On the steep, long stone staircase, the light of the red moon illuminated the middle section, leaving deep shadows on both sides.
Seeing that the staircase connecting several roads above and below was about to end, Enzo, who had once been a "Monster," suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at the shadowy area at the bottommost edge.
He then saw a figure sitting there in a daze, their appearance and build somewhat blurry due to the light, dressed in typical East Balam attire.
That figure took out a box of matches, struck one with a whoosh, illuminating the edge.
Before Enzo could take the opportunity to examine the other's appearance, a scene suddenly flashed before his eyes:
That figure threw the match over as if offering a gift, and as the match approached, it suddenly erupted into an exaggerated stream of flames, from which a man in a suit and top hat stepped out!
Seeing things one shouldn't see and hearing things one shouldn't hear were everyday occurrences for a "Monster." Having become a "Winner," Enzo was already accustomed to all this. Without thinking, he fully trusted his premonition, abruptly threw himself forward, leaped off the stairs, and rolled twice on the street below.
At the same time, the slightly brown-skinned puppet Ouf abruptly stood up, twisting his waist and swinging his arm, and threw the match in his hand toward Enzo's original position.
Before the match could land, a crimson flame stream stretched and lengthened, shooting into the air, dazzling and magnificent.
From within the flame stream, Klein, wearing a black suit and a half-top hat, with handsome, somewhat androgynous features, leaped out, but he had lost track of the target.
More than ten seconds earlier, he had noticed someone descending the stairs quickly, seemingly fleeing something, and had suspected that this might be his new puppet. So he had seized the time to perform a "dream divination," receiving an indication that the other party was related to the Rose School and was not a good person.
With this answer, Klein did not hesitate and prepared to act. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, he didn't have the chance to use the "Paper Angel" recorded in "
At that moment, his puppet Ouf had already left the last step of the staircase and was charging in large strides toward Enzo, who had just stood up.
Enzo's heart stirred; he did not dodge but shifted his body sideways lightly, evading the unremarkable attack.
Then, he drew his gun, aimed quickly, and with a bang, hit Ouf in the chest.
Blood gushed out, and the puppet Ouf staggered and fell, his breathing rapidly growing weak.
Seizing this brief opportunity, Klein's figure vanished and reappeared in front of the target, blocking his escape route.
Enzo suddenly had an indescribable, ineffable premonition. He immediately closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly shut.
He didn't know why he was doing this, but as a mid-sequence Beyonder of the "Fortune" pathway, trusting his intuition was an instinct!
Immediately after, Enzo hastily turned, trying to rely on his spiritual intuition to dash into another street, but the man in the top hat and suit with an unremarkable face appeared again in front of him.
Front and back, left and right, Klein's figure kept disappearing and reappearing, as if he were running at high speed around Enzo, always able to block his path in advance without launching a direct attack. No matter which way Enzo turned, whether he used his Beyonder abilities or not, he was always faced with a figure in a black suit and half-top hat.
For a moment, with his eyes closed, Enzo even thought the enemy was not one, but a group.
A "Traveler" can always create the effect of being besieged by a single person!
Within just ten seconds or so, before Enzo could find his escape route, his thoughts suddenly became sluggish, his movements slowed, and it seemed as if glue had been poured into his mind and joints.
"Traveling" pairs equally well with "Puppet Master." When Klein had been blinking, he had always stayed within ten meters of Enzo, secretly manipulating the other's "Spirit Body Threads" all along!
Not good... He's not attacking... only blocking... not waiting for the Nighthawks... but for another purpose... Enzo, still with his eyes closed, felt his heart tighten. He stepped on a pebble, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground, sending his pistol flying several meters away.
Bam!
The pain and shock instantly freed Enzo from that sluggish state, and he regained his fluidity.
Enzo was no stranger to this kind of accident. As a "Winner," he could always gain advantages and seize victory through improbable events.
He was about to dash without hesitation toward the end of a side street, directly leap over the railing, and jump into the sea, relying on fate's arrangements to escape his predicament, when another scene flashed through his mind:
He was coughing violently, unable to straighten his back or take a step!
Disease! The enemy can infect me with disease! He never attacks, only blocks my escape, in order to keep me in this area and let me contract the disease without realizing it! Enzo's heart first tightened, then surged with intense joy.
The "Green Ring" he wore on his person came from a follower of the "Primordial Moon." Once activated, it could easily heal all kinds of minor illnesses and injuries!
This is "luck"! Enzo pretended not to notice the infectious disease in the surrounding air. He pushed himself up with both hands, darted out, and headed straight for the railing at the end of the street as he had imagined.
After just two steps, he suddenly coughed and involuntarily slowed down.
His cough did not subside normally; instead, it grew more intense, as if he were going to cough his lungs out.