Chapter 114 VS Monster Maker 1

There was an abandoned food truck on the side of the street, so we hid behind it.

The sun had set, and darkness had completely fallen. The creator of the monster had yet to appear. Asaha had gleaned the approximate time of its appearance from the head of the Shadow-Switch monster—more than an hour away. We had arrived early to avoid missing it, but the wait was always tedious.

But perseverance pays off, and after a period of time, we finally achieved our goal.

A figure appeared on the street.

I once saw a picture of the monster's creator that Lu You had read aloud while he was interrogating the immortal monster. The monster's creator was a man wearing a white suit and a silver metal mask.

In the descriptions of the Undying Monster and the Shadow Changer, he is a tall, thin man, mysterious like a devil, who speaks in a pretentious manner. He also seems to be described as "arrogant," giving the impression of extraordinary demeanor.

The man who appeared on the street at this moment perfectly matched my impression of a freak.

A white suit, a silver mask, a tall, slender figure, and a gait that seemed to have undergone rigorous etiquette training. I think even without that strange mask, he would definitely be the center of attention. He possesses that star aura that seems to have its own spotlight, and to some extent, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he has a captivating, almost demonic, charisma.

"Target spotted."

Wearing a straw raincoat, Zhu Shi displayed a penetrating gaze, as if trying to discern the other party's true nature.

"How is it?" I asked.

“...He’s just an ordinary person,” she said in a deep voice. “That doesn’t make sense.”

That's right. Ordinary people simply can't win over those monsters. According to the information, the monster creator isn't just creating monsters in our city; he's left his mark in many cities across the country. Even if the monsters in Saltwater City haven't laid a hand on him, are the monsters in other cities all obedient "good boys"?

“In that case, let’s just kill him, okay?” I said.

“Sure,” Zhu Shi said without hesitation. “I’ll sneak up close to him first, then you can burn him to death remotely, but you have to keep his head. If he’s actually a weirdo too, and the Seed of the Heart destroys information in his brain, I’ll immediately sever his connection to the Seed of the Heart. And if he has other methods to destroy information in his brain…”

Asaha picked up the conversation: "In that case, I would use my blessing power to reset and repair the damaged information in his brain."

Zhu Shi nodded, then put on a straw hat and walked out from behind the food cart, stealthily moving behind the monster maker like an ancient assassin. Asaha, on the other hand, removed the cat-whisker mask that was obstructing her breathing, left from the other side, and silently moved to a position out of the enemy's sight.

The freak seemed oblivious, continuing to move towards the clinic as if nothing had happened. Unlike Zhu Shi and Ma Zao, I didn't possess exceptional stealth abilities, so I could only remain hidden behind the food cart, silently observing him and watching his every move.

This person likely possesses information about the apocalypse and controls technology with apocalyptic elements. That alone makes him extraordinary. But in my heart, he also evokes a sense of mystery in me in other ways. His sudden appearance at night before those who crave power, like a demon whispering incantations, bestows incredible strength upon them. This bizarre behavior is almost like that dream.

Do you want power?

Four and a half years ago, a strange person with an unclear face appeared in my dream and said the same thing to me.

From my subjective perspective, my magical adventure began the night I met Asahi. But from an objective perspective, the real starting point that led me to the extraordinary was the moment I lit a candle with my gaze four and a half years ago. And the interval between that dream and that moment was only a few days.

To this day, I still can't tell whether it was just a coincidental illusion or a truly mysterious experience with special significance. The existence of the freak's creator inevitably evokes strange associations in me.

After Zhu Shi took his position, he gave me a signal from a distance that I was ready. I nodded and then focused my attention on the monster creator.

The next instant, flames erupted.

The blazing flames instantly engulfed the monster creator. The whole process didn't resemble burning; it was more like an electric shock. The dazzling light lasted for a fleeting moment, barely enough time to blink, before the monster creator's body evaporated instantly in the flash. Only the head, adorned with a silver metal mask, remained, falling to the ground like a deflated balloon.

it's over.

Zhu Shi didn't make a move from beginning to end, and the monster creator's head didn't explode. It seems the monster creator didn't transform himself into a monster.

But I find it hard to feel like I've "succeeded".

The monster creator's death was so simple that it felt unreal. Of course, it's also possible that he did possess many fighting techniques, but was unable to use them in time due to my unorthodox sneak attack.

Furthermore, I am fully aware of the destructive power of my flames. So far, no opponent struck by my flames, even those who managed to evade death through their unique abilities, has ever been able to withstand a direct confrontation. Even if they weren't without counter-attack strategies, it's hard to say whether they were all completely annihilated by my flames. Life-or-death battles can sometimes be that cruel.

Just in case, I released a dozen or so "fireflies" to keep watch around, and then Mazao and I came out of our hiding place and slowly moved towards Zhu Shi. The latter did not rush to touch the head, but moved slowly and carefully observed it.

It seems that no one here is naively certain that things will be that simple; everyone is on guard against potential threats lurking in the darkness.

And reality did not disappoint our "expectations".

An unexpected event occurred.

Just as Ma Zao and I were about to reunite with Zhu Shi, black mist suddenly surged from beneath the ground like a volcanic eruption.

That being said, no eruption vents or cracks appeared on the ground. The black mist surged forth like a phantom, penetrating the ground and spreading at an incredibly rapid pace. By the time I realized it, the street seemed to be completely enveloped by the black mist. At least, my entire vision was blocked by it.

Surrounded by this black fog, I felt my mind becoming hazy, and even my body seemed to be controlled by my consciousness, making me move sluggishly.

This isn't the first time I've seen this black mist. Two days ago, when Zhu Shi and I faced the immortal monster and it trapped us in a maze-like space, the same black mist appeared. And the dizziness I'm feeling now seems to be an amplified version of the nausea and vertigo I experienced last time.

If this strange phenomenon of causing mental fog were to happen to an ordinary person, it would probably cause them to lose consciousness immediately.

However, my body, including my mind, is a product of the flame's mimicry. The drowsiness I feel now is also a result of my body's perception of "how it should become" after coming into contact with the black mist. In other words, it's an illusion presented to myself. And I am clearly aware that this is just an illusion. While feeling drowsy, it's as if another, completely unaffected version of myself is observing all of this. This self observing is the real me.

Simply put, this trick is completely useless against me.

However, it seems that this is not the case for Zhu Shi and Ma Zao.

Although my naked eye was completely blocked by the black fog, thankfully I had the thermal perception of a "firefly." I could see that the two were still standing in the same spot, both appearing quite conscious, but their movements were sluggish, as if they were struggling through extremely sticky mud. This was evidence that their condition had been affected.

Regardless of Zhu Shi, Ma Zao should have been able to use the power of blessing to reset her state, but she didn't use it immediately. Moreover, she didn't seem to be in a hurry to break through the black mist, instead calmly observing her surroundings. This was a deliberately feigned weakness.

Zhu Shi seemed to have noticed Ma Zao's calmness as well, and she appeared less anxious. Perhaps she also had some trump card to break through the situation, and her previous anxiety was merely out of concern for those around her.

Unlike the two who could pretend to be completely helpless against the black mist, I was genuinely unaffected by it. Trying to mimic their sluggish movements would only result in a clumsy imitation. The monster creator from before was probably just a decoy; his true form was undoubtedly watching from the shadows. My blatant immunity to the black mist must have caught his eye.

With a "what the hell" attitude, I abandoned all pretense of acting and summoned a fireball with my right hand, ready to smash it into my chest.

Just then, I suddenly felt something trip my right wrist. Turning my head, I saw that the surrounding black mist had solidified into a sturdy dark chain, binding my right wrist tightly.

Immediately afterwards, more dark chains shot in from all directions, binding my torso, left wrist, and both ankles, pulling me up and lifting me several meters into the air.

Footsteps echoed from the depths of the black mist. Soon, a tall, thin man in a white suit and a silver mask appeared, striding confidently to within a dozen steps of me.

As expected, the creator of the monster is still alive.

So, was what I burned to death just now a clone? Something's not right. If it was a clone formed by supernatural power, there's no reason it could have escaped Zhu Shi's notice; she would have definitely seen through it.

The freak creator picked up his own head from the ground, then looked around at us and seemed to smile.

He tossed his head aside like trash.

“Good evening, you three,” he said. “I am the ‘weirdo maker’ you are looking for.”

(End of this chapter)