Nyarlathotep—even Fang Zheng knew that name. In Cthulhu World, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth, and Shub-Niggurath were collectively known as the three great Outer Gods second only to Azathoth. It possessed countless forms and could freely alter its shape. It was the messenger and spokesperson of the Outer Gods.
Moreover, unlike the other Outer Gods, Nyarlathotep held an intense interest in humanity. It could even be said that, in this world, Nyarlathotep was the Outer God that best fit the description of a "devil"—tempting humans, deceiving them, corrupting them, and personally destroying everything until they fell into despair were the scenes Nyarlathotep most enjoyed watching.
If Great Old Ones like Cthulhu and the Elder Things had more of a territorial relationship with humanity, then Nyarlathotep clearly treated humans as playthings.
What appeared before Fang Zheng now was Nyarlathotep's most widely known form. It towered in the desert like an enormous skyscraper. Below its knees were several thick, writhing tentacles. Its two arms were withered and long, while where its head should have been, a long tentacle like an elephant's trunk stretched straight into the sky. A pitch-black, fang-filled maw extended from its head down to its neck, and within that twisted, narrow darkness, one could hear faint whispers.
Fang Zheng did not transform back into his Black Dragon form as he had when fighting Cthulhu. Though Cthulhu was a Great Old One, at most it was merely an intelligent alien creature with unusual abilities. Nyarlathotep, however, far surpassed Cthulhu. As one of the Three Pillars of the Cthulhu universe, it clearly was not something that Big Ivan could simply send home.
And seeing so many tentacles made Fang Zheng uneasy. If he transformed back into a Dragon and got tangled up by the thing, that would be even more troublesome... After all, he