Chapter 96 We Need This Power

He spread his wings, and feathers unfolded between his wings. Then, a turbulent airflow was generated, and countless feathers broke through the air like sharp swords and shot towards the equally countless monsters. Sharp explosions continued to ring in their ears, and strange figures wailed and dispersed beside them. The three people bit their lips and ran into the group of monsters without stopping for a moment.

"What did you find?" Dazai Osamu asked Conan. His final performance was a little strange.

Conan looked complicated. He shook his head and crumpled up the paper and threw it over: "Take it!"

Dazai Osamu jumped forward and reached out to take it. He opened it.

“1. Don’t look at its face. It doesn’t want people to see its face.

2. Don’t get within five meters of it.

3. Cats can get close to it.

4. Sometimes, it pretends to be a statue. At this time, don't make any noisy noise.

5. It doesn't like to attack, so it is usually safe.

6. You don't want to see it used.

7. It...he will help...faster...before...

8. …”

Dazai Osamu's expression became serious. These were the rules that only monsters had. With these, it meant that...

Conan yelled, "We have to be faster. He can't hold on any longer! If we can find the owner of this place before then, he might still be saved!"

The familiar words made Dazai Osamu dazed for a moment, and he suddenly remembered the communication he had with him before.

Time jumps forward several hours.

Dazai Osamu found a map in the police station. He saw several marked points on it, one of which was the sign of a medical clinic.

They still have no clue of "passing the customs". Dazai Osamu is a little tired, more of it is physical fatigue. He leans against the wall of the police station and sees Pei Zhen still searching here.

Outside the window were some white and distorted faces, all of which were staring inside, with no intention of leaving. Dazai Osamu suddenly laughed and asked, "Maybe we will all die here."

Pei Zhen looked back at him in surprise.

"What a pity! This is not the way I imagined dying." He didn't know what he was saying. "It would be best if there was a beautiful lady who would die with me. It would be best if we died by the river where no one would pass by..."

The pain in his arm kept him under high mental stress, and he rashly went out on the first night. This act of violating the rules did not go without consequences. The huge monster on that moonlit night kept chasing him, probably because he broke the rules in the beginning.

Pei Zhen comforted him for a while.

And after that, they experienced some things. Dazai Osamu's physical condition began to deteriorate, those white monsters were still staring at them, and they were too far away from where they wanted to go. At this time, they didn't know where to get the clues.

Finally, after Pei Zhen saved Dazai Osamu again, he said: "Actually, I was awake when the wolf was talking to you. I heard it. It told you to stay away from me, right?"

Pei Zhen was taking some precautions. They needed to rest and light the only lamp in the house.

"Do you know why it said that?" Without waiting for his answer, Dazai Osamu took off his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and sneered, "You really should have listened to it. Stay away from me before I turn into a monster, so you won't be the first to suffer the disaster!"

Don't think he doesn't know that the monster that has been hunting people who violate the rules at night is probably another identity of this wolf.

Pei Zhen saw that one of his arms was covered with black hair, like the fur of some mammal.

"Is this an infection?" Pei Zhen asked.

"Yes, that's right." Dazai Osamu smiled lightly on his battle-damaged face. His black hair fell between his brows, covering his overly dark eyes. His voice was erratic: "As long as you are injured, you will be eroded, and then step by step, you will become the thing outside."

But at this time, Dazai Osamu never thought that what he said now would become the basis for another person to make that choice in the future. Dazai Osamu was running on his way to the final destination, his mind full of confusion.

"Do you know what you're doing?" He heard surprise in his own voice.

After that period, he had been affected by further erosion, and his mind was a little foggy all the way, but some of his previous memories still remained in his mind like fragments, allowing him to remember them clearly later.

He heard someone say: "...I have no intention of sacrificing myself. I am not that noble to sacrifice myself just to save others."

A figure swayed in front of him. "I just think that if there really is someone behind all this, he is like a god to this place. If he really has no ill will towards us as Mr. Dazai said, then it should be easy for him to eliminate the mutations in us. I don't want to die, I just think that I won't die."

"How ridiculous," he heard himself say, "I didn't expect you to be so naive!"

"Putting your fate in the hands of others, who knows what that guy is thinking. I said that just to appease you. Maybe that guy just wants to tease us," he said maliciously, "Do you still want to gamble even though this is the case?"

But the man in front of him was not moved by his words. He just shook his head and said, "I made this choice not just based on your guess, Mr. Dazai, but based on my own thinking. I agree with what Mr. Dazai said because I think so too. My choice is based on my own thinking, and that is enough."

At that time, layers of feathers had already appeared on his body, but unlike Dazai Osamu, he did not use his mental power to suppress this change. He looked at himself curiously and said, "What's more, experiencing super powers is also a novel and interesting experience for an ordinary person like me."

"We need this strength, don't we?" He said calmly, "I can see that you are all among the best people in the world. I believe you can get everything back on track. If even you can't do it, there probably aren't many people in the world who can do it. It's just that we need a little push."

………

"It's so strange, Mr. Dazai. After coming here, I have always had a feeling of unreality. Can such a strange thing really exist? This may be the reason why I chose it so easily."

"Mr. Dazai, you said that you don't care about our life or death. Our lives are meaningless to you. I think you are speaking from the heart, but are there so many people in this world who really care about another person's life? Maybe, but no matter who it is, shouldn't the one who cares most about his or her own life be himself or herself? Only oneself needs to be responsible for one's own life. So, I can decide my own path."

"I am actually a very ordinary person. Although my last relative, my grandmother, passed away not long ago, I was only sad for a short while, and then I went on with my life. I am not cynical, nor do I have great ambitions. I am a person with few characteristics, but even so, I know that if I want to talk about sacrifice, the person who speaks out must do it, otherwise the word will be tainted with color."

"Mr. Dazai, don't tell me the best solution. This is the best solution!"

…………

"Hehe," Dazai Osamu covered his face while running at full speed. He suddenly understood why the guy turned into a monster like this. As the name suggests, he is a guy as lonely as a crane. The reason why he did not integrate into the group was because he did not want to integrate. He did not like socializing and was unwilling to express himself, but when it comes to pride, he is probably the most proud among them. He can only grow up in a free environment. If you want to tie even a thin chain to his feet, then either you or he will die.

He was like a man standing by a boat full of stars. The only friends he had were the stars in the sky and their reflections in the water. He looked back, and the night wind blew his hair. This is not an invitation, but a rejection.

Fine feather swords pierced past their sides like rain, and they finally broke out of the strange encirclement and reached the site of the battle.

The white crane monster stopped maintenance, folded its wings, stood there and looked at their backs.

"Infected by [Distortion], can I change back to my original form?" At some point in the past, he asked his new vest.

"Of course," a voice in his heart said gently, "Otherwise, the injured Dazai Osamu and Furuya Rei will not be able to return to the human world. I have no intention of leaving them behind."

"You want to help them?" asked the vest.

"No," Pei Zhen said, "I just went with the flow. Among the four of them, I didn't show anything, which was really eye-catching. It's also fun to turn into a monster, and it's also fun to watch their faces change. I can also harvest another wave of people when the situation is favorable."

He looked at the increase in the speed of the solution ball since he came here, +451. The largest number came from the three people's surprise at this place, and the shock when he appeared in front of them in this body. Conan and Dazai Osamu were the most affected.

"Aren't you afraid that your identity will attract a lot of attention? You should like quietness."

"It doesn't matter." He held up his hands. "In fact, when I drew the first card, I had already entered the game. Because the Colorless King can't not show up. Everything I did was just to postpone the arrival of that day."

"Besides, if I want to continue hiding, I can just choose a simpler vest." He smiled and said, "This identity is special, but not that special. I understood a truth a long time ago. Never restrict yourself to one thing. Once you define yourself, you will be restricted."

"It's up to you." His vest also smiled, his voice low and soft, like the sound of a stream in a lush green forest: "This is a game for you, not for them. It's up to you."

Pei Zhen watched them set out on that road. Even the other two monsters that were fighting just now stopped and looked at the three uninvited guests.

"They are going to see you," Pei Zhen said, "Are they going to set up a final obstacle?"

"No, that's not necessary," the new vest said from nowhere, "I just want them to accompany me. [Rules] and [Distortions] are too much for them, at least it's a bit unfair to Conan and Furuya Zero. Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human requires contact with the psychic himself, and continuing would be deliberately making things difficult. What's more, your business can't be delayed, they have already reached the conditions, and it's okay for them to meet me."

"It's like a team of brave warriors who have fought their way through all the obstacles and finally reached the end. It's time to meet the Demon King." He smiled and said, "I, the Demon King, can't hide any longer."

Pei Zhen also laughed, then he calmed down and covered his face with one of his wings. "Is this adventure coming to an end? I'm really tired."