That was an Extraordinary ability belonging to the Monster pathway.
"System."
'Mission: The Circus Magic Show.'
'Your friend seems to be in a little trouble. Please help him escape the danger as much as possible.'
'Status: Completed.'
'Mission Reward: This mission is a phased mission. Rewards will be accumulated. Note: If mission rewards are withdrawn in advance, the quality of the final mission reward will decrease.'
'New mission updated.'
'Mission: Seer, Clown, Magician.'
'You seem to have arrived in a dimension that does not belong to the real world. Here, countless people raise their voices and shout for miracles, but what is a miracle? Could it be the comical performances of the actors?'
'Note, this mission is extremely dangerous, please choose carefully, Host.'
'Current Progress: Second Phase.'
The lady of the Monster pathway eventually died under the clown's countless throwing knives.
The miracle did not happen. The female Extraordinary, covered in bloody holes, quickly stopped breathing amidst the shouts of countless spectators, becoming a corpse. Like countless previous failures, her figure slowly disappeared.
Tang raised an eyebrow and looked over. A tall lady in a classical robe appeared silently beside him.
Her expression was surprisingly consistent with the marionettes around her. Countless spirit threads intertwined and coiled, rising towards the infinitely high dome, captured by some power.
"System, appraise."
'Appraising, one appraisal attempt has been automatically consumed, remaining appraisal attempts: 141.'
'Gladys Bain.'
'Monster pathway Sequence Seven, Lucky One.'
'Status: Marionette (—&…￥#)'
"What is that jumble of characters at the end..."
'There is a high-sequence power affecting it. It's very strange, not a simple marionette.' The System was also quite curious. 'A Miracle Invoker's miracle?'
"Resurrection is a miracle." Tang lowered his eyes. "But even for a Miracle Invoker, this kind of miracle only has four chances. It's more likely that they died and became historical voids, remaining here for a long time, or that those who were killed weren't actually dead and were instantly healed and turned into marionettes the moment death arrived."
"And becoming a marionette is also because of their own desires."
As for what desire, it was naturally the desire to live.
Their desires were fulfilled, but in a very distorted form.
Becoming a marionette, living on as part of a historical void—who says that isn't living?
And they had thus become part of the miracle.
The danger of this place was much greater than he had thought.
Tang scanned his surroundings. Only a very small portion of the current crowd still seemed rational, and the number of these people was decreasing.
Every minute someone's name was called, and every minute someone died.
In this vast theater, the existence of 'miracles' was displayed at all times.
Before entering this place, Tang had already reshaped his face, so he wasn't afraid of being recognized.
While he was observing others, some people also noticed him, but everyone was struggling to protect themselves, and troubling others was meaningless, so they obediently sat in their seats, thinking of ways to escape.
The power of this place was growing stronger and stronger. If it truly erupted, the entire Tingen would probably turn into a dead city in an instant.
And only a very small number of people in this terrifying environment noticed a problem.
The Extraordinary person who had previously requested to perform a magic trick had never reappeared.
"Did they leave? Or were they killed while preparing the magic trick?"
Some Extraordinary people who noticed this, when their names were called by the now-normal magician, mustered their courage and also made a request for a "magic trick." And that magician similarly attracted the attention of all the audience in another way, taking them away from here.
However, before the juggling clown on the circus stage could finish his performance, a bloodied, riddled corpse fell from a height, bursting into brilliant blood flowers in front of the clown.
The magician appeared in time and bowed to all the audience.
"I am very sorry to disturb everyone's interest. It seems this guest's performance did not meet the circus's employment standards."
Although his words revealed regret, the corners of his mouth were raised high, and his ghastly white makeup reflected his terrifying face.
It seemed to be the former.
The Extraordinary people who noticed this thought about it and began to consider what 'miracles' they could offer.
"You said, what is the sealing method for this out-of-control Sealed Artifact?"
Tang asked in his mind.
'Mystical creations beyond Sequence Two cannot be highly analyzed, but according to this System's speculation, it is likely related to satisfying their miracles.'
By displaying miracles that the clowns and magicians cannot accomplish, one can leave. If they cannot be satisfied, their desire to 'want to live' will be fulfilled, thereby satisfying the miracles of others. They will also become marionettes, forever staying as a cheering audience.
"So, there might be such a condition in the sealing method," Tang smiled. "Make it unable to satisfy my miracle."
Before the System could respond, a voice different from before suddenly appeared on the stage.
It was a demigod.
It was a Black Knight.
'Appraising, one appraisal attempt has been automatically consumed, remaining appraisal attempts: 140.'
'Secret Suppliant pathway Sequence Four, Black Knight.'
The magician had chosen an animal performance for him.
When that Extraordinary person came on stage, his whole body exuded an aura of evil corruption. His body suddenly swelled, turning into a giant two meters three or four tall.
He wore black armor, held a straight greatsword, and took a step forward.
Painful screams erupted from the monster pieced together from countless animal corpses. Its shadow also stood up at this moment,缠绕ing around the monster, and the stench of corrosion immediately spread.
With a soft "poof" sound, the monster that had killed countless Extraordinary people on stage was splattered into countless pieces, covered in extremely viscous black matter, preventing the wriggling flesh from wanting to reunite.
Tang lowered his eyes and instructed the System to immediately remind him if his condition was abnormal.
"A Sequence Four of the Hanged Man pathway. I don't know, no, it must have been contaminated by the True Creator."
Such blatant cultists actually appeared openly in Tingen. It was unclear whether they were passing by or had a specific target, but they were all pulled in by the Sealed Artifact formed by the out-of-control Extraordinary characteristics of the Miracle Invoker.
"But, can this be considered a miracle?"
The question in Tang's heart was also the question in the hearts of everyone present. No one knew what the specific rules were. Was defeating and killing that stitched-together monster considered a 'miracle'?
(End of this chapter)