"Set up a spiritual cage to prevent the dispersed spirituality from driving the surrounding flora and fauna into frenzied mating."
Don quickly made all necessary preparations, leaving only to wait for the thumb trees to grow.
However...
Don raised his head as his spiritual intuition alerted him to something.
The surrounding space rippled with fantastical colors as suddenly, a massive tentacle appeared, dropping a letter that fluttered down.
Don caught it and opened it to read.
"HELP!"
The letter began with these simple characters. Don frowned and continued reading.
The enormous octopus-like creature retracted its tentacle, quietly waiting for a reply.
The letter came from his former companion, Olson Abraham.
"I'm trapped in a circus, Don. It's in Tingen. If you're still here... No, wait! Don't come!"
The handwriting was heavy, the writer seemingly under some lethal threat that made his words appear erratic and panicked.
"Don't come?"
Don looked at the octopus-like spirit world creature and asked solemnly, "Can you locate Olson Abraham?"
The giant octopus head seemed to ponder before shaking its head in confusion.
'System, what's going on?'
[New mission updated.]
The system's voice suddenly rang out.
---
In the big-top circus tent, Olson Abraham—with his short, neat hair and black robes—trembled as he resisted looking at the horrifying scene on stage, desperately trying to use his Traveler abilities to open an exit.
But it was impossible.
Even as a Traveler, he was being suppressed by some terrifying higher-sequence presence in this place, completely unable to create a spatial passage.
I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm definitely going to die!
Why, why, why? How could something like this exist here??
On stage, screams and sprays of blood erupted as a monstrous, writhing abomination—with three heads, dozens of legs, goat limbs, a boar's head, a tiger's body, and a serpent's tail, like some stitched-together horror—contentedly devoured half of a guest who had just stepped onto the stage. The remaining half staggered before collapsing, spilling organs and blood that stained the ground.
The audience was massive—far larger than it should have been.
This circus, which should have been nearly deserted, now seemed to be the most popular attraction in town. Elders, youths, vagrants, knights—people of all ages, genders, and statuses sat watching, erupting in laughter and applause at the performance.
Among the cheering crowd, the few who didn't join in stood out starkly.
"Next, we will present an even more vivid, more passionate performance—one that will delight and satisfy our audience! Now, we sincerely invite Mr. Notte Belial to offer his life for our stage!"
"Cheer! Praise! This is a miracle! The great miracle bestowed upon us by life itself! Let us witness this moment—a myth forged from deformity and life! This... this is the most spectacular moment of our Freak Show!"
A magician in a top hat appeared on stage from nowhere, his booming, impassioned voice met with thunderous applause from the audience.
The massive, writhing abomination quietly retreated, while the half-devoured Beyonder's remains—along with his blood and spilled organs—vanished like a historical projection, as if they had never existed.
The entire stage suddenly darkened, only for spotlights to abruptly illuminate a seat not far behind Olson Abraham.
Against his will, Olson looked over and saw a tall, powerfully built man with an ashen expression slowly rising to his feet.
Like a marionette, his movements were stiff as he mechanically made his way toward the stage amid the crowd's amazed cheers and applause.
At the same time, Olson noticed a new figure among the audience.
It was the Beyonder who had just been eaten. Now, he was clapping fervently, his smile radiant despite being drenched in blood—an unnatural sight.
As if he had just emerged victorious from some brutal struggle.
But Olson knew very well—this man had been eaten. Devoured by the monsters of this place.
The audience's cheers seemed to carry some sinister magic, the sound like invisible hands trying to strangle him beneath this dome, making his thoughts grow increasingly muddled.
Amid the roaring crowd, he felt death couldn't be far away.
"Belial... must be from the Blood Sanctify..."
He watched as the demon called Notte Belial took the stage. The magician prepared a high-wire act for him, but midway, the demon—at least Sequence 4—was attacked by some unseen horror and plummeted.
"Sequence 4: Demon. Possesses formidable physique and spell-like abilities. Cold, sharp, cunning. Capable of mentally manipulating others..."
Beautiful, brilliant fireworks erupted from the high platform as a Sequence 4 demon met its end.
Splattered with blood, the magician still raised his short staff triumphantly. As crimson sparks exploded around him, he tipped his hat in gratitude.
"Thank you for Notte Belial's spectacular performance! Next, we invite..."
"Mr. Olson Abraham!"
---
"No good."
Don set down the iron chain. His divination had been blocked—something of higher sequence was interfering with Olson Abraham himself, disrupting the divination.
"System, what's this new mission about?"
[New mission updated.]
[Mission: The Circus Magic Show]
[Your friend seems to be in a bit of trouble. Please do your best to help him escape danger.]
[This is a phased mission. Subsequent phases will only unlock after completing the previous one.]
[Warning: This mission is extremely dangerous. Proceed with caution, Host.]
[Something high-sequence is interfering with divination, Host.] The system stated plainly. [It's too distant for me to identify precisely, but the mission parameters are clear.]
"High-sequence..." Don picked up the Staff of Life from the ground. "Olson's letter mentioned a circus—it must be the one in Tingen."
"If it's a circus in Tingen, I only know of one place."
He gazed into the distance, as if seeing that sparsely attended establishment tucked away in a corner.
(Chapter End)