Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Nostalgia

Lloyd instinctively turned his head the moment he heard someone call for him to stay.

At the same time, he activated his [Twisted Realm].

HMMMM~

He first heard a dull thud in his ears as his vision blurred. The world, once pitch-black, suddenly rippled like the surface of water, as if he were sinking.

Then, his surroundings lit up. He saw the scarlet blood moon again, and below it, the same dead, silent world with its spiraling towers. Under his feet and all around, however, was a patch of vibrant green grass, its style completely out of place with the rest of the scenery.

’I’ve been dragged back into my own [Thought Realm]?’

Before Lloyd could make sense of the situation, a human figure materialized out of thin air on the grass before him.

The figure was half-kneeling on the ground, head bowed. Its arms were spread wide to its sides, yet hung limp and weak, as if invisible shackles bound them in mid-air.

It wore the same gray uniform as Lloyd, but it was caked in blood, as if it had endured horrific torture.

Its appearance was nearly identical to the humanoid silhouette Lloyd had previously seen with his [Spiritual Vision]. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was what the Demon imprisoned in cell 704 was supposed to look like.

’But I already beheaded it and even stabbed it a few more times for good measure. It should be completely dead...’

And yet, the figure before him slowly raised its head. A bizarre, all-too-human smile touched its lips as it greeted Lloyd.

"Hello~"

Lloyd froze for a second, then narrowed his eyes and retorted,

"A Demon that can talk?"

"No, you misunderstand. I am not one of those low-level creatures you’re familiar with. I am a High-Position being, something you cannot comprehend or even imagine. I will permit you to call me ’Stilote.’ It was the original name of this vessel."

The man introduced himself, then slowly rose to his feet and continued,

"This current body of mine is dreadfully dull. I much prefer yours. Give it to me. Merge with me!"

"I will grant you infinite power, so you’ll never have to struggle again. I will bestow upon you the highest of statuses, so you’ll never have to fear exposure. I will also free you from the shackles of worldly convention, allowing you to be with your sister forever..."

"Come! Come! Do not resist my eerie and perilous nature. I will grant you everything you truly desire."

As it spoke, it spread its arms, looking as if it wanted to embrace Lloyd.

Lloyd quickly retreated a few steps, then subconsciously reached for his waist.

But he grabbed at empty air. His Short Sword wasn’t with him.

Next, he instinctively tried to use his abilities, but it was as if all the Spiritual Power in his body had vanished. He couldn’t muster anything.

Seeing Lloyd’s helplessness, the eerie Demon’s smile became grotesquely exaggerated, its mouth stretching nearly from ear to ear. It closed in on Lloyd one leisurely step at a time, continuing,

"It’s useless. Your resistance is meaningless."

It took another step forward, treading on a small, nameless blue and white flower.

But the small flower did not yield. Instead, it burst forth with layer upon layer of white ribbons, wrapping around the Demon’s body like a mummy’s bindings and trapping it in place.

But it was only for a moment. The ribbons shattered into tiny fragments, scattering in all directions as the Demon easily broke free.

"Even a Saint would be useless. I am an enemy you can never hope to defeat..."

It was still talking, its form still changing. Its entire upper body split open down the middle like a shed skin, revealing a new body from within and giving itself a new appearance.

It was a gaunt middle-aged man with a gaze as sharp as a blade. His frame looked somewhat emaciated, but one could feel the formidable power contained within it.

As if performing a Magic trick, it draped a sky-blue haori over itself and donned a general’s hat that looked like a longhorn beetle. With a spear in one hand and a halberd slung over its shoulder, it tucked a musket into its belt and continued its advance on Lloyd.

It then switched to a language Lloyd didn’t really understand, recognizing only a few keywords, and continued speaking:

"I am the most terrifying nightmare from the depths of your soul..."

Its pace was slow, unhurried, as if it were enjoying the pleasure of a cat toying with a mouse.

Lloyd was still backing away and had already retreated past the edge of the grassy area, stepping onto the deathly-gray soil.

’He never thought this Demon could take on a form like this?’

He quickly asked,

"You... how can you turn into that? What else can you turn into?"

"I am the absolute fear etched into your soul..."

The Demon spoke in a low voice as its entire body suddenly expanded. A pair of black, membranous wings grew from its back, its neck stretched out long like a giant python, and its head gradually transformed into that of a Western-style dragon.

Its original humanoid form had completely transformed into a massive black dragon. It raised wings that seemed capable of blotting out the sun and sky, tilted back its long neck, and roared at the heavens, revealing magma-like, orange-red scales on its chest. Within its menacing maw, one could see azure, high-temperature flames dancing.

Lloyd suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if scared stiff and having given up all resistance.

Unable to use his Extraordinary Abilities, he was like a helpless ant before this great dragon.

But a wry, exasperated smile appeared on his face.

"I never expected that the notoriously fearsome Thought Demon would be such a comical monster..."

The dragon let out a roar, as if in response, but Lloyd couldn’t understand a word of it. He just continued speaking his mind.

"A Demon like you can invade a person’s subconscious, prying into and interfering with their desires and thoughts..."

"No wonder you can speak, but you’re incoherent and illogical. The subconscious isn’t the primary consciousness, after all. It has no logic to begin with... What you’re doing is just a slightly more advanced form of parroting."

"That also explains why you’re acting so impatient, and why the conditions you offered are so unappealing. It seems you don’t understand that the desires in my subconscious are not necessarily what I truly want."

The more Lloyd spoke, the more he felt like laughing. He tilted his head back and asked the dragon, which was now towering over him,

"If I hadn’t Vetoed my past self, would you have tried to tempt me with hilarious conditions like ’getting Gold on a single pull’ or ’upgrading a Holy Relic without the stats going wrong’?"

The dragon lowered its head and roared, the azure flames in its mouth beginning to gather as if it were preparing a high-temperature dragon’s breath.

But Lloyd didn’t flinch, a smile still on his face as he retorted,

"This form you have now is indeed an enemy I couldn’t defeat in my subconscious. But do you know how I finally defeated it?"

"You definitely don’t, because that kind of memory isn’t stored in the subconscious..."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a panel that felt achingly familiar materialized before his eyes.

Then, he pressed every option on it, one after another.

A classic, achingly familiar prompt sounded in his ears:

THUMP~

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!