Chapter 552

Chapter 174 The Jester~

I was already very hungry.

Since just now…

Since meeting the heretics outside the town and fighting them with all my might, every strike left them powerless, but at the same time, I was also being depleted rapidly… Then came the jester, and his monstrous transformation; by then, I felt tired, my stomach growling for food, yet there was no respite, followed by the dancer.

And now, I still had no respite…

There was nothing to eat.

“I’ll only count to three.”

In front of my sight, that man engulfed in purifying flames, the beads in his hand lit up again as he began to count down: “One…”

The crimson glow that had vanished reappeared as tiny specks floating in the air all around.

I turned my head back.

People everywhere were screaming in agony. Some had just risen from the ground, only to be enveloped by the blood-red light, their hands reaching out to grab their faces or throats in distress. Countless widened, terrified eyes, streaming with blood, watched from afar. Blood vessels bulged on their faces, mouths wide open, seemingly shouting something at me, or perhaps at the jester.

Those images, those cries, reached my ears as a dull, indistinct screeching. Their terrified faces gradually blurred and overlapped in my vision, turning into the gaunt victims, the tortured women who died in the silent castle.

Time suddenly slowed down.

I heard the jester continue counting: “Two…” countless scenes flashed through my mind.

Blood, scorched earth, floating corpses, withered old trees, a girl falling in the rain, her small body lying in a dirty mud pit, covered by a white cloth. Amidst the heavy rain, there was only silence, no one weeping.

On a night under a crescent moon, knights walked through the vast pine forest in the rain. In the mist, mountains and lakes were half-obscured. On the distant walls, blue and white flags fluttered in the wind. A beautiful lady stood next to the flag, smiling and softly asking me:

[Isn’t it beautiful here?]

Then came the singing.

On the flower-covered terrace atop the grand inner castle, a young maiden in red clothes danced in the wind. She fell like a withered petal, slowly descending in the rain, landing on the ground, causing ripples of fresh red. Her face showed a charming smile as she sang:

[I caught the moon…]

[Turn! Turn! Turn!]

Beyond the shattered walls, raging fires burned countless warriors’ bones. The heretics stabbed the knight commander’s body with long swords, twisting them violently. The man hanging from the flagpole had bloodshot eyes, his grief unspoken, his heart broken. Through sobs and shouts, he gave his final command.

[Let’s charge once more…]

The flowing canal was colored like blood. The fire outside the city burned for a day and night. Black smoke and the stench of burnt flesh filled most of Arretien. In the alleys within the city, a mad woman ran up and grabbed the knight commander’s leg, her eyes gleaming with hope: [Did you see my husband? He went to the wall… why hasn’t he returned…]

The flames dyed the night a deep crimson. Countless heroes, their bones and spirits, remained forever on that land amidst the raging fire.

I turned my head slowly, closing my eyes.

The chaotic, vivid memories flashed past in my consciousness, intertwined with the intermittent, desperate cries behind me.

“Hero…”

“Mom, Mom—”

“God… please save… us…”

Yes.

So many things happened, impossible to forget…

Now, the jester was right in front of me.

The jester.

He was right in front of me.

Very close.

Close enough that if I extended my fingers slightly, I could crush him.

Huh.

Why would I need any choice?

I no longer had any reason to endure.

Really, I don’t, I thought.

[You don’t have to hold back anymore~]

A voice said to me.

In the next moment, the whispers in my ears and the visions in my mind receded like a tide. I opened my eyes, and strands of dark fog surged out from within, enveloping my body.

“Jester.”

Crack, crack…

That was the sound of my knuckles cracking.

“Release them…”

I took a deep breath. As I spoke, thick smoke and crimson sparks spewed from my mouth. My silver-white hair rapidly spread across my forehead, and my pitch-black pupils instantly turned blood red.

“Come at me.”

Boom—

The nearby church collapsed suddenly under the purifying flames.

The loud noise drowned out countless shrill screams. Sparks and black ash flew in the air, mingling with the rising smoke, obscuring the pale light before me. I took a step forward.

My white hair danced wildly in the wind.

Ahead, the man called the jester still held the blood-dripping beads, his body engulfed in flames. Before he could shout “three,” the red light made it impossible to discern his features, and I couldn’t read his expression. But it seemed he was stunned, his third finger bent and frozen in place.

“Ga—”

The cry of a raven echoed from the sky.

The large black bird flapped its wings and dived down, its blood-red eyes glowing faintly, fixed intently on the jester. The man instinctively looked up, then remembered something and closed his eyes—those eyes that seemed to pierce through the purifying flames.

Their gaze met for only an instant, but in that moment, the illusion had already begun.

In an instant, ravens covered the sky, turning it a dark crimson. Countless birds spread their wings, blocking the moon, swooping down towards the figure entwined in flames!

Almost instantly, the jester

Surrounded by a flock of black crows, he seemed to have realized that these were all illusions, but he still subconsciously waved his arms to drive them away.

In the next moment, I seized the opportunity, stepped on the Moon Step, and instantly passed through the swarm of crows, appearing in front of the man, and swung my arm—

Smack!

A heavy blow landed on the right wrist of the jester holding the blood bead.

The bright red light ball flew out immediately, rolling to a scorched grass nearby, submerged in flames, the light dimming like blood. The man in front of me realized something was wrong and tried to step back, but it was too late.

As I struck his left arm and knocked the blood bead from his hand, my right arm shot forward like a venomous snake, moving at an almost imperceptible speed with a sharp whistling sound, “whoosh,” and five fingers spread wide, pinching his fiery cheek, then exerting force—

Crack!

My fingers crushed the man’s jawbone, causing half of his face to cave in. The intense karmic fire became even more rampant, but in the next moment, pitch-black flames ignited from my palm gripping his face.

“Jester…”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter: “Ha! Jester!”

Interrupting his movements, I prevented him from touching the bead again, dragging him away from there, resolving the fight in the shortest time possible, allowing the civilians behind to escape quickly, killing the jester, then returning to save Olivia and the others…

While my mind was still processing these thoughts and remembering what I needed to do, an overwhelmingly strong desire and emotion surged from within, as if a weight had been lifted off my chest, and the urge to eat intensified a hundredfold. Everything that happened before remained vividly clear in my memory, yet everything seemed less significant now.

How wonderful…

I thought.

A smile spread across my lips.

It was truly wonderful…

The vast, boundless, chaotic power within me finally found complete release at this moment. The sense of relief, the indescribable joy, akin to a surging mountain flood, could no longer be suppressed. A defense line set deep within my heart crumbled instantly as the unstoppable chaotic power surged throughout my body.

Finally…

No more holding back…

I felt so happy!

“J~e~s~t~e~r~!”

He seems to be trying to counterattack!

The man in front of me, engulfed in raging karmic fire, had his face crushed by me, unable to speak. The previous slap seemed to have broken his wrist, but the amusing jester wouldn’t give up easily. He struggled, grabbing my arm with his other hand, and crimson fire burst from his palm, instantly enveloping me.

In the next instant, everything around and in my eyes was filled with flames.

Boom—

The temperature of the karmic fire was extremely high, spreading from my feet to the ground, turning the grass, mud, and shattered stones into a pool of molten lava in just two seconds.

I felt my body sink slightly, and in an instant, scorching magma submerged my ankles. But this terrifying force felt like a delicious dish laid out before me, a large platter of Captain Gray.

Karmic fire, blood beads, jester, monster…

They were all part of Captain Gray!

“Aha~”

I chuckled softly, a seductive laugh, dark dead smoke gushing out, white-flamed black flames flowing and twisting, chaotic power like a greedy demon, swallowing the flames, magma, and everything underfoot, around, and on the jester—eating it all, devouring him…

Ahahahaha—

Amidst a mocking laughter like a skylark, the surging black power spewed from the girl’s body, spreading to the jester’s face and body, reaching every direction, engulfing the crimson flames, darkening the night sky. The swirling abyssal mud flowed out like a snake, rapidly rushing toward the grass where the blood bead fell.

“Hey, you wanted to see this, didn’t you? Did you see it?”

The karmic fire was completely extinguished by the dead smoke, the intense power continuously flowing into my body, the intense desire growing stronger, my body feeling numb. My gaze grew hazy, and my lips curled into a joyful arc: “You can’t just be a bad guy, why do you insist on seeing this? What are you thinking… tell me~”

The man called the jester struggled.

His body was already devoid of fire, revealing his emaciated form, naked and vulnerable. Amidst the black mist, he raised his fists and punched at my arm, kicking my leg. I only trembled slightly and blinked my eyes.

This level of striking power…

How weak.

He looked like a helpless, pitiful young girl being dragged into a dark alley, struggling in vain.

It really looks like…

“Haha.”

I laughed at my own thoughts, tilting my head, and shouted crisply: “Hey, answer me!”

“…”

“Speak up!”

“Heh, hehe…”

The jester’s stifled laughter came from between my fingers pressing against his face.

How unpleasant…

I frowned again.

Disgusting man…

Boom—

In the next moment, towering black flames rose into the night sky from the black mist, resembling undulating waves, instantly forming over a dozen fireballs above us. Freezing wind erupted from my hand pressing against his face, bursting into a huge fan-shaped cold wave. The jester’s head tilted back in the cold stream, his face bloodied and bruised as his body was sent flying backward.

Whoooooo—

Over a dozen black flame fireballs followed closely, roaring with sharp whistles, striking the jester who was still in mid-air, exposed and vulnerable.