I stared at Redmond in surprise. He seemed to be talking to someone, and just then, the flames on his fist began to resemble mist, gradually appearing in front of him, burning bit by bit.
"I am your Instinct, kid. Can't you speak more politely? Change that rustic attitude of yours."
Redmond's eyes widened, and he slapped out, but only scattered the burning black mist before him. Peals of laughter echoed, and the figure gradually took on the shape of a human head, floating and weaving around Redmond, as if toying with him.
"Don't push your luck. Instinct? What the hell is that? Never heard of you. How the fuck did you even show up?"
"Kid, you've awakened your Instinct faster than those other six. Aren't you even a little happy? I can grant you unimaginable power. I can..."
Redmond let out a sigh.
"How many times have you said that? What use is this power, huh? Tell me, does it do shit? I'm like this mostly because of you, you goddamn curse. Get lost!"
Redmond's voice was nearly hysterical, but his Instinct seemed not to hear, still laughing loudly.
"My name is Calamity."
"Get lost! Are you fucking deaf?"
Redmond, seething with frustration, raised his hand, but Calamity continued to circle him, toying with him like a child playing games.
You bastard, what exactly are you?
Listen, kid, without me, you'd be cursed with only seven days of memory here. Are you sure you want me gone?
Redmond raised his hand, his gaze heavy and intense as he stared at Calamity.
What do you mean? Do the other six have something like you inside them too? What exactly is Instinct?
Calamity laughed.
Remember? You were a genius at causing trouble even as a child, and when you grew up, it only got worse. In the end, you stirred up chaos and dragged everyone down with you...
Calamity left the rest unsaid. Redmond's face turned icy, his anger barely contained as he glared at Calamity.
Enough. No more jokes. You always ignored me before, so this time I came out myself. I need to tell you something—about power.
Redmond snorted coldly.
Tell me how to make my power stronger. If you can't, then go back and keep quiet. Don't call me again.
I can't.
Calamity replied decisively. Redmond glared at him, gritting his teeth in frustration.
If you can't help, then what's the point of telling me anything? I already understand what's going on here.
There's still more for you to understand—about the power of Calamity.
Redmond raised his hand, but quickly let it drop.
This power might be special, but if I can't use it, what's the point?
Calamity laughed loudly, shaking his head again and again.
Didn't you already witness how terrifying Calamity's power is? Have you forgotten? That Hell's Registrar was immobilized by John Chou's power, but after a while, he recovered. Do you remember why you rushed in to unleash Calamity's power then? It was Calamity that made his body start to collapse. John Chou's power had already caused abnormalities, but your power made things even worse. That's why you succeeded—otherwise, you couldn't possibly kill a Hell's Registrar with your current abilities.
Redmond grew even more furious.
You keep spouting nonsense. If I can't use this power, what's the point?
Calamity turned and scanned the ice, searching until he found a surface marked with fine cracks. He floated over to it.
Come here.
Redmond walked over, clearly annoyed. Calamity spoke.
Try using a little of Calamity's power on the cracked spot.
Redmond pressed his hand against the ice. After a long moment, a small flame flickered in his palm, then sank into the crack in the ice—but nothing happened.
Calamity laughed coldly and slipped back into Redmond's body.
What the hell are you doing, you bastard?
No matter how much Redmond shouted, Calamity didn't appear again. Furious, Redmond kicked at the ice surface in frustration.
Come back in a week. Then maybe you'll understand what Calamity's power truly is.
A voice drifted in on the wind. Frustrated, Redmond turned and left. Since he still couldn't improve his power, he went straight to drink with the Hell's Registrars.
A week passed quickly. Redmond seemed to forget all about Calamity's words and the promise to return. It was time for the Ghost Sovereigns to gather again.
Redmond did nothing different; everything was the same. Yuna Ji, cheerful, pointed at a skeleton behind her. The black skeleton was covered in cracks, almost shattered.
Did you succeed, Yuna Ji?
John Chou asked, and Yuna Ji shook her head with a smile.
Not yet.
As soon as she finished speaking, the skeleton exploded—its soul and bones separated once again.
But it's almost there.
John, things on my end might be turning around. I've created a formation that can connect to the ghost array at the entrance, but my power isn't enough to activate it yet. If I could, I'd be able to control the ghost array at the gate.
Lord Shenyan spent the week still carving Buddha statues, unchanged. Yvonne May and Mona Ouyang sat idly as usual, sometimes going out for food when Mona woke up, then returning to the cave.
Everyone turned to look at Redmond, but he was unchanged. He looked a bit embarrassed, then suddenly remembered what Calamity had told him—to come back to that place after a week.
Come with me. I'll show you something.
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Redmond led the Ghost Sovereigns to the place. He still didn't know why Calamity had told him to come after a week, but now he felt something was different.
The day Redmond left, I sensed it—he had injected Calamity's power into the cracked ice, and it was slowly brewing and fermenting.
Soon, Redmond led the other Ghost Sovereigns to the place where he'd released Calamity's power. His eyes widened as all the Ghost Sovereigns stared in disbelief at the mountain before them. The entire ice surface covering the mountain was cracked, and even the black stone walls inscribed with Sanskrit inside were split with massive fissures.
From the cracks, black flames flickered and shot out. Redmond's eyes widened—even breaking through the ice surface outside was nearly impossible, let alone the walls within.
A rumbling sound echoed continuously. The entire mountain was on the verge of collapse. John Chou watched the black flames with a grave expression.
Redmond, quickly, retract your power!
John Chou shouted, but Redmond had no idea what to do. He forced himself to step forward, and as soon as he reached out, the black flames in the cracks surged toward him, entering his body one after another. Redmond stared in disbelief as the flames kept pouring into him.
After a few minutes, all the black flames had entered Redmond's body. The mountain remained covered in cracks, showing no signs of healing.
Hmph. Now you know what I've been doing, don't you?
Redmond seemed to have found something that truly motivated him. He was overjoyed, laughing out loud like a child.
Alright, if there's nothing else, let's disperse. I need to start honing my power.
Redmond spoke with newfound confidence. After the other Ghost Sovereigns left, he breathed a sigh of relief—at least this week, he hadn't embarrassed himself. He immediately called for Calamity.
A fierce burst of flame appeared, and Calamity instantly materialized before Redmond—this time as a black, burning humanoid shape. Redmond was surprised, but Calamity's golden eyes seemed almost happy.
It's been ages since I was this full.
So this is how I can make my power stronger? That wasn't so hard.
Redmond burst out laughing, but Calamity shook his finger at him.
It's not that simple for you. Anything artificial won't work—only naturally occurring calamity can do it. You can inject a bit of Calamity's power, and it will slowly expand, eventually causing a collapse like this mountain. Look around—do you see any other cracked ice surfaces?
Sure enough, after circling the area, Redmond still found nothing. He looked at Calamity, who wore a wicked grin.
You bastard, you can sense it, so why make me search?
Calamity burst out laughing.
I can sense it, yes. But unfortunately, in this space-time, there's nowhere left that can provide us with Calamity's power. We'll have to see what luck brings next week, after we shift to another timeline.
Redmond's eyes widened.
What do you mean? Don't we have Instinct? How can we move to another timeline?
Calamity shook his head.
Instinct only guarantees your memories, not your location. That's why Yuna Ji had trouble finding the right souls in the first few weeks, but eventually found some. All the souls here are swapped between countless timelines, and so are the Hell's Registrars. That's why no one knows each other.
Redmond was frustrated, but also helpless.
So what am I supposed to do now? I finally managed to gain a little power.
There's nothing you can do. If Yvonne May's Instinct awakens, maybe she'll be able to pinpoint the timeline.
At that moment, Redmond pointed at the mountain behind Calamity, which was about to split completely.
Should I inject more power?