Volume 11 Chapter 25 The Clock Tower
Toxy had made progress and soon found herself in a suitable position.
Toxy had obtained the location information of Commander-in-Chief Chiero as expected. It was "midnight, 0 o'clock, at the top floor of the clock tower in the First Entertainment District". With that, all we had to do was follow Kyrie's lead.
Besides, they had achieved an astonishing victory by taking down all the high-ranking officers of the Demon King's army amidst the chaos. However, Sur was still in a state of confusion and couldn't quite grasp the situation.
"And to make matters worse, Sur's older sister managed to escape. She took advantage of the distraction and broke free from her restraints using Domain Control."
Toxy explained, implying that the threat was still present. Nevertheless, with the loss of the Commander-in-Chief's right-hand man, a swift reconstruction would be difficult.
In any case, their priority now was to take down Commander-in-Chief Chiero. Leaving the others behind, I, Toxy, along with Kyrie and Gyurvi, headed towards the clock tower.
"Next, we'll... enter through this sewer tunnel ☆."
"No way."
"Ugh, do we have to enter the sewer... It's so gross..."
Kyrie's guidance made both me and Gyurvi look extremely unhappy. However, we had no choice but to proceed.
"'Repulsion', Strengthening."
"I'll use the wind to... Ugh, it smells so bad everywhere, what can I do?"
"HAHA! It's fun to infiltrate like this ☆."
""This isn't fun at all.""
Kyrie, Gyurvi, and I chimed in unison. Despite our complaints, the stench and filth were unbearable, but we had to endure and press on.
As we navigated the winding sewer tunnel, we encountered a massive slime at the deepest part, which we repelled with "Ugh, this is terrible!" "Don't get close to the filthy slime!" "Kya-ho☆!"
We crawled out of the sewer together, and finally arrived at the foot of the clock tower.
"Wow... I'm really glad we made it out..."
I placed my hands on the ground, my body shaking violently. Seriously, it's disgusting... the smell is awful!
"The sewer is gross no matter how many times you come. You're not even dirty, Wade. You're clean thanks to your magic."
"This is my first time in the sewer, so don't be too hard on me, Gyurvi! And don't dance around all dirty, Kyrie!"
"That was quite the adventure, wasn't it? ☆."
"Don't get too close until the dirt is washed off!"
Gyurvi used various sorceries to clean himself and Kyrie, and then dried them off with hot air, saying "That's better."
"...Gyurvi, I've been thinking, but you're really all-powerful, aren't you? What kind of runes do you have engraved on your body?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing much. But more importantly, the culprit behind this chaos is here, right? Let's take revenge for the trouble we went through in the sewer."
Gyurvi laughed menacingly and clenched his fist.
I focused my mind, thinking, "Yeah, let's take out all our anger on them."
Kyrie said to us,
"Alright, let's move forward. We need the knowledge of this Circus to reach midnight. The current Circus is different, since Papa changed the rules... probably, it'll be like this ☆."
Taking a deep breath, Kyrie continued,
"The current Circus is a cruel gathering place where people wear masks. It's where you're most likely to meet the people you least want to meet."
The clock tower's bell rang out... GOON. When I looked around, the area had fallen into the darkness of midnight, and the Killer Clowns appeared out of nowhere.
"Wade, what's with those guys?"
"They're the Killer Clowns that appear at midnight. But, well, you know..."
Weight Increase. All the killer clowns I recognized sank to the ground simultaneously.
"It's not about the number of things. Let's scatter them and aim for the top floor!"
As I stepped into the clock tower, the other 2 exclaimed, "Let's do it!" and "You're really reliable!" as they followed me with enthusiasm.
We infiltrated the tower and sprinted up at once.
The interior of the tower was similar to that of the Demon King's castle, but it was heavily decorated with a circus theme.
Fundamentally, it was still a Demon King army stronghold. However, all the ones walking around were killer clowns. I thought that these clowns were probably serving as the Demon King's army and maintaining public order in the circus.
In the prison area with cells, the demons were trapped, forced to wear clown costumes. I tilted my head in confusion as I passed by.
"Just a little more! Let's reach the top floor in one go!"
We repelled the incoming killer clowns with Repulsion's force, slamming them against the walls. Gyurvi sliced through the clowns that attacked from the side with the wind. Kyrie punched through the clowns that fell from above with her flaming fists.
And so, we continued to climb the stairs, finally reaching the top floor.
Before us was a door that looked like the entrance of a circus, overly decorated with flashy ornaments. A stuffed animal resembling the leader, Chiero, was nailed to the edge of the door.
The stuffed animal held a small sign that read, "Welcome to Leader Chiero's secret room!"
"...Let's go in."
"Wait! Kyrie wants to go in first."
I turned to Kyrie, whose eyes were serious. I nodded and let them take the lead.
Kyrie took a deep breath and stepped inside. The door creaked open with a sound.
What lay before us was a room filled with gears that moved in sync, the mechanism that powered the clock tower.
I gazed at it, my face twisted in difficulty. Even in this world, I've heard that people from Japan were invited before me and brought various things.
The gears clanked away, continuing to rotate with a sound. The rest of the room was a simple, sparsely decorated space.
In the shadows at the back, I slowly became aware of something. A strange, layered shadow created by the gears. A peculiar domain. And there, with their back to us, stood someone.
"If I had to guess who it was, I'd say it was you, young man."
The person wearing a silk hat and swallow-tailed coat smiled as he turned around. With a clattering sound, he stepped out of the shadows.
"But I didn't expect it. Kyrie. You're the one standing before Chiero."
It was the leader, Chiero, the master of the circus. He slightly lifted his silk hat, gazing at Kyrie, his child.
And he said,
"―――Wonderful! The unexpected twist is the flower of the circus! Kyrie, you're the pride of this Chiero. You'll make this show even more interesting, won't you?"
"Hahahaha☆ That's right, papa. Kyrie will devour papa and become the new master of the circus!"
"Ah! Is that so? That's an honor. You think that by devouring my body, you can rise even higher? That's... an unparalleled honor."
―――Then, I must give it my all.
Leader Chiero spread his arms wide. The hem of his swallow-tailed coat fluttered. He raised his hand, adorned with a white glove, high in the air.
"Domain Control' Trickster'. It's a Domain Control that won't let you grasp reality, a chaotic mix of truth and lies. A fatal illusion that will envelop you all."
Team leader Chiero said with a smile.
"From here on, the real circus begins. Please, enjoy it to your heart's content."
Fingers snap. The triple-layered Domain Control envelops us.
"The host will be me, Chiero. ———Ah, the fun circus show is about to start!"
The simple room is suddenly filled with circus decorations.
Paper snowflakes dance in the air. In the vast, open space, circus performers flip and soar.
Everything is staring at us with murderous intent. I laugh, "Heh", and take a step forward.
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