[Chapter 284: Five Thunder Doctrine: Five Thunders]
Monica's face was filled with terror, as if all her strength had drained away. She had to grab Daniel's arm to keep from collapsing. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Daniel looked at her and realized something. He asked, "Is this the image of the monster you're most afraid of, the one you dread?"
Monica nodded repeatedly, opening her mouth to speak, but she was too terrified to make a sound.
Daniel understood completely.
In the original story of IT, Pennywise is a high-dimensional parasite. But in the movie, this wasn't clearly established. There, it was simply a powerful monster that feeds on fear -- able to manifest that fear into reality.
It could instantly peer into the deepest, most secret fears of a human soul. Then, it would shape that fear into a weapon against you.
Within the domain of Derry Town, as long as you felt afraid, it was invincible.
Daniel took a step forward.
Boom!
The thick, foul-smelling water of the underground river beneath his feet exploded into waves several meters high. The Geomantic Energy spiraled up along the water's flow, instantly striking the monster's body.
"Water Thunder, descend!"
Daniel pressed his right hand down sharply. Several arcs of dark blue lightning appeared out of thin air. They crackled wildly along the damp pipe walls, striking the monster's chest precisely.
"Split, and go!"
The Sovereign Yearblade on his back let out a crisp hum and disintegrated instantly. Three hundred sixty-five consecrated copper coins scattered into countless small swords, piercing straight through the monster's head.
"Awoo--!"
The monster let out a short, shrill scream, its body melting like ice and snow beneath the supreme power.
Finally, with a loud bang, it exploded into countless red fragments, scattering throughout the dark sewer. In the blink of an eye, it vanished.
Just as Daniel withdrew the copper coin sword, the sound of messy footsteps echoed from the shadows of the pipes ahead.
This time, there were no sharp shrieks; instead, a repulsive, greasy whisper floated through the air.
"Monica... sign this contract."
"Monica... just nod, and that little gold man is yours."
"Come here, let's have a good 'exchange.'"
Several pot-bellied men in expensive suits slowly emerged from the shadows. Their faces were distorted and blurred, their skin dripping down like molten wax.
But their greedy eyes were fixed intently on Monica.
Their arms stretched abnormally long, their skin a sickly pale white. Their fingers writhed constantly like octopus tentacles.
The moment Monica saw them clearly, her body trembled violently. Her eyes filled with disgust and fear.
She gripped Daniel's sleeve tightly, veins bulging on the back of her hand.
This was her darkest nightmare in Hollywood.
Those producers and executives who held the power of life and death... the way they looked at her was never as an actress, but as a fine piece of meat presented on a silver platter.
"No... don't..." Monica sobbed, desperately shrinking behind Daniel.
Seeing these figures, Daniel sighed softly. "Pennywise, you really do understand fear."
Daniel was about to act when he suddenly stopped.
Drip... drop...
The sound of heavy objects stepping into sewage came from all directions.
Around the complex pipe openings, pairs of red, yellow, and green eyes lit up. Densely packed monsters began crawling out of the pipes.
Some looked like giant spiders, but their heads were human heads sewn together.
Some were like rotting giant infants, dragging bloated bellies as they paddled through the water.
Some were simply masses of writhing internal organs, letting out infant-like cries.
Daniel even recognized monsters he had encountered before -- the woman with stitched limbs, the faceless child, the walking corpse with a giant maw.
Every monster carried a thick aura of resentment and fear.
They surrounded this section of the riverbed so tightly that not even water could seep through.
Monica was on the verge of fainting. The visual shock of hundreds, even thousands, of monsters attacking simultaneously was enough to break any ordinary person's mind instantly.
Daniel turned to Monica. "You really do have a lot you're afraid of."
Monica flushed with embarrassment. "Mr. Cross, wha... what do we do?"
Daniel answered, "What else can we do? Kill them, of course! But before that..."
He raised his hand, and a Clarity of Mind Seal appeared on Monica's forehead. Her mind instantly cleared, halting her frantic thoughts. The fear in her heart dissipated significantly in that instant.
Daniel stepped forward, holding the Five Thunder Doctrine Seal high.
"Five Thunder Doctrine: Celestial, Terran, Abyssal, Flame, Tempest; Five Thunders, descend!"
Boom!
The once-turbid underground river instantly surged with high-voltage electricity.
Countless dark blue electric arcs, as fine as spider webs, spread wildly along the water's surface in all directions.
The underground space transformed into a world of lightning in an instant.
The monsters that had just crawled out of the pipes hadn't even roared yet. No matter how hard they tried to hide, they were struck by the electric wrath in the air and water.
Rotten, stitched, and deformed flesh sizzled under the relentless lightning, black smoke rising steadily.
Puff, puff, puff...
In an instant, the monsters blasted apart, scattering in all directions.
Standing behind Daniel, thanks to the calm that the Clarity of Mind Seal brought...
Monica saw not hell, but a one-sided massacre.
The young man stood in ankle-deep sewage. Even his clothes weren't soaked through. With a casual wave of his hand, hundreds and thousands of monsters fell like wheat before the scythe. They disintegrated and vanished in large swaths.
These monsters created by Pennywise existed only by feeding on the victim's 'sense of fear.' For ordinary people, they were formidable. But before Daniel, they were simply too weak.
Soon, the underground river passage, once packed to the brim, returned to dead silence.
The sickly sweet, nauseating smell faded significantly. It was replaced by the scorched scent left behind by lightning.
Monica looked at Daniel as if he were a god, her eyes full of reverence.
She thought to herself that if it weren't for Daniel... Let alone finding this place... Even if she had found it, survival would have been impossible.
"Mr. Cross, is it over?"
Daniel was about to answer when suddenly...
In the pipes above the underground river, the white mist that had been gradually dissipating gathered again -- without warning.
The mist swirled, twisting like countless small hands scratching in the air.
Monica stood firmly behind Daniel.
Though lingering fear still clouded her eyes, her breath was steady, and she no longer collapsed into panic.
Daniel stared into the darkness ahead, his brow furrowing.
Thump, thump, thump...
Heavy landing sounds echoed one after another.
A massive spider leg, covered in barbs and fine fuzz, slammed down from above and pierced fiercely into the water.
Then, a giant porcelain doll head, cracked in two, rolled out from a nearby drainage outlet.
*****
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