NFBE Interlude to Chapter 48: "The Silent, Extremely Evil Spirit"
Interlude to Chapter 48: "The Silent, Extremely Evil Spirit"
In the early evening, in a quiet aristocratic neighborhood in London, a brightly lit villa.
"Thud! Thump, bang—"
As the cane struck, a slightly obese, sleazy middle-aged man was struck as if by a heavy blow and sent flying. During the process, he crashed into a living room chair with a dull thud before finally coming to a stop.
"Aaaaaah—" The man who was knocked to the ground screamed in pain, then raised his head and looked at the 'Black Flame Asura' in front of him with fear on his face.
"Wait, don't come any closer... I have no grudge against you! I'll give you anything you want, please, don't come any closer... I'll give you money and beauty, please let me go!"
The slightly overweight nobleman was now lying on the cold, hard ground in a disheveled state, like a frightened toad. His face, already distorted with fear, now looked even more ferocious and terrifying.
Upon hearing this, Ming's expression behind the mask froze for a moment. His previously stiff face suddenly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a chilling smile.
(Note: Ming's stiff facial expression was actually the result of repeated practice on the way here before arriving.)
Then, in an unusually calm and indifferent tone, he began to slowly recount the crimes he had committed.
“Midoya Van Goghokich, you have gone so far as to order your men to kidnap innocent children and send them to Sallesto for his inhumane human experiments, causing countless parents to be separated from their children forever. All of this was for your vain dream of wealth and your vile profits... You deserve to die.”
As each word he uttered seemed to freeze into ice crystals, the chill penetrating to the bone.
"Uh...uh...how...how did you know..."
The man stared in disbelief at the man in front of him who seemed to know everything about the evil he had committed against him, a look of utter disbelief spreading across his face.
Just as he was still immersed in disbelief and fear that his secret had been exposed, he saw Ming suddenly raise his cane and smash it down on the other man's head with a speed that no ordinary person could perceive.
With a muffled thud, the man's head exploded like a ripe watermelon, splattering blood and brain matter everywhere.
Ming glanced indifferently at the corpse at his feet. Blood splattered on his [Spirit Gear], but he ignored it, as if he were oblivious to anything amiss. To the world, he was like a blooming spider lily.
He raised his cane and gently tapped the ground. The headless body lying on the ground began to spontaneously combust with black flames. As the flames completely engulfed the body, Ming's body next to him gradually turned black from head to toe, shattered, and finally dissipated within the room.
Deep in the dimly lit alley, a black cat lay quietly, its eyes sparkling like jewels.
Suddenly, a finger emerged from the shadows, its tip igniting with a jet-black flame, and a tense atmosphere filled the air. The flame coalesced into a blurry figure—Ming, the mysterious and solitary spirit.
The black cat slightly raised its head, warily sizing him up. Ming, however, expressionlessly picked him up, saying:
"Let's go, Chestnut." Ming said, his black spirit armor disappearing as he walked out of the alley.
After leaving the alley, the boy walked coldly down the street, gently stroking the sleeping chestnut in his arms, while pondering:
"The 37th...and besides the Second Princess and the DEM board member, this is the last person with a human experimentation relationship with Salestio." Ming muttered to himself, the crimson sheep under his eyepatch slowly calming down.
"However, he's quite good at hiding it. He packages himself as a philanthropist, a kind person, etc. to cover up his ugly deeds. He's willing to ruin families that have nothing to do with him just for a little profit. No one will find out."
Ming sighed to himself, feeling little guilt at the moment, perhaps because he simply didn't have much compassion to begin with.
In his past life, he was like a wild beast wandering alone in the wilderness, completely out of place with the world around him. Solitude and indifference became his constant companions, and beneath that icy exterior lay a heart unknown to others.
However, fate is always full of dramatic twists. On that very day, while wandering alone, a young girl unexpectedly entered his field of vision. She was like a flower blooming in spring, radiating warmth and gentleness.
From that moment on, something deep within him began to quietly awaken.
Gradually, he found himself feeling compassion for the children who were being harmed. Before, these sufferings were nothing to him, and he would feel sadness and anger when he learned that so many innocent children were being persecuted.
"I know... what I did wasn't righteous. It was just a selfish person abusing their power to punish those they considered evil..." Ming thought to himself, and slowly began to understand why Kurumi could so easily eliminate those thugs 24 years later.
"Because... the law cannot punish all evil, and those harmed by villains may not receive the retribution they deserve. In such cases, only by transforming into a 'person' who is even more wicked than them can they be punished. However... if that's the case... even if it means bearing the blame for everyone's sins..."
"Ah, I really have changed," Ming said with a self-deprecating laugh, before continuing into the unlit parts of London.
Meanwhile, at the DEM headquarters...
"Oh, how interesting! This kind of power, like that of a wild beast, instills despair in those who see it. It's really fascinating!"
Inside the CEO's office, a handsome man with short white hair and wearing a suit sat in front of his computer, his expression one of intense excitement.
"Isaac, should we take care of him?" Just as the white-haired man was still excited, a calm female voice behind him asked.
"No need, Allen. This [Flame Beast] really helped me a lot. It was your job to take care of the assistants of that idiot Salestio."
Westcott turned his head to look at the blonde woman behind him, a barely suppressed smile on his face. "Oh, and you, Ms. Perdorora, who wants to rely on others to help her usurp my board seat." Looking down again, he saw a gaunt man under Allen's feet, his eyes filled with despair.
"I'm sorry, Director! Please let me go, I'll never do it again!" Perdorola pleaded.
Looking at the desperate man before him, Westcott simply smiled, "Hahahaha, you actually beg for mercy from me? What a pity."
As soon as Westcott finished speaking, Allen, who was standing on him, raised his knife and ended his life with a single stroke, without even a cry of pain.
After dealing with Perdorora, Allen sheathed his knife and asked the man before him again, confirming with Westcott once more:
"Then, Isaac, are you sure you don't want to deal with the [Flame Beast]?"
"Haha, of course not, Allen. You have to understand that we have an elf conference in Japan in a few years. If we can't let him help the high-ranking officials and dignitaries understand how terrifying the elves are, how can we properly negotiate a cooperation?" Westcott spread his arms, as if to cheer for something.
"Isaac, why did you refuse Salestio's request back then? Isn't revenge on the world our ultimate desire?" Allen asked, somewhat puzzled.
Westcott simply stopped smiling and slowly said:
"Salestona's so-called plan to destroy humanity is nothing more than creating a powerful manifestation device. For 'that woman,' such a foolish project is not good. How could I let him do these things in the name of DEM?"
"Oh, I see." Allen nodded, seemingly understanding, his expression a little blank.
Seeing Allen's somewhat confused expression, Westcott's expression remained unchanged. He smiled, turned his chair around, and watched the video of Ming's seven entries and exits through various noble districts before slowly saying:
"As for the [Flame Beast]... just say that the board members I recently dealt with, as well as the high-ranking officials and dignitaries assassinated in various places, were killed by the [Flame Beast]. Just publicize him as an 'extremely evil elf,' and the SSS won't do anything about it... Besides, even if all else fails, we still have the strongest, Allen, right?"
His face became even more playful, as if a wolf had spotted its prey and was completely captivated by the creature on the screen.
At this moment, on the other side
In the early hours of the morning, in a grove of trees outside London, Ming slowly emerged, carrying the still-sleeping Chestnut, while Fang stood in front of a huge villa.
Ming stood in the grove of trees not far from the villa, his eyes turning cold. This seemingly luxurious villa, in Ming's eyes, had long been the execution ground of the villain who bought the orphanage and then sent all the children to be experimented on.
"Finally, it's you, Your Majesty Anslira." As Ming finished speaking, the [Divine Might Armor - Fifth Grade - Counter] was once again draped over the boy's body.
I originally planned to take care of that DEM board member before you, but he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared today.
And so, he gently placed the sleeping chestnut down, then habitually broke off his fingers as a teleportation point for his escape after eliminating the person.
Unfortunately, Ming had already tried, but he could not create a highly intelligent clone like Kurumi. Even his own creations could only execute some basic commands, like the Flame Butterfly he had created before, and he could not complicate things with language or other features.
Otherwise, there would be no need to risk being pursued by both SSS and DEM simultaneously, and to do these things by oneself.
Ming wanted to play these games, but he reluctantly stepped out of the grove. His body began to decompose, turning into a large number of butterflies that flew towards the villa.
Note: This technique is also derived from the fact that one's own body is a spiritual crystal. It's similar to Itachi Uchiha or characters in One Piece who ate Devil Fruits, using the body's elements to avoid physical damage or decomposing the body into other spiritual beings.
As he approached the villa in his butterfly form, he saw two guards at the gate who looked exactly like magicians. Ming became alert, thinking to himself:
"Have they not slept for the past two nights? At this hour, there are still people willing to protect the princess. How should I put it? Although their power has been almost completely stripped away, are they still rich and powerful? These British royals."
While Ming was still thinking in the air, the magicians below began to whisper among themselves, seemingly praising the Second Princess Anslila whom they were protecting.
"Sigh, it feels so wonderful to protect Her Majesty the Second Princess. I only need to work two hours a day to change shifts, and I earn tens of thousands a month. Her Majesty the Second Princess is also beautiful and kind-hearted. If only she were the rightful heir!" the magician on the left sighed.
The magician on the right agreed, "Yes, and Her Majesty the Second Princess is very approachable to us subordinates, without any airs. Unlike the First Princess..." He lowered his voice slightly, "...always with a cold face and a head of white hair, who knows if she's legitimate or not."
“Exactly! Exactly…” The two chatted without any guard up, and Ming’s speechless expression deepened upon seeing this.
Ming didn't want to listen to this boring gossip anymore, so he decided to finish the job quickly. He controlled the swarm of butterflies to instantly rush towards the two guards.
"Huh? What is that!" the two exclaimed in unison, reaching for their lightsabers.
"Crack! Crack!"
But then, with two sharp chop sounds, the two men collapsed to the ground in pain.
After dealing with the two guards, Ming quietly slipped into the villa. The villa was brightly lit but completely silent, and he didn't see a second person in the corridor.
Suddenly, he sensed a powerful surge of magical energy. He saw a tall, upright male officer with eagle-like eyes standing guard at the gate.
Ming could tell that this was far superior to the two clowns from before, so he silently approached and made his move.
Ming approached the male officer cautiously, each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge, afraid of making the slightest sound and alerting the officer.
When he was only a few steps away from the officer, Ming took a deep breath and prepared to launch a surprise attack.
However, just as he was about to make his move, the officer suddenly spoke up: "I spotted you a long time ago, outsider." Ming was startled, but remained calm on the surface: "You intend to stop me?" The officer sneered: "It's my duty." As he spoke, he had already gripped his weapon tightly.
Ming stopped talking and swayed the swarm of butterflies toward the officer, attempting to distract him. The officer swung his weapon and easily dispersed the butterflies.
But then, a black chain appeared out of nowhere and bound him again. With a respectful karate chop from Mingbao, he slowly fell to the ground.
Looking at the fallen officer, Ming nodded politely to him and praised him:
"You are a worthy opponent, and I will probably never forget you for the rest of my life."