As the initiator of the skill, Violet could clearly sense that at least five clusters of frenzied spiritual energy, which clearly did not belong to Lian, were converging together and swarming along the information transmission channel like hungry wolves scenting blood, seemingly eager to rush into her body.
Undoubtedly, this was the reason for Lian’s mental abnormality. Violet hadn’t expected them to be so eager to reveal themselves, quite self-aware indeed.
That said, for those with weaker spiritual strength, recklessly making contact like the priestess did would be disastrous. It could lead to becoming as insane as the Butterfly in front of them, or even worse.
“Hmph...”
These cunning and greedy entities, had Violet not been aware and deliberately concealed her strength, would have either scattered in fright or hidden away. It wouldn’t have been so easy to catch them.
After all, Violet excelled in defensive counterattacks and didn’t enjoy chasing intangible things around.
“Got you~”
The black-haired girl feigned a move and then quickly retracted her hand, her fingers grasping something invisible in the air, with a triumphant smile curling at her lips.
“Lady Violet, you...?”
The priestess didn’t say much, just gestured for the two girls behind her to stay quiet. She then released a more solid and radiant barrier, replacing the one that the exhausted Slime girl had been maintaining, giving her a chance to catch her breath.
From the perspective of Little Blue and Lulu, it might seem as though Violet was just holding a handful of air. However, with her pre-set spiritual sensors around, the priestess could clearly “see” five unidentified entities in her hand, squeezed together like a balloon, and she could even hear their terrified and pained wails.
Without the entanglement of these strange entities, Lian suddenly went limp and fainted, her eyes closing as if she had lost all strength. Violet didn’t pay much attention to her, the Butterfly was not the main concern. Instead, she chose to use 【Information Detection】 on the entities in her hand, which were clearly special spiritual bodies.
Surprisingly, she was able to gather information from them.
【Frenzied Spirit】
【Special Item】
【Grade: Unknown】
【Description: A special item created by demon-summoning alchemist Silvester Bullwer by fusing spiritual lifeforms known as Upper Spirits. It instinctively attaches to living beings, driving them into endless madness.】
“Hmm... This introduction is quite brief. Perhaps it’s because these entities don’t entirely belong to the category of items, making the information somewhat chaotic?”
Violet had some prior knowledge of Upper Spirits from her long-distance communication with Sethlin and during private discussions with Minchen and Vanessa, when they explained the situation in 【Illusionary Realm】. So, it wasn’t entirely new to her.
However, she hadn’t expected that the demon-summoning alchemist would turn these entities into tools. That was a bit far-fetched.
Nevertheless, it was clear that these entities likely retained a certain level of cognitive ability and intelligence, probably crafted by Silvester to specifically target powerful spiritual beings like the Spirit Butterfly tribe.
Although they could barely operate within the mist, Tiyelu’s barrier still posed a significant obstacle. Hence, the invaders chose to attack the nodes first...?
【Hey, can you guys hear me? If you can, respond.】
By directly transmitting her thoughts through spiritual means, Violet encountered no difficulties. However, despite their desperate struggles and silent wails, these entities did not provide any feedback, suggesting they were indeed mindless and unable to communicate.
【Oh... so you’re just mindless pawns, what a waste of my preparation. How boring. Time to burn you.】
Deliberately thinking this to herself, the next moment, blazing golden flames burst forth from the priestess’s hand!
“Sizzle!”
Although the flames had a tangible form, they instantly ignited the ethereal entities with their holy golden fire. In an instant, the flames spread across the five clusters, making it seem as if the black-haired girl’s entire hand was engulfed in golden fire.
“Ah! Lady Violet, are you alright!?”
As expected, both Little Blue and Lulu were startled, but the priestess simply waved her free hand dismissively, signaling them to stay calm.
The flames Violet summoned couldn’t harm her. Even without the protection of 【Feather Robe Graria】, the holy flames wouldn’t hurt her.
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After all, holy fire is harmless to those with high affinity for light elements. On the contrary, the more corrupt or lower the light affinity of a being, the more damage they receive from holy flames.
Spiritual entities are no exception. Evil spirits and ghosts are common enemies for clergy members, and Violet... well, she could be considered a cleric of sorts.
【Aaaaah! It burns! Have mercy! Please, spare us!】
【Hmm~ Not pretending anymore?】
Violet wouldn’t show kindness just because the entities started talking. From previous information and descriptions, she understood deeply the selfishness and cunning of these so-called 【Upper Dimensional】 beings.
Given the current situation, it’s clear that dealing with these entities requires no consideration of emotions or morals. They can only be made to comply through sufficient benefits or brute force. As the flames in her hand grew even more intense, the screams transmitted to her mind became more vivid and desperate.
【Aaahhhh!!! Please have mercy, Lady! We were foolish and overestimated ourselves! Please give us another chance! Aaahhhh!!!】
This so-called frenzied spirit seemed to have undergone special modifications by the summoner-alchemist.
Not only did it possess the ability to cause mental chaos, but even its cries, transmitted through spiritual channels, sounded like multiple voices mixed together chaotically, filled with madness. A normal creature communicating with it would likely be driven insane within a few sentences.
However, to Violet, it was merely a noisy nuisance.
【Quiet! Let me make this clear: your little mental tricks are useless against me. Don’t try any deceit. Answer my questions truthfully, understood?】
【Yes, yes!! We will tell you everything! Just please, extinguish the flames! If you keep burning us, there will be nothing left!!!】
Hmph... seems like it’s enough.
Violet had been deliberately controlling the power of the golden flames, merely intending to intimidate. If she had unleashed the full power of the flames summoned by the 8th-level spell 【Roar of the Holy Flame】, these entities would have been reduced to ashes in an instant.
After all, no matter how bizarre and resilient this frenzied spirit was, it couldn’t compare to the 【Blasphemer】 under the Goddess of Withering, a truly transcendent-level undead entity, which had been utterly incinerated by the holy flames.