The Wraith Steve struggled on the ground.
He'd left his soul state and looked to be in extreme agony.
Silas's Lava Sword hung above his head, yet he paid it no attention at all, only wailing continuously.
M's figure quietly appeared before Silas.
"What's wrong with him?"
Silas asked, pointing at Steve with the Lava Sword.
"He tried to possess your body.
However, he simply couldn't bear the pain in your heart. His spirit suffered a powerful shock."
M said softly. "...Simply put, he's probably gone mad."
Gone mad?
Silas looked at Steve rolling and wailing on the ground.
Though he had no obvious wounds on his body, he looked as if he'd suffered terrible harm, displaying extreme agony.
"Is my pain... this intense?"
Intense enough to drive a Sequence 5 insane...
M looked at him seriously and said:
"Yes."
"Then why don't I have such a strong reaction?"
"You've just endured so much that you've grown accustomed and somewhat numb to it."
"..."
Silas fell silent.
He lowered his head again to look at Steve rolling on the ground.
The other's expression was incredibly twisted, his entire body convulsing and spasming.
He couldn't even speak a proper sentence, much less continue opposing Silas.
Is this a portrait of the pain in my heart right now...
He remained silent, gripping the Lava Sword and thrusting it forward, piercing through Steve's head.
"Hiss..."
The high temperature instantly seared Steve's brain. He offered no resistance.
Instead, sensing his life force draining away, he genuinely smiled.
Death ended his suffering.
But only for an instant.
A Sequence 5 sheep, Silas wouldn't let it go to waste.
But the time to graze wasn't now.
The earlier battle had created quite a commotion. Drawing attention was only a matter of time.
He didn't have much time left. After using blood mist to interfere with divination, he grabbed the corpse and quickly returned to the villa.
Silas saw Jason's head drooping against his chest as he stepped out through the gap in the wall.
Sharron's figure was reflected in Jason's eyes.
"Take Steve and leave first. I'm going to question Count Andes."
Silas tossed the corpse to Sharron and quickly instructed.
She nodded, took the corpse, and rushed out of the villa. Along the way, sounds of terrified screams seemed to ring out.
Silas found Count Andes in the luxurious bedroom.
He was furious about the attack on his home, never expecting that the intruder would come directly to see him.
"Did you arrange for people to attack that textile factory in the East Borough?"
"Yes."
"There are many textile factories in Backlund. Why did you specifically attack that small factory?"
"Because they don't follow the rules!
To actually give workers such good treatment... The rabble in my factory all started causing trouble because of this.
If I don't make trouble for them, who should I target?"
Count Andes said indignantly. Under hypnosis, everything he said was the complete truth.
So that's how it is.
Silas roughly understood what the other meant. He gave a cold laugh and ended his life.
Security in the Queens District was extremely tight.
Beyonders were already on their way. He didn't search for the Count's property but left immediately.
***
Silas met with Sharron, transferred the corpse, and chatted briefly, exchanging contact information.
The latter then hurried off to meet with her companion.
Silas examined the "Zombie" characteristic she'd left behind and the corpse of the "Wraith" Steve, preparing to begin grazing.
However, his slots were already full. Which one should he remove to replace?
Besides the protected Cecilia, he was already grazing six sheep inside his body:
The "Pyromaniac" that came with Ma'am M's Beyonder item;
The "Faceless" he'd killed when robbing the manuscript after first arriving in Backlund;
The MI9 member killed at Capim's mansion, the "Interrogator" Katie;
The serial killer, the "Devil" giant hound;
The Aurora Order's "Shepherd" Mr. A;
The "Desire Apostle" Belial was killed recently while attempting to assassinate Duke Negan.
"Hmm..."
Thinking carefully, the first priority for replacement should be the lower sequence sheep and those with overlapping abilities.
Both Interrogator and Pyromaniac were Sequence 7, while Devil and Desire Apostle belonged to the same sequence.
But the problem was, Pyromaniac could combine with Faceless's Flaming Jump, and although Devil and Desire Apostle were the same sequence, the abilities they preserved didn't overlap at all.
Considering this, the first priority for replacement should be the "Interrogator."
Although the latter's mental attacks were quite rare, the sequence was indeed too low.
Moreover, the "Desire Apostle's" "mental shock" and his own "Profane Words" could produce similar effects, not to mention the "Wraith" he was about to graze was itself a spirit body.
"What are you considering?"
At this moment, he heard M's voice. She stood in the courtyard, seemingly somewhat puzzled.
"The Shepherd's slots are full. I'm considering which one to replace."
Silas answered.
"Why not free up Cecilia's slot?"
"What did you say?"
Silas's head shot up, staring directly at her.
"Don't misunderstand. I mean, take Cecilia's soul out and place her somewhere safer."
M maintained her smile even under Silas's cold gaze.
"A safer place, you mean..."
"That sea."
M said flatly.
"That place is a space independent of reality, under your control. Of course, it's safer than your body."
"Are you being foolish? The True Creator is on the other side of that sea."
Silas thought what she said made some sense, but quickly found the problem and immediately voiced his objection.
"The tide can shield against His ravings. You know this... Besides, with Cecilia in your body, aren't you also suffering the True Creator's ravings?"
"..."
Her rebuttal left Silas speechless.
"Moreover, if you encounter intense battle, not only will your body be damaged, but the souls inside might also be harmed."
M continued.
"Sending Cecilia away would eliminate many concerns, and it would free up one of your slots."
"Additionally, there's something more important. You know that no matter how well you protect her, Cecilia's soul is gradually dissipating inside your body."
She looked directly at Silas and said calmly.
"If things continue this way, perhaps before you become a true god, she'll gradually deteriorate and lose the chance for resurrection..."
"Crack!"
Before she could finish speaking, Silas's hand shot out like lightning and grabbed her throat, forcing her to stop.
"Shut up."
"Sorry."
M put away her smile.
"That sea can nourish souls. There, Cecilia can receive better placement than she has now."
"..."
Silas fell silent for a moment.
M was his other persona, holding the same feelings for his sister.
Her words had actually hit completely on his soft spot.
Recently, he'd already noticed that Cecilia's soul showed vague signs of minor deterioration. He just hadn't wanted to admit it before.
But was it really okay to put his sister's soul in that sea whose nature he hadn't yet figured out?
"I'll consider it later."
He could only say this, then temporarily set aside the issue and focused his attention on the corpse on the ground.