Chapter 271 — The Clown in the Town (Final)
"Ahh—"
Judy suddenly grabbed Pennywise by the collar—
And leaned her face in close.
"The smell of a fresh monster… how intoxicating."
She inhaled deeply, eyes half-closed in pure delight.
Pennywise slowly shut its mouth.
It stared at the girl in front of it, something strange flickering in its gaze.
---
In all its decades of hunting—
This was the first time it had encountered a "human" like this.
For a brief moment—
It even suspected she might be some kind of monster.
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But no—
She clearly carried the scent of human flesh and blood.
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Click.
Judy seemed dissatisfied.
Her hands moved on their own—
Grabbing the clown's face.
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"Why did you… hide those glowing spheres?"
She twisted her neck slightly, as if suppressing an overwhelming urge.
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"Give them to me… now!"
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Pennywise's face distorted under her grip.
For the first time—
It looked toward Gideon with genuine shock.
---
Gideon read that expression perfectly:
Is there something wrong with this girl?
---
He tilted his head—
Pretending not to notice.
---
Looks like without holy protection, the mask's side effects get amplified, Gideon thought.
He had seen something similar before—
Back during the Insidious case.
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Meanwhile—
Pennywise's expression darkened.
---
A mere human—
Daring to humiliate it like this?
---
Children like Judy were supposed to be nothing more than food.
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Smack!
It grabbed both her arms.
---
In the next moment—
Its head transformed into a grotesque, corpse-like woman with a twisted face.
Its mouth stretched open unnaturally wide—
Terrifying.
---
Just as it prepared to bite down—
Judy's hand shot into its mouth first.
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"Open wider!"
---
She could no longer restrain herself.
With a look of wild excitement—
She braced herself against the clown's chest—
And plunged half her upper body into its mouth.
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"Got it!"
---
Her hand reached deep into its throat—
Grabbing the three floating orbs.
---
They spun violently—
Exploding with blinding light—
Striking directly into her eyes.
---
But she didn't flinch.
Instead—
She tightened her grip.
---
"Relax… I'll make it less painful for you."
She patted the clown's face, her tone almost gentle—
Almost… seductive.
---
At this moment—
It was impossible to tell who the real monster was.
---
As soon as the orbs were seized—
Pennywise's body convulsed violently.
---
Then—
It began to lose control of its form.
Headless corpse.
Twisted woman.
Normal human…
---
Its body flickered rapidly—
Weakening before the eye.
---
Realizing the danger—
Pennywise suddenly fell backward—
And reached toward the garbage mountain.
---
The floating corpses dropped to the ground.
Light particles peeled off their bodies—
Rushing toward the clown.
---
With that borrowed power—
It regained mobility.
---
It grabbed Judy by the back of her collar—
Trying to pull her away.
---
As she was dragged back—
She tore the three orbs out with her.
---
But the orbs struggled violently—
Trying to escape her grip.
---
Buzz—
Violent energy surged around Pennywise's mouth—
Yet still couldn't break her hold.
---
Then—
One of the orbs flared brightly.
---
BOOM!
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It exploded in her hand.
---
The blast sent Judy flying—
Crashing into a pile of garbage.
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The remaining two orbs immediately flew back into Pennywise's mouth.
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At last—
It regained full freedom.
---
Gideon glanced at the debris.
Judy's presence was still there—
Just unconscious.
---
He turned his attention back to Pennywise.
---
During their clash—
Gideon had been quietly setting up holy artifacts around the area.
---
The mask's ability to completely resist the Deadlights had surprised him.
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Pennywise fed on fear.
And since it couldn't sense any fear from Judy—
It couldn't draw power from her.
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That was why Gideon hadn't intervened.
It was also a chance for Judy to gain real combat experience.
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Still—
He had been watching closely.
If anything went wrong—
He could have rescued her instantly with Holy Step.
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Now—
Freed from the troublesome girl—
Pennywise leapt onto the garbage mountain—
Creating distance.
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Its gaze shifted between Judy and Gideon.
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Then—
It chose.
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Compared to that terrifying girl—
The man below seemed far more… normal.
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Buzz—
Pennywise stood atop the mountain of garbage, its mouth stretched wide open.
This time, it didn't hesitate.
Remembering its earlier clash with Gideon, it went straight for its strongest ability—the Deadlights.
Blinding brilliance flooded the ground around Gideon. At the same time, clusters of red balloons drifted upward from the surrounding debris, swaying gently in the air.
This was Pennywise's true power—
To peer directly into the human mind.
The Deadlights could burrow into a person's consciousness, uncovering their deepest fear. And once that fear was found, it could be used to control them completely.
But soon…
A flicker of disbelief crossed Pennywise's face.
There was nothing.
No fear. No shadow. No memory.
Just… emptiness.
Impossible.
Every human carried fear—of death, of pain, of loss. These things were etched into the soul itself.
And yet, the man before it was a blank void.
For the first time, Pennywise felt something unfamiliar stir within itself.
Uncertainty.
---
Gideon, meanwhile, had already sensed the intrusion. With the Missionary ability, he calmly blocked the probing force before it could reach his mind.
"Don't think you're the only one who can use fear," he said coldly.
His gaze sharpened.
Deep within Pennywise's body, he caught sight of something faint—a trace of violet energy.
The embodiment of fear itself.
For decades, Pennywise had been the unquestioned terror of Derry. No one had ever challenged it.
But Gideon's presence had created doubt.
And that doubt—
Had become fear.
---
In the next instant, everything changed.
Pennywise froze.
It stared down in horror.
Gideon was growing.
His body expanded rapidly, rising to match the height of the garbage mountain.
At the same time, Pennywise shrank. Its form withered, its strength drained, until it could barely stand.
"This… this is impossible…"
Its voice trembled.
"Fear… that power… belongs to me…"
But now, the roles had reversed.
---
Gideon flexed his hand, mildly surprised.
"So this place really does distort reality," he murmured.
Then he stepped forward.
One step—
And he was already beside the garbage mountain.
Pennywise recoiled instinctively, curling into itself like a frightened animal.
Gideon reached into his bag and pulled out a massive iron nail—nearly two meters long, towering over the clown itself.
"Well," he said casually, "you brought this on yourself."
The ground trembled.
Then—
He drove the holy nail straight through Pennywise's body.
A shrill scream tore through the cavern.
Inside its throat, the remaining two light orbs spun wildly, struggling to resist. But without the third, their power had weakened too much.
They couldn't break free.
Gideon didn't stop there.
He uncorked a massive vial of holy water and poured it down over the clown's head.
A sharp hissing sound filled the air.
And then—
Pennywise was gone.
---
The cavern fell silent.
Gideon returned to his normal size, golden rings glowing faintly in his eyes as he scanned the surroundings.
"No residual fluctuations… It's over."
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At that moment, the floating corpses began to fall.
One by one, they dropped to the ground.
A surge of dark energy erupted outward—
But Gideon was already prepared.
He activated a sealing formation, containing the restless souls in place.
Some of them had already been corrupted, teetering on the edge of becoming evil spirits.
Without hesitation, Gideon began reciting sacred scripture, purifying the worst of them first.
Then, with a surge of holy power, he cleansed the rest.
The darkness dissolved like mist under sunlight.
And as the final soul was purified—
A third golden ring formed in his pupils.
He had completed the third stage of the Eyes Path.
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"Thank you… Father…"
A soft voice echoed.
Gideon lowered his gaze.
Before him, countless glowing souls hovered quietly in the air—most of them children.
He didn't meet their eyes.
"You've suffered long enough," he said gently.
"You may stay a little longer… before moving on."
"Don't waste this final moment."
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The souls began to rise.
One by one, they drifted upward toward the opening above.
Before disappearing, each of them bowed their heads slightly.
Then they were gone.
---
Above ground, something miraculous happened.
The sky over Derry filled with balloons.
Bright colors drifted across the town, catching the sunlight.
People stepped outside, pointing in wonder.
The balloons floated through the streets…
And stopped at certain homes.
Homes that had once lost children.
---
In one house, a woman sat clutching a photograph.
Suddenly, she froze.
"Betty…?"
She looked up, trembling.
"Betty! Is that you?!"
She rushed forward, embracing the familiar figure at the door.
"Where have you been… Mommy missed you so much…"
Her voice broke as she cried.
The girl said nothing.
She only smiled… and gently touched her mother's head.
And in that moment—
The woman understood.
She looked down.
The girl was gone.
Only a single pink balloon remained in her arms.
"Betty…"
She collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably.
---
Scenes like this unfolded all across Derry.
And from that day on, a story spread:
That the balloons carried the souls of the lost children—
Now freed,
Now at peace.
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Back underground, Gideon sat quietly among the remains.
Judy was still unconscious, so he let her rest.
The bones around him still held value.
With a casual lift of his hand, several skeletons began to glow.
Threads of invisible energy connected them to him.
One by one—
They rose.
Unsteady at first, then standing upright.
One even lifted its arm, as if greeting him.
Gideon chuckled softly.
"Not that hard."
---
Soon, more bones lit up.
More skeletons stood.
Until—
The entire sewer was filled with silent, obedient figures.
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And in that eerie stillness—
The clown's reign over Derry had finally come to an end.
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