Catherine

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Catherine (凯瑟琳)
Alias(es)	Nightmare Girl; Nightmare Clown; Sub-Clown
Species/Race	Nightmare creature formed from a composite of numerous women; her true form is octopus-like and multi-headed 297 485
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Fear Circus; Clown House 484
Occupation/Role	Circus Sub-Clown; conducts Nightmare-based audience reviews and ticket distribution; later capable of serving as Head Clown 584 649 1111
Status	Active 1140
First Appearance	Chapter 297

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Composite Nightmare revealed	297	Countless suspended women merge into Catherine before a mirror wall, exposing her collective nature.
Treasure Box transformation	327	Sacrifices her lower body and becomes a living Scare Box, scattering thousands of boxes across the battlefield.
Scissors essence	329 330	Cuts open her mouth with red scissors; her essence becomes Scissors, allowing contact to inflict soul-level shearing and enabling revival through Scare Boxes.
Near-qualitative Nightmare growth	584 645	Her Nightmare Essence and aura improve sharply after becoming a Sub-Clown, though the growth follows an increasingly malicious pattern.
Deep-sea augmentation	676	Absorbs a replica idol, regrows a severed tentacle, and gains unfamiliar power unrelated to the Old World’s plague system.
Oceanic Physique	685 686	After absorbing the Flower Sea Buddha Mother’s manifestation, gains greater seawater reserves, water conversion, illusion abilities, and stronger dream-related powers.
Head Clown capability	1111	Returns to the Circus with colorful Head Clown makeup and assumes responsibility for audience selection and ticket distribution.

Background / History

Early life

Catherine’s past involved severe abuse and exploitation as a “dancer.” Her migraines developed into Nightmares, through which she ultimately liberated the other dancers and united them within her collective Nightmare 485 486.

She later escaped an underwater laboratory connected to the deep sea. During that escape, she betrayed the other sisters who tried to stop her, a decision she openly recounts to William 656. Catherine eventually arrived at the Fear Circus physically injured, mentally unstable, and seemingly fleeing from danger 327 649.

Gian’s care and companionship helped Catherine maintain a balance between benevolence and malice after joining the Circus 486. She rose to become the Circus’s Sub-Clown before completing her Pathway 584.

Nightmare Game in Zion

Catherine created the Nightmare Game around Zion City and entered a Soul Contract with Yi Chen, temporarily sharing Nightmare authority with him 298 332. Though initially perceived as manipulative and dangerous, she conducted the game with a strong concern for fairness and did not exploit the authority she gave him 332.

Teacher Zed repeatedly overwhelmed Catherine within the Nightmare, forcing her to use the Treasure Box and assume her Scissors state 324 327 330. After Wrinkled Skin’s Dream Skin Grafting overtook the dreamscape, Catherine conceded defeat and fled Zion while pursued by prophets and Executioner squads 332.

Deep-sea connection

Catherine is connected to the Vibrio Sea and identifies herself as having been infected by it and having lived there for much of her life 657. She later constructed a Deep Sea Pool inside her factory, bringing deep-layer seawater into the Circus through its spatial properties 648 649.

Her absorption of the Flower Sea Buddha Mother’s manifestation further strengthened this affinity, allowing her to convert ordinary water into seawater suitable for herself 686.

Appearance

Catherine commonly presents herself as a youthful clown-like woman, though her appearance and demeanor shift drastically with her emotional state and transformations.

• Often wears black-and-white clown makeup, dark lipstick, twin ponytails, and black-and-white stockings 298 484.
• Later adopts a single ponytail and more exaggerated makeup while serving as Sub-Clown 645.
• Her true form has numerous octopus limbs, a main brain resembling her twin-tail hairstyle, and many female heads spread across the body 485.
• Her combat body can develop multiple eyes, dozens of additional female heads, and specialized limbs resembling a bone saw and scissors 323.
• After integrating with the replicated idol, her eyes become blue flowers; she can also assume a mermaid-like form in seawater 648 679.
• Her Head Clown appearance uses colorful facial markings and exaggerated red lips matching William’s 1111.

Personality

Catherine is playful, flirtatious, theatrical, and highly curious. She enjoys frightening others, testing Nightmare phenomena, and pursuing unusual powers, but she is not indiscriminately malicious. During the Zion Nightmare Game, she shared authority with Yi Chen and cared deeply about preserving a fair contest 298 332.

She can also be cruel, impulsive, and sadistic in combat. Her Treasure Box transformation intensifies her malice and causes her to act more recklessly than usual 324 329. After becoming Sub-Clown under Art, her growth increasingly follows a malicious path, which William attributes to Art’s continued influence over her 645 646.

Catherine develops a strong interest in William after their shared dream experiences and his entry into the Circus. That interest becomes strained after Yi Chen’s behavior in William’s dream disgusts and frightens her, leading Catherine to demand that she not encounter Yi Chen again 484 508 646.

Abilities & Skills

Nightmare Dominion

Catherine can create, shape, and manage Nightmare spaces, including dream environments populated by entities under her control.

• Draws doors linking locations within a Nightmare space 300 323.
• Uses Nightmare Town residents as disguises for ambushes and surprise attacks 306.
• Can induce sleep through Nightmare Factors 685.
• Connects directly to others’ brains and spinal nerves to create deep shared Nightmares 485.
• Her Nightmare can alter reality according to a target’s fear level 484.
• Her control is not perfect; Dream Skin Grafting can overwhelm and seize a Nightmare space 332 656.

Composite Physiology and Regeneration

Catherine’s body is composed of many women, allowing extensive regeneration and bodily restructuring.

• Injured areas can be repaired by tiny female bodies gathering to fill the missing flesh 310 319.
• Can discard destroyed bodies and emerge in stronger combat forms 323.
• Creates clones for reconnaissance or rescue, though powerful enemies can destroy them easily 320.
• Can produce octopus tentacles from her body for restraint, movement, attacks, and manipulation 300 508.
• Uses separate female heads and eyes across her body for broad battlefield observation 323.

Treasure Box and Scare Boxes

Catherine’s circus Treasure Box enables a dangerous transformation tied to survival and combat.

• Sacrifices her lower body to become a living Scare Box and scatter thousands of revival points 327.
• Can revive through previously placed Scare Boxes after her body is destroyed 330.
• The transformation changes her temperament, substantially increasing her malice 329.
• Her Scare Boxes can be destroyed by sufficiently overwhelming attacks 330.

Soul-Level Shearing

By cutting open her mouth with red scissors, Catherine reshapes her essence into Scissors.

• Physical contact with her inflicts soul-level shearing damage 330.
• Successfully inflicted true damage on Teacher Zed, drawing blood from him for the first time in the Nightmare Game 329.
• The ability remains dangerous even when Catherine is decapitated; Zed lost his fingers after striking her directly 330.

Oceanic Physique

Catherine possesses deep-sea traits connected to the Vibrio Sea and later amplified by the Flower Sea Buddha Mother’s manifestation.

• Stores and controls large reserves of seawater 685 686.
• Can gradually transform ordinary water into seawater that supports her body 686.
• Regrew a lost tentacle after absorbing a replica idol 676.
• Can use seawater and illusions after her otherworldly transformation 686.
• Reveals an octopus form capable of wrapping around and draining power from an idol 679.

Dream-Based World Passage

Catherine’s enhanced dream abilities can help connect different worlds.

• Put William and Yi Chen to sleep and returned with them to the Old World from another world 685.
• Her potential to facilitate world passages had already drawn the Fish Source’s research interest 685.
• Believes her strengthened sea and dream abilities may create more stable passages 686.

Strategy and Ambush Tactics

Catherine is experienced in indoor ambushes and uses terrain, traps, disguises, and expendable bodies to control engagements.

• Sets traps and monitors buildings during joint operations 320.
• Uses school staff and students as energy sources while preparing combat traps 323.
• Eliminated three regular squads during the early phase of the Zion Nightmare Game 303.
• Recognized that her recklessness against Zed was a mistake and resolved to learn from repeated deaths 325.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Treasure Box — Circus prop that enables Catherine’s Scare Box transformation 327.
• Red Scissors — Used to cut open her mouth and activate her Scissors essence 327 329.
• JOKER ID Card — A black-and-white card bearing Catherine’s portrait and a smiling face associated with memories of Zion’s smiles 300.
• Special Gun — Gifted by William; Catherine considers using it for immediate self-destruction rather than being captured and tortured by malice 1038.
• Compressed skull bracelet — A death- and suicide-aura item Catherine offered Yi Chen as a gift 764.

Relationships

• William — Circus colleague and frequent partner in dreams, otherworld expeditions, and performances. Catherine shows affection toward him, though Yi Chen’s intrusion into William’s dream badly damages her trust 484 508 686 910.
• Yi Chen — Temporary Soul Contract ally during the Zion Nightmare Game. Catherine shared Nightmare authority with him, but he ultimately outmaneuvered her and forced her defeat 298 332.
• Gian — Magician and protector whose care helped Catherine preserve her benevolent side; he advocates for her safety within the Circus 308 327 486.
• Art — Her superior as Sub-Clown and a major source of the malice affecting her growth. Catherine eventually seeks enough power to kill him 646 676.
• Lia Roman (“Mom”) — Catherine’s mother. Their relationship is tense, and Catherine no longer treats Lia with reverence 749 762.
• Nash — Investigated Catherine’s Deep Sea Pool and increasingly malevolent behavior on behalf of the Circus leadership 648 649.
• Fangfang — A girl Catherine and William accompanied during their escape from the hospital-like Abyss world 661 665.
• The dancers — Women who shared Catherine’s suffering before becoming part of the collective Nightmare she used to liberate them 485.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Zion Nightmare Game

Catherine lures Yi Chen into her Nightmare, reveals her collective true form, and invites him to participate in a game against invading Gentleman squads 297 298. She calls Circus reinforcements when the balance turns against her and later fights alongside Yi Chen against Teacher Zed 308 323.

Her escalating use of the Treasure Box lets her injure Zed at the soul level, but she loses the game when Dream Skin Grafting takes over the Nightmare space 327 329 332.

William’s Circus Entry

When William comes to the Fear Circus, Catherine introduces him to its Clown House and attempts to test him with a Deep Nightmare assessment 484 485. She merges with William to show him her past, allowing him to understand the suffering behind her Nightmare 485 486.

Sub-Clown Malice

Catherine’s Nightmare Essence grows quickly after she becomes Sub-Clown, but Art’s influence pushes her toward a more malicious disposition 584 645 646. She establishes the Deep Sea Pool, rewards workers through dream-sharing, and absorbs their Dream Fluid 648 649.

Otherworld Expedition

Catherine travels with William into another world, where she seeks unfamiliar supernatural powers and absorbs a replica idol 661 676. She resists the Flower Sea Buddha Mother’s attempt to absorb her, takes the manifestation’s power for herself, and helps return the group to the Old World through dreams 679 685.

New Moon Performance

Catherine joins William’s Fake Moon performance, completes the preliminary selection, and participates alongside Art, Lia Roman, and other Moon Gazers 750 761 764. Her outsider techniques and Deep Sea Dream Technique prove difficult even for Nast, who withdraws from their match 843.

Later Circus Role

Catherine continues supporting William’s plans, though she fears the Fourth Calamity enough to seek comfort from Candle Puppet Thirteen when William leaves her behind to guard the Theater 1038. She later returns to the Circus in Head Clown attire and takes charge of audience selection and ticket distribution for its invasion operation 1111.

Notable Quotes

“I have a bit of sadistic tendency myself.” 323

“Catherine not only lacked petty scheming but also cared deeply about ‘fairness.’” 332

“If I can absorb it, I’ll definitely be able to take the evil energy from this other world back with me. Then, I might even be able to kill Art.” 676

“Yes, Boss! I’m still the most suitable person for this job!” 1111