Behind him, flames roared, devouring everything, surging wildly towards them. The ghost, shrieking ferociously, seemed poised to consume everything in the flames.
The pigfolk butcher said indifferently, "You can have it. Drink this soup, and I"ll trade with you.”
Without hesitation, Lynne calmly took the bowl of soup and drank it down in one gulp. Rich flavors churned in his mouth, and immediately the system's notification rang in his ear.
[Ding! You have acquired knowledge: Mechanical Modification]
[Ding! You have acquired a curse: Weeping Clown]
In that moment, Lynne didn't hesitate. He quickly reached out, snatched the heart from the pot with his tentacles, and catapulted himself towards the entrance to the freezer.
Behind him, flames and the wailing of the vengeful ghost chased after him. He heard the pigfolk butcher's faint voice.
"You need an extremely evil heart to trade with me. I'll come to find you in half an hour. If you break the deal, I'll take your heart instead.”
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air. No one knew why he came nor did anyone know his true identity. But Lynne couldn't concern himself with that now. The vengeful ghost was hot on his heels.
Lynne rushed into the freezer, then quickly thrust his hand into his mouth, forcing himself to vomit out the soup he had just ingested.
Even though he vomited it out, the effects of the knowledge and curse had already taken hold in him. But he knew now was not the time to worry about that!
Biting his teeth, he didn't dare to pause.
Quickly standing up, he forcefully closed the door, took out a large amount of spirit-revealing potions from his system space, and smashed them against the door and surrounding walls.
Crack—
Crack—
Though these efforts might not significantly contain the vengeful ghost, they could still have some effect.
"Hidari!" Lynne gasped, gritting his teeth with a crazed look in his eyes: "Can you use mental contamination one more time?!"
Hidari, clearly weakened, still struggled to lift her hand, speaking with difficulty: "You need to... give me... compensation..."
Almost immediately after she spoke, a scorching tongue of fire slammed heavily against the door. The potions on the wall and door lit up, preventing the vengeful ghost from directly entering.
A piercing roar echoed all around.
Seeing this, Hidari finally bit down, transforming once again into countless viscous black liquids.
Infant figures struggled into shape, emitting ear-piercing cries. The entire freezer resonated with the maddening mental contamination.
But it was effective. The strong wave of curses restrained the assault of the vengeful ghost outside the door.
"I can't hold on for long! You need to be quick!"
Hidari's voice shouted in his mind.
Lynne wasted no time, quickly regaining his composure and pulling out all the corpse fragments he had collected from his system space.
At this moment, he focused like never before. Every piece of the puzzle must be in its original place!
He took out a needle and thread.
Biting his teeth, he quickly began to stitch the dismembered and sliced fragments together, one stitch at a time. Outside the door were the wails of the vengeful ghost, inside was the cry of mental contamination.
It was a scene straight out of hell!
Piece by piece, the body before him rapidly took shape, quickly returning to its original form. His mind flashed back to the scenes he had seen in Remnants of the Past.
"I have a serious yet gentle father. I have a nagging mother who never lets Alice go hungry. I have a brother who always brings gifts to Alice and never bullies her. I have all my family, everyone who loves Alice. That is Alice's Home of Happiness."
In the vision, the girl gently closed her diary, holding it to her chest, her eyes full of happiness. Her birth mother had died when she was very young.
Although she occasionally missed her, the memory slowly faded into a distant blur. Because her father and stepmother were very kind to Alice, she wanted to be filial to them when she grew up. She also wanted to ask her father about her mother's grave, to pay respects to the woman who gave birth to her, though her memory was now blurred.
Although her father always refused and wouldn't tell Alice the reason for her mother's death, She believed she would eventually find out. She wanted to tell her mother that Alice was living happily and was grateful.
In the vision, the blonde girl closed her eyes, her face full of longing and hope, innocence, and anticipation for the future.
Rustle—
The moment the mental contamination ended, the freezer's door was blasted open by a tongue of flame.
The little girl with a ferocious, burning face screamed as she appeared at the door of the freezer, her overwhelming hatred igniting the entire room.
"Her head!!" Hidari shouted. "It's done!"
Lynne gritted his teeth. At that moment, cradling the broken body of the girl, he stared wildly and furiously at the engulfing flames and the vengeful ghost.
He didn't retreat. Instead, he strode boldly into the rolling flames, a blinding halo swirling in his pupils and palms.
The curse on his revolver quickly returned, and his Temporary Curse Removal ability almost simultaneously transformed into a glow in his hand. Wearing the fireproof kerchief, he bravely charged towards the vengeful ghost.
"Curse Removal! Activate!" Lynne shouted.
In the instant the flames threatened to consume him, a dazzling light enveloped the entire space.
He needed to reach the real Alice! With her body in tow! Let his soul tell her everything!
In that instant, the raging flames, filled with ferocious curses, enveloped Lynne completely. The violent red blaze reflected in his angry eyes. Finally, his hand reached the front of the vengeful ghost.
Curse Removal! Activate!
Buzz—
A blinding light suddenly burst forth from Lynne's palm, transforming into pale streams of light that weaved like serpentine threads through the malevolent flames, surging towards the ghost at close range.
The little girl's pupils dilated, letting out a sharp, piercing wail. Countless faces symbolizing the curse, burning, and contorting, were violently stripped from her body by the threads.
Like a grand fireworks display, the curse spread along its pathways, covering the walls and spreading throughout the castle!
Erasing! Annihilating! Extracting!
"Ah—"
The intense sensation of being stripped caused the ghost to scream in agony and resentment.
For the ghost, the curse was akin to flesh born from hatred and malice, clinging to their bones. Extracting the curse was like flaying their very flesh.
"How dare you!"
Amid her shrill screams, her bloodied hand savagely pierced Lynne's chest, bursting out from his back. This time it was real penetration, not an illusion!
Crimson blood gushed from his back, splattering in the roaring flames. But in that moment, she suddenly saw Lynne lifting his head. She saw the terrifying smile blooming on his face.
"You let me... get close to you..."
Buzz—
In an instant, the ghost's eyes contracted. But it was too late. Amidst his graceful smile, Lynne's hand plunged into her chest, embracing her body amidst the raging flames and white torrents.
Endless hatred and malice immediately started to envelop his arm like greedy black vines, rushing into his body, and piercing his consciousness.
As if falling into an abyss of endless wailing. Hot and cold, piercing and brutal. In that instant, countless images, along with the hatred and resentment, swirled madly in his eyes.
[Ding! The host's vitality is rapidly depleting!]
[Ding! The host's vitality is rapidly depleting!]
But Lynne paid no heed. Amidst the surge of countless images, he felt the girl's deep-seated hatred.
He saw her imprisoned alone in an iron cage in the tower, saw her father with a cold expression lashing her with a whip, strike after brutal strike!
He saw the cruel and sick mother cutting off her golden hair bit by bit with scissors, mixing it with animal entrails, and forcing her to eat it! He saw the mad and excited brother carving deep, bone-revealing cuts on her arms and face with a dining knife.
It was a piercing scream of agony from the depths of her soul. Torture. Abuse. Yet, deep inside, she still harbored a glimmer of hope.
Like the remnants of the past, like the times when she sat with her family by the warm fireplace. Her father always worked late, but her stepmother was extremely kind, never making her feel like an outsider. Her brother was mischievous but always stood up for her, fiercely driving away those who bullied her.
It was the life of a noble family in the Middle Ages. The castle was gloomy, yet warm. The Mr. Knight was stern but would secretly give her small gifts on her birthday. The cook was rough but would sneak her pastries when she visited the kitchen. The doctor was the scariest because he always gave her bitter medicine when she was sick, but after taking it, her cold or cough would quickly heal.
So, Alice knew the doctor was also kind to her. Until she was imprisoned in the tower. Suspended in a cage. Gazing at the sky outside the tower.
Because of those once beautiful memories, despite the cruel torture, she still hoped. Hoped it was all just a nightmare that upon waking, her father, mother, brother, and everyone in the castle would still greet her with warm smiles. But that day never came. What she awaited was that night's madness and cruelty, the bloodstained butcher's knife.
Thud—Thud—Thud—
Like three vicious dogs tearing apart their prey, they brandished their butcher knives, smiling as they gruesomely dismembered her in the tower.
Hatred! Unstoppable hatred and resentment! It erupted completely at the moment of her dismemberment, a sheer explosion of agony. The nightmare she thought she was living turned out to be a blood-drenched reality.
Gradually, she began to hear a woman's ferocious voice echoing in her ears. Slowly, she recognized the voice as her birth mother's.
But wasn't she already dead? Why could she still speak to Alice? It didn't matter anymore! Mother said they were all malicious, all wearing hypocritical faces, innately irredeemable demons. Mother said she was killed by them.
In truth, it wasn't just Alice who was victimized.
Mother said she wanted Alice to be with her forever. Mother said they must not spare those people. If the mother wanted Alice to kill, then Alice would kill.
Her father must die! Her stepmother must die! Her brother must die! Every living person in the castle must die! But Alice didn't want to kill the chef because he secretly brought food to her in the cage. She didn't want to kill the doctor either, because he had cried for her, wanting to secretly help her escape, but then had his legs chopped off.
No... it didn't matter anymore. Because Alice was no longer human...
Countless images surged within the overwhelming hatred, a bone-chilling coldness mixed with indescribable anger.
Because Lynne knew it was all orchestrated by her birth mother, that malicious and jealous woman! Not only had she cruelly destroyed the entire family and ruined her daughter's happiness, but she also now resided within her daughter, using the castle's curse as a foundation to greedily unleash her malice in this Dark World.
One creature after another was lured into the castle to be slaughtered. Their souls were embedded into each brick of the castle, their flesh turned into delectable meals, and she used their skins to create puppets to deceive Alice.
She had been controlling the girl all along. From before her death to after! She wouldn't allow herself peace, nor did she want her daughter to have any!
Lynne, gritting his teeth, desperately searched for that soul amidst the enveloping malice. The curse removal temporarily nullified part of the ghost's power, but the raging hatred and malice continued to assault his consciousness.
It felt like plunging into a cold ice bath. Bone-chilling coldness enveloped him from all sides. Continuously diving deeper. Continuously searching. And finally, at that moment, amidst the endless hatred, he found the girl.
Behind him, flames roared, devouring everything, surging wildly towards them. The ghost, shrieking ferociously, seemed poised to consume everything in the flames.
The pigfolk butcher said indifferently, "You can have it. Drink this soup, and I"ll trade with you.”
Without hesitation, Lynne calmly took the bowl of soup and drank it down in one gulp. Rich flavors churned in his mouth, and immediately the system's notification rang in his ear.
[Ding! You have acquired knowledge: Mechanical Modification]
[Ding! You have acquired a curse: Weeping Clown]
In that moment, Lynne didn't hesitate. He quickly reached out, snatched the heart from the pot with his tentacles, and catapulted himself towards the entrance to the freezer.
Behind him, flames and the wailing of the vengeful ghost chased after him. He heard the pigfolk butcher's faint voice.
"You need an extremely evil heart to trade with me. I'll come to find you in half an hour. If you break the deal, I'll take your heart instead.”
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished into thin air. No one knew why he came nor did anyone know his true identity. But Lynne couldn't concern himself with that now. The vengeful ghost was hot on his heels.
Lynne rushed into the freezer, then quickly thrust his hand into his mouth, forcing himself to vomit out the soup he had just ingested.
Even though he vomited it out, the effects of the knowledge and curse had already taken hold in him. But he knew now was not the time to worry about that!
Biting his teeth, he didn't dare to pause.
Quickly standing up, he forcefully closed the door, took out a large amount of spirit-revealing potions from his system space, and smashed them against the door and surrounding walls.
Crack—
Crack—
Though these efforts might not significantly contain the vengeful ghost, they could still have some effect.
"Hidari!" Lynne gasped, gritting his teeth with a crazed look in his eyes: "Can you use mental contamination one more time?!"
Hidari, clearly weakened, still struggled to lift her hand, speaking with difficulty: "You need to... give me... compensation..."
Almost immediately after she spoke, a scorching tongue of fire slammed heavily against the door. The potions on the wall and door lit up, preventing the vengeful ghost from directly entering.
A piercing roar echoed all around.
Seeing this, Hidari finally bit down, transforming once again into countless viscous black liquids.
Infant figures struggled into shape, emitting ear-piercing cries. The entire freezer resonated with the maddening mental contamination.
But it was effective. The strong wave of curses restrained the assault of the vengeful ghost outside the door.
"I can't hold on for long! You need to be quick!"
Hidari's voice shouted in his mind.
Lynne wasted no time, quickly regaining his composure and pulling out all the corpse fragments he had collected from his system space.
At this moment, he focused like never before. Every piece of the puzzle must be in its original place!
He took out a needle and thread.
Biting his teeth, he quickly began to stitch the dismembered and sliced fragments together, one stitch at a time. Outside the door were the wails of the vengeful ghost, inside was the cry of mental contamination.
It was a scene straight out of hell!
Piece by piece, the body before him rapidly took shape, quickly returning to its original form. His mind flashed back to the scenes he had seen in Remnants of the Past.
"I have a serious yet gentle father. I have a nagging mother who never lets Alice go hungry. I have a brother who always brings gifts to Alice and never bullies her. I have all my family, everyone who loves Alice. That is Alice's Home of Happiness."
In the vision, the girl gently closed her diary, holding it to her chest, her eyes full of happiness. Her birth mother had died when she was very young.
Although she occasionally missed her, the memory slowly faded into a distant blur. Because her father and stepmother were very kind to Alice, she wanted to be filial to them when she grew up. She also wanted to ask her father about her mother's grave, to pay respects to the woman who gave birth to her, though her memory was now blurred.
Although her father always refused and wouldn't tell Alice the reason for her mother's death, She believed she would eventually find out. She wanted to tell her mother that Alice was living happily and was grateful.
In the vision, the blonde girl closed her eyes, her face full of longing and hope, innocence, and anticipation for the future.
Rustle—
The moment the mental contamination ended, the freezer's door was blasted open by a tongue of flame.
The little girl with a ferocious, burning face screamed as she appeared at the door of the freezer, her overwhelming hatred igniting the entire room.
"Her head!!" Hidari shouted. "It's done!"
Lynne gritted his teeth. At that moment, cradling the broken body of the girl, he stared wildly and furiously at the engulfing flames and the vengeful ghost.
He didn't retreat. Instead, he strode boldly into the rolling flames, a blinding halo swirling in his pupils and palms.
The curse on his revolver quickly returned, and his Temporary Curse Removal ability almost simultaneously transformed into a glow in his hand. Wearing the fireproof kerchief, he bravely charged towards the vengeful ghost.
"Curse Removal! Activate!" Lynne shouted.
In the instant the flames threatened to consume him, a dazzling light enveloped the entire space.
He needed to reach the real Alice! With her body in tow! Let his soul tell her everything!
In that instant, the raging flames, filled with ferocious curses, enveloped Lynne completely. The violent red blaze reflected in his angry eyes. Finally, his hand reached the front of the vengeful ghost.
Curse Removal! Activate!
Buzz—
A blinding light suddenly burst forth from Lynne's palm, transforming into pale streams of light that weaved like serpentine threads through the malevolent flames, surging towards the ghost at close range.
The little girl's pupils dilated, letting out a sharp, piercing wail. Countless faces symbolizing the curse, burning, and contorting, were violently stripped from her body by the threads.
Like a grand fireworks display, the curse spread along its pathways, covering the walls and spreading throughout the castle!
Erasing! Annihilating! Extracting!
"Ah—"
The intense sensation of being stripped caused the ghost to scream in agony and resentment.
For the ghost, the curse was akin to flesh born from hatred and malice, clinging to their bones. Extracting the curse was like flaying their very flesh.
"How dare you!"
Amid her shrill screams, her bloodied hand savagely pierced Lynne's chest, bursting out from his back. This time it was real penetration, not an illusion!
Crimson blood gushed from his back, splattering in the roaring flames. But in that moment, she suddenly saw Lynne lifting his head. She saw the terrifying smile blooming on his face.
"You let me... get close to you..."
Buzz—
In an instant, the ghost's eyes contracted. But it was too late. Amidst his graceful smile, Lynne's hand plunged into her chest, embracing her body amidst the raging flames and white torrents.
Endless hatred and malice immediately started to envelop his arm like greedy black vines, rushing into his body, and piercing his consciousness.
As if falling into an abyss of endless wailing. Hot and cold, piercing and brutal. In that instant, countless images, along with the hatred and resentment, swirled madly in his eyes.
[Ding! The host's vitality is rapidly depleting!]
[Ding! The host's vitality is rapidly depleting!]
But Lynne paid no heed. Amidst the surge of countless images, he felt the girl's deep-seated hatred.
He saw her imprisoned alone in an iron cage in the tower, saw her father with a cold expression lashing her with a whip, strike after brutal strike!
He saw the cruel and sick mother cutting off her golden hair bit by bit with scissors, mixing it with animal entrails, and forcing her to eat it! He saw the mad and excited brother carving deep, bone-revealing cuts on her arms and face with a dining knife.
It was a piercing scream of agony from the depths of her soul. Torture. Abuse. Yet, deep inside, she still harbored a glimmer of hope.
Like the remnants of the past, like the times when she sat with her family by the warm fireplace. Her father always worked late, but her stepmother was extremely kind, never making her feel like an outsider. Her brother was mischievous but always stood up for her, fiercely driving away those who bullied her.
It was the life of a noble family in the Middle Ages. The castle was gloomy, yet warm. The Mr. Knight was stern but would secretly give her small gifts on her birthday. The cook was rough but would sneak her pastries when she visited the kitchen. The doctor was the scariest because he always gave her bitter medicine when she was sick, but after taking it, her cold or cough would quickly heal.
So, Alice knew the doctor was also kind to her. Until she was imprisoned in the tower. Suspended in a cage. Gazing at the sky outside the tower.
Because of those once beautiful memories, despite the cruel torture, she still hoped. Hoped it was all just a nightmare that upon waking, her father, mother, brother, and everyone in the castle would still greet her with warm smiles. But that day never came. What she awaited was that night's madness and cruelty, the bloodstained butcher's knife.
Thud—Thud—Thud—
Like three vicious dogs tearing apart their prey, they brandished their butcher knives, smiling as they gruesomely dismembered her in the tower.
Hatred! Unstoppable hatred and resentment! It erupted completely at the moment of her dismemberment, a sheer explosion of agony. The nightmare she thought she was living turned out to be a blood-drenched reality.
Gradually, she began to hear a woman's ferocious voice echoing in her ears. Slowly, she recognized the voice as her birth mother's.
But wasn't she already dead? Why could she still speak to Alice? It didn't matter anymore! Mother said they were all malicious, all wearing hypocritical faces, innately irredeemable demons. Mother said she was killed by them.
In truth, it wasn't just Alice who was victimized.
Mother said she wanted Alice to be with her forever. Mother said they must not spare those people. If the mother wanted Alice to kill, then Alice would kill.
Her father must die! Her stepmother must die! Her brother must die! Every living person in the castle must die! But Alice didn't want to kill the chef because he secretly brought food to her in the cage. She didn't want to kill the doctor either, because he had cried for her, wanting to secretly help her escape, but then had his legs chopped off.
No... it didn't matter anymore. Because Alice was no longer human...
Countless images surged within the overwhelming hatred, a bone-chilling coldness mixed with indescribable anger.
Because Lynne knew it was all orchestrated by her birth mother, that malicious and jealous woman! Not only had she cruelly destroyed the entire family and ruined her daughter's happiness, but she also now resided within her daughter, using the castle's curse as a foundation to greedily unleash her malice in this Dark World.
One creature after another was lured into the castle to be slaughtered. Their souls were embedded into each brick of the castle, their flesh turned into delectable meals, and she used their skins to create puppets to deceive Alice.
She had been controlling the girl all along. From before her death to after! She wouldn't allow herself peace, nor did she want her daughter to have any!
Lynne, gritting his teeth, desperately searched for that soul amidst the enveloping malice. The curse removal temporarily nullified part of the ghost's power, but the raging hatred and malice continued to assault his consciousness.
It felt like plunging into a cold ice bath. Bone-chilling coldness enveloped him from all sides. Continuously diving deeper. Continuously searching. And finally, at that moment, amidst the endless hatred, he found the girl.
