Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Shut Up
Just moments before, Lloyd watched as Weiya, already faltering and near collapse, was still fighting desperately to protect him, trying to get him to flee...
So, without a moment’s hesitation, he activated the power of the Twist system and unleashed the Twisted Realm.
No matter the trouble or danger that followed, he would never let Weiya die in front of him.
As a result, the giant cicada fell silent. Its mind and senses were instantly twisted, and it stopped struggling and attacking.
The Spiritual Power surging all around was also no longer dangerous. Its trajectory was twisted, posing no further threat.
Weiya’s senses were also affected, plunging her into madness, yet it wasn’t agonizing. It granted her a moment of tranquility.
Lloyd immediately shifted his focus to the giant cicada’s pair of dangerous organs. Activating his Spiritual Vision, he stared at them unflinchingly.
[Ding~ Madness Value +200]
[Ding~ Madness Value +200]
A notification chimed in his ear, immediately followed by a low, droning BUZZ—like countless cicadas screeching themselves hoarse, drowning out any subsequent system alerts.
Compared to its exterior, the giant cicada’s internal structure was more akin to a human’s. It had developed bones, muscles, nerves, and an array of bizarrely shaped organs, making its internal complexity on par with that of a person.
However, these organs were not very durable, especially the pair at its midsection. Their internal structure, unlike the hard, abdominal-like exterior, was composed of layer upon layer of thin membranes.
So Lloyd decisively mobilized more Spiritual Power and activated the second function of the Twisted Realm: the ability to directly twist physical matter. He attempted to destroy the membranes.
This force was normally very weak, possessing only enough strength to tighten a bottle cap. It was less effective than a direct physical attack.
Yet the layers of membrane were even more fragile than Lloyd had anticipated. A single twist with that meager force was enough to warp and tear them apart. Thick, black blood oozed out, and the greatest threat was neutralized.
’Whew... this skill is way stronger than I thought. It’s actually really good against high-risk Demons?’
Lloyd wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered to himself in amazement.
He had originally assumed the Twisted Realm was more of a "Villain skill," better suited for attacking and tormenting humans. After all, its main effects targeted perception, thought, and Cognition—weaknesses that were difficult for humans to defend against.
On the other hand, low-risk Demons and the Out of Control had virtually no perception, thought, or Cognition to speak of, so its effect on them was limited.
But this Danger Level 6 high-risk Demon Ghost was closer to being human. Its perception, thought, and Cognition were more developed, which ironically became its fatal weakness.
At the same time, it wasn’t truly human and lacked the Rationality needed to resist the Twist’s effects. This made the Twisted Realm seem exceptionally effective, a perfect counter.
As for the Twisted Realm’s second function, while not powerful, it activated instantly. As long as Lloyd could lock onto a target with his inspiration, he could bypass distance limitations and outer defenses to directly twist a fragile interior. Even a high-risk Demon couldn’t withstand it.
’If I used this function on a person, as long as my inspiration is strong enough to break through their own, I could lock onto organs like the brain or heart...’
Lloyd’s thoughts trailed off, and he quickly shook his head to dispel the dangerous idea.
’I’m a brave and righteous hero-in-the-making, not some kind of criminal...’
’Better finish this thing off quickly.’
With that thought, Lloyd bent down and picked up the longsword Weiya had dropped. Holding his own Short Sword in his other hand, he closed in on the giant cicada. He attacked from both left and right, plunging the blades into its sides.
He had no time for any Precise Dissection. With extremely crude and violent movements, he churned the blades around, completely destroying the dangerous organs.
Even after suffering such a grievous blow, the giant cicada showed no signs of snapping out of its trance. Its myriad eyes still held an expression of blissful pleasure.
But Lloyd couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t suddenly awaken. He pulled out his Short Sword, quickly circled to the cicada’s back, and plunged the blade down with all his might.
The Short Sword struck its muscle-like carapace, sending up a shower of metallic sparks. It took a great deal of effort for Lloyd to finally plunge it in.
He then yanked the blade hard, tearing open its entire back to reveal a stalactite-like spine upon which grew five violently throbbing hearts.
Lloyd’s Short Sword became a blur. He first severed the five hearts, then ripped out the entire spine. Only then could he be sure it was truly dead.
Even so, the giant cicada clung to life for a while longer. The human eyes within its compound eyes, filled with reluctance and unwillingness, finally went dark one by one. Their life faded, and at last, it was completely dead.
Until the very end, it never broke free from the Twist...
’Whew, it’s finally over. The sheer tenacity of a Demon this dangerous... its Life Force is incredible. Thank god it had no ability to fight back, otherwise...’
Lloyd finally let out a long sigh of relief and quickly deactivated the Twisted Realm. The skill continuously drained Spiritual Power while active, and just those few minutes had nearly exhausted his reserves.
He then glanced down at the extracted organs at his feet and grimaced.
’Precise Dissection didn’t trigger a single time. The extraction was a mess—damaged in several places, with bits of tissue still attached. There’s no artistry to it at all. I wonder if I can still get the bounty for this?’
It couldn’t be helped. The Demonology books in the library obviously didn’t cover high-risk Demons so far beyond the standard curriculum.
Just as Lloyd was about to start cleaning up, he suddenly heard a pained scream from Weiya.
"Ugh... AAAAAH! No! Don’t die! Don’t! At least... let me save..."
With the Twisted Realm deactivated, she was no longer under its influence and began to suffer the torment of her Madness.
Lloyd rushed over and checked Weiya’s status.
Unsurprisingly, she was already in a state of Moderate Madness. Moreover, the two words "Moderate Madness" were flashing and shifting, indicating her condition was deteriorating toward Severe Madness.
Under normal circumstances, she would be considered a lost cause...
But Lloyd refused to give up. He swept Weiya’s body into his arms, babbling frantically:
"Hang in there! Do you really want to leave me all alone?"
Weiya had saved him, and he wanted to save her in return.
But... what could he possibly use to save her?
"Kill... kill... me... quickly..."
Weiya forced the words from her purplish-black lips. She tried to grab the front of Lloyd’s shirt, but she had no strength, and her hands could only rest limply on his chest.
This was the last of her Rationality...
But Lloyd answered fiercely:
"Shut up!"
