Chapter 91: Psychological Warfare
Qin Chu had no intention of stopping Benson. To him, the Immovable Shield was nothing but an insignificant insect, easily crushed.
He was keeping him alive to devour his rapidly regenerating Battle Qi, to savor his despair, to make him experience true agony.
Such a valuable… toy… he couldn’t waste it.
A cat playing with a mouse… it was a display of dominance, of absolute control.
Villains who talked too much… they were simply unprepared, their arrogance a consequence of their weakness.
Qin Chu’s smile widened as he listened to Benson’s desperate plea.
Benson, his voice hoarse, his breath ragged, slumped against a tree, his energy spent. He ignored the blood gushing from his wound, the waves of dizziness, the encroaching darkness. Death held no fear for him. As long as Loseweisse was safe, his own life was irrelevant.
He looked at Qin Chu, a smug smile twisting his lips. This Hero was doomed. His comrades wouldn’t let him get away with this.
But to his surprise, Qin Chu showed no fear, only amusement.
He had sent the message. Why was he still smiling?
Benson’s smile faltered, his face hardening. There was no response from Loseweisse.
He turned his head, his neck stiff and painful, his gaze falling upon the scroll lying on the ground. His eyes widened in horror. It hadn’t activated.
“Sorry, but this area is… blocked. No Information Magic can penetrate it,” Qin Chu said, his voice cheerful, his tone mocking.
This was Shaye’s handiwork.
She might not be at her full strength, but disrupting magic within a limited area was well within her capabilities.
After all, Qin Chu, knowing about Information Magic, knowing that Loseweisse and Benson used it to communicate, had prepared for this.
Benson’s desperate attempt at communication had been a pathetic, futile gesture.
His heart clenched, his fear intensifying. This enemy… he was far more dangerous than he had realized.
“You’re not afraid of my comrades’ wrath?” he gasped, his voice hoarse.
“Please,” Qin Chu said, his voice calm, his tone condescending, “Lomond will be blamed for your death. It has nothing to do with me, the Hero.”
“Don’t try to pin this on me. I’m innocent.”
“And besides, how will they investigate? Fingerprints? This world doesn’t have that technology. The murder weapon? The ice spike melted in your blood…”
“Loseweisse, Ekaterina, and Natia all know that Lomond attacked you… Their testimonies will be sufficient, wouldn’t you say?”
“And Lomond will spread the word of his victory.”
“In fact, your death will be… beneficial to many.”
“I’ll devour your power, my strength increasing.”
“And Lomond will gain prestige among the Demonfolk, becoming a valuable tool for me.”
“It’s a win-win situation.”
His smile made Benson shudder. This man… he had planned everything, leaving no trace, ensuring his innocence.
Even after killing him, he would return to the capital, hailed as a hero, his reputation untarnished.
He was a monster.
Benson sat there, his gaze filled with hatred, but a flicker of hope still burned within him.
One hour. That was the duration of False Absolute Defense. If his comrades arrived within that time, they could expose him.
“You’re hoping they’ll arrive within the hour, aren’t you? Hoping they’ll see through my facade?”
Benson’s lips twitched. This… this monster… he knew his thoughts.
“I would love to tell you that they won’t make it in time… but I already have.”
Qin Chu chuckled, his cruelty evident. He would crush him, slowly and methodically, his body, his spirit, his hopes… “And you don’t truly believe that your Ability can save you, do you?”
“False Absolute Defense has a… weakness. You know that, don’t you?”
Benson had decided to ignore him, to endure his taunts, to wait for his comrades. His Ability’s regenerative powers, though hampered by Qin Chu’s Devourer, were still active. His stamina was returning.
He had maintained a stoic silence, his expression a mask of grim determination. But Qin Chu’s words shattered his composure. “How… how do you know…?”
His Ability’s weakness… it was a secret, unknown even to the other Hero Squad members. How had he learned of it?
He tried to scramble to his feet, to escape, but it was too late.
Qin Chu tapped the ground with his foot, a surge of mana rippling outwards.
The earth trembled.
A stone spike erupted from the ground, impaling Benson, piercing his body from below.
His barrier shattered.
False Absolute Defense, though powerful, its protective qualities almost absolute, capable of deflecting attacks from every direction, its regenerative powers incredible, had a fatal flaw.
It couldn’t block attacks from below.
“Aaaaagh!”
His scream, fueled by unimaginable agony, echoed through the forest.
He hung there, impaled, his blood staining the stone spike crimson.
He writhed, his pain so intense that he wished for death.
Even Qin Chu, the architect of his suffering, felt a twinge of discomfort.
He approached Benson, his movements leisurely, his demeanor calm, his smile unwavering, like a poet strolling through a garden, oblivious to the stench of blood, the carnage surrounding him.
He pulled out a black notebook.
Loseweisse’s diary, one of nine, each containing her true thoughts, her venomous words, her hatred for her comrades.
He wanted to break him, not just physically, but mentally as well.
He held the notebook before Benson’s fading gaze. “This is Loseweisse’s diary. You recognize her handwriting, don’t you? I acquired it from her. You love her, don’t you? Wouldn’t you like to know what she truly thinks of you?”
Benson, his vision blurring, his consciousness fading, his life ebbing away, saw images of his past, of his time with Loseweisse, with Jie Luo, with the others… those precious moments of camaraderie…
But Qin Chu’s words sparked a flicker of life in his fading eyes. He shook his head weakly.
“No…”
Qin Chu smiled, his satisfaction evident. “Ah, my dear Benson, I knew you’d be curious…”
He sighed, opening the diary, his voice soft, almost soothing. “You seem to be… indisposed. I’ll read it to you. How thoughtful of me, wouldn’t you say?”
Benson thrashed weakly, his eyes pleading. He knew he was dying, his life slipping away. He didn’t want to endure this torment, this despair. He begged Qin Chu for mercy, hoping to awaken some shred of compassion within him.
But Qin Chu’s compassion, his empathy, had died the day he was torn apart, his body desecrated, his soul scattered.
He began to read, his voice a cruel mockery of Loseweisse’s:
“Benson is staring at me again… Ugh… it’s so disgusting. I feel my skin crawl. He’s so ugly, his face covered in that filthy beard. I can barely tolerate his presence, forcing a smile in his presence. My face hurts…”
“Gods, he actually tried to talk to me! Doesn’t he know he stinks? How often does he even bathe? Please, stay away from me! What does he think he’s doing, strutting around like a peacock?”
“Ronald told me that Benson likes me? Please, it’s so obvious. But Benson… who does he think he is, daring to have feelings for me? The only one I love… no, the only one I’ll ever love… is Jie Luo! He’s nothing compared to him. He’s not even worthy of polishing his shoes…”
“Well, I’m too kind to hold it against him. He’s just a… simpleton with an inflated ego. But he’s obedient. He’ll do whatever I ask. I suppose I can be a little nicer to him. After all, such useful people are hard to find…”
“Jie Luo is dead, and he’s trying to… comfort me. Go away! It’s so annoying! Why couldn’t it have been Benson who died…? Does he think he can take advantage of my grief, my vulnerability? He’s delusional! He makes me sick! Even if every other man in the world died, I would never consider him…”
Benson convulsed, his body wracked with tremors, the physical pain fading as despair consumed him, his spirit shattered.
He had known that she loved Jie Luo. He had known that he had no chance, but he had clung to the hope of remaining by her side, as a friend, a comrade, a… protector…
He laughed, the sound hollow and broken, his throat filled with blood.
“Are you satisfied, humiliating me like this?” His voice was barely a whisper.
Qin Chu’s smile widened. “Immensely!”
Benson coughed up blood, then fumbled in his pocket, retrieving a small crossbow, his last weapon, his last act of defiance. He aimed it at Qin Chu…
He couldn’t allow him to harm Loseweisse. He would torture her…
Qin Chu, his gaze cold and merciless, didn’t move, his amusement turning to disdain. “Benson, you truly are a pathetic creature.”
As Benson’s finger tightened on the trigger, a fiery arc flashed through the air, severing his arm at the elbow.
He stared at Ekaterina, who stood beside Qin Chu, her expression unreadable, his shock too profound for words.
Had she betrayed them?
“Ekaterina, you betrayed your comrades,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Betrayal?” She shook her head, her body pressed against Qin Chu’s side. “My only master is Qin Chu. And you… were we ever truly close?”
Shaye’s magic, its power encompassing the area, masked their presence from the outside world. They were shrouded in darkness, invisible, their actions hidden. Qin Chu, his smile unwavering, leaned closer to Benson, his voice a soft whisper, delivering the final blow.
“Oh, one more thing…”
“I’m from seven years in the future. You succeeded… I, along with the Dark Witch, reversed time. I know everything. Your plans, your secrets, your every thought…”
“Not this time.”
Time travel… the Dark Witch…?
Benson’s eyes widened, their focus fading… Hahahaha… this was their enemy?
The Hero, allied with the Dark Witch?
Despair, utter and absolute, consumed him. He saw Loseweisse, the others… their fates sealed. Qin Chu’s voice, a haunting melody, extinguished the last flicker of hope within him.
And then, as his consciousness faded, he heard Qin Chu’s voice, more chilling than any demon’s growl:
“Next… Loseweisse…”
His body twitched, his remaining hand reaching out, clawing at the air, as if trying to tear Qin Chu’s face, his final act of defiance. But his strength failed him, his arm falling limply to the ground.
…
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