Chapter 86: True Fear
“Ah!!!”
With a heartrending scream echoing through the air, the exorcism spike was violently driven into Leimingke’s body.
“You… you…”
At the edge of death, Leimingke glared fiercely at the person before him, his gaze razor-sharp, unsettling even the most composed among them. In the next moment, whether it was Leimingke’s resilience or the other’s weakness, the so-called honest man collapsed onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Blood stained Leimingke’s lips, and the light in his eyes was fading fast. Everyone knew that Leimingke was about to die, and the honest man had been utterly frightened.
Though Leimingke was unlikely to survive, people still avoided his gaze as if they were guilty children. Only when Leimingke’s eyes finally closed did someone step forward, holy water in hand, and sprinkle it onto his lifeless form.
“Don’t blame us. If you must, blame that damned malevolent wraith,” he muttered for comfort, casting the holy water over Leimingke.
Once finished, everyone exhaled in relief—the immediate crisis was over. Yet no one left; the weight of guilt lingered, unfilled. With this in mind, they all turned their attention to the honest man. “Why did you kill Leimingke?”
The honest man curled up on the ground, trembling and silent.
“Hmph, cowards like you have no right to live in this world.”
“That’s right, killing another just to save yourself—how ruthless!”
“Look at him, scared out of his wits. He’s nothing but a coward.”
The voices of condemnation swelled around him. Most had already departed, but a few remained, growing increasingly fervent in their reproach, tormenting the honest man with ceaseless chatter.
Gradually, the trembling stopped, and the honest man began to rise.
Seeing him attempt to get up, one of the crowd, perhaps overtaken by some impulse, lashed out with a kick, as if venting his anger. Yet to his shock, his foot struck the man as if against a wall—unmoving, while a tingling numbness spread through his own foot.
An ominous sense welled up inside him, but before he could react, a powerful force gripped his neck.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura of terror emanated from the honest man, drawing the attention of those who had begun to leave.
They witnessed a scene beyond horror.
---
The honest man was now covered in black threads, his entire body shrouded in a bizarre crimson glow. Above him hovered a faint, barely perceptible figure.
That figure was terrifying—one glance and it was as if they had fallen into an endless abyss of fear, unable to escape.
“What… what is happening?”
Confusion swept over them. Their legs weakened; they forgot even to flee.
Helpless, they watched as the honest man strangled the attacker to death, tossing his body aside like rubbish.
In the next moment, the honest man gazed at the crowd, and the crimson apparition above him did the same.
Terror—immense, suffocating terror.
As the crowd prepared to run, they discovered something even more horrifying: their legs were entangled by strange threads.
Before they could comprehend what was happening, a sinister laughter echoed.
“Hehehe.”
Their attention snapped toward the sound.
The crimson apparition on the honest man slowly descended to the ground, finally assuming a form familiar to them all.
“Oh my god! Isn’t that the demon hunter?”
Someone recognized him.
But as soon as the words left his lips, blood streamed from his neck, and he could only clutch the wound, his gaze filled with unwillingness as he collapsed.
“Too talkative, are you?”
The “demon hunter” swept his gaze across the crowd, reveling in their terror, laughing wildly. “I am the malevolent wraith! Crosses, exorcism spikes, holy water—they’re nothing but myths! What I desire is your ugly humanity!
Your depravity feeds me! With it, I can act!
Once I absorb your darkness, I will slaughter you all!”
With these words, a sinister wind whipped around them.
Wherever the wind passed, nothing remained. The people could only watch as their bodies were slowly dispersed by the evil wind, until all that was left were skeletons buried beneath the yellow sand.
Yet, after the so-called malevolent wraith departed, the wind and sand gradually swept over the land, and suddenly, a human head emerged.
*Cough, cough!*
---
Having swallowed a fair share of sand, he coughed instinctively, then saw the corpses scattered around him.
“Ah… ah!”
He screamed in terror, but quickly covered his mouth. After surveying his surroundings and confirming he was alone, he climbed out of the pit and walked step by step toward the distance.
All of this was witnessed by Xiao Zi.
The swirling sand could not conceal the dreadful aura that radiated from him. He was now powerful beyond comprehension, his presence so dense it became a tangible mist of red and black smoke around him, starkly contrasting with the surrounding yellow sand.
Of course, sparing a survivor was all part of his plan.
Xiao Zi had long understood that humanity’s greatest fear was never the supernatural.
Whether in his previous world or this one, what humans fear most is themselves!
Especially their own ugliness.
Xiao Zi acted so that, whenever people exposed their humanity, they would remember him—and fear him!
Yet to expect humanity to never reveal its nature was impossible.
Thus, for those who have heard his legend, it is impossible not to fear him!
The system’s decree to cloak an entire nation in terror was not mere intimidation—it was to make them live in perpetual fear.
If he had begun with slaughter, neighboring countries would send their champions. Even if he defeated them, greater troubles would follow, and ultimately, he would be forced to leave. Then, people would gradually lose their fear of him, and perhaps the system’s task would fail.
But operating as he did, people would fear him for every wrongdoing, as if the heavens themselves watched over them—only now, he would be their heaven!
“Hmph, not just one nation—every country nearby will be influenced by this legend, and in the end, they will all fear me!”
Then the honest man from before approached. On closer inspection, he was no honest man at all, but Wang Hui in disguise.
He looked at the clown. “Earlier, on the ship, I said some supernatural creature could alter memories. Turns out you really can?”
The clown slowly emerged from the sand, glanced at the sky, and said, “Honestly, my abilities are a mystery. I still haven’t figured out their true nature.”
Wang Hui, Xiao Zi: “…”