Chapter 535

Chapter 5 of Chapter 158: Dark Fire in the Long Night

Wow, it seems I went a bit too far…

Looking at the vast expanse of frost-covered land, the misty frost, and the collapsed fences of the town in the distance, the knights outside had raised their large shields and formed lines to resist the cold ice. They were almost pushed to the edge of the fence. It seemed they were frozen, with ice covering their armor, shining brightly from afar.

I quickly stuck out my tongue, reached up to fiddle with a strand of hair by my temple, feeling somewhat frustrated inside.

On the battlefield in the southern region, I had always restrained myself, not daring to recklessly unleash the power of order like this, for fear of accidentally harming my own people. But after returning, why did I suddenly get carried away…

It was so close to the town…

Fortunately, this attack was aimed at the distant mountain slope. If the angle had been slightly towards the town, the destruction would have been hard to predict… The priests were still there. I… hmm?

Suddenly, amidst the icy and snowy world and the bone-chilling cold, I saw a tiny, tiny flame slowly approaching.

That was…

The small fire flickered in the extremely low-temperature wind and snow. Its faint light resembled a dying candle in the wind, several times on the verge of going out, but it stubbornly burned and approached, leaving a long trail of fire behind it, which spread to the surrounding snow and ice, burning away wild grass and melting the frost…

I furrowed my brows slightly.

How…

Is there still someone alive…

“Where are you looking?”

Suddenly, a sinister voice came from behind, along with the sound of quick footsteps. Hot, crimson flames lit up from behind me. Without turning around, I knew that the tall heretic I had pinned down earlier had stood up again. He launched an attack at me: “You haven’t… killed me yet—!”

Accompanied by his hoarse and terrifying shout, the sound of fire crackling and the sudden rush of wind assaulted my ears!

Buzz—

In the next moment, a bright blue light burst forth from my eyes.

A cold wind surged again from beneath my feet, lifting my skirt and hair slightly, fluttering them. In a flash, I suddenly lifted my right hand, without looking back, grabbed the arm that was slashing towards my neck, and burning with hellfire. With force, I crushed the opponent’s wrist with a snap!

“Ah…”

The tall heretic behind me let out a cry. His right arm was tightly clamped by me, unable to pull away. Amidst the rustling wind, he seemed to want to launch another attack, but in the next instant, I pulled him by his broken wrist, lunged forward, and firmly planted my stance. With a whirlwind, his body flipped over my head and crashed onto the ground before me, sending ice and soil flying.

“Ugh!”

He groaned again, lying on his back, his back smashing into the frozen hard earth, creating cracks. His ugly and twisted face was right in front of mine. Although his injuries had slightly recovered, his face was still bloody and mangled, with only his mouth and one eye healed, revealing a vicious and maniacal smile: “Haha… hahaha… cough, cough, hahaha…”

Laugh, mother of all…

I lowered my body, raised my little fist, enveloped in frosty mist, and punched the heretic in the chest.

Bang!

The ground trembled, dust exploded like an explosion, rising even higher into the night sky. Blood and fiery heat spurted from the tall heretic’s mouth like a fountain, splashing onto my collar, arms, and face, burning fiercely before being extinguished by the cold air. His entire chest was pierced through, my fist like a sword thrust into his chest cavity, transmitting a warm yet disgusting sensation.

“Heh, hehahaha…”

The heretic continued laughing, his laughter growing more and more insane.

“It’s not over… the game isn’t over… hahaha…”

“Is that so? Do you think this is a game.”

I said calmly, pulling my right fist out of his chest, leaving a hole as big as a bowl. Inside, red, sticky, wriggling flesh could be vaguely seen. My whole arm was covered in dripping, burning blood, making it nauseating.

Truly, a disgusting villain.

“…Forget it, just a beast.”

Humans and beasts cannot communicate.

When encountered, if you don’t want to be eaten, the only way is to kill it.

Amidst the howling wind, my tiny fist struck ferociously, tearing through the air, producing rolling thunderous sounds, and striking down at the heretic’s chest, slightly left of the heart—

“GAME OVER.”

Bang!

An explosion burst before my eyes, visible shock waves scattering countless ice fragments outward. The sound of flesh tearing and bones shattering filled the air. This punch also shattered the heretic’s internal organs, spraying blood and flesh four or five meters high, freezing in the cold air.

The heretic’s body arched from the impact, limbs sinking into the ground. His eyes bulged, his mouth wide open, filled with blood, and scarlet flames erupted from his mouth, eyes, nose, and ears, staining his vision.

My eyes glowed even more blue.

… Frost.

Crack—

A terrible dull sound burst from within the heretic’s body, dense frost mist surged from his wounds, breaking through his cracked skin, extinguishing the burning fire. His body rapidly swelled and deflated, white ice instantly spreading from his chest, engulfing his limbs and his contorted face. Those protruding eyes stared at me, then turned completely white.

“…Three hundred, thirty-eight.”

Rustling…

The frozen flesh shattered into countless pieces, scattering in the aftermath of the impact. My arm was still embedded in the heretic’s chest, but the warmth and stickiness were gone. The flames had been extinguished, replaced only by the cold, hard ice.

“…

I straightened up, and the frozen body clung to my arm. With the force of my movement, there was a “crack” as the heretic’s face shattered as well. The limbs had long since separated from the torso, leaving only half a body strung on my right arm. I then swung my arm, sending it flying far to the side, landing nearly ten meters away on the frozen grass, rolling into a thicket.

*Clap, clap, clap…*

Ahead, crisp applause suddenly echoed.

…?

I raised my head and looked up.

The mass of karma fire burning fiercely amidst the icy landscape was now less than twenty meters away from me.

I saw the figure in the flames.

Fiery disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, a brown ill-fitting suit, clothes torn and tattered, holding a black cane, with a slim build and a slightly hunched waist, making his steps appear eerie… That seemed to be a man, his silhouette flickering in the fierce flames, I couldn’t make out his appearance or age, but I could sense the fierce, dangerous aura emanating from him.

That…

“I’ve been standing far away watching you.”

The man stopped clapping, propped his cane on the ground, and stopped ten meters away, speaking leisurely, his tone revealing an… intense excitement that he struggled to suppress, making it extremely uncomfortable.

“Then do you know, the more I watched, the more surprised I was. My mind kept thinking, who are you… whose child… I wanted to say hello, but I hesitated… I’ve been off the stage for a long time, and children like you might not recognize me anymore, nor fear me…”

Rustle rustle rustle—

The flames on the man burned in the cold wind, gradually diminishing as he rambled on nonsensically. He took two steps forward, his hand extended and retracted, as if keeping time, his fingers tapping beside his head, his head slightly tilted, lowered, as if in thought, pondering his words.

“…But it doesn’t matter.”

After a moment, the man continued, his voice trembling slightly, whether from the cold or excitement: “You will always remember. Especially… such an outstanding child as you. Do you know, I watched you just now, you killed my people, one, two… so cleanly. I saw your strength, so I thought…”

“…Are you, the Clown?”

I took a deep breath and spoke, taking a step forward, but the man ignored me. Standing amidst the icy landscape, he extinguished the flames, talking to me like a madman.

“I was thinking, if someone like you… yes, Miss Sylvie. Alone slaying the Abyss, saving the people from suffering, you were their hero, and the young you hadn’t tasted defeat… they must respect you. The church, those monkeys, they all respected you… and loved you, loved you immensely… ah, you are truly beautiful… like a noble and pure ice lotus…”

Suddenly, the man put his hand in his mouth, biting his nails, his voice distorted and more twisted, crazed: “But if someone like you, to be touched by someone like me, an unknown nobody, defiled by what they see as filthy rats, gnawing and eating, then… ha, ha…”

He twisted his neck, letting out two hysterical laughs: “If I stripped you naked, presenting you before them, showing them your truest self…”

“Look, I don’t really know you, but I know you must have many secrets… everyone has their own secrets, the part they least want others to see, isn’t it? If I were to expose your… girls’ secrets, all of them, in front of everyone, how would you react then… what kind of weak expression would that beautiful face show…”

“Would you start to fear me…”

The figure in the frost, like an old person, hunched over, clothes fluttering in the wind.

And from that unremarkable, somewhat frail body, surged a malice colder than ice, more chilling than anything, pure and terrifying, swallowing the endless night.

“You… are the Clown.”

Yes.

He is the Clown.

The Clown…

Clown Clown Clown Clown—

Boom!

The ground beneath my feet completely cracked and collapsed.

In the instant I realized this fact, the emotion surging up my spine, flooding my heart, was much fiercer than I imagined, so fierce that I didn’t want to say anything, to care about anything or anyone, my scalp tingling, something hotter than the karma fire igniting and exploding within my chest cavity.

I barely heard what he said next.

I just wanted to kill him.

Right here, right in front of me.

With a raging, unprecedented gloom and fury, the petite figure leaped out from the cracked earth, an astonishing aura spreading abruptly under the night sky, winds whipping up, the land plowed into a deep trench, the power of frost surging forth like a massive roller, pressing ferociously towards the isolated, slender figure ahead!