The puppet of the Hunter God bellowed with laughter, declaring: "How amusing, very amusing indeed! Are you trying to gain favor with that Origin-level creature? You indeed are a shrewd human. However, that is if you can make it out of here alive. Do you think it's possible? This body of mine possesses power beyond that of king-level. When fully unleashed, even a genuine Origin-level being is nothing to me. And that creature behind you? It's merely newly initiated into the Origin tier."
Lynne squinted, coolly blowing away the wisps of smoke from his gun's barrel, retorting: "You really think she's my only friend?"
Hearing this, the Hunter God puppet erupted into laughter as if Lynne had just shared the world's funniest joke. Even the surrounding modified hunters joined in the laughter.
"Oh? Do you imply that you can summon even more potent Origin-level beings? Are you trying to play god? Do you think Origin-level creatures are so cheap? That they'll just appear whenever you call?"
He pointed aggressively at Lynne. But just as he finished his sentence...
Boom—
Boom—
Two enormous sounds of something tearing through the air echoed. To the astonishment of the spectators within Vision, two gigantic skulls, each towering even above mountains, plummeted from the sky. They descended like meteors, landing right behind the Hunter God puppet.
Those laughing modified hunters behind him were instantly squashed, their remains splattering everywhere.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
The howling winds carried the swirling dust away.
A vast shadow loomed overhead, and the Hunter God puppet remained frozen, his (꒪Д꒪)ノ gesture still pointing at Lynne.
Two chaotic beams of light focused on him, illuminating a circle around him.
Lynne, with a serious face, blew on his gun again, adjusted his monocle, and said, "Well, aren't they here?"
Little blinked in surprise and exclaimed, "Eh— Daddy— Mommy?"
"..."
"..."
The entire scene fell silent as if time itself had come to a standstill.
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -10]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -20]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -30]
The puppet of the Hunter God stood rigidly, casting a glance at the immense shadow looming over him and subconsciously swallowing hard. In comparison to the two enormous skulls behind him, his several-dozen-meter-tall frame seemed as petite as a little girl.
"You seemed quite— arrogant just now—"
"It appeared you— slapped my daughter—"
The Hunter God puppet jerked robotically, turning to face the presence behind him.
"!!!"
Hum—
His eyes instantly hollowed out, reflecting the menacing gaze of the two colossal skulls towering over him, resembling twin mountains.
Their terrifying aura, far denser and more chaotic than the smaller skull, bore down on him like an oppressive weight.
The true… Origin level...
[Heart Eater's terror level +10]
[Heart Eater's terror level +10]
Something's wrong! Something's really wrong! Did that young man possess some divine oratory? Why did these godly skulls truly manifest? Is this some kind of joke? Could that youth be the embodiment of a supreme will? How could he have summoned two even more potent Origin-level beings with just a sentence?
The spectators within Vision World were also stunned, gazing blankly at the scene before them, their minds buzzing, unable to utter a word. What transpired today truly surpassed their understanding.
Summon one small being… Then get airdropped two larger ones… This… This…
"It's their parents coming to the rescue!! (ΩДΩ)!!"
"It's them!! The two headhunters! I'm not mistaken! Just a few days ago, this trio roamed near Wandering Soul Lane, leaving many places barren of their inhabitants!!"
"They're a family!! They're all related!!"
"What kind of joke is this?! How formidable is that apprentice?! When did he befriend such a powerful family?!"
Comments on the screen surged, pouring in at an unimaginable speed.
On the battlefield.
Lynne tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but inside, his heart was racing like a drum. On the outside, he appeared as steady as a rock, but inside, he was frantic.
Yes! From the hints given by the system earlier, he had indeed guessed that Little might not be alone. After all, he had learned long ago from an old woman that there were more headhunters than just Little. So after Little was defeated in that duel, Lynne felt quite confident about this battle.
Seriously, you should never, ever hit someone's daughter in front of her parents! Look at himself, always treating other's daughters with the utmost care, exuding kindness, and always well-received wherever he went!
"You're— quite bold—"
One of the titan skulls remarked, narrowing its eyes.
Thump—
The Hunter God puppet's legs buckled involuntarily, stammering: "I'm... I'm not bold... I was just... just speaking casually, really..."
[Heart Eater's Sanity -20]
The female skull maliciously licked its lips, stating: "You seemed— very pleased— with that slap earlier—"
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +40!]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +50!]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +100!]
"No! No! I wasn't! Really, I wasn't!"
The Hunter God puppet's fur stood on end as he hugged his shoulders, trembling uncontrollably, and stammered: "I... I was just joking with her! Who would ever slap such a cute child? Really... really... Please don't misunderstand. Actually, that was..."
His eyes widened, his hands shaking, he hastily explained: "It's a tradition of our Demonfolk Association... a way to express love and kindness. Whenever we encounter particularly adorable and friendly beings, we show our affection in this manner... It's just... a cultural difference... a variation in regional customs. It's truly... a gesture of kindness..."
Slap—
He slapped a nearby hunter across the face and said, "Just like that. It's just like shaking hands when meeting. It's a normal greeting, you see? He's also quite joyful about it..."
The gaze of the two enormous skulls shifted to the slapped hunter beside him.
Crash—
With sparks flying, the hunter's head rolled in front of the two massive skulls.
Hunter God Puppet: "(‧̣̥̇꒪⍢꒪ )!!!"
He... might've used too much force...
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
He widened his eyes, pointing at the fallen head of the hunter, saying, "You see... even though his head has indeed fallen off... he's still quite happy... umm... just look at that smile on his face, so beautiful..."
"..."
"..."
The Hunter God Puppet knelt there with a bewildered expression (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), holding his hands together, unable to utter a single word.
The titan skull said in a deep tone, "Why have you— stopped speaking?"
The female skull squinted and asked, "Weren't you— quite pleased— a moment ago?"
The Hunter God Puppet nearly broke down with a look of utter disbelief (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), tears streaming down, trembling as he cried, "I... I can't salvage this situation anymore..."
[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]
[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]
In the blink of an eye, two massive skulls, brimming with rage, dragged him over. From their necks, countless tentacles shot out, pinning the Hunter God Puppet with unimaginable speed and unleashing a relentless barrage of blows.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Screams filled the air as the Hunter God puppet was tossed around, dust billowing in every direction.
"You damn— hit— hit— my daughter, you [beep]!"
"Do you know how much emotional pain that slap caused my daughter?!"
"Beat first, eat later— after eating, beat again— and after beating, eat— I'll [beep] you!"
(〝▼皿▼)
The ground trembled mightily.
Clouds of dust soared to the skies. The giant, towering tens of meters tall, seemed like a defenseless ragdoll in front of the two Titan skulls. There wasn't the slightest chance for him to retaliate.
Every onlooker gaped in horror at the sight, their minds going blank. They saw the giant puppet, surrounded and beaten by the two skulls, trying to resist. But the moment he raised his hand, it was instantly pushed down and trampled upon.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The rhythmic sound of the beating and the screams sent chills down everyone's spine. He was beaten senseless!
"Is this the power of the Origin level?!"
"Indeed, there's always something to counter another! (ΩДΩ). Just moments ago, that giant seemed so arrogant..."
"It's terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!"
Before Lynne's eyes, the information about the two skulls appeared instantaneously.
[Titan's Head]
[Level: ???]
[Race: ???]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil/Chaotic Neutral]
[Combat Ability: No need to escape.]
[Description: A Titan head that fell from a higher, unknown world into the Dark World. Filled with endless rage and chaos, its presence birthed a maddening curse. Upon its emergence, it immediately became one of the most inscrutable Origin monsters in the Dark World. Its moments of lucidity are few and far between. Once it succumbs to chaos, it spells disaster for all beings of the Dark World...]
[Head of the Witch God]
[Level: ???]
[Race: ???]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil/ Lawful Evil]
[Combat Ability: Trust me, sometimes death is a blessing.]
[Description: A head that fell alongside the Titan's Head, the curse turned her extremely cruel and malicious. She delights in toying with her prey, and every entity marked by her eventually perishes in extreme agony. It seems only this malevolence can quell the frenzied resentment deep within her. Yet, her love for her daughter remains undiminished... She particularly wishes to marry her daughter off...]
Lynne: "!!!"
After reading the descriptions of the two massive skulls, his heart pounded loudly.
Lynne's eyes widened. From the descriptions, it seemed Little's parents might be connected to those elusive deities! This delved into his area of ignorance, because that realm was, to him, impossibly distant.
And if these two were indeed related to gods... Wouldn't that mean Little was... He turned to look at Little, who was whimsically waving her tentacles and had gaps in her teeth.
God...
Lynne's gaze went vacant.
[Lynne's Sanity -1]
Seemingly noticing Lynne's attention, Little (ω) stuck out her tongue, and with a swift lick, coated Lynne with a sticky fluid.
"My daddy— and mommy— are very powerful— though I don't know— why they came here—Later— I'll introduce my favorite doctor— to daddy and mommy—"
Wiping the drool off his face, Lynne instantly felt uplifted(´◡`)*.
Indeed, Little was still very friendly and adorable! Given his connection to Little, the two elders should be quite kind to him as well!
...
*Zap.*
*Zap.*
Beneath the grotesque tearing of the two massive skulls, the gargantuan flesh giant let out a harrowing scream. In an instant, it was split in half by those menacing jaws.
"Run... Run!"
In sheer terror, the Heart Eater managed to extract his consciousness from the shell of the Hunter God puppet, just in the nick of time as it was being torn apart.
This abrupt extraction, without any preparatory steps, severely jolted his psyche. In a blink, his consciousness found its way back to the core region of the Demonfolk Association's Hanged Tower.
Servants within the hall gasped in horror when, at the very center, a viscous, slime-covered hand suddenly thrust out from a submerged container.
*Crackling.*
Sparks flew everywhere.
Under their watchful eyes, their chairman, teeth gritted, struggled to emerge from the container. The thick cables and tubes connected to him snapped away as he leaped out, his entire body bare.
"Chairman! What has happened? Your body is still in its modification phase, why...?"
The surrounding servants, faces ashen, hurriedly gathered around him.
"Issue an order to the entire association at once!" With a fierce expression, the Heart Eater snapped, "Every senior member inside the Hanged Tower must cease all operations immediately and activate the Zero level defense protocol! Also, commence the emergency evacuation plan, and instantly teleport all components of the Colossus!"
Upon hearing this, every servant looked utterly stunned.
The Zero level emergency plan? Was this some kind of joke? Since the inception of the Demonfolk Association's Hanged Tower, this apocalyptic protocol had only been activated in the face of existential crises! Could it be that the Demonfolk Association had now reached such a dire point?
"Move!" the Heart Eater roared.
The few servants, trembling from head to toe, scrambled towards the communication devices. This was no jest. Their chairman was deadly serious. The Demonfolk Association had indeed faced an unimaginable colossal threat.
...
Humming... Humming... Humming...
Inside the Hanged Tower, every light across the vast sections began to flash a deep, blood-red. The jarring sound of alarms reverberated throughout the entirety of the tower.
"Alert... Alert... All association members, please be advised... Zero emergency evacuation protocol is now activated... All members, return to your respective stations..."
"Alert... Alert... The gateway to the external world is about to close... Hanged Tower will soon be in full lockdown... Initiating highest level emergency evacuation..."
The puppet of the Hunter God bellowed with laughter, declaring: "How amusing, very amusing indeed! Are you trying to gain favor with that Origin-level creature? You indeed are a shrewd human. However, that is if you can make it out of here alive. Do you think it's possible? This body of mine possesses power beyond that of king-level. When fully unleashed, even a genuine Origin-level being is nothing to me. And that creature behind you? It's merely newly initiated into the Origin tier."
Lynne squinted, coolly blowing away the wisps of smoke from his gun's barrel, retorting: "You really think she's my only friend?"
Hearing this, the Hunter God puppet erupted into laughter as if Lynne had just shared the world's funniest joke. Even the surrounding modified hunters joined in the laughter.
"Oh? Do you imply that you can summon even more potent Origin-level beings? Are you trying to play god? Do you think Origin-level creatures are so cheap? That they'll just appear whenever you call?"
He pointed aggressively at Lynne. But just as he finished his sentence...
Boom—
Boom—
Two enormous sounds of something tearing through the air echoed. To the astonishment of the spectators within Vision, two gigantic skulls, each towering even above mountains, plummeted from the sky. They descended like meteors, landing right behind the Hunter God puppet.
Those laughing modified hunters behind him were instantly squashed, their remains splattering everywhere.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
The howling winds carried the swirling dust away.
A vast shadow loomed overhead, and the Hunter God puppet remained frozen, his (꒪Д꒪)ノ gesture still pointing at Lynne.
Two chaotic beams of light focused on him, illuminating a circle around him.
Lynne, with a serious face, blew on his gun again, adjusted his monocle, and said, "Well, aren't they here?"
Little blinked in surprise and exclaimed, "Eh— Daddy— Mommy?"
"..."
"..."
The entire scene fell silent as if time itself had come to a standstill.
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -10]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -20]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -30]
The puppet of the Hunter God stood rigidly, casting a glance at the immense shadow looming over him and subconsciously swallowing hard. In comparison to the two enormous skulls behind him, his several-dozen-meter-tall frame seemed as petite as a little girl.
"You seemed quite— arrogant just now—"
"It appeared you— slapped my daughter—"
The Hunter God puppet jerked robotically, turning to face the presence behind him.
"!!!"
Hum—
His eyes instantly hollowed out, reflecting the menacing gaze of the two colossal skulls towering over him, resembling twin mountains.
Their terrifying aura, far denser and more chaotic than the smaller skull, bore down on him like an oppressive weight.
The true… Origin level...
[Heart Eater's terror level +10]
[Heart Eater's terror level +10]
Something's wrong! Something's really wrong! Did that young man possess some divine oratory? Why did these godly skulls truly manifest? Is this some kind of joke? Could that youth be the embodiment of a supreme will? How could he have summoned two even more potent Origin-level beings with just a sentence?
The spectators within Vision World were also stunned, gazing blankly at the scene before them, their minds buzzing, unable to utter a word. What transpired today truly surpassed their understanding.
Summon one small being… Then get airdropped two larger ones… This… This…
"It's their parents coming to the rescue!! (ΩДΩ)!!"
"It's them!! The two headhunters! I'm not mistaken! Just a few days ago, this trio roamed near Wandering Soul Lane, leaving many places barren of their inhabitants!!"
"They're a family!! They're all related!!"
"What kind of joke is this?! How formidable is that apprentice?! When did he befriend such a powerful family?!"
Comments on the screen surged, pouring in at an unimaginable speed.
On the battlefield.
Lynne tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but inside, his heart was racing like a drum. On the outside, he appeared as steady as a rock, but inside, he was frantic.
Yes! From the hints given by the system earlier, he had indeed guessed that Little might not be alone. After all, he had learned long ago from an old woman that there were more headhunters than just Little. So after Little was defeated in that duel, Lynne felt quite confident about this battle.
Seriously, you should never, ever hit someone's daughter in front of her parents! Look at himself, always treating other's daughters with the utmost care, exuding kindness, and always well-received wherever he went!
"You're— quite bold—"
One of the titan skulls remarked, narrowing its eyes.
Thump—
The Hunter God puppet's legs buckled involuntarily, stammering: "I'm... I'm not bold... I was just... just speaking casually, really..."
[Heart Eater's Sanity -20]
The female skull maliciously licked its lips, stating: "You seemed— very pleased— with that slap earlier—"
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +40!]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +50!]
[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +100!]
"No! No! I wasn't! Really, I wasn't!"
The Hunter God puppet's fur stood on end as he hugged his shoulders, trembling uncontrollably, and stammered: "I... I was just joking with her! Who would ever slap such a cute child? Really... really... Please don't misunderstand. Actually, that was..."
His eyes widened, his hands shaking, he hastily explained: "It's a tradition of our Demonfolk Association... a way to express love and kindness. Whenever we encounter particularly adorable and friendly beings, we show our affection in this manner... It's just... a cultural difference... a variation in regional customs. It's truly... a gesture of kindness..."
Slap—
He slapped a nearby hunter across the face and said, "Just like that. It's just like shaking hands when meeting. It's a normal greeting, you see? He's also quite joyful about it..."
The gaze of the two enormous skulls shifted to the slapped hunter beside him.
Crash—
With sparks flying, the hunter's head rolled in front of the two massive skulls.
Hunter God Puppet: "(‧̣̥̇꒪⍢꒪ )!!!"
He... might've used too much force...
"..."
"..."
A brief silence.
He widened his eyes, pointing at the fallen head of the hunter, saying, "You see... even though his head has indeed fallen off... he's still quite happy... umm... just look at that smile on his face, so beautiful..."
"..."
"..."
The Hunter God Puppet knelt there with a bewildered expression (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), holding his hands together, unable to utter a single word.
The titan skull said in a deep tone, "Why have you— stopped speaking?"
The female skull squinted and asked, "Weren't you— quite pleased— a moment ago?"
The Hunter God Puppet nearly broke down with a look of utter disbelief (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), tears streaming down, trembling as he cried, "I... I can't salvage this situation anymore..."
[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]
[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]
In the blink of an eye, two massive skulls, brimming with rage, dragged him over. From their necks, countless tentacles shot out, pinning the Hunter God Puppet with unimaginable speed and unleashing a relentless barrage of blows.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Screams filled the air as the Hunter God puppet was tossed around, dust billowing in every direction.
"You damn— hit— hit— my daughter, you [beep]!"
"Do you know how much emotional pain that slap caused my daughter?!"
"Beat first, eat later— after eating, beat again— and after beating, eat— I'll [beep] you!"
(〝▼皿▼)
The ground trembled mightily.
Clouds of dust soared to the skies. The giant, towering tens of meters tall, seemed like a defenseless ragdoll in front of the two Titan skulls. There wasn't the slightest chance for him to retaliate.
Every onlooker gaped in horror at the sight, their minds going blank. They saw the giant puppet, surrounded and beaten by the two skulls, trying to resist. But the moment he raised his hand, it was instantly pushed down and trampled upon.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
The rhythmic sound of the beating and the screams sent chills down everyone's spine. He was beaten senseless!
"Is this the power of the Origin level?!"
"Indeed, there's always something to counter another! (ΩДΩ). Just moments ago, that giant seemed so arrogant..."
"It's terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!"
Before Lynne's eyes, the information about the two skulls appeared instantaneously.
[Titan's Head]
[Level: ???]
[Race: ???]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil/Chaotic Neutral]
[Combat Ability: No need to escape.]
[Description: A Titan head that fell from a higher, unknown world into the Dark World. Filled with endless rage and chaos, its presence birthed a maddening curse. Upon its emergence, it immediately became one of the most inscrutable Origin monsters in the Dark World. Its moments of lucidity are few and far between. Once it succumbs to chaos, it spells disaster for all beings of the Dark World...]
[Head of the Witch God]
[Level: ???]
[Race: ???]
[Alignment: Chaotic Evil/ Lawful Evil]
[Combat Ability: Trust me, sometimes death is a blessing.]
[Description: A head that fell alongside the Titan's Head, the curse turned her extremely cruel and malicious. She delights in toying with her prey, and every entity marked by her eventually perishes in extreme agony. It seems only this malevolence can quell the frenzied resentment deep within her. Yet, her love for her daughter remains undiminished... She particularly wishes to marry her daughter off...]
Lynne: "!!!"
After reading the descriptions of the two massive skulls, his heart pounded loudly.
Lynne's eyes widened. From the descriptions, it seemed Little's parents might be connected to those elusive deities! This delved into his area of ignorance, because that realm was, to him, impossibly distant.
And if these two were indeed related to gods... Wouldn't that mean Little was... He turned to look at Little, who was whimsically waving her tentacles and had gaps in her teeth.
God...
Lynne's gaze went vacant.
[Lynne's Sanity -1]
Seemingly noticing Lynne's attention, Little (ω) stuck out her tongue, and with a swift lick, coated Lynne with a sticky fluid.
"My daddy— and mommy— are very powerful— though I don't know— why they came here—Later— I'll introduce my favorite doctor— to daddy and mommy—"
Wiping the drool off his face, Lynne instantly felt uplifted(´◡`)*.
Indeed, Little was still very friendly and adorable! Given his connection to Little, the two elders should be quite kind to him as well!
...
*Zap.*
*Zap.*
Beneath the grotesque tearing of the two massive skulls, the gargantuan flesh giant let out a harrowing scream. In an instant, it was split in half by those menacing jaws.
"Run... Run!"
In sheer terror, the Heart Eater managed to extract his consciousness from the shell of the Hunter God puppet, just in the nick of time as it was being torn apart.
This abrupt extraction, without any preparatory steps, severely jolted his psyche. In a blink, his consciousness found its way back to the core region of the Demonfolk Association's Hanged Tower.
Servants within the hall gasped in horror when, at the very center, a viscous, slime-covered hand suddenly thrust out from a submerged container.
*Crackling.*
Sparks flew everywhere.
Under their watchful eyes, their chairman, teeth gritted, struggled to emerge from the container. The thick cables and tubes connected to him snapped away as he leaped out, his entire body bare.
"Chairman! What has happened? Your body is still in its modification phase, why...?"
The surrounding servants, faces ashen, hurriedly gathered around him.
"Issue an order to the entire association at once!" With a fierce expression, the Heart Eater snapped, "Every senior member inside the Hanged Tower must cease all operations immediately and activate the Zero level defense protocol! Also, commence the emergency evacuation plan, and instantly teleport all components of the Colossus!"
Upon hearing this, every servant looked utterly stunned.
The Zero level emergency plan? Was this some kind of joke? Since the inception of the Demonfolk Association's Hanged Tower, this apocalyptic protocol had only been activated in the face of existential crises! Could it be that the Demonfolk Association had now reached such a dire point?
"Move!" the Heart Eater roared.
The few servants, trembling from head to toe, scrambled towards the communication devices. This was no jest. Their chairman was deadly serious. The Demonfolk Association had indeed faced an unimaginable colossal threat.
...
Humming... Humming... Humming...
Inside the Hanged Tower, every light across the vast sections began to flash a deep, blood-red. The jarring sound of alarms reverberated throughout the entirety of the tower.
"Alert... Alert... All association members, please be advised... Zero emergency evacuation protocol is now activated... All members, return to your respective stations..."
"Alert... Alert... The gateway to the external world is about to close... Hanged Tower will soon be in full lockdown... Initiating highest level emergency evacuation..."
