NOVEL WEB Chapter 330: Humiliating Failure? [Bonus]
[Thalrek's POV]
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Thalrek listened to the soft and chilling sounds of the blood dripping from Lillian's body, which fell to the ground rhythmically.
He must prepare...
He summoned two rings—accessories that boosted all mind-related attacks—followed by a bracelet that did the exact same thing.
He then summoned his leather tunic and crown from his Mana Realm, which further boosted the effectiveness of his [Mental Domination] Trait.
Drip...
Although it wasn't public knowledge, inside the group of 5 known as the Jester's Chosen, it was general knowledge that his consistent win condition was to destroy his enemy's mind before taking over their body.
This also allowed him to gain their life experiences as well, even if only by a fraction.
Drip...
And because of his cheap way of winning battles, he was kicked out of the group until he could prove he was deserving of the title as one of Jester's Cardinals and Chosen.
But not only that, but it was because he had lost most of his strength through a powerful attack that cost him a couple of tiers.
And it was all due to the Saint of the Church of Natural Order in the North Region.
He gnashed his teeth at the thought.
Fortunately, he was still allowed access to resources within the cult.
So, that was why he had trained in the arts of close combat. Using weapons he could find and truly utilising the experiences he had managed to gain through the bodies he had taken over.
He stared at his biological arm, still untouched.
If he remembered correctly, this was his 5th body. It was also the one he had pushed the limit of enhancements on. Unfortunately, it seemed to have taken a toll on his mind as well...
He flexed his hand, staring at the centre of his palm as he thought quietly:
'Betting on the very same thing that got me kicked out... How interesting...'
Drip...
Once the 6th drip echoed, that was when he finally spun around.
He raised his hand and circled around his throne, dashing towards the intruder who stood behind his throne that had caused him such humiliation today.
"It seems I really will kill you by my hands!" He yelled with a fake confidence as his eyes made contact with the enemy in front of him, who was already turned around.
He widened his eyes at this. Was this a trap? Could it really be... A trap?
'It doesn't matter... I would still win!'
Even if it was, as long as his hand made contact with them, he would win.
There was no chance that the rodent before him could have items that were strong enough to resist his Trait, especially after it was now being boosted by Items of his own.
And with that thought in his mind, he shot his hand through the air before slamming it into the face of the enemy's mask, who still remained mysterious to him.
'But not for long!'
"[Mental Domination]!"
As those words left his mouth, he could feel a large portion of his nearly depleted mana disappear. And following that, he felt his mind warp as he was suddenly transported into a world of darkness and nothingness yet again.
It was the same as last time, except... He felt a malevolent but at the same time... Benevolent gaze situated itself onto his drifting figure as he continued to float in the sea of black.
He then felt something pinch against his mechanical arm, grabbing a hold of it before tearing it off his body.
Pain crashed into his body as fear swelled inside both his heart and eyes.
He then felt the strange sensation grasp his left arm as well. He tried to scream out, but his voice didn't leave, appear, or even manifest itself from his throat.
He was mute.
He then went on to experience the feeling of having the entire fabric of his being torn into individual strands before being woven into a string and stretched across the dark sea.
After being subjected to the unimaginable pain, he was sent back out.
He let go of Lillian's mask for stumbling back with wide eyes.
"M-... My Mental Domination... Failed again?" He muttered in a hopeless voice as he waited for the pain to follow.
He waited and waited.
Seconds passed by, but nothing happened.
Was there... Not going to be any pain?
As he was lured into a false sense of security, he suddenly dropped to his knees—
Thud...
—Feeling something within his brain twitch.
It was...
"A-ARHGH...!"
It was as if the insides of his very brain had begun to tremble and form tremors as though it was reenacting an earthquake.
He clutched the sides of his head, feeling chasms opening up and severing parts of his mind into fragments.
He desperately pushed against his skull, trying to pull his mind back together, even though it was a futile effort.
His mind then turned blank as blood spilt out from every possible exit it could find on his body, even leaving through where his fingernails grew.
As he was experiencing all this mind-wrenching pain that caused his very being to feel like it was burning inside a flame of torturous heat of a thousand suns...
BAM!
He was struck with a blow that sent him spiralling back down the stairs, slamming hard into them and painting the steps in his blood as sounds of his pain-filled groans merged with the air.
'What's going on... Why is this happening to me...?'
Upon landing on the cold and hard stone ground, which he had his minions construct for him, he slowly got onto all fours as the tips of his fingers clawed at the ground.
'Why...?'
"Why... Why. Why. Why...!"
Gritting his teeth, which were completely stained red with blood, he noticed the sounds of descending steps beside him.
Weakly and shakily raising his head up towards his stairs, he watched as his enemy descended down to the ground floor, staring down at him as though he were a mere weakling...
The very same look the other members of the Cardinal looked at him with as he was kicked out.
He... He couldn't help but feel a boiling rage burn within his heart, bubbling at the memory as he yelled with blood and spit flying out of his mouth...