What does that mean?
This guy saw something special about me?
Hearing the words from the upper half of "King of the Black Throne" Barros's body, Silas's heart suddenly jumped in alarm.
This guy's strangeness was truly unimaginable.
He had swapped his and the Queen Mystic's situations, easily killing Bernadette. So what kind of danger was hidden in his words now?
However, what happened next completely exceeded Silas's imagination.
Barros's body, split in two, abruptly disappeared. Soon, he appeared before Silas again in perfect condition.
"However, it seems to be hidden very deep within your body and needs to be drawn out."
The King of the Black Throne said.
Immediately after, Silas suddenly felt a violent reaction occurring within his body!
"Splash!"
The illusory seawater became beyond his control, directly flowing out from within his body.
Viscous, pitch-black liquid that seemed to contain complex colors spread all over the entire deck!
How is this possible?!
My golden finger is actually not under my control?
Silas's heart filled with terror and confusion, until he saw a beautiful figure in white robes emerge from the water's surface.
The sea breeze blew through her red hair, and the midday radiance illuminated her exquisite features.
Standing upon the sea surface, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
"M!"
Silas shouted to his other persona. "What's going on!"
Perhaps she could answer his current confusion.
However, that red-haired, golden-eyed woman completely ignored Silas.
She glanced around the deck, then walked toward the "King of the Black Throne," Barros, a radiant smile on her face.
"Hey! Stay away from him! M, I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?"
Silas shouted, frantic, warning her about the dangerous enemy. A sudden, uneasy premonition gnawed at him.
M paid him no attention.
She smiled and bowed politely to the elderly gentleman in the wheelchair, then spoke with clear confidence.
"Lord Barros, I have successfully taken control of his possession."
"Well done," Barros replied, his tone bright with satisfaction.
"M, what are you talking about?"
Silas's eyes widened in disbelief.
The illusory seawater continued to surge, as if it would be entirely drained from his body. Slowly, it pooled beneath Ma'am M's feet.
"Isn't that obvious enough?"
M smiled and finally turned to Silas. "I've taken this sea from you."
Silas froze. The words hit him clearly, but his mind could not process them. Several seconds passed before his fury finally exploded.
"What are you doing?"
He roared. "You're a persona I split off. Why are you helping him?"
Ma'am M's gaze met his, the corners of her mouth twitching before curling into a full, unsettling smile. Then, as if she could not contain herself, she burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The laughter was sharp, almost piercing, distinctly feminine and chilling in its intensity.
"My lord, did you see that? He believed it. He really believed it."
She turned back to Barros.
The elegant, composed woman he once knew was gone.
Now she convulsed with unstoppable laughter, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling as if she were no more than a broken automaton.
This laughter made Silas's heart grow colder bit by bit.
"Phew."
Ma'am M, who had laughed enough, straightened up.
"Silas, at this point, I'll tell you plainly. Did you really think I was a persona you split off?"
She's not my persona?
"You..."
Silas froze in shock for a moment, then his anger flared. "You're Ma'am M! You didn't die!"
"That's partly true… and partly not."
The red-haired, golden-eyed woman smiled and shook her head. "I've always been loyal to Lord Barros. Ma'am M was just a role I played to infiltrate the Aurora Order."
"Now that my mission is complete, it doesn't matter whether I tell you the truth."
M smiled. "This sea has been completely under my control, and you just happened to run into Lord Barros. Let's end this little game between us. Lately, deceiving you has been… quite entertaining."
With that, she intensified her efforts, pulling the illusory sea entirely out of Silas's body in a single, effortless motion.
"Splash!"
The seawater surged violently. A fragile soul wrapped in seawater left Silas's body.
It was a beautiful young girl. Her spiritual body couldn't withstand external influences and rapidly dissipated under the scorching midday sunlight!
"Cecilia!"
Silas shouted, wanting to rush over, but his body fell down beyond his control.
At this instant, he heard the sound of mad ravings ringing in his ears.
"Bang bang bang!"
Flesh exploded, spirit became chaotic.
Without the protection of the sea tide, Silas had no way to resist the True Creator's influence.
He was accelerating toward the edge of madness and losing control!
"Oh, right, it seems without this protection, you'll be eroded by the True Creator, won't you?"
The golden-haired, red-eyed woman said with feigned sighs. "What a shame."
Having said this, she abandoned Silas and pushed Barros's wheelchair away.
"I'm going to kill you all..."
Immense despair and terror filled Silas's heart. His mental defenses teetered on the edge of collapse.
"Boom!"
The True Creator seemed to feel extremely pleased, transmitting even more ravings into his ears.
Under the effect of a peculiar external force, Silas's body involuntarily floated upward, hanging upside down.
The midday sunlight disappeared. Under a blood-red sky, his figure hung inverted, as if bearing all the world's sins.
So the prophecy the Queen gave me will be fulfilled here...
Silas thought hazily, about to be swallowed by despair, stepping into complete madness...
No!
At this moment, the most rebellious part deep in his heart spoke.
I've been led by the nose this whole time!
Something feels off!
That voice was telling him.
What is it...
Pain!
Right!
This pain is too slight!
Compared to the pain I usually endure, it's not on the same level at all!
This is fake, it's deceiving me!
This is a hallucination!
"Sea!"
Silas opened his mouth and roared.
"Splash!"
With his roar, a sound of illusory sea tide a hundred times clearer than before suddenly rang out!
"Splash!"
The sea tide surged forth from within him, instantly washing away the entire world!
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of shattering glass rang out. Everything around was shattered.
Silas's eyes snapped open!
Looking around, he saw the golden ocean, saw the giant ship opposite and Barros on that ship. He also saw the Queen Mystic standing at the Dawn's bow.
The sea breeze blew through her long hair. The golden sea surface was full of burning flames. She was perfectly fine, with no sign of being pierced by a spear!
Silas suddenly understood. Everything just now had been nothing more than an incredibly realistic dream.
But if he had believed it was real, that dream would probably have instantly modified his spirit, causing him to truly lose control!