When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 323: Chrono Beast

Chapter 323: Chrono Beast

At that moment, Shen Nianzu’s mind became exceedingly clear. He secretly summoned his silver needles and pinched them between his fingers as he observed the man before him, "Come to think of it, I’ve been trying to reach you through the earpiece but you never gave me a response. Did you lose it?"

"Ear... piece?" Jin Jiuchi – ah, no it should be the Chrono beast touched its ear in a puzzled manner. "Oh right, I must have lost it somewhere..." he suddenly trailed off, and the silence caused Shen Nianzu to raise his vigilance, his entire body tensing up in preparation to fight.

The creature raised its eyelids, and the face of the man he held dear began to distort by the unsettlingly wide and eerie grin.

"You figured it out."

Shen Nianzu’s pupils dilated. Now!

In a blink of an eye, he sprang into action. He hurled his needles forward while lunging to the side at the same time, avoiding the creature’s grasp by a hair’s breadth. He rolled across the ground, using the momentum to come to a swift stop.

A bone-chilling screech sounded behind him, a sound so inhumane and unnatural that it sent shivers down his spine. It resembled the grating noise of sharp nails scratching against glass.

The sound pierced through Shen Nianzu’s eardrums, making his vision darken momentarily. And when he regained his senses, every fiber in his body was screaming in alarm as he sensed an ominous presence drawing near from behind. With a swift motion, he summoned his transparent blade and slashed it behind his back in a defensive maneuver!

"KIIIK—!"

Instead of flesh, his blade struck something hard and solid that produced a clear metallic clang. Shen Nianzu whipped his head around and sucked in a breath as he beheld the true appearance of the Chrono beast for the very first time.

It was a humanoid figure that was crafted from intricate clockwork components, adorned with ornate gears and cogs that whirred and rotated with a rhythmic precision. What Shen Nianzu had struck just now was its mechanical hand which was now marred with a cut that revealed the wires within, sizzling with faint sparks of electricity.

The creature’s eyes resembled luminescent watch faces, the eerie glow fixated on him. Gears within its throat moved to produce sounds, "Rule breaker, must punish."

"Fuck you!" Shen Nianzu spat out in anger. "Who gives you the right to take his appearance?!"

He raised his blade and a fierce battle ensued between them. Each collision created a spark of electricity and crackle of purple energy. The creature’s body was extremely hard and resilient. Just by exchanging less than ten blows, Shen Nianzu already felt his wrists turning numb. However, his troubles did not end there. As time progressed, he sensed the creature becoming increasingly faster, and he was gradually being pushed back.

No, it was not the creature that got faster. To be exact, it was the flow of time around them that had slowed down, which affected Shen Nianzu’s reaction time and combat skills.

He would be at a disadvantage if he were to drag the battle longer. Making a split second decision, Shen Nianzu retreated and threw something at the creature. A small ball flew in midair and bumped into its steel body, only to explode into a rubbery net that trapped the creature within.

"Good luck trying to crawl your way out," Shen Nianzu said, his breathing ragged. Even the pace of his speech had become longer, each word dragging on a second too long.

The net was just a temporary measure, and Shen Nianzu knew that he had to escape quickly. Preferably to another attraction where he was certain that the Chrono beast could not follow. With that goal in mind, he turned away, leaving the creature behind who screeched in frustration.

He could feel the time condensing around him like an invisible force trying to keep him in place, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through, even if it felt like his bones were warping and distorting under the oppressive force. Eventually, he broke free from the creature’s radar and time returned to its normal flow.

His speed became twice as fast, then thrice, and soon the creature was no longer visible behind him. Even then, Shen Nianzu did not stop. His eyes quickly darted around, searching for any clues or another emergency button, but everywhere he looked was an endless expanse of corridor.

Unknowingly, his vision blurred and he hastily wiped away the tears that threatened to fall. "Stupid tears..." he cursed under his breath.

His whole body was aching from the wounds and bruises he got from the earlier fight, yet they all paled in comparison compared to the suffocating tightness in his chest. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had ever been separated from Jin Jiuchi inside the Cycle. Was it the reason why he was feeling so anxious and fearful right now?

Suddenly, the familiar sound of gears drifted to his ears, snapping Shen Nianzu back to reality. Damn it, had the Chrono beast escaped from the net?! That was faster than he expected!

Before Shen Nianzu, the path ahead was split into three forks which stretched into the unknown. Left with no time to ponder his choices, he could only rely solely on his instinct and sprinted down one of the corridors.

Yet as it turned out, luck did not side with him because the path he had hastily chosen led into a frustrating dead end.

"Fuck!" Shen Nianzu burst out into a stream of curses. He whirled around, intending to retrace his steps and pick another route, but the ominous whirr of gears once again reached his ears.

"Rule breaker, must punish."

His breath hitched on his throat as he pressed his back against the wall, poking his head out to observe the surroundings. In that tense state, he mentally sifted through the props he had in his storage and devised a strategy needed to confront an enemy who could manipulate the flow of time. One by one, plans formulated in his mind.

Too lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice it when a shadow approached him from behind, followed by the curious voice of a child, asking, "Who are you?"

Shocked, Shen Nianzu instinctively turned and wielded his blade. How—?! Where did this person come from when the path behind him was a dead end?! His eyes met with a vacant space at first, but as he lowered his gaze, he found a pair of midnight black eyes with golden irises staring back at him with childlike curiosity.

Shen Nianzu’s heart skipped a beat. Those eyes felt strangely familiar for some reason.