Chapter 95 - Wild Hunt (3)

I imagined Si-on drawing her blade without hesitation and swinging it at me.

'You reveal your true colors and then have the nerve to call me! You idiot! I'll kill you!'

Fortunately, however, that didn't happen.

If she had approached with the intent to kill from the start, Grizzly, who was sensitive to killing intent, would have detected the danger. After all, Grizzly was the kind of creature that could sense an anti-tank rocket flying in from a distance.

Si-on steadied her breathing and relayed information about the Anomaly to me.

"There's a lot I want to ask you, Yo-han-ssi, but... for now, I'll prioritize the safety of the child who got caught up in this and resolving the incident."

Granted, Ji-ye might already be dead, but there was no need to waste time.

I listened to what Si-on told me about the Clown Anomaly and looked at the photo attached to the file.

After seeing the photo of the Clown Anomaly, I turned my head to look at Si-on and said,

"Isn't this that stock market clown? You know, the one that's always like, 'If you're that bad at stocks, just go kill yourself~.'" [TL: A reference to "Pennywise stocks," a popular Korean internet meme featuring a clown mocking failed stock traders.]

"...It is a character born from coulrophobia, but it's different."

Si-on finished her explanation, and I got a rough grasp of the Clown Anomaly's methods.

It was similar to the dating sim game Anomaly that had dragged me and Si-on in last time.

An Anomaly that trapped people in a Subspace separated from reality, toyed with them, and fed on their fear.

If that was the case, then perhaps it was a silver lining?

It couldn't be called safe, but there was a chance Ji-ye was still alive.

I held the invitation Si-on had given me.

"So if I open the invitation, I get pulled into the amusement park."

"Yes, but since it's a space created by an Anomaly, rushing in recklessly would be dangerous."

"I'm sure it would be."

That said, I had no intention of just waltzing into the Anomaly's home turf unprepared either.

I'd learned my lesson from the Anomaly Dating Sim world.

The Gnomes scraped at the concrete floor with their scythes, diligently drawing a Magic Circle.

"Heave-ho~ Gnome~!"

"Doing our best~ Gnome~!"

One of the Gnomes was hopping up and down beside the ones drawing the Magic Circle, doing a little cheerleading dance, bouncing one foot at a time.

I looked down at that Gnome.

"Gnome, what are you doing?"

"Gnome is the cheering squad for the Gnomes drawing the Magic Circle, Gnome! Work efficiency goes up, Gnome!"

'...Is this like having a military band in a Three Kingdoms strategy game?'

In any case, the Magic Circle was complete.

Step, step.

I walked into the Magic Circle.

Today was Sunday. I selected a useful spell from the Pentacle of the Sun magic for the current situation.

I pulled out a Pentacle forged from gold and gripped it.

A low voice echoed through the alley.

"The king who rides the lion."

[Seventh Pentacle of the Sun]

"The queen holding a scepter, the lion, the rooster, the bird, the crown."

A faint, self-deprecating smile formed on my lips.

They just wait around in a Subspace for some unlucky victim to stumble in?

No one chasing me from all directions, no relentless hail of bullets, and they even give me time to prepare my magic?

What a gracious Anomaly.

"O spirit of the sun, answer my call."

The Magic Circle and the incantation merged, and the spell unfolded.

As the sun began to set, the dim blue of night and the glow of sunset mingled into twilight.

In the alley that had already fallen into shadow with its back to the sun,

a beam of light descended from the sky, slicing through the darkness once more.

It illuminated the Magic Circle and enveloped me.

The Golden Pentacle gleamed as it caught the light.

Si-on watched the scene in silence.

".........."

It wasn't the first time she had seen Yo-han cast magic, but....

She still found herself staring blankly.

***

A dark amusement park where bulbs decorating the shops and rides sparkled brilliantly.

The sound of a piano music box echoed through the surroundings, but,

Dan-dan~ dan-dan~ da-da-da-da-da~ dan-da... da-dak... da-da-dan~.

The rhythm was off, and it cut in and out unpleasantly, as if playing from a broken sound system.

The child from Ellie's Church Orphanage.

"Haah, haah, hic!"

The young girl, Ji-ye, ran while sobbing.

A clown had suddenly appeared from the sewer, and when she came to her senses,

the glittering nighttime amusement park spread before her had seemed like a dream at first.

But she soon realized something was wrong. There was no one else in sight.

As she fled, Ji-ye caught a glimpse of an unattended vendor stall in the plaza and turned her eyes away in terror.

It had only looked as glamorous as an amusement park in a movie at first glance.

On closer inspection, human innards had been sprinkled with glitter and used as decorations.

At the stall, instead of ordinary snacks, eyeballs and fingers soaked in syrup were skewered on sticks.

She wanted to believe it was a dream, given how nightmarish it all was, but....

"Aah!"

While running, Ji-ye tripped and fell. Her knees and palms scraped open, and blood trickled out.

"Hh, hic!"

It hurt and stung. This wasn't a dream.

But she couldn't afford to curl up in pain.

Thud, thud, thud!

Something had been deliberately making footsteps, slowly approaching her for a while now.

"Hee-ha-hat!"

The unsettling clown let out a grotesque laugh through its torn mouth.

".........!?"

Ji-ye got up on her aching legs and hid behind a nearby stall.

Terrified, she curled her body up and squeezed her eyes shut.

Why was this happening to her? ...Ellie unnie had been so kind to her. Was she being punished for being too greedy?

"Ellie... unnie...."

Not knowing her parents' faces, she trembled in fear, calling out for her guardian.

"Ka-haaa...!"

And the Clown Anomaly, having caught the scent of fear, grinned and walked toward the stall, but,

".........?"

It twitched its red clown nose and stopped in its tracks.

A different scent was mixing into the amusement park, one that wasn't the terror of a small child.

...This was the scent of an uninvited guest, not a proper visitor.

The Clown Anomaly's white face twisted in irritation at having its leisurely, enjoyable moment interrupted.

It turned around to deal with the uninvited guest who had no place in an amusement park meant for children to frolic in.

‧

‧

‧

After tearing open the amusement park invitation I'd received from Si-on,

"...Mmm."

I gently opened my eyes and gathered my senses.

'...So this is how you get transported in?'

I looked around.

I had been placed sitting in a seat on a small train-shaped ride.

Clank, rattle.

My body was chained to the seat.

'So this is how it works when an adult enters instead of a child?'

An announcement played in a mechanical-sounding voice.

[This is a dream theme park for children~ But don't worry, our theme park has attractions that adults can enjoy too.]

A circular saw blade descended from the space above the train tracks and began spinning rapidly.

Whirrrr!

[It's the Saw Blade Train~ Feel the refreshing speed, along with the refreshing sensation of having your head sliced clean off.]

I listened to the announcement and looked at the spinning saw blade.

Whirrrr!

Come to think of it, I'd heard this somewhere.

Apparently, famous amusement parks only hire young people as part-timers? Since it's supposed to be a land of dreams, they don't want kids seeing old staff members. So older employees supposedly work in areas out of sight of children.

I never expected them to take it a step further and be selective about their guests, though.

"...Amusement parks are brutal."

I stood up from the seat.

CRACK!

The chains wrapped around the seat and my body snapped.

It was still an Anomaly's world, but.

Since I'd come all the way to an amusement park, I decided to enjoy myself in my own way.

"Just because you can't contain me,"

With no one around, I comfortably quoted a line from a manga and cracked a joke.

"Unchain."

Fragments of chain scattered in every direction and clattered to the ground.

Clatter! Clang! Clink! Clink!

[Seventh Pentacle of the Sun]

'Magic that frees one from bonds and shackles.'

I stepped off the train ride, which hadn't even departed yet, without any trouble.

I had cast the spell before entering, just in case.

I looked at the iron-covered Grimoire, <De Vermis Mysteriis>, gripped in my hand.

Seeing that even the Grimoire had come in with me,

it seemed the Anomaly Dating Sim's world had been more polished in terms of completeness after all.

"...Well then, let me do a bit of investigating."

I stepped out through the attraction's exit.

I walked through the nighttime amusement park adorned with lightbulbs and grotesque decorations.

".........."

...Looking around, I could roughly tell how this place worked.

On a separate note, if I were to share my impression of the amusement park, it felt like a Halloween-themed amusement park.

Not that I'd ever actually been to one during Halloween, though.

When I took a closer look at the eyeball-shaped candy skewered on sticks being sold at a nearby stall,

a sticky fluid oozed from the eyeball and its shape collapsed.

I couldn't help but grimace.

"Shit... those are actual eyeballs."

Who's supposed to eat something like that?

Well, I suppose Chairman Kim's family, the cannibal wizard clan I'd wiped out, might have found them delicious.

Still, you shouldn't leave them out to rot.

And then.

I immediately twisted my torso and swung my right elbow backward.

CRACK!!

I struck the face of the Clown Anomaly that had crept up behind me.

"GRAAAGH?!"

Thanks to the physical abilities enhanced by the Breathing Technique from <Baopuzi>, the Clown Anomaly was knocked off its feet and sent tumbling backward.

I turned around and looked down at the Clown Anomaly.

I'd been worried that getting caught off guard by Si-on so easily earlier might mean my instincts had dulled, but

there was no issue with my physical abilities enhanced by the Breathing Technique.

If anything, my senses were sharper than ever, probably because I'd been through so many life-or-death situations recently with threats coming from all sides.

"KAAAAAH!"

The Clown Anomaly, knocked down by the unexpected attack, rose to its feet and began growing in size, opening its mouth wide to reveal rows of sharp, bestial fangs.

"An Anomaly that feeds on fear, huh...."

I watched the sight with calm eyes.

"Something like you..."

It wasn't anything particularly special. And for good reason....

'Boogeyman.'

I'd already seen something similar before.

"I beat one with just a Censer, Holy Water, a coat, and basic tools back when I'd barely gotten my wizard credentials."

Parenthetically, Grizzly dealt the finishing blow, though.

I summoned Grizzly.

Thoom.

"Gaaa...!"

The Invisible Vampire looked down at the Clown Anomaly.

Though unseen, the crushing pressure it exuded froze the Clown Anomaly in place.

BOOM!!

Grizzly's fist drove forward, and with a thunderous impact, the Clown Anomaly couldn't even manage a scream as it was sent flying.

"...?!"

It sailed comically through the air all the way to the spinning teacup ride, where it landed in a cup like something out of an American cartoon.

It spun around and around~ at high speed!

And as the cup's rotation slowed, the Clown Anomaly's eyes went wide in shock.

"...!!"

Sitting calmly in the opposite seat was a man in a white coat.

It was me.

Then the cup's handle turned again, spun by an invisible, transparent being, and the cup began to rotate once more.

"Gyagya~ Gyagyagya!"

Grizzly was spinning the handle with glee.

"It seems this entire Anomaly world you created to trap people and draw out their fear counts as a kind of bondage, a prison."

My calm voice rang out as the cup spun.

"I didn't plan it this way, but as a result, I can freely move wherever I want within this space."

It was a monologue, with no regard for the other party's opinion.

"And before, I once recklessly drew on the Grimoire's Mana to use a spell that was basically a raw mass of Mana."

Spin~ spin~.

"I'd thought it was an inefficient, reckless thing to do. But it seems you really do have to try everything at least once."

Spin~ spin~.

"I've roughly gotten the hang of how to handle large flows of Mana."

Spin... the spinning cup came to a stop.

"To put it simply."

The roller coaster stopped mid-track. The spinning carousel stopped. The bumper cars that had been moving on their own stopped.

"I've devoured your entire space, you fool."

All the attractions in the amusement park went silent, and stillness descended.

Anomalies that possessed Subspaces, why did they never learn to be afraid of wizards,

always leaving their doors wide open? I'd never understand it.

In the amusement park of nightmares where everything had stopped, the Clown Anomaly's eyes trembled.

"Hee, AAAAAAAH!"

It screamed and lunged at me, but.

"Gaa!"

Grizzly struck the Clown Anomaly's temple and sent it flying.

"GYAAAAAAGH!"

CRACK! BOOM!!

It smashed through the teacup ride and tumbled across the ground.

"Gkh... keurgh!"

Face-down on the ground, the Clown Anomaly crawled and thought.

This was... dangerous! Truly dangerous! It had to run!

Through the Clown Anomaly's trembling eyes, it spotted a drain with a hole in it at the side of the path.

"Haah... haah...!"

Panting harshly, it dragged itself forward with both arms until it reached the drain.

But suddenly, a face appeared from the dark drain.

"Sorry, but it's already full in here."

Ba-dum!

At the sight of me, arms propped against the drain as I emerged, the Clown Anomaly let out a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAH, AAAGH?!"

BOOM!!

Grizzly's fist came flying in again, sending the Clown Anomaly hurtling away.

I walked toward the Clown Anomaly, now collapsed on the ground and twitching.

Step, step.

It wasn't anything hugely important, but.

In the Part 3 boss fight of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Jotaro hadn't fully awakened his time-stop ability yet.

So how had he been waiting inside the sewer manhole faster than the fleeing DIO?

Well, it was a scene I loved, so it didn't really matter.

Step.

I stopped behind the Anomaly.

Grizzly grabbed the Clown Anomaly by the back of its neck and lifted it up.

Crunch.

"Keep running."

I spoke flatly from behind the Clown Anomaly's back.

"I'll keep killing you."

"Graaagh...."

Its neck being squeezed, the Clown Anomaly thrashed and struggled.

It tried to draw on the fear it had stockpiled in the amusement park to heal itself, but....

Like wind drawn into a vortex, the supernatural energy bypassed the Clown Anomaly and gathered around me instead.

The Clown Anomaly could feel the scent of fear flowing from itself being drawn toward me.

"Aah...!"

As befitting a wizard, I made both the fear and the Anomaly itself into nourishment as I pleased.

And so, the Clown Anomaly blurted it out without thinking.

"S... stop...!"

"You said it yourself."

Fireworks announcing the amusement park's closing burst across the dark night sky.

Fweeee~ BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Clown Anomaly thrashed against the fireworks, but it was already too late.

Grizzly hurled the Clown Anomaly into the air, and then,

CRAKAKAKAKABOOM!!

swung its arms in rapid succession. The Clown Anomaly's body, battered by the barrage, exploded in a shower of blood, flesh, and organs.

I turned away from the scene.

It wasn't exactly the kind of charming place I'd want to visit again, but...

Since I had decided to enjoy myself in my own way,

I spoke a manga line I'd wanted to say at least once.

"What dirty fireworks."

With the Anomaly that served as the medium vanquished,

the amusement park scattered like a mirage.

Ji-ye and I were brought back to the alley where we had first entered.

If there had been other people trapped in the space, they would have naturally returned to wherever they had entered from.

Si-on, who had been waiting outside on standby, suddenly saw the space ripple as I appeared along with a young girl collapsed on the ground.

"Yo-han-ssi!"

She approached me and checked Ji-ye's pulse to confirm her condition.

"Fortunately, she's just unconscious. I don't see any other abnormalities."

I breathed in the cool air and let out a long exhale.

In that case, it had been a while, I supposed.

Another case closed.