Chapter 391: Clone

In the dock district, among the contiguous warehouse corners, a dazed, semi‑transparent Knowledge Rabbit emerged from the spirit realm.

Its eyes swirled with deep‑blue‑purple radiance, specks of starlight diffused from its body, forming an illusory sigil composed of layers upon layers of Gates.

The sigil twisted and expanded, sending out concentric pale‑blue ripples, seemingly interacting with some region within the spirit realm.

The Knowledge Rabbit's figure flickered for a moment, then was replaced by Lei Kedun's silhouette.

Huh— feeling the surrounding air even the wind hushed, Lei Kedun exhaled deeply; the terrifying, suffocating pressure had vanished entirely.

"Fortunately, earlier I let the clone experiment with the Trick Mage's ability to swap positions with my secret counterpart; although the position‑swap achieved via ritual magic and the use of the Gate differs fundamentally from the Trick Mage's method."

With a slight sigh, he reached into the void before him, retrieved a somewhat ethereal jet‑black pointed hat, and placed it on his head.

A curtain‑like shadow fell, and Lei Kedun's figure vanished, erasing all trace and aura.

This is an enhancement of his original mysterious manifestation, using the occult knowledge of the Shadow Realm he commands, allowing him to conceal his aura as well as his form.

As Lei Kedun's silhouette faded, the surrounding shadows seemed denser and darker.

A sleek, jet‑black raven with glossy feathers suddenly alighted on the warehouse roof; a distinctive white ring surrounded its right eye.

Its gaze swept the warehouse, finally fixing on the spot where Lei Kedun had just appeared and vanished.

"Interesting! All my parasites failed; it isn't just luck. Does the rank confer traits?"

"The primal essences sealed on the Western Continent are also beginning to stir!"

From the raven's beak came A Meng's voice, tinged with curiosity and anticipation.

After lingering on the roof for a moment, it flapped its wings and flew toward Suniya Sea.

In the basement beneath the Wave Church at Baiyam's original site, many Punishment Substitutes and clergy gathered.

They monitored the outside while strictly guarding the various underground sections.

The Wave Church serves as the Storm Church's headquarters on the Luoside Archipelago; beyond the prominent sanctuary, the underground detains numerous uncontrolled or near‑uncontrolled extraordinary beings and seals many dangerous magical artifacts. When chaos erupts, this is the most perilous, most defensible spot.

If an enemy covets the sealed artifacts here, or the original seals falter, their interactions could trigger an even greater catastrophe.

As a Punishment Substitute Overseer of the Luoside Archipelago, Ke Erduowa·Luoye's brows knit into a knot; angry flames flickered in his mind, and he could only rely on reason to suppress his emotions, leaving him with little energy for further thought.

"Captain, are you alright? You don't look well."

A subordinate Punishment Substitute squad member stepped a few paces forward, stopping three meters away, and asked with concern.

Ke Erduowa·Luoye inhaled deeply, stretched out a hand, and rubbed his forehead before speaking:

"I'm fine; perhaps the weather outside is affecting me—I've been feeling irritable."

"It's nothing serious; during thunderstorms, extraordinary beings that sailors encounter tend to become more irritable."

Opposite him, the passing Punishment Substitute adjusted his single‑lens glasses on his right eye, a faint smile curling his mouth as he said:

"Haha, that's normal; thunderstorms are inherently suppressive."

"Indeed." Ke Erduowa·Luoye nodded lightly.

Feeling his inner turbulence subside, he lifted his head, his gaze landing on the crystal‑polished single lens over the other's right eye, and asked puzzled, "Huh? When did you switch to a single‑lens glass?"

"This? Made of crystal?"

The Punishment Substitute's mouth curved slightly; he casually removed the single lens from his right eye and handed it to Ke Erduowa·Luoye, saying, "Yeah, I finally saved up some money; I wanted to buy a gentleman's tailcoat, but realized it wasn't for me, so I spent it on these single‑lens glasses."

"How does it look? Not bad, right? Does it match me well?"

Ke Erduowa's eyes lingered briefly on the offered glasses; he returned a polite smile and nodded lightly, saying:

"Indeed, it's nice."

While speaking, his gaze fixed on the area beneath the other's collar, where a dark‑gold chain—belonging to a pocket watch—should have been.

"Qi Er Si, where's the pocket watch you always wear? Haven't you always liked showing a chain outward?"

The Punishment Substitute known as Qi Er Si's expression froze, then he lowered his head, eyes rolling upward at Ke Erduowa, his smile taking on a sinister edge in the dim basement light.

His voice suddenly grew hoarse and low: "You caught me!"

Ke Erduowa's heart hammered wildly; his mind blanked for an instant, and his voice reacted before his thoughts could catch up.

A whooshing wind echoed in the basement; his hair defied natural order, each strand standing out, entwined with electric light.

"Captain, wait, the pocket watch is here; I was just joking! No need to dismember me the moment you came up!"

"Normally you'd come up, give me a punch, and hurl a couple of curses, right?"

As he spoke, Qi Er Si's hand retrieved the dark‑gold pocket watch from his left coat pocket; its case bore a clockwork pattern of interlocking gears.

Ke Erduowa's electric‑lit strands fell back, and he glared at Qi Er Si, "Don't joke at a time like this!"

"Also, why did you suddenly stash the pocket watch in your coat pocket?"

Qi Er Si replied sheepishly, "My shirt underneath is a bit torn."

Ke Erduowa stared at his subordinate for a few seconds, waved casually, then rubbed his forehead, "Don't spend all your money on single‑lens glasses from now on."

Qi Er Si lightly nodded, muttering as he turned back to his original spot, "I was just seeing your mood was off, trying to liven the atmosphere for you, right?"

Ke Erduowa stared blankly downward; a silvery-white surge erupted from him, striking Qi Er Si instantly, freezing him in place before it shattered into countless tiny electric serpents that writhed around.

"Your emotions and state are spot‑on, but Qi Er Si never jokes with me at a time like this."

Ke Erduowa's voice was hoarse, laced with fierce anger.

His hair defied natural order, each strand distinct, entwined with electric light; his eyes turned a blue‑white.

A whimpering wind howled through the basement, swirling and forming an invisible wind binding that locked Qi Er Si firmly in place.

In the next instant, Qi Er Si turned unperturbed, facing him, a faint curve at his mouth, and said calmly,

"If this clone weren't destined to be discovered, I'd really like to spend more time playing with you all."

Before the words finished, the single lens over his right eye turned into a flash of white light and darted away, vanishing into the void before the surrounding Punishment Substitutes could intercept.

As the glasses vanished, Qi Er Si's body trembled; flesh and blood disintegrated piece by piece, turning into a black mass.

Within a few breaths, he transformed from a normal human into a pool of black, shadow‑like liquid, spreading rapidly outward like countless eyes stretching and contracting.

(End of Chapter)