"Boss..."
The Magician stared at the humanoid figure sprawled on the ground a few meters away, its limbs bent backward. Twisted joints had pierced its performance costume, and the vertebrae protruding through its back resembled a centipede.
GOOGLE search
"Kill... me..." A hoarse voice squeezed out from deep in the monster's throat.
"I... can't... control... myself... much longer."
Its head, which barely retained a human shape, tilted backward at an unnatural angle. The Clown's painted face writhed beneath its skin.
The Magician's knuckles cracked around his gun, a trace of anguish showing on his face.
He turned toward the Fortune Teller behind him and lowered his voice. "If anything goes wrong, shoot immediately. Don't hesitate."
"Okay." The Fortune Teller nodded and flicked off his pistol's safety. The creak of the metal mechanism was clearly audible.
The Magician slowly approached, placing each foot down lightly for fear of provoking a violent reaction from the monster.
The Clown, who had transformed into a monster, remained motionless, merely groaning in pain.
Clearly, he was almost unable to suppress his madness.
When he was only a step or two away from the monster, the Magician abruptly pulled open the front of his tailcoat and drew out the Golden Charm hidden over his heart between two fingers.
"Duck!" The Magician's shout rang out alongside the crack of the charm breaking. The Fortune Teller instinctively ducked, catching a glimpse of his captain slamming the charm against the monster's forehead.
Blazing white light engulfed the entire room, and the acrid smell of burning sulfur roiled through the air.
The Clown's curled body convulsed and contracted in the glare, his bent bones forcibly twisted back into place.
When the last wisps of light faded, the young Clown lay naked in a pool of blood. Festering wounds covered his