Chapter 177: Serving Good Luck

Chapter 177: Serving Good Luck

On the steep and lengthy stone stairway, the crimson moonlight illuminated the middle section, leaving comparatively thick shadows on either side.

Enzo descended step by step like an ordinary passerby at night—somewhat fast, somewhat hurried, yet not showing panic. He fully trusted that his luck was extremely good, that he was a winner in life, and that the Nighthawks would not catch up to him.

Just as the stairway connecting several upper and lower roads was nearly at its end, Enzo, who had once been a Monster, suddenly sensed something. He turned his head toward the shadowy corner at the very lowest level.

He then saw a figure sitting there in a daze. Because of the lighting, the figure’s appearance and build were rather blurry, but his clothing was typical of an East Balam local.

That figure took out a box of matches, struck one with a scrape, and let light illuminate the edge.

Before Enzo could use that light to examine the person’s appearance, an image abruptly flashed before his eyes:

The figure tossed the match toward him as though presenting a gift. When the match drew close, an exaggerated stream of fire suddenly rose from it, and from within walked a man in formalwear and a top hat!

Seeing sights one should not see and hearing sounds one should not hear were everyday experiences for Monsters. Enzo, who had already become a Winner, had long since grown used to all this. Without thinking, he fully trusted his premonition, threw himself forward violently, leapt out of the stairway, and rolled twice upon the road below.

At the same time, the brown-skinned marionette Ov abruptly stood, twisted his waist, swung his arm, and threw the match in his hand toward the position where Enzo had been standing.

Before that match even landed, crimson fire stretched and lengthened, shooting straight into midair in a magnificent, gorgeous surge.

From within the fire, Klein’s figure leapt out, dressed in a black formal suit and wearing a half top hat, his features handsome and androgynous. Yet he had already lost sight of his target.

More than ten seconds ago, he had discovered someone rapidly descending the stairway, seemingly avoiding something, and had therefore suspected that this was his new marionette. Seizing the time, he had quickly performed a dream divination and obtained the revelation that the other party was connected to the Rose School of Thought and was no good person.

With that answer, Klein had not hesitated to prepare for action. Unfortunately, because time was rather limited, he had not managed to use the Paper Angel recorded in Creeping Hunger to interfere with the target’s spiritual intuition. In the end, he struck empty air.

By then, his marionette Ov had already left the final stair, running in long strides toward Enzo, who had just stood up.

Enzo’s heart stirred. He did not dodge. Instead, he simply turned sideways with light movement, avoiding the utterly ordinary attack.

Then he took advantage of the motion, drew his revolver, quickly aimed, and with a bang, struck Ov in the chest.

Blood gushed out. Marionette Ov swayed and fell, his breathing rapidly growing faint.

Klein seized this brief opportunity. His figure vanished all at once, flashing to the target’s front and blocking his escape route.

Enzo abruptly felt a strange, indescribable, and inexpressible premonition. He immediately shut his eyes, tightly closing them.

He did not know why he had to do this, but as a mid-Sequence Beyonder of the Fate pathway, trusting intuition was instinct!

Immediately afterward, Enzo hurriedly turned away, trying to rely on spiritual intuition to rush into another street. Yet the man in formalwear and a top hat, whose appearance had nothing especially memorable about it, again appeared opposite him.

In front, behind, left, and right—Klein’s figure kept vanishing and reappearing, as if he were running around Enzo at extreme speed. He could always block Enzo’s route ahead of…