Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 42 The Silent Chapter: "Flickering Black Flames"

"Ahhhhhhh-"

A sharp and piercing scream echoed throughout the small, cramped room.

The voice was filled with endless fear and despair, and it was chilling.

The one who let out that terrifying scream was the young girl, Fildo. Her petite body trembled with extreme fright, her face was as pale as paper, and her large eyes were filled with disbelief and terror.

In that brief moment, she witnessed a horrific scene—more than thirty lively, adorable, and energetic children had their lives cruelly taken away in the blink of an eye.

The children first writhed in pain, their skin rapidly drying out, as if all the energy in their bodies had been drained away in that instant.

"He...they..."

Fierdo, who had just emerged from the cryogenic chamber, knelt on the ground, still shaken. Her pupils were wide open, but she could only choke back tears and collapse to the ground, not daring to utter a word.

Then, a wave of overwhelming nausea surged through her, and Fildo knelt on the ground and began to vomit.

Perhaps because the room was well soundproofed, her initial scream didn't attract anyone's attention; whether that was lucky or unlucky is hard to say...

After a moment, Fildo tried her best to calm herself down. She carefully looked around. Apart from the white surroundings and the container holding the child's shriveled body, there was only the automatic door on the side in front of her.

Fierdo suppressed her fear and nausea, and walked step by step toward the automatic door. She reached out her trembling hand and gently touched the button beside the door.

The door slowly opened, revealing a dark corridor. Fildo took a deep breath and slowly, with barely managing to relax, when just then, a familiar, childish voice came from a small room at the end of the corridor.

"No... Ah... Hah... Don't come any closer... Ahhhhhh!" A scream trembling with fear reached Fildo's ears.

Upon hearing this sound, Fildo, who was about to look for the exit, immediately stopped in her tracks and looked towards the end of the corridor in disbelief.

"That voice...it's...Little Sayiqi?!" Fierdo, who was about to flee, froze, somewhat at a loss.

Her body's instinctive fear told her, 'Don't go...don't go...you'll die!' But even knowing this, Firdo didn't leave, though her expression was somewhat...complex.

Fildo bit her lip, but ultimately decided to walk towards the direction of the sound. Her steps were light, as if afraid of waking something terrifying. As she approached the room, the sound grew clearer, and her heart pounded faster.

When she finally stood at the doorway, she saw a scene that filled her with despair—

The pitiful and withdrawn child that Phildot had once seen was now bound horizontally to an operating table shaped like a cross. His body was as withered as the thirty-odd children she had just seen, yet he was still fully conscious.

In front of him sat a man in a white lab coat at the computer desk next to him, looking at the data on the screen and the mysterious chip floating beside him.

Upon seeing this man, Fierdo, who was peeking through the door, instantly became terrified, and her whole body trembled with fear.

'That man is... Salestio? Wait, if that's the case... this is his base!'

Fildo's expression changed rapidly. She tried to reach into her pocket to look for her communicator, but couldn't find it.

"Oh no! I forgot to bring the team's communicator with me today!" The girl gritted her teeth, her face darkening.

Fierdo was sweating profusely. There wasn't even a walkie-talkie to be found here, and rushing forward would be tantamount to suicide. She realized the danger of the place and that she had to notify the others as soon as possible.

Thinking this, she quietly retreated, but she still hesitated. It was hard for her to just let go of innocent children like Sayiqi and let them escape so easily.

In the instant the girl hesitated, an invisible force enveloped her, rendering her immobile, as if she were being pressed down by some unseen gravity.

"It's so heavy, what's going on!" Fildo muttered to herself, looking down.

And before he knew it, Salestio, who had been sitting at his desk, suddenly appeared beside him.

"Sigh, how come there's a stinky rat here that I caught half an hour ago? Oh well, it just so happens that this manifestation device has the mental energy, magic power, and consciousness it needs. It's almost ready, what a miracle! Just like that, as long as I get through tonight, the world that only magicians with high magic power can live in will begin to be created by me!"

At this moment, Salestos appeared before Fildo with a ferocious expression and a look of madness in his eyes.

On the other hand, Firdo was startled. She tried to struggle, but found that she could not break free from this invisible force.

"But I'm quite surprised. The exit is clearly in another stairwell opposite this lab, and it's much brighter there. Why did you specifically come to this less obvious one outside the lab?"

Salestio placed his hand on his chin, pretending to be deep in thought, then suddenly exclaimed in realization:

"Oh, I see. You're here to save this little bastard, aren't you? I'm telling you, what are you doing pretending to be righteous with these lowly rats? You're disgusting! It's just hypocrisy!"

“Unfortunately, he’s no longer useful. However, you can take his place as my new experimental subject.” Salestio reached out and gently touched Fildo’s cheek, his eyes flashing with madness.

Just then, Phildor finally managed to make out the shocking scene before her! That man had actually unleashed such astonishing and incredibly powerful magic without wearing any display device.

She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the man's left hand—a hand so tightly interlocked and stitched together by nerves and machinery that it seemed as if they were originally one.

As time passed, blinding red steam began to continuously emanate from that hand, like a raging beast spewing scorching breath. Accompanying this was a vast and boundless magical power, like a surging wave.

The magic, almost tangible, surged and churned in the air, forming visible ripples of energy that spread outwards.

Her spirit was also being corrupted by the ever-increasing magic, her consciousness became hazy, and her body began to lose strength, while Salestio's hand was still reaching towards her neck.

Just as Salestio's hand was only a body length away from her, the girl's pocket, where she had been holding things, became incredibly hot. She vaguely saw something fly out of her pocket, emitting billowing black flames.

The object flew straight towards Salestio at incredible speed. Salestio sensed something was wrong and tried to reach out to grab it, but it was too late. Black flames instantly enveloped his hand.

"Damn it, what is this thing! Hey, you hateful heretical magician! What is this from Taiwan?!"

The man's expression was ferocious, and he angrily cursed at the already fallen Fildo in a very rude manner.

"Wow, have you finished cursing?" The ball of black flame suddenly spoke, its voice ancient and majestic, as if it were above life itself.

"Who's Tw! Stop playing tricks on me!" Salesto shouted angrily into the empty corridor.

He spoke these words with furious eyes, and at the same time, the mysterious black flame that had been tightly wrapped around his arm and exuded an eerie aura began to tremble slightly. Accompanied by a low and suppressed roar, the black flame gradually unfolded as if it had come to life.

It started as fingers and slowly grew into a hand. Then, a larger black flame emerged from the joint of the hand, gradually revealing the outline of a person. A sheep's head mask extended from the face, and then the outline slowly appeared.

It was a man's figure, dressed in a gray-black military uniform, with a golden cross around his neck, his eyes covered by a charred, burning ram's head mask, and wearing an overcoat.

After the man appeared, he didn't say a word, but simply increased the force with which he grabbed Salestio's arm. In the blink of an eye, the man's arm exploded.

"Ahhh! Who are you! And... how dare you! How dare you!" Salesto's pupils widened as he gritted his teeth and questioned.

Upon hearing the question, the dark, goat-headed figure remained silent for a moment before replying in the voice of a very dignified old man:

"Who I am is not important, but if you want to know, I may tell you. I am the [Flame Beast], and also the Grim Reaper of you sinners!"

At this point, he met the terrified Salesto's gaze. In Salesto's eyes, the man before him now had a fierce look on his face, just like the Grim Reaper he had described. He felt an endless killing intent, which made this villain who had committed countless evil deeds feel deeply afraid.