Chapter 61: The Black Mage and the Boy

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Black Mage and the Boy

The anger Shen Yun displayed at this moment perfectly suited his age. After all, he was just a young man. However, his identity, strength, and status gave his words far more weight than anyone else his age.

Below, the Eastern and Western reporters immediately erupted into an uproar, tossing out a chaotic barrage of questions.

"Excuse me, do you plan on going to the United States?"

"But if you go to another country without permission, I believe many people will panic."

"Could you tell us your specific schedule?"

"Do you have a way to find the person in the video?"

Shen Yun did not answer any more of their questions. Instead, he directly announced the end of the press conference, turned around, and left. He was well aware that given the current global panic regarding the Golden Core, it wouldn’t be that easy for him to travel abroad.

Right now, he was merely expressing his stance. If this Ludwig was truly as Vierlia had described him last night, it probably wouldn’t be long before the West begged him for help.

Meanwhile, in a dark room located within a small western city in the United States called Yama.

A mass of gathered black mist was staring intently at a computer screen. From time to time, it let out a bizarre cackle, sounding like a ghost in the dead of night.

"Teacher."

The room’s door opened, and a scrawny Caucasian boy walked in. He, too, saw Shen Yun on the screen. A look of profound envy immediately washed over his handsome face, twisting his features ever so slightly.

"When will I be able to command everyone’s attention like him, Teacher?" the boy asked directly.

"Hehe, hehehe... why do you want to be like him?" The black mist suddenly surged, emitting a slightly comical and crazed voice. "My dear Annie, didn’t you see it? His furious gaze... I am truly, truly so—delighted! How wonderful this is, Annie! To be loathed by the strong and feared by the weak... Ah—this is the exact delight of the Demon King, the supreme joy! This truly makes me... Annie!"

By the end, its voice had devolved into nothing but mad, delirious ravings. Yet, a wave of fanaticism surged across the boy’s face.

"Please, teach me!" He took a step forward and reached out to grab the black mist. His hands passed right through it, but he kept clawing at the air, his expression growing increasingly manic. "I want this joy too! I want this delight, Teacher!"

"Don’t rush, Annie. You have great potential." A portion of the black mist morphed into a pair of hands and rested on Annie’s shoulders. "Not everyone can understand this beauty. But you are different. I see a wondrous quality in you that sets you apart from ordinary people. It must have been the Demon King who guided our meeting, my dear Annie!"

Soothed by that voice, Annie’s expression gradually calmed down. But in the next second, his face contorted dramatically into a mask of twisted hatred.

"Then what about John?! Why is he the one standing in such a glorious place? If you love me, shouldn’t that be mine?" the boy screamed hysterically, like a rebellious teenager.

"Oh, that was nothing more than an insignificant experiment," the black mist said, its tone suddenly turning flat. "It is also my ugliest, ugliest creation."

"If that’s the case, then let’s go destroy him. Okay?" The boy suddenly shuffled forward a few steps, looking up at the black mist with wide, expectant eyes.

"No, Annie. Although he is incredibly hideous, he is indeed one of my most creative works. I want to see... I want to see which side will truly emerge victorious: the holy soul, or the depths of desire. Oh, Annie!" Seeing the boy’s aggrieved tears, the intangible black mist gently brushed against his cheek, as if tending to a treasured artifact. "Do not weep, do not be dismayed. I have prepared a creation for you too, one that you will absolutely love."

"Really?" The boy raised his red, teary eyes, looking at the black mist in disbelief.

"Of course. And we can even add in your treasured materials."

The door to the room’s en-suite bathroom suddenly swung open, releasing an indescribably foul stench. Yet, the boy took a deep, infatuated breath of it.

"Which one do you want to add?"

"The doctor!" the boy said with an elated expression. He swung his arm forcefully, mimicking the motion of a whip. "My dearest, dearest doctor."

"Oh ho ho! That is truly a nostalgic hobby." The black mist seemed to recall the distant past before its form surged into the bathroom.

The door shut behind it.

The boy bit his fingers in anticipation. Suddenly, he looked back at the screen. Mimicking Shen Yun, he put on a fierce, glaring expression and raised his hand with a sweeping gesture.

"All of you... die!"

Afterward, he chuckled foolishly to himself like a total psychopath.

***

On the other side, having concluded the press conference, Shen Yun was currently looking at the Queen sitting properly in front of him. Judging by her appearance, she actually looked exactly her age. She didn’t possess much childishness, nor did she appear overly mature. It was as if she had the most flawless visage.

"Even before Ludwig reached the Saint Realm, he was deeply infamous," Vierlia said, answering Shen Yun’s previous question. "Ever since the Demon King was defeated, Black Mages could only cower in the shadows, clinging to life. But he was different. Even when he was just a fledgling Mage, he did things like making skeletons scare people in a brothel."

"Wait, did you say brothel?" Shen Yun paused in surprise.

"It’s... a place where male creatures vent their physiological desires. Did I translate it incorrectly?" Vierlia looked at Shen Yun with a slight blush. In her world, a proper lady could not say that word directly, but since she was using a different language, she wasn’t terribly embarrassed.

"No, that was very accurate. Please continue." Shen Yun gave her a thumbs-up. It had only been one night, yet she was already capable of using such specific vocabulary.

"At first, he only played pranks. The angrier people got, the more he escalated his actions. But later on... it was no longer limited to mere pranks." Vierlia tried her best to make her expression look serious. "He began to publicly proclaim himself as a fan of the Demon King. He started creating all sorts of Corpse Ghosts, making them destroy cities while shouting his name."

"If he was so arrogant, how did you guys let him live all the way until he reached the Saint Realm?" Shen Yun was somewhat puzzled. If someone dared to do that on Earth during the Information Age, the grass on their grave would already be three feet tall.

"Because his goal was only to cause panic rather than commit mass slaughter, the death toll was never very high each time..." Vierlia sounded a bit ashamed as she spoke, but then she tried to justify herself. "Besides... I only became Queen last year."

"I didn’t say it was your fault." Shen Yun was slightly speechless. "So after he reached the Saint Realm, you guys just stopped dealing with him entirely, up until this point, when it’s highly likely that he might release the sealed Demon King?"

"No, quite the opposite." Vierlia shook her head, her beautiful, lake-like eyes looking earnestly at Shen Yun. "Every Saint Realm Black Mage is the mortal enemy of the Holy Hall. They once united Saints from several countries to encircle and annihilate him. But... he seems to have a unique method of escape. Even though he was killed at the time, it wasn’t long before he came back to life."