ATAPOW Chapter 261
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Chapter 261: Illusions and Longing
Bohlmann took off his black top hat, which seemed utterly out of place with his attire.
A pair of asymmetrical blue horns came into view.
Such features clearly did not belong to a human, but Ji Bai was not surprised – he had always suspected the hat was concealing something.
As the disguise fell away, the man’s weathered, wrinkled features transformed entirely. Where once there had been aged skin, now there was a smooth, supple complexion.
However, the changes went deeper than that; the knight also noticed that his eyebrows curved sharply at the ends and his overall appearance had become decidedly inhuman. While one might be able to explain away the inhuman cast of his features as some bizarre deformity, the horns sprouting from his head were impossible to rationalize.
It all became clear — The irascible old man had merely been a facade; this was his true form beneath the mask.
“My original plan was to teach you a lesson through an act of mercy — returning your companion to you and letting you go… But it seems that violence is necessary to make you comply.” After shedding his disguise, the horned man seemed to have unbound himself from his restraints. The branching sword he had conjured earlier clashed against [Tranquility], locking them in a deadlock.
With an effortless upward flick of his sword, Ji Bai dissipated the force of Bohlmann’s attack. While the latter possessed formidable brute strength, his combat experience and swordsmanship were vastly inferior to the knight’s.
In that moment, the experienced swordsman had combined precise positioning, unique technique, and a masterful control of force to achieve an astonishing result.
Seemingly realizing that close combat would not work in his favor, the horned man did his utmost to put some distance between himself and his opponent.
He then brandished his branching sword in a ritualistic manner, murmuring an incantation under his breath.
[Soul Shackles]
[Spectral Hands]
A chain—seemingly solid yet intangible—coiled around Ji Bai’s neck. At the same time, a surge of chaotic energy spiraled upwards with a constant hiss, causing the nearby shadow and puppets to writhe and thrash about as if possessed. The air in the room grew thick, the pressure building to a suffocating level. He knew that if left unchecked, the power would erupt into a catastrophe.
He moved to intervene, only to discover he could not move at all. The shackles had not bound his flesh, but his very soul.
He dared not act rashly.
Magic that touched upon the mind and soul was profoundly mysterious, and damage to either was virtually irreversible. A single misstep could shatter his soul, driving him into insanity and reducing him to a husk of his former self.
Against these chains of pure spiritual energy, his physical form was powerless.
The immense surge of magical power bore down on Ji Bai, incessantly urging him to act before things spiraled out of control.
He could sense some entities trying to break free from inside the puppets. It seemed like their true essences had been imprisoned within these vessels created to seal them away.
Recalling Bohlmann’s inadvertent revelation about the soul-damaging properties of his sword, a thought suddenly sparked in his mind. He tightened his grip on [Tranquility] and severed the soul chains in a swift motion1.
“Hehehe…” The chilling laughter of children echoed far and wide, filling every corner of the third-floor corridor.
Though he had broken free from his bindings, it was already too late. The beings trapped within the puppets had already awakened under Bohlmann’s incantation, emerging from their wooden prisons and crawling onto the backs of the very objects that housed them.
Gaunt and childlike, they perched on the puppets’ shoulders, all bearing the same unnerving smile.
Their faces were distinct, their features rendered with an intricacy that could not have been fabricated out of thin air- a grim reminder that they were once living people2.
‘Even the children were not spared?’
Streaks of anger suddenly flared up in his placid heart.
“Hehehe…” Laughter echoed around Ji Bai. The children circled him, hand-in-hand, humming a nursery rhyme in their ethereal, childish voices.
He recognized the tone and melody – It was a lullaby meant to evoke warmth and peace in its listener. Yet it transformed into something utterly bone-chilling when sung in the dead of the night against this eerie backdrop.
The gentle tone was like a warm, inviting bed — a quagmire that drowned all resistance. He could feel his mind rapidly slipping into lethargy, even as he repeatedly knocked on his helmet, urging himself not to let his guard down.
This unsettling tune possessed an inexplicable allure, as it infiltrated his being like ink in clear water.
In his confusion, the knight swung his sword, attempting to drive away the spirits that were clouding his thoughts. To any onlooker, his movements were no different from those of a drunken man who had lost his bearings, stumbling aimlessly about.
“Big Brother.”
As if by magic, a familiar, long-forgotten voice compelled Ji Bai to halt his frantic sword thrusts and turn his head.
A black-haired girl stood on the street, the wind at her back. Her fresh, youthful face and delicate figure —resembling that of a blossoming maiden— combined with her nearly perfect features, made her seem almost unreal.
She clutched the hem of her skirt, a faint blush lingering on her cheeks. Her young, slender frame was like a flower on the verge of blossoming, possessing an innocent yet undeniable charm.
Her face, as familiar as ever in his memories, stirred a surge of inexplicable emotions in the knight’s heart.
He had convinced himself that the next time he saw her face, his heart, already reduced to ashes, would remain unmoved. But as he saw her again and heard those long-forgotten words, he realized it had all been a pitiful act of self-deception. He could never forget her, the one who had taught him the warmth of family.
For a moment, he forgot he was in an unfamiliar place, as he walked towards the girl who had haunted his dreams night after night.
Though his mind repeatedly warned him that their relationship was distant beyond repair and that seeing her again would only lead to awkwardness, reason proved no match for his deep longing.
The deepest desires buried deep within his heart seemed to have grown beyond measure in that moment.
They were two parallel lines, fated never to intersect — so why did he still reach for her?
He did not know. Perhaps all he really wanted was to ask how she had been lately and acknowledge just how long it had been since they last met.
With dreamy, unsteady steps, he slowly moved toward the figure that lingered in his thoughts.
“Big Brother.” The girl said, her head slightly lowered. A hint of stiffness was present in her soft and delicate tone.
The knight knew this was his little sister’s way of expressing her shyness — she simply did not know how to put her feelings into words. As her family, he understood this all too well.
Though he understood this was all just an act, one thing was clear: he had never truly grasped the real thoughts in her heart.
Would it not be better to go back to a time before their fragile connection shattered, even if that bond was built on pretenses and lies? Was it truly wrong of him to cling to a shred of hope — a glimmer of possibility?
In a daze, he reached out toward the only remaining attachment he had to this world, in an attempt to gently caress her cheeks, just as he used to many years ago.
The girl waited obediently for his touch, offering no resistance. Her cheeks were flushed, making her seem hesitant and reluctant, yet an involuntary grin tugged at the corners of her lips – The smile of someone whose scheme had succeeded. Yet Ji Bai, completely ensnared by her trap, remained entirely oblivious; He was too far gone; No warning, however loud, could save him now.
The illusion had imperceptibly stripped him of all caution and vigilance. But even without its influence, he would never have suspected her — the little sister he held so dear.
However, before he could touch her silken locks, a small, pale hand gripped his calloused fingers.
In an instant, the cozy street vanished, revealing a barren, eerie building and cracked walls covered in grotesque graffiti of disembodied features — a sight that snapped him back into reality.
It felt as if he had been struck by a blunt blow to the head. As his senses returned, he realized with a pounding heart, that his back was drenched in sweat.
Reality had snapped back into place. ‘Ji Yue’ stood, grinding her teeth in fury, as she glared at the unwelcome guest perched on her shoulder — a black-haired girl swinging her legs.
Her long, soft hair was done up in two ponytails. Cupping her face in her hands, she paid no heed to the figure beneath her, who was seething with murderous rage, ready to eat her alive. A mischievous glint danced in her lively purple eyes, but as she gazed at Ji Bai, who was regaining his composure, a strange look settled on her face.
“Damn it… I was so close!” A shrill voice, sharp and grating like fingernails on a chalkboard, rang out, covered in malice and venom.
Looking closely, the knight realized that the one standing before him was not his sister at all – but a female ghost with a terrifying visage.
The little girl, however, appeared completely unfazed. She flashed him a playful smile, licked her lips, then vanished into the sword in his hand.
‘Was it you who saved my life just now?’
Ji Bai ran his fingers along [Tranquility]’s cold blade. The expression beneath his helmet hardened, as the air crackled with his killing intent.
He aimed his sword at the specter who had dragged him into an illusion.
By disguising herself as ‘that person’ to deceive him, she had crossed an unforgivable line.
Despite his taciturn and even-tempered nature, he found himself overtaken by rage.
[Demon Slayer — Crimson Memorandum]
A black aura swirled around his chipped sword, as it streaked through the air like a dark comet.
A shudder ran through the female ghost, as she let out an ear-piercing, agonizing shriek. With half her body destroyed, she fell and tumbled repeatedly, her hateful expression overwhelmed by terror.
“This pathetic charade ends now.” With no intention of holding back, he thrust [Tranquility] towards the specter, intent on completely obliterating her.
His attack was devoid of any flashy flourishes, only the swift, brutal efficiency of death.
Suddenly, his movements grew sluggish; a strange weight seemed to have settled on his body, causing his sword to slow down to a crawl.
Looking over his shoulder, he discovered a small child had somehow appeared on his shoulder, grinning slyly at him.
Taking advantage of this distraction, Bohlmann saved the ghost from certain doom.
This struck Ji Bai as extremely strange. Even after their open hostility, the knight sensed no killing intent from him. The old man’s attitude toward the spirit puppets was puzzling too—he did not treat them as mere weapons or disposable tools. And these fragmented souls were doing everything they could to protect him from harm.
Nothing about their behavior suggested they were being controlled; they were clearly acting of their own free will.
This did not match his understanding of the situation.
There was no doubt that the elderly innkeeper was the culprit who had forced them into the wooden puppets. Logically speaking, these wronged souls should harbor deep-seated hatred for him. So why, then, were they guarding him in such a diligent manner?
“Clatter, clatter, clatter…” A rapid succession of footsteps rose from below, signalling to Ji Bai that they were not alone.
“By order of the Knights — hold it right there!”
The command was accompanied by the first light of dawn breaking on the horizon, causing the spirits on the scene to fade from sight.