Soul Trigger

Chapter 652 The Mastermind: Pulitzer

This guy… the Dead Water Knight?! Wasn't he supposed to arrive in a few days? Why is he suddenly here now…?

Ji Li had not given any further instructions yet. Without the slightest hesitation, the Clementine spirit, still possessing the wine knight Sika, erupted.

The thicket of hair quickly coalesced into a giant carnivorous flower, spraying a thick, ethanol-rich sap directly at the figure resembling the Dead Water Knight.

The countless flowers, grasses, and trees quickly became intoxicated and fell into a drunken stupor, and the chirping insects and birds that had been startled in the air also fell to the ground one after another, and the slime exploded on its target like a water cannon.

The crimson figure rushing from behind cried out in alarm and retreated rapidly, knocking aside the werewolf knights further behind.

A blood-red shadow leaped, and upon seeing the intoxicating soil explode in the distance, Angelica's eyes flashed with deep apprehension:

Damn, this bound person is too difficult to deal with...

Not only can it possess a human spirit in a very short time, but it can also use the human spirit's own abilities during the possession period, and even combine its own spiritual qualities to make it more powerful.

However, the Dead Water Knight...

Her pupils narrowed slightly as she looked at the center of the alcohol-filled spray:

"Watch out, Jazz!"

This wasn't just a way of reminding the other party to be wary of the mysterious ghost nun; it was also a greeting and a signal to cooperate at any time.

Beneath the bursting spray of ethanol, the Silver Body of the Dead Water Knight stood upright, and a hoarse voice emanated from him:

"Don't worry, he's the first guy in the world to try to get 'metal' drunk with 'alcohol'..."

The next moment, a burst of silver light burst forth from beneath his feet, tearing through the crack in the ground and hurtling towards him.

Clementine instantly abandoned his restraint and, "wearing" Sika's body, fled at an extremely fast speed.

But the trees in front of them instantly dissolved, changed color, and reflected the blinding sunlight, merging together to form a shimmering wall of mercury that shot into the sky.

Clementine quickly changed direction, and the mercury followed her movement to intercept.

Seeing this, she condensed billions of black hairs into a drill, intending to break through the mercury wall directly, but the mercury unexpectedly erupted in the opposite direction, transforming into a giant hand that grabbed at her.

The strange plasticity and the spiritual energy fluctuations it transmitted caused Clementine to instantly change her spell. Her black hair burst forth as she slammed it against the mercury hand, intending to use the force to bounce up.

While possessed, she no longer possesses the ability to penetrate physical bodies, and the Drunken Knight's abilities are very suitable for distraction and escape, so now is not the best time to abandon this body.

But the moment she touched the mercury hand, her expression changed drastically as she possessed Sika's body—

Millions of black hairs instantly twisted and dissolved, as if infected by mercury, rapidly turning into the same color and spreading throughout her entire body:
"……assimilation!?"

Black hair is not only a physical manifestation of Clementine's spirit, but also the very essence of her spirit.

But the Dead Water Knight can directly pollute and assimilate them, meaning that the other party can directly assimilate her spiritual essence, just like instantly assimil those trees!
The mercury, spreading rapidly along her hair, gave Clementine no time to think. In an instant, she shed her shell from Sika's body, freeing herself, and soared into the sky, throwing Sika's empty body directly into the shower of mercury—

What a troublesome ability!

After her promotion, her powerful possession ability and the gap left by Andrew meant that the knight squad, unfamiliar with Clementine's bizarre abilities, were almost completely outmaneuvered by her.

Even though Angelica's appearance made it difficult for her to maneuver and she could only escape while keeping her occupied, she still had some room to maneuver. As long as she was not afraid of death itself, she was able to make her resort to dangerous moves.

But this Dead Water Knight...

Putting aside her completely different spiritual energy fluctuations compared to the others, Clementine's intuition told her that she absolutely could not come into contact with that mercury; its terrifying assimilation ability might not even give her the chance to face the long loneliness of the afterlife.

She will turn directly into that mercury!

Odin, where are you!?

no respond.

As her thoughts raced, Clementine shuddered, sensing a deadly warning of a tremor in her spiritual energy.

She whirled around and flew to dodge, only to see that the mercury had already blotted out the sky, steaming with deadly twisted spiritual energy, and was enveloping Sika, whom she had thrown aside, without any regard for her.

In an instant, crescent moons cleaved through the blood-red wings:

"Sir, what are you doing?!"

Angelica.

The crimson spiritual energy instantly dissolved and tore open his chest cavity. The Dead Water Knight stood rooted to the spot, silently turning his head to look at Angelica, who had launched the attack not far away:
"Blood Silver Knight, what are you doing now?"

The relief that had been on Angelica's face earlier was now completely gone, replaced by anger and deep apprehension.
"Those are my teammates, what do you think I'm doing?!"

Angelica pointed into the air, and it was Andrew rushing towards the shower of mercury and Sika's figure.

"Naturally, I'm dealing with that bound creature. You should trust me more..."

"Don't joke around!!" Angelica's eyes blazed with fury. Was she planning to wipe out her teammates as well? That doesn't look like you came to help!
"Ha ha……"

The Dead Water Knight raised his hand and waved it, causing the steaming mercury that was originally meant to envelop Sika and Clementine to crack open instantly. After a brief pause, Sika was released and the mercury moved even faster to envelop Clementine.

Her spiritual awareness instantly sharpened, and she looked down at Angelica, then suddenly waved her hand at the air.

This strange scene caused the Dead Water Knight to let out a soft exclamation. Just as he was wondering about the meaning behind her actions, he felt a surge of spiritual energy beside him and abruptly turned his head:

"you……"

Angelica's eyes turned pitch black, and her burning blood-flame claws instantly tore apart his entire upper body. The endless mercury that had enveloped Clementine instantly exploded and dissipated—

Black-haired spirit doll!

When Angelica came to her senses and her eyes regained their color, she realized what she had just done.

Before she could even be shocked by Clementine's troublesome abilities, she hurriedly pulled her hand away, avoiding the Deadwater Knight's mercury body as if it were a plague. But in close combat, she would inevitably be contaminated, so she could only retreat several meters and keep burning her palm with blood flames.

Clementine, who had successfully used her control over Angelica to escape, was already speeding away into the distance, while the Dead Water Knight remained clinging to her like a leech.

Although Angelica's attack interrupted his spell, it did not have much effect on him.

Clearly realizing the strangeness of Clementine's abilities, he decided to finish the fight quickly, transforming his body into thick, noodle-like mercury as he chased and collided with Clementine.

The air and the ground exploded repeatedly during their high-speed chase, and Clementine was eventually unable to dodge and was brutally pierced in the arm by the exploding mercury.

She immediately severed this part of her spiritual body, and the separated black hair shrieked as it fell into the ground, which had already turned into a lake of mercury.

Half of the hillside had turned into a lake of mercury.
"when?!"

"Cute little girl, don't you want to be mine...?"

The voice of the Dead Water Knight followed like a shadow, and it was actually the small birds of the forest swallowed by mercury that rose up around him:

"Or are you still calling for your master in vain?"

Clementine remained expressionless, her entire body surging with spiritual energy:
They actually noticed...

"It's a pity. Although I don't know if you used a spell or a circuit, he probably won't be able to receive it."

The entire lake of mercury shot into the sky, and to the astonishment of the group, it transformed into a super barrier that enveloped the entire area.

The Dead Water Knight stood amidst the raging waves of mercury, his voice hoarse as he looked at Clementine with a mocking expression, and clapped his hands lightly.
"Your abilities are quite impressive... Regardless of where you come from, you are a truly beautiful young woman in my eyes, and I will reserve a very important position for you in my army..."

Roars, cries, howls.

Countless spiritual organisms shaped by mercury emerged from the lake of mercury.

There are human spirits, there are strange and grotesque creatures, there are birds and beasts, and there are the flowers, grasses and trees that have just been assimilated—

In that instant, Clementine sensed countless spiritual fluctuations below. These beings were all independent entities, yet their auras were exactly the same as the Dead Water Knight's, emanating the exact same spiritual fluctuations:

Enslavement... This assimilation is a form of enslavement!
Realizing this, Clementine's soul trembled, and she unleashed all her spiritual energy, but the endless mercury still contracted, turning her attack and black hair into a torrent of mercury.

A surge of intense fear instantly welled up in his eyes:

I've been dragging this out for so long, is it still not over on your end...?

Damn Odin, where are you?! Can you hear me?!

You said you wouldn't let me die again?! What's going on now? Where are you?! [Why are you so panicked?]

As Clementine heard a familiar voice, the mercury spray suddenly stopped, and a raven cried out—

Angelica's heart skipped a beat; it was the violent tremor from the Soul Trigger.

"Oh no... Andrew, get out of the way!!!"

At Angelica's stern shout, Andrew, who had just caught Sika in freefall, was met by a flock of crows.

Sensing the terrifying spiritual energy within the crow, the already weakened Andrew was terrified and frantically stumbled and rolled to the ground.

Angelica cursed under her breath and rushed to protect Andrew.

Then, the endless flock of crows that appeared out of nowhere transformed into a storm that gathered in the sky, tearing and clashing with the mercury-transformed spiritual creatures.

Angelica had finally managed to lead the two out of the storm of crows, but when she sensed the surging spiritual energy, her heart trembled, and the instant she turned her head, her pupils contracted sharply:

"...No assimilation?!"

The storm of crows tore apart and devoured the mercury, and in an instant, the mercury-covered sky was transformed into the territory of the crows.

They roared and hissed like tornadoes, conveying deadly spiritual energy fluctuations.

Deep within the storm, a figure floating in mid-air embraced the ghost nun, its raven-shaped mask slowly turning its head.

The moment their eyes met, all three felt a jolt, sensing an immense pressure bearing down on them—

Peak Domination?!
"Scared?"

Looking at Clementine in his arms, Ji Li's voice, hidden beneath his mask, carried a hint of amusement.

The former stared blankly at him, then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his chest and pressing herself against him.
"……Owner."

"Get some rest."

"I don't want to go to the cross..."

"I mean, I'll hold you and let you rest."

Clementine arched her head and clung tightly to Ji Li like a startled fawn.

The people below had different expressions.

"This is the master of the bound man... Damn it..."

Staring blankly at the unknown figure, Angelica glanced at the silent Dead Water Knight, her eyes filled with deep worry and heaviness.

Is this the guy...?

He is the mastermind behind Red Maple Town, the source of the anomalies, the creator of the sea fog, and the guy who plots to seize the "Odin" legacy.

She felt a sudden chill run down her spine. She had been in the town for quite some time, but during that time she had been completely unaware of the other person's presence...

Who exactly is this guy, and where is he hiding?

Could the abnormal events upstream have also been part of his plan?

If the Dead Water Knight hadn't suddenly appeared today, he probably would still be hiding in the shadows of the town...

"You finally showed up..."

A hoarse voice broke the silence.

The knight squad turned around and saw the Dead Water Knight strolling forward.

He spread his arms and looked up at the figure shrouded in crows above:

Pulitzer...

The clear syllables reached the ears of the three knights, as if struck by a heavy blow, and their three gazes instantly locked onto Ji Li.

Andrew looked puzzled, as if wondering who Pulitzer was; the name sounded familiar.

Sika, who had just woken up from the daze of being possessed, was instantly stunned, staring at the sky as if struck by lightning, her lips trembling.

Angelica, the last one, experienced a surge of spiritual energy, her thoughts seemingly frozen, her pupils suddenly contracting—

What is this guy talking about, Pulitzer?
How could this be...? But how did the Dead Water Knight know?! However...

As if she had just realized something, her pupils dilated wildly.

It seems that Pulitzer either remained detached from the unusual events or directly participated in them each time.

Anya, who has a close connection with the World Tree Mark, is his girlfriend.

Today he and his sister Equal participated in a sailing race, and something unusual happened...

And more importantly, his blood...

Angelica clenched her fists tightly:

"It was you..."

No wonder her vampiric urges were so strong, no wonder she turned out like this... It's all because of you?!

You're a supreme ruler?!
Pulitzer didn't speak, but simply looked down at the crowd below.

The Dead Water Knight slowly moved forward:

"Not going to say anything? Or... do you think your hiding is so sophisticated, and that you're the one sitting in the back watching everything?"

"Pulitzer Orin, I don't know how you became like this, but clearly, you've been hiding it for a long time..."

"I know what you're here for, I know why you're here, I know what your purpose is. Why don't you reveal your true identity and tell everyone who you are before I take you away or kill you?"

Ji Li remained silent as he slowly landed, but his gaze was fixed on the sea not far behind them.

"Are you going to kill me, or take Pulitzer with you?"

The Dead Water Knight scoffed, dismissing Ji Li's attempts to distance himself from the identity of "Pulitzer":
"As a strong person, continuing like this is not very classy..."

But Sika's voice came from the side:
"Wait a minute... who's that?"

Finally, the group couldn't help but turn their heads to look, wary of Ji Li, in the direction he and Sika were both looking—

Aquil's figure was rushing towards this place, and on his back, which was running at high speed, was the sleeping Pulitzer.

Angelica: ? ? ?
Andrew: ? ? ?

As for Sika, he breathed a sigh of relief—

Damn, I was almost scared to death.

If Pulitzer is indeed this unknown entity... then his previous disclosure of the captain's information to Pulitzer would be a complete dereliction of duty...

Angelica's pupils were glazed over, her gaze shifting back and forth between Pulitzer, Ji Li, and the Dead Water Knight:

If this is Pulitzer, then who is that over there?!

The Deadwater Knight was clearly not expected to see this, but in the instant he was stunned, Sir Deathcry had already appeared in front of him.

The sudden burst of spiritual energy made everyone's hearts tighten simultaneously:
"You've mistaken me for someone else, you idiot."

The other shore is unsheathed, mercury bursts forth—

"Get out of the way!!!! Miss Wright, don't come any closer!!!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Because I've been on a business trip recently, I can only update once a day for the next couple of days. Please bear with me, godfathers... Tomorrow is the last day.

(End of this chapter)