[Chapter 220: Monsters Everywhere]
"Tell me the exact spot where you disappeared last!"
"At... at the place where Brentwood turns into that alley... No, wait -- the wall here says 'Ridge Road'... Damn! What's that sound?!"
Suddenly, a piercing air-raid siren blared from the other end of the phone. Even through the radio waves, Daniel felt a spine-chilling cold crawl up from the receiver.
"The siren! It's so loud! It's getting dark... Damn! Why did it suddenly go pitch black? The wallpaper's peeling off! Something's crawling-- ah--!"
"Megan! Stop staring at those monsters! Find a building and get inside right now. Move fast. Your life depends on it."
"Okay, okay, I see an entrance. I'm heading in."
Megan's voice crackled through the line in fits and starts. Then, without warning, the signal cut out, replaced by a cold, busy tone.
Daniel redialed, but the automated voice replied, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is out of the service area."
"Chris! Trace the last location the signal disappeared from-- now!"
Daniel lifted off the ground, soaring into the air.
...
By car, it would have taken over half an hour to reach that spot. But flying straight there, he arrived in just minutes at the secluded alley.
Ahead, a dense blanket of fog lay thick.
Without hesitation, Daniel plunged into the mist.
Immediately, the surroundings began to warp unnervingly.
The once-clear street transformed into sodden decay; the streetlights' glow was swallowed by a thick, impenetrable white haze.
Daniel touched down on the ground. Beneath his feet, the smooth asphalt had vanished, replaced by a desolate stretch littered with fallen leaves and ash.
He drew the heavy Octagonal Judgement Blade from System space -- the blade's patterns faintly shimmering in the fog.
He had never once used this sword since forging it -- mainly because he hadn't faced physical monsters requiring its might. But here, in this world of Silent Hill, the sword could finally prove its worth.
Though the fog was thick, visibility still lingered enough. Eerie sounds drifted from the darkness, as if countless terrifying creatures were closing in fast.
Focusing sharply, Daniel immediately detected a mark on his Spiritual Sense.
It was the imprint he had placed on Megan beforehand. Knowing Megan's streak of bad luck these days, Daniel had been prepared.
He hadn't just given her his mark, but also distributed protective Seals and a magical artifact bracelet.
With these, Megan should have some defense -- even in this cursed world.
Still, darkness and thick fog limited Daniel's vision. He could only vaguely see a towering building far off.
Details would have to wait until he got closer.
Fortunately, Megan appeared to have made it inside. That meant she was slightly safer than out in the open.
Black ash drifted down, only to silently disintegrate before reaching Daniel -- neutralized by the power inside him.
The eerie noises grew louder.
With the Blade angled toward the ground, its tip scraped across gravel, producing a faint, grinding sound.
Suddenly, the fog ahead churned.
From the mist crawled a twisted mass of flesh.
It had no arms, its entire body wrapped in a fleshy membrane that looked like charred skin.
Its head was blurred and indistinct.
With every breath, a sour, corrosive liquid dripped from a crack in its chest, smoking as it corroded pits into the ground.
A Lying Figure.
One of Silent Hill's most iconic monsters.
Armless, eerie, and swift in its movements, it embodied suppressed suffering. Beyond ramming, its deadliest attack was spraying highly corrosive venom from its chest.
Daniel didn't wait for it to close the distance.
He stepped forward and struck with his blade.
Though this Octagonal Judgement Blade weighed over nine pounds, in Daniel's hands -- sharpened by fourth-stage Body Enhancement -- it felt feather-light.
The black blade carved an arc through the mist.
With the dull whistle of breaking air, it sliced through the viscous outer flesh in an instant.
Squelch!
Foul-smelling black blood splattered -- but before touching the ground, a trace of mana flowing through the blade dispersed it.
The monster didn't even have time to roar before the sword split it down the middle.
Its corpse collapsed, quickly turning into a pool of charred, black pus.
[Ding! Killed a G-rank monster, earned 500 merit points.]
[Ding! Killed a G-rank monster, obtained 'Edict of Soul Suppression.']
System notifications rang promptly in Daniel's mind.
"Only G-rank?" Daniel muttered with slight disappointment.
But considering its weakness in the movies, being taken down by a single bullet, it made sense.
Suddenly, the fog churned violently, and more Lying Figures emerged.
Puff, puff, puff...
A rain of corrosive venom sprayed from their chests, forming a curtain aimed straight at Daniel.
Daniel tapped his toes on the ground and slid back several meters like a shadow.
"Hum!"
An orange-red glow burst across Daniel's body.
Mana Protection!
The venom raining down sparked as it hit the golden shield, but couldn't penetrate even a shred.
Looking around, no fewer than thirty Lying Figures closed in from all directions.
They shambled forward with twisted, uncoordinated steps, a grotesque gathering of stitched-together rotten flesh.
"Looks like there are quite a few."
Daniel snorted coldly.
His Judgement Blade surged with power.
Taking the initiative, he charged into the cluster of grotesque beasts.
He gripped the nine-pound sword firmly.
Each swing unleashed a solid, crescent-shaped burst of sword energy.
Crack!
Puff!
The sounds of snapping bones and tearing flesh echoed rhythmically.
Daniel sidestepped a ramming attack from one creature, then followed with a backhand strike -- halving its head.
With a flick of his wrist, he swept the sword in a wide arc, slicing two more monsters approaching from left and right clean in half.
[Ding! Killed a G-rank monster, earned 500 merit points.]
[Ding! Killed a G-rank monster, earned 500 merit points.] ...
The System alerts rang in rapid succession.
Just as the killing spree peaked, the ground beneath Daniel trembled violently.
Cracks ripped through the asphalt.
From them burst countless long, thin, rusty wire nets that coiled toward Daniel's legs like pythons.
The gray-white fog turned blood-red.
A burnt, acrid stench ten times stronger filled the air.
"Wooo-- Wooo--"
The shrill siren echoed through the city again.
The Inner World had arrived.
Surrounding buildings looked as if invisible hands were tearing away their outer layers.
Rotten wood and stone bricks fell away, revealing bloody muscle walls and rusted steel frames within.
The Lying Figures seemed to grow stronger, roaring as their speed quickened.
"Endless."
"Daniel stepped forward. 'Lend me the power of this land.'"
*****
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