The smile was rather comical, uglier than a grimace.
Anywhere else, the audience would surely have applauded the Clown's brilliant performance after a brief fright.
But Julian could not smile at all.
Julian swallowed. To be honest, his nerves were stretched to their limit.
Suddenly, the Clown outside snapped his fingers sharply.
Snap!
!!!
Julian instinctively shifted aside. The next second, a hole the size of a fingernail appeared in the wooden door!
He had barely steadied himself when he heard more finger snaps outside.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"Damn the Secret Order!"
Julian fired back as he leaped behind the sofa.
Crashes and cracks filled the room as windows, wine bottles, and other objects shattered one after another.
Fortunately, those Air Bullets had to pass through the wall before entering Ray Bieber's home, which significantly weakened them. They were not powerful enough to penetrate the sofa's solid hardwood frame.
Throughout all this, Ray Bieber seemed to have inhaled too much sleep-inducing essential oil. He slept like a log, utterly unresponsive to the noise around him.
Things have come to this. I'll have to jump out the window.
Julian glanced at the shattered window. It was two stories above the ground, but given his physical condition, jumping straight down should not hurt him.
There was some risk involved-he had to gamble that no other Secret Order accomplices were waiting outside-but getting into a more open space would benefit him regardless.
Yet just as he prepared to do so, the neon-like light appeared again.
The overlapping layers of light from the Colour Out of Space enveloped Julian, momentarily obscuring his way forward.
Bastard! You behaved for barely a few minutes, and now you're getting in my way again?
Julian mentally cursed the evil creature from beyond the heavens a dozen times while feeling his way forward with his hands, hurrying toward the window.
Bzzz!
Just then, an extremely shrill buzzing rang in Julian's ears.
The buzzing seemed to possess some mind-affecting property. It instantly left "His Excellency the Professor" dizzy and disoriented, nearly sending him sprawling.
Julian turned toward a wisp of ghostly blue flame that had appeared out of nowhere behind the balcony partition. He knew the Magician must have entered Ray Bieber's home using Flaming Jump.
Do you really want me dead? What do you gain if I die?!
He was furious now, cursing inwardly as he reached for the Scholar's Legacy.
He intended to use Scene Recreation to corrupt the Secret Order's Clown!
Julian did not know why the Goddess had suddenly stopped protecting him. Using Scene Recreation to corrupt an enemy under these circumstances was undoubtedly extremely risky, and might even cause Julian himself to lose control.
But he no longer had the luxury of worrying about that.
Even if he lost control, he had to take this Magician down with him.
And once he ceased to function as a "vessel," that damned Colour Out of Space would inevitably come to the attention of the Seven Gods. Then it would have no choice but to follow Julian to the grave.
Since you don't want me to live, let's both go down together!
The lenses of the Scholar's Legacy unfolded, aimed in advance toward the sound of the Secret Order Clown's footsteps. Julian took a deep breath and stood straight up.
Bzzz!
The buzzing came again. Julian fought down the headache and nausea, swiftly channeling his spirituality into the Scholar's Legacy until the Secret Order's Clown was fully covered in his field of vision!
"?"
Neon colors appeared all over the Secret Order Clown's body. Immediately sensing something wrong, he used Paper Figurine Substitute to escape the lenses' range and instantly reappeared elsewhere.
Yet this substitution did not completely shake off that heart-chilling neon glow.
Some of it remained attached to the Magician, and it showed signs of spreading further!
The Magician immediately felt his thoughts growing muddled. With an effort, he extended his hand and snapped his fingers at Julian again.
Snap!
This Air Bullet was far more powerful and covered a much wider area than the previous ones. The Magician seemed to hope that ensuring Julian's death would improve his own condition.
Julian could barely stand now. In despair, he felt the pressure of the rushing air reach him.
So, am I finally going to die?
The thought surfaced hazily, filling Julian's heart with bitterness.
But at that very moment, an even brighter, more dazzling burst of neon color erupted from him.
Julian did not know whether he was imagining it, but he suddenly felt as though time around him had slowed. Even the Air Bullet failed to strike him.
Utter terror suddenly appeared on the Secret Order Clown's face. He could vaguely see a blurry mass of color, impossible to classify within any known spectrum, reaching for him like an enormous hand!
"Aaaah!!!"
He let out a piercing scream as brilliant light shot from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
The next second, the Magician's head exploded with a bang. Blood and brain matter mingled with the dazzling colors, splattering the entire living room!
"Hah, hah, hah..."
Julian stared blankly at it all, watching the iridescent light slowly withdraw into his body.
Not only that, he sensed another emotion that did not belong to him.
It was satisfaction.
And exhilaration.
...Is the Colour Out of Space delighted that it killed the Secret Order's Clown?
Julian suddenly understood.
He could not help recalling the extreme loathing the Colour Out of Space had previously shown toward the Antigonus Family Notebook.
So it stopped me from leaving because it wanted me to eliminate the Secret Order's Clown?
Julian's face was blank with shock. At that moment, everything suddenly clicked into place.
The Colour Out of Space doesn't simply despise Antigonus,
but rather Beyonders of the Seer pathway and everything associated with them?
He found the conjecture hard to believe, yet it did seem to be the most reasonable explanation for everything that had happened.
"...Right, I almost forgot Spirit Channeling."
Julian slapped his forehead. Before the Secret Order Clown's soul could dissipate, he hurriedly set up a simple Spirit Channeling ritual.
A few seconds later, the Secret Order Clown's pale face, marked by bewilderment and extreme terror, appeared in Ray Bieber's living room.
Only now, the face paint had vanished, revealing an unremarkable face that was neither ugly nor handsome.
"What's your name?"
Julian lowered his voice and asked.