Novel Full 110.Corrupting Three 4th Circle Beings
The clouds boomed, and it poured. The silver wyvern danced above, its roars synced with that of the skies.
The fight seemed to have stopped below. There were no more attacks, but the people were still fleeing.
In a narrow alley of Gera, Jake stood in front of the dark elf who was kneeling before him. Despite her numerous wounds, the woman wasn’t concerned and remained subservient.
To degenerate the mind of someone at the same rank as him was much more difficult. However, because Jake had amplified her fear so much using his [Emotion Manipulation] ability, the process went with no hiccups. The first try was a success.
”Stand up,” Jake said.
He bought some healing potions from the system and gave them to her. Jake also withdrew a bottle of high-grade Mana Restoration potion from his inventory. He’d kept it in stock for cases like this.
After using [Degeneration Halo], Jake had fully depleted his mana. He pulled the cork of the bottle and chugged the bitter liquid down his throat.
The bitterness he’d tasted from Calliya’s earlier fear and now from this potion forced him to make a terrible expression. He could really use a different type of taste right now.
Jake glanced at the dark elf and sent suggestions of love into her mind. That emotion tasted sweet and it would wash away the bitterness.
Calliya didn’t have defenses in her soul like Minerva and his ability immediately worked on her. She looked at him with puppy eyes, unable to say how much she adored him.
‘It seems I overdid it…’ Jake thought, swallowing his sugary saliva. He was still new to manipulating emotions, after all.
”Drink those potions,” he ordered.
”Yes…” Calliya blushed foolishly for no reason. She thought it was an act of kindness. But Jake just wanted his servant to remain fully ready for battle.
He turned around. Spreading his senses using [Magipathy], Jake found where the paladin was laying. He knew the man was still alive. Jake had told Droge to not kill and just severely injure the 4th Circle beings.
But before he went to corrupt the paladin, he headed back to the bishop. That cleric would be very useful for him in the coming days.
…
”You are to call me Lord from now on, Panchel Sexton.”
”Yes, my Lord,” replied the old man. He still seemed too injured to properly speak.
After becoming a Dark Bishop, Panchel appeared to have regressed in age. Looking at his face, no one would believe he was older than 35.
Jake gave the same healing potions to his new servant and said, ”Go calm the masses after healing your wounds.”
It had been much harder to degenerate his mind. Jake had to wake up the man, and then beat him to the point of near unconsciousness. That had been the only way to corrupt this bishop who supposedly had higher Intelligence.
”Stay here until I come,” Jake told Calliya, and she nodded.
He flew to the sky and came back with Droge. It was having too much fun in the sky.
Jake landed near the place where the paladin lied. A group of city guards were surrounding the man who was on his last breaths.
When the monster came again, they did not run away. It would still kill them, anyway. They would rather die protecting the last moments of Sir Orpheus than pathetically run away.
”Move.”
But they heard a human voice. A tall man dressed in tattered black robes jumped from the wyvern’s back. Droge sniffed around, snorted and flew again.
”A Demon…”
”N-No wonder… Haha…”
The men knew they were as good as dead. They laughed nervously, accepting their fates. But none of them moved away from the paladin’s body.
Jake stretched his hand and telekinetically peeled away the guardsmen as if they were flies. He exerted pressure on these low-ranked humans with his high mana.
Blood leaked from their mouths as they resisted the immaterial pressure upon their bodies. Unable to move, unable to speak, they could only think of what was going to happen.
However, even their thinking was dictated by Jake. He crouched near the paladin and saw the man still breathing, blinking his eyes.
”Perfect,” he said and again used [Degeneration Halo].
Using the skill so many times in a row was depleting his mana quickly. Jake could have gathered the three 4th Circle beings together and used the halo once.
But that would put too much strain on his psyche. That’s why he hadn’t tried it. Even a single 4th Circle person at once required the full power of his soul. At present, he could keep the numbers high only with 1st or 2nd Circle beings.
Paying no attention to the guards whose minds were also being corrupted, Jake stared at the paladin. Orpheus’ injuries were too heavy for him to put up any fight.
The wyvern had nearly broken his will, and that worked for Jake’s benefit. He found that the demonic marks were smoothly appearing on Orpheus’ face.
The paladin’s eyes became fully white, and he opened his bloody mouth, making deep sounds as if his soul was being sucked.
The process of degeneration was different for everyone. Orpheus twitched from time to time. When the color of his irises returned, they weren’t the usual brown, but dark red. Jake could also see flickers of pink in them.
He looked around and saw that the guards were now kneeling, fervently keeping their heads down.
[Ding! Eight Individuals successfully corrupted.]
The paladin smiled crazily, as if he was possessed and tried standing up. He felt extreme pain doing so, but paid it no heed. Jake stopped crouching and placed his boot before the man’s face.
He then hit the ground with the end of his scythe’s handle. A magic circle appeared below him and Orpheus.
The then paladin, now a Dark Knight, found his wounds healing at a rapid speed. Unlike Ash, this man didn’t have an apathetic face. Jake’s power fascinated him.
The corrupted seed in his mind made him practically worship the demon. Orpheus touched his new master’s boots with his forehead and assumed a kneeling position like the others.
After Jake finished using his Blood Regeneration, he stored his scythe back in the inventory. The new Dark Knight wasn’t fully healed, but Jake didn’t use the skill again.
In his opinion, the man was cured enough for him to use.
”What is your name?” Jake asked.
”Orpheus Milton.”
He nodded after hearing this and rose to the air. ”Go to the church building and gather all the nuns, as well as the priestesses.”
”And you seven,” Jake turned to the city guards. ”Help the people. Say that Sir Orpheus, the brave paladin, has injured and chased the wyvern away. Go give hope to these people.”
They left as soon as they heard him.
‘That should make it easier for Panchel to convert the city dwellers,’ Jake thought with a wicked glint flickering in his eyes. There was a reason why he let Droge terrorize these people.