Chapter 8: The Clown Stops Thinking

"He's really completely unaffected? How is he doing it?"

Leonard stared in disbelief at Ashen One, who was standing five meters away, holding the box without being influenced at all.

"No, it's not a big deal. After all, it's just a Level 2 Sealed Artifact!"

Leonard took a deep breath. Given that he had his own extraordinary abilities, it wasn't surprising if others had some unique traits too.

Moreover, it was possible that Ashen One was benefiting from the effects of another special Sealed Artifact.

Thinking this, Leonard's gaze fell on Ashen One's hands—

Each of his ten fingers bore a different ring.

Leonard didn't think these were just simple decorations; they could be disguises.

Some might be Sealed Artifacts, with the others serving as camouflage.

"Danger, great danger!"

Klein opened his eyes, watching the yellow crystal pendant in his hand swing clockwise, and warned in a deep voice.

He had just performed a divination, and the results indicated enormous danger in the warehouse!

"Stop!"

Ashen One suddenly halted.

"Ashen One!"

Al Harsen's expression changed, and he called out in a low voice.

If Ashen One didn't respond, he would immediately rush forward.

"It's fine."

Ashen One shook his head, directing his gaze towards the large wooden crates piled near the warehouse.

Besides the warehouse itself, these crates were the only "obstacles."

Approaching them carelessly could result in an ambush by the monsters hidden inside—

He had been caught off guard by such traps more than once.

"So..."

Ashen One squinted slightly, and a crystal staff replaced the icy blue Irithyll Straight Sword in his hand.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, he raised the staff.

Ding!

With a crisp sound, five ghostly blue orbs formed a pentagram pattern behind Ashen One.

As soon as these orbs appeared, they seemed to sense something.

They swiftly shot towards the stacked wooden crates ahead!

"Soulmass?!"

Klein lost his composure completely. How could he not recognize the famous spell from Dark Souls?

Fortunately, everyone's attention was on Ashen One's sudden action, so no one noticed Klein's reaction.

Suddenly—

Boom!

The stacked crates exploded into a sea of flames, with several fist-sized fireballs flying to meet the approaching soulmasses.

However, one of the fireballs veered off and headed straight for Klein at the edge.

"Did it miss?"

This thought instinctively crossed Klein's mind, but he still dodged out of reflex.

Boom!

The oncoming fireballs collided with the soulmasses, shattering on impact, leaving only sparks behind.

At the same moment, a man in a black tailcoat and a tall silk top hat appeared out of nowhere in front of Klein!

They were less than a meter apart!

He appeared with the fireball, close enough for Klein to see his face painted in red, yellow, and white greasepaint, with a wide clownish grin.

The tailcoat-clad clown cracked a grotesque smile, lifting one hand towards Klein as if about to snap his fingers.

Then, as if sensing danger, he suddenly turned his head.

In the next instant, the absurd grin froze, his greasepainted face showing shock.

The five ghostly blue soulmasses were speeding towards him.

Moreover—

They were closer to him than he was to Klein!

Boom!

The tailcoat-clad clown was hit by the soulmasses, engulfed in the resulting explosion, almost reaching Klein—

Had Klein not rolled away in time.

But as the clown was struck, his figure became translucent, revealing him to be a mere paper figure.

Klein, being close enough, realized it immediately—this wasn't the real tailcoat-clad clown!

So where was the real one?

"Cl—"

Just as Klein was about to shout a warning, he saw the soulmasses change direction towards the burning flames—

Just as before, the struck figure was only a paper figure, not the actual tailcoat-clad clown.

One of the soulmasses hit the paper effigy.

In the burning flames, a fleeting human figure appeared and quickly vanished, accompanied by an orange flame shooting into the distance.

The soulmasses missed again, striking the burning crates and scattering them.

The debris, carried by the explosion, splashed around with flames.

The tailcoat-clad clown's figure emerged from one of the distant flames.

His clownish smile remained, as if mocking their futile efforts.

However—

 Ashen One wasn't the only one here.

During the clown's two relocations, the others had already noticed a pattern—

He could move quickly between flames.

So, as he appeared, the black-haired woman Loretta, who had been waiting, stepped forward, fist ready, and struck at the clown's face.

Boom!

The clown turned into a burning paper effigy again.

At the same moment, his figure reappeared in another flame.

Bang, bang, bang!

Dunn and Al quickly reacted, each firing at the clown.

But the clown moved even faster, appearing in another flame, evading their shots.

Klein's heart sank.

The soulmasses had scattered the burning crate debris, leaving the clown without hiding spots.

But this only made it easier for him to move.

With his quick movements between numerous flames, he could easily evade their attacks.

He even had the leisure to flash a taunting smile at them while "jumping" between flames.

His behavior resembled Yasuo's reckless moves among enemies in a battlefield.

"Ashen One!"

Realizing their shots were useless, Dunn's face darkened, and he shouted, "Throw the box!"

Holding the crystal staff, Ashen One abandoned his plan to use [Instant Freeze], instead tossing the box towards the flames.

"A great opportunity!"

Klein felt a surge of joy.

The scattered crate debris covered a diameter of just over ten meters.

Meaning, unless the clown appeared at the edge of the flames to escape the range of '2-049's influence, he would be caught wherever he appeared!

Realizing the clown could move quickly within flames, everyone, including Klein, quickly spread out.

They formed a semicircle around the flames, ready to attack wherever the clown appeared.

It was a straightforward strategy!

As expected—

Realizing Ashen One was throwing the box into the flames, the clown immediately chose to flee to the edge.

Although this meant losing some of his playful advantage, it would save his life.

Predictably—

He headed towards Klein!

The clown knew—

Klein, being a Sequence 9 and a Seer, was the weakest among them.

If he could take Klein out, he could escape the NightHawks' encirclement!

But first, he had to prevent that strange man from releasing more tracking spells.

Before moving, the clown shot a fireball at Ashen One.

He didn't aim to hurt him, just to buy some time.

Bang!

Simultaneously, the flames in front of Klein flared up, revealing the clown.

As he appeared, his right hand was already snapping towards Klein.

At the same moment, Klein was aiming his revolver at the clown's head.

"I've been waiting for you!"

Klein smiled slightly. He knew the clown would target him again—

After all, he was the weakest here.

But—

Though he was weak, his gun wasn't! At such close range, even random shots would hit!

The clown's mocking smile froze.

Not because of Klein's gun, but because his thoughts were freezing.

How is this... I... should be... five... meters... away...

The clown's thoughts became incredibly sluggish, his snapping motion slow.

Even though his fingers touched, no sound came.

Bang!

Klein pulled the trigger without hesitation, stopping the clown's thoughts for good.

(End of this chapter)