Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Danger Level 6

[Ding! Madness Value +500, Skill Fragment +1]

The system notification reached Lloyd’s ears a little slower than usual, followed by a series of more alerts:

[Ding! Madness Value +50]

[Ding! Madness Value +50]

’That strong?’

Lloyd was taken aback.

Weiya, beside him, felt her head spin. Her delicate form swayed slightly, and the toy Tower Shield in her hand shattered as well. A pale blue potion dripped slowly from her slender, pale fingertips.

’This thing was practically a toy; it wasn’t *completely* useless, but it was damn close.’

According to the Priest from before, the shield shattering was their cue to retreat immediately.

"Such strong Spiritual Contamination. Something’s not right..."

Weiya thought for a second, then suddenly gave Lloyd a hard shove.

"The Orbit must have malfunctioned! It’s not suppressing its target properly. You need to run."

With that, she gritted her teeth, left Lloyd behind, and charged into the cell alone.

But to her surprise, Lloyd followed her in without a moment’s hesitation.

"You..."

"Didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t leave you behind?"

Lloyd smiled nonchalantly.

’With this much Madness Value at stake, how could I just leave?’

Weiya didn’t waste time arguing. She just nodded and said in a low voice,

"Then let’s finish this quickly."

The two of them turned to look at the high-risk Demon imprisoned there—

It looked like a giant cicada, over three meters tall. If you could catch it, could you hold onto a lifetime of summers?

Its anthropomorphism was already at an advanced stage. Its segmented limbs had taken on the outlines of human arms and legs. At its abdomen, one could even see a pair of organs resembling a set of abs. Its original mouthparts had mutated into a human-like mouth and teeth, but with no lips or skin to cover them, the stark white teeth were left completely exposed.

And in its insectoid compound eyes, countless human-like pupils were crammed together—enough to make someone with trypophobia commit suicide on the spot.

’To have mutated to this extent... I can’t even imagine how many humans it must have eaten.’

Although it was still bound by chains and white steel spikes, rendering it temporarily immobile, the chains were now rusted and looked as if they could shatter at any moment. The white steel spikes had turned a grimy, blackened yellow, and the patterns that formed the Orbit on their surface had become blurry and indistinct.

"This is bad! It’s eroding the Orbit!"

Weiya whispered urgently, then dashed forward and charged without hesitation.

The giant cicada’s attention was focused on eroding the Orbit, and it didn’t seem to notice Weiya’s approach.

But just as Weiya raised her longsword high, about to strike its head, the pupils within its compound eyes suddenly swiveled.

Then, the organs on its abdomen that resembled human abs trembled slightly.

VMMMM—

Weiya instantly felt a sharp pain in her head, as if a piece of her brain had been carved out, nearly causing her to pass out on the spot.

Immediately after, an invisible force struck her like a sledgehammer, sending her flying backward. The impact made the bones throughout her body creak faintly.

Seeing this, Lloyd lunged forward and barely managed to catch Weiya.

Weiya struggled to her feet in his arms. Her lovely face was now deathly pale, but she was still enduring the excruciating pain in her head as she gave Lloyd a second push.

"It’s about to break free! Run..."

But she forced herself to raise the longsword she could barely hold, preparing to attack again.

Her remaining Rationality told her that if she let a Demon of this level break free, the consequences would be unimaginable...

’Even if it costs me my life, I have to stop it!’

’Just like... three years ago...’

Just then, the giant cicada swiveled its compound eyes again, locking onto both Lloyd and Weiya. Then, the organs on its abdomen trembled once more.

VMMMM— VMMMM—

Lloyd instantly felt an almost tangible wave of Spiritual Contamination flood his mind, bringing with it a sharp, needle-like pain. A powerful spell of dizziness followed, nearly knocking him unconscious on the spot.

Immediately after, an immense, invisible surge of Spiritual Power rushed toward him, kicking up a wind as sharp as a blade that made his eyes throb with intense pain and blurred his vision.

Through his blurry vision, he saw Weiya still standing in front of him, trying to shield him from everything with her slender body.

She used all her Spiritual Power to unleash two slashes, cutting at the incoming Spiritual Power.

Where the blade met the invisible Spiritual Power, brilliant sparks erupted in the air. The forces clashed for a second before Weiya managed to forcibly cleave the energy apart, letting it pass by them on either side.

The Spiritual Power slammed into the walls on either side and instantly shattered, turning into invisible streams that surged wildly throughout the narrow Space. Each wisp was like a treacherous blade, capable of easily slicing through human skin and flesh.

Weiya raised her longsword again, intending to disperse these scattered forces, but she suddenly found that she had lost control of her arm. It hung limply, completely unresponsive.

She could slice through the Spiritual Power, but she couldn’t sever the intense Spiritual Contamination...

Weiya felt the pain in her brain turn to numbness. Illusions began to appear before her eyes—some memories, some fantasies—intertwining and eroding her last shred of Rationality.

In her daze, she thought she saw Lloyd reaching a hand out to her, desperately saying something.

But aside from the incessant ringing in her ears, she couldn’t hear a thing...

She couldn’t hear his words or see his face clearly. Fantasies and hallucinations intertwined, making Lloyd’s figure appear blurry and Twisted.

Finally, Weiya’s grip on her longsword failed, and it fell powerlessly to the ground. She could no longer force herself to stand and collapsed softly into Lloyd’s arms.

But even so, she used the last of her strength and Rationality to give Lloyd a weak push.

"Run... Don’t... die..."

Weiya’s voice was incredibly faint and weak. Before she could even finish her sentence, she passed out in Lloyd’s arms.

"Whew... You’re a hard one to keep up with. This is the fourth time today you’ve tried to leave me behind..."

Lloyd let out a breath and said helplessly.

Then, he gently laid Weiya down, stood up, and walked step-by-step toward the giant cicada.

The shattered remnants of Spiritual Power were still ricocheting wildly around the cell. They brushed past him countless times, yet not a single one so much as touched the corner of his clothes.

The giant cicada no longer swiveled its compound eyes or struggled against its restraints. It paid no mind to Lloyd’s approach, simply standing there motionless. The pupils within its compound eyes revealed a human-like satisfaction, as if it had already escaped and was feasting heartily on the humans in the room.

Meanwhile, the terrifying organs on its abdomen were continuously oozing thick, black blood. At some unknown point, they had been destroyed and could no longer produce any sound.