Chương 34: Chapter 34: The King Without Eyes
As the Blind Nun began to descend into the material world, every mirror in the chamber shattered simultaneously.
The cultists chanting the Hymn of Pain found their lives siphoned away by the mirror-world entities. Their essence expanded the passage, enabling the Blind Nun to partially project her soul into the physical realm. In exchange, the cultists' souls were drawn into the mirror-world as offerings.
It was a grim transaction: whatever the mirror-world gained, the physical world lost in equal measure.
Some cultists, realizing their fate too late, screamed in agony.
"Why is this happening? You said that world was perfect, that it would fulfill all our dreams!"
"I don't want to die! I never meant I wanted to die—I'm only thirty! I still have so much to live for!"
Their pleas fell on deaf ears as their bodies convulsed, lifelessly collapsing one by one.
The last cultist remaining upright suddenly jerked, his head swiveling unnaturally toward the shattered mirrors, despite facing the basement door. His lifeless eyes reflected a hand emerging from the broken surface.
The Blind Nun's spectral hand pressed against his head.
"In the name of the King Without Eyes, humanity shall turn a blind eye, remain unmoved, and choose indifference. Today, I descend upon this wretched plane in human form. Heaven's gods are but filth under my feet."
The cultist's body twitched violently as his reflection in the fractured mirror fused with the Blind Nun's form. Their souls merged, becoming one.
Down the basement stairs, the massive frame of Wolf One descended. The super werewolf—a simple hunting dog transformed through two ascensions—could now speak, though it hadn't yet mastered human speech.
Su Nan, speaking through Wolf One, addressed the intruder.
"Who permitted you to possess one of my subjects? Even if he is a condemned criminal, you require my approval. Leave his body immediately."
The Blind Nun turned toward Su Nan, her eyeless face radiating eerie authority.
"A sorcerer of this forsaken land," she remarked, her voice cold and disdainful. "I know not how you came to wield magic, but clearly, your knowledge is incomplete. Had your elders taught you properly, they would have advised humility and fear in the face of my kind."
"This world will soon belong to us. Our seven masters tricked the gods themselves and descended upon this plane, sowing corruption in your kings and lords. In time, this land shall be ours. Decades at the least, centuries at most."
"Foolish mortal, you have a choice. Kneel before us and serve as my emissary. I require a vassal to further my will."
What caught Su Nan's attention was the possessed cultist's lack of eyes—not mutilated or damaged, but as if they had never existed. His face, while complete with a nose and mouth, bore no space for eyes, yet he could clearly see.
The offer of servitude earned no response from Su Nan. He sought the path of magical discovery, not servitude to some being, let alone one weaker than himself. To Su Nan, the Blind Nun was nothing more than a research subject.
Her claims about corrupting rulers were of little concern. Decades or centuries? By then, Su Nan would have surpassed even the strongest sorcerers of old.
His thoughts turned practical. AI, analyze the mechanism behind possession and the disappearance of the victim's eyes.
AI Response:
Preliminary hypothesis: The entity's energy-world origin enables it to possess humans inherently, without needing preparation or rituals.
The loss of eyes is likely a manifestation of its energy characteristics, a trait inherent to this species. Further experiments are needed to confirm this.
Su Nan noted the rareness of such encounters. If only he had spared a few cultists earlier, he might have summoned more such creatures for research.
Through Wolf One, Su Nan asked bluntly, "Why do you lack eyes?"
Through the werewolf's enhanced perception, Su Nan saw what lay hidden to ordinary mortals: a spectral figure clad in a black nun's habit, her eyeless visage bowed in solemnity.
The Blind Nun answered, her tone icy. "Why should one need eyes?
"Humans delight in turning away, ignoring the suffering of others, and offering no aid. With eyes, they must fabricate excuses for their indifference. Without eyes, one is freed from empathy, unbound by the burdens of others' misery, able to act coldly and dispassionately."
"You, ignorant lord," she sneered, "reject my offer. Do you truly believe the scraps of magic you've salvaged can save you? You have no idea what world you face, nor what entities oppose you."
Suddenly, she lunged at Wolf One, aiming to strangle the massive werewolf. But she discovered two significant problems:
First, the werewolf's thick, muscular neck was impervious to her grip.
Second, Wolf One's raw strength far exceeded her expectations.
The super werewolf, now in a berserk state, swiped with its iron claws, hurling her backward. Her protective energy shell cracked under the assault, and her chest was pierced by the werewolf's venomous claw.
"Impossible!" the Blind Nun gasped.
She reeled from the venom coursing through her, a mixture of physical and magical toxins unique to Su Nan's experiments.
"This world should have no true sorcerers left!" she muttered. "For two millennia, the churches have scoured the land, erasing all traces of sorcery, feeding lies to the masses. There should be no one like you left!"
Meanwhile, Su Nan had the AI analyze her physical parameters:
Subject: Possessed Cultist (Blind Nun)
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Constitution: 2.5
Abilities: Protective energy shell (mitigates most magical damage), limited physical damage resistance
Su Nan immediately recognized her limitations. While her stats exceeded the average cultist or knight, she would struggle against a seasoned knight squire and would be easily overpowered by a Storm Knight.
Against the super werewolf, she stood no chance.
Satisfied with his assessment, Su Nan decided to prolong the fight to gather additional data. Shifting Wolf One into its beastial wolf form, he prepared to test the full potential of its feral transformation ability.
Sensing the change, the Blind Nun pause
d, realizing that Su Nan was toying with her.
The malice emanating from him was unmistakable.
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