Resurrection

Before Stone, the expression on that dissolute charlatan's face gradually grew serious. Every move he made seemed to carry a changed air about it, making Stone feel that the man standing before him was not a down-and-out wanderer, but a scholar of extraordinary knowledge.

Despite the bizarre and terrifying sound that had come from his throat, Byron soon closed his mouth.

He looked at Stone.

"Hello."

The voice that emerged from Byron's mouth was still the same as before, but its tone was far calmer. It was as though even if someone pressed a pistol against his head, the man would continue responding without changing expression.

"You may call me Daoist He Ming."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You're Daoist He Ming?"

Stone frowned slightly. He drew his revolver and aimed it at Byron, not believing his nonsense.

"Yes, I am Daoist He Ming—or rather, I used to be Daoist He Ming."

Byron placed both hands on the table, completely relaxed, as if he were facing not Stone's gun but a disciple studying under him.

"I experienced many things in the Ruined City. In the end, I discovered one thing: a human body can never resist contamination. So I chose to discard my flesh and merge with this servant of the Old Ones. You must be quite familiar with this sort of creature."

"Are you Byron, Daoist He Ming, or a Mud Monster?"

Stone knew that, in most cases, Mud Monsters mimicked the appearance and will of the creatures they devoured. Except in extremely rare circumstances, the wills of those they consumed would be erased, and very few could turn around and control a Mud Monster instead.

Just like Ai Ou and Liz back then, Stone knew that the fact she had retained some awareness was