Threehill City.
On the second ring wall, a patrolling soldier leaned against the weathered crenellations, gazing down at the battlefield below that was strewn with corpses.
Most of the mountain-like piles of bodies belonged to demons, but here and there one could still spot the shattered armor of human warriors mixed among them.
They had just repelled yet another demon assault. The price: the very last defensive barrier on the outermost wall had been destroyed, without even a chance to repair it.
Although two far sturdier walls still stood above, every person here knew full well that at this rate of steady erosion, Threehill City would fall within a month.
During the brief lull in fighting, most soldiers collapsed against the base of the wall, seizing this hard-won moment to catch their breath.
Yet a few elites like him continued patrolling the camp, eyes sweeping over every figure, trying to sniff out anything suspicious.
At the start of the war, they had caught demon spies trying to slip in almost daily.
Thanks to the strict checks by patrol soldiers like him, the vast majority of infiltrators had been rooted out and executed on the spot.
Lately, the frequency of spies had clearly dropped; either they had been cleaned out, or the demons had finally realized it was futile.
But as he turned a corner, he suddenly called out, “Hey, you there; stop.”
He didn’t know every face in the sector, but after months of patrols he was familiar with the regulars. This face felt unfamiliar.
This level of suspicion happened often. Being overly paranoid and startling resting soldiers would only play into the demons’ hands.
So he didn’t raise the alarm immediately, but he stayed fully on guard.
His right hand rested on his sword hilt while maintaining a safe distance of seven or eight meters; close enough to react if the other suddenly attacked, far enough to resist a succubus’s charm.
The one-use mental-protection talisman hanging at his chest was cheap, but it was enough to buy him a few seconds to sound the alert if he suffered a psychic attack.
“You…”
The moment the question left his lips, his eyes met pupils that had turned violet.
Succubus!
He opened his mouth to shout, but a crisp crack rang inside his mind; his mental protection shattered in an instant!
How?!
It had been less than a second of eye contact!
His lips moved uselessly. In the end, no sound came out. His consciousness sank into a haze under those bewitching purple eyes.
The succubus disguised as a soldier; Faya; quickly stepped forward, naturally draping an arm over the patrolman’s shoulder as if they were old comrades chatting.
Her innate spiritual power far surpassed ordinary demons. Though her overall level wasn’t top-tier, her talent for charm was leagues above her kin; that was the confidence that let her shatter his defense in a heartbeat.
After extracting the patrol routes in the area from the controlled soldier, Faya didn’t kill him.
She leaned close to his ear and whispered softly, “Good boy. Now forget everything that just happened and continue your patrol.”
“Yes.” The soldier answered normally, then turned and walked away.
Watching his retreating back, the corners of Faya’s lips curved into a satisfied arc.
With her exquisite control over psychic power, as long as this soldier wasn’t dragged off for specialized mental probing within the next two hours, all traces of the charm would fade completely, as if nothing had ever happened.
Still, this little episode gave her a new appreciation for the current security level in Threehill City. No wonder so many of her kin had vanished here; this infiltration mission truly was hell difficulty.
But Faya was confident in her own abilities.
As long as she avoided provoking that Sword Saint who possessed [Sword Heart], she was certain she could leave in one piece.
Remembering those foolish sisters who had overestimated themselves and tried to charm the Sword Saint; and the city-wide screams of psychic backlash that followed; Faya nearly laughed out loud.
Even a Prince had needed a sneak attack to wound that man. How could small fry like them possibly touch him?
Faya knew her limits and was far more cautious.
Charming a few soldiers to create chaos would be easy, but the traces left behind would be too obvious, and escaping afterward would be difficult.
Just as she was planning her next move, a passing Walking Mushroom magical pet caught her eye.
A glint flashed in Faya’s eyes. She suddenly reached out and grabbed one of the mycelial tentacles drifting past.
Without the slightest hesitation, she unleashed her charm on Number Nine, who hadn’t even registered what was happening!
Even without eye contact the effect would be slightly reduced, but against a magical pet with simple thoughts, that was hardly an issue.
The next instant, Faya found herself standing on an endless expanse of water and froze completely.
She examined her own state and muttered in disbelief, “This… this is a materialized mental space?”
What happened?
Had she accidentally intruded into someone’s mindscape?
It couldn’t possibly belong to that Walking Mushroom, could it?
Even among humans and demons, only those with exceptionally strong spiritual power possessed mental spaces; and usually it was just a single room, a trench, or some other small scene of great personal significance.
But what was this endless scene before her?
The water only came up to her ankles, yet no matter which direction she looked, she couldn’t see the horizon…
This was too abnormal.
Faya tentatively took a step forward; and suddenly stepped into nothing, nearly plunging into the water.
She barely caught herself in time.
This realization sent a chill down her spine: what looked like shallow water was actually a boundless, bottomless ocean!
The spot where she stood was merely the top of a lone pillar rising from the depths.
“Where the hell am I? How do I get out?!”
Realizing she was in danger, Faya began to panic.
Ever since she arrived, she had been frantically pushing her psychic power to break out of this mental space, but every effort vanished like stones dropped into the sea; not even a ripple.
When the ability she prided herself on failed completely, Faya felt true terror.
“Who are you? Who the hell are you?! Please let me out!” she screamed, her voice laced with pleading.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed her cheek.
She looked hopefully in the direction it came from; and despair swallowed her whole.
A wall of water dozens of meters high surged toward her like the wrath of heaven.
Faced with that terrifying sight, Faya couldn’t muster even a shred of will to resist.
“Hah… hahaha…” Tears of fear streamed uncontrollably from her eyes. “This is just an illusion! I messed up the charm and suffered psychic backlash; it’s all an illusion! Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid! As long as I control my emotions, I…”
The colossal wave crashed down.
The sea quickly returned to calm.
Nothing remained.
…
Far away, Lin Jun; who was busy preparing all sorts of life-saving measures for Pink Puchi; suddenly paused. He frowned and checked his soul state, but found nothing unusual.
Just now, for a split second, he had felt as if “someone had tickled the sole of his foot through a sock.” The sensation was so faint it vanished the moment he focused on it.
Could someone be attacking him with some method he didn’t understand?
The thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Terrifying!
Lin Jun decided that once the current business was done, he absolutely had to research some soul-defense measures.
This world was full of bizarre techniques; way too dangerous. Even if his soul was special, running around naked without any armor all day was simply asking for trouble. He had to be even more careful and better protect his fragile self!
(End of Chapter)
