Chapter 251 -: 251 Vivian vs the Clown.[3]
The moment the clown whispered—
"Temple of Despair."
The sky answered.
Rumble...
RUMBLE...
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!
The clouds above twisted violently, pressing down like something heavy was sitting on the world. The light faded. The air grew thick.
Vivian slowly looked up. His eyes narrowed.
"...There’s something in there."
His voice was low, almost curious.
Then—
BAM!!
Something tore out of the clouds. Then another.
BAM! BAM! BAM!!
Six massive black walls came crashing down from the sky. They didn’t fall like stone.
They fell like judgment.
Each one slammed into place around Vivian with perfect precision.
The air shook. The sound echoed again and again.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!!
A perfect box. No gaps. No escape. Vivian’s body tensed for a split second—
He was about to dash out—
But then—
He stopped.
Far away, the clown smiled wide behind his mask.
"Too late," he said softly. "Once it begins... nothing can escape its descent."
Vivian clicked his tongue.
"Tch..."
But he didn’t look surprised.
He didn’t even look worried.
"...Yeah. I know."
His eyes moved slowly across the black walls.
"I’ve read about this one." His voice stayed calm.
Inside his head, the memory was clear.
Temple of Despair.
An Intuition with a perfect activation rate.
Once it starts—
It always succeeds.
Unlike his own intuition, which needed timing, awareness, openings...
This one didn’t care.
BAM!!
The final seal locked.
Darkness swallowed everything.
—
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
Vivian opened his eyes.
Silence.
A heavy, suffocating silence.
He stood in a vast space.
Endless.
Dark.
Wet.
He looked down.
"...Water?"
No.
His eyes sharpened.
"...Blood."
A dark red ocean stretched in every direction.
It barely moved, but it felt alive.
Step...
Step...
Each step made a soft ripple.
The sound echoed too loudly, like the world was listening.
"Temple of Despair..." Vivian muttered under his breath.
Then he let out a small sigh.
"...At least I’ll get to see Charlotte’s face."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"...Though not the way people would expect."
A voice came from behind him.
Soft.
Warm.
"...Honey?"
Vivian closed his eyes for half a second.
"...Right on time."
He turned around slowly. She was there.
Charlotte.
Red hair. Red eyes, still beautiful as ever.
Her face was full of warmth. Her hands rested gently on her stomach—
Round. Full.
She was pregnant...Vivian looked at her quietly.
No shock.
No joy. Just... understanding.
Then—
"Father!" A small voice.
A boy ran forward.
Four... maybe five years old. Tears filled his eyes.
"I finally found you!"
His voice shook. Charlotte followed, smiling softly.
"We missed you so much..."
They ran toward him.
Closer.
Closer.
Arms opening—Ready to embrace him.
Vivian didn’t move. His expression didn’t change.
Not even a little. Then—
He raised his sword.
Clean and Simple.
CHIK!!
One slash. Both heads fell.
Silence.
Their bodies froze for a moment.
Their eyes wide.
Full of disbelief.
"...Why...?"
Their voices trembled. Vivian looked at them calmly.
"Because the moment you touch me..."
His voice was steady.
"I lose."
He lowered his sword slightly.
"This place doesn’t kill the body."
"It breaks the mind."
His eyes grew colder.
"If I accept you... even for a second..."
"I drown in despair."
He looked around at the endless blood.
"...And I become one of the many who never came back."
The bodies melted into the blood.
Gone. But the silence didn’t last.
"Son... are you done already?"
"Brother!"
"Vivian..."
Voices. More voices. Familiar. Important.
Precious.
One after another—
They appeared.
Friends. Family. People he had lost.
People he never got to save.
All of them smiling. All of them reaching out.
All of them... real enough to hurt.
Vivian walked forward.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Each time—
CHIK!
CHIK!
CHIK!
His sword moved without hesitation.
No shaking.
No pause.
No mercy.
Blood splashed into blood.
Faces twisted in pain.
In confusion.
In betrayal.
"Why...?"
"You don’t care about us?"
"You’ve changed..."
The voices piled up. Layer over layer.
Trying to crack him. Trying to make him hesitate.
But Vivian’s face stayed still.
Cold.
Focused.
"...You’re not them."
His voice cut through the noise.
"They wouldn’t look at me like that."
Another slash. Silence again.
Only the sound of dripping blood remained.
—
Outside—
The storm still raged.
High above the battlefield—
Bloody Mary laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
His massive body twisted through the sky.
Dark breath burst from his mouth again and again.
Each attack tore through the air like a storm given form.
The clown moved through the attacks with sharp, precise movements.
But Bloody Mary didn’t let up. Not even for a second.
"You think this is enough?!" he roared.
His wings beat once—
BOOM!!
He shot upward. Higher. Faster.
Then suddenly—
He stopped. Floating in the sky.
His wings spread wide.
Then—
He tilted forward. And dropped.
WHOOOSH!!
His body cut through the air as he descended at terrifying speed.
"You’re not enough!!"
His voice shook the sky.
"ROOOOOAAARRRR!!!"
A massive breath exploded downward.
Dark energy flooded the sky.
But even as he attacked—His eyes shifted.
Just for a moment. Toward the black box in the distance.
Waiting.
—
Crack...
A small sound.
Then—
BOOM!!
The box exploded.
Fragments of black walls shattered into nothing. Vivian stepped out into the sky.
Calm.
Untouched.
Not even a scratch on him. His sword rested on his shoulder.
His eyes were clear. As if nothing had happened.
Bloody Mary grinned.
"Hey, softie!"
His voice boomed across the battlefield.
"Now’s the time!"
Vivian’s lips curled slightly.
"...Yeah."
Then—
He moved.
WHOOOSH!!
His body shot forward like a blade cutting through the storm. The wind screamed around him as he closed the distance in an instant.
The clown’s eyes sharpened.
He was ready. His hand rose calmly.
"Intuition: Divert."
His fingers curled slightly—
A grabbing motion.
Simple.
But the effect—
Immediate.
The massive breath rushing toward him suddenly twisted.
Like a river forced to change direction.
Like reality itself took a wrong turn.
The attack bent sharply—
And shot straight toward Vivian. The same power.
The same destruction. Now aimed at its owner.
Most people would panic. Most people would try to dodge.
Vivian didn’t.
His expression didn’t change.
Not even a flicker.
"...Expected."
His voice was quiet. Almost bored.
As the terrifying breath rushed toward him—
He moved his left hand behind his back.
His fingers shifted.
Three precise positions. Like he was holding something invisible.
And then—
They appeared. Three small daggers.
Dark metal.
Covered in fine, glowing runes. But he didn’t show them.
Didn’t even glance at them.
Instead—
He raised his sword.
And—
SLASH!!
The blade cut forward. The breath collided with the strike—
But—
No explosion. No shockwave. No chaos.
Instead—
The entire attack was pulled in. Like water flowing into a drain.
The breath twisted—
Compressed—
Then vanished into the sword itself. The blade hummed softly.
As if it had just eaten something it liked.
Vivian’s eyes glinted faintly.
"Wind."
He spoke the word under his breath.
The air answered immediately.
Wind gathered around his hidden hand.
Around the daggers.
It spun tighter.
Faster.
Sharper.
Turning them into silent bullets.
Across from him—
The clown didn’t move closer.
He kept his distance.
Floating.
His fingers twitched slightly. Another Intuition was coming.
Vivian saw it and understood it.
And decided—
Not to let it happen.
He surged forward again.
"Breath!"
His voice cut through the storm.
"Right away, sir!"
Bloody Mary didn’t even need a second.
"ROOOOOAAARRR!!!"
A massive breath exploded forward.
Dark energy tore through the sky straight toward the clown.
The clown reacted instantly. His focus shifted—
Just for a moment. And that was enough.
Vivian’s eyes sharpened.
"Now."
His left hand snapped forward. The daggers left his grip.
WHOSH!!!
They vanished.
No trail. No sound. Only speed.
Pure, terrifying speed.
The wind pushed them beyond sight.
The clown’s attention was still on the incoming breath—
Then—
A flicker. A feeling.
Too late.
His eyes widened slightly. The daggers were already there.
Right in front of him.
Too close. Too fast.
No time to react.
Vivian smiled faintly.
And snapped his fingers.
Snap.
Space twisted.
In the next instant—
He vanished.
And reappeared—
Right where the daggers were. Right in front of the clown.
Face to face.No distance. No escape.
The clown’s pupils shrank.
Vivian’s hand shot forward.
GRAB!!
He caught the clown by the wrist.
Firm.
Unbreakable.
Their eyes locked.
Up close—
The storm felt distant.
Irrelevant. Vivian’s voice dropped.
Cold and certain.
"Intuition..."
A faint ripple spread from his body.
The air trembled.
"...Xi Realm."