Chapter 362 - 165: Lady of Calamity
’I have one too?’
Wei’en touched his forehead. ’Was it from that time with Caster?’
He remembered that when the phantom behind Ales vanished, he’d faintly heard a woman’s voice ask, "Another Calamity Demon Eye?"
But he had been in a fierce battle with Ales at the time and couldn’t afford any distractions. ’So, was that woman talking about me?’
"Mr. Leonard, what is the Calamity Demon Eye?"
"The Calamity Demon Eye..." The clown methodically adjusted his white gloves, a sinister smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. His crimson eyes stared at the silent Tina beside them. "It’s that madwoman’s favorite mark."
"Favorite? Mark?"
Wei’en looked at the clown, who was clearly toying with him, and a hint of impatience flashed across his face. "Mr. Leonard, please speak plainly. What effect does this mark have on us?"
"Mr. Wizard, are you in a terrible mood?" The clown cocked his head and leaned in close, his big red nose pressing against Wei’en’s face. He glared fiercely and snarled, "Do you have any idea how terrible it feels to be suppressed here, unable to move, unable to scream, with nothing to do but count my own heartbeats—"
"Oh? So, Mr. Leonard, are you angry?" Wei’en looked directly into the clown’s eyes, clearly seeing his own reflection in those crimson pupils. There was indeed a mark between his brows, identical to Tina’s.
"Me? Angry?" The clown took a step back, stared at him for a few seconds, then turned his head away. "No!"
’Looks like Mr. Leonard really is angry...’
’But it makes sense. Anyone would be... if they were trapped in a place like this.’
"I’m not!!"
The clown suddenly leaped up like an enraged stray cat. "Dammit, can’t you think about something else? Or maybe just empty your head and think about nothing, like Little White Fur? Do you have any idea how annoying your disgusting inner thoughts are?"
"...So it really is the Mind Reading Skill?"
Wei’en clicked his tongue. ’This ability is so annoying!’
"Tina, ugly, noisy..."
The white-haired girl stood up, walked expressionlessly between the two, and took Wei’en’s hand. She wagged a finger at the clown, whose expression had changed drastically.
"W-wait... Huh?!" The clown’s heart sank, but it was clearly too late.
Countless black threads surged out once more, wrapping around his ankles. With a gesture from Tina, his entire body was hoisted upside down in mid-air.
"Dammit, you can’t do this to me, Tina!"
"Tina, so noisy."
"W-wait, I’ll stop talking! Dammit, aren’t you going to help me?" The clown was already entangled from head to toe. Before the black threads could cover his mouth, he finally remembered to ask Wei’en for help.
Wei’en tugged the white-haired girl’s hand and said, "Tina, wait a moment."
"Oh."
Tina’s cold, empty eyes watched the clown. The black threads stopped at his neck, advancing no further.
"Thanks," Wei’en said earnestly. He looked at the upside-down clown and asked softly, "Mr. Leonard, are you ready to talk now? What is the Calamity Demon Eye? What effect does it have on us, and how do we deal with it?"
The clown stared at the two of them upside down. He wanted to remain silent, but ultimately yielded to Tina’s threat and said sullenly, "The Calamity Demon Eye is that woman’s favorite mark!"
"Go on."
"It’s not a mark branded on you by the madwoman," the clown said, his face scrunched up as he internally lamented his ’miserable’ fate. "It’s the mark of the Calamity World."
"A calamity mark?" Wei’en stared into the clown’s eyes, trying to judge the truthfulness of his words. "What do you mean? Is it the same as what Tina has now?"
"Of course not! Did you think you’d become a vessel for the madwoman like she is?" the clown sneered. "A thought like that is nothing less than a vicious curse against the madwoman."
’A curse?’
’That doesn’t sound good...’
Wei’en frowned. "Please be clear, Mr. Leonard."
"Little White Fur was chosen as the madwoman’s vessel *after* she had the mark. As for you... you’ve merely been favored by the Calamity World because of your contract with her."
Before Wei’en could ask, the clown stretched his mouth wide and let out a shrill laugh. "HEE HEE HA HA... The Calamity Demon Eye is the proof! It’s the proof that you’ve been favored by the Calamity World, by the Calamity Origin!"
"That’s the madwoman’s favorite! She—that lunatic loves to devour people favored like you. That’s how she keeps getting stronger and stronger—until she can devour the entire Calamity World and become the Calamity Incarnate!"
’Calamity Incarnate?’
’Does that mean—’
Wei’en arduously forced out the words, "Become the Calamity Incarnate... become..."
"Exactly what you’re thinking. At that point," the clown’s mouth stretched to his ears in a grotesque smile, "perhaps we should start calling the madwoman—the Lady of Calamity!"
"HEE HEE HA... Lady of Calamity. What a wonderful divine name!"
’A divine name, the Lady of Calamity...’
A tremor ran through Wei’en’s body and soul. ’So it’s really true?’
’Devour the Calamity World, become the world’s incarnation, and ascend to godhood!’
"She is the bane of the Earth, the host of lightning and wildfire, the symbol of chaos and death, the source of all sin, and the end of all things in this world—She is the Lady of Calamity: Chaos, Death, and Destruction!"
The clown seemed to be chanting, his tone long and drawn-out. His comical clown mask wore a rare, solemn expression, and his crimson eyes were calm, as if he were praising the Lady of Calamity.
After finishing this long recitation, he glanced at the silent Wei’en and the even more indifferent Tina, and pouted slightly. "Did I get the words wrong? That can’t be right. Look, even the Calamity World is responding."
’Responding?’