The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 392. Fighting Back

Inside the Circus – Second Floor

The narrow hallway echoed with the faint squeaks of oversized clown shoes. Two individuals, clad in ridiculous clown costumes, ambled through the garishly decorated interior. Their curly wigs bounced with each step—one electric blue, the other an absurd shade of lime green.

"Wait a second!" a guard clown barked, blocking their path with an inflatable baton. His oversized red nose wobbled as he squinted at them. "You forgot to register your names, you noodle-heads!"

"Noodle heads?" the green-haired clown giggled, her painted lips twisting into a mischievous smile. "That’s actually kind of funny."

She plucked the ’register’—a helium balloon shaped like a scroll—from his hand and pulled out a thick black marker from her oversized sleeve. With exaggerated flair, she scrawled something on the balloon and doodled a tiny van next to it.

The guard raised a brow. "You’re... Van emoji? And Essa?"

"It’s Vanessa," she said with a haughty air, flipping her green curls and laughing behind her hand like an aristocratic noblewoman from a cheesy drama.

The blue-haired clown snorted, then grabbed a balloon of his own. He scribbled a single word: "Time."

"Wait, your name is... Time?" The guard tilted his head, baffled.

"It’s Tim... e. Timmy," the male clown said with a wink, as if the pun were deeply profound.

The two released their balloons, which floated up and merged with the hundreds already clustered near the ceiling like a chaotic alphabet soup.

"Who the hell came up with these names?" the guard mumbled.

"Our friend did," the green-haired girl replied smoothly. She then reached over and scribbled a small, lowercase ’e’ on the table.

The guard stared. "...Small e?"

"It’s Lil ’e’... as in Lily, you dumass."

"Hey—how’d you know my name?" the guard blinked in genuine confusion.

The clowns froze.

"The heck?" the female clown muttered under her breath.

"My name is Duma SS."

The two stared for a moment, then slowly tiptoed past him without another word, leaving the confused guard scratching his head.

Once out of earshot, the blue-haired clown let out a snort. "They won’t even suspect us. These guys are weirder than we are."

"Hmph," the female clown sniffed proudly. "Mana is a great actress after all."

"You just said your real name," the other clown whispered sharply.

"Oops..."

Of course, the two weren’t actual clowns. Beneath the garish makeup and silly outfits were none other than Tyler and Mana, infiltrating the twisted circus.

---

Earlier

After the press stopped, Tyler pushed against it with raw strength. It was like lifting a mountain, but he noticed a tiny gap on one side.

"Mana!" he whispered.

Understanding immediately, Mana turned incorporeal and squeezed through the narrow opening in her ghost form.

"It actually works." Mana replied.

"Then let me collect all the Apollos first."

A few moments later Mana escaped with her Ghost form.

The moment she escaped, the press slammed down, obliterating everything below.

The Clown King, watching the monitor, howled with laughter—completely unaware that Mana had already slipped through.

In a dressing room upstairs, Mana reappeared and spat out a pearl onto a makeup table. With a flash of light, Tyler emerged from the pocket dimension, unharmed.

"If we want, we can escape," Mana said, brushing her hands.

Tyler shook his head. "No. This guy isn’t going to stop. And he might’ve already targeted the White Pearl. We have to fight."

Mana nodded, but hesitated. "How are we going to infiltrate without being noticed?"

Tyler’s eyes scanned the dressing room—and landed on a rack of clown costumes.

Moments later, two new ’crew members’ joined the twisted ranks of the circus performers.

The inside of the circus was a chaotic mess. Most of the lower-level members weren’t even properly vetted. They were hired in bulk, used purely for inflating numbers and creating the illusion of power.

Tyler and Mana blended right in.

After all... who would suspect two clowns, in a place filled with madness?

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Meanwhile, aboard the Shadow Pearl...

The silent pink sea roared as massive waves clashed against the reinforced hull. It’s all because of the Serpent.

A thunderous screech echoed across, and the Shadow Pearl shook violently. A monstrous Twin-Headed Sea Serpent twisted through the storm, its immense bodies cutting through the waters like a pair of demonic lances. Its fangs glinted with venom, and the glare in its dual eyes burned with ferocity.

The ship’s cannons roared back in defiance, unleashing bursts of mana-infused artillery. One of the serpent’s heads recoiled from the blast, part of its face scorched—but even as the smoke cleared, the damage was already healing.

"It’s regenerating again!" cried a crew member from the deck. "This thing’s not dying!"

"Damn it! It’s like nothing can kill it!" another yelled.

Amid the chaos, a stunning woman stood near the helm, her form graceful, almost unbothered by the storm. It was Lily—no, not Lily. Here, among the masked, she was Temptress.

Clad in a sleek, tight-fitting outfit with silver patterns and a high slit on her dress, she stood poised like a viper waiting to strike. Her long hair fluttered behind her, and her eyes were locked onto the serpent. Every twitch of its muscles, every blink, every pattern in its attack—she was observing it all.

Heavy footsteps approached, followed by the swish of cloth. A woman in a Phantom Mask and a low-cut alchemist’s robe adorned with glowing sigils walked up beside her. She wore a tall, crooked witch hat and held a flask so large it looked more like a giant glass vase.

"Mathilda?" Temptress turned slightly. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Shh," the masked woman replied. "Not today. Call me the Alchemy Witch. No—wait—Dark Alchemist. Or Malefic Brewer... Void Catalyst maybe? Argh, I’ll figure out the name later."

Temptress raised an eyebrow. "...Good luck with that ."

"Yeah, yeah," Mathilda waved her hand, sloshing the ominous purple liquid inside her flask. "Now. Got any bright ideas on how to kill that thing?"

"I think I’ve figured something out," Temptress replied, her eyes still on the serpent. "It’s risky... but if it works, we can finish this in one shot"

Then she told her the plan.

Mathilda squinted. "You figured out a plan just by watching it?"

Temptress gave a sly, confident smile and nodded. Her body language was full of grace and pride, and even in the madness of battle, she struck an alluring silhouette.

Mathilda, behind her mask, stared a second longer than necessary. If one looked closely, they might have seen the smallest trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.

"Alright then..." Mathilda said, clearing her throat and lifting her flask. "Try it. I’ll take command from here."

Temptress gave a curt nod, then reached for her weapon — a sleek, enchanted whip with Electric Arcs — and leapt off the ship, flying towards the Twin Headed Sea Serpent.

"This is MC," Mathilda said into the communicator. "That stands for Malefic Catalyst. I’ll be taking command."

There was a pause. "Huh? Who?" came the voice of Tuman, one of the helmsmen.

"Tsk. It’s Mathilda, you idiot. But I’m in Shadow Mode. Just call me MC. Remember it," Mathilda – No – MC barked.

"Y-Yes, ma’am!" Tuman replied hastily, his voice shaking.

"Wow... Leader Tuman’s got guts," one crew member whispered. "Is he immune to poison now or something?"

MC heard the murmur but ignored it. She didn’t mind their fear—it was well earned. Nearly every man on the Shadow Pearl feared Mathilda. All except for Tyler.

As the ship rocked under another strike from the serpent, MC took her place at the helm, watching the sky where Temptress danced through the air like a stormborn goddess.

Temptress zigzagged between acid spits and geysers of water. She flew low over one of the serpent’s heads, lashing out with her whip. The creature roared, more in annoyance than pain.

The Battle raged on in the Pink Mist.

MC is also waiting for the chance to strike.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Back in the tent...

Tyler and Mana moved through the lavish corridors like other crew members.

Mana softly hummed a haunting soothing melody, her voice light and ethereal.

For a brief Second, The pirates stationed nearby, upon hearing the tune, froze. Their eyes glazed over, their minds drifting into a trance-like daze. They stood motionless.

For a Brief Second, several helium balloons floated down from nowhere, obscuring the vision of nearby surveillance arrays. The timing was perfect—comically absurd yet strategically precise.

Under the same Brief Second, Tyler and Mana’s hands flickered like ghosts, phasing through walls, cabinets, and floorboards. They each placed small glowing charms—some pulsed with red sigils, others shimmered with blue runes.

Tyler, holding tightly to Mana’s hand, in his "Ghost Mode." Though his own mastery of the ability was limited, as long as they were connected, he could tap into her power. He was able to phase through a little. Atleast his hands.

The entire second floor was now thoroughly planted.

Tyler gave a slight nod. "Ready for the upper floors?"

Mana gave a mischievous grin "Race you."

She ran funnily and Tyler chased her.

With that, they moved towards the upper floors, leaving behind only a faint glimmer of light and a few drifting balloons.