Chapter 145 - 145: Real, False

The giant's upper body splintered into countless separate entities, each one chasing after the fleeing fragments in different directions. Meanwhile, the lower body continued trying to drag the others back. Edward wasted no time. Mounting his broomstick, he soared through the chaos, slashing with Sectumsempra. This time, the severed limbs bled normally—no flames erupted from the wounds. "Accio Blood." Globules of black-red blood soared toward him from all directions. Edward yanked out an Undetectable-Extension Charmed pouch, hastily funnelling the liquid inside. He didn't know how much he'd collected or how many were left, but before he could continue— "AAAAAGH—" The separated individuals began to convulse. Their bodies twisted grotesquely, skin bubbling as if something inside were fighting to break free. They were losing control. The madness spread like wildfire, infecting every severed piece—then surging back into the giant's remaining lower half. Within seconds, the fused bodies bloated, pulsed— BOOM! The lower torso exploded, showering the ground in embers. One by one, the scattered figures detonated too, vanishing in bursts of flame. Thud. The mother-daughter pair landed right in front of Edward's feet. Their faces still wore grotesque smiles as they murmured, "Sacrifice…offering…" "Damn these insane cultists. Fiendfyre." A flash of crimson Fiendfyre surged forth, instantly reducing them to ash. Moments later, the flames on the ground gradually extinguished, leaving behind a black-and-red stone and a shattered mirror at the site. Edward flicked a gold coin from his sleeve, confirming there was no danger, then walked forward. "Is this the Beyonder characteristic that was precipitated? What Sequence is it?" Although the mirror was shattered, its frame bore a unique design—a serpent devouring its own tail. "That design...wait—is that Ouroboros, the Tail-Devourer? Was this what caused the time loops?" He sighed. "Pity...It's broken." But even if it wasn't, Edward probably wouldn't dare keep it. That guy, Will, had already warned him—Ouroboros was on its way, and the target was Edward himself. Holding onto something potentially related to "Him" now would be like handing over his location on a silver platter. Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps echoed. Verdu walked out from the upturned ship's bow, his face pale, eyes filled with confusion and rage. "Why? Why…" "What's wrong?" Edward asked. "Why…is it only the bow? Where's the rest of the ship? All the clues were in the rest of the hull." Edward frowned. "What exactly are you looking for?" "Hope," Verdu murmured. "My family's hope. But…why is the rest of it missing?" After a moment of thought, Edward said, "If the rest of the ship still exists somewhere in the world, could we try divining it using the bow?" Verdu's eyes lit up instantly. "Yes! We can divine it! We can use the bow to divine the rest of the ship!" He spun on his heel and rushed back inside. Edward was just about to follow when a bone-chilling cold suddenly swept in from his side, accompanied by a wave of formless malice. It felt like someone had clenched his heart in their hand. He turned his head with great difficulty—only to see that a few meters away, a rotting wooden door had appeared from nowhere, standing upright in the air. Wisps of fog seeped out from the gap beneath it. Creak… The door slowly opened a crack, as if someone were pulling it from the other side. A sharp pain stabbed through Edward's eyes like needles. Danger! Unthinkable danger! Life-threatening danger! RUN! Gritting his teeth, he hissed through clenched teeth, "Verdu! Get out of here!" But there was no response. CREAK… The crack widened. His instincts screamed that something terrifying was about to emerge. The pain in his eyes grew unbearable. He tried to close them, but forced himself to keep them open. Tap. A long, slender hand reached out from the crack and gently rested against the doorframe. In that instant, Edward's body froze. "FLIPENDO!" He bit down on his tongue hard and swung his wand with all his might, pouring out his spirituality. Whoosh! The hand morphed into a furry rabbit paw and instantly retracted. "Run!" In the next second, Edward's body twisted violently and vanished into thin air. Moments later, that same long hand emerged again, its fingers tightening slightly. The rotten wooden door crumbled into countless fragments and disappeared without a trace—along with the hand itself. ——— Morning bathed the island in gold. The island's usual humidity quickly faded under the drying rays, though the air was still thick with the scent of moisture. All around, subtropical plants rustled gently in the sea breeze, producing a soft swishing sound. Anglers had already secured their favourite spots by the shore to bait and fish. At the harbour, smiling residents could be seen everywhere—some strolling leisurely, some shopping for daily necessities, and others seeming to prepare for a day at sea. Ding-Ding. The door of the Green Lemon Restaurant was pushed open, and a mother and daughter walked out hand in hand. The two had been chatting and laughing, but upon spotting Edward standing at the entrance in a daze, their expressions shifted to one of confusion. The mother quickly shielded her daughter and hastily walked away. Edward stared. "Was everything I just experienced…a dream? Or is what I'm seeing now all fake?" Less than half an hour had passed, yet it was already broad daylight outside. The townsfolk had died screaming during the amalgamation's collapse—yet here they were, alive. So much had happened within the mist, yet it now felt as though nothing at all had taken place. Except for one thing—Verdu was gone. "Wait—" Edward took out the handbag containing the blood and was surprised to find that the blood was still inside. This proved that everything he had just experienced had truly happened. In that case...what exactly was this current situation? A chill crept down his spine. Feeling increasingly uneasy, Edward quickly stepped into the washroom of the restaurant and began praying to Mr. Fool— "The Fool that doesn't belong to this era; The Mysterious Ruler above the Grey Fog; The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck." "Yesterday—or perhaps it was today—I arrived at Bansy Harbour. Afterwards…" Edward briefly summarised the sequence of events before continuing solemnly, "I beseech Mr. Fool to examine whether everything on this island is as it appears to be." ——— [Backlund] Klein had attended a detective gathering hosted by Sherlock's colleague, Isengard, late into the night. The group had analysed a recent string of serial killings and drawn some preliminary conclusions. By the time Klein returned home, it was already past 11 PM. After washing up and finally getting into bed, it was well past midnight. He had only just closed his eyes when he heard a familiar voice whispering in his ear. "Who the hell prays at this hour?!" Muttering in irritation, he turned his head—only to notice sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains. "Huh? It's already morning? But I just went to bed…" Yawning, Klein trudged into the bathroom, walked four steps backwards, and ascended above the grey fog. There, he discovered that the plea had come from Edward. After listening to the summarised report, Klein couldn't help but mutter, "…This guy again. Why does something go wrong wherever he goes? Is he possessed by Conan or something?" Despite the complaint, Klein still followed Edward's line of sight. From what he could see, the island port looked rather picturesque. He observed for a while longer but didn't detect any abnormalities. Still not rushing to a conclusion, Klein summoned his divination crystal and inscribed the divination statement on parchment: "Edward is in danger." "Edward is in danger." "Edward is in danger." He repeated the sentence seven times. The yellow crystal spun counterclockwise. "…No danger?" Furrowing his brow, Klein finally responded in the persona of The Fool— "There is nothing wrong." He waited patiently until Edward finished thanking him before severing the connection and descending from above the grey fog. "Hmm…" Klein checked his pocket watch. "Still have time for a bit more sleep." He snuggled back into bed, wrapped himself in the blanket, and just as he was about to drift off— "…I need to pee." He had spent so much time in the washroom praying, he'd forgotten its original purpose. Ugh. Have to get up again. Knock, knock, knock. Just then, someone knocked at the door. Klein sighed. "Well, guess this morning's already a wash." He got out of bed, threw on his coat, and walked to the door. The moment his hand touched the doorknob, an image flashed in his mind—it was Dunn. "Captain? Weren't you with Miss Daly…" "I got back yesterday." A shadow briefly passed over Dunn's smile as he recalled the day's journey, but then his expression turned serious. "We've found that tall man connected to Lanevus." ——— Meanwhile, back on Bansy Island. Upon receiving the Fool's response, Edward let out a small sigh of relief. Still, he decided he needed to leave this bizarre place as soon as possible. Just as he stepped out of the washroom, a thunderous noise erupted outside the restaurant. A blond man was sprinting away from the scene while shouting at a furious Storm bishop in deep blue vestments behind him:. "I told you, it wasn't me! I just arrived at Bansy this morning! If I hadn't helped you, you'd still be buried under rubble right now—why are you so dead set on blaming me?!" The bishop roared, "If it wasn't you, then why did you help me?! Anderson Hood! I already suspected something was wrong the last time you brought people here. And now, you've even destroyed the Lord's chapel!" The blond man looked exasperated. "Bloody hell…Why did I even come back to Bansy on a whim?!" The two of them—one chasing, one fleeing—raced toward the dock, a new round of explosions echoing behind them. That guy looked kind of familiar…Where had Edward seen him before? Anderson Hood? Wasn't that the strongest pirate hunter? Was...was he taking the fall for me? Wait a minute. That means…the Lord of Storm's church was actually destroyed? Real, fake, fake, real—nothing could be taken at face value anymore. It was just a harbour tainted by the aura of the City of Calamity…how could it be so strange? And if that wooden door really led to the City of Calamity…then whose hand was that? Were there others inside the City of Calamity? One question followed another, until Edward's thoughts were an utter mess. "Sigh…I wonder what happened to Verdu in the end. I hope he…managed to survive." Suddenly, a subtle yet profound sensation welled up inside him. Edward knew instantly— The Potion of the Madman had finally been fully digested. His first reaction wasn't joy, but confusion. If it had taken this much effort to digest a Sequence 7 potion…how much more difficult would it be for Sequence 6? Or Sequence 5? ——— [Note]: We failed to hit the P.S Goal, so no Extra Chapter. But, if you guys want one tomorrow, we'd need to hit 350 Powestones. Go, VOTE! And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Trust me, it's awesome~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]