The pulsating entrails, the yellow-green liquid, the quietly burning black flames, and a body leaning forward all reflected in Klein's eyes, deeply imprinting themselves in his mind.
In all his missions so far, the most dangerous situation he had experienced was dealing with Ryer Biber, whose digestion process had been interrupted. Yet even that dangerous and terrifying monster only managed to seriously injure the participants, without claiming a single life.
The only teammate Klein had lost, Old Neil, and the deaths of official Beyonders he had witnessed, all stemmed from losing control. The "killers" were either indescribably mystical or pointed towards evil gods, having nothing to do with specific missions.
And now, for the first time, he had witnessed a teammate's sacrifice during a mission. This death resulted solely from a single wrong choice moments ago.
Nighthawks fought against madness, and they also fought against danger.
One mistake, and perhaps there would never be a chance to make it right.
With a bang, Klein's mind exploded.
As if severely stimulated, he crouched down, raised his right hand, and fired bang bang bang at Mrs. Sharron. Silver Demon Slaying bullets tore through countless invisible threads, shooting toward her head and her translucent nightgown.
Suddenly, Mrs. Sharron was pulled sideways to another direction by something, dodging Klein's frantic gunfire.
Only when all five bullets in the revolver were fired, and the sound of empty chambers rang in his ears, did Klein snap out of it and regain the ability to think.
His heart tightened. With no time to reload, he simply dropped the gun and reached out to grab a stack of Tarot cards!
Slap!
Mrs. Sharron's body sharply leaned sideways. She saw a card fly past and embed itself deep into the surface of the dressing table.
A smirk played on her lips. Her beautiful brown eyes were once again tinged with a deep black hue.
At that moment, her cascading brown hair suddenly lifted up, as if blown by an invisible force.
Mrs. Sharron was taken aback. Before she could dodge, she was a beat too slow. The "Magician" card, snapped from Klein's wrist, pinned her hair to the wall.
Crack! Mrs. Sharron forcibly tore her hair off, rolled forward, and her body rapidly vanished from Klein's sight.
Invisible again... Klein held a Tarot card between his fingers, moving slowly, cautiously on guard all around him.
Suddenly, he understood why Mrs. Sharron had given up attacking, why she had slowed down.
—Under normal circumstances, without using "Azik's Copper Whistle", Klein had no way to fight this terrifying witch!
Right! The Captain must have arrived nearby! A surge of joy filled his heart. He rolled his eyes and instinctively looked towards the window.
At the same time, a judgment popped into his head: Mrs. Sharron was trying to escape!
She already knew we had a companion who could drag her into a dream, but she didn't know if there were any other Nighthawks, Punishers, or Machinery Hail members coming later!
She was powerful, but not strong enough to single-handedly wipe out a squad of Beyonders!
With a flash of insight, Klein flicked his wrist and threw the Tarot card he held, throwing it towards the window.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh! He threw five cards in quick succession. Three sealed the window, two turned into flying knives, slashing toward the door.
Crack! Crack! Thud!
Amidst the sound of shattering glass, two Tarot cards deeply embedded themselves one after the other into the half-open bedroom door, and Klein heard the sound of dodging, just as he had hoped.
He flicked his wrist again and threw a card, relying on his "Clown" instincts, towards a certain spot beside the door.
The card tore through the air with a sharp whistle, speeding towards that spot. Unfortunately, it embedded itself into the hard wall, causing a figure to be quickly outlined from the air. It was Mrs. Sharron in her translucent nightgown, with her brown hair and brown eyes.
The moment Mrs. Sharron was exposed, her eyes suddenly lost their sparkle, as if she had fallen asleep standing up.
Captain... Klein's gaze swept around. He didn't rush to throw a card, because he knew Mrs. Sharron could break free from the dream quickly. If he couldn't deal a fatal blow within a second or two, she would forcefully break free and escape.
At this distance, the Nightmare was easily broken out of!
Bending his knees, Klein abruptly rolled sideways towards the front, half-crouching on the ground. He extended his right hand and grabbed the edge of the "Spirit Mirror" that was lying face up.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, before the mirror could reflect himself, he threw the sealed artifact "3-0271" out, tossing it facing Mrs. Sharron.
Mrs. Sharron's body trembled. The sparkle in her brown eyes quickly returned to normal, and her gaze refocused.
And even before she woke, a layer of crystalline and solid frost had already appeared on the surface of her body.
However, she didn't see an incoming card or a silver Demon Slaying bullet. She only saw a mirror closing in from far away, and in that mirror, she saw her own innocent yet enchanting reflection.
That beautiful face suddenly twisted. Wrinkles appeared on it, bloodstains appeared, and rotting patches appeared.
"No!" Mrs. Sharron let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if witnessing the death of her lover.
Her skin quickly took on a cyan-green hue, and a yellow, pus-like fluid seeped from the corners of her eyes.
In a sudden burst, Mrs. Sharron's body ignited from within with quiet black flames, as if warding something off.
Immediately after, thick frost formed outside the black flames, as if crafting a sleeping coffin.
Countless invisible strands tangled and finally reached a visible color, wrapping the frost layer after layer, seemingly forming a huge cocoon.
Thud, thud, thud. The sealed artifact "3-0271" landed, rolled forward a few times, and came to a stop next to Mrs. Sharron's huge "cocoon".
At this moment, a clattering sound rang out as Dunn smashed through the window frame and tumbled into the room.
He glanced at the lifeless Kornelli, his expression immediately turning grim.
Just then, the "cocoon" burst open. The ice coffin disintegrated inch by inch, and the black flames turned into glowing fireflies, scattering around.
Mrs. Sharron's skin color returned to normal, her eyes slightly tired, but otherwise normal.