In the prayer hall of the monastery, the monks and martial monks had solemn expressions.
Candlelight flickered, and the ancient murals on the walls brightened and dimmed. Besides the scent of sandalwood, there was an indescribable tension in the air.
Dean Daniel stood at the very front, his voice low and powerful as he led everyone in evening prayer.
Dr. Banner and Johnny Blaze blended into the back of the crowd, not praying, but alertly observing everyone. Father Moreau leaned against a pillar clutching a wine bottle, appearing drunk, but the light in the corners of his eyes was constantly scanning around.
On Dr. Banner's glasses, an almost invisible stream of data flashed.
Hundreds of miniature cameras had already filled the entire hall. Jarvis was analyzing every frame through the Stark satellite, trying to find that potential flaw.
This was a trap designed by Dr. Banner.
A grand prayer ceremony, an environment that seemed crowded and defenseless, was enough to make the "mole" hiding in the shadows think it was a good opportunity to strike.
Time passed minute by minute.
The sound of reciting prayers echoed in the hall; the monotonous rhythm made one feel a bit drowsy.
Suddenly, an old martial monk sitting in the front row swayed, as if sleepy, his head slowly drooping.
Beside him, a monk who also looked aged and had a kind face reached out concernedly and lightly patted his shoulder, seemingly wanting to remind him to concentrate.
Now!
Dr. Banner's gaze narrowed.
Jarvis's sharp alarm sounded directly in his specially made bone-conduction earpiece.
"Doctor! Target locked! Area C, Row 3, Seat 4, the monk touching the target's shoulder. His metal reflection on the candlestick showed a shape distortion for 0.01 seconds!"
"That's it!"
Banner was about to shout a warning, but the disguised Monster moved faster.
The moment its palm touched the old martial monk's shoulder, a strange power drilled in. The old monk's body suddenly stiffened, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed, and his life force quickly dissipated.
Another one!
"Do it!"
Banner roared and was the first to charge.
Almost simultaneously, the leather jacket on Johnny Blaze burst into Hellfire. He transformed into the Ghost Rider, and his burning chains shot straight at that "monk."
The pretender didn't seem to expect it would be exposed so quickly, but its reaction was also frighteningly fast.
Facing the incoming chains, its body seemed to have no bones, bending backward at a bizarre angle until it was almost flat against the ground, narrowly dodging the strike.
Then, its body began to change.
Its skin flowed down like melting wax, revealing the writhing grayish-white flesh underneath. Its facial features quickly disappeared and merged; in the center of its face, a huge, ghostly blue single eye snapped open, as if containing countless whirlpools.
It finally revealed its true form.
No longer disguised, the Monster's body elongated and deformed, its limbs turning into sharp claws, and it let out a shriek that didn't sound human. That scream directly affected the minds of everyone present.
"Ah!"
The monks closest to it instantly clutched their heads in agony, eyes rolling back, foaming at the mouth, and fainted immediately.
"Mental attack! Everyone, guard your minds!" Father Moreau roared, holding his cross high. A holy light spread out, barely blocking part of the impact.
"Roar!"
Hulk's massive form erupted from within Banner. Ignoring the mental shock, his fan-like hand swiped directly at the Monster.
Facing Hulk's heavy strike, the Trickster Evil Monster didn't resist head-on.
Its body suddenly became distorted, like a lump of boneless dough, stretching itself to dodge Hulk's palm.
Boom!
Hulk's palm slammed heavily onto the ground, smashing a large pit into the floor of the entire hall.
Meanwhile, the Monster's figure flashed, instantly appearing behind Johnny.
Johnny reacted quickly, swinging a Hellfire whip back at it.
But the Trickster Evil Monster's goal wasn't to attack. Its body writhed again, instantly turning into... Roxanne's appearance.
It was the appearance of the woman he loved, which it had previously seen in Johnny's memory.
"Roxanne" had a look of terror on her face, with tears hanging from her eyes, looking at him pitifully. She didn't make a sound, but that appearance itself was the most lethal weapon.
Johnny's burning Skull suddenly froze, and the chains he had swung stopped abruptly in mid-air.
It was this moment of hesitation.
A sinister smile appeared on "Roxanne's" face, and her arm instantly turned into a sharp bone spike, stabbing fiercely toward Johnny's chest.
"Hulk block!"
Hulk roared, his massive body crashing over, using his back to take the hit.
Puchi!
The bone spike easily pierced Hulk's tough skin, bringing out a spray of green blood.
Hulk grunted in pain and threw a punch back, but the Monster turned into a blob again, flowing onto the ground.
"You dare trick me!"
Realizing what happened, the Hellfire on Johnny's body soared into the sky, raising the temperature of the entire hall by several degrees. He frantically swung his chains, the flames igniting the surrounding tables, chairs, and murals, yet he couldn't touch the phantom-like enemy.
The Trickster Evil Monster darted through the crowd, its body constantly changing.
Sometimes it was a deceased companion of a monk, sometimes an elderly Mother of another. It didn't attack; it merely used those familiar faces to create panic and chaos in the crowd.
The Trickster Evil Monster seemed to lose interest in the struggles of these Mortals; its body turned into a black shadow, about to phase through the wall.
Just then, a somewhat lazy sigh rang out clearly in the chaotic hall.
"Sigh, I originally wanted to watch the show, but since the actors' performances are so bad, the director has no choice but to take the stage himself."
Everyone was stunned.
In the shadows of the hall's entrance, a young man in a casual suit walked out slowly.
Lin Huai.
He looked as if he had just strolled over from a nearby cafe, with no tension on his face at all, even carrying a slight smile as if watching a scene where he didn't mind the trouble.
The Trickster Evil Monster's huge single eye suddenly turned toward Lin Huai.
It didn't feel fear; instead, it was like a Beast smelling top-tier food. That ghostly blue eye showed a mixture of greed and vigilance. It could sense that this suddenly appearing young man radiated a "Secret" aura that shared the same source as its own but was of a much higher level.
That was prey, and also a threat!
The Monster let out a shriek, gave up on escaping, and turned into a black shadow, lunging straight at Lin Huai.
"Lin!" Banner shouted, his heart tightening.
Lin Huai just stood there, unmoved, even letting out a yawn.
Just as the black shadow was about to pounce in front of him.
Lin Huai's figure suddenly flickered like a bad television signal, then turned into a falling paper effigy.
[Paper Clone Substitutes]
"Looking for me?"
Lin Huai's voice appeared phantom-like behind the Trickster Evil Monster.
The Monster spun around, and for the first time, a look of horror appeared in its ghostly blue eye.
"Actors aren't allowed to talk back to the director." Lin Huai chuckled.
His figure instantly vanished from the spot.
[Flame Leap]
In the next second, he appeared directly above the Monster's head, looking down at the single eye that was constantly contracting in shock.
"The game is over."
Lin Huai pressed his right index and middle fingers together, pointing lightly just above that single eye.
At his fingertips, a mass of highly compressed air exploded.
[Air Bullet]
The Trickster Evil Monster's eye immediately locked onto Lin Huai's movement, and its body tried to change again.
But Hulk was already prepared. Before the transforming Trickster Evil Monster could react, it was slapped into mush by Hulk.
Bang!
A dull thud.
Cracks appeared on the dough-like body of the Trickster Evil Monster.
Subsequently, more cracks rapidly spread.
The Monster's body began to collapse, turning into bits of black light particles and dissipating into the air.
Finally, only a fist-sized, transparent single eye glowing with ghostly blue light was left on the spot.
[Main Eye of the Trickster Evil Monster]
Lin Huai slowly landed, reaching out to draw the main eye into his hand from the air; it felt cold and smooth to the touch.
The entire hall was deathly silent.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at this mysterious young man who had suddenly appeared and used such swift and decisive methods to restrict the Monster.
Johnny retracted his Hellfire, and Banner also reverted to human form. The two walked to Lin Huai's side, their gazes complex.
"You... were here long ago?" Banner asked.
"Yeah, I watched the show for a bit," Lin Huai replied casually, tossing the main eye in his hand.
He had succeeded.
One of the core materials for advancing to Sequence 4 [Bizzaro Sorcerer] was now in his hands.
Logically, he should be happy now, or at least feel a sense of relief.
But a strange feeling surged into his heart without warning.
It was too coincidental.
Everything was too coincidental.
When he needed to advance to [Marionettist], Mephisto sent a Six-Winged Gargoyle to deliver the core crystal.
Now, when he needed to advance to [Bizzaro Sorcerer], this Trickster Evil Monster actively delivered itself to his door.
This was no longer something that the law of beyonder characteristics convergence could explain.
It was as if... someone was looking at his shopping list in the background and then precisely delivering the Monster to him like a courier.
This wasn't convergence; this was home delivery.
Once this thought arose, a chill ran up Lin Huai's spine.
Was it "The Fool"? Was Klein arranging all of this?
No, it didn't seem like him. The Zhou Mingrui I know wouldn't use the lives of innocents as a price to provide me with Beyonder materials.
Then who was it?
The Evernight Goddess? No, we only met recently; there's no need for this.
Just as Lin Huai's thoughts were spinning wildly, a sensation of emptiness from a forced disconnection suddenly struck!
That was... the connection with his Marionette!
The Marionette he had left by Tony's side to disguise as himself, "protected" by Steve and Natasha—its Spirit Thread had been... severed!
Lin Huai's face instantly turned pale.
How was that possible?
That Marionette was his important disguise and eyes, as well as an extension of his [Marionettist] abilities. To be able to sever the Spirit Thread without any detection, the opponent's level must be at least a demigod or... even higher, and they must be very familiar with Beyonders, even very familiar with the Seer Pathway!
Who was it?
Why target him?
In the moment his mind was shaken, a calm and slightly gentle voice sounded softly in his ear, as if pressed against the back of his neck.
"I've found you again."
Lin Huai's blood seemed to freeze at this moment.
He turned his head stiffly, inch by inch.