Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 192 Neighboring World Arc: The First Signs of a Conspiracy

Two puppets pounced from the front and back, shooting blades from their mouths, like demons from hell rushing towards the two little ones.

Rion and Sora clung to each other, screaming in unison as they faced death, their bodies trembling.

"Help...help me! We really, really, really don't want to die!"

Just as the blade was about to touch them, a towering pillar of fire shot down from the roof, instantly burning one of the puppets to ashes.

A hand emerged from the pillar of fire, its two fingers tightly gripping the blade in the puppet's mouth, its pale skin reflected in the eyes of the two who were terrified and kneeling on the ground.

Rion and Sora stared wide-eyed in terror as the owner of the hand slowly emerged from the pillar of fire. His cold, stern face held a mocking smile as he looked at Rion kneeling on the ground.

"Hey, isn't this Rion? You look really disheveled, my idol."

The two, startled by the sound, instinctively looked up to look, but all Li Yinmeng saw was Wu Ming's cynical face.

Li Yinmeng looked at Wuming with a mixture of surprise and delight, but mostly with embarrassment and annoyance.

She gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and for the first time, she felt so safe with the man in front of her.

"Nameless!!!"

"Um...who are you?"

Kong Wu stared at the quasi-elf who had suddenly appeared before him, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, but he was certain that he had never seen him before.

Looking down, Wuming seemed to be holding the head of a doll in his hand. Unlike the one that had just attacked him and Rinmeng, this doll was a petite type with blonde hair.

The clothes had a few scratches, but the skin underneath showed almost no signs of injury.

Wu Ming raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kong Wu. The two looked at each other and felt that this was not the first time they had met.

"Have we met before?"

"Haven't I seen it before?"

The two spoke in unison, but Wu Ming carefully recalled that he did not have any memory of this white-haired girl with a red bucket, so he shook his head.

"You are controlled by the 'Puppet Master', aren't you?"

After speaking casually, he didn't confirm anything. He simply tossed the puppet's head aside, and the puppet's head, which had been holding a knife between its fingers, was instantly pierced by the pillar of fire and turned into fragments that dissipated.

Rion stood up, dusted herself off, and then hugged Wuming's abs and burst into tears.

"Waaaah... Why did you only arrive now? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state!"

"Uh...can you stop crying while hugging my clothes? Your snot is stuck to them."

Wuming shrugged helplessly, glancing at Liyinmeng with a slight twitch in his eye:

"Well, you've made it in time. You should be glad I showed up in time. If I hadn't heard someone shouting after I dealt with that doll, I would have gone back the way I came."

As Wuming spoke, he also explained why he had come here.

—5 minutes ago~

"Burn it—[Fire Demon's Void Eye]!"

Faced with the black fireball rushing towards her, Sherry, driven by the instinct for survival, raised her magnifying glass without thinking, gathering spiritual power to unleash flames and collide with it.

The flames collided with each other, making a loud noise.

In this fierce struggle, fine beads of sweat appeared on Shirley's forehead. She gripped the magnifying glass tightly, trying her best to maintain the intensity of the flames.

The fireball was pierced through, and Sherry's lips curled up slightly.

"Haha, got you! Huh?!"

There was nothing behind the fireball, but a chill ran down Shirley's spine, making her afraid to turn around.

Admittedly, her own flames were definitely superior to her opponent's at this moment, but in terms of combat experience, perhaps none of the opponents she had encountered in the Tenth Domain were worth even a fraction of his moves.

"Use your brain more, little sister. Don't make it seem like everyone in your neighborhood has the same IQ as my weird owner."

A cold voice sounded behind Sherry.

Sherry froze, trying to turn her head, but her body was already too terrified to move. She could only see the tip of the sword pressed against the back of her young neck, the fear it brought her was pure and unadulterated.

"Please...don't kill me, I...I have younger siblings I want to support, they can't..."

Shirley's voice trembled, pleading with a sob. But the cold voice remained unmoved:

"Begging for mercy won't work. This is the price you have to pay for stepping into this place."

That's what she said, but the sword tip didn't fall halfway down. Seeing Wuming hesitate, Shirley's eyes tilted slightly, and at some point, the magnifying glass in her hand was slightly pressed against her back.

"Big...Big sister, aren't you going to do it? Please...please be gentle with me...I don't want to die in too much pain!"

"Oh, you're putting on quite a show. You even shed some tears, but those little hand gestures really make you think I'm stupid."

Wu Ming sneered, kicked the magnifying glass out of Sherry's hand, and at the same time quickly snatched the weapon from her hand. After repairing his own arm, he struck Sherry's back with a claw, rendering her unable to resist.

"No, that killing intent is too obvious to me."

"Ha...Ahhh!"

The moment the magnifying glass focused the laser, Sherry felt as if a large hand was grabbing her head, followed by a powerful wave of dizziness.

The perspective reversed rapidly, and after spinning in mid-air, it crashed heavily to the ground.

"You should be glad that I still have a little bit of humanity left. Get out of here before I change my mind."

Shirley fled in panic, her steps faltering.

"Damn it! That guy Tonami must have succeeded by now! Ugh! I'm so unwilling to accept this, but... well, it's true, I've hardly been harmed except for the spiritual energy I've used up. How should I put it... my sister was too merciful! But I'll just observe from a distance for a while."

As she pondered this, a slight smile appeared on her lips. Mercy was certainly good, but in the Tenth Domain, being merciful was nothing more than being a fool who was self-righteous until his death, in Shirley's eyes.

Wuming watched her departing figure but did not give chase.

Wuming, who had just finished dealing with Shirley, sighed slightly:

"Honestly, I still can't bring myself to kill... It's troublesome, but it means I'm still a human being at least. But speaking of which, you know what? That murderous intent I just said was too obvious, and it wasn't just directed at that little brown-skinned girl."

Wuming raised his head, lifted the hair covering his right eye, and stared at the golden-haired porcelain doll puppet behind him holding a scythe.

The puppet stared into his beastly eyes, and could almost see the blood still flowing in the pupils. A chilling killing intent followed.

Wu Ming sneered, and flames suddenly rose around him.

"How should I address you?"

"My name is Labinikus."

"Is it the dog kept by the 'Puppet Master'? Or is it the person himself?"

"Your words are disgusting and malicious. I am the one sent by the great 'Puppet Master' to eliminate the bugs."

Upon returning, it stirred up its body and gradually grew from a tiny appearance, even developing a spirit outfit belonging to a quasi-elf.

"Oh? Bug, are you talking about me?"

"You know the answer but I thought it was just the emptiness brought by contestant Rion, but if you are also counted as a prospective Pokémon, then the competition will become unfair to the other prospective Pokémon. So either withdraw now or be eliminated by me."

"High-sounding, unfair? Your puppet companions who have been radiating murderous intent towards everyone since day one?"

"Uh?!"

The puppet's body stiffened slightly, as if something had struck it right.

"You're right, that makes sense. The first day was for observation, the second day was for preparation, but will the third day be for killing all the participants?"

"Nonsense! Lady Puppet Master! The competitions she conducts are always fair and just!"

"Impressive, impressive indeed. How should I put it? Is it because your soul crystals have been distorted that they are speaking up for the culprit who trapped you in the puppets?"

When Labinnick heard Wu Ming's casual remark, a hint of panic appeared on his usually distorted face.

"Is it hard to understand? Although I don't know what I did in my previous life, my brain is surprisingly good. Rion told me what soul crystals are, and I can sense similar crystals on you puppets. I was just guessing, but I guessed right."

"No! This is a blessing from the merciful 'Puppet Master' who made us friends! How could someone like you understand without submitting to the 'Puppet Master'!"

Enraged, Labinix brandished its scythe and swung it down at Wuming with fierce momentum.

Wuming dodged the scythe attack with a quick sidestep, while simultaneously unleashing a burst of flames from his hands and striking towards Labinix.

Labinix nimbly leaped to dodge, a cold glint flashing on his scythe as it sliced ​​through the air and stabbed towards Wuming.

Wuming took a step forward, grabbed the blade of the scythe, and the flames instantly spread to Labinix.

Labinix cried out in pain and tried to pull back his scythe, but Wuming held it firmly in his grasp.

"No! No good!"

The flames that entangled Labyrinx were like swords, embedding themselves into the doll's body in an instant. Then, countless cuts appeared on its surface before it exploded.

The head and the small purple crystals inside the body were held separately in their hands.

"I don't kill because I have a conscience, but one thing is one thing. Having kindness in my heart doesn't mean I'm weak or a mongrel who has long since become a non-human being!"

As he was about to leave, the tremors beneath his feet piqued his curiosity. Wu Ming frowned, cautiously surveying his surroundings, before finally stomping on the ground, which cracked open.

The cries for help from the two men became extremely clear.

"Damn it! Rion Yume, you good-for-nothing!"

Wuming shouted this, and flames surged out from beneath his feet at an alarming rate.