Chapter 58: Struggle
“No…”
“Don’t…”
Elsa’s small body trembled uncontrollably. The woman before her was a stranger, but her cruel smile was familiar.
“No, no, no…”
Elsa’s wheelchair rolled back slightly, but it was too late.
An ethereal chime echoed through the vast subterranean cavern, slow and steady, neither hurried nor delayed.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
Elsa clutched her head, as if enduring intense pain, as the omnipresent chime continued.
“Listen, Elsa, playtime is over, naughty child. Time to come home!”
Performer, or rather, Scientist, looked at Elsa with a mocking gaze. The strange chime seemed to be her ability.
Luo Ling felt nothing, but as the chime continued, the fear and panic on Elsa’s face gradually faded, replaced by an empty confusion.
Then, for the first time, Elsa opened her eyes. Her eyes were devoid of pupils and whites, only swirling runes radiating an eerie aura.
If one could read ancient script, they would recognize the runes… as a death warrant, detailing eighteen gruesome methods of torture.
At the same time, a powerful force emanated from Elsa, pushing outwards.
Luo Ling, standing beside her, was thrown back several meters, barely managing to stay on her feet by bracing herself against a Spore-enhanced rock.
“Elsa…”
Luo Ling looked up at Elsa, whose state was clearly abnormal, then turned to Performer, who was laughing maniacally, her expression hardening.
It seemed this was something from Elsa’s past…
“That’s a good girl. Do as Sister says, or you’ll be punished, you know~”
Scientist winked at Elsa, then said to Performer,
“Alright, just don’t touch her for now. In about… half an hour, her consciousness will collapse. Take the ‘egg’ and leave. We’ll talk after I arrive.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Leave as quickly as possible, or when little Elsa goes off… tsk, tsk, last time, if it weren’t for the Company’s intervention, thousands would have died.”
“…I know,” Performer said grimly.
After those words, the duration of the psychological suggestion ended, and Performer coughed up more blood, her head buzzing.
She took out a piece of foul-looking flesh from her pocket and ate it, her condition stabilizing slightly.
Psychological suggestion could implant another personality, allowing for long-distance communication and ability usage, but it placed a heavy burden on the target’s soul, especially since Scientist and Artist were both High-Order Awakened Ones.
An ordinary person would die within a minute of implantation. Even Performer, with her strong soul, didn’t dare exceed five minutes, or the damage would be irreversible.
“Heh, one less nuisance…”
Performer’s expression returned to its usual indifference as she looked coldly at Luo Ling. Although she didn’t know Luo Ling’s strength, judging from the earlier situation, she was far weaker than Elsa.
After all… Elsa was Scientist’s masterpiece, codenamed “Great Demon King of Slaughter,” a name that reflected Scientist’s morbid sense of humor, but also Elsa’s power.
Most importantly…
Elsa was likely the first human to master a Grotesquery path. Six Grotesqueries had been forcibly merged into her, currently only Soul Torture, Sequence 262, was active, the others still dormant.
Performer had sensed the Grotesquery aura within Elsa through her demonic eye, realizing she was the experiment Scientist had lost years ago.
Years had passed, and Elsa’s appearance had changed, so Performer hadn’t recognized her immediately.
Fortunately… all of Scientist’s experiments had undergone neurosurgery upon creation. Hearing her chime would trigger a certain state within them.
Otherwise, Performer wasn’t confident she could defeat Elsa.
This was the power of a Grotesquery path; Awakened Ones of the same Order struggled to contend against it.
Of course, such power came at a price, and Elsa’s price… was especially heavy.
“Even Scientist said that, it seems I can’t have this ‘egg’ all to myself.”
A hint of annoyance flashed across Performer’s face. If it weren’t for the white-haired girl and the experiment’s sudden appearance, she could have used this “egg” to advance to High-Order Awakened One, just a step away from obtaining her Authority.
But now… everything was ruined.
“Elsa! Wake up!”
Luo Ling shouted at the dazed Elsa, trying to snap her out of it, but to no avail.
She tried to approach, but an invisible force field surrounded Elsa, preventing her from getting closer.
Her Spores could penetrate the force field, but they couldn’t do anything.
“This isn’t working…”
Luo Ling was anxious. She had heard Scientist’s words; Elsa’s situation was critical. If she didn’t wake up, the consequences would be dire.
And… through the Spores, Luo Ling could sense Elsa’s overwhelming terror, masked by her dazed state.
What should she do…?
“It’s useless.”
Performer sneered at Luo Ling’s futile attempts and turned to retrieve the largest white reishi mushroom.
Since she couldn’t perform the ritual here, she would take as much of the white reishi as she could.
Although it would be a loss of one or two tenths of its power, it was better than nothing.
Just as she turned, she felt a chilling coldness behind her, a sharp pain on her skin.
Performer instinctively raised her arm to block, but it was sliced through like butter.
Her severed arm fell to the ground, blood gushing from the wound, staining the soil crimson.
The surrounding white reishi mushrooms grew rapidly, instantly devouring the severed limb.
“Stop.”
Luo Ling’s dagger dripped with blood, its cold edge gleaming.
Just like her expression.
But Performer, her arm severed, showed no emotion. She calmly clutched the wound and said flatly,
“Not going to save your little girlfriend, but trying to kill me instead?”
“Good, a somewhat useful struggle.”
“Somewhat, indeed.”
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