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Join the ServerAlice Liddell looked at the Killer, asking, “Does this mean I’m to be the one to execute him?”
“It would be a bit of a waste of resources for me to reap him,” the Mad Hatter chuckled.
“If you harvest his soul and then execute him, you can complete your Seventh-Tier advancement ritual. His soul crystal will then serve as your material for promotion.”
Having heard this, the Killer scrutinized Alice Liddell, then turned to the Mad Hatter, a look of surprise crossing his face. “You want her to advance? Is she an Imperial?”
“Indeed,” the Mad Hatter replied nonchalantly.
“Letting an Imperial join the Tea Party is one thing, but you’re actually guiding an Imperial to join the Abyss Cult!?” the Killer shrieked in shock.
“That’s right,” the Mad Hatter said, his expression utterly reasonable.
“Are you insane!?” the Killer roared.
“Why else would I be?” the Mad Hatter grinned, never denying his own madness.
“Have you forgotten what the Imperials did to us? All the suffering of us Redlands people was brought upon by them! The Empire is our enemy, and Imperials are a cancer upon this world!”
“I could grudgingly understand if you allowed an Imperial to join for the organization’s benefit, but how can you permit an Imperial to defile our traditional religion?” the Killer raged, scolding the Mad Hatter.
“A crucial lesson I’ve learned in my thirty-odd years of life is never to try and persuade a fool whose values are too divergent from your own. Hence, I have no intention of arguing with you,” the Mad Hatter waved his hand dismissively.
“Bastard! I always thought you were merely overly soft-hearted, but I never imagined you’d be this utterly muddle-headed! Have you been seduced by this woman’s beauty?” the Killer continued to hurl insults.
“No matter how much I indulge, I could never be interested in a witch who used to be a man,” the Mad Hatter sighed, covering his ears, then turned to Alice Liddell. “Get it done quickly.”
Alice Liddell nodded.
The Killer’s actions were so heinous that he deserved death many times over. She had no qualms about executing him.
She channeled the last vestiges of her red crystal’s power, transforming into a demon, then strode towards the Killer.
The Killer did not assume a fighting stance; he merely glared fiercely at Alice Liddell, his only remaining act of defiance. He was already gravely wounded and no match for Alice Liddell in her current state.
“Honestly, I can understand your hatred, your fury, because I’ve had similar experiences to yours… truly very similar,” Alice Liddell said as she approached the Killer.
“But you allowed yourself to become a s*ave to hatred. You deluded yourself into thinking you were retaliating against the Empire, but in reality, nothing you did changed anything. You merely indulged in slaughter, fueled by your runaway hatred—”
“Go to hell! When did it become an Imperial like you’s turn to lecture me!?” the Killer cursed, utterly ungrateful.
“If you’re going to strike, then strike! Stop with the pointless chatter! Winners take all, so don’t get presumptuous with me! If I ever get the chance, I’ll definitely butcher you, you vile wretch, and pull out your intestines to wrap around your neck… Argh! Argh! Argh!”
Halfway through his tirade, Alice Liddell finally lost her patience and struck him directly with a claw.
“Are you foolish?” the Mad Hatter’s sharp tongue cut in from the side. “Do you imagine yourself a priest hearing a dying man’s confession? Have you perhaps read too many hero stories about converting enemies?”
“I was wrong,” Alice Liddell sighed.
As the Mad Hatter said, when the disparity in values is too great for communication, attempting to persuade the other party is utterly meaningless.
Given that their positions had devolved to a life-or-death struggle, it was indeed unrealistic to expect a grand speech alone to convince the other side to accept one’s views.
Alice Liddell continued her assault, inflicting more wounds on the Killer’s arm, shoulder, and back. She had no interest in tormenting him, but she could not harvest the soul of a dead person.
Before executing the Killer, she needed to obtain his soul.
The Killer writhed on the ground in agony, the accumulated damage from the demon’s claws bringing him a fear and despair potent enough to shatter his consciousness.
For the first time, he personally experienced the dying sensations of his own victims.
“That’s enough.”
When the Killer’s eyes began to roll back, the Mad Hatter called a halt to Alice Liddell.
Alice Liddell extended her hand towards the Killer’s eyes, activating her “Soul Harvest” ability.
A grayish-white spirit detached from the Killer’s eyes, solidifying into a coin-shaped crystal in Alice Liddell’s hand.
The Killer consequently lost consciousness. Alice Liddell picked up the crystal and examined it, discovering that it shimmered faintly.
“It actually glows…” Alice Liddell murmured.
“The souls of the blessed glow. The higher the tier, the more pronounced the light. These crystals contain more power than those of ordinary people,” the Mad Hatter explained to her.
“Don’t rush to consume it; you must first complete the ritual. Failing an advancement is no laughing matter.”
“I know,” Alice Liddell replied, turning back to the Killer.
“Can you do it? You’ve never formally killed anyone, have you?” the Mad Hatter inquired.
“I’ll try,” Alice Liddell said, swinging her claw and piercing the Killer’s chest, instantly destroying his heart.
The Killer convulsed violently, even struggling a few times, but within mere seconds, he went limp.
Alice Liddell withdrew her claw, watching as he became completely still.
“That’s somewhat unexpected,” she commented.
“How so?” the Mad Hatter asked.
‘I feel like killing isn’t actually that difficult. It’s completely different from what the books say,’ Alice Liddell thought.
“Killing isn’t inherently difficult. Many soldiers can kill enemies without hesitation on their very first day on the battlefield, and some even accidentally kill someone in a fit of emotion,” the Mad Hatter said calmly.
“What’s difficult is getting used to killing. Veterans returning from war have a high suicide rate, and the job of an executioner isn’t one just anyone can handle.”
“By the way,” he added, “you won’t have any psychological burden from this, will you?”
“No,” Alice Liddell answered truthfully.
She wasn’t truly heedless about killing; it was simply that the Killer genuinely deserved to die.
The Mad Hatter smiled. “Indeed, thus far, the most efficient method we’ve found to curb evil is violence. Though ‘fighting violence with violence’ sounds crude, it’s a bottom line we cannot abandon. Some sinners truly deserve death.”
“Well, he’s drawn his last breath.”
Alice Liddell nodded, then brought the Killer Jack’s soul to her mouth and consumed it.
A burning sensation surged from her chest, flowing through her limbs and bones. She distinctly felt a new power merge with her being.
Without any adverse reactions, she had successfully advanced to the “Warlock” of the Seventh Tier of the Abyss.
“As for this child, she has been forced to become a blessed of the Abyss. This country has no place for her; we’ll have to figure something out,” the Mad Hatter said, picking up Martha and letting out a long breath.
“The remaining cleanup work can be left to the Church. Before the Inquisition hunts us down again, let’s make a quick escape.”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Run! This Saint Is a Monster!! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Run! This Saint Is a Monster!
