Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 134 “Feast in Fire”

Shirley’s fighting style was the same as always: simple, crude, and effective, with a sense of freedom. She’s truly wielding Dog like no equal.

The strange figure who jumped through the shadow didn’t seem to have expected the “summoner girl” with a shadow demon was essentially a melee combatant. According to normal logic, it’s safe to assume a spell-casting profession disliked close-quarter fighting and would do everything to keep their distance. However, the result was the opposite with the caster taking out a meteor hammer for the brawl.

The chain creaked as Shirley smashed down with Dog, and the black shadow was hit solidly on the spot. With a loud “bang” as it whistled out in a somersault, the shadow eventually crashed into a nearby burning building and caused a large plume of smoke and ember to rise from the impact.

“That’s it?” The smooth progress of the battle was unexpected to the point that even Shirley herself didn’t know how to take it. Nevertheless, she kept Dog close in one hand with a constant guard up, “Why do I feel like…”

But before her sentence could finish, Dog’s exclaiming warning had come from the other end of the chain: “WATCH OUT!!!”

Shirley’s muscles strained with stress, and in the next second, she finally noticed that the shadow under her feet had become a little viscous looking. But before she could take evasive maneuver, a blurry “whip” had ejected from the shadow beneath her leg!

The attack came straight for the girl’s neck with a lethal slicing sound. Fortunately, the latter was barely able to keep herself from being beheaded. Even so, she still got knacked on the arm, causing a huge splatter of blood to spray from the gaping wound.

Shirley huffed a grunt and retreated without caring for the pain. Only then did she notice that part of her own shadow didn’t move, remaining in the same spot where she once stood.

This shocked the girl of course, but then it soon dawned on her why as the umbrella man creepily emerged from the ground. To say she’s disgusted was an understatement. Not only did she suffer an injury at the hand of the other party, but the very black whip that sliced her arm was in fact a grotesque tentacle squirming out from the hem of the other party’s coat!

To think something from a monster like that actually touched her was enough to make Shirley puke!

Without giving any time for questioning, the umbrella man issues out a low and vague howl before launching himself at the target again. This time, there were multiple black tentacles firing out in multiple angles like an octopus.

Subconsciously, Shirley lifted the chain in her hand to defend herself, only to be distracted by a beam of green flame that shot over from the side of her peripheral vision.

At the same time, the umbrella man suddenly froze in that split second, remaining in place using that pouncing posture of a predator as if gripped by fear itself. Then without delay, the shadowy figure suddenly leaped backward. It retreated under a surge of black miasma coming out of the umbrella. The creature roared and howled in anger, but the green flame didn’t relent and continued to pursue. It had a homing feature, and whatever the ghostly flame touched, it burned with a ferocity that not even the dark miasma could contend with.

This caused Shirley to glance in the direction of the source, which she saw Duncan standing there quietly like an actual ghost. However, she couldn’t say the same lack of emotions was happening in the surrounding environments. Everything in sight, with the man as the epicenter, the buildings and streets were giving off a ghostly green glow like they were being overtaken!

What’s the word? Infected? Yes, the dream world was being infected!

This is the power of this big boss? Or is it just the tip of the iceberg of his power?!

Shirley exclaimed inside, shocked by how incredible Duncan’s powers were. However, she didn’t have time to dwell on the matter because the attacker who quickly retreated had obviously been suppressed and deterred. Knowing this was her chance, she lopped Dog out with the greatest strength she could muster in those petite arms!

She landed a hit on the first try. The umbrella man had clearly grown sluggish at whatever power’s hindering its movement. Yet, the girl didn’t feel any cheeriness from making an impact. The reason? It felt like hitting a mass of rotten flesh. At least that’s what Dog’s mental feedback was telling her.

Then in the next moment, perhaps it had finally lost its temper from Shirley’s interference, the umbrella man suddenly tore its own limbs apart like a glob of slime.

It was an absolutely terrifying and bizarre scene. The scorched and twisted alien limbs were squirming about, splitting, and fleeing in every direction of the streets where the embers had not burned. The shouts that seemed to pierce mortal sanity rose and fell one after the other until the splitting and dissemination melded the creature into the very dream world.

Shirley got creeped out to the core for sure. She gripped the chain in her hand with even more strength, not knowing what tactic this creature might use by melding into the environment. However, she soon noticed something odd: the pieces of flesh didn’t continue the fight. They were swarming away to evade Duncan’s ever-spreading flame!

It’s like watching a colony of roaches fleeing across a dumpster pile on the street. The flames were the pesticide, and the lumps of bloodied flesh were the pests being killed. Of course, some of the lumps did get ahead of Duncan’s attack, allowing them to flee into the neighboring streets and buildings. Nevertheless, the lumps that were captured by the green pyre were promptly enveloped by the ghost fire and consumed!

Everything happened so quickly that Shirley barely managed to catch the initial carnage. At first she assumed the flames would incinerate the lumps of flesh, but turns out it wasn’t, it’s corrupting some of them! About a minute or two? That’s how long the open zombie banquet lasted as the lumps of flesh turned on their former compatriots and started gnawing at each other.

It didn’t help either when Duncan decided to up the game by creating a wall of flame around the area after optimizing his hunting ground. It’s either they died by cannibalism or died by running into the wall of flame…

“Don’t be afraid,” Duncan soothed Shirley after noticing the shivering girl, “bugs are most afraid of fire.”

Shirley’s shoulders shook some more, yet there was a strange feeling of peace and calm in her heart after hearing that remark.

“But I do agree, it is a little disgusting.” Duncan didn’t bother to hide his displeasure at the weird crunching sound that just hit them from a crumbled building: “I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”

Who are you trying to kid!

“In-Indeed…” Shirley said forcefully despite crying foul inside, “it is a little disgusting…”

“Fortunately, it’s almost over,” Duncan said in a slightly relaxed tone.

As the ghost captain said, the sound of flames and predation gradually subsided, with both predator and prey eventually exhausting their vitality. What remained were piles of ashes scattered about in the breeze, the substance the result of certain creatures being burned alive.

Gulping at realizing this fact, Shirley took a step back to avoid getting some of the dust on herself: “Is… is it over?”

Duncan shook his head: “… Not necessarily.”

Shirley looked at Duncan in surprise and confusion but then saw the other party walking forward towards the last blob of the attacker in a nearby corner. The abomination squirmed shakily, seemingly wanting to escape to only stop after Duncan blocked its path with a spark of ethereal green.

“I’ve heard a lot of scary and bizarre stories in my past, and those stories have taught me an important lesson,” Duncan said slowly so Shirley could follow. “If you suddenly find that your enemy has the ability to splinter off into smaller pieces, then you’d better assume that the first enemy you encounter is just another splinter of the original. This way, the crappy author will have an excuse to write a sequel to the first book.”

With a tap of his fingertips, he lit the last blob aflame.

“I don’t like sequels very much because I hate knowing masterminds are lurking in the shadows and controlling the scenes. The trope is always the same, with the protagonists being tricked and then stabbed in the back.”

The green flame violently crackled there. Like an insect being burned alive, the blob of flesh squealed in agony until the flame suddenly dispersed and left the thing staggering to upright itself. The way it’s swaying, it’s exactly like those zombies in a horror flick.

Pleased by what he’s done, Duncan slowly stood back and quietly stared at the last remaining piece of the attacker.

“Go home and bring my gift to your master.”