantly, Mod realized it was time to leave.

“I need to get out of here before Ratwolf can’t hold on anymore.”

With that assessment, Mod stopped distracting himself with Ratwolf’s battle. Elbe noticed Mod had the energy to pay attention elsewhere; her blood boiled, veins bulged at her brows, and all traces of earlier seductive charm vanished. Enraged, her floral sword thrust at Mod even faster, though her technique began to show signs of disorder.

"Hmm?"

The suddenly quickened sword strikes brought pressure back upon Mod. Yet, the threat plummeted.

"Should I counterattack…?"

Dodging repeated thrusts, Mod considered the feasibility of drawing his pistol or the knife he carried for a close-range counter. The unraveling technique implied that, if Elbe were forced to switch from offense to defense in haste, she’d expose vulnerabilities.

That was his chance to strike back.

But Mod also weighed the risks. Whether he drew his gun or knife, he’d have to make several extra movements. While Elbe’s form was disrupted, her speed had increased. In this situation, any extraneous movement not quick enough might become a fatal opening.

If there was a worthwhile gain, Mod was willing to take the risk. Otherwise, his focus remained on retreat.

“In that case… I’ll have to use my hands.”

He abandoned the plan to counter with his gun and formed his next move. The swordplay, now thoroughly disordered, had lost all threat.

After defending for dozens of seconds, Mod seized an opportunity. Sidestepping a thrust, instead of retreating, he surged forward. As his body brushed past Elbe, he raised his arm in motion and slapped her sharply across the cheek.

The crisp sound rang out, but was immediately drowned by the clamor of blades and gunfire in the tavern.

Elbe staggered, thrown briefly off balance, and her relentless assault faltered.

Mod seized the moment, broke free from Elbe’s attack range, and ran toward the hole in the wall.

Elbe’s composure shattered; she stared blankly at Mod’s fleeing back.

This scene happened to catch Ratwolf’s eye.

But Ratwolf’s attention wasn’t on Elbe—it was on Mod, who was running faster than a rabbit.

At this point, Ratwolf resigned himself.

He didn’t even have the energy to curse Mod anymore.

Exhausted, Ratwolf turned his gaze to Kazet, attempting to explain.

“Believe me, this is all a misunderstanding!”

What greeted him was Kazet’s fierce hoof.

With a thunderous crash, Ratwolf was sent flying, slammed hard against the wall.

“Huh?”

After striking Ratwolf, Kazet was puzzled by the sensation—had it gotten harder?

Before he could think further, he saw Mod about to escape the tavern, and roared suddenly.

“Stop right there!”

Hearing Kazet’s furious shout, Mod didn’t even feel like looking back.

Was Brother Ratwolf done for?

Mod wondered.

With the hole in sight, Mod quickened his pace.

Suddenly, he saw a white skunk ahead, also running frantically, but not very fast due to its short legs.

Recognizing it as Elbe’s pet, Mod, just before leaping through the hole, conveniently scooped up the skunk.

The skunk shuddered as Mod suddenly grabbed it, its beady black eyes showing a very human-like terror. Yet it dared not struggle, afraid this inexplicable human would suddenly stab it.

To the skunk, humans were treacherous creatures.

Stiff with fear, the skunk watched as Mod carried it through the hole in the wall and out into the street.

In that instant, the skunk realized this human was actually helping it escape.

The terror in its eyes melted away like spring snow.

Its view of humans subtly changed.

“At last, I’ve met a different kind of human.”

The skunk was moved.

Mod had no idea that the object he’d grabbed on a whim was experiencing such a rich internal drama.

He was even more surprised when he caught a strange scent from the skunk.

A fragrant skunk?

He seemed to recall descriptions of something similar.

Meanwhile, inside the tavern.

Watching Mod escape, Kazet’s eyes blazed with fury and he gave chase.

However, a figure shot out even faster than him, sprinting for the hole in the wall.

It was Ratwolf, still in his beast-human form.

Seeing Ratwolf unharmed, Kazet’s eyes flashed with surprise.

Just then, a sword beam slashed toward Kazet.

Kazet stopped abruptly, dodging the sudden attack.

“You crazy woman, what are you doing?!”

Seeing Elbe, eyes bloodshot and face twisted, blocking his path, Kazet cursed furiously.

Elbe didn’t reply; she drove her sword at Kazet again, weaving a barrage of sword beams.

Kazet, in beast-human form, had greater strength but slightly reduced speed.

Faced with Elbe’s merciless attacks, he was soon wounded several times.

His fury mounted.

After easily wounding Kazet, Elbe’s contorted face showed a strange, satisfied smile.

Her gaze toward Kazet brimmed with a surging urge to strike.

Kazet’s face twitched violently at Elbe’s complex, layered expression.

It was chaos—complete, utter chaos!

“Crazy woman!”

Kazet roared, met again by a storm of swordplay.

Helpless, he could only retreat to evade and issue orders to his officer, Wells.

“Wells, take men and chase that brat—dead or alive!”

Hearing the captain’s command, Wells promptly led several gunmen out through the main door, pursuing Mod.

Outside the tavern, Mod ran wildly down the street with the skunk in hand.

Ratwolf, emerging from the hole, leveraged his beast form’s advantages to catch up.

“Usopp, wait for me!”

Seeing Mod’s back, Ratwolf shouted excitedly.

Hearing the shout behind him, Mod reflexively threw the skunk he was holding.

The skunk, still touched by its encounter with a good human: “?”

Ratwolf, eyes fixed only on Mod’s fleeing figure: “?”

The skunk, tossed by Mod, traced a graceful arc through the air and landed squarely on Ratwolf’s face.

With a thud, Ratwolf was knocked to the ground.

Wells and his men, rushing from the tavern, screeched to a halt, staring at Ratwolf and the skunk at their feet.

For a moment, the air was silent.

Mod silently cursed his overreaction, glanced at Ratwolf, and shouted, “Brother Ratwolf, I—”

Then, seeing Wells and his armed men, Mod abruptly changed his tone.

“If there’s a chance, hear my explanation.”

With that, Mod ran off without looking back.

Ratwolf came to his senses, took a deep breath.

His lungs hurt.

The skunk, head on the ground, looked utterly bewildered.

Humans—humans are so treacherous!

Wells frowned slightly, hesitating whether to waste bullets on Ratwolf.

Amid the crowd on the street, a short figure flashed by.

“That brat…”