High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1531: Chapter 275 Hastur and the Sea Demon King

From inexplicably leaving the Hunting team, appearing deep in the Mystical Forest, meeting Zhu Si; to Zheng Qing mixing a Magic Potion himself, drinking it, and falling into a deep sleep; then encountering the mysterious entity clad in a yellow robe in his dreams, entering the colossal iron gate, undergoing a lengthy trial, and ultimately receiving the ”gift” from The King in Yellow before returning to reality.

In reality, Zheng Qing unleashed a single shot that obliterated half the forest and subdued Nikita and her gathered army.

During his storytelling, Zheng Qing cunningly implied something that led others to believe that his shot was only possible thanks to The King in Yellow’s ”gift”—though this was partially true, the real reason was that the ”gift” nurtured the Forbidden Curse budding deep within his soul, causing its power to overflow and amplifying the Charm Gun’s destructive capability.

By omitting a ”mediator” in the explanation, the causal link in the process remained unchanged, and it served to effectively conceal the existence of the Forbidden Curse. Zheng Qing grew increasingly pleased with his narrative techniques.

For those listening, it was difficult to notice the subtle omissions in Zheng Qing’s storytelling—for example, precisely how The King in Yellow’s gift transformed into that destructive shot. Instead, they were far more focused on Zheng Qing’s astonishing experiences.

Every event he described seemed so strange and bizarre.

If this were Dreamland—a world brimming with fantasy and eeriness—Zheng Qing’s encounters still far surpassed the imagination of most Wizards.

While Zheng Qing narrated his experiences, apart from Xin Fat Man’s brief jest when he mentioned mixing Magic Potions, everyone else listened intently and seriously. Even Nikita and the Faceless Demon were no exception.

The Female Demon finally realized her mistake.

”This isn’t fair,” she muttered with frustration, summarizing, ”If you’d told me earlier about your dealings with The King in Yellow, I definitely wouldn’t have bothered you...”

”But I would’ve certainly bothered you,” Zheng Qing glanced at the Female Demon, curling his lip in disdain, ”When did Alpha’s people start using ’fairness’ as their excuse?”

Fairness and equality were principles upheld by Jiuyou Academy, just as freedom and justice were Alpha’s mottos. The ongoing rivalry between the two academies had led the young Wizards to diametrically oppose these values, with Zheng Qing being no exception.

Compared to the frustrated Female Demon, Jiang Yu’s attention was more fixated on Zhu Si.

She had heard Zheng Qing mention this Little Witch lost in the mirror more than once and had also witnessed the Warlock sighing deeply over the withered Mystical Grain leaf on his wrist countless times.

This built up a profound curiosity within her—curiosity about Zhu Si’s identity in the real world, about how a Little Witch could survive in the mirror for so long, about how she managed to retain her sanity and her humanity.

But the moment Jiang Yu saw the Little Witch for the first time, all that curiosity transformed into sympathy in an instant.

Because, in Zhu Si, she saw a profound and unending loneliness.

Even when standing amidst the crowd with a brilliant smile on her face, Zhu Si remained lonely. The young Wizards of the Absolution Hunting Team were not her comrades; nor were the two Female Demons her kindred spirits.

Much like the reflection in the mirror.

She stood there, seemingly close to everyone, within arm’s reach; yet simultaneously distant, so far that Jiang Yu could distinctly feel she existed in a realm apart—carved open by the passage of time and filled with memories that appeared to be longing but were, in truth, solitary recollections.

This sympathy compelled Jiang Yu to pull Zhu Si into her embrace and silently pray for her.

Witches or Female Demons tended to be more sentimental.

Warlocks, on the other hand, were relatively more grounded.

And among all the grounded minds, Xiao Xiao’s was the sharpest.

He carefully listened to Zheng Qing’s story, meticulously noting down everything Zheng Qing witnessed, encountered, and gained in his dreamland in his black notebook before offering his own hypothesis.

”When gods clash, mortals suffer.”

This was the Doctor’s sole comment on Zheng Qing’s latest adventures. Perhaps noticing the confusion in Zheng Qing’s eyes, Xiao Xiao adjusted his glasses and explained further, ”The King in Yellow is a manifestation of Hastur, and you are a student at the academy—which is preparing to confront the Big Sea Monsters. Don’t you think that suggests something?”

One in the sky, one on land, and one in the sea—this was the only connection Zheng Qing could fathom.

But he knew Xiao Xiao wasn’t referring to that.

”Hastur wants to help those Big Sea Monsters against the academy?” In his mind, Zheng Qing already pictured himself transforming into a massive bomb, exploding in the academy’s defense, leaving Jiuyou Academy flattened.

He couldn’t help but shiver at the thought.

”Not at all,” Xiao Xiao glanced at Zheng Qing, seeming mildly skeptical of the contents of his mind, ”Hastur is assisting the academy through you... Though I’m still unclear about the exact placement of His pieces, it’s certain He will not help those Demons from the sea.”

”Why?” This time, it was Xin Fat Man who asked the question, unable to understand the logic behind Xiao Xiao’s response.

”Because there is an irreconcilable conflict between Hastur and Cthulhu. If Hastur ever finds an opportunity to destroy Cthulhu, He wouldn’t hesitate to ally with First University to do so.” Xiao Xiao explained calmly.

”Wait a minute, this is getting confusing.” Zheng Qing raised his hand, stopping the Doctor before he elaborated further, his face full of bewilderment. ”Now there’s Cthulhu involved? Who’s that supposed to be?”

”The Lord of R’lyeh, Gatekeeper of Dreamland, slumbering in the depths of the ocean, master of the water’s essence, and an Elder God,” Xiao Xiao replied. ”Hastur is His cousin; the Four Seas Demon Ship is His subordinate... If you were to flip through more books in the library about those entities at the Deeps of Starry Sky, you’d eventually find His alternate title in some obscure corners of those tomes—Sea Demon King.”

”... But I remember the Sea Demon King being Xiangliu!” Zhang Ji Xin tugged at the gloves on his hands, looking thoroughly unamused at Xiao Xiao’s explanation. Compared to him, Nikita, who was a crewmember of the Mist Ship, displayed some signs of contemplation.

”Xiangliu is the Sea Demon King, but the Sea Demon King isn’t solely Xiangliu.” Xiao Xiao snapped his fingers, and an octopus-shaped monster materialized mid-air. ”The Xiangliu we recognize is a creature with a serpent’s body and nine heads... But in truth, it’s merely one form of the Sea Demon King. The Alliance sealed this entity in the fissures of a different dimension, but from the South Pacific seabed to the Mariana Trench, traces of the seal’s damage can be found... When the stars rotate and the seal loosens, the Sea Demon King’s head sometimes breaks free, appearing in the ocean depths—and His head full of tentacles is the origin of Xiangliu’s earliest manifestation.”

Zheng Qing let out a heavy sigh.

So that’s why he hated uncovering ”truths” above all.

”Faced with creatures as terrifying as this, why doesn’t the Alliance simply seal Him in the Deeps of Starry Sky?” he grumbled, raising the Charm Gun conjured in his hand, staring at the swirling, windmill-like yellow marks engraved on its barrel, before sighing again. ”A calamity out of nowhere, truly a calamity out of nowhere.”