Kent's consciousness gradually dissipated, but soon gathered again. Then, he found himself on a street in a small town. He looked around curiously and looked down at his own body, all of his wounds were gone.
Is this what they call the Psychic_Battlefield? Kent looked around endlessly, observing this toy-like small town and eventually shook his head.
Old Berg really hadn't seen much of the world. Despite having the ability to shape Psychic_Battlefield, he made it exactly like the real world. No matter how beautiful this town is, it can't match the big castles in movies and TV shows. If he had some imagination, the scenery here would be stunning.
Kent walked forward all the way, and finally strolled to the church. He felt there was something inside the church, so he went inside. In the hall, he saw nothing, so he walked further back and saw a staircase leading downwards.
After going down, it was a pitch-black space, but there were a few vague Shadows lingering. He looked intently, and turned out to be Shiller.
He just wanted to go over and greet, but discovered that it was all illusionary; there was only a Shadow, visible but unreachable. Kent guessed this might be something happening in the real world.
He was just thinking of finding a way to communicate with the outside world when he saw a familiar figure appearing near the light spot not far from Shiller; surprisingly, it was Old Berg, who had been stabbed by him and then impaled by Linda's harpoon!
This bastard still isn't dead?! Kent was practically gritting his teeth, good people live short lives, mischief lasts for millennia, couldn't get rid of him, huh?!
However, seeing that his state had already dropped to rock bottom. That spot of light seemed like his backup, similar to a spawn point that forcibly pulled him back when he had a sliver of health left.
When Old Berg returned, he didn't notice Shiller beside him. He sighed, thinking he had escaped a calamity, when suddenly he heard rock music from nearby and the aroma of coffee.
His face showed an expression of horror, and he instinctively covered his ears. Kent didn't know what he was doing, but then he suddenly let out a scream.
It seemed like something was attacking him, but that thing was invisible, Kent couldn't see it at all. At this moment, Shiller, pale-faced and sitting at the table, spoke: "How does it feel to be attacked by the rules you set yourself?"
Old Berg let out a terrifying scream, as if being burned by flames. He stared intently at Shiller, saying: "Why did you… why did you…"
"Why am I here waiting for you? Or why do I know you'll be harmed when you violate the rules?"
Shiller shook his head, sipped his coffee, and said: "You think, that after your dad used Black magic at Siv City Police Department to burn the records of the Big Creek Town massacre, things could be over forever, and no one would know."
"But, you still underestimated those politicians and capitalists. The underground water pollution of the small town started from the early stages of industrial development. It was the family of Flying Angel Satean killed by your father who first entered the Psychic_Battlefield."
Shiller beckoned in one direction, and two little girls holding hands ran out. He picked up one of them, and said: "All these years, they've been watching you. And when you chose to discard the Psychic_Battlefield and flee to Siv City, they called the helpline operators, entered the dreams of the daughter of the gas station shopkeeper, and wandered through every corner of the city, looking for ways to deal with you."
"They long ago figured out the truth of the past, and your learning of Black magic and changing the rules of the Psychic_Battlefield. When I found them, they told me everything."
"Although you can use Black magic to modify the rules of the Psychic_Battlefield, this place is neither entirely of your making nor completely under your control. It's actually the Psychic_Battlefield of those Believers you taught; their dedication to the teachings also limits you. If not, you wouldn't have tried to escape."
"It's certainly unpleasant to be hoist by your own petard. But there's also something more: it's a certain magical item you stored at the bank that led us here."
Old Berg's cries grew more violent, his entire being melting like a candle. Shiller stood up, approached him, and said: "Don't be afraid, I'm not here to kill you. On the contrary, I'm here to save you."
"Thanks to Derby, he let the townspeople out. They can't live long in the real world, and they will soon dissipate completely. But you and he, two spirits who've studied Black magic, are much stronger."
"One of the rules of the Psychic_Battlefield's small town that Satean told me is that on nights without Moonlight, everything here will be reset, including the people in the town. Be grateful to me, for I'm going to send you back home."
It's only at this moment that Old Berg showed a truly doomed expression, because he knew that what Shiller said was true—this Psychic_Battlefield isn't flawless, nor can the town remain in the same form forever; otherwise, the people inside wouldn't age or be rejuvenated, causing logic conflicts in the whole world.
Thus, on every night without Moonlight, the form of the small town would be reset, people's memories wiped, returning to the night they entered the Psychic_Battlefield. The cloudy weather in the small town isn't frequent, so this period can last as short as three months or as long as several years.
And tonight, is such a night without Moonlight. Everything in the small town will be reset, including the Souls trapped here. So, even if Old Berg has been injured like this, he will still be able to recover.
Soon, Bruce and others returned bringing Derby's evil spirit. Catching him wasn't difficult at all, this guy had been tossed around several times before, leaving him with hardly any resistance.
"Are you sure that by sending them back and restoring, they won't escape again?" Bruce asked Shiller.
"Satean's family will be responsible for guarding them. They'll block the town's roads, no living person will come over. Evil spirits will live eternally in this town, created by their own teachings."
Bruce seemed to think of something amusing. He threw Derby over, and when Derby heard the music, he also began screaming and melting, obviously unable to immune himself to the rules.
They entered the Psychic_Battlefield and walked out from beneath the church, seeing Kent. Bruce said nothing, just stepped forward and patted his shoulder. To Kent, he felt like Bruce had said everything.
Two pieces of unrecognizable melted material were thrown into the street of the small town. Everyone stood at the church doorway watching them. And as the night fell, clouds blocked the last bit of Moonlight, and the heavy church bells tolled, everything in the town was renewed.
But those townsfolk who had left won't return, only these two spirits who had experienced modern societal life, unwilling to live like other Believers in such a primitive life, reverted into human form during the resetting; then watched helplessly as the church door closed, forever trapped inside.
Previously, at least townsfolk had families and friends; church activities, although boring, provided some solace. As for these two adversaries, they fear there's nothing to talk about. They will be stuck in this dead town forever, forced to abide by the rules they set, bidding farewell to any entertainment and living in perpetual monotony.
You could still hear shrill cries from the church hall, but no one cared anymore. Kent turned around and saw a family of four floating before them.
"Thank you very much." said the woman on the far left, "Seeing them use my beloved Circus to do such immoral things, I am truly enraged. Fortunately, it's all ended now."
Then, the tall man standing beside her stepped aside, and a timid girl came forward, throwing herself at Bruce.
"Sorry, Dad, I shouldn't have gone alone…"
"Alright, it's okay." Bruce patted her back.
"Panni's body is hidden in my former home, Sisi and Koester have been guarding her. She'll be alright." Said Satean.
"As for you all, I'm sorry." Satean shook his head, "Your bodies have already died, even if you return, they'll quickly rot. So, for you all, there's no leaving the town."
Kent sighed. He didn't know if this could be considered a good ending; although the two evil spirits received their due punishment, yet they're all wiped out too.
Others felt wistful too. These two evil spirits, although not very strong, were so severely restricted, that in the real world, they had almost no resistance, and their deaths were considered gruesome.
Wait, the few people who have been staying in the town suddenly thought, maybe not all of them died. Someone's body didn't suffer, it slept from start to finish, without any issue, right?
Everyone turned to look at Hunting.
"I still have a lot to do." Hunting's figure gradually faded, clearly returning to the real world.
And these Souls wandering in the air saw a figure in black emerging from Aunt Cain's house. He slowly looked up, but he wasn't looking at the Souls above. After a while, he suddenly turned towards a direction, and everyone saw those gray eyes focus gradually.
Then, he turned around and walked into the night, disappearing at the end of the road.
"What is he going to do?" Bruce asked. Others were also puzzled.
The agent just smiled, looking towards the direction where Hunting disappeared and said: "Of course, going to do his old work."
"Old work? What old work?"
The agent looked at the distant stream, saying: "The evil spirits have been rightly punished. Now... what about the people?"
"Be careful of the night without Moonlight, friends, the dice has been cast."