The Gentleman at the End

Art's physical body was consecutively struck by punches comparable to the Prison Director's iron chains,

each punch contained Yi Chen's deep-layer death, rhythm body technique, and the rotational amplification provided by the Abyss Armor.

Most importantly, there was an unprecedented "mixed combo attack."

After the punch hit, Art, who should have been knocked back, was instantly pulled back in front of Yi Chen by the [Abyssal Absorption] from his palm, taking another solid hit.

Throughout the continuous strikes, Yi Chen became increasingly proficient in using [Abyssal Absorption], perfectly integrating it with his own body technique, or — as some said — achieving 'absorption and striking integration' with the help of the Madness Brain.

In the instant his right palm absorbed the target, his left fist swung out simultaneously.

The fist, reaching its extreme point, collided directly with the returning Art, equivalent to a double energy impact, shortening the striking time while delivering a stronger destructive effect.

To onlookers,

Yi Chen seemed to be rapidly alternating between "fist and palm," punching out golden flesh masses, then pulling them back with his palm.

To those with a special vision, they would see two identical young men, one responsible for absorption, the other for striking, completely overlapped, perfectly coordinated.

Even though Art had regenerative capabilities second only to the Plague Master in the entire Old World, facing such a mixed double attack, the robe woven with golden tumor thread gradually shattered, and his physical structure began to collapse, the Golden Road walked during the Body Pilgrimage breaking one after another, with the Swollen Cathedral also showing numerous cracks.

Even his most basic thoughts began to scatter,

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

Where am I going?

Art, in his confusion, asked himself the golden three questions, along with a near-death feeling sweeping over him. However, this near-death sensation suddenly plunged Art into memories that should have been cut away, memories from the early days before he became a clown, when his heart had not yet worsened.

When he was a child living in the Cancer Palace, he had experienced similar near-death moments.

Betrayed by his best companion and tricked into a certain basement, he was bullied by over a dozen New Recruits after his identity as a 'malignant tumor' was exposed, with these people going all out with all sorts of indecent means.

Back then, although Art's physical body didn't die, due to the complete betrayal by his only friend and the extreme humiliation, his "ego" died completely at that moment,

what survived was a completely pathological new personality spawned by the malignant tumor on the "ego" level, an unrestrained mad personality, which is now the clown.

But he still remembered that sharp, heartbreaking pain of being betrayed by his only friend, with that unwilling near-death feeling etched firmly in his brain.

The consciousness that had dissipated condensed in an instant,

"I am Art Kramer, I come from the tumor, and to the tumor, I shall return…"

With the answers,

the Swollen Cathedral on the verge of shattering suddenly bloomed with golden light, enveloping the physical body that had lost all [form] from the beating.

Shua!

The next punch from Yi Chen actually swung into thin air.

The Art who should have been unfocused and near death, suddenly completed 'Unity' in an instant, with every cell of his body compressed back into the interior of the Cathedral,

and the Swollen Cathedral at the abdomen also followed suit, compressing into a golden tumor just the size of a glass marble.

Yi Chen did not pause because of the unexpected sight; since the opponent had condensed all his body's cells into a lump of flesh, it was even easier to solve.

The tightly clenched fist reopened, pulling the iron chains… Clang~ the Black Blade was grasped steadily in hand.

"Slash"

Just as the raised blade was about to fall,

a shrunken yellow-toothed mouth opened on the surface of the golden tumor,

"Hahaha… hahaha! So this is what near-death feels like, I didn't expect that even after achieving my own divinity, I'd still be so passive."

Accompanied by the crazed laughter, numerous light rings, tumor-like, formed before the mass,

"Heavenly Holy Light"

Art used for the first time the extraterrestrial ability endowed by divinity,

However, this ability was originally supposed to shoot out strong holy beams of light, causing catastrophic damage to the unclean.

Yet, due to Art having fused his illness with Heavenly Divinity into [Tumor Emperor], the holy light displayed had completely changed.

What shot from between the rings was not beams of light, but columnar entities simulated from countless piled golden tumors, so-called 'solid holy light.'

The proliferation speed rivaled light, faster than Yi Chen's slash,

Pa!

It struck heavily on the front of the Abyss Armor, but surprisingly,

obviously composed of various lowly, blasphemous malignant tumors stacking to form 'fake light,' when touching the armor's surface, it had an effect no weaker than real holy light.

The entire Abyss Armor made crackling noises because of this, even Yi Chen felt a 'suppression' effect aimed at the dead.

Pa!

The fake light pushed Yi Chen to crash through five tall buildings, bumping heavily against the edge of the [field].

Even the chest armor was stained with a layer of gold and showed numerous cracks, the abyss damaged… Puh! Yi Chen coughed up a mouthful of smoke-emanating black water.

As Yi Chen prepared to wield the blade to slash the tumor fake light stuck to his chest,

Ka~ Art suddenly stopped casting, like a flashlight turning off, the tumor composing the light instantly turned into threads of gold being retracted.

Right after,

the glass marble-sized smiling tumor started 'indiscriminate proliferation,' instantly reproducing over a hundred identical "smiling tumors" rapidly escaping to different city areas.

The seed that Art planted beforehand at the boundary had already sprouted, forcibly prying open a thumb-sized hole in the [field].

However, the tiny grape hanging in the high sky, with its flipping-exposed 'inner eye,' saw it crystal clear, immediately transmitting Art's true body information forward.

Just as Yi Chen was about to raise his hand to perform [Abyssal Absorption], William's voice suddenly came, the first time William spoke to interfere since the Abyss Flipping.

"Let him escape, Yi."

"Why?"

"I've given you the best stage conditions, allowing you to continue the final performance that couldn't be ended last time. Such a spectacular final performance cannot do without the audience,

now is the best time for 'curtain call' and the audience outside is already 'seated.'

Lastly, I have one request, let the final conclusion be written by me, the Chief Actor."

Suddenly,

enlightenment flashed in his mind, Yi Chen suddenly understood William's 'plan,' understanding everything and William's untold sacrifices.

The raised hand slowly lowered, the golden tumor representing 'Art's True Body' successfully burrowed out of the scene, fleeing from this unfavorable flipping scene for the tumor.

…

Plop!

The golden tumor fell into a hidden underground area, without the suppression of [Dead Sun], infinite energy filled his body, quickly proliferating back into Art's original form.

However, the crown on his head had shattered, the robe woven with golden tumor thread was left as nothing but a tattered cloth, his entire body seemingly intact, but actually already dilapidated.

Art was extremely weak now, needing to hide! Hide until he officially becomes the Plague Master, then everything would no longer be a threat.

Art didn't flee but took out the Holy Nail and Hammer Head that had previously destroyed the abyss, aimed at his head… Ding!

Suicide!

Yes, Art did not believe he could escape head-on from the spatially capable William and Yi Chen,

as long as he returns to the Old World, all the Smiling Fan Club members can become his 'Rebirth Carriers,' once the main body dies, the malignant consciousness would immediately head into some member's body and achieve full possession.

With the completion of suicide.

Golden liquid immediately seeped from within a certain member's eye sockets, Art's vision closed for less than a second before being regained, completing full bodily transfer.

However,

the view wasn't in a Fan Club's underground secret base,

but in an audience area Art was very familiar with, split into two levels and filled with exquisitely crafted biotechnology seats, the venue was also packed full, with the stage curtain fully opened,

it seemed to be waiting for the program to begin, or perhaps the program had already begun.

"What!!"

This was precisely William's [Theater].

The audience filling all the seats were all the members of the Smiling Fan Club, not a single one missing… even the spares that Art deliberately planted in corners and edges came to the scene, perfectly restrained by the seats with exquisite biological structures.