Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Geralt retrieved an unused cup from the command room and poured himself a glass of the Water of Life to clear his head.

“I went to check it out this morning too. You definitely won’t find any clues by investigating the theater on the surface. You’ll need a special method to see it…”

Hill chose to trust Geralt, after all, he was the professional. While Hill rearranged the men, Geralt prepared to return to his lounge for a nap.

After Geralt left, Hill picked up his glass and smelled it to confirm the liquid inside.

"He really is an intoxicated drunkard..."

The town's theater is located below the river at the Jamie family estate, beside a lake.

The midday sun shines on the lake, creating a shimmering scene perfect for taking photos and having a picnic.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had also set up cameras here, ready to record all possible intelligence. Hill looked at the various detection data compiled up, but found nothing amiss.

Hill waited for Geralt to give him an answer: "What special method are you talking about?"

"Do you have any aerial bombs, air-to-ground weapons, or anything like that, to blow up that theater...?"

However, Geralt's words left Hill speechless. She never expected that a traditional hunter would use such a method.

Not only was Hill shocked, but even Clint had never seen Geralt use such methods before.

Amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, Geralt explained: "The real Mary Shaw is hidden within the Otherworld of this building. The Otherworld is a creation made through special means, attached to the real world."

It belongs to the Creator and corresponds to reality. Its rules are specially designed and cannot be violated by anyone; no one can leave without the Creator's permission…

Now look at the reflection of the theater in the lake, doesn't it look a little different from the real theater...?

Under the sunlight, the reflection in the lake was not clear, but after the exposure was reduced when taking the photo, everyone could still make out the old theater in the picture.

Hill held the photo up to her eyes, comparing it to reality, and asked, "Geralt, you said no one can break the rules of the Otherworld? That certainly doesn't include you!"

However, Hill's estimation was wrong. Geralt shook his head and said, "I can't go against it either. Although the Otherworld is a creation, it is a prototype of a dimension. Theoretically, as long as enough souls are filled in or other dimensions are devoured, it can continue to develop and become a new dimension..."

Geralt's explanation silenced everyone present; no one had expected that this otherworld would have so many intricacies.

Seeing everyone's worried expressions, Geralt laughed and said, "But don't worry, this isn't a place like Silent Hill. It's very weak right now. As long as we destroy its physical support, we can expose it. Besides, we've been cleaning outside all night, and Mary Shaw hasn't come out. This Otherworld might not even belong to her..."

With a target in mind, things became much easier. Hill made the arrangements: a team of agents entered the theater to plant explosives, while three Quinjet fighters took off as backup to clear out any buildings that hadn't been destroyed.

Hill remembered every word Geralt had said and planned to include it in his report to the World Security Council.

Geralt stopped Hill, stating bluntly, "Silent Hill is just an example; I absolutely will not deal with the problems there. So please, do not use anyone close to me or anyone you have connections with to investigate..."

Hearing this precautionary warning, Hill crossed her arms and said, "Didn't you claim to be the hunter who wipes out all darkness? Why are you giving Silent Hill special treatment?"

"I may not like darkness, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. The reality of Silent Hill isn't the theater where Mary Shaw hides, but the coal mine beneath Silent Hill that's been set ablaze by hellfire."

No one should attempt to expose this otherworld to reality until the coal mines of Silent Hill have burned out.

Furthermore, there are two evil gods within Silent Hill, vying for ownership of this hidden world. Anyone who enters will either be assimilated by one of them or thrown into the fire as fuel.

After explaining Silent Hill, Geralt looked into Hill's eyes and solemnly said, "So don't test it, don't go in, and I won't provoke the two evil gods either. Of course, if you're confident you can take them down, I'd be happy to help clean it up inside..."

After saying that, Geralt turned and left without waiting for Hill's reply.

Having found a meadow, Geralt drank half a bottle of the Water of Life and lay down on the grass, enjoying the not-too-intense midday sun.

Finally, Geralt was awakened by a series of explosions. When he woke up, he found that the grass around him had been completely eaten up by the turnip, and even the half bottle of life water that he had left behind had been eaten by it.

Seeing Geralt holding a bottle as if to hit him, Radish grinned and licked Geralt in a fawning manner.

But Radish's eyes remained fixed on the bottle in Geralt's hand. 'I can cut back on one Radish a day and get a bottle of this stuff in return.'

"No way! You're a horse! How can you drink alcohol?"

Geralt slapped Radish's bottom, making a loud smack. Radish yelped and ran into the woods.

Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. blew up the theater, the surrounding environment has begun to change, and the midday sun no longer feels warm at all.

The once tranquil lake has become still, without a breeze or ripples, as if a piece of transparent ice has been placed over it.

The theater in reality has been razed to the ground, but its reflection in the lake still shows its dilapidated state.

As Geralt had warned them, Hill had prepared weapons to deal with the golems. Almost everyone who followed them in carried fuel for incineration, shotguns to fight the golems, and a few bottles of holy water that Hill had saved.

"Alright, let's go!"

Geralt led the way, walking along the ruins of the theater into the lake, heading towards the reflection of the dilapidated theater in the water.

## Chapter 224: It's him again (Bonus Chapter 5/10)

Everyone who entered felt the oppressive, suffocating pressure of the lake water, but just when they couldn't bear it any longer, the air above them suddenly disappeared, and they emerged from the lake again.

Geralt was already waiting for them on the shore, and his clothes weren't even wet.

After everyone had finished checking the weapons, Geralt delivered some bad news.

Geralt pointed to the pale sunlight on the distant lake and said, "I just realized that time is different here than outside. Here, it's nighttime as long as the sun is blocked. So if the shadows reach the theater, we'll be out of luck. Time is of the essence, let's get moving!"

The theater appeared somewhat old and worn from the outside, but it was quite bustling in the Otherworld. Geralt stopped everyone at the theater entrance.

Upon arriving at the ticket booth, Geralt discovered that the ticket seller inside was actually a puppet. The puppet was dressed in well-fitting clothes, and there was even a name tag on its collar that read its name, 'Billy'.

Hill followed Geralt, who had just been talking about time soaking, but now he was stopped here. Just as Hill was about to urge him on, Geralt made his move.

Geralt pointed to the poster and asked Billy, the ticket seller, "How much is the ticket for Mary Shaw's show?"

Billy the puppet remained motionless, just like a real puppet, waiting for Geralt to go in on his own.

The two sides were deadlocked. Just as Geralt finished drinking a bottle of the Water of Life and turned around to greet everyone, preparing to head home, Billy couldn't help but speak up.

If Geralt and his party leave, Mary Shaw will be unable to take revenge, and Geralt himself will be torn to pieces by Mary Shaw.

Billy's shrill voice rang out: "Special tickets are nine dollars and fifteen cents per person, even those without money can come..."

"You want to watch a great show when you're broke? That's an insult to our morals! No way, you have to pay! Hill! Pay up!"

After firmly rejecting his girlfriend, Geralt immediately made Hill pay for the money, a move that left those who were following Geralt for the first time stunned.

Even more shockingly, his own chief, Maria Hill, actually followed Geralt's instructions and paid for the tickets per person.

Just when everyone thought they could go in now, Geralt rang the call bell on the ticket counter and said impatiently, "I paid, give me a ticket! This is what I deserve, I still need to go back and pay my taxes! Hurry up!"

Reluctantly, Billy the puppet pulled out a stack of tickets from under the counter, tore one off for each person, and then, in his shrill voice, offered his blessing: "Welcome to the show! I hope you'll experience the brilliance of the Mary Shaw special performance and scream your lungs out!"

Waving his ticket at the puppet Billy, Geralt entered the theater.

As you enter through the door, you'll find the theater's enormous tiered seating area, where many audience members are already seated, quietly waiting for the performance to begin.

On stage, however, the scene was quite different. The original curtain had been removed and replaced with various doll collection boxes. Each box was neatly arranged, serving as the backdrop for the stage.

Jamie, whom I met just yesterday, is now one of them. However, the boxes on either side of him are empty. Judging from the names on them, these two spots should belong to Jamie's father and wife.

With the surroundings confirmed, Hill also confirmed the identities of the spectators, whispering to Geralt, "The spectators are all the people who were among the first to participate in the murder of Mary Shaw..."

A few minutes after Geralt and the others had taken their seats, Mary Shaw's unsteady figure emerged from the side of the stage.

She was holding a new puppet in her arms, which looked the same as Billy, who was acting as a ticket seller outside, but wore different clothes and had his name changed to Bill.

Mary Shaw sat on a high stool in the center of the stage, with the puppet Bill on her lap.

Mary Shaw pointed at Geralt and the others and said, "Bill, look! We have a new audience. Hopefully, they'll like you..."

"But Mom, they're different from us. They don't have creaking joints, and they don't have faces that never change..."

As he spoke, Puppet Bill waved his wooden arms, making a creaking sound as the wood rubbed together, and touched his painted face while his mouth opened and closed as he spoke.

"So how should we greet them?"

"We should keep them here and let them become like us, so they can keep watching your performances, Mom!"

As the puppet's voice faded, all the audience members and the puppets in the box on stage turned to look at Geralt and his companions.

Such a performance sent chills down everyone's spines; everyone instinctively gripped their weapons. Only Geralt, full of enthusiasm, stood up, clapping and saying, "Fantastic! The performance almost made me scream! Ahhh, so scary..."

Just like Admiral Kizaru, the headmaster of Kasukabe Kindergarten, Geralt's feigned fear drew an attack from Mary Shaw.

Mary Shaw appeared instantly in front of Geralt, transformed into a decaying form, and lunged at him with her mouth open.

"Oh my god! How long has it been since you brushed your teeth? You have bad breath, do you even know that?!"

Geralt pinched his nose and kicked Mary Shaw back onto the stage.

Watching Mary Shaw get up, Geralt fanned himself in front of his nose and said, "No wonder you were so far away from the audience. You really should see a doctor. I know a few in Hell. Want me to introduce you? Don't worry, they're very cheap..."

Mary Shaw couldn't stand this, and with a wave of her hand, she said, "Kill them!"

The audience turned and rushed towards Geralt and his companions, while the puppets on stage opened their boxes, jumped off the stage, and ran towards them.

"Why didn't we just do it this way from the beginning? Why do I have to go through all the procedures?"

Geralt pulled out a Black Fire Bottle and threw it towards the stage. The Black Fire Bottle's fire elemental damage and explosive impact were exactly what the puppets were doomed to, clearing out a large area in an instant.

Geralt's combat team also raised their weapons, all of them armed with automatic or semi-automatic shotguns, and a barrage of steel balls shattered any puppet that tried to approach.

Clint, just like Geralt had done the night before, dragged his fire-enchanted longsword along the ground as he ran, creating a barrier of fire in front of everyone.

The shattered dolls were dragged into the barrier, making the flames burn even more fiercely.

Mary Shaw watched as her theater, which she had worked so hard to build, was reduced to ruins by these outsiders. Enraged, she appeared next to one of the combatants and reached out to grab his mouth.

However, Mary Shaw's hand was blocked and corroded.

All of them had their faces covered with a full-coverage breathing valve, which had been sprayed with holy water.

Mary Shaw had to pass through these two barriers to reach out and pull out the tongue, but looking at the indelible corrosion marks on her hands and Geralt's arrogant, "What can you do about it?" attitude, she finally couldn't take it anymore.

Mary Shaw, back on stage, pulled a doll from the box behind her, dragged it by the hair, and brought it to the center of the stage.

That doll was Ella, who gave Geralt the carrot. In front of her creator, Ella did not resist in the slightest.

Mary Shaw loosened Ella's hair, letting her fall to the ground. Then she made a cut on her own arm, extracted her decaying body tissue, and sprinkled it on Ella.

Mary Shaw's actions made Geralt's eyes turn cold, but her next summoned object left Geralt with a strange expression.

Then they heard Mary Shaw shout in a dramatic, melodious voice, "I beg you, great son of hell, I await your arrival!"

In this otherworld, a realm outside of reality, the arrival of hell would not provoke any counterattack from Earth's defense network.

The Blackheart's arrival was incredibly swift; it appeared on stage the instant Mary Shaw finished calling out its summoning name, looking at Mary Shaw kneeling before it.

Just as the Blackheart was about to possess Ella, the body that had been specially made for him, Geralt's voice came from afar.

"Hey hey hey! Crossdresser! Look here, smile!"