Chapter 153: Violence (P2)

Once again sheer preparedness saves the day and my shiny hide. My first Soul Shield quickly gave after a few meagre seconds under the Mayor's crackling, torrenting fist of wind.

Sending out the second, prepared shield is not my current problem however. As the blazing wind and arching lightning passes through my hair and grazes my sides ever so often.

I worry about how my several protruding hands of Death gripping unto his sides refuse to leave him unable to stand.

I thought for sure that if anything were to be the ultimate weapon against literally everyone, it would be necrosis. But here I am, setting out twenty length arms of green mana as Death Grips on the Mayor and still he refuses to die.

Fucking hell, what else isn't going my way? 

"Ugh!" I strain, not just from the pressure of keeping my Shield in one piece but also from the blaring sound that's been in the back of my mind since his fists landed. It's screaming, screeching even.

"You think a little fancy schmancy taboo magic can stop me?" He's full-on maniacal now, gone is his cool, freezing composure, instead all I see now before me is a man teetering on the edge of madness.

And he's trying to take me with him.

He raises his other arm and within it is an orb. I know I don't want to find out what that does but alas, I can't rightly get away right now and I've got zero undead near me.

Instead, I start preparing one of the modified souls, a weapon is needed.

The orb in his hand glows and his fingertips have single points of mana hovering above them, I don't wait to see what pain in the ass he unleashes next and set out my own pre-emptive attack.

My selected soul glows brightly and expands behind me, taking on yet another hexagonal shape. And with but a mental order, it begins to rain.

Millions of fast moving, sharp and powerful torrents of mana blast out of it. The Soul Needle Shower; inspired by Quen, the archer that used a single arrow to take out several of my undead.

Who would have thought I'd be learning and applying so quickly?

Unfortunately, since this exact skill is not one produced by the System itself and one manufactured and moulded by my amateurish level of Proficiency with Soul Manipulation, I lost much of the soul's strength and essence in the process, it's about seven times less durable and powerful than it would have been should the System had done it.

But beggars can't be choosers, and the System hasn't been very generous with skills associated with Soul Manipulation just yet, not that I can't rush these things.

In an amazing turn of events, one that I truly never imagined as I deployed the Needle Shower; it's persistent and unrelenting attack not only dislodges Serue's torrenting fist from the suffering Soul Shield, but it also skewers him in a manner I would have thought it was incapable of.

"I must have underestimated myself…" I mutter to no one, wincing at the growing pang of pain in my head. 

For the moment, I ignore it and retract the dozens of Death Grips from the Mayors skewered body and take a generous step back. 

I watch patiently and in amazement as his building mana dies down, the orb he held in his hand drop to the floor and roll in the shocking quiet.

"Gguhh!" he coughs, blood spewing out.

Did I…just kill the Mayor?

Before I can get lost in my thought of victory, something strikes me as odd. There isn't any desperate or pained screaming.

My eyes fly over to Audwin, the one person I know would be beside himself at the thought, much less sight of the Mayor's death. And he simply stands there, obediently as Serue instructed.

"Shit."

As soon as the word leaves my mouth the skewered, bleeding, dying body of the Mayor fades away, as though simply made of dust.

"Shit, is correct, Asher." 

With my eyes clear I find myself on my knees, Serue standing over me with his hand resting firmly on my head and a cold blade caressing my cheek. It's my dagger.

Unlike the unhinged man I saw in…in that illusion, this one is as calm and collected as ever. Unbothered as always, calm and almost peepy if the budding grin on his face is any indication.

"You're…an Illusionist…" I strain to move but find I can't, I can't even lift a finger.

He wags his finger at me, tutting as he does, "Don't spill my secret, it's best my enemies...and allies know only what I need them to."

My view of his triumphant face is blocked by the myriad of System alerts, all of them in a screaming red, much like the one from when I stepped into the Beta's Mind-Field.

[Sense of Touch Compromised.]

[Expelling Foreign Influence.]

[Expulsion Successful]

[Sense of Touch Compromised.]

[Sense of Smell Compromised.]

[Expelling Foreign Influence.]

[Will Compromised.]

[Expulsion Successful.]

[Perception Compromised…

It just keeps going.

But I get the gist of it. He wore the System down, it's clear to see from these alerts, although I question why I didn't see them as he was trying to break into my head and control what I see.

And when exactly did he start trying to influence me? When did I fall for his illusion? 

Biting my lip, I silently curse myself, not having any of the answers to these questions and yet…I remember theorizing that the bastard standing over me now could have beaten Kaylin via Illusions.

"Kaylin!" I gasp.

Serue chuckles, "Oh don't worry so much, she and your other…interesting friend made it away, good thing too, would have been such a pain to have to put you both under."

"I can still move my head."

He nods, picking up a lock of my hair and cutting it off with my dagger, "Yes, because I allow you to. You should really cut your hair by the way."

I ignore his chatter, "And not because I broke out?"

He pauses at this, then picks up another lock and chops it off.

"I'll admit, you were quite a prickly one to put under, I thought for sure I would be able to put you and Kaylin dearest under, but after failing so many times I had to let Kaylin go and focus on you."

"Let Kaylin go?"

He smirks, "You don't find it odd how silent she was while we spoke?"

Eyes widening, I realize, "You've been trying since we…since we entered the Palace."