Chapter 700
Eleanor and Percy stood silently behind Charles, their eyes fixed on Imogen in front of them.
Tara, on the other hand, lingered at the doorway, her head bowed as if waiting for something.
“What... do you really want...” Imogen finally faltered, unable to maintain the dignity expected of a Level 4 Extraordinary. Her voice trembled slightly.
She gazed into the red-haired girl’s eyes, searching for some hint or expression that might reveal the girl’s intentions.
But unfortunately, all Imogen could see in those dark crimson pupils was a tranquil abyss...
“I...”
Imogen wanted to say more, but before she could finish, it felt as if something had tightened around her throat.
In her vision, only Charles remained; everything else faded away... A silvery light replaced her surroundings, and a massive, illusory silver dial emerged behind the girl.
Countless exquisitely detailed hour and second hands pierced through that phantom dial, as if tearing apart space itself. From the rifts created by this tearing, countless indistinct, nameless tendrils writhed in a frenzied dance.
Buzz...
A terrifying spiritual alarm rang in Imogen’s mind, chaotic whispers erupted within her thoughts. If this continued, her mental strength would no longer be able to suppress the potion coursing through her veins...
“What I need is not cooperation... but someone who is absolutely loyal to me...” Charles spoke, echoing the same words he had said in the simulation. “If you perform well, you’ll have a chance to be human again.”
Just as Imogen’s fear threatened to shatter her sanity, the bizarre scene before her vanished in an instant.
The beautiful girl in front of her remained seated, smiling as if nothing had happened...
“Aivina.” Charles turned slightly to look at Aivina, who had approached to sit beside him. “Are you ready?”
“Uh? Yeah, I’m ready anytime.” Aivina’s mind was still preoccupied with other thoughts, but she quickly recalled the task at hand after Charles interrupted her.
Earlier, Charles had tentatively activated the [Nemesis Lv.5], and its effects exceeded his expectations.
This effect was likely similar to the previous activation of the [Nemesis] in Overlimit mode... It was uncertain what kind of fear the current [Nemesis Lv.5] would instill in the opponent after being pushed to its limits...
At the very least, Charles could deduce that a Level 4 who had been subjected to the [Nemesis] would probably collapse in mere seconds, driven mad by the fear of simply looking at him.
The reason he had Tara stay at the door and Eleanor behind him was precisely because they had both been affected by the [Nemesis]; Percy and Aivina, on the other hand, were unaffected.
Charles stood up and walked toward the desk, picking up a cup of red tea and taking a gentle sip while waiting for Aivina and the others to finish.
With Charles’s prior instructions, Aivina quickly modified Imogen’s subconscious completely.
The Level 4 “Nightmare” Imogen was left stunned in place, too frightened to resist, even more obedient than in the simulation.
In fact, she had almost truly lost her mind just moments ago.
Once Imogen’s subconscious was modified, Charles briefly explained his needs to her, while Eleanor would use the power of the Savior Goddess Church to assist Imogen in completing Charles’s tasks.
Originally, Imogen would have needed to take her time and be cautious while setting up the launchers in the West District... but with Charles’s support, it was likely that all the launchers could be assembled within a day.
Imogen would only need to modify the original content of common knowledge slightly, and she could directly use the Dragon Eagle’s illusionary launchers to hypnotize and brainwash the entire Ansu.
Imogen had originally transitioned from the “Subverter,” which compensated for the original flaw of the “Listener” path, where common knowledge modification could not broadly influence others.
Once everyone else had left to carry out the tasks assigned by Charles, only Tara and Aivina remained in the study.
Aivina quietly stood up, expressionless, and gave Tara a slight nod before heading toward the door.
Her footsteps were exceptionally light, making no sound even on the carpet, but they did not escape Charles’s ears.
“Where are you going?” Charles squinted slightly, setting down his cup of tea and looking at Aivina.
Aivina’s body stiffened slightly. She turned her head awkwardly to face Charles, forcing herself to sound calm as she replied, “I... I’m just going to check in with the newspaper. Didn’t you ask me to drop off some news there...?”
The joy she had felt in the bathroom that day was now replaced by a deep sense of unease.
That day, she had repeatedly pushed Charles’s boundaries, and while he lay in the bathtub in a state of slumber, he was completely defenseless. She had even been able to delve into his subconscious to see his reactions...
But now, after the thrill, all Aivina felt was dread, especially since Charles had yet to mention what had happened that day in the bathroom.
The more Charles remained silent about it, the more anxious Aivina became.
Now, her mind was filled with thoughts of how Charles might “retaliate.” She had even imagined several scenarios...
Just thinking about it made her legs feel weak.
“Oh, I just wanted to remind you to be careful on your way.” Charles smiled and nodded, then turned to Tara, saying, “See her off, Tara.”
Still no mention of it...
For some reason, hearing Charles’s calm tone and his avoidance of the incident left Aivina feeling a bit disappointed.
It was as if she secretly wished for Charles to do something to her.
But Aivina would never voice that. She simply nodded expressionlessly at Charles, hesitated for a moment, and then walked out of the room.
Once everyone had left, Charles gazed at the closed door for a while before shifting his attention back to the cup of tea on the table.
He raised his hand, gently tracing the rim of the cup, then lifted it to take a sip.
From the moment this plan began to unfold, he had indeed gained the ability to capture his minions.
But it was not without cost.
If he could not ensure that the first strike would eliminate the minion, then all his schemes would be rendered meaningless... and would instead reveal to the minion that this timeline was the “real” one.
Thus, to avoid this, the first strike must occur within the Old Days or past simulations...
“Ha...”
Charles let out a soft sigh. He had been thinking about this matter too much lately; he needed to clear his mind a bit.
Repetitively pondering the same question would only lead him to a dead end, and he did not wish for that.
Charles also wanted someone to discuss these matters with...
But at the moment, finding someone to talk about this issue seemed unlikely. If he had to choose someone, it would only be Remedais from the Old Days, who had not yet encountered any issues with her mind.
Charles slowly closed his eyes, focusing his attention inward.
In the darkness, countless scarlet flames flickered gently, each flame symbolizing someone praying to Charles.
Although currently, only the higher-ups of the Savior Goddess Church could direct their prayers to him, that was still a significant number.
And it was easy to predict that when his reputation spread throughout Ansu City, his mind would become quite “lively.”
To cope with this, Charles needed to maintain his mental state at all times.
Besides those burning red flames, at the very top, three silver flames burned quietly.
Those were the altars connecting to the Old Days... Ever since his second return from the Old Days, the altar that originally symbolized Heini had been reignited. Now, Charles had a new altar, a second chance.
But... he hadn’t felt the altar’s call for several days now...
If possible, Charles still hoped to visit the Old Days, to validate some of his inner doubts and perhaps find the Ascendant’s followers of the Existence God in the Old Days.
If he could even obtain a shard of a seed and absorb it, it would be enough to end all of this...
After gazing at the three silver flames for a while, Charles finally shifted his gaze to another, darker flame.
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