Chapter 82: Jester, not a Clown

The perspective of Fisk continues:

"Eughhhh!!—"

Threw up as I woke up in another body—some of these bodies were awfully malnourished, even while being in suspended animation states that had drastically slowed their nutritional depletion.

With blood and vomit still over my face and clothes, I began holding my hand upwards and closed my eyes.

My hand flinched as strings connected.

Immediately, two more locations were abruptly destroyed...

Then clouds began bursting yet again—a sound of rapidness went over the sky and my expression changed to that of profound discomfort.

I died once more.

How many times have I died so far?—the severity was stacking in a pyramid of utter disgust and pain.

Woke up in another body—and instantly was met with acidic vomit rushing out of my mouth, mixed with blood and dread.

Not even ten seconds had passed, and Kross landed on the building I was on.

Elegantly, like some angel rather than a reaper—and he was the latter.

"Are you done?" he softly voiced with his head tilted slightly upwards—showcase of arrogance?—yeah?

"I actually am," I said as I began smiling—hinting that I wasn’t feeling threatened whatsoever.

"I assume I can’t kill you, right?"

He started walking up to me... big steps.

"Not— not today, dear," I replied with a stutter that was imminent because of the physical agitation—nothing else.

"What was your goal being here?—were you operating alone or was this some spy shit— or whatever?"

Slowly yet in discomfort, I blinked and took a big gulp—my leg went behind me, instinctively in spite of the fact that I wouldn’t be relying on physical prowess to escape.

"If it makes you feel better, yes, I did operate alone—it wasn’t for some other city or country— make sure this reaches Angelo and others for me, okay?"

This didn’t reach him—disgust further rattled his face, as shadows began elapsing all over the place.

He was now next to me—standing close enough to give me a kiss.

Don’t make me blush—my breath doesn’t smell nice right now!

"Y’know, I’ve killed enough of your bodies—I can terminate all of them simultaneously in less than one second now."

Immediately, I giggled.

"Surely, you don’t think a century-old shapeshifter wouldn’t be prepared for a contingency like this?—right?"

Then, my voice rose as my hand went towards him...!!

"Don’t underestimate me, boy!!"

Oh, oop— my arms are already gone.

He sure is quick... sigh.

With indifference and boredom on his face, he said:

"You clown...!! You really think I’d do all of this if I ’underestimated’ you?!"

My grin consequently flinched... oops.

"I’m..."

"...a jester...!! Not a clown, get it righ—"

I was cut off by a pop—the sound of veins bursting right in your ears.

Suddenly, my vision flashed—repeatedly, like a slideshow of images.

He did what he claimed to have the ability to...

Terminated every single body I had in the Im City simultaneously, causing an intense onslaught of mental and physical anguish.

I woke up outside of the Im City—a decent distance away, but that was nowhere enough to get away from this "thing."

Breathing heavily, I began throwing up on myself—I was in a coffin deep underground, it had a small air-way for the body to retain itself for at least a decade of dormancy.

"Seems— seems like this is my goodbye to that City... and Dante."

I needed some time to regain my composure, but I had nothing like that—it was do or die, at least with an opponent like that.

So, I closed my eyes—and for the final time, connected with a body in the Im City.

This connection, however, was different—it was fragile and was more like a data transfer rather than a takeover to any capacity.

I knew... even that would get detected by Kross.

I told my goodbyes to Dante—and it disconnected abruptly.

Then... finally... I relinquished control.

A trail of over a hundred bodies connected—and disconnected simultaneously, cutting off full-stop without any residue of me left in their bodies.

Miles and miles...!! Hundreds of miles...

That was the distance I created with this.

The mental toll this caused was unspeakable... I woke up frantically trembling and puking...!!

I’d take weeks to recover from the damage...

It was the emergency exit—a plan that would abandon everything and get as far away from Im City as possible.

Unfortunately, the bodies I left in my wake regained their consciousness as well.

Almost all of them would die buried alive.

Some, perhaps, could survive.

Others, would undeniably die... painfully.

For this, I apologize.

Dearly...

"I am sorry," I stated to the void—in a dark coffin that had not the slightest glimmer of light inside, with the smell of dirt and rot constantly plaguing my nostrils.

I did my dues—you won Dante, therefore I gave you the sweet aftermath of your victory.

Can you be satisfied with that for me?—or will you grow to loathe me over handing it to you so easily?

I hope to see you again one day—somewhere far away from that place, where we wouldn’t need to sneak around to satisfy our desires.

Somewhere that isn’t plagued by a government that has abandoned magic and displaced it with a bunch of scriptures that automate the beauty of human essence...!!

God, how I hated that place...!! The most disgusting City in the whole Iso Continent...!!

My face began embracing repugnance as well, perfectly mirroring Kross.

And they do all of that under the pretense that it’s for the greater good...!! Fiends... they know nothing about how big the world truly is...!!

But how would they know anything...?! They lock themselves up for their little "human society" thinking they can replicate the first... because oh-how-awful is the fourth with their vile misguided morals...!!

Get away from there, Dante...!!

You must, and learn about the actual World outside the walls...!!

There’s nothing but misery in Im City...

Now all I can do is hope... that...

"...I managed to be a jester..."

"...instead of a clown."