One-Eyed Monster

Clown Quinn carefully listened to the words, finally gaining some clarity.

This voice was none other than his Craftsman Spirit; it was unexpected that this spirit would awaken at this moment. Was his strike not fierce enough to knock this Clown named Brava unconscious?

"So it’s Brava! You’ve woken up, just in time to see what happens when three Spirit Cores converge together!"

Clown Quinn replied amicably, feeling that he was the master, while everyone else was merely lambs waiting for slaughter.

Igor stood there motionless, wanting to help but trusting Kadi not to act impulsively. This unconditional trust in his partner allowed Igor to stand there confidently. He watched Kadi’s growth and the enemy’s transformations.

Kadi continued to relentlessly slash at the clowns that appeared as shadows. These shadows were varied and strange, representing the myriad forms of the world. Expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and laughter, different heights and body shapes; these myriad forms almost made Kadi dizzy. If it wasn’t for his innate Spirit Sensing ability, Kadi would have thought he was cutting the wrong target. The most intimidating part of the myriad forms was their ability to transform into the people most familiar to the person, making one hesitant to strike. Those without Spirit Sensing often succumb to these tricks, but Clown Quinn didn’t do this because he wasn’t very familiar with Kadi. Other than knowing Igor was by Kadi’s side, he knew nothing else; hence he couldn’t replicate Igor’s form. With Igor standing there motionless, Kadi wouldn’t be fooled.

"Tell me, Brava, how did you awaken? Was my strike not strong enough?" Clown Quinn’s arrogance had clearly returned completely.

"I’m not Brava; I am Kruz!" The awakened Clown Performer retorted while rubbing his head, despising the name Brava.

"Heh, heh, heh, call yourself whatever you like. Anyway, you will soon become my Spirit Core!" Clown Quinn dismissed the rebuttal.

Igor hadn’t expected the Clown Performer could awaken at such a critical time; their original goal was to save the Clown Performer Kruz. Igor never imagined Kruz would toss them out in such a manner within the Spirit World.

This suggested that the Craftsman Spirit within Kruz had already awoken!

"No one will become your Spirit Core; everyone here will follow their own path!" Kruz continued to refute.

"Talking too much is pointless!" Clown Quinn shrugged, and all the shadows followed suit.

Kadi frowned, trying to find the real presence among the shadows, but new shadows appeared as soon as the old ones were cut down, endlessly!

Clown Quinn let out a burst of proud laughter, as if it were encompassing the entire sky, rampant and sinister.

"You don’t deserve to be a clown!" Kruz childishly argued with Quinn.

Igor thought this was somewhat unnecessary since Quinn clearly didn’t become a clown to embody its essence; he was just a tool used by the Soul Devourers! Why was the Clown Performer arguing with a mere tool?

"Whether one deserves to be a clown isn’t for you to decide. I was born a clown. My rebirth granted me tremendous strength. This strength allows me to redefine what it means to be a clown. You, heh, heh, in front of me, are merely Spirit Cores. Everything you say is meaningless!"

What puzzled Igor more was that Quinn was also arguing with this Clown Performer. It seemed as if they must determine who was right or wrong, which made Kadi, who was constantly working, find it equally strange.

Kadi felt he was about to grasp the rhythm of the myriad forms, but Clown Quinn suddenly diverted his focus to the Clown Performer Kruz, throwing off Kadi’s rhythm.

Originally, the search was challenging. Now it needed to start anew, but fortunately, Kadi was full of vigor and spirit.

Luckily, Clown Quinn couldn’t harm Kadi at the moment. After shifting his focus to the Clown Performer Kruz, it became even less feasible for him to harm Kadi. It could only be said they were entirely restraining Kadi at this point.

If Igor attacked now, Clown Quinn might encounter significant trouble. But Igor did not attack—not only because he trusted Kadi could solve everything but also because he hadn’t yet identified where Clown Quinn’s real presence was.

He knew it wasn’t yet Clown Quinn’s true self. Only when Clown Quinn’s true form appeared could he unleash the forces of resistance, provided Kadi agreed.

So Igor wouldn’t make any moves for the time being.

This gave the newly awakened Kruz the chance to refute Clown Quinn.

He awoke at the precise moment when Clown Quinn was wildly preaching the meaning of clowns.

Upon hearing that the true essence of a clown was to play tricks, he became unsettled!

This was an insult to his profession!

It was an insult to clowns!

Indeed, clowns are played by others and do play tricks on others, but this is merely a form of clown performance.

Clowns use this form of performance only to gain smiles from others.

Therefore, Kruz believed that the true meaning of clowns is not playing tricks!

"The true essence of clowns is to make the performance less dull, to give those encountering novelty a relaxed state. Whether being played or playing others, it’s all for the sake of a laugh—that’s their ultimate goal, to bring joy to people!"

Kruz was exasperated, yet he didn’t retreat an inch even in the face of Clown Quinn’s myriad forms, which was quite impressive for a Non-Adventurer!

Igor greatly admired Kruz’s courage. Shortly after, Igor sensed a strange power suddenly rising from Kruz.

This power wasn’t immensely strong, yet it was robust, seemingly unstoppable in its advancement; and Igor could clearly sense that it was Spirit Power!

"If a clown’s existence is merely for tricking others, then he hasn’t understood what being a clown means; he doesn’t deserve to be a clown!" Kruz continued refuting Quinn.

At this moment, Quinn was almost speechless, unable to say a word in response to Kruz’s rebuttal.

"You... You may say so much, but it doesn’t matter!" Clown Quinn finally spoke, clearly in a fit of exasperation.

"I’m talking about the essence of being a clown, not your distorted interpretation!"

"Hmph, I have enough power to change everything. In the face of power, you are all just ants!"