Brain bloom

Volume 1 #300: Hair is a Woman's Life

Evil Mist...

Upon hearing this word, Dandelion looked like she was having a headache, while Yuan kept glancing at her, wondering if she was here to cause trouble.

They trusted Fufu's reliability, and the two of them also noticed something amiss. A powerful, yet seemingly boneless, lithe human was approaching. Behind him—were dozens of walking corpses.

Because of the holy letters that shone brightly all over the ground, they had a clear view even at night. But these monsters that suddenly appeared, even though they were surrounded by light, were still shrouded in a deep darkness, as if they were blocked from the light.

"Looking for you?" Yuan asked.

"I think it's for you..."

"In any case, the Evil Mist is a troublesome enemy."

"Feel the same."

Dandelion sighed deeply, puzzled as to why the ominous mist had reappeared. She couldn't help but think of the calamity prophesied by the Time Spirit—the awakening of primordial evil… but something still didn't seem right.

If that were the case, as a type of ominous mist, it would definitely be doing its best to collect all kinds of souls and nutrients. Would it still be taking such small-scale actions? Without thousands of puppets acting together, it wouldn't even be considered a small-scale skirmish.

But she wasn't too afraid, since the evil of the Four Seasons surpassed that of the Calamity Mist, and generally speaking, she wouldn't be affected.

She was still willing, and showed no fear whatsoever.

"How about this, whoever it came to, that's who will handle this," Dandelion suggested.

"Yes, I agree."

The words had barely left their mouths when the two reached an agreement. But the monster, which was supposed to be slowly approaching, was anything but quiet. Unwilling to be a silent listener, it suddenly stirred. Instantly, a cold night wind, carrying the stench of the sea, swept through the street.

Surprise spread through their hearts. The two were certain that this creature was no weakling... but a formidable monster.

A dull, sharp sound grazed past their ears.

If she hadn't been willing to hold onto the dandelion to avoid it, she would have had most of her leaves snapped off by that swift blow. The speed was even faster than the wind, and it came so suddenly.

After the initial probing attack, the monster that was at the end of the street a second ago is now stopped at the other end.

She carried Dandelion in a princess carry, and somehow managed to hide on a nearby rooftop. She looked at the monster with a half-serious expression, giving it a very high evaluation.

"A little bit strong."

"Who is this for?"

"I don't know, after all, that last move was meant to cut our necks off."

That humanoid monster was no ordinary creature; its entire body was covered in black scales, from which ominous mist constantly emanated, making it even darker. Its weapons were its two arms.

Longer than a normal human, they resemble giant pincers with double-edged scissors hanging from them. They can slash and stab from any angle, and naturally, they can also be used to crush prey.

This style is clearly from the sea.

"Hodge's men."

"It seems so... they're looking for the two of us. By the way, put me down."

Dandelion realized that this was definitely going to be a tough battle. The monster leading the group was one thing, but it also brought dozens of fully armed human puppets with it. Since they were a small elite group, they wouldn't be weak.

Although Mori wasn't home, thankfully she was fully equipped... It was time for a serious battle, something she hadn't done in a long time.

She struggled, but couldn't shake Yuan's embrace. Even though they were about the same size, Yuan held her tightly, and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't budge him.

"Put me down, let's solve this together, and then ask who it is."

I'd rather just silently watch the other side—"overestimating seafood."

There is a cool gleam in his eyes, like a flame that has reached its extreme temperature and fades from its usual red, turning into something almost white.

At that moment—forgetting the dandelion's existence, she became unusually angry.

An evil aura, comparable to that of an ancient demon king, clung to Yuan like a relentless volcanic eruption. Even the dandelion, sensing it at close range, couldn't help but get goosebumps.

Dandelion wanted to remind her not to get so angry, but the overwhelming force of the waves rendered her speechless.

The monster walked slowly from the other end of the street, its posture calm and collected. As if in a provocation, it raised its two sharp pincers and brandished them.

"I'm going to destroy this seafood." He was even more furious.

"Do whatever you want... but why are you suddenly so angry?"

"It just cut off a few strands of my hair..." she said angrily, but still explained why. "My dad used to say that hair is a woman's life! I don't know why that's true, but I'm so angry that such important hair of mine was damaged!"

Dandelion nodded—a wish is still a wish, she thought.

At this moment, the monster moved again, and a lot of evil mist poured out from its scales and mouth and nose, strengthening the monster's muscle power. This attack will definitely be much stronger and faster than before.

Conversely, Yuan, furious, also raised his right foot.

Then—step down gently.

The battle is over.

And that formidable monster never had another chance to display its full speed.

It turned into a paper-thin pancake, which, along with the ominous mist within its body, became stickers on the street bricks, including the dozens of followers it brought with it.

An invisible and incomprehensible force suddenly appeared and crushed it to the ground.

Heavy as a mountain.

That's the result.

"Yeah, that feels better. I still need to tear it off and throw it away... Alright, let's continue waiting for the ghost."

"...You...what kind of magic is this?"

Although Dandelion was put down, her momentary doubt made her unsteady on her feet, and she almost fell off the roof. Yuan quickly helped her up and brought her back to the ground, shaking his head in response.

"It's not magic. I rarely use magic because I can't control its power."

"……That?"

"I don't know, I can't describe it, but it's very easy to use."

……

On a small island nation in the ocean, Hodge, shrouded in ominous fog, is observing many things.

First, the brewing and condensation of the Evil Mist army is a crucial step in ensuring that more souls and nutrients can be harvested later to awaken the primordial evil, and fortunately, it is progressing very smoothly.

Secondly, the pawns secretly left behind when they went to the Demon Realm to eavesdrop on the emergency human meetings also brought back a lot of expected news.

Third, it is to pass the message to the pawns planted in various countries.

He wasn't some foolish brute who only knew how to wield power; he naturally knew how to assess the situation. For example, ensuring that the ancient demon king, who was most likely to be traded and hired to stop him, didn't interfere was the most crucial first step.

The second line of defense is to humiliate those fools living in the human world who believe they have hope.

These matters consumed most of Hodge's energy. After pondering for a while, he decided to investigate another matter before taking a break. He dispatched a capable subordinate to Silver Ring City to resolve that minor threat.

Even though it was just a small splinter embedded in his flesh, it still bothered him.

Having been dispatched so far, at its current speed, it should have almost arrived at the destination and resolved the problem by now... With this expectation in mind, Hodge activated the power of the Sea God's faith, which could ignore distance and limitations and contact all his subordinates.

As luck would have it, Hodge witnessed the final scene.

That dashing, black-haired girl resolved the battle with such effortless ease...

Hodge was shocked, then enraged. A feeling of humiliation, deception, and manipulation washed over him. Because that unique power belonged to the adopted daughter of the ancient Demon King, the legendary Princess of Dawn, spoken of by word of mouth throughout the demon realm…

A cunning and hateful devil exploited a loophole in the deal...

What Hodge couldn't understand even more was what the Ancient Demon King was thinking, so determined to prevent the awakening of the primordial evil? Was he really going to favor the human world, which cursed demons the most? And... he even disregarded his own daughter's impending death, sending her to stop this?

Volume 1, Chapter 301: It and Itsself

Even in the main shrine of Poseidon Hodge, in the island nation of 1848 named after a number, its temple cannot be described as magnificent. On the contrary, it appears somewhat desolate, contrary to its status as a true god.

It wasn't corrupted by the gathered evil mist; it was simply its inherent nature.

The height, requiring no looking up, is achieved by piling up moss-covered bricks. Admittedly, in a place so resource-poor, and where the inhabitants are mostly wicked, such a scale is already quite impressive—but the key issue is the severe lack of faith.

Hodge sat beside his idol, each piece of seaweed a manifestation of the believers' faith.

It uses these powers to think about the world.

Its suspicions were not unfounded; if it were true that the ancient Demon King had exploited a loophole in the deal, then it was quite possible.

In Morey's memory, it saw a girl who looked exactly like Wish. Although it had never seen her before and therefore did not recognize her at first glance, Hodge knew that this famous "Princess of the Dawn" was quite well-known.

At this critical juncture, it was leading a girl who should have been a collectible in its theater, parading around the human world, just like bait prepared specifically for fish, and very obviously at that.

But it took a bite...

"But...why..."

“It’s a very simple principle, Hodge.”

A similar yet distinct voice came from the nearby statue.

Hodge was furious: "Shut your stinking mouth, Hodge. Don't pollute my grand plan with your innocent thoughts."

“I am suppressed by your power and cannot shake you. I just want to answer your questions. You are confused... right?” The voice was quite kind, and the unhurried pace of the speech made people feel comfortable. “Of course the ancient demon king would stop you, because the human world and its world have a very long history of trade.”

"Of course I know!"

"Hodge, if you wipe out humanity, the demons will lose their trading partners, which will be very difficult for them," the voice said, trying to ease its worries.

"So I made a big deal... and there's more to it. When the time comes, I'll destroy all of humanity. Apart from the nutrients used to awaken the primordial evil, the rest of the souls will be given to those demons... to resolve this matter."

It had a complete plan in place long ago, and it was very appropriate.

But it also knows better than anyone that any deal without a proposal is just pointless talk. Ultimately, it all comes down to pride.

That owl, always so aloof, seemingly knowing everything yet so calculating… Hodge really hated it. It had been planning to wait until the human world became desolate and the demons had no more trading partners, then quietly step in and, with an even more arrogant attitude, toss those souls to it.

At that time, the price of the deal will be that the ancient demon king will bow down and at least be able to look at it as an equal.

Unfortunately, this kind of drama, which involves personal feelings, seems to have run into some problems.

The failure to reach an agreement ahead of schedule has instead turned the ancient demon king into an enemy, who has even exploited loopholes in the deal to find someone else to stop it.

"...This is a bit tricky."

"So, this is the end of it?"