A flash of crimson light erupted from the wasteland before fading into the dusty air.
The Frightwig flinched, her pale face tightening as she turned sharply toward the empty stretch of land.
Her snake-like hair hissed restlessly, flicking their tongues as she crept forward.
Someone was out there—she could feel it.
But as she stepped deeper into the wasteland, her eyes darting around, she saw nothing.
Only the cold wind whispered through the air.
A ridiculous thought crept into her mind.
Could it be… haunted?
"Frightwig, what are you staring at?" The Acid Breath frowned impatiently. "Once everyone in town goes into that clown house, we move! Keep it together!"
"There was some strange noise just now," Frightwig said uneasily. "But when I came to check, there was nothing."
"Hahaha!" The Thumbskull burst out laughing, holding his stomach. "We're all hardened criminals! What's a ghost got on us? If there is one, it's the ghost who should be scared of us!"
"Well… you've got a point," Frightwig muttered, swallowing hard as she rejoined the group.
They waited patiently until the townsfolk began filing into the clown house, eager to watch the evening show.
Frightwig's eyes gleamed with greed.
She stood abruptly and whispered, "The whole town's savings are about to be ours!"
The Acid Breath snickered. "Let's go!"
The Thumbskull smirked and hoisted his massive hammer.
The three crooks strode forward, laughing—until a shadow streaked past them like lightning.
They froze.
"What was that!?" Their heads whipped around, scanning the empty air.
Then—
A faint, cold breath brushed across Frightwig's cheek, like something invisible was right beside her.
Her body stiffened. Slowly, she looked forward.
And there it was.
A twisted, nightmarish creature with a gaunt body, razor-sharp teeth, and sunken, glowing eyes grinned at her.
"Hey there…"
The monster's voice was low and eerie, like something crawling straight out of hell.
It was Error Heatblast—also known as the Errorblast.
"Ahhh!!!"
Frightwig screamed, terror flooding her body. Her knees buckled as she collapsed to the ground.
The snakes in her hair lashed out, hissing violently as they bit toward the creature.
The Errorblast raised his claws—then slashed downward like a storm of blades.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each strike tore through the snakes with terrifying speed.
He advanced step by step, a demonic grin twisting his face.
"N-No! Don't come any closer!" Tears streamed down Frightwig's cheeks. Fear overwhelmed her, her vision went white—
and she fainted.
The ground darkened beneath her as she… lost control of herself entirely.
The Errorblast sneered. "Pathetic."
He stepped past her and turned toward the next criminal.
"You're up."
The Acid Breath roared in anger and spat a spray of sizzling acid.
"Monster! Let's see how you like being melted alive!"
The green liquid shot straight at the Error Alien—but he didn't move.
He stood perfectly still.
"Hah! Let's see you stand after this!" Acid Breath jeered.
Just as the acid hit, a flash of blood-red light engulfed the figure.
In his place stood a Diamondhead-like alien—its body sharp and crystalline, with a single multi-pupiled eye glinting coldly.
The acid splashed across him harmlessly, washing off the dust without leaving a mark.
"W-What!? He transformed on his own!?" Acid Breath's eyes widened in disbelief.
Ethen—now in Error Diamondhead form—grinned.
"Not bad, Error Watch. Not bad at all."
The Error Watch's unique ability revealed itself:
it could sense danger and automatically shift the user's alien form to counter any threat.
Just like Ultra Instinct, it reacted faster than thought.
Ethen charged forward, shrugging off the Acid Breath's desperate sprays, and drove his crystal fist square into the villain's face.
BAM!
The Acid Breath dropped instantly, unconscious.
Two down.
Ethen turned his gleaming head toward the last one—the Thumbskull—and smirked.
"Guess that leaves you."
"Damn you!" The brute snarled, swinging his hammer. "Let's see you block this!"
He slammed it down, but Diamondhead's forearm transformed into a shimmering crystal shield.
The blow rattled the ground, sending shockwaves through the air—but the shield held firm.
The brute grinned savagely. "Heh, my strength's not so bad, huh?"
Ethen's form flickered again—another red flash.
In the next instant, standing before the Thumbskull was a monstrous, four-armed alien with six glowing eyes—a terrifying fusion of raw power and precision.
Ethen cracked his knuckles.
"Triggered my next form. Lucky you."
"T-Three forms? That's cheating!!" The brute's eyes widened in panic.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Four massive fists blurred through the air, striking faster than the eye could follow.
Each hit landed on a weak point—precise, brutal, unstoppable.
The Thumbskull staggered, blood spurting from his mouth, before crumpling to the ground in a heap.
"All three," Ethen said calmly, lowering his fists. "Taken care of."
He finally understood how overpowered the Error Watch really was.
Its aliens might look unstable—but when paired with its adaptive system, it was nearly unstoppable.
Ding!
"Mission complete. +10 reward points."
Ding!
"Mission complete. +10 reward points."
Ding!
"Mission complete. +10 reward points."
The cheerful chime echoed three times, and Ethen chuckled to himself.
He tied up the three defeated crooks with an iron chain and shifted back into the Errorblast form, racing toward the clown house.
Inside the Clown House
Bright lights blazed across the stage as laughter and cheers filled the air.
The audience roared with delight as Samposo, a fat clown wearing a magician's hat, performed one trick after another.
Laughter echoed through the hall—
but faint streams of shimmering light began to drift from the crowd, gathering beneath the stage.
Their smiles grew stiff. Their eyes dulled.
Zombozo's grin twisted into something dark.
"Perfect… I'll drain every last drop of your emotion."
He chuckled to himself, wondering idly—
How much did those three idiots outside manage to steal, I wonder?
Then—Bang, bang, bang.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance.
Zombozo frowned. "More guests?"
His eyes narrowed toward the doorway.