“Empress…was it really necessary to further tighten the security…and to banish Hazel? [data lost]. Not a punishment? It isn’t Hazel’s punishment…but [data lost]? Forgive me, Empress, but that’s…cruel. [data lost]. No…I understand the dangers she was exposed to. I have never doubted you. It’s just…no one is Perfect.” - Captain Forest, Seventh Gate Security, The Lost Diaries, Vol. XII
Clover raced through the hail of water, jumping over buildings and following the map Laurence fed her; red pings popped up around the town as she went, showing enemy positions.
Her holographic display expanded to show two separate illustrations: a smaller, more centralized image of her desired path and a large 3D model. The latter showed the area’s population, abandoned zones, and threat assessments of various transevils; it seemed Laurence was feeding her earrings military metadata to sort through.
A low hum rumbled in Clover’s throat as she dashed around a corner, Viper Blade extending and whipping with her motion to cyclone into a rapid expansion of SF and VF; the screeching Class-0 fiends were torn off their feet and into the vortex to be ripped apart.
The single Class-1 four-legged eyeball leading them was far too weak for its Spirit Armor and natural defenses to repel her fangs, and she absorbed them in passing. Still, from the looks of the packs of transevil, she had confirmation, they were organizing around leaders, almost like troop deployments—which wasn’t supposed to be a part of transevil behavior.
Hopping on top of a pile of ruined cars to use a light post as a platform, she transferred to a nearby two-story roof to run across the tiles. Jumping down to intercept a pack of Class-1 wolves, she found a stronger one guiding them that would cause trouble for the Medical Core’s cleanup crews mobilizing across the town.
However, a sudden spark caused Clover to slow her pace; it was as if a link inside her had snapped, providing an extra boost to her SF and VF—like a piece of a puzzle, a new SF skill bloomed in her mind—it was as if she’d practiced it hundreds of times, and Culling Furor’s area of effect and the strength of the vortex increased.
A small smile lifted her full lips as she accelerated again; if she didn’t know better, she’d become lighter, more fluid. Jumping over the street, energy gathered around her, keeping her sky-bound to allow Clover to jump to the next building—midair maneuvering was becoming easier.
Running across the two connecting buildings, she leaped high into the air, flipping the Viper Blade into a reverse grip as the pack of ten Class-1 transevil came into view. Feeling the rush of new energy, she pulled back her arm—teal color illuminating her frame with lilac flickers dancing across her skin in the storm—and Clover launched the glowing weapon into the thick of the unaware hounds.
It streaked through the downpour as a comet, sinking into the middle wolf’s spine—Gleaning Asp activated—a spiked chains shot out of the blade, impaling the beasts and causing fangs to shoot out of the glowing metal, lodging into their muscles before drawing the howling creatures into a tight, tumbling ball of fur.
A pulse of hypnotic emotion filled her breast, and it felt like she was falling into a black hole—a cavity needing to be filled—drawing her mind into a haze of flavor as Desire Force electrified her skin; she was feeding off them, and converting it to speed.
Soaring through the air, Clover used her energy to kick into an upside-down spin, the Viper Blade shimmering and returning to her hand to leave a glowing replica in its place. Clover wore an almost perverse grin, twirling the extending chain whip into a whirlwind as Culling Furor became available, creating a twister.
The sharp wind and biting chill of the tempest blowing around her tossed Clover’s bound silver hair across her vision for a moment as the wolves were pulled taut below her by the whirlpool, yet Gleaning Asp kept them chained to the center beast, ripping the throng to bits.
Heeled boot landing nimbly on the wet street, she took the added motion to every twitching muscle and sprinted for her next target. Each step sprayed water and brought a wall of liquid sliding over her hot skin as she continued her journey.
She passed in front of two SPU vehicles carrying support personnel to enter an alleyway, using the walls like springs to bypass more blockades; she was moving uphill, and upon studying the map in her race, she saw the transevil all heading to the dam.
Most of the Class-1 and lower could be handled by the agents, judging from the threat level displayed in the current zone, so she bypassed those that would slow her progress.
It didn’t take her long to reach the nearly filled riverway; water gushed over the sides from time to time as the dam released what it could while remaining somewhat safe. It looked like the creatures had concluded that breaking the barrier would destroy much of the town and were following a single directive.
Clover’s shimmering eyes narrowed as she closed in on a marked area designated for immediate action for the SPU units; a MASS employee and a hired guard detail were currently under attack in the street.
I really have to doubt transevil are simple-minded creatures acting on instinct if they’re showing complex behavior like this... Hopefully, Laurence will have answers when all this is over. They’re corralling the MASS mercenaries and blocking escape; it doesn’t even seem as if the Class-0 and Class-1s care if they die or not in the attempt.
The more she analyzed the transevil attack patterns, and the distribution of SPU units dispatched to handle the beasts, it became apparent the monsters were being controlled, likely by the Class-2 nearing the dam.
Kicking off the edge of a business’ roof to the ground, Clover caught sight of two MASS mercenaries firing red laser-like beams at the advancing Class-1 wolves; they were being pushed into an alley, the beasts alternating attacks and guarding one another for their Super Armor to rekindle.
A chilling aura enveloping Clover, the rain turned to ice as she thrust the Viper Blade into a forward blitz, blurring into a glide that slid its edge into a blindsided wolf’s skull; freezing, it expanded from the strike, causing it to explode in solid chunks that harmlessly bounced off her protected skin.
Twisting her wrist, the sword split to rip into the ground, arcing through the rain as it created a vacuum, generating a shiny veil of liquid around the flow; the beasts were cut clean through like butter, and in one swift motion, every transevil was eviscerated and vaporized to be pulled into her void.
“H-Help!” one of the men managed to shout, but Clover was already dashing away.
Her sharp eyes peered through the curtain of rain, yet she didn’t need her sight to sense the enticing flavor on the wind—three Class-2 transevil—her targets were close. Tongue sliding out to sample the taste, she was sure it was the horned transevil that had escaped her.
Let’s continue where we left off!
Leaping up a truck to transfer to the nearby building, at this point, she could see the colossal structure of the dam, hazy in the distance, and a spark of purple electricity lit through the heavens to strike not too far away from the installation, followed by four more.
That’s not ominous…
Her focus was instantly redirected to the main street she was approaching; the Class-2 transevil were there—waiting for her. A cruel, eager grin lit her full lips when a thought occurred to her.
They lured me in... So, I’m actually their target. Perfect!
The white-furred and violet-gemmed transevil’s broken horn erupted with light, emitting five unfocused lasers that sought to eradicate her as it roared.
Clover laughed while dancing through the downpour and the rays, hair flipping across her neck as she spun before spotting an opening and hurled her glowing sword at the red-furred Class-2 transevil; Gleaning Asp penetrated into its thick fur, spurring her muscles as it fed her, and the chains launched out to impale the second.
Unlike the Class-1, the truck-sized beasts were only pulled off-balance, and the white-furred wolf evaded the seeking barbs with surprising agility to jump over the stumbling pair, following her race to slide below its leap.
With speed increased as spice touched her tongue and energized her body, the world slowed in Clover’s eyes as her hilt returned to her grip in a flash of light. More gleams of purple rays radiated around her from the slow-moving overhead wolf, yet her right hand found one of the violet-colored chains linking the two lackeys, halting her progress and flipping Clover around to stand on the wire.
Her restraints attempting to pull the pair of lesser Class-2 together were eaten through by their leader’s rays, yet Clover only needed a split-second for the moisture in the air to freeze and thrust a ghostly, hissing viper at the creature’s underbelly—it couldn’t dodge while in the air—and Gelid Adder connected, frosting over its white coat.
Fire erupted in the wolf’s mouth behind her, and Gleaning Asp faded; Clover used two SF platforms to leap into the air, dodging its lunge. They were fast, yet, enhanced by their siphoned Desire Force, she was quicker.
Kicking off her energy, Serpent Strike came down on its skull, only penetrating a foot before being stopped by its Super Armor and thick fur. Expanding ice sought to do more damage, but she was forced to jump away as it tossed its head to the right; still, her target stumbled to the left, trying to recover.
She flipped to land against the side of a car window, and, fearing it would shatter against her heel’s pressure, Clover put more weight on the foot that partially covered the metal door. The glass cracked but held, and she pivoted her toes to jump away from the recovered second lackey.
She caught sight of the white-furred beast as it hit the ground and slid across the street, Gelid Adder’s prison keeping it locked down.
Chuckling while regaining her balance, the wolf’s flaming teeth took a chunk out of the vehicle she’d been on, and Clover hopped back a bit to gain purchase against the street.
“Did you really try to eat my Soul-Spirit to stop me from reuniting with her? How did you know—how did you see her—are you just a stupid beast or something more?” she whispered in delight. “Isngneal also showed up to take me out the moment I exited; something’s not adding up!”
Darting back at the stunned transevil she’d delivered a head blow to, the Viper Blade flicked forward with her wrist motion to coil around its throat; she used the return function of the weapon to propel herself forward and away from its comrade, attempting to save the wolf, but she phased right through its raking claws.
Heels digging into the red beast’s shoulder, her chain-blade constricted; it caught for a second, having a more challenging time than she expected—given its shields—yet the second the beast’s Super Armor was spent, sweet nectar flooded her veins, and the blade separated its skull from its body.
The creature collapsed to the muddy asphalt, Clover twirling her blade around as the second launched at her. She whipped the weapon into a frenzy, angling Culling Furor to redirect its trajectory—the edge transformed into energy—its semi-corporal form passed like mist over the wolf’s snarling head, microbeams of VF eating away at his defensive shell.
Head angled to the side, her weapon shimmered with a hungering blue light, royal purple sparking along the blade as she blurred, Serpent Strike sliding through its expansive eye to freeze the beast from the inside out. It gagged as she followed its momentum, claws reaching toward her, yet its soft fur harmlessly passed across her back—life force flowing into her—it fell limp.
Swirling mixed colors gathered around her as she sportingly twirled her sword, Clover’s tongue glazed across her bottom lip while smirking at the white wolf—the only one left as its comrade’s energy condensed into her body—and at last, the leader managed to break out of her much stronger VF attack compared to the previous time it had felt its bite.
“Where were we?” she asked.
It growled, ears pulling back as shadows frothed near its feet, eyes twitching with hatred.
“Nuh-uh!” Clover sang, hurling her blade into its chest as it tried to sink into the ground, Gleaning Asp’s chains chewing into the street, buildings, and cars to lock the wolf in place. “I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”
Its jaws parted to release a loud roar, struggling against the barbs and chains before its teeth closed around the links it could reach, tugging to rip the weapon out—it shook with pain at the attempt—her sword’s extended spikes tearing its insides up.
The Viper Blade returned to her hands in twinkling light, and she sidestepped the unfocused lasers the transevil sent at her, chest heaving while half-sunken into the shadows; Clover saw what she didn’t expect to find in the creature as her chain-sword wrapped around its neck—fear.
“I enjoyed our time together,” Clover giggled as the heavy rain and thunder came back into focus; the links tightened, and the wolf’s head rolled.
She stood in the storm in silence for a full minute; its essence pulled into the black hole inside her chest. It was as if she were suspended in space and time, water cascading down her burning skin.
“Mmmgm…” Clover lifted the hilt of her weapon up to stare at it. “It turned bland... Why?! I feel empty again…”
Her narrowed irises drifted to the holographic display as Laurence called, and she answered; his somber expression and tone hadn’t changed, yet she caught a slight downward tilt to his lips upon seeing her.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Another problem I need to take care of?” she pointedly asked.
Why am I being sharp with him for no reason... I know I’m frustrated... I can’t help it!
He looked up as another spark of purple lightning flashed across the heavens, bypassing her tone. “Nice work; we’ve confirmed the Class-2s’ termination... Isngneal appeared on the opposite side of the dam—without warning—a large group of MASS employees was sent to that area. How soon can you reach the dam, or has your taste for them petered out?”
Not going into more detail about the employees told Clover their fate, and new hope rushed into her veins. “Not long... Maybe he’ll offer me something more than these pushovers.”
Accelerating in that direction, Clover’s jaw slowly tightened. It’s like I’m reaching through endless darkness for something to fill this hole in my chest. What am I missing? My Soul-Spirit helped a bit, but...there’s something more I’m not getting.
Questions should have been rolling through Clover’s turbulent mind, but the hole in her chest was a numbing tide; ever since she’d united with her Soul-Spirit, the thirst to devour more Desire Force seemed to be getting worse.
Fighting past the gravity seeking to pull her brain into a spiral, her focus darted to Laurence’s tightening lips; the general’s attention drifted from another screen back to her. “How do you feel?”
His query grated against Clover’s chest, but she suppressed a snarky comment. “Annoyed and soaked,” she admitted, jumping over a partially destroyed boundary wall to exit the town; she spotted the hillside road leading to the dam in the distance and redoubled her efforts.
The rain became meaningless as her growing aura seemed to push it out of the way; most of the structure and winding river that bordered the town was obscured by the purple-tinted storm. “Why do you ask?”
Laurence took her snarl with a short pause, puffing on his cigar while looking between screens. “Hmm…”
As he thought about how to respond, Clover’s sharpening vision wandered between the packs of transevil making their way to the south; they appeared to be leaving Hollow Veil to cross the river into the wilderness.
The sounds of laser weapons carried with the rolling thunder and collapsing heavens. An odd orange streak to the west snagged her attention due to its unusual pattern and color. The sky’s roar followed, the storm worsening. The shooting star had been near the ruins of Sunset City, yet much of the area was now veiled by the lilac curtain; hopefully, it wasn’t anything important since she was already set on the dam.
SPU personnel gathered in mass to handle the fodder, and if there were anything significant to warrant her attention, the general would let her know.
It wasn’t even twenty-four hours since she’d awoken in the hospital, and, at first, she’d reveled in the slaughter of Class-0 and Class-1 transevil, yet now, even Class-2 weren’t enough to satisfy her hunger. Her growth could be the product of the change, yet the thought didn’t solve the problem.
Purple bolts split the sky again as she ran through the partially decayed road, grass creeping over the pavement, and the howl from a colossal beast vibrated the air, making her skin tingle.
That’s it…
Cigar falling from Laurence’s teeth, he worked around his jaw, centering on her. “Clover, your Spirit Force wasn’t strong enough to be detected by our advanced satellites before rescuing Melissa, but when you entered the Hysteria State, our satellites were able to target you.”
“Yes?” Clover questioned, gaze narrowing; he was distracting her from the fight to come. Laurence’s words and the emotion in her breast finally clicked in her brain.
Hysteria... I grow colder during it, but if I’m not in a fight, does the effect change?
The general cleared his throat and straightened in his chair. “Melissa recently mentioned in her report that you exhibited the power of Hysteria but not the effects; I’m currently seeing something like that, but unlike the blue Melissa saw, hmm... You’re surrounded by a purplish aura.”
He let the information sink in a second before continuing. “What our satellites are currently showing—that second energy source within you that damaged the Steel Box Bastion—it seems to be growing in conjunction with your Spirit Force.”
Clover’s jaw locked, trying to fight the current rushing through her veins. So my Spirit Force and Void Force are connected—one is calming, and one is maddening? No, what if they’re exhibiting the other’s characteristics? My Void Force might need to consume more of this corrupted energy to catch up to my Soul Force, so it’s spurring my natural urge to jump into combat... It’s a theory.
It was hard to push against the gravity driving her to forget everything and jump into battle. Still, it’s not the same feeling as before... Actually, what if my Void Force absorbed the Hysteria effects, and now it’s being released in a slow burn, or I only feel like this because I’m out of balance? It doesn’t matter right now!
Whatever it was, she’d have to consider the possibilities later. “Keep observing it and tell me what you find... I need to focus on the Class-3 ahead of me.”
“I understand,” Laurence muttered, “but just so you know, your eye color has been fluctuating the entire time we’ve been talking; it’s normally a shade between green and blue, but the jade variance is much sharper right now, and they’re glowing.”
Agitation cracking her composure, Clover hissed. “I get it; compile the results!”
“Hmm... The Medical Core’s Offensive Brigade is deployed across town, and Erin is leading the spirit users in rounding up the transevil still in Hollow Veil. You took care of the strong Class-1 pack and Class-2s, so the only threat we can’t handle is Isngneal... Rosa be with you.”
Laurence ended the transmission.
A strained smile lifted Clover’s dry lips; liquid still clung to her, yet most of the droplets were repelled, and still, her mouth was practically a desert. She could almost taste Isngneal’s energy crackling through the dense air from the specks of Desire Force that he sent into the sky, worsening the already bad storm.
Reaching the top of the hill, she got her first complete glimpse of the river and concrete structure. Six vehicles’ lights were left on by the facility, but the smell of blood was already sharp on the wind; there wouldn’t be any survivors—she was sure.
Only fourteen transevil were showing from the satellite, yet Clover doubted the information based on the volume of scents assaulting her nose; more seemed to be hidden, but none of them were cause for concern.
Her blade whipped out as she ran, spotting the Class-1 transevil tearing into the vehicles; she blew the fiends apart in her passing before coming to a stop at the dam’s edge. Looking across the deep drop to the bottom, her gaze fixated on the yellow-eyed wolf staring up at her through the downpour.
Its red fur bristled with the violet lightning that arched around his body, thick sparks leaving black marks across the thick cement wall of the side-lot to the side of the riverway.
Isngneal’s booming, deep voice carried through the thunder and rain, surprising her. “He-he-he... In his suffering, he said the Voidling would come if I brought my pack to this site; you will not escape me this time!”
Clover wanted to question him about what he meant by Voidling and who the wolf had been talking to, yet instead, her wound-up chest released all the pent-up pressure she’d felt, sweeping such thoughts away to be dealt with later; she had her prey in sight.
Her illuminated green irises drifted to the left. Dozens of Class-1 transevil crept out from within the structures; the SPU satellite finally pinned them as they neared the surface. Over a hundred came out of the river on all sides and prowled out of the facility’s basement levels where they’d been in wait.
A smirk lifted the corner of Clover’s mouth as the fodder let go of a unifying howl before closing in; she’d been led into a trap, but this was perfect. She was sinking into a black hole; unlike the cold joy of relishing the experience that her earlier State provided, this new sensation made her heart pound with the need to fill her stomach.
A teal and purple effulgence swirled around her frame—Clover’s own personal storm suppressing the natural one that tried to batter her body—and she felt she was so close to something new.
It was a similar sensation to when she’d unlocked Gleaning Asp and was likely in response to her growth after defeating four Class-2s. Reaching into the darkness to grasp something she’d lost, it was pulled out of the deep within her core to be welcomed into Clover’s arsenal like a recovered lost friend.
The wolves pounced, and just as several came into striking distance, an explosion of azure and violet light enclosed a five-meter area—Basilisk’s Tempo—time slowed to a crawl for the beasts; it was a weaker version of whatever her Soul-Spirit used to save them from Isngneal when they’d made their flight.
Twirling her weapon into a slow, chain-like dance, she twisted and lashed out as the closest pack struggled to inch a centimeter through the thick force they’d entered; to them, she was moving at supersonic speeds, but in reality, anyone who saw the creatures enveloped by her aura would see their suspended bodies in space, slowly falling to the ground as her blade split them apart.
The time dilation only lasted ten seconds, which was more than enough time for her to calm her thumping chest in the fluid, singular motion; her temper was easing after drawing out this new SF skill.
She launched into a sprint; twenty-four of the closest transevil were cleaved into several pieces when the aura faded, but not a single one of the hundreds surrounding her hesitated to give chase—it didn’t matter—Isngneal was all she wanted.
Dashing across the concrete dam, she bypassed the weaklings to leap into open space. “You wanted me; here I am!” she laughed.
Her chain weapon lashed out at the beast as she neared, only for Isngneal to grunt.
“Fool,” was all he uttered.
Clover’s segmented blades slid into his fur, sparks of purple electricity scarring the air; her eyes widened with her twisting stomach—the attack passed right through the beast—a rumble sounded through her, and streaks of light shot to the dam wall where Isngneal was now standing.
He moved in an instant! Was he this fast before?
“I am the pinnacle!” Isngneal laughed, a smile in his shimmering yellow eyes. “And you—you are weaker than I was told!”
He converted into a mass of lightning, launching at her.
“Really?” Clover asked, creating a platform and kicking off to phase through the attack and land in the spot Isngneal left. She leveled a smirk up at him to see the wolf soaring over the river.
“I missed? Impossible…”
Drawing back her sword, Clover sent a ghostly serpent to freeze the monster in his fall, frosting over the rain in its passing, yet Gelid Adder’s fangs only sank a quarter into the beast’s tail. Isngneal swept the gathering ice away with a single beat, electricity bolting from his fur to strike her.
“I will annihilate you for making a fool of me!”
Momentum gone, Clover did a partial front flip in her fall; creating a platform, she kicked off to reach the flat ground above the dam’s riverway, and the lightning followed her escape, breaking massive chunks off the wall.
Escaping the damage, she touched down on the concrete parking area and looked up. Isngneal floated in the sky, roaring as his aura ionized the air around the wolf, but he wasn’t facing her.
“If you will not cease your tricks, I will destroy this whole miserable place!”
Realizing his goal, Clover sprinted back to the wall, using her momentum to run up the side as the ball of electrified mass bolted for the structure. Basilisk’s Tempo activated as she came between the wolf and dam, slowing his progress before she leaped above and used Culling Furor’s vortex to alter his trajectory.
I don’t think so!
The sharp change in direction and biting energy flashed past her, causing water and steam to erupt against her skin. Her gnawing whirlwind of energy stripped a part of his shield in the attempt, making the beast grunt while bouncing off the wall’s halfway point; a small section was turned to powder and chunks by the impact, but it remained more than stable.
Keeping in the air as her time aura passed, Clover kicked off a platform, arctic aura following her blurred lunge against the dazed transevil; Serpent Strike sank into the monster’s eye, causing it to ice from the inside out.
A vicious roar exploded from the wolf that hit Clover like a physical blow; she winced as gravity pushed her to the ground. Using her platforms, she slowed her descent by ping-ponging from side to side until her heels skidded across the ice her ambiance generated.
Goosebumps cascaded down her neck, arms, and spine; Clover hadn’t even stopped, and the one-eyed wolf’s colossal fangs were closing around her entire body.
A forced grin lifted her mouth as she tucked into a ball, maneuvered into the beast’s jaws, and angled her weapon as a brace; Isngneal’s snapping mouth halted, his hot tongue sliding against Clover’s covered thigh.
They came to a stop as the monster’s tongue writhed, attempting to find purchase to remove the blade; luckily, he didn’t think of opening his mouth to shift her leverage. Purple electricity stung her skin, but it wasn’t enough to break her own Super Armor, and Gleaning Asp—the only SF move she could currently use—activated.
Spiked chains penetrated the wolf’s vulnerable tongue, throat, gums, and lower jaw, making him whimper at the surprise counterattack. The cancerous barbs sank into Isngneal’s soft flesh as he tried to open his mouth to expel her, providing Clover the opportunity to dive out of the small gap that appeared.
“Ha-ha-ha!” Clover felt more alive than ever, calling her sword and leaving the SF imprint in Isngneal’s maw. “This is what I’ve wanted! What was it you said, fool?” she taunted.
“Grargh... H-Human filth!” he snarled, using his paws to force out the chains, but all motion and sound died to her as soft clapping filtered past the heavy morning storm, chilling the marrow in Clover’s bones.
“Excellent! Most entertaining, My Love!”
Clover’s gut churned; she hadn’t sensed anyone else in the area. Looking for the voice, she found the entire dam site littered with transevil corpses; sitting, one knee to his chin, the other dangling off a short wall, was a masked clown.
Her focus went into overdrive, fixating on the figure, mind flashing back to the Class-5 rassi the SPU’s Spirit spirit master supposedly took care of. Everyone seemed assured he was gone, yet if they knew of this thing before her, their terror would reignite; those haunting neon-blue eyes inside that black mask couldn’t be human.
“Castro?” Clover questioned, but the scent that carried to her was a human male.
The clown’s sapphire-ended joker cap jingled as his head tilted, thick, shoulder-length silver hair seemingly untouched by the storm. “Are you so sure?” he asked her, ignoring the wolf.
She winced as a vicious roar hit her ears, Isngneal’s nose twitching with agitation while scanning the zone. “Filthy human, wait your turn! What…where did you come from?” he growled.
The wolf paused, his damaged eye cracking open as the organ regenerated. His head shifted with Clover’s as they both viewed the impossible scene—hundreds upon hundreds of Class-1 transevil lay dead around the site—every neck cleanly severed.
Clover’s grip tightened around her hilt as blue flames enveloped the shapeshifter, and in his place was a grinning black-haired man wearing gear that read MASS on it; she’d seen him in the chaos, fighting on the way here. “Who can tell? I might be!” he chuckled.
“You... Human, I turned you to ash!” Isngneal whispered, clearly confused as he licked his jowls, the damage Clover’s other attacks caused slowly healing.
Instinct told her this clown was dangerous—the shapeshifter—his scent was indistinguishable from a human, and his entertained, smirking eyes drifted to the transevil, blue flames returning him to the jester’s appearance. “I’m bored with you now; you can leave.”
“I will not be mocked!”
Lightning erupted across Isngneal’s red fur as he bolted at the clown—in the next second, Clover was darting back, the creature’s smiling, brilliant blue eyes only a foot from her face as he bent down to study her—she barely sensed the flickering movement.
Keeping her guard up, she was in partial shock upon seeing the electrified Class-3 transevil plow into the earth nearby, sending dirt falling with the rain as silence took the field—Isngneal’s head wasn’t attached to his body—and a heavy thud sounded three meters to her right.
The monster’s stunned expression came into Clover’s focus as the thunder and cascading water returned to the foreground; Isngneal’s Super Armor and natural resilience had been instantly cleaved through.
“The weak are ever so boring,” the clown contemplated; his neon irises mirrored his mask’s wide, white-painted smile as liquid fell across the covering. He straightened, one hand behind his back, before bowing to her, “My lovely heroine, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance; allow me to humbly welcome you to the stage!”
The clown’s head lifted in his lowered position, still leveled with her vision due to his massive height. “I look forward to your performance!” The jester’s elated voice carried an eerie note that pricked the hair on the back of her neck, and he vanished in a rush of smoke.
Clover scanned the veil of water, but the only thing he left was the graveyard of transevil and not a trace for her to follow; he was a ghost. Her eyes narrowed, a shiver running down her spine as she let out her held breath; he had taken her prey. Isngneal was dead.