Truly No Turning Back

The puppet of the Hunter God bellowed with laughter, declaring: "How amusing, very amusing indeed! Are you trying to gain favor with that Origin-level creature? You indeed are a shrewd human. However, that is if you can make it out of here alive. Do you think it's possible? This body of mine possesses power beyond that of king-level. When fully unleashed, even a genuine Origin-level being is nothing to me. And that creature behind you? It's merely newly initiated into the Origin tier."

Lynne squinted, coolly blowing away the wisps of smoke from his gun's barrel, retorting: "You really think she's my only friend?"

Hearing this, the Hunter God puppet erupted into laughter as if Lynne had just shared the world's funniest joke. Even the surrounding modified hunters joined in the laughter.

"Oh? Do you imply that you can summon even more potent Origin-level beings? Are you trying to play god? Do you think Origin-level creatures are so cheap? That they'll just appear whenever you call?"

He pointed aggressively at Lynne. But just as he finished his sentence...

Boom—

Boom—

Two enormous sounds of something tearing through the air echoed. To the astonishment of the spectators within Vision, two gigantic skulls, each towering even above mountains, plummeted from the sky. They descended like meteors, landing right behind the Hunter God puppet.

Those laughing modified hunters behind him were instantly squashed, their remains splattering everywhere.

"..."

"..."

A brief silence.

The howling winds carried the swirling dust away.

A vast shadow loomed overhead, and the Hunter God puppet remained frozen, his (꒪Д꒪)ノ gesture still pointing at Lynne.

Two chaotic beams of light focused on him, illuminating a circle around him.

Lynne, with a serious face, blew on his gun again, adjusted his monocle, and said, "Well, aren't they here?"

Little blinked in surprise and exclaimed, "Eh— Daddy— Mommy?"

"..."

"..."

The entire scene fell silent as if time itself had come to a standstill.

[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -10]

[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -20]

[Ding! Heart Eater's Sanity -30]

The puppet of the Hunter God stood rigidly, casting a glance at the immense shadow looming over him and subconsciously swallowing hard. In comparison to the two enormous skulls behind him, his several-dozen-meter-tall frame seemed as petite as a little girl.

"You seemed quite— arrogant just now—"

"It appeared you— slapped my daughter—"

The Hunter God puppet jerked robotically, turning to face the presence behind him.

"!!!"

Hum—

His eyes instantly hollowed out, reflecting the menacing gaze of the two colossal skulls towering over him, resembling twin mountains.

Their terrifying aura, far denser and more chaotic than the smaller skull, bore down on him like an oppressive weight.

The true… Origin level...

[Heart Eater's terror level +10]

[Heart Eater's terror level +10]

Something's wrong! Something's really wrong! Did that young man possess some divine oratory? Why did these godly skulls truly manifest? Is this some kind of joke? Could that youth be the embodiment of a supreme will? How could he have summoned two even more potent Origin-level beings with just a sentence?

The spectators within Vision World were also stunned, gazing blankly at the scene before them, their minds buzzing, unable to utter a word. What transpired today truly surpassed their understanding.

Summon one small being… Then get airdropped two larger ones… This… This…

"It's their parents coming to the rescue!! (ΩДΩ)!!"

"It's them!! The two headhunters! I'm not mistaken! Just a few days ago, this trio roamed near Wandering Soul Lane, leaving many places barren of their inhabitants!!"

"They're a family!! They're all related!!"

"What kind of joke is this?! How formidable is that apprentice?! When did he befriend such a powerful family?!"

Comments on the screen surged, pouring in at an unimaginable speed.

On the battlefield.

Lynne tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but inside, his heart was racing like a drum. On the outside, he appeared as steady as a rock, but inside, he was frantic.

Yes! From the hints given by the system earlier, he had indeed guessed that Little might not be alone. After all, he had learned long ago from an old woman that there were more headhunters than just Little. So after Little was defeated in that duel, Lynne felt quite confident about this battle.

Seriously, you should never, ever hit someone's daughter in front of her parents! Look at himself, always treating other's daughters with the utmost care, exuding kindness, and always well-received wherever he went!

"You're— quite bold—"

One of the titan skulls remarked, narrowing its eyes.

Thump—

The Hunter God puppet's legs buckled involuntarily, stammering: "I'm... I'm not bold... I was just... just speaking casually, really..."

[Heart Eater's Sanity -20]

The female skull maliciously licked its lips, stating: "You seemed— very pleased— with that slap earlier—"

[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +40!]

[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +50!]

[Ding! Heart Eater's Meltdown level +100!]

"No! No! I wasn't! Really, I wasn't!"

The Hunter God puppet's fur stood on end as he hugged his shoulders, trembling uncontrollably, and stammered: "I... I was just joking with her! Who would ever slap such a cute child? Really... really... Please don't misunderstand. Actually, that was..."

His eyes widened, his hands shaking, he hastily explained: "It's a tradition of our Demonfolk Association... a way to express love and kindness. Whenever we encounter particularly adorable and friendly beings, we show our affection in this manner... It's just... a cultural difference... a variation in regional customs. It's truly... a gesture of kindness..."

Slap—

He slapped a nearby hunter across the face and said, "Just like that. It's just like shaking hands when meeting. It's a normal greeting, you see? He's also quite joyful about it..."

The gaze of the two enormous skulls shifted to the slapped hunter beside him.

Crash—

With sparks flying, the hunter's head rolled in front of the two massive skulls.

Hunter God Puppet: "(‧̣̥̇꒪⍢꒪ )!!!"

He... might've used too much force...

"..."

"..."

A brief silence.

He widened his eyes, pointing at the fallen head of the hunter, saying, "You see... even though his head has indeed fallen off... he's still quite happy... umm... just look at that smile on his face, so beautiful..."

"..."

"..."

The Hunter God Puppet knelt there with a bewildered expression (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), holding his hands together, unable to utter a single word.

The titan skull said in a deep tone, "Why have you— stopped speaking?"

The female skull squinted and asked, "Weren't you— quite pleased— a moment ago?"

The Hunter God Puppet nearly broke down with a look of utter disbelief (((;꒪ꈊ꒪;))), tears streaming down, trembling as he cried, "I... I can't salvage this situation anymore..."

[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]

[Hunter God Puppet's Meltdown Level +10]