Chapter 378: You Really Are Something... Ansu

The atmosphere gradually fell silent.

Seeing Celia actually force back the false god's will with a single shout, Ansu blinked and marveled in his heart.

Truly incredible...

As expected of her.

Before long, Celia’s teleportation circle began to glow faintly. She cast a cold glance at Ansu.

Ansu quickly caught up, but he deliberately kept his distance from the Black Flame surrounding her, almost pressing himself against the very edge of the magic circle.

In the next second, the surging Black Flame suddenly withdrew.

Celia didn't even look at Ansu, merely saying in a cold voice, “Get closer. If the teleportation fails and you get thrown who-knows-where, don't blame me.”

Ansu stared blankly for a moment, then could only shuffle two steps forward.

Celia let out a cold snort, grabbed his wrist, and said impatiently, “What are you afraid of? It won't burn you to death.”

A flash of deep blue light erupted, and the two of them instantly vanished from the City of a Thousand Stars.

When they opened their eyes again, the familiar blood-mist wasteland stretched out before them.

Ansu looked around. Large patches of withered flesh and tissue were scattered across the ground, and the originally thick blood mist had thinned out considerably.

But the Filthy Heart was nowhere to be seen.

Beside him, Celia suddenly narrowed her eyes, locking onto a certain direction.

“This way.”

The two of them didn't have to walk far before finding their target. That massive heart had actually dug a deep, long hole underground and hidden itself.

Like a cave-dwelling queen ant, it was surrounded both inside and outside the hole by countless small flesh monsters, writhing and piling on top of each other in a spectacular, grotesque display.

Ansu frowned and shouted toward the entrance of the hole, “Come out! We still need your help.”

Only the rustling sound of the flesh monsters moving echoed from the hole; there was no other response.

“You're not coming out, are you?” Ansu pulled out an 【Annihilation Grenade】 and swept his gaze over the restless monsters around them. “If you don't come out, I'm going to blow this place sky-high!”

“No need for such trouble.” Celia cast a cold eye over the ground. Her gaze pierced through the thick layer of soil, already locking onto the target deep underground.

She clenched her fist slightly, and her massive 【gravity magic】 crashed down instantly.

In an instant, the entire wasteland shuddered, the ground cracked open, and the flesh monsters let out piercing shrieks and wails.

A moment later.

Huddled in the deepest depths, the Filthy Heart could only crawl out of the ground trembling.

It had no facial features, but Ansu could feel its current despair and helplessness; the entire heart was shivering violently.

It seemed to be saying...

Why are you guys here again?!

“Let's begin.” Ansu briefly explained his intention to it. “Just like last time, I need a direct connection to the depths of my consciousness.”

He turned to look at Celia, his tone serious. “I want to synchronize the other half of my memories with you.”

Celia kept a cold, expressionless face, but a trace of hard-to-detect curiosity was hidden in the depths of her eyes.

But she quickly shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.

“It's just making up for some regrets. Don't think this half of your memories will change my mind and make me let you off the hook.”

“I'm not begging you to let me off,” Ansu said, meeting her gaze. “I just want you to know everything. I promised you that I would confess everything.”

Celia was slightly startled, and only after a long pause did she let out a cold snort.

“Hmph... how do you guarantee that all of it is real?”

“It's terrified of you.” Ansu lifted his chin, gesturing toward the massive heart curled up in a ball not far away. “If you don't believe me, you can interrogate it at any time to see if these are the truest thoughts in my heart.”

Celia looked at the Filthy Heart, which began to tremble even more violently.

Looking at its state, it probably didn't have the slightest courage to play any tricks.

Under their gaze, the Filthy Heart finally activated its ability.

Ansu and Celia's consciousnesses both blurred for an instant, and the world seemed to spin.

This time, there were no bizarre illusions, nor were there any of their deepest inner fears. There were only the real memories that Ansu had experienced.

When their vision cleared, the two stood side-by-side in an office at the Benalu Royal Academy. They were like onlookers separated by a thin layer of mist, quietly watching the people and events inside.

The past Ansu was standing nervously in front of an office desk, and behind the desk was a long-unseen face—cult executor Mary.

“Ms. Mary, did you need me for something?”

“This is...” Celia’s eyes widened slightly.

“This is the very beginning of the story.” Ansu looked at her. At this moment, they felt as if they were inside an immersive movie, where all of the past would slowly unfold before their eyes.

He looked at his green, past self in the memory and couldn't help but smile. “So my acting was actually a bit amateurish back then. My nervousness was written all over my face.”

Ansu turned his head, his gaze falling on Celia's face.

“I said I would confess everything to you. Now, my heart is open to you without reservation.”

Celia's gaze was incredibly complex. She remained silent and continued to watch.

The scene quickly shifted, arriving at an abandoned storage room in the school.

Tied up by Mary, Ansu opened his eyes in pain within the darkness.

“Hmph, the kid is finally awake!”

As Mary's voice fell, a faint magic light flashed, and another figure appeared in the dim room.

“Lady Celia!” Mary bowed respectfully.

A mysterious young girl with long black hair and deep purple eyes sat on the office desk, looking down at Ansu with an analytical gaze.

This was Celia’s first appearance.

In the memory, a brief flash of shock and contemplation crossed Ansu’s eyes before he quickly masked it.

Watching from her perspective as an onlooker, Celia frowned slightly, already realizing something.

“You already knew me at that time?”

From a bystander's perspective, she could see many details she hadn't noticed back then.

Even though it was clearly the first time Ansu had met her, his nervousness hid something else, as if he had heard of her name long ago and was even well-aware of her deeds.

“I did know you, but that's a different story,” Ansu murmured. “Don't worry, you'll find out everything...”

Suppressing her confusion, Celia kept her eyes glued to the scene for a while longer.

This was their first encounter, but she felt it was somewhat different from what she remembered. She had sent Mary to capture Ansu back then, but... Ansu's performance had left her very satisfied, and she had decided on the spot to take him in.

But she quickly realized.

“Oh... this is your ability again.”

This was a "failed" timeline of Ansu facing her.

Thus, she became even more curious about how it ended.

The scenes shifted one after another, quickly arriving at the real conclusion of their first meeting.

To test Ansu, Celia, acting as a human lie detector, cast 【Soul Dominion - Hypnosis】 on him.

“Tell me, what were you just thinking about?”

“Villains die because they talk too much...”

“What?” The Celia in the memory frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Ansu answered with a stiff expression, “Make myself seem more useful to pique your interest, and then extract more information...”

Celia fell silent for a few seconds, then let out an exasperated laugh.

“Fine! You've certainly piqued my interest now!”

The subsequent events unfolded without any suspense. The witch was thoroughly enraged, and her sinister magic aura engulfed Ansu.

【Soul Dominion】

“It seems humans still cannot be trusted. You should just go back to being my slave!”

Before long, Ansu completely became Celia's "possession."

After everything was over.

She patted Ansu's cheek, wearing a malicious, wicked grin.

“Now that's more like it, good doggy~”

“Come, call me Master~”

Watching this scene unfold, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit subtle.

Ansu subconsciously glanced at the Celia beside him, only to see her staring back at him, her lips curving into a sinister smile.

“If only it had actually turned out like that.”

Ansu gave her a speechless look.

“Fortunately, it didn't.”

The memory continued to play forward.

Relying on his simulation ability, Ansu made trial and error again and again, constantly adjusting his strategy.

He had tried passing a note to the Holy Maiden, and he had tried running to the principal's office for help, but in the end, he couldn't escape the fate of being captured. It wasn't until he had a sudden stroke of genius that he found the only way out—

Using 【Magic Immunity】 to pretend to be hypnotized, exploiting the rule that "a hypnotized person cannot lie" to execute a reverse conquest.

Thus, many classic scenes played out.

Celia narrowed her eyes slightly. These were the scenes etched into her memory, the ones she knew so well.

“Aren't you afraid of me?” The witch leaned her delicate face close to Ansu, studying him with curiosity.

“In this day and age, where magic is so heavily stigmatized, everyone avoids this power like the plague—especially filthy magic, which is strictly forbidden by the Church.”

“The Church has taught you since childhood that magic brings madness and destruction, and that black magic is a legendary bridge to communicate with evil gods.”

A magical flame flared up in her palm, slowly drawing closer to the youth's cheek as her smile gradually faded. “Yet you tell me you aren't afraid?”

Although Ansu looked nervous, he managed to let out a timely look of wonder.

“L-Lady Witch!” His voice trembled, yet he couldn't hide the light in his eyes. “Is... is this the legendary transcendent power?”

...

“What do you think of black magic, of so-called forbidden magic?”

“Cool! It's very cool!” Ansu said without hesitation, his eyes filled with anticipation. “If I could also possess such powerful transcendent strength... I've always believed that power itself is innocent. What matters is the person who uses it!”

“You! Do you really think that?”

“Of course!”

“Interesting... Whether you are lying or not, those words truly satisfy me.”

...

【Soul Dominion - Hypnosis】 descended.

“Tell me the true thoughts in your heart. Why do you long for transcendent power?”

“If I had power, I wouldn't have been bullied when I was little... Everyone wouldn't look down on me... I want to make those who looked down on me, those who killed my father, and those who bullied me and my sister pay the price...”

Ansu stared blankly ahead, falling silent.

Celia, however, suddenly fell silent.

She gazed at the "hypnotized" boy, her dark red eyes flickering with light.

“Oh, so that's how it is...”

So he's a boy who is very much like me...

“Then, do you want revenge?” Celia had smiled.

“Yes.”

“If you join us—no, join me—you can obtain power.” Her voice was seductive. “Speak your heart. Are you willing?”

“I am willing.”

“What if... you have to become enemies with the powerful Church in the future, or even... fight against the entire world? Are you still willing?”

“I am willing.”

Celia had revealed a satisfied smile.

...

Watching this, Celia's expression slowly sank.

She took a deep breath and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“Actually, I guessed it. I've known for a long time... It was fake from the very beginning.”

But seeing it with her own eyes was a completely different feeling.

Compared to the bubble she initially refused to pop, that self-deception, now... for some unknown reason, her state of mind was slightly different.

Celia stared ahead. She felt that she was no longer watching a play through a thin layer of mist; she was no longer a pure bystander.

She could clearly feel Ansu's state of mind at that time.

She felt his psychological activity back then—the urgency when facing her, the extreme pressure, the rapidly spinning thoughts... All the turbulence hidden beneath the surface was laid out before her without reservation.

The Filthy Heart had truly laid bare Ansu's entire inner mind before her.

Displaying it to her without holding anything back.

This reality allowed her to feel exactly what he had felt.

Celia put herself in Ansu's shoes. In a way, she was Ansu at that moment... And then, a cold sweat broke out over her in hindsight.

“You really are something... Ansu.”

She turned to look at the person beside her, her gaze complex beyond words.

“Even though you cheated using your ability...”

She fell silent for a long time, murmuring softly, “If it were me, I probably wouldn't have made it through this.”

...