Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: In the Name of Veto

’Hahh... Is it over? Did I take down the notorious Advisor?’

Lloyd wore an expression of utter disbelief. He looked down at his own hands, then at the Saint Statue clutched tightly within one of them.

’Good thing this thing only *feels* like a girl’s soft hand and isn’t real,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, with the force I’m using, I’d definitely make it let out a delicate whimper of pain.’

In truth, from the very beginning of the engagement, he had been standing in the same spot. He hadn’t escaped as the Advisor had guessed, nor had he been hidden by the Chief Judge’s ability.

He had simply put on a dusty little vest under his uniform jacket—

—it was a "greeting gift" the Armored Knight had brought him when he came looking for him today. It was a Holy Artifact, codenamed 5-673, called [The Composure of Being Apart from the World].

Its effect was a miraculous form of spatial Invisibility, as if he were hiding in a special dimension. For the thirty-minute duration, he would be unaffected by any external changes and couldn’t be detected by inspiration or Spiritual Vision. It was as if he no longer belonged to this world—literally "apart from the world."

But the price was an inability to move; he could only stand perfectly still. He was also unable to act, forced to be a mere spectator.

He couldn’t even communicate or send signals to his allies. He couldn’t even be an armchair general.

At the same time, he had to endure a gradual increase to his Madness Value, starting at +1 every few minutes and ramping up to +1 per second.

At the time, Lloyd obviously couldn’t care less about the Madness Value. Taking advantage of the Chief Judge’s brief cover, he activated the vest’s effect and began to observe the entire battle.

He then watched helplessly as the Chief Judge and the Armored Knight were gradually pushed into a disadvantage, and he grew frantic.

He wasn’t just anxious about the state of the battle; more than that, he was desperate to kill the Advisor.

Several times, the blood rushed to his head and he wanted to jump in and help.

But the vest couldn’t be activated frequently. Once he acted, he would no longer be "apart from the world," and he wouldn’t be able to reactivate it for a short period.

If that happened, he would be directly exposed on the battlefield where three powerful experts were clashing...

The battle between the three powerhouses had no flashy light shows, no gaudy fighting techniques, and very little dialogue.

But in the air, the powers of [Veto], [Calamity], and [Curse] were violently colliding and churning, forming an invisible Spiritual Storm.

Even with the vest’s protection, Lloyd could feel his inspiration and Intuition screaming at him to flee this terrifying place of conflict.

Even now, with the battle over, Lloyd could feel a scorching, stabbing pain on his skin—the after-effects of their clashing Spiritual Power.

If he had left his "apart from the world" state, Lloyd had no doubt he would have died on the spot from some stray AOE damage.

Even if he had been lucky enough to dodge the aftershocks of the battle, the Advisor would have discovered him instantly...

Lloyd had no doubt that if the Advisor had found him, he would have ignored everything else to kill him first.

Because the Advisor’s heart held the same killing intent as his own.

Lloyd knew full well that the Advisor’s willingness to fight one against two, to get entangled with the Chief Judge and the Armored Knight on their home turf in Radiant City, was also influenced by this killing intent.

His Rationality and thoughts had been interfered with, causing him to make many inappropriate and unwise choices.

Although Lloyd hadn’t peeked into the Advisor’s mind, he could relate to the feeling.

Throughout the entire time he watched, he felt a desire in his heart constantly urging him: ’Kill him, devour him, don’t be afraid of the dangers on the battlefield, it’s no big deal.’

This killing intent grew stronger and more blatant, bordering on greed.

Lloyd’s thoughts, just like the Advisor’s, were clearly being interfered with—or rather, [Twisted].

This was especially true when the Advisor was preparing to cast that terrifying Curse.

Although Lloyd didn’t know just how frightening the Curse was, a strange Intuition in his mind warned him that if that thing was truly unleashed, he would probably never see his sister again...

’This is when I have to act.’

Driven by the killing intent in his heart, he had already begun to mobilize the Spiritual Power in his body.

But the Saint Statue he was clutching, like a real girl’s hand, suddenly pressed down on the back of his hand.

For an instant, Lloyd’s mind cleared. He overcame the frenzied greed in his heart and managed to endure once more.

It wasn’t until the super Curse was gathering power, ready to be unleashed, that Lloyd felt a gentle force take his hand and point it toward the Advisor.

It was as if someone was gently hugging him from behind, patiently reminding him.

Lloyd knew it was time.

So he cast aside all thoughts of exposure and activated all his skills.

[Twisted Realm], activate!

[Extraordinary Swordsmanship], activate!

[Aggressive Speech], activate!

[Blessing Distortion], activate!

Then he mobilized all his Spiritual Power and left the protection of the vest.

The moment before he struck, he heard a gentle and serene female voice in his ear. The girl hugging him from behind was shouting along with him:

"In the name of Veto!"

......

Lloyd stood stunned for a few seconds, briefly recalling the battle. He then turned to look at the scattered remains of the Advisor.

He subconsciously took a step and moved closer.

But the spot was the center of the battle, and the turbulence of Spiritual Power had not yet subsided. The powers of multiple systems—[Veto], [Curse], [Calamity], and [Twist]—were still colliding and dissipating. Approaching rashly was no different from seeking death.

But Lloyd gritted his teeth and walked over anyway.

For some reason, the gentle force from before didn’t stop him this time.

He only heard a shout in his ear:

"Hey! Don’t go over there! Lloyd, kid! Are you crazy? Dammit... In the name of Veto!"

The Armored Knight, whose foot was still stuck in a crack in the ground, shouted frantically. He quickly stretched out his free hand and activated [Veto Declaration].

The turbulent Spiritual Power in the area was instantly [Vetoed], and the violent storm subsided significantly, allowing Lloyd to safely approach the Advisor’s remains, which were scattered all over the ground.

He looked down and saw several slender, blood-red threadworms writhing and squirming, trying to burrow into the soil.

Under the dual influence of an instinctual urge in his heart and a strange Intuition in his mind, Lloyd made an insanely reckless move—

—he bent down and touched the pile of threadworms directly with his finger.

"Huh? Are you fucking kidding me?"

The Armored Knight cursed out of desperation.

But his voice was still half a beat too slow...

The moment Lloyd touched them, the threadworms instantly regained their vitality. They thrashed wildly, wrapped around his finger, pierced his skin, and burrowed into his flesh.

HUMMM~

Lloyd heard a tremendous roar in his mind, as if his brain had been smashed flat by a heavy hammer. He instantly forgot even who he was.

He didn’t feel any pain, because his brain was no longer capable of giving him any feedback...

He couldn’t hear the Armored Knight’s shouts, only a series of fragmented, delirious whispers.

But they were incredibly clear, incredibly sharp, as if they possessed a magical power that could pierce his eardrums and force its way into his brain.

"Praise the supreme, great existence! Shed your flesh alongside it and fall... into the Abyss where my Lord resides. Do not be alarmed, do not be afraid, that is... where my Lord is, that is... our faith..."

"Praise the supreme, great existence! Forget Cognition alongside it and touch... the truth where my Lord resides. Do not be lost, do not wander, that is... what my Lord desires, that is... our devotion..."

As these two clear whispers echoed endlessly in his ears, Lloyd once again saw the giant stick figure.

But this time, his perspective was no longer that of a distant observer. He was there, a witness.

The stick figure giant was right in front of him. Its lower body was still submerged in a crimson sea, its surface constantly churning as if boiling. From time to time, tentacles would breach the surface, writhing madly.

And all around Lloyd, countless such tentacles floated on the sea’s surface, prostrating themselves in worship as they twisted frantically.

Lloyd was in their midst, and he felt as if he had become one of them...

He tried to deny this, wanting to move his arms and legs to prove he was different from them.

But he felt his hands and feet were stuck together, completely immobile.

He couldn’t even control his body; it was involuntarily following the surrounding rhythm, beginning to twist along with them.

’If this continues, I’m afraid I’ll completely merge with them and become one of those tentacles...’

At this thought, Lloyd bit his tongue hard.

The sharp pain in his mouth shocked him back to his senses, back to reality.

"Hah... Hahh..."

He gasped for air, finding himself half-sprawled on the ground, his body barely supported by his trembling hands. He looked utterly wretched.

Meanwhile, a fiery, burning pain was radiating from the index finger of his left hand.

Lloyd looked down and saw several red lines, like capillaries, had appeared under the skin of his index finger, struggling and twisting constantly.

The sight filled him with nausea and irritation. He quickly mobilized his Spiritual Power and flooded it into his finger.

The red lines resisted for a moment, then quickly disappeared.

Just then, a series of system notifications sounded in his ear:

[Ding~ Madness Value +800]

[Ding~ Sufficient Knowledge Fragments acquired. Skill level up: Twisted Realm LV5→LV6]

[Ding~ Sufficient Knowledge Fragments acquired. Skill level up: Orbital Control (Twist) LV2→LV3]

[Ding~ Sufficient Knowledge Fragments acquired. Skill level up: Blessing Distortion LV3→LV4]

[Ding~ Reading progress increased.]

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