Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode
Chapter 278: Faces

Chapter 278: Faces

The arc fire moving forward like a blazing arc of energy that cut through the roiling black and red clouds, heading straight for the grotesque mass of limbs and faces.

The entity that sensing the incoming attack moved with unnatural speed despite its size. Its grotesque appendages writhed and coiled together, forming a thick wall of black and red veiny flesh as a shield.

BOOM!

The fire slammed into the flesh barrier and detonating with a thunderous explosion that rippled through the dark and red cloud.

The wall held for a brief moment, but the golden flames still burning and eating away at the mass of writhing tissue. Thick acrid smoke rose from the burning flesh, carrying the scent of something burned that both alien and wrong in Clyde’s nose.

Clyde hovered in the air few meters away with his frown deepening as he observed the situation from a safe distance.

His Elderglass Sword remained ready, its faint glow pulsing in rhythm.

He didn’t want to take unnecessary risks by closing the distance especially not when he still had no understanding of what this thing was.

The creature’s ability to protect itself suggested a degree of intelligence. It had recognized the fire as a threat and reacted accordingly. That meant it wasn’t mindless like the monsters crawling out of the shadows below.

"What the hell are you?" Clyde muttered under his breath while thinking of possibilities.

He considered his next move. The creature had shown it could defend itself but was it capable of communication?

Could he get some understanding of its purpose here, in this broken world of Ruin? It wasn’t impossible, the thing clearly had some awareness after all. But maybe it will be hard.

Clyde’s grip on his sword tightened as he considered the possibility of closing to it. It was a gamble and he hated gambling without a plan. Still, it might be the only way to learn what this creature was and why it had appeared in this place.

Clyde focusing his Magic Power. Slowly, he raised his free hand, palm outward, and channeled his energy into his voice.

"Who are you?" he called out, his voice amplified by his magic power. The sound echoed through the sky. "What is your purpose here?"

The entity didn’t respond immediately. Instead, the pulsing slowed and the writhing limbs stilled for a moment as if the thing was considering his words. Or maybe preparing its next move.

A strange sound emerged from the creature, not quite a voice but more than a mere vibration. It resonated in Clyde’s chest.

Words began to form within the deep rumble. It was unnatural and fragmented.

"You... are... not... ready."

Clyde’s eyes narrowed. The words were cryptic. He have no idea what was that about. But their implication was clear. This thing, whatever it was, indeed have some unknown purpose.

"Tell me more. What you mean? Are you one of the Celestials? Another Demon King?" Clyde asked.

The creature’s faces — at least a dozen of them grotesquely melded into the pulsing mass — shifted togethere and turning to face Clyde. Their expressions that previously slack and lifeless now twisted into an eerie focus.

Then, one by one, their closed eyes began to open.

Clyde’s stomach churned as the eyes that looks almost human in appearance but burning with a deep crimson hue, locked onto him.

Thick blood-red tears began to stream from their sockets, carving dark rivulets down the distorted flesh of the faces.

The weight of their collective gaze bore down on him and pressing against his mind.

Clyde clenched his jaw, his unease growing with each passing second. But he still managed to held his ground. He was sure that if Samuel or Leyan were to got the gazes of those eyes instead, they will faint.

"What are you?" Clyde demanded again with sharp and unwavering voice despite the strange feeling gnawing at his core. "Tell me, dammit!"

The creature’s rumbling voice returned, reverberating in his chest. The words came slow and fragmented as though dragged inside something muddy.

"Do... you... wish... to... bring... down... the... Celestials... Angels... and... Demons?"

Clyde’s brows furrowed deeper. The question hung in his mind. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as he struggled to parse the creature’s intent.

This wasn’t something he’d expected, being asked by this grotesque and strange entity about this matter. Does this mean that these creatures were the enemy of the Celestials, Angels, and Demons? Or is it their allies?

"What?" he muttered under his breath. Then, louder, he said, "What do you mean by that? Are you with them or against them?"

The faces remained still, their bleeding eyes fixated on him unblinking. No more words coming out of it.

Clyde’s confusion deepened. His mind raced with possibilities.

"I need more than vague questions," Clyde said. He took a cautious move forward, closing the distance ever so slightly. The golden fire energy in his free hand flickered to life again and ready to unleash an attack at a moment’s notice. "Explain yourself, or this ends here."

The pulsing of the creature slowed, the rhythm eerily synchronized with Clyde’s own heartbeat.

Then, its voice came again.

"They... betrayed... us... all... don’t... you... remember... it?"

The words hit Clyde like a hammer. His mind reeled, struggling to reconcile what he’d just heard.

"Betrayed us all? Remember? What could that even mean? Who was "us"?"

"Who betrayed who?" Clyde demanded, his voice rising.

The blood-red tears fell faster now, falling to the clouds and the shattered ground below.

The faces began to twist again, their mouths opening wide in silent screams as if reliving some ancient agony.

The air around them shimmered with a strange oppressive energy, and Clyde could feel it gnawing at his nerves.

Still, the creature did not give him a clear answer. Instead, its voice emerged once more

"You... will... remember... in... time..."

Clyde’s frustration rising but he forced himself to remain calm. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t ready to give him a straight answer, or maybe it couldn’t.

"Fine then," Clyde muttered and raising his sword. He channeled his magic power and skill and the blade burning with golden fire.

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