Book 4: Chapter 10: The Crazy Joker

“A beautiful and lovely guest, the Joker is at your service!” The eyes behind the Human Skin Mask were bloodshot, filled with naked greed.

The moment the red-haired girl saw Grant’s Human Skin Mask, she felt an inexplicable creepiness, goosebumps rising on her back as if she had encountered a natural predator.

She, of course, did not know that this ugly and patchy mask on Grant’s face was a Human Skin Mask, nor did she know that every fingernail-sized fragment on this mask represented the life of a beautiful woman. However, years of experience fighting dark creatures allowed Liv Gorman to instinctively sense danger.

She could feel that the big guy’s strength had not increased, but there was a huge psychological change. The enemy, who originally saw her as an opponent or threat, now seemed to view her completely as a meal.

Yes, that was the feeling Grant now gave the red-haired girl. Although he spoke respectful words, the direct, naked greed in his eyes was as if he had seen a delicious dessert, and this possessiveness surprisingly had no trace of any lust.

“For a clown, your mouth doesn’t seem split wide enough!” Little Red Riding Hood blinked innocently, quietly took a step back, and joked humorously.

“Really?” The Joker reached up with two fingers, hooked the corners of his mouth, and pulled. He answered quite seriously, “You’re right. It’s important to meet a guest’s demands. Perhaps I can improve it!”

Before the red-haired girl could understand, her eyes widened immediately. She saw the Joker hook his fingers at the corners of his mouth, then used a machete like scissors to slice open the corners of his mouth, extending the cuts all the way to his ears. He seemed to feel no pain. He smacked his lips, used his fingers to smear the blood all over his cheeks beside the mouth, turning his entire big mouth blood-red.

“Much better indeed. This is true freedom!” The Joker spread his arms, threw his head back, and took a deep breath. His “big mouth” stretched to his ears, even revealing his white back molars and uvula.

“Improve? This is self-mutilation!” Little Red Riding Hood suddenly felt a bit creeped out and muttered uneasily, “If I’d known I’d encounter a pervert, I should have asked ‘Snow White’ to come along. She has ‘rich experience’ dealing with such monsters!”

The red-haired girl unconsciously wanted to drag a companion into this. The first time she had felt this way was as a novice hunter hunting evil spirits in the darkness for the first time. That experience made her afraid to sleep alone for the next week, and she even needed a female companion to go to the bathroom with her. Tonight’s battle seemed to be shifting towards a horror vibe.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” The Joker stretched out his tongue to lick his wounds, tilting his head as he asked.

“That looks painful, right? If you like self-mutilation so much, why not chop off a hand?” The red-haired girl stuck out her tongue and made a funny face at the Joker.

“If you want it, take it!” The Joker laughed loudly, clenched his fist, stretched out his left arm, and nodded as if encouraging the girl.

“Are you joking?” The red-haired girl lowered her head slightly. The next instant, she leaped into the air. A huge Death Scythe slashed down diagonally. She was beginning to get tired of dealing with the Joker in front of her.

“Thump!” Blood sprayed into the sky. The Joker stepped back slightly but did not retract his outstretched arm. Immediately, a thick arm was severed at the elbow by the girl’s scythe, spinning as it flew into the air.

“Ahahahaha!” The Joker, whose arm had been cut off, let out a burst of crazy laughter. “All conditions are met! Beautiful guest, since you’ve accepted my service, how about dancing with the Joker next?”

The Human Skin Mask on the Joker’s face suddenly emitted a hazy glow. The blood spraying in the sky seemed to gain consciousness, coalescing into several blood-red symbols. They nimbly spun around and shot into the Joker’s forehead, slowly merging into the Human Skin Mask.

Seeing the eerie changes on the Joker, the red-haired girl frowned slightly. Still in the air, her red scythe swung around her body. The blade traced a semicircle and struck toward the enemy again.

The Joker, standing on the ground, leaped up. He pressed on the joint between the scythe’s handle and blade, nimbly performing a gymnastics pommel horse Thomas flare. His legs kicked horizontally in a chain toward the girl.

The red-haired girl was slightly surprised. She knew this opponent’s strength was greater than hers, but his body flexibility and skill were much worse. Logically, he shouldn’t be able to perform such a move.

However, her reaction was quick. She twisted her hands gripping the handle, and her petite body, holding the scythe, somersaulted continuously in the air.

“Shing!” Upon landing, the scythe dug into the ground like a plow. Holding the handle, she lifted into a handstand, performing an inverted split. Her legs spread apart and rotated like a helicopter’s propeller. Using her core strength, she propelled the scythe upward again. The scythe’s tip carved a conical pit in the ground.

The red crescent scythe circled around Little Red Riding Hood like a flying ribbon, resembling a giant demonic claw centered on the girl, stretching sharp nails to grab at the Joker.

This was the red-haired girl’s unique scythe skill, combining artistic gymnastics movements – the “Death Moon Dance.”

“Ahahahaha!” A trace of madness flashed in the Joker’s bloodshot eyes. He fell straight backward. When his body was at a 45-degree angle to the ground, he lifted his right foot. His toe magically passed through a gap in the “Death Moon Dance,” precisely tapping on the surface of the red scythe.

Using the red-haired girl’s force, his large body spun like a top. Actually coordinating with the slashing intervals of the Moon Dance, he broke into the core of the dance. His feet clamped onto the handle like a big macaque climbing a tree, attaching himself to the scythe. His right hand’s machete thrust straight toward the girl’s throat.

For the first time since the fight began, the red-haired girl’s expression changed drastically. She shook her hands, and the red scythe folded up instantly, slipping between the Joker’s legs and transforming back into a multi-barrel machine gun.

“Clang!” The machine gun blocked the machete. The red-haired girl, leaning backward, retreated repeatedly, kicking up dust under her feet. She lost her balance for the first time.

“Hehe!” The Joker tapped his feet on the ground, rushed forward, almost at a 30-degree angle to the ground, charging at the girl. A cold light surged in his eyes.

“This is impossible!” Little Red Riding Hood screamed.

The red crescent scythe was made by her own hands. No one knew this weapon better than her. Moreover, her martial arts combined ever-changing artistic gymnastics and dance skills. Even the other Fairy Tale Maidens who sparred with her regularly couldn’t handle it easily, let alone an enemy fighting her for the first time.

The Joker breaking through the “Death Moon Dance” was just like a bug. Even if rehearsed in slow motion once, it probably couldn’t achieve this effect; perhaps only theoretically possible.

Earlier, her battle with the Joker was like a bear and a butterfly dancing gracefully around the large scythe. The bear’s dancing skills not only kept up with the butterfly’s rhythm but seemed even better, as nimble as an Elf.

“A bear-like Elf!” The red-haired girl’s face fell, her mood at its worst. She forced herself to muster her spirits and meet the Joker’s charge.

Actually, the red-haired girl didn’t know that the Joker’s current performance was greatly related to her. The Human Skin Mask on the Joker’s face was his Life-Taking Relic, and also the traded item for his agreement to the military experiment. The mask was originally complete, but a small part was torn off when he was captured.

Shepherd Hill once said that among the five great Serial Killers, apart from the “Dissector” Joey Foster, the other Serial Killers who lived in human society for a long time had a set of behavioral principles in their hearts.

Clown Grant’s behavioral principle was to try to satisfy the victim’s requests while skinning their faces, to lessen his own sense of guilt. However, the previous Joker, although very ugly, was also cunning. Before committing the crime, he would make the victims hungry and cold, losing rational judgment, to reduce the difficulty of these requests.

Victims usually asked for water, food, begged for release, or cursed the Joker to be caught. For these requests, the Joker would satisfy them one by one. For example: after skinning their faces, discarding the victim alive in the wilderness; or intentionally leaving some traces of his whereabouts for the police.

The Joker was eventually caught precisely because he did this too often, accumulating enough clues and evidence for the police.

After becoming an Apostle, the incomplete Human Skin Mask the Joker brought into Shattered Starry Sky also became a Life-Taking Relic. On it was a perverted simulation skill called “Joker’s Gift.”

After the Joker met certain conditions, he could use this skill to simulate the opponent’s characteristics and martial arts within the limits of his physical condition, even combining it with his own talent to exhibit even more powerful performance.

The red-haired girl’s physical qualities were excellent, but still within the Joker’s simulation range. After paying the price of a split mouth and severed arm, the Joker “simulated” a bear version of Little Red Riding Hood.

“Joker’s Gift” was an incredibly powerful close-combat ability. For the red-haired girl, the Joker, before the “simulation” time ended, was an unsolvable existence.

“Target combat behavior analysis complete. Maximum explosive power 16 points, maximum Agility 37, Constitution and Perception unknown…”

“Combat Gauge estimated combat power: 59-72; Scythe damage: unknown, maximum blade speed 301 m/s, average movement speed: 33 m/s…”

“Combat Gauge estimated defense value strength: 52; Health Points: unknown…”

“Prediction mode activated. Beginning to establish Combat Model. Entering firing unit calculation…”

“Wind force 3.2. Target at 12 o’clock, height 1.23 m, distance 27.2 m, elevation angle 11.2 degrees…”

“Target’s upper body has unknown metal suit. Estimated internal defensive magic energy. FN-500 maximum charge intensity cannot penetrate…”

“Invoking host’s special shooting skill: Weakness Crosshair… Firing solution evaluation: Fire in 0.2 seconds, impact point target’s left eye!”

“Bang!” A gunshot suddenly rang out in the night wilderness!