Chapter 26: Possession (6)
A chill crawled through Misha’s entire soul. Her grip tightened without realizing it, nails pressing into her palm. She swallowed hard as she stared at her body’s face and something inside her instinctively pulled back.
No... nope. She didn’t like that expression. Not one bit.
"Oh dear~"
Seeing that more guards rushed towards her, instead of concern, excitement brightened her face.
"Misha!"
Gerbaut’s voice echoed somewhere nearby.
Misha’s body only smiled wider, her attention focused on the armed men before her. "Thank you for the treat~"
Then she vanished and soon enough, the battlefield exploded into motion. Steel screamed through the air, blood burst across the grass, and bodies dropped one after another without time to react.
Guards yelled orders, voices breaking into fear and panic as the formation broke apart. They were scrambling to track something they couldn’t keep up with.
Misha watched in disbelief, her soul floated nearby.
Her body moved through the enemies with unnatural ease, slipping between attacks like water finding empty space. It danced through them all. That was the only word she could think of. Danced.
Every step flowed into another and every thrust connected perfectly. Every dodge looked effortless. The rapier became a silver streak weaving through the darkness.
Misha lost count of how many bodies fell. The killing horrified her but her body’s expression terrified her even more.
She smiled eerily the entire time, walking forward without hesitation. She was cutting down every guard that crossed her path, not leaving even one alive.
The wall gates were open. And as she stepped inside, she saw armored men filling the courtyard. All of them turned toward her at once.
"Oh?" She tilted her head slightly, pleasantly surprised at the sight before her.
"It’s been a while since I last entered here. The Tower really does like to keep this place busy~"
Misha felt her stomach drop the moment she saw what came next. Her body moved again in ease as she attacked the group of armed men.
Her breath caught as she watched with eyes wide in shock.
Right... that [Soul Status]...
She was reminded of the soul’s [A+ Combat] and its unique skill [Death Dance]. Every dodge stacked so a single mistake from the enemy only made her stronger.
Is this what a 3-star Ranker soul looks like?
No... that didn’t feel right. Not with movements like this. The gap didn’t feel like a difference in rank anymore. It actually felt more like she had stepped into a fight where the enemies hadn’t even realized they already lost.
Around her, armored men tried to encircle her but it fell apart before it even held shape. They were too slow and too uncoordinated. Too far below the level needed to respond to the woman in front of them.
Misha swallowed hard as another body dropped. They can’t even keep up...
Soon enough, silence filled the ground.
Bodies lay scattered across the courtyart, armor twisted and broken, the ground soaked in red.
Misha’s body stood at the center of it all, breathing slowly, shoulders rising and falling with a calm rhythm that didn’t match the scene around her. Her eyes caught the dim light, glowing faintly with unsettling brightness. Her tongue briefly pressed against her lower lip as if tasting something there. Then a soft exhale slipped out of her, almost a sigh in ecstasy.
"What the..."
Gerbaut stopped the moment he stepped through the gate. His grip tightened on the spear as his eyes took in everything at once.
Then Misha’s body turned slowly, their eyes met.
"You... You not Misha."
The air around them felt heavier, like the courtyard itself stopped breathing. For the first time since the possession started, Misha’s body stopped smiling.
"Who are you?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Hm?" The smile returned, only this time, there was a playful glint in her eyes. She tilted her head slightly as if the question amused her more than it concerned her.
She started walking toward him. "I’ve only been outside for a few minutes, and yet you noticed faster than expected. "
Gerbaut didn’t look away even for a second as he watched every small movements from her. He adjusted his spear, angling forward without fully pointing it at her. "Answer."
"Hm..." She tapped a finger against her chin, slowly, like she had all the time in the world. "Should I tell you?"
Then she let out a playful giggle. "Perhaps not~" Her amber eyes gleamed dangerously. "You’re going to die anyway."
"NO! NO! NO!" Misha lunged forward on instinct. She threw her arms wide, stepping straight into the path between them, trying to block the strike from her bpdy before it even formed.
"Stop–!"
Her voice cracked. Her hands reached for her own body, for anything she could grab, anything she could stop but nothing met her grip. Her fingers passed through empty air and her body didn’t even slow down. The rapier moved anyway.
Cold steel cut through the space where Gerbaut stood a heartbeat ago, missing only because he shifted back at the last possible second.
Misha froze mid-step. Then she turned sharply, reaching again, only harder this time with panic twisting her movements. Her hands went straight through her own arm, through her shoulder, and through everything... like she didn’t exist at all.
The collision rang out through the clearing with a heavy, brutal sound that made the air itself tremble.
Gerbaut’s spear caught the sword head-on, and he drove weight forward, forcing her back step by step.
Misha’s body slid across the ground, boots scraping against stone and dirt. But instead of resistance or frustration, her smile widened in glee.
"My, oh my." The sound came out light, almost delighted like a child unwrapping something they had been waiting for far too long. Her eyes were almost sparkling.
Gerbaut knew better than to hold back especially after all the dead bodies around them. He adjusted his stance, lowered his center of gravity, and drove forward. The spear shot straight toward her throat.
Misha’s body tilted at the last instant. The blade passed cleanly through empty space. There was no strain and no panic, just a smooth shift like she had already read the strike before it existed.
He didn’t pull back. He rotated his wrist and swept the spear across her ribs in a wide arc.
She twisted her torso. The attack skimmed past her by a hair’s breath, cutting only air. She flowed out of the strike like it never threatened her at all.
"There you are~" Her voice slipped out pleasingly.
Gerbaut frowned. "There what is?"
She giggled once more. Her eyes sparkled when she leaned slightly to the side, as if she was savoring the moment. "A challenge for me~"
The spear came again, only this time, it was faster and more dangerous.
Misha’s body dropped beneath it at the last second. The air pressure brushed her cheek as she slipped through the smallest gap.
Gerbaut followed through, rotating into another strike but she already shifted.
Then, she laughed as pure excitement filled her voice. "I like you!"
Gerbaut looked deeply concerned by that statement.
Honestly, Misha couldn’t blame him. Was that supposed to be a good thing or bad thing?
She stared at the scene outside her own body, completely helpless.
"I said stop it!" Misha shouted. "Can’t I cancel the possession?"
「 〔SYSTEM NOTICE〕
Possession cancellation denied.
The Contracted Soul currently holds authorized control over the Contractor’s body.
Possession may not be terminated until the designated duration has elapsed.
Time Remaining: 00:05:38 」
Clang!
Gerbaut finally knocked the rapier from her body’s hand.
The weapon spun through the air and landed several meters away. Misha’s body didn’t chase it, she just watched it land.
Gerbaut pointed the spear’s blade towards her throat as she finally stayed still. "It’s over. Give the body back to Misha."
Her body blinked once, then her smile softened. "You’re very serious, aren’t you?" She tilted her head slightly then she sighed, light and almost disappointed. She placed a hand on her chest in mock offense. "And here I thought we were finally starting to have fun."
