"Do you know what this thing is?"
Lynn asked the Clown.
The Clown doll studied the visual memories Lynn had shared, then said hesitantly:
"It looks a little like... and I only mean a little. I saw it once a long time ago when I was with Butcher. When His Highness the King's Knight followed the Female Host into the first war against that Calamity, an enormous, shapeless creature accompanied him. It was one of His Highness's mounts."
"Because it has no fixed shape and excels at transforming, it can spread itself out to the size of a planet. But I don't know whether what you encountered was that creature. If it was, we're in trouble."
Lynn looked uncertain and said:
"If this thing really has something to do with that King's Knight you mentioned, why would it attack me?"
The Clown on his shoulder stood up, holding up its skirt, and glanced down at the black mist that had already taken shape below.
"Are you sure you weren't the one who provoked it?"
Lynn's eyes widened. "I was innocently swimming around down there! I didn't damage any plants or trees, and I didn't spit anywhere! How the hell did I provoke it? Obviously, it attacked me first!"
The Clown floated into the air, its expression turning serious.
"Can that piece of equipment of yours detect signs of corruption?"
Lynn took out his mask and put it on, looking down at the black mist below. But he soon shook his head and frowned.
"No. My mask can only detect corruption that appears in time and history. This attack came from reality. My mask can't identify it."
And just as he finished speaking...
Strange, creaking cries drifted faintly from the black mist beneath their feet. They sounded like the grating pitches