Novel Full Chapter 1878: Living Ink
Chapter 1878: Living Ink
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After night fell and everyone retired to sleep, agreeing to discuss the day’s events more thoroughly in the morning, Elayne appeared in her vast Spiritual Realm. It had grown even larger after absorbing the domain left behind by Avenger, which had previously belonged to the strange spirit that called itself “Mangaka.”
“Hm, there’s so much of this strange substance here,” she murmured. “But now that it’s ownerless, it feels irresponsible—endlessly twisting in color without purpose.”
Elena had appeared beside her during the night. Whenever Elayne slept, her daughter would open her eyes inside this Realm and wander, admiring the scenery.
Together they discovered a swirling mass of colorful paint on the forest floor. A few curious creatures sniffed at it but never dared touch it.
Elayne waved her hand, gathering the substance and everything around it. She realized a significant portion of the Domain was composed of this strange, living ink.
“Ink is usually made of oils,” Elayne explained while studying the shifting colors. “But this isn’t exactly oil-based.”
“So is it magic, Mom?” Elena asked curiously.
“Hm, no,” Elayne shook her head. “It’s not so simple… This energy is something similar to… Ah!”
Her eyes widened as she probed deeper into the ink’s essence and composition. A sickening realization dawned on her.
“It’s made…! It’s made of…”
“Of what?”
Elayne delved further into its makeup. Beyond the myriad energies woven into it, something far more bizarre and revolting lay at its core.
“Gryaaaah!”
“Uuaaaggh!”
“Gyaaahhh!”
“Ooooggh!”
Screams.
The screams of countless tortured souls.
No—more precisely, the screams that had been distilled into raw negative energy and curses.
“This paint… This magic ink is composed of reconstructed Hollows… and perhaps Yokai.”
“What?!” Elena gasped. “So that’s why there aren’t any around the city anymore. I really thought we’d find at least a few…”
“I can feel it,” Elayne said quietly. “A powerful presence is siphoning all of them—crushing them into paste and turning them into this wicked, living liquid. It harnesses the energy of creatures born from humanity’s fear and negative emotions… the very things you fought before.”
.
.
.
“Aw, shucks, looks like the Mangaka died. Welp, I guess it isn’t so bad—we got plenty of info about those rascals, right, master?”
“…”
Caster glanced at his master, the lonely woman who had been lost in depression since her son died far too young. She stared at the night sky with half-dead eyes, a cigar burning between her fingers.
“I sometimes wonder if I’m hallucinating… or going crazy,” she whispered. “Are you real, or is this another nightmare?”
“Master, you shouldn’t be so rude to your heroic spirit! I’m as real as they come.”
“…I know. I was… I don’t know. I’ve felt so detached from life since my boy… since he… Even my husband left me. My family doesn’t care anymore… And now, out of nowhere, you show up. I don’t even understand what life wants from me.”
“…”
Caster’s usual bright smile faded. All he wanted was to make his master smile, even for a moment. It was his duty as an artist to bring joy—he truly believed that.
“Ah! I know what’ll cheer you up, master!”
“…?”
The boy stepped onto the building’s terrace. He gazed out at the vast city, spread his arms wide, and raised his glowing brush.
Above the rooftop, a twisting mass of colors continued siphoning Hollows, Yokai, ghosts, and every other monster prowling the streets. It emitted an ominous hum that only Caster and his master could hear.
With a single tap of his brush, the siphoning intensified dramatically. Soon the entire city of Tokyo—and even the surrounding regions of Japan—was being cleansed in an instant.
Of course, it was a good thing. Fewer casualties, fewer disappearances, less work for those in the supernatural world… and safer lives for ordinary people.
“What are you doing?”
His master, however, had no idea what he was up to—until she saw it.
“My power needs large quantities of human emotions and imagination to reach its full potential,” Caster explained. “And this modern world is overflowing with both—so much that it even materializes into monsters: Hollows, Yokai, curses, specters… They’ve become their own species! All of them are perfect sources of energy for me. This way we can keep working even when your Mana pool isn’t that big, master.”
“…? A few days ago I didn’t even know creatures like that were roaming our streets without anyone noticing.”
“Well, people without magical talent can’t see them. You had the gift, but it was sealed—until the Curse you created with your own obsession awakened your innate talent. Amazing, right? Whatever your clan was, it must have been truly powerful once. Their strength faded over centuries, only to miraculously resurge in you.”
“…I don’t really get it.”
“You don’t remember? Your dark emotions—sorrow, depression, self-loathing, hatred, frustration—all condensed inside your heart alongside your magical talent. They awakened a Curse within you.”
“Eh?”
The woman stepped back. Memories flooded in—the strange black hand with its single red eye.
And the monstrous, childlike voice calling from within that being.
“Mama…”
“Ahhh! Nooo!”
She screamed in horror, collapsing to the ground as overwhelming dread consumed her. She scrambled toward the bathroom and began vomiting uncontrollably.
“Hah, you drank way too much alcohol, master.”
Caster shook his head, then smiled again. He waved his brush through the air, weaving countless forms and colors above Tokyo.
He sneered as his Artist Eyes activated, letting him see every fictional creation across Japan.
“Japan truly is a fountain of original stories! So many incredible tales, so many fascinating characters! Instead of those boring Hollows and Yokai, how about we twist things differently? A better way to harvest more energy so my master can win the Holy War… should look more like this, right?”
With a gentle smile, the boy activated his Legendary Treasure. His Aura of countless colors spread across the entire city.
And then…
“Imaginarium Infinitum — The World as I See It!”
Caster did the unthinkable.
Beneath everyone’s noses, unnoticed by the world.
The entirety of Tokyo and its surrounding regions slipped into a gigantic Domain—no, it could no longer even be called a Domain.
Caster had created his own Realm.
A Realm of Imagination and Fantasy.
The world as everyone knew it began to change.
Colors bled everywhere. Fiction and fantasy flowed into reality. Conscious and fabricated souls poured into every corner.
Spirits similar to the “Mangaka” were born by the dozens… then hundreds.
“Hahaha…! HAHAHAHAHA! Yes! This is it, master! Can you see it?! Can you see this beauty?! Everyone! Let’s make your dreams come true! Let’s build this new fantasy together!”
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