Versatile Mage

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

The black figure only had a body without a head. Its arms were wriggling on both sides, like those of a centipede, strong and muscular.

Most terrifyingly, the demon’s chest was fully covered in crimson-red eyes. The eyes were all pupils and wriggling as they stared at the pedestrians on the street, full of icy hate!

Mochizuki Chihaya turned around. Her face was replaced by a ghastly mask, which immediately sent the people stumbling away in fear. Even the motorists were so terrified that they could not hold their steering wheels properly!

“Our Mochizuki Clan is stationed on the mountain, to watch out for the demon creatures in the ocean. We’re ready to sacrifice our lives to protect the city at all times, but you people only know how to enjoy yourselves and getting drunk in the city… you’re nothing but a bunch of parasites!” Mochizuki Chihaya’s voice was now utterly weird. Her actual voice was supposed to be clean and elegant, but a different voice was stacked on top of hers.

The cement of the pavement cracked all of a sudden. Black branches grew along the windows of the building like vines and swiftly covered the walls.

Demonic vines and branches were also growing out from the cracks on the pavement. The plants were like living tentacles, chasing after the pedestrians who were fleeing in all directions, including Chao Gang’s friends and the people who had demanded justice be served to the Magician who had harmed him. They were all tied up by the demon branches and vines!

More demon branches and trees showed up and spread around Mochizuki Chihaya. At the start, only a dozen people were held captive, but soon thirty people were caught by the demonic plants!

The black branches and vines crawled into the bodies of the pedestrians like worms through their ears, noses, throats, and even their pores were penetrated by extremely thin branches.

The people bound by the plants did not even have the chance to scream. Their skin turned bloated all of a sudden, as new branches sprouted on their bodies…

More flowers, branches, and vines were growing out of their skin. The living humans were turned into half-human, half-tree monsters, a horrible sight!

“Stop it!” a voice shouted from above.

Mochizuki Chihaya raised her head and saw a man standing on the roof of a shop nearby. His black-brown eyes were extraordinarily bright in the darkness looming over the street.

“It’s you?” Mochizuki Chihaya looked at the man. Her gaze was rather unfriendly.

“I couldn’t stop worrying, so I decided to follow you. As I thought… look what you’re doing!,” shouted Mo Fan, while staying a certain distance away from her.

“I…” Mochizuki Chihaya still retained her own consciousness. She looked at her surroundings and saw people running away, teenage girls screaming and kids bursting into tears in fear because of her.

Everyone was looking at her like she was a monster. When she saw the pedestrians that she had turned into plants, she immediately took a few steps back.

The demon branches and vines on the street were withdrawn quickly. Mochizuki Chihaya swiftly summoned them back. The walls of the building nearby returned to normal too. Mochizuki Chihaya turned around and looked at her reflection in the window in disbelief!

The Essence Orb on her hand fell to the ground. Mochizuki Chihaya acted as if she had just seen a devil. She quickly moved away from the orb, not daring to touch it again!

“This thing is real evil, you better not touch it again. You might not like this, but I’m afraid your brother Iwata was controlled by the orb, too. He’s putting your life in danger by asking you to bring Essence Orb away.” Mo Fan walked up to Mochizuki Chihaya and observed the orb that was unleashing a black aura.

Mo Fan was not brave enough to touch the orb, either. It was scarier than he had imagined.

Luckily, Mochizuki Chihaya’s mental strength was fairly high, and the time she was controlled by the black aura was not long. Otherwise, it was likely that Mochizuki Chihaya would have turned into a terrifying demon!

The demon creature reflected in the window with multiple limbs and eyes was most likely the parasitic form of the Essence Orb. Mo Fan had seen quite a lot of demon creatures, yet he was still shocked when he saw the reflection on the window.

It was fortunate that he had made it in time. Otherwise, if Mochizuki Chihaya was fully controlled by the Essence Orb, she would have caused a great disaster!

“I’ve already notified Mochizuki Ken, he’s on his way here. It’s better not to touch it before he arrives…” said Mo Fan to Mochizuki Chihaya.

Mochizuki Chihaya was still in a trance. She was leaning against Mo Fan with a blank expression.

The innocent people that she was controlling before had all fallen to the ground. Their bodies gradually returned to normal. However, none of them had the courage to stay around after experiencing the incredible pain from the demon plants occupying their bodies. They immediately ran away in panic.

“Thank…thank you, I never thought my brother would trick me by not telling me the truth,” said Mochizuki Chihaya.

“He was the first person to discover the Essence Orb, thus he was surely the most influenced by it. Perhaps he isn’t your brother now,” said Mo Fan.

Mo Fan strongly believed that Iwata was not a kind person after what he saw at the drawbridge. The three innocent guards were tossed off the bridge without mercy and were instantly blown into ashes.

How could a person who killed the guards in such a cruel manner not harbor any evil intentions?

That being said, the evil Essence Orb was the main problem. Mo Fan had been feeling uneasy since he first saw it.

Luckily, he was cautious enough to follow Mochizuki Chihaya and witness how the orb had taken control of her. He immediately knew the orb was truly a demon. It would take over anyone that touched it. The reflection on the window was its true appearance!

If the creature was set free, the heavens knew what kind of terrifying disaster it would bring.

——

The police arrived fairly quickly. They immediately sealed off the area.

After them came the City Hunters of Osaka. They surrounded Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chihaya cautiously, but they were too scared to come any closer.

Mo Fan tried to communicate with them, to prevent them from coming any closer.

Mochizuki Chihaya finally came to her senses. After revealing her identity, she quickly explained the situation to the City Hunters in Japanese and convinced them to stay where they were.