Chapter 995: Soul Interrogation (Part III)
Everyone gasped and looked at Zooey.
Kabradhabi’s threat hadn’t been bluster. With the Mind Resonance connecting Zooey and the demon through Camilla’s ability, the demon’s soul — once displaced from the God’s Punishment Warrior — had somewhere to go.
Alethea moved first. While Camilla was still crying out in alarm, the Senior Witch swung her main tentacle — strong enough to crush a Devilbeast — and drove Zooey into the floor. The slate cracked where she landed.
Zooey spat blood and went still.
The hall fell silent.
Everyone understood. The strike had been preemptive: if the demon now occupied Zooey’s body, it could deploy an anti-magic field at any moment, however small — and against witches who were not prepared to treat their companion as an enemy, even a brief field could be devastating.
Alethea had been a commander of the Blessed Army. She didn’t wait for confirmation. She acted the instant the demon made its threat and gave it no time to orient itself in the new body. Zooey had neither fought back nor struggled. Whatever had just happened, the demon had not yet managed to seize control.
“Did Kabradhabi actually transfer into Zooey?” Roland broke the silence.
“I’ve never encountered anything like this.” Camilla still looked shaken. “Mind Resonance is only a communication method. How could it have used that channel to move between bodies?”
“We can’t know until Zooey speaks to us herself.” Alethea kept her grip on the God’s Punishment Witch but eased the pressure slightly. “Souls cannot survive without carriers — that’s why we needed these instruments from the underground civilization in the first place. It’s possible Kabradhabi was destroyed in the transfer. It’s also possible it succeeded. We have to prepare for the worst.”
“I think I have a way to find out.” Roland considered. “If I bring Zooey’s light beam into the Dream World—”
“Absolutely not.” Wendy cut across him before he could finish. “Your Majesty, please avoid risks wherever possible. Your safety comes first.”
“I agree with Wendy.” Nightingale’s voice was tight. “What if the demon manages to inhabit your body? It’s a Senior Demon — not some weakling from the Soul Battlefield.”
“I can control the risk.” Roland spoke deliberately. “If the demon enters the Dreamland alongside Zooey, it will manifest at some location in that world. If we send a group of God’s Punishment Witches in with me, we can eliminate it before it fully adapts. More importantly — the Dream World is not the Mind Resonance. Nothing that happens there affects the real world. The moment I wake, time in the Dream World stops and everyone is expelled. Even if Zooey’s soul has been replaced, I’ll be able to determine the truth and return safely.”
“But—” Nightingale bit her lip and turned. “Anna. Please say something.”
“I agree with him,” Anna said.
The hall took a breath.
“Why?” Wendy stared.
“Because he once did the same for me.” Anna’s voice was steady. “If he had listened to the others and refused to take the risk, I would have been hanged long ago. I can’t persuade myself to stop him from going to Zooey’s aid. And I trust his judgment. He knows he is not alone anymore.”
She looked at him as she said it. He looked back. They didn’t need to say the rest.
”…” Alethea was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll thank you on Zooey’s behalf — regardless of the outcome.”
“I’d rather hear her thank me herself.” Roland nodded. He looked at Pasha. “Pick your strongest warriors.”
Pasha bowed her tentacles. “Of course.”
“And — before I go in, keep the Mind Resonance open.” He allowed himself a small smile. “Zooey asked us not to break the connection until she signals stop. If she’s fighting the demon right now in the stream of consciousness, she’ll probably win. Let’s not take that away from her.”
“Hey, female — guess what your little bug friends are about to do?”
Zooey looked up at the Senior Demon. Then she looked down at herself.
Her chest rose and fell. Almost flat-chested — but she had been for four hundred years, so she held no illusions there. This body, though. She could feel her hands. Her feet. The weight of her own hair across her forehead, overgrown now, brushing her eyes. Something about it felt like being poured back into a shape she’d nearly forgotten.
“Hah.” Kabradhabi’s tone settled into mockery. “They’ll have surrounded you completely by now. Classified you as the enemy. When they confirm what’s happened — thirty percent chance they lock you in irons and leave you soaking in your own filth like a worm. Seventy percent chance they kill you outright. After all, sacrificing your own to prevent further losses — that’s what you people have always done. You did it four hundred years ago too.”
Zooey looked around. Nothing but darkness, and yet she and the demon were perfectly visible within it. She had no explanation for that.
“Did I silence you?” Kabradhabi’s voice sharpened with impatience. “Or are you so simple that you’ve gone blank from fear? I am not a patient being. You’d better understand your situation quickly. We won’t die here — but if you cooperate with me, perhaps I’ll let you suffer a little less.”
“I hadn’t expected a demon to talk so much before a fight.” Zooey tore a strip from her sleeve and bound her hair back out of her face. “If I were you, I wouldn’t buzz around in front of a bug — even a bug that speaks my language.”
“Save your voice. You’ll need it for screaming soon enough.” The demon’s confidence was thick and unhurried. “I can feel your soul’s strength. It’s well above the average of your kind. That makes you a worthwhile final opponent. It’s good to fight such a battle at the end.”
“And then? When they execute me, what happens to you?” Zooey held his gaze without blinking. “Did you drag me in here just to vent your frustration on someone?”
“Yes. Fight. Kill. Hurt. Upgrade. Bug — that is the posture of an advanced species! You expected me to kneel and beg?” Kabradhabi let out a long, resonant cry. “What is death? My soul will be received by the Fountain of Magic. When my species reaches the summit, I will return to the world!”
“Then you’d better hurry.” Zooey’s face didn’t change. “They might execute me any minute.”
“Rest easy.” The demon’s smile was slow and cold. “You don’t understand the nature of magic. In this stream of consciousness, time is malleable — a blink of an eye here can stretch to years as felt experience. This is my last battle. I intend to take my time.”
Chapter 995: Soul Interrogation (Part Ⅲ)
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“What?” Everybody gasped in horror and simultaneously looked at Zooey. What Kabradhabi said did not sound like boasting. Since the God’s Punishment Witch was connected to the demon by Camilla, the demon’s soul that had disappeared must have sneaked into Zooey’s body.
Alethea was the first one to take action. Whilst Camilla was crying out in alarm, she swung her main tentacle, which was strong enough to crush a Devilbeast, at Zooey. She spared no effort to press Zooey down to the ground and even the slate floor where the God’s Punishment Witch landed got cracked.
Zooey spewed out a mouthful of blood and passed out.
The hall fell into silence.
Everyone in the hall understood that Alethea launched a sudden attack to prevent the God’s Punishment Witch from causing damage; since the demon might be able to control Zooey through the mind connection. Once it managed to make the God’s Punishment Witch spread an anti-magic area, no matter how small it was, it would cause significant harm.
This was particularly true for most of the witches, who were not prepared to treat Zooey as an enemy.
In comparison to those witches, Alethea, a former commander of the Blessed Army, was much more experienced in fighting.
She acted right after the demon blustered out its threat and did not give it any chance to react. Zooey was knocked down by Alethea’s main tentacle and appeared like a dummy during the whole process. She did not fight back or struggle as the other witches had expected. It seemed that the demon failed to control the God’s Punishment Witch successfully.
“Did the demon’s soul really sneak into Zooey’s body?” After a while, Roland broke the silence.
“I’ve never encountered such a situation…” Camilla still looked frightened. “Mind Resonance is just a communication method. How come Kabradhabi could get out of its own body and enter into Zooey’s body through the mind connection?”
“Are you sure?” Tilly frowned and asked.
“We can’t be sure until Zooey takes the initiative to speak to us.” Alethea loosened her grip on the God’s Punishment Witch but still pinned her to the ground. “Souls can’t survive without carriers, otherwise, we wouldn’t have had to rely on these things left by the underground civilization. Although wiping out its soul in the process is a possibility; it’s also possible that it was able to successfully transfer its soul into Zooey’s body. We have to prepare for the worst.”
“I think I’ve a way to figure it out.” Roland thought for a moment. “If I bring Zooey’s light beam into my Dream World…”
“I can’t agree to that!” Wendy immediately interrupted. “Your Majesty, you should avoid taking risks as much as possible. Your Majesty’s safety is of utmost importance!”
“Yes, I agree with Wendy. What if the demon manages to occupy your body?” Nightingale added. “It’s a real Senior Demon, not some loser on the Soul Battlefield!”
“I can control the risk.” Roland slowed down to consider his
countermeasures. “If the demon goes into the Dreamland with Zooey, it’ll appear at a certain place. As long as we send a group of God’s Punishment
Witches into the Dream World to help me, we’ll be able to kill it before it adapts to the new world. More importantly, the Dream World is different from the Mind Resonance. No matter what takes place in that world, it’ll never affect the real world. Once I wake up, the time in the Dream World will stop and all visitors will be forced out. Given that, even if Zooey’s soul is replaced by the demon’s, I’ll be able to get a clear idea of the current situation and come back safely.”
“But…” Nightingale bit her lips and turned to look at Anna. “Come on, say something to persuade him.”
“I agree with him,” Anna said, which was totally beyond the other witches’ expectations.
“Why?” Wendy and the other witches were stunned.
“Because he once did the same for me,” Anna replied seriously. “If he had listened to the others and hadn’t taken the risk to come to my rescue, I would have been hung a long time ago. I can’t persuade myself to stop him from venturing to save Zooey. And I believe in his judgment. He knows that he isn’t alone anymore.”
She looked into Roland’s eyes while talking and then they smiled at each other tacitly.
“…” Alethea remained silent for a long time. “I have to thank you on behalf of Zooey, regardless of the outcome.”
“And I would like to hear Zooey express her thanks to me herself.” Roland nodded.
“I’ll go and pick out our most capable warriors,” Pasha said gratefully.
“By the way, before we enter the Dreamland, please continue the Mind Resonance.” He smirked. “Zooey asked us to keep the mind connection going until she gestures a ‘stop’. If she’s in a fight with the demon in the world of consciousness, she will probably win in the end.”
“Hey, female, guess what your bug friends are going to do?”
Zooey raised her head to look at the Senior Demon and then looked at herself.
Her chest swelled slightly. Although she was still almost flat-chested, she thought this body looked much better than a rough male body. She could clearly feel her own hands and feet again, but since she hadn’t cut her hair for a long time, it covered her forehead now. She felt as if she had somehow entered the Dream World.
“Aha! They must think of you as an enemy and have you surrounded tightly.” Kabradhabi mocked. “After they figure out what has happened, you’ve a 30% chance of being imprisoned. When that happens, you’ll be tied to an iron bed and soaked in your own excretion like a dumb worm. Of course, you’ve a 70% chance of being executed right away too. After all, it’s customary for you to sacrifice some of your own kind to prevent further losses; it’s something you always did 400 years ago.”
Zooey looked around and saw nothing except darkness. She wondered why she could see herself and the demon so clearly in such a dark place.
“Hey, did I scare you silly? Or, do you think that you can escape from this fight by remaining silent?” Kabradhabi sounded agitated. “My patience is limited. You’d better hurry up and understand the situation you’re in. We won’t die here, but if you devote all your energy to pleasing me, maybe I’ll let you suffer less!”
“I’ve never expected a demon to talk such a load of crap before a fight.” Zooey tore a strip of cloth from her sleeve and used it to tie up her hair. “If I were you, I’d never buzz in front of a bug, even if I mastered its language.”
“Keep talking for now. Soon, you’ll only be able to scream.” The demon sneered. “I can feel the power of your soul. It’s much stronger than the souls of most bugs. You’ll make an excellent opponent for me. It’s good to fight you in my last battle.”
“And then? When I’m executed, what will happen to you? Did you pull me into this fight just because you want to vent your anger on me?”
“Yes, that’s right. Fight! Kill! Torture! Upgrade! Bug, that’s the attitude of an advanced species! Did you expect me to kneel on the ground and beg you for mercy?” Kabradhabi emitted a long, loud cry. “What’s so scary about death? My soul will be taken in by the Fountain of Magic and when my species reaches the top, my soul will return to the world!”
“You’d better hurry up,” Zooey said with a straight face. “They’ll execute me any minute.”
“Rest assured.” Kabradhabi grinned grimly. “You don’t understand the mysteries of magic. In this world of consciousness, time will become sluggish and controllable. Here, you’ll feel that the blink of an eye is as long as several years. It’s my last battle, so I’ll do my best to satisfy myself.”