Chapter 279: Chapter 136: The Dragonslayer Finally Becomes...
A young man, who looked short and scrawny compared to Black Jack, peeked out from behind him. His face was a mass of purple bruises, and his eyes were so swollen he could only open them to a slit. He asked in surprise, "His Magic is bizarre, sure, but he’s just a Mutated Mage in the end. It’s not that serious..."
Black Jack ignored him and asked again, his tone still earnest, "Is that acceptable, Investigator Wei’en?"
An ordinary Mutated Mage couldn’t wipe out over ten thousand well-equipped warriors and several hundred Extraordinaries of varying power with just a few spells. Based on his knowledge of the Wizard system, only the accumulated knowledge of a Great Mage, at the very least, could support the power of that Magic.
[Your contracted partner—Calamity Species Tina Closterman—is undergoing a calamitous mutation. Her strength is about to reach the level of a Tier 3 Calamity Species. Evaluation: Not enough. Still not enough. You must advance!! Special Rewards: Mutation (Temporary), Survival Points +10, Resilience Level +1, Spirit Level +1.]
’Advance...?’
Wei’en ignored Black Jack’s words. He turned his head, pointed at the surroundings, and coolly uttered a word in Gonzalez: "Adagua!"
Four equally mutated Origin sub-bodies instantly flew out and began devouring the corpses of the Vasquez People.
[You used Soul-Devouring Magic to devour Nazriel Crowley’s Origin Power. Your Origin has been enhanced. Special Reward: Origin +0.03.]
[...]
[You used Soul-Devouring Magic to devour... Special Reward: Origin +0.1.]
In just a few moments, the gory remains and pools of blood on the ground were devoured completely, causing his Origin Power to skyrocket.
"What is this?" Waleed asked, noticing the strange disturbance around them.
"Soul-Devouring Magic!" Black Jack’s expression grew even more solemn. "So you’re a Secret Technique Wizard from the Ghost Soul School. No wonder you can cast both elemental and Undead Magic..."
"Leave."
As Wei’en spoke, the mutations on his body became more pronounced. Several tentacles quietly emerged from his back, much like Ariana’s Extraordinary Bloodline. Countless black pupils of all sizes slowly appeared on the tentacles, making his entire aura even more terrifying. It was as if he himself were a Tier 3 mutated Calamity Species.
"Thank you!"
Black Jack gave him a deep look, offered his thanks, then strode forward, hoisted Nicole over his shoulder, and turned to leave.
"No, don’t! There’s still them..." Nicole wailed, struggling to stay as she looked at the few remaining Vasquez People.
"Shut up!"
Black Jack gestured for Waleed to follow, not daring to linger for even a moment as he ran toward the harbor with the other two.
’He was already relieved just to have saved Nicole. If they tried to save anyone else—setting aside whether that little monster would even agree—the people from the Secret Investigation Department on the other side would never let them leave easily. It was better to run now while they were unharmed. Heaven knew what else might happen.’
"Ahhh—Wei’en, I won’t let you get away with... WAHH!"
"Shut up! Just shut up, you crazy woman! You think not enough people have died yet, is that it?"
Waleed quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, not forgetting to glance back. Seeing that Wei’en wasn’t pursuing them, he secretly wiped away his sweat, his heart still pounding with fear.
’The earlier Magic hadn’t been that scary, but the new mutations that appeared on Wei’en afterward had really startled him. When the black pupils on those tentacles had fixed on him, he’d even felt the Origin Power in his body stagnate, giving rise to a strange sense of powerlessness.’
"Wei’en..."
"Don’t come any closer!"
Wei’en held up a hand to stop Lisi from approaching. The calm expression on his face was gone, replaced by a mask of struggle and killing intent. As if enduring endless agony, his entire being seemed all the more savage and terrifying.
A horrifying malice from the depths of his being was constantly eroding his mind, leaving only a bizarre, evil voice roaring: ’Kill! Kill them all!’
’Think about that first mission Lisi arranged for you! You almost died there!’
’Think about Marco, taking you to Nocturnal City! That lustful little wench wanted to kill you!’
’Kill them! Kill every last one of them!’
Wei’en clenched his jaw, his gaze fixed on the distant Cathedral. Tina was hovering calmly in the air there, and below her were countless Holy Professionals of the Dawn Church, poised for battle. Two auras—one black and one white, one evil and one sacred—faintly coiled around them, clashing violently.
And then there was that damn Clown, cheerfully weaving through a crowd of City Guards and Investigators led by nobles. The short blade in his hand would occasionally slice off a head, which he would toy with for a few moments before tossing it aside and finding a new one...
’Have I... reached my limit?’
"Wei’en, you..."
Seeing him like this, Lisi grew even more worried and tried to move closer, even though she knew she was powerless to stop anything. Self-reproach and guilt flooded her heart.
’If only I had paid more attention back then, Tina’s partner contract wouldn’t have been transferred from Marco to Wei’en. If only I could have stopped the Clown from losing control, Tina wouldn’t have undergone this mutation...’
"Sorry."
Wei’en’s voice was hoarse and low. His gaze swept over the crowd—Marco, Ariana, Yegor, Director Nifa...—and finally rested on Lisi.
Then, gritting his teeth, he took out the Golden Key. With a trembling hand, he inserted the key into the air before him and turned it once. A pulling force converged on his body from all directions.
He had the strange feeling that if he wanted to, he could break free and avoid entering the Clown Theater.
Wei’en suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart and forced himself not to struggle. He was slowly drawn in by that force, disappearing from everyone’s sight.
Faintly, he seemed to hear Lisi’s voice calling from far away: "It’s not your fault, Wei’en!!"
’Not my fault?’
’Then whose fault is it?’
’It’s their fault! They’re the ones who made you this way! They deserve to die!’
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