Lux picked up the two tickets, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.

  Then, Lux went to buy a cart. Although she and her sister didn't have much stuff, they might need it later at the farm.

  Lux pushed the cart towards home, looking at the potholed streets, the pickpockets lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity, and the bustling crowd of people living less-than-ideal lives, hawking goods, bargaining, and working. These ordinary people made up the city. Although the inner city was home to the rich and nobles, Lux had hardly ever seen those people, as if they didn't exist.

  Lux caught the scent of milk and a hint of sweetness. Yes, she had arrived at the entrance of Milan Cake Shop, a cake shop run by a married couple, now managed by their daughter and son-in-law.

  In addition to traditional cakes, they also sold popular cakes from outside the city and created their own new flavors of cakes and desserts.

  Mitty loved the cakes here, so Lux would come here with Mitty to choose cakes for Mitty's birthday and some holidays. As for Lux's birthday, Lux wasn't too fond of cakes, so Mitty would try to cook a new dish on that day, with mixed results.

  "Welcome." The bell at the door rang, and a woman with a noticeably pregnant belly said, "It's Lux. Isn't Mitty coming?"

  "She's at home. I'm here to buy some cake for her," Lux replied. "Where's your husband, Lisa?"

  "Jamie? He's busy in the kitchen. He won't let me do any work since I got pregnant," Lisa said, sounding like she was complaining but more like showing off.

  "Jamie's a good husband. Then I'll take the apple cake. I can pack it myself," Lux said.

  "You're a good brother too," Lisa said with a smile, handing Lux a cloth bag. After Lux packed the cake and paid, she said goodbye and left.

  After leaving the cake shop, Lux took another look at the store. She had noticed that every time she brought Mitty here, Mitty would always look back at the shop absentmindedly as they left. Lux knew Mitty liked the shop's cakes, but beyond that, Mitty was also envious, envious of the family's happy life.

  But soon, Lux knew that they too would have this kind of ordinary, small, yet happy life. Even if it might be a bit dull, Lux believed that Mitty wouldn't show that slightly sad look in her eyes, the kind of look that made Lux's heart ache.

  'The cake will probably be fine if we keep it for a while and eat it at the farm. No, Mitty will probably eat it on the way.' Thinking this, Lux was soon pushing the cart to their doorstep.

  Lux parked the cart, picked up the cake, and walked towards the door. "Mitty, are you ready to go?" she asked, opening the door.

  'Something's wrong!' Lux suddenly smelled a strong scent of blood, and an unfamiliar odor mixed in the air behind the wooden door.

  An icy chill climbed up Lux's entire body, but she quickly steadied herself and pushed the door open.

  "Mitty, I've got your favorite cake!" Before entering, Lux put on the magical necklace she had taken from the thug leader and gripped her small knife.

  Her initial composure shattered as soon as she stepped inside. She saw the room was in chaos, with many loaves of bread scattered all over the floor. Grandma Mabel was back, but there was a large bloody hole in her chest. She lay on the ground, clutching a broom tightly in her hand. She was dead, like the bread on the floor, waiting to rot.

  And Mitty had holes torn in her neck and shoulder, bleeding profusely. She was leaning against the wall, still alive. Seeing Lux, she coughed and tried to call out, "Brother, cough cough, hurry..."

  The cake in Lux's hand fell to the ground, turning into a sweet, muddy mess. "Mitty!" Lux surged forward, desperate to reach her sister.

  Just as Lux was about to reach out and grab Mitty's hand, she spun around abruptly and threw the knife in her hand. It flew towards her rear like a streak of iron lightning.

  The knife sliced through a dark shadow, but immediately made a "bang" sound and bounced off to the ground.

  "Hehehe, how did you find me, you little brat?" The shadow chuckled. The darkness then split open, and a person emerged as if a black mouth had opened and spat out a tongue.

  It was a man with a terrifying appearance. His face was covered in the folds and scars of burns, but he didn't try to hide his horrifying looks. The man wore a brown beret and a black robe. The surrounding darkness gathered around him like wings, then folded away after he appeared.

  Lux didn't answer, continuing to charge at him.

  A black circle suddenly appeared beneath the black-robed man's feet, and black thorns grew from the circle, stabbing towards Lux like spears. Lux's body moved with an incredible fluidity, dodging the black thorns as she ran, only receiving grazes on her shoulder and thigh.

  Close enough! At this moment, a glove resembling a bear's paw suddenly appeared on Lux's hand, and she struck the black-robed man with all her might.

  "Bang!" The immense force was blocked by a suddenly appearing black shield, and the impact shook the surrounding wooden furniture, making it hum.

  "Is this your ability? To create magical items?" The black-robed man looked at Lux with interest. "But the items you create can only be used by you, right? And..."

  The black-robed man unfurled black wings like those of a bat behind him, then lunged at Lux like a gaping maw, trying to bite her. The glove on Lux's hand disappeared, replaced by a ring with a cat's head, and she quickly rolled away, nimbly dodging the attack.

  "You can only use one at a time, right?" The black-robed man seemed to chuckle at having seen through Lux's trick. "Pardon my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Leo Blackwood. You can also call me by my title, the Shadow Weaver. I'm a Demon Hunter from the Demon Hunter Bureau of Purple City." The black-robed man, or rather the Shadow Weaver, patiently introduced himself. He enjoyed the process, observing Lux's expression with great interest. But Lux only took a couple of breaths to steady herself before assuming a fighting stance again.

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  The Wildcat Ring was a silver ring with a miniature cat's head embedded in it. Its effect was to grant the wearer great flexibility and agility.

  "What I want to tell you is, I'm very lucky today." The Shadow Weaver waved his hand, and several black whips shot out from his sleeves, lashing out at Lux. Lux dodged with all her might, but the whips were too fast. Even a graze tore away a chunk of her skin, and when they struck a wooden cabinet, they cleaved it in half.

  "Today, I'm super, super, super lucky," the Shadow Weaver began to grind his teeth, making a constant gnashing sound.

  "I actually encountered a boy like you, hehehe." The Shadow Weaver's mouth started to drool. "Do you know? All the clergy have gone to the celebration today. They should be enjoying the food and wine right now."

  "So, we have plenty of time to play together." The Shadow Weaver's originally hideous face became like a wriggling meatball in this smile. "And you know what I like to eat the most?"

  Lux tried to approach the Shadow Weaver from the side, then switch to the Bear Paw Gloves.

  The Black Bear Paw Gloves were fluffy gloves that resembled bear paws. When worn, they could unleash powerful palm strikes capable of shattering large rocks.

  But it failed. As she approached, a black spear suddenly sprouted from the ground. Lux immediately switched back to the ring and backflipped to dodge the attack, only grazing her scalp.

  "What I like to eat the most is boys' testicles." Finally, he couldn't help but say it. "Especially when you're tied up, biting off those warm balls from your body..." Suddenly, a large mass of black shadow appeared beneath the Shadow Weaver's feet. The shadow surged towards Lux like a small tsunami, shattering the floor and sending wood splinters flying.

  "This is my exclusive feast!" He spread his arms wide, shouting in a trance-like ecstasy.

  Lux pushed off with all her might, reaching the ceiling. She switched to the Black Bear Paw Gloves and punched a hole in the ceiling, quickly climbing through.

  "Boom!" The black wave smashed through the wall, but before Lux could catch her breath, she saw black circles seeping upwards from the floor. The circles instantly transformed into black pillars, and the Shadow Weaver emerged from the pillars.

  "Continue, my precious boy." The Shadow Weaver slowly approached Lux, seemingly having recovered from his earlier frenzy.

  "You talk too much," Lux finally spoke. "Has anyone ever told you your face looks like a ball sack, you disgusting ball sack face?"

  "Oh my," the Shadow Weaver was slightly surprised, then said with even more interest, "The more you're like this, the more curious I am about the taste of your balls."

  The black shadow adhered to the Shadow Weaver's hand like living mud, and he reached out. The black mud transformed into a large hand reaching for Lux.

  "A stubborn boy like you must have very juicy balls!" the Shadow Weaver shouted.

  Lux could only continue to dodge, but she was still grazed by the black hand, and the force sent her flying into the wall. Blood trickled from the corner of Lux's mouth. She felt like her entire body was about to fall apart.

  "Oh, don't stop," the Shadow Weaver approached Lux, who was leaning against the wall.

  'Even with the Wildcat Ring, I can't get close to him, and the Black Bear Paw Gloves can't break through his defense. The Hound Necklace only enhances my sense of smell and gives me fangs to bite. Unless I get very close, there's no chance. And I only have these three accessories...' Lux thought, gasping for breath, strategizing. Her ability only allowed her to generate three accessories at a time. 'Mitty... I have to hurry!'

  The necklace on her neck glowed, and Lux's entire body turned red, like a red haze, like blood, like the flames of anger.

  She immediately began to run around the room, while the Shadow Weaver grew dozens of black thorns from behind him, stabbing at Lux.

  The room was riddled with holes, and light poured into the dark room from the holes.

  "Haha, this is more like it!" The Shadow Weaver became excited, constantly waving his arms, summoning black thorns to attack Lux's position. "The more you move, the saltier and tastier your balls will be."

  Lux became faster and faster, even running up the walls. In this high-speed evasion, she found an opportunity.

  Lux pushed off the wall, rushing towards the Shadow Weaver along the ceiling, then jumped off the ceiling, leaping towards the Shadow Weaver at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye.

  "Shut your fucking mouth!" Lux, wearing the Black Bear Paw Gloves, clenched her fist and struck the Shadow Weaver.

  The Shadow Weaver suddenly shot a black thorn from his feet, piercing Lux's arm. Lux's right arm was like a piece of roasted meat skewered by a bamboo stick. But this was the opportunity Lux had been waiting for!

  Lux's gloves disappeared, and she immediately opened her palm, scattering white powder towards the Shadow Weaver's eyes.

  "What?" The black shadow instantly formed a mask over the Shadow Weaver's face, blocking the powder. But Lux immediately equipped the Black Bear Paw Gloves on her other hand and struck the Shadow Weaver. This blow finally landed, and the Shadow Weaver flew away like a kite with its string cut.

  But Lux knew this attack might not have been effective, because she felt like she had hit a piece of steel instead of a human body. The Shadow Weaver had used the black shadow to defend himself before Lux's strike landed.

  'I should take Mitty and run now!' Lux immediately decided, then jumped down through the hole in the second floor.

  "Mitty!" Lux saw that her sister was still slowly breathing, her eyes barely open, but she tried her best to look at Lux when she appeared.

  Lux immediately prepared to pick up Mitty and escape through the back door of the kitchen. If they could just get into those dark alleyways, there might be a chance to escape.

  Just as Lux was about to touch Mitty, several black spears pierced through her thighs, bringing blood, pain, and despair.

  Lux couldn't support her body and barely propped herself up with her arms. Her legs were almost completely unusable.

  "Continue." The Shadow Weaver slowly walked over. He was covered in a bit of dust, his black robe was slightly torn, and there was a small cut on his face, but he was essentially unharmed.

  Lux looked up at him, then turned to look at Mitty.

  Tears, like water squeezed from a wrung-out cloth, flowed from Mitty's barely open eyes. "Brother..." A hoarse voice came from Mitty's mouth, sounding as if it had been cut by a knife.

  "Mitty..." Lux felt a sense of powerlessness engulf her. She tried her best to stand up, but the emptiness in her legs seemed to mock her. 'You can't. You can't do it.'

  'I must stand up. I must defeat this guy. I must protect Mitty. Because I'm her brother.' Lux's mind was almost blank, with only these words repeating like a mantra.

  But before she could even prop herself up, several black thorns pierced through Lux's palms, arms, and shoulders. Lux collapsed completely.

  "Is it time for the main course?" The Shadow Weaver was getting impatient. He stared fiercely at Lux, then forced a smile through his rage.

  "Mitty..." Lux, like an ant with all its legs severed, curled up and crawled towards Mitty.

  "This is so touching." The Shadow Weaver clapped his hands. "Hurry up, hurry up, kid. Hurry up and crawl."

  The distance felt like an eternity to Lux. Blood flowed from the holes in her body like a stream. Because of the necklace she had used earlier, her blood was flowing especially fast and was incredibly hot, but it cooled quickly after dripping onto the shattered floor.

  Lux finally reached Mitty. She desperately raised her head and hugged Mitty with all her remaining strength. Mitty also weakly embraced Lux.

  "I'm so kind. I'm actually fulfilling you pitiful siblings' wishes," the Shadow Weaver said gleefully. "Now it's time for you to fulfill mine."

  The Shadow Weaver took a step towards Lux, while she held Mitty, unmoving.

  The black shadow concentrated in the Shadow Weaver's hand. He transformed the shadow into a sharp blade, preparing to pierce through both of them.

  Just then, Lux suddenly turned around. Her arms were miraculously healed. Wearing the gloves, she pushed off the ground with force, flying towards the Shadow Weaver.

  "What the hell?!" The Shadow Weaver was shocked, then looked at Mitty leaning against the wall. "You have healing abilities?!" He couldn't believe that the healer he had been longing for was right here. Ever since he became a Demon Hunter, he had been searching for a healer to restore his severed testicles from his youth.

  Lux's punch was about to hit the Shadow Weaver, but the Shadow Weaver instantly transformed the black sword in his hand into a gauntlet, blocking Lux's attack. Then, he grabbed Lux's wrist tightly.

  "You think this is enough to..." Before the Shadow Weaver could finish speaking, Lux's gauntlets turned into a necklace with a hound's head, and she opened her mouth, biting the Shadow Weaver's neck hard.

  'Devour! Activate!'