Zheng Qing now stood alone before the King in Yellow.
Other than a talisman gun conjured through visualization, he had no other means that posed any real threat.
Even if that talisman gun was stuffed full of Blood Talisman Bombs, setting aside how many shots he could fire with his ability, the power of the Blood Talisman Bombs alone was probably insufficient to blow apart this incarnation of Hastur with a single shot.
It would only make an enemy of him.
Of course, Zheng Qing could also choose to self-destruct.
But self-destruction was not something he could simply do whenever he wanted. The previous accidental explosion had been the result of violent emotional upheaval, a seal breaking at exactly the critical point, and many other conditions working together. Afterward, he had cautiously tried to recapture that feeling, but never succeeded.
The hem of the yellow robe fluttered unsteadily before his eyes.
"Will I lose my mind... or myself?" he asked softly, staring at the swaying hem.
A Gold Bean vanished from his palm, then reappeared. It lingered for a moment before vanishing again. This wavering feeling felt remarkably like answering multiple-choice questions during an exam.
A vague reply came from beneath the White Mask. "Perhaps."
Zheng Qing sighed softly. His thoughts were a mess, and the many questions he had thought of while running across that black prairie had all slipped from his mind.
He did not even want to calculate how many gems and Gold Beans he had left.
Only one question circled endlessly in his mind, like floodwaters behind a dam that refused to recede.
"Why me?" There was a trace of weariness in his voice.
Beneath the White Mask, that green, pupil-less gaze fell upon the young wizard, carrying the same hint of scrutiny. "It is fate's