On the steep and long stone steps, the light of the red moon illuminated the middle section, leaving relatively dark shadows on both sides.
Enzo, like any other passerby at night, descended the steps with a slightly hurried yet composed demeanor, fully confident in his exceptional luck and belief that he was Winner in life, and would not be overtaken by the " Nighthawks."
As he approached the end of the staircase connecting the upper and lower paths, Enzo, who had once been a " Monster," suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at the shadowy spot at the very edge of the bottom level.
He then saw a figure sitting there in a daze. The figure's features and build were somewhat blurry due to the lighting, but the clothing was typical of East Balam.
The figure took out a box of matches, lit one with a flick of the wrist, and let the light illuminate the edges.
Enzo didn't have time to take a good look at the other person; a picture suddenly flashed before his eyes:
The figure tossed the match over, seemingly as a gift, and as the match drew near, an exaggerated burst of flame erupted, from which emerged a man in a suit and top hat!
Seeing things he shouldn't see and hearing things he shouldn't hear is a daily occurrence for the " Monster." Enzo has become a " Winner," is already used to it all. Without thinking, he fully trusts his premonition, suddenly lunges forward, leaps off the steps, and rolls twice on the street below.
At the same time, the brown-skinned Marionette Enuni suddenly stood up, twisted his waist and swung his arm, throwing the match in his hand towards the spot where Enzo had been standing.
Before the match even hit the ground, the crimson flame had already stretched and lengthened, shooting straight into the air, magnificent and dazzling.
Amidst the flames, Klein, dressed in a black suit and top hat, with handsome, somewhat androgynous features, leaped out, only to lose track of his target.
He noticed someone rapidly descending the stairs more than ten seconds earlier, seemingly avoiding something. Suspecting this was his new Marionette, he quickly performed a " Dream Divination " and received the insight that the person was connected to the Rose School of Thought and was not a good person.
With this answer in mind, Klein prepared to act without hesitation. Unfortunately, due to the limited time, he didn't have time to use the " Paper Angel " Record in " Creeping Hunger " to interfere with the other party's Spirituality intuition, and ended up missing his target.
At this moment, his Marionette Enuni, had left the last step of the stairs and was running wildly toward Enzo, who had just stood up.
Enzo's heart skipped a beat. He didn't dodge, but simply turned his body slightly to avoid the ordinary attack.
Then, he drew his gun, aimed quickly, and with a bang, hit Enuni in the chest.
Blood gushed out, Marionette Enuni swayed and collapsed, his breathing becoming rapid and weak.
Klein seized this brief opportunity, vanishing in an instant and Blink in front of his target, blocking his escape route.
Enzo suddenly had a strange, inexplicable premonition, and immediately closed his eyes tightly.
He didn't know why he did it, but as Mid-Sequence Beyonder being in the " Fate " pathway, he believed that intuition was an instinctive reaction!
Immediately afterward, Enzo hurriedly turned around, trying to rely on his Spirituality intuition to rush into another street, but the unremarkable-looking man in a top hat and suit appeared opposite him again.
Klein's figure kept disappearing and reappearing, as if he were running at high speed around Enzo, always managing to block his path in advance without launching a direct attack. No matter which way Enzo turned, or whether he used his extraordinary abilities, he was always faced with a figure in a black suit and a top hat.
For a fleeting moment, Enzo, with his eyes closed, thought the enemy wasn't just one person, but a whole group.
The " Traveler " always manages to create the effect of being surrounded all by himself!
In about ten seconds, Enzo, who had not yet found a way to escape, suddenly became sluggish, his movements slowed down, and it felt as if glue had been poured into his brain and joints.
" Travel " and " Marionettist " go very well together. When Klein Blink just now, he maintained a distance of less than 10 meters from Enzo! He was secretly Manipulation the other's " Spirit Body Threads "!
Oh no... He's not attacking... He's only blocking... Not... to wait for... the Nighthawks... But... He has another purpose... Enzo, who still had his eyes closed, felt a sudden tightness in his chest. Suddenly, he stepped on a pebble, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground, sending his pistol flying several meters.
thump!
The pain and shock immediately freed Enzo from his sluggish state, allowing him to regain a smooth feeling.
Enzo was no stranger to such unexpected events; as a " Winner," he always managed to gain an advantage and seize victory through various low-probability events.
Just as he was about to rush to the end of a side street without hesitation, climb over the railing, and jump into the sea, relying on Fate to escape his predicament, another scene flashed through his mind:
He coughed violently, so violently that he couldn't straighten up or move his legs!
Disease! The enemy can infect me with disease! He hasn't attacked, he's just blocked my escape route, just to keep me in this area and let me contract the disease unnoticed! Enzo was first startled, then a strong feeling of joy welled up inside him.
The " Viridescent " ring he always wore came from the followers of the " The Moon Primordial." Once opened, it could easily heal various minor illnesses and injuries!
This is "luck"! Pretending not to notice the infectious disease in the air, Enzo pushed off with both hands and leaped out, heading straight for the guardrail at the end of the street, following the route he had planned.
He had only run two steps when he suddenly coughed and involuntarily slowed down.
His cough didn't subside as usual; instead, it became more and more intense, as if he were coughing his lungs out of his throat.
Klein, dressed in a top hat and suit, flashed by and appeared behind his target again, maintaining a distance of nearly ten meters.
Just then, Enzo opened his arms, allowing invisible ripples to spread out from within his body.
This was like a pure Mind Storm, sweeping across all the surrounding spirits, bringing intense dizziness while spreading disaster.
Klein also had a premonition of danger. Just as Enzo opened his arms, his body disappeared from the spot and reappeared in the middle of the steep steps.
Enzo, with his eyes closed, realized he hadn't achieved the desired effect and immediately abandoned the idea of eliminating his target before escaping. He continued rushing towards the railing at the end of the street.
He had a premonition that if he delayed any longer, some of the " Nighthawks " would catch up, making the situation even more chaotic.
As a " Bravehearts," a " Winner," the more chaotic the situation, the greater the chance of escape!
At this moment, because of his previous blind escape and constant changes of direction, he once again passed by the Marionette Enuni, whom he had shot in the chest.
On the index finger of his left hand, Enuni wore a gold ring inlaid with a ruby.
The ring flashed with a bloody light, and the wound on Enuni's chest began to heal. He sprang up and lunged at Enzo, who happened to be passing by, his mouth agape.
Inside his mouth, his tongue seemed to have lost its sense of reality, turning into a mass of flowing flesh and blood.
" Flower of Blood "!
The ring that Enuni wore was the " Flower of Blood " ring that Klein obtained from Mr. X. On the one hand, it could randomly make the wearer abandon thought and turn into a beast. On the other hand, it could allow the wearer to have a deeper grasp on their own flesh and blood. As long as they did not die instantly or undergo complete Purification, even the most serious injuries could be healed by wriggling!
In addition, it comes with some Flesh and Blood Magic, making it a magical item that is very suitable for Marionette!
Before Klein went out to find a new Marionette, he didn't know which path the target belonged to or what Sequence it was. So he made comprehensive preparations and had Enuni wear the " Flower of Blood " ring. In this way, he could direct a drama that seemed to be in which he was the main character Marionette, but in reality, it was the exact opposite.
Enzo had just run past where Enuni was lying when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his knee, seemingly from a minor injury sustained in his previous fall.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he instinctively crouched down, only to feel a figure fly past his head, leaving him empty-handed!
Enuni's sudden attack still failed to have any effect on the " Winner "!
Just as Enzo was about to smile and run again, a bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart, and he instinctively curled up to protect his vital parts.
At the same time, the Marionette Enuni suddenly expanded and exploded silently.
Clumps of flesh and blood transformed into Storm, sweeping across a large area and striking Enzo's body with a series of whooshing blows.
One of Klein's preparations was to use the mutated ability of " Creeping Hunger " to plant a " Flesh Bomb " inside the Marionette!
With a clang, the gold ring inlaid with a ruby landed on the cobblestones of the street, and Klein's figure Blink to Enzo's side.
He raised his left palm, turning the glove black as if it were composed of countless particles, and uttered a word filled with evil and Depravity:
"Slow!"
Enzo was lucky enough to avoid most of the damage, and his body, which had only suffered minor injuries, suddenly stopped moving. His struggling movements slowed down noticeably, and his curled-up posture gradually changed.
Immediately afterwards, his eyes, which he opened due to the pain, came into view of a figure—a person dressed in a black suit and a top hat.
"Ah!"
Enzo suddenly let out a scream, raised his hands, and covered his eyes.
Strands of blood then seeped out from between his fingers.
" Monster?" Klein raised an eyebrow as he looked at the target writhing in pain on the ground. He continued to Manipulation the " Spirit Body Threads " and quickly achieved initial control.
This time, there were no unexpected interruptions. Enzo, who was in a semi-mad state and had grown some scales on his body, was powerless to resist, and Klein easily deepened his control.
Time ticked by, Enzo suddenly rolled over and stood up, concealing the few snake-like scales that had been protruding.
He placed his hand on his chest, bowed to Klein, then walked to the side, bent down, picked up the gold ring set with a ruby, and put it on the index finger of his left hand, making a perfect pair with the emerald ring on the other side.
Klein resisted the urge to examine himself with the new Marionette and let Enzo deal with the remaining flesh and blood and traces at the scene.
Having done all this, he took the Marionette and stepped into the shadows on the side of the street, quickly disappearing from sight.